Increase In Tuition Is Hurting Students and Workforce

Liberal MLA Chris Collins says the province is failing students with the removal of the tuition freeze.

Statistics Canada is reporting New Brunswick has the second highest tuition in the country after a 3.6 percent increase.

Collins is the Opposition Critic for Post-Secondary Affairs and he tells CHSJ News we need to slow down the rate hikes so education becomes more accessible and a skilled workforce is formed.

He says the province has also failed to protect students from increases to ancillary fees and student loans are now harder to access.

The provincial Liberals are also attacking the Alward government on the business front -- in the wake of the official launch of Invest NB, they want Alward to identify specific sectors of economic growth for the province.

Bullying Hotline Is Busy With School Now Underway

Rob Frenette with BullyingCanada says with the school year in full swing for the past few weeks, calls to his organization's help line has shot up dramtatically.

He tells CHSJ News while he normally gets about 500 calls a month -- so far he has received about 2000 calls.

He says he has already dealt directly with a few cases of bullying in Saint John schools.

He believes the increase in the call volume is because BullyingCanada has been doing aggressive marketing across the province.

He says the number of calls should go down as September, March Break, and the summer are typcially the peak times for bullying issues.

For more information about BullyingCanada, click here.

Atlantic Region Businesses Told To Expand Their Reach

Excluding the Irvings and McCains, businesspeople in the Atlantic Region have been criticised for not doing enough to make inroads in the emerging markets.

The General Manager of Enterprise Saint John Steve Carson tells CHSJ News it's not a matter of cost but it can be a challenge to break down barriers and open lines of communication. Carson does say because of the internet, we truly do operate in a global economy.

The sluggish U.S economy prompted Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney to advise businesses in the region to look further afield to emerging markets like China when he spoke in Saint John.

Garnett Settlement Fire

Crews are at the scene of a fire on the Garnett Settlement Road.

Simonds Fire Department responding to the call and is receiving some help from the KV Fire department.

Bayview Elementary Unveils New Library

Bayview Elementary unveils a new library after a renovation courtesy of Irving Oil.

The project was announced back in March.

Student Injured At Aquatic Centre Passes Away

The 17 year old student from China, who nearly drowned last Sunday at the Aquatic Centre, has died. 

He had just started in Grade 11 at Simonds. The teen had been on a ventilator at the Regional Hospital since being pulled from the swimming pool at the Aquatic Centre and given C-P-R after it appeared he had stopped breathing. 

The circumstances of exactly what happened have not been released yet.

His mother and father are expected to be arriving in the city tomorrow from China.

Meantime, City Police are investigating after a 54 year old man was struck by a car yesterday afternoon around 3 at the intersection of Visart Street and Churchill Boulevard in the north end just across from Lansdowne Plaza.

The man was taken to hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Skateboard Park In Quispamsis Gets Go Ahead

Quispamsis Town Councillors are unanimous in their support for phase one of a skateboard and bike park to be located adjacent to the town hall. The price tag for phase one is 150 thousand dollars.

Jim Scott of Collabplan tells CHSJ News the location is unique because it will be built into the side of a hill unlike other skateboard parks in the region. 

There will various ramps included as well as pump rollers, a fun box along with other elements suggested by the young skateboarders.

Scott describes their contributions as invaluable to the project.

Finance Minister Sees Parallels Between Province And European Financial Woes

Finance Minister Blaine Higgs says there are definite parallels with the province's debt problems and Europe's financial mess.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney says Europe could solve their money problems if they exerted enough political will and Higgs says the same could be said of the province.

He says everyone needs to work together to balance the books.

He adds after a year as Finance Minister, he believes it's very possible to make it happen.