Health Council Submits 3 Recommendations For Improving Healthcare

The New Brunswick Health Council delivering 3 key recommendations to the province in order to manage and improve health care in the province.

CEO Stephane Robichaud tells CHSJ News one of the key recommendations has to do with improving access and quality of primary care.

He says there has been many variations in the standards of quality throughout the province and it needs to be addressed.

The other pillars of its report include developing a multi-year healthcare plan for the province and improving health promotion and disease prevention.

Robichaud adds the council will be submitting a follow-up report next year to see if any progress has been made by the province.

Pedestrian Hit By Driver

City police are looking into why an 82-year-old man struck a woman walking uptown with his vehicle this morning.

It happened about 10:30 this morning at the corner of Paddock and Coburg.

The woman was taken to hospital with a possible dislocated shoulder.

An accident reconstructionist is trying to figure out what happened.

More Details Released On Charlotte Street Fire

A short six weeks after opening, a new south end housing complex sustained smoke and water damage after a fire which broke out in a kitchen of one of the upper floor apartments.

Fire crews responded to the blaze at the Abbey housing project just after 3 in the afternoon. By the time they got there, the fire had been extinguished by the building's sprinkler system.



Acting District Chief Brian Wilson says that caused some problems with the electrical system and it took some time for that to be checked out by inspectors and given the all clear.

50 people were evacuated from the building as a precautionary measure. The Red Cross tells us at least 7 of the tenants were forced to spend the night at other accomodations because of health and safety concerns. 


The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

November Is Diabetes Awareness Month

The Regional Director of the Canadian Diabetes Association is happy with the Alward government's work thus far on the comprehensive Diabetes strategy announced back in June.
Jake Reid tells CHSJ News the Department of Health is working dilligently on 15 to 20 different initiatives including hiring nurses that are specialists in managing diabetes.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and Reid adds people with diabetes want to help themselves and to be able to afford the medications and supplies they need to manage their disease.
You can learn more about the Provincial strategy by clicking here

Youth-Service Agencies Unite To Form Youth SJ

The YM-YWCA, the Boys and Girls Club, the Teen Resource Centre, and Big Brothers Big Sisters forming a coalition in order to better the youth in the community.

The alliance is called Youth SJ and will have the groups coordinating activities as well as sharing their expertise with each other.

June Breau-Nason is the Executive Director of the Teen Resource Centre -- she tells CHSJ News it's a partnership that makes because it's better to speak as one voice and not offer services disjointedly.

The groups will also establish a standard level of care so that everyone will be on the same page.

However, each organization will still remain fully autonomous.

Huberdeau Is Tops In The Country

Saint John Sea Dogs forward and Florida Panthers prospect Jonathan Huberdeau is the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Week after scoring three goals and three assists for six points in two games.

The 18 year old from St-Jerome, Quebec helped extend the Sea Dogs’ winning streak to seven games with a pair of victories beginning Friday night with a two-goal performance as second star of a 6-3 win over the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.  He then picked up four points including a goal and three assists on Saturday in a 6-0 win over Chicoutimi.

It's his 3rd season with the Dogs.

Charges Coming After St. George Rollover

The RCMP in St. George say A 17 year old youth  will likely face charges under the Motor Vehicle Act after a car rolled over late last Friday night on Letete Road.
According to the Mounties, It appears as if the driver failed to make a turn while going downhill. The car wound up on its roof at the end of a driveway beside an intersection. The top of the car sustained extensive damage but two people inside were not seriously injured.
Speed and aggressive driving are believed to have contributed to the car rolling over but the driver wasn't drunk.

Women's Shelter Gets Award From Board Of Trade

A safe haven for women who are the victims of family violence is getting some major recognition.

Hestia House is this year's winner of the Big Heart Award as given out by the Saint John Board of Trade.

The honour goes to any organization that has a positive impact on the community.

Hestia House Executive Director Elaine Northrup tells CHSJ she's happy to get the recognition but unfortunately the situation out there is not getting better for women.

She says Hestia House will need to continue to expand its services in order to help everyone, which includes addiction and mental health issues.

The Big Heart Award will be given out during the BOT's awards dinner on November 30th.

Police Union Will Meet On City Pension Changes

There will be a meeting tomorrow night of members of the Saint John Police Association to talk about the city's pension plan. 

Common Council will vote Monday on whether to deindex the pension plan which Councillor Bruce Court says would reduce its liability by 75 million dollars. Benefits, though, would not rise with inflation.

Both the firefighters union and the Police Association say that's not what they had agreed to earlier. The province rejected earlier changes that had been proposed by the city which were part of those negotiations as not going far enough to ensure the pension plan's long term financial sustainability.

Officials with the Canadian Union of Public Employees which represents the inside and outside workers at city hall have been attending the CUPE national convention in Vancouver this week. 

Former CUPE rep Bob Davidson, who now works with the Police Association, is placing some of the blame on the shoulders of the M-L-A's, especially on the government side, who have remained silent.

Pedestrian Hit By Vehicle Uptown

Pedestrian hit by vehicle at Paddock and Coburg Streets in Uptown Saint John.

Joint Announcement Planned With Major Youth Service Groups

A mega-announcement of sorts is slated for this afternoon involving several of the city's non-profit youth services.

A joint-announcement will be made involving the Boys and Girls Club of Saint John, The YM-YWCA, Big Brother Big Sisters, and the Resource Centre for Youth.

In a release, it says the announcement has to do with a partnership committed to a consistent community standard of care.

Things event gets underway at noon on the first floor of Brunswick Square.

2011 Santa Claus Parade Draws Near

It was starting to look a lot like Christmas after a wild snowstorm yesterday.
The 2011 Saint John Santa Claus Parade has a theme this year of "Christmas-Past and Present".
Leslie Keating of Uptown Saint John tells CHSJ News they are looking for creative floats that show what that theme means to them.

She says every year the quality of the floats is fantastic and it's really captivating for the crowd lining up to watch the parade.

The parade is coming up on November 19th.
To submit an entry or find out more information, click here

Stabbing Under Investigation

Major Crime is investigating after a man was stabbed on City Road around 10:30 last night. 

He was taken to hospital and City Police tell us he will recover.

The fire department reports a steady night. Just after 6:30, fire crews responded after a car rolled over while going westbound on Highway One outside the city limits towards Musquash. 

One man was taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries.