Groups Wants Youth Shelter For South End

With roughly 120 homeless youth in the city, a community group is trying to get a shelter set up in the South End specifically for young people.

Mark Leger with the Homelessness Steering Committee says there are programs available for youth in the city, but none that provide short term, emergency assistance.

Leger says the old St. James Church on Broad Street has already agreed to donate its old building for the project.

He says you have to be creative when it comes to funding things in today's economy, but the committee is confident they'll be able to secure a mix of federal and provincial government contributions along with help from the commercial sector.

A meeting to get the community's input on the project will be held tomorrow night at 7pm at the St. John the Baptist-King Edward School.

Construction To Begin Soon On Skateboarding Park In The K-V

Quispamsis is going to build a skateboarding park to be located on Landing Court near the Arts and Culture Park with construction to begin in the fall. The final design and what it will eventually cost isn't known yet. 

Robin Parks was a driving force behind building a skateboarding park and as for what it will look like, she says that will depend on what the skateboarders themselves want.  She tells CHSJ News the skateboarding park in Quispam will be different than what was built in Saint John.

Quispam Mayor Murray Driscoll says the town will contribute 100 thousand dollars for phase one with the province chipping in 50 thousand because this is what the townspeople identified as a recreational need.

There will be an open house Tuesday night 7:00 at the town hall to get feedback on its look and what should be included.

The Mayor says there's a natural slope to the land where the skateboarding and bike park will be built with room for expansion down the road.

Enterprise Agency Sets Example

With the province launching its own economic development arm this week, Enterprise Saint John is being held up as an example of how to do it right.

Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney is also a member of Saint John's economic task force, and says Invest NB will work strategically with regional agencies  by building on priorities the agencies identify.

Blaney says regional agencies will play a key role in helping Invest NB do it's job, because they're on the ground, they know the community and they know where the potential for growth is. 

She says Enterprise Saint John has been recognized as the model with the most depth and the best skill set.

Blaney Sings The Praises Of Enterprise Saint John

With the province's new economic development arm, Invest NB, ready to hit the ground running this Friday, Minister Margaret-Ann Blaney says it's looking to Enterprise Saint John as a prime example. Blaney is also a member of the city's economic task force, and says economic development agencies will play a key role in helping Invest NB do it's job.

She says the Enterprise Saint John network is being held up as an example of how to do it right.

Blaney says Invest NB is going to be very strategic in it's partnership with economic development agencies, allowing them to identify priorities and going from there.

RCMP Bust Grow Op In Wirral

RCMP in Grand Bay-Westfield getting some help from the Saint John drug section in dismantling a grow-op at a home in Wirral.

Police seizing about 175 marijuana plants in the search.

Grassroots Group Likes The Government's Shale Gas Rules

The Citizens for Responsible Resource Development agree with some the protective measures the Province is placing on shale gas exploration and development.

President Bethany Thorne-Dykstra tells CHSJ News they like the security bond in the case of water loss or contamination or any kind of accident then the industry is required to fix it.

She tells us they are very pleased that under these new rules the company has to reveal what chemicals are being used in the fracking process.

Joyce Set To Re-Open North End Garage

The old Ultramar gas station on Somerset Street will have a new use soon. Owner Danny Joyce tells CHSJ News he and his son will be opening it up again, but this time strictly as a repair shop. Joyce says he has been working on the property since December, and was painting this weekend to try and get it ready for the summer.

He is hoping to be open for business by the 2nd week of July and tells us after some delays they are making good progress now.
He says the building needed new drains, oil-water separators and electricity boxes, which has slowed the process down.

Quispam Accident Ties Up Traffic

A three car accident at the intersection of the Old Hampton Road and Campbell Drive tying up traffic in Quispamsis for half an hour yesterday.  Rothesay Regional Police say the call came in at 12:30 and two cars were heavily damaged in the crash.  One woman was taken to hospital.

Officer Hurt Breaking Up Valley Party

A member of the Rothesay Police Force sent to hospital after a breaking up a house party in Quispamsis.
Police responding to the residence at 12:30 Saturday night and ended up calling in the Saint John police for back up.  A woman officer was hurt after she fell down a flight of stairs and was hit in the face with a veer bottle.
 
Sgt. Peter Breen tells CHSJ News at least one woman was charged with assaulting a police officer and others could be charged after an investigation is completed.

Posties Are Going Back To Work

Now that back-to-work legislation has passed in the Senate, the President of the Saint John union Wally Moore says postal workers are just waiting to find out when they're expected back on the job. For people who have been missing their mail service, Moore asks them to remember the union tried to disrupt service as little as possible with rotating strikes.
He makes the point that Canada post locked out its workers and they never did go on strike country wide.
Moore says the way arbitration works, a P-C appointed arbitrator will look at a final offer from both sides, and pick one or the other.

More Derelict Buildings Are Coming Down

The city is looking forward to cleaning up the landscape of Saint John by demolishing the slew of vacant buildings around town that are literally falling down. There are an estimated 100 to 120 such buildings locally and Mayor Ivan Court says the danger comes when vagrants and young people bent on mischief making manage to get inside or even curious young children looking for a bit of adventure.

He says it's a danger to people who live next door to these building because the City can't guarantee their safety.

After 2 and a half years, the province passed all the changes being called for by Saint John and other municipalities to make the process of demolition a lot easier and less bureaucratic.