Saint John Police Force Will Take To Social Media

Saint John's intelligence-led policing model has been hailed as a 21rst-century approach to crime-fighting.

Now, Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News the force will be stepping up its use of technology to communicate with the public.

Reid says members of the force are being trained on the do's and don't of social media use, and will soon be updating on things like traffic issues as well as dealing with resident's concerns. The Rothesay Regional Police force already has an active Facebook and Twitter presence.

Storm Update From City

Saint John Water and Storm Update

A boil water order has been declared for most residents between Russell Street and Reversing Falls Bridge. Please visit www.saintjohn.ca for more information. The order is in response to a significant watermain break on Rothesay Avenue. Repairs are underway to the watermain and partial service has been restored to the area.

Saint John Transit will be ceasing service at 12:30 pm.

The Saint John Police Department is asking people to stay off the roads.

Saint John E-M-O has declared a partial activation of the City’s Emergency Operation Centre in response to the storm.

Boil Water Order In Effect

A boil water order is in effect because of the water main break on Rothesay Avenue for points east of Reversing Falls to Russell Street. It will remain in effect until Tuesday.

UPDATE: Storm Cancellations

An update on cancellations and other important information related to the severe weather.....

About 900 people are without power in the Rothesay area. We've also heard from folks in the dark around Forest Hills. The water main break has been isolated and your taps should return to normal as soon as the pressure has time to build up in the pipes. The only area still effected is Rothesay Ave between Russell Street and Wonder Muffler.

Saint John Transit informs us that the buses will be taken off the roads at noon. As a result McAllister Place will be closing as of 11am. Brunswick Square is still open.

The Aquatic Centre will be closing today due to the storm. The east, west and central branches of the Saint John Library are also closed, and all programming is cancelled. Several departures from the Saint John airport to Toronto and Halifax have been cancelled.

Snow Expected To Last Until Tomorrow

It's a white, windy mess out there.

Our region is under a blizzard warning and areas like Sussex and Kings County remain under a blowing snow warning.

Environment Canada meterologist Jeremy March tells CHSJ News the snow is far from finished falling, which about 10 centimeters currently on the ground and an additional 15 cm expected over the course of the day.

Gusts of wind up to 90km per hour are reducing visibly in some areas to almost nil---you're advised not to travel unless you have to, but if you must be advised that "snow means slow."

The snow is expected to taper off overnight, and March says we might even see some sun tomorrow.

Many Storm Cancellations

City Transit tells CHSJ News the buses are still operating as of 6am; however, some cancellations could happen later in the day. They will offer 2 hours notice about any service disruptions.

Brunswick Square, The Aquatic Center, NB Museum, and all branches of the Royal Bank and public library will be closed today due to the storm.

The pancake supper scheduled for today at the Church of the Ascension in Apohaqui has been cancelled.

A major water main break occured around Staples on Rothesay Ave shortly before 6am.City police are setting up barricades and are turning traffic back at that location, so you're advised to plan your route accordingly. Many homes in the surrounding area are reporting low water pressure or no water at all.

Several departures from the Saint John Airport to Halifax and Toronto have been cancelled, although some flights are still expected to be on time. Check with the airport at (506) 638-5555 for updated information.

This link will be updated as more cancellations arrive.

Fire, Water Main Break Keep Crews Busy

Two people are temporarily homeless after a house fire at 915 Redhead Road. Fire crews recieved that call around 8pm, and managed to contain the blaze to the bathroom and hall area of a home. Six pieces of fire aparatus stayed on the scene for 3 hours and investigators are still working on figuring out thecase of the blaze although it is not being treated as suspcious at this point.

Fire Crews also responded to an alarm at 112 Prince Edward Square where they found low-level readings of natural gas. The situation was turned over to Enbridge Natural Gas.

Reports are also coming in of a major water main break around Staples on Rothesay avenue around 5:40 this morning. City Works is working to contain that break but there are several feet of water in that area.