Taxpayers Federation Wants Tax Pledge From Premier

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Alward Government to make a pledge not to raise taxes this year. 

The Federation's Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey tells CHSJ News the time has come to stop what he denounces as corporate welfare. 

Lacey says the provincial government should stop handing out tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to companies that are failing and, in some cases, the investments have been politically motivated.
 
The Taxpayer Federation's big fear this year is that taxes will be raised in the province which Lacey believes is the wrong thing to do when the economy is still shaky.

Mayor Says Saint John Is A City On The Move

Mayor Ivan Court says 2011 was a great year for the city with 500 million dollars worth of projects on the go in the Greater Saint John area. 

Most of those projects will be completed sometime this year but the Mayor doesn't expect us to enter a dry spell. 

Without spelling out specifics, Court says there will be a couple of announcements made that will create jobs in the city and he expects the Coast Guard site to be sold by the middle of this year. 

Court has said he will be seeking another term as Mayor telling CHSJ News Harbour Cleanup will soon be a reality and he would like to see at least a financial committment on clean drinking water from the other two levels of government.

School District 8 To Look At Closures

School District 8 may have among the oldest schools in the province but none of them is in such bad shape to be closed down which happened to the Moncton High building.

Rob Fowler, who chairs the District 8 Education Council, says older schools are more expensive to maintain but there won't be any provincial money coming......at least not yet. He is optimistic the school district might get some funding from the province in the next round.

Fowler concedes with declining enrollments, the school district will have to look at closing some schools which, in most cases, is controversial.

Two Vehicles Flip Over

City Police report a steady night but only one breathalyser charge also there are several drunks sleeping it off in the cells.

There was a two vehicle collision at Paradise Row and Somerset Street. 3 people were taken to hospital and one of them had to be extracted with the jaws of life.

A vehicle flipped over this morning while travelling along Sandy Point Road. There were no injuries and then a couple of hours later another one rolled over on Seeley Street near the Public Gardens and crashed through a fence.Two men reportedly just walked away from that one. 

City Police warn the roads are deceptively slick.

Cab Driver Assaulted In Valley

Rothesay Regional Police report they did not arrest one impaired driver from the New Year's Eve celebration. 

They do tell us a cab driver was assaulted around 3:15 this morning on Hampton Road in Quispamsis.The cabbie confronted the fare who was walking away without paying. 

The cab driver was taken to hospital to be treated for abrasions and no one has been arrested yet.

Local Pols Host New Year's Day Levees

This is the day when you can have a chin wag with your local elected representatives.

Mayor Ivan Court and members of Common Council will ring in 2012 with the city's annual New Year’s Levee. It will take place today from 11 this morning until 2 in the afternoon at H-M-C-S Brunswicker.

New Year's Levees are also taking place from noon until 2 today in Quispamsis and Rothesay at the town halls.