In A Seller's Market, Get A Realtor

The Province's Real Estate Association reports housing sales came back to life last month.
The average residential price for a home is now higher in the Saint John area, which includes the K-V, than either Moncton or Fredericton.
Saint John Real Estate Board President Jason Stephen tells CHSJ News he thinks it's more important now for people to have realtors sitting at their kitchen table.

He says they can help you price your house competitively and stage it because it's a difficult market right now for seller's.

The average price of a house in the Saint John area is now up to almost 170 thousand dollars.
In Fredericton, it's about 153 thousand and over 163 thousand in Moncton. 
 For more information, click here

Jewels Of The Seas In Port

The Jewel Of The Seas cruise ship in Port today.

Wetland In Quispamsis Is Restored

Canaport LNG spending over $500,000 to complete a restoration project returning Matthew's Cove to a functioning natural wetland.

It's located near the Gondola Point arterial where as a decommissioned sewage lagoon it was a contaminated environment and a threat to wildlife.

Canaport LNG’s Environmental Manager Fraser Forsythe tells CHSJ News he is very proud of the work they've done with the Town of Quispamsis and their contractors in the restoration.

He says they have taken an unusable piece of land and returned it to what nature intended it to be - a functioning wetland habitat that is home to many different wildlife species.

September Housing Sales Rebound A Bit

September saw a blip upward in housing sales across the province. 

The average residential price for a home in Saint John is just shy of 170 thousand dollars. 

The New Brunswick Real Estate Association includes the Kennebecasis Valley as part Saint John which increases the average price.

By comparision, the average price of a home in Fredericton is 153 thousand and over 163 thousand in Moncton. 

The Real Estate Association estimates it would take ten months to sell all of the homes now on the market as compared to over 11 months as of the end of August. 

The average price for a home nationally is now over 352 thousand dollars.

Mercer Gives The Bay A Push Tonight

Canadian political satirist Rick Mercer is giving the Bay of Fundy's drive to be one of the new 7 wonders of nature a boost on his show tonight.

The Bay is one of 28 finalists in the global contest that wraps up on November 11th.

In tonight's episode of the Rick Mercer Report, he goes whale watching in the Bay of Fundy with Opera singer Measha Brueggergosman and goes on a jet boat ride with Premier David Alward.

To vote for the Bay of Fundy in the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest, click here

For more on tonight's show, click here

Sussex Hearing On Compensation To Resume Before Mining Commissioner

26 residents of Penobsquis who are seeking compensation at a hearing before the Mining Commission will be back at it tomorrow morning with the resumption of proceedings.

Heather McCabe is one of the residents and she tells CHSJ News she lost her water but that's not all. 

The walls have cracks. The ceilings are sagging. She can't use two rooms of her home because of mould and is now sleeping in the dining room. 

The residents blame Potash Corp for their problems. McCabe doesn't expect the hearing to end for another year and the residents have to make do with no legal representation because of the expense.

Bike Lane To Come Down

The bike lane along Main Street will be taken down tomorrow for the winter. 

The city plans to have it back up again next spring for the 2012 construction season. 

Crews tomorrow will be removing the bike lane pylons, road markings and traffic lights along Main Street. 

The concrete barriers at the intersection of Portland and Main Streets will not be removed which means you can't make a left turn from Main Street onto Portland Street.

Saint John Welcomes Three Cruise Ships To Port

On a soggy day in the Port City, three vessels carrying more than 8000 passengers are spending the day in Saint John.  Triple ship tuesday coincides with the last day of the 2011 cruise ship season in the Port City.

Three Ships In Port Today

On the last day of the 2011 Cruise ship season, three different vessels are spending the day in the Port City.

Councillor Mott In Hospital

East side residents will be down one representative for the next while -- Councillor Joe Mott is in hospital with an undisclosed illness.

Mott was absent from last night's council session and there is no word yet on his return.

Council holding a prayer for him before the beginning of last night's meeting.

Deputy Mayor Wants Confidential Report Released

Over 500-thousand dollars in additional spending for Peel Plaza getting the green light from Common Council.

Some of the unexpected costs included the discovery of contaminated soil and additional service costs.

Project Manager Bill Edwards says it looks like the project will be on budget but Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase has his doubts.

He wants a confidential report that describes the full cost of the project and its implications to be released to the public.

He says we are already seeing the the implications of Peel Plaza on the city budget with the planned cut of up to 14 transit workers.

The request will be looked at to see if the report can be released without breaking confidentiality rules.

Meantime, Common Council has also rejected the suggestion of paying 10 million dollars to upgrade the Trade and Convention Centre which is now competing against newer facilities in the region. The city was looking for help from the province and federal government.

2011 Season Ends With Triple Ship Day

The 2011 cruise ship season is wrapping up in style today with three different vessels in Port.

The Jewel of the Seas arrives first followed by the MSC Poesia and then the Carribean Princess.  Over 200 travel agents will be visiting onboard the MSC Poesia.

Saint John Port Authority CEO Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News this season has been challenging with 5 ships cancelling calls due to bad weather.
He says that may mean our passenger numbers will come in somewhere between 185 and 190,000.

Quinn adds the 2012 season has 76 ships due to call including 9 visits from a new line to Saint John-- Disney Cruises.

Today's schedule:

Jewels of the Seas 7am
MSC Poesia  12pm
Carribean Princess 8am

Fire Set At Regional Jail

An inmate set a fire in one of the cells in the segregation unit last night at the regional jail on the Old Black River Road. 

Acting District Chief Kevin Clynick says it spread to a mattress and was put out by jail staff before reigniting which then activated the automatic sprinkler system. 

There were no injuries.
 
City Police are investigating and the inmate is expected to be charged.