Bradley Lake Road The Scene of Police Investigation

Not many details being released at the moment but Rothesay Regional Police doing an investigation out at Bradley Lake Road in Rothesay.

Police have been in the area all afternoon.

When contacted by our newsroom, police would only say an investigation was being conducted and an update would be provided later.

Parent Says Bullying Occurring Outside Of School

A North End resident is sounding the warning bell that bullying can go beyond school walls.

Joanne Howe tells CHSJ News her 10 year old daughter has been harassed and attacked by bullies at community centres and in parks.

She says police and city officials have yet to do anything about it.

She says she has spoken to Saint John Portland MLA Trevor Holder about the issue and is throwing her support behind any provincial legislation aimed at dealing with bullies.

Calls have been place to the Saint John Police Force and the city's leisure services department for comment but have yet to hear back.

How has started a Facebook group called "HELP STOP BULLYING CALL YOUR LOCAL MLA," and hopes to begin a flier campaign in the near future with the support of local businesses.

Quispamsis Mayor Happy With Census Data

Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll is all smiles thanks to the latest census data -- the population of Quispamsis increased by over 17 per cent to more than 17 thousand.
     
Driscoll tells CHSJ News he's not surprised by the increase but is a bit shocked at the rate of the growth.

He says the town offers many community services and activities at a very low tax rate -- the fourth lowest in the province.

He adds the town has plenty of land and he expects continued growth in the years to come.

Bell Aliant Hosts 2nd "Let's Talk" Day

"I care" and "It's ok to be sad" just a couple of the messages Bell Aliant wants to get out on the 2nd annual "Let's Talk" day.



The company donating 5 cents from every text and long distance phone call today to raise funds for mental health programs across the country.


Corporate Affairs Vice-President Lisa Merrithew tells CHSJ News the company is putting over 50 million dollars into the program because the need was identified.

She tells us a need was found for people to have the conversation that isn't always easy and try to break down the stigma of mental illness.

Merrithew says in this province groups like Mindcare and the Canadian Mental Health Association have benefitted from the success of "Let's Talk" day.
Last year, it brought in 3.3 million dollars.

To see video, click here

Province Says The Deficit Will Slide Along With Revenue

The provincial government deficit is going down by more than 74 million dollars to a projection of just over 471 million dollars.

Lower spending by a number of government departments including Social Development is being cited in part.

There has also been a drop in government revenues which are now projected to be $36.5 million lower than was budgeted for.

The decline is being blamed on the weakened economy and forecasted drops in both personal and corporate income tax revenues together with less revenue from NB Liquor and gambling.

Greater Saint John Swells To 127,000 People

There are more people living in the metropolitan area of Saint John, according to the census with an increase 4.4 per cent over the last five years. That's still below the national growth rate of 5.9 per cent.


The population of the metropolitan area of Saint John is now more than 127 thousand as compared to 122,000 from the 2006 census. The population of the actual city itself was 70,063 up from 68,043 in 2006 and higher than Moncton.


The biggest population increase in the Saint John area occurred in Quispamsis which went up by over 17 per cent to more than 17 thousand.

Reid Says Safety Concerns Are Premature

Police Chief Bill Reid says it's more opinion than fact that police services will not be up to par due to the million dollar shortfall.

Reid says the force is currently working on how the new budget will look like and he says if safety is found to be compromised, he will bring up his concerns with the police board.

Police Association Says Funding Cuts Goes Against Police Act

The Saint John Police Association says city police cannot maintain a proper force due to the million dollar budget cut and it wants the Board of Police Commissioners to do something about it.

Association spokesperson Bob Davidson says the board needs to fight Common Council for the money on the grounds that cutting funding will compromise safety and that goes against the Police Act.

He says if council does not put the million back in, legal action should be taken.

Davidson adds officers feel betrayed by the cuts after agreeing to a two-year wage freeze and reductions in pension benefits.

More Charges Laid After Girl's Hair Was Burned

A 15-year-old boy who's accused of setting a 14 year old girl's hair on fire at Simonds High late last week now faces additional charges. 

The girl did not suffer any burns in the incident but her hair was singed. She was described as being very upset by what had happened.
  
The youth is also accused of attempting to burn the hair of two other 14-year-old girls. 

He's now looking at charge of assault with a weapon in each of the cases and is scheduled to appear in youth court on March 12th.