Linked Header

Monday, June 18, 2012

Grand Bay Westfield Thief Busted

A teen getting busted for a string of thefts from unlocked vehicles in Grand Bay Westfield over the past week.

Several youths were noticed lurking around vehicles in a parking lot. A 17-year-old boy from Saint John was arrested and later released to his parents’ custody. Charges are pending. Further arrests and charges are possible.

Cpl. Patrick Cole of the District 3 RCMP calling it a crime of opportunity.

Police are unsure how many vehicles were hit but have been able to recover some stolen items.

Road Trip To Hit Saint John

A journalist and author is making a cross Canada road trip.

Mark Richardson writes for Maclean's Magazine, and left St. John's, Newfoundland on June 4th before heading to New Brunswick and beyond.

Mark tells CHSJ News the trip commemorates two significant anniversaries... 50 years since the Trans Canada Highway was completed ...and 100 years since the first cross Canada road trip.

Richardson expects to arrive in Victoria on August 8th and will write a book about his trip.
The trek will hit Saint John on Thursday night.

Families In Province Are Running Short Of Food

Back in World War Two, there were victory gardens planted and now the provincial government has launched its Community Food Action Programme.

Grants of up to 2 thousand dollars are available to set up community gardens, collective kitchens, greenhouses or cooking programmes to get us to eat better.

Wellness Minister Trevor Holder making the announcement in Crescent Valley where they have a neighbourhood garden. He says 10 per cent of households in the province experienced food insecurity in 2007 and 2008 which means they were unable to afford enough food, at times, to meet the nutritional needs of their family members.

Holder says the programme is based on what they've been doing for a few years now in Manitoba. 50 thousand dollars in grants will be handed out.










Dairytown Church Hit By Vandalism

Sussex RCMP want your help in finding who smashed windows at the Sussex Baptist Church on Church Avenue.

Just after 8 pm on Friday and early on Saturday morning someone or some people smashed two windows at the church.

If you know anything call Sussex RCMP or NB Crime Stoppers, click here or call 1-800-222-TIPS.

 

The War of 1812 Flag & Book Mark 200th Anniversary

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and its being remembered by the restoration of a flag and a new book.


Retired soldier Bob Dallison wrote "A Neighbourly War" and tells CHSJ News the story of the 104th regiment is remarkable and should be shared.

He says the regiment marched from Fredericton to Kingston, Ontario--a distance of more than 1100 kilometres in 52 days.

Museum Chair John Irving says by contrast today we would be bundled up for any activity in winter.  Irving says they were marking in February in wool and in leather boots.


The 104th regiment flag was returned to New Brunswick by a descendent of one of the soldiers in 1939 as World War 2 was beginning. 



Recycling In Province Said To Be At A Crossroads

The recycling industry in the province is calling for a public forum on what the future of the programme looks like with a warning the next few years will be challenging ones as operationalf costs increase.

Encorp Atlantic's Pierre Landry tells CHSJ News even though an estimated 2.7 billion non-alcoholic beverage containers have been kept out of the landfills around the province, there is a need for the programme to be renewed.

He would like to see other streams brought into the system such as electronic waste.

Landry says market surveys are sending the message the redemption centres themselves could be made alot more attractive and cleaner for consumers.

Provincial NDP Calls For Elimination Of Small Business Tax

Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy is wondering what the heck is going on at Efficiency NB and why have their been four Presidents and C-E-O's there in just one year.

Cardy is running in the Rothesay byelection next Monday.

Patronage has been a major issue of Cardy's campaign but he's now talking about making life easier for small businesspeople.

That's why Cardy tells CHSJ News he likes what the NDP government did in Manitoba when it got rid of the small business tax to generate more hiring.

McAlary Has A Bone To Pick With Bad Roads

Potholes and cracks in the roads need to be fixed before they do more damage--that from common councillor Shirley McAlary. She says you'd be hard pressed to find a single person in the city who's pleased with the condition of the roads.

McAlary says the problem isn't getting any better, an ordinary drivers are the ones paying the price, with damage being done to people's vehicles on a regular basis.

McAlary tells us even if we can't repave all the roads, council should find money to undertake spot-work on the worst areas.

T-S-N Sportscaster Brings Message About Mental Illness To Quispamsis

T-S-N sportscaster Micheal Landsberg is on a mission to persuade people to take mental illness more seriously and not view it as a weakness. 

Landsberg, hosted an "Off the Record" at the Q-Plex over the weekend, has suffered from severe depression for years which he describes as taking who you are and turning you into someone else you don't like as well as eroding your self esteem and confidence.

Landsberg brought his show to Quispamsis to raise money for MindCare New Brunswick. He believes a majority of people still don't see depression  in the same light as an actual physical affliction.

Firefighters and Police Unions Support Mayor On City Pension Plan

The Firefighters Union and Saint John Police Association are on board, at least for the time being, on this new direction for fixing the city's pension plan

Police Association President Jamie Hachey says it's going to be a while before they know specifically how the plan will change with recommendations expected in September after meetings are held over the summer with the provincial task force that came up with changes to the provincial government's own pension plan.
 
The President of Local 771 of the Firefighters Association, Paul Stackhouse says so far, so good.
 
Hachey says, from what he has been told, it seems to be a plan the provincial task force has come up with under promises and over delivers which will be good for both the plan's beneficiaries and city taxpayers.

Councillor Wants Pension Board Disbanded

Mayor Mel Norton is sold on the provincial pension reforms that he wants Common Council tonight to authorise the city to ask the provincial task force for help with the city's financially beleaguered plan.

Norton is hopeful this could be a way out of the financial quagmire and even lower the plan's unfunded liability which is in excess of 190 million dollars.
 
In the meantime, Councillor Susan Fullerton will be putting forward a motion tonight to disband the Pension Board which would be replaced by an interim board made up of members she describes as qualified financial professionals. 

Councillor Shirley McAlary wants a meeting to be set up with the Superintendent of Pensions to make clear what the city can and can't do with changing the pension plan.