Police Confirm The Death of a Fredericton Child

Fredericton police confirm the sudden death of a 10-year old boy this morning.

The call came in around 8am of a boy collapsing on Greensfield Drive in Fredericton.

Police and paramedics responded and the boy was declared dead in hospital.

An autopy will be conducted. 

The child's name is not being released right now.

Vigilante Justice In Alleged Microwave Assault

From provincial court: a strange tale of birthday wishes, violence, and assault with a microwave.

A 30-year-old Saint John woman pleaded guilty in court this afternoon to common assault. Crystal McGarity was charged with kicking and punching the brother of her ex-boyfriend in the parking lot of a local bottle exchange.

McGarity admitted she pulled the man out of a car and assaulted him because she heard he threw a microwave at his mother and failed to wish her a happy birthday.

McGarity was ordered to pay a $100 fine and stay out of trouble.

Be Aware of Problem Gambling

Problem gambling devastates families, friends and communities. 

That from Health Minister Ted Flemming as the province marks Gambling Awareness Week

Flemming says it's important to raise awareness about the warning signs and where people can get help.

The warning signs can include a preoccupation with gambling, betting large amounts of money or borrowing money for gambling, not being able to quit or cut back and gambling to win back losses or 'chasing'.

23,000 adults in this province suffer from problem gambling.

In New Brunswick about 23,000 adults suffer from problem gambling and it can have serious consequences on finances, relationships, employment and wellness.

Information on problem gambling is available at addiction centres or by calling the confidential, toll-free, 24-hour New Brunswick Gambling Information line at 1-800-461-1234.
 

RCMP Seek Sexual Assault Suspect

RCMP releasing a sketch of a man they are looking for in relation to a sexual assault outside a Moncton apartment building.

Around 11pm on February 2nd,  a woman was about to enter her home on Prince Street when a man forced her to the ground touching her in a sexual manner.

She got away and a witness called 911 and the suspect took off and could not be located. 



The man is described a white and in his late twenties.   He's slim and about 6 feet tall with a scruffy beard and short dair hair.

At the time he was wearing dark pants, a dark blue hoodie and a dark baseball cap.
 
In you know anything, contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS or call the Codiac RCMP at 506-857-2400.

Small Gain In New Housing Starts

The bone chilling temperatures and piles of snow apparently aren't deterring new home construction in the greater Saint John area.
The latest numbers from Canada Mortgage and Housing show 14-new units - mostly multi-residential - breaking ground in the first two months of this year - that's compared to just 9-units underway in the same period last year.
The federal housing agency says new home starts in Moncton and Fredericton are down so far this year with a significant drop in the Hub City being blamed on a slow down in construction of multi-residential units for the rental market.

Lawyer Calls Perry Inquest Hearing A Pandora's Box

There could be even more delays in the already lagging court proceedings to investigate the death of Serena Perry.

At The Court of Queen's bench, the coroner making a request for another stay of the proceedings because now that Horizon Health had been allowed standing in a February 28 court decision, the Saint John Police Force and Perry's mother have also requested to be able to cross examine and call witnesses.

The lawyer for the coroner called it a Pandora's box that has now been opened and now they have to make sure the process is fair to everyone and some interested parties in the case might not even be aware of the proceedings, or able to understand them.

The coroners office is looking to appeal the historic ruling allowing Horizon standing in the case a first in New Brunswick.

They're then asking to resume the process 30 days after the court of appeal makes its decision.

Big Snowfall Expected Later This Week

Environment Canada issuing a special weather statement that warns of significant snowfall in the Saint John region by Thursday.

Some forecasts are calling for 15 centimeters of snow.

Premier Putting Opposition's Feet To The Fire

"Where's the beef"?........That's the question Premier David Alward is posing to provincial Liberal leader Brian Gallant and the other parties on what they would do differently to grow the provincial economy. 

Alward tells CHSJ News he hasn't heard anything of substance from Provincial Liberal leader Brian Gallant except for moratoriums on shale gas and pension reform. The Premier says he's more than willing to defend the decisions his government has made to get the province's financial house in order and turn around New Brunswick's economy.
 
The Premier also warns New Brunswick is at a turning point. That was the message he delivered to a nomination meeting on the east side over the weekend. 

Saint John Fundy M-L-A Glenn Savoie was unnopposed over the weekend to be the Conservative candidate in the reconfigured riding of Saint John East.

Fixing Aging School Infrastructure A Priority

Time has taken its toll on many of our schools, and the Superintendent of the Anglophone South School District Zoe Watson says fixing up aging infrastructure or putting up new facilities is always high on their list of priorities.

Watson says while they recognize money is in short supply these days, they are concerned about the state of the schools because there are a lot of aging facilities. She says it's not necessarily about building brand new schools, but receiving money for repairs and renovations.

Watson says it's similar to your home. You have to keep upgrading and doing preventative maintenance to keep it in good condition.

The newly renovated and expanded Kennebecasis Park Elementary School officially opened in Rothesay just recently. The facility was originally built back in 1964.

Union Leader Questions Why Tax Money Should Go To Big Corporations

Demonstrators are expected to be outside the Conservative nomination meetings with one scheduled tonight in Saint John Lancaster with the incumbant M-L-A and provincial cabinet midnister Dorothy Shepherd. 

The President of local 1251 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Everett Godfrey was part of the demonstration outside the Saint John East nomination meeting, telling CHSJ News why should tax money being going to big corporations which are making money hand over fist.
 
Godfrey also questions where are all the jobs from the big corporate tax cut that was implemented by the previous Liberal government.

There Are Job Openings In Saint John Despite Increase In Unemployment

More than 300 jobs were being advertised in Saint John in the February Hiring Demand Bulletin. Jobs were being advertised by J-D Irving, Xerox, Wyndham Worldwide, OSCO Construction Group and Galbraith Construction.

There was a rise in the local unemployment rate last month with a decrease in the number of people employed, the first such downturn in six months. Deputy Mayor Shelly Rinehart is also with the Faculty of Business at the university and tells CHSJ News there are always ups and downs with business cycles but she remains optimistic. 

Enterprise Saint John is reporting a stronger 2014 thus far with average employment at more than 66 thousand as compared to and average of 63 thousand in 2013.

Enterprise Saint John also reporting passenger numbers last year at Saint John Airport were up 9 per cent and container traffic through the port rose by 59 per cent.

Two Men Stabbed

Two arrests made by City Police on King Street after two other men were stabbed outside Market Square early this morning by the red schoolhouse. 

One victim sustaining serious injuries with multiple stab wounds to his back and head but his wounds are not considered life threatening. The other person suffered stab wounds to his hands.