New Provincial Government To Be Sworn In Today

(Premier Elect David Alward At Appearance In East Saint John)
                        (File Photo)

Premier-Elect David Alward along with 42 MLA's will take the oath of office in Fredericton today.

Alward and the Conservative Party crushed Shawn Graham and the Liberals with a land-slide victory on election night.

Alward is also expected to unveil his new look 15 person cabinet with Saint John Portland MLA-Elect Trevor Holder and Rothesay MLA-Elect Margaret Ann Blaney expected to garner serious consideration.

Political science professor Donald Wright of U-N-B says Alward has about a dozen former cabinet ministers to chose from but would be wise to distance himself from the old guard. Professor Don Desserud of U-N-B Saint John says the cities of Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton are each expecting to get two representatives at the cabinet table.

Desserud tells CHSJ News there is a grace period for everyone but it won't last long.

Quispamsis Mayors Expects Good Working Relationship With New Provincial Government

(Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll)
          (File Photo)

As the Alward Government gets set to take over, the Mayor of Quispamsis is sending best wishes to his incoming and outgoing MLA's.

Murray Driscoll tells CHSJ News, Mary Schryer can leave the job with no regrets.

As for M-L-A Elect Blaine Higgs, Driscoll says he has spoken with him and is convinced the strong working relationship between the Province and his town will continue.

No Tax Break For Saint John Transit

Service New Brunswick has denied the Saint John Transit Commission property tax relief determining it doesn't qualify because it's owned by the municipality.

The property tax bill for the new transit garage on the east side will be 380 thousand dollars which is 300 thousand dollars over budget. The 300 thousand dollars is the amount the transit budget was cut by Common Council in anticipation of tax relief.

The Transit Commission is also wants to talk about the implications of limiting its budget increase next year to just one per cent with Common Council.

Rejuvenation Of The L-B-R Proposed

Common Council has been told by the Leisure Services Advisory Board the L-B-R has great potential as an Olympic ice surface which could be used for speed skating as well as hockey.

The Recreation Board also claims the Olympic ice surface would be safer and rejuvenating the L-B-R could also be a catalyst for economic development in that part of the north end.

To further bolster its argument, Council has been told Moncton, Campbellton and Fredericton can now attract sporting events, Saint John can't. There is no indication about how much this would cost.

Future Of Saint John Economy Looking Good

A bright picture is being painted about the local economy by urban researcher Kurt Peacock, who has done an analysis for Enterprise Saint John.

He says the Saint John economy is very diifferent to what it was even just ten years ago.

Peacock warns one of the big challenges will be how to grow the population of the city. He maintains the trend of more and more people living outside the city limits has to be reversed and is one of the reasons Plan SJ is talking about future development being up and not outward.

Registration For Kindergarten Begins

It's time to register your four year old for next year's Kindergarten class in District 8.

Transition to School Coordinator Mary-Therese Davis tells CHSJ News the numbers of children who register on time is low and they are hoping to improve the numbers.

Special events will take place at every elementary schools to make the process go smoothly for kids.

An evening registration session will be held on Wednesday between 4 and 8 at the School District 8 offices at 490 Woodward Avenue in Millidgeville.

Registration for Kindergarten starts and continues until the 15th.

For more information on Kindergarten registration go to our website at country94.ca and click news.

Now Is The Time To Think About Winter Driving

Not many want to talk about it but winter weather is just around the corner and it's time to get your vehicle ready.

The Vice President of the Canadian Automobile Association Gary Howard tells CHSJ News, a trip to see your mechanic is a must and a winter survival kit with enough supplies to last for three days doesn't hurt either which includes a cellphone.

Howard adds the C-A-A recommends getting winter tires but reminds anyone that you need four and not just two comparing that to walking around with only one shoe on.

Seawolves Break In New Home Today

Coaches, players, family, friends and fans can't wait to see the UNB Saint John Seawolves play at their new home today-the new refurbished Canada Games Stadium.

Head coach Dave Grandy tells CHSJ News they can't wait to get on the new field.

Grandy says they played last year at the Millidgeville field which is good but, the players are excited to play at the Canada Games stadium.
The UNB Saint John Seawolves host Holland College at the Canada Games stadium today at 4pm.  $5 admission at the gate.

A Fire In The North End

The Saint John Fire Department is investigating a fire in the North end last night.
The call came in about 10:30 at a vacant building on Elgin Street.

No one was hurt and the cause is under investigation.
Fire officials tell CHSJ News that a fire occurred in the same building just over a year ago.

Tree Of Life Campaign On In Greater Saint John

Women's whole health in Saint John and the Kennebecasis Valley are benefitting from a fund-raising partnership between Mindcare and Shoppers Drug Mart. It's the ninth annual Tree of Life campaign. The four-week fundraiser runs until Friday and will harvest essential funding to support MindCare's service and programming initiatives. Executive Director Donna Gates tells CHSJ News, they haven't set a goal:



Gates adds all of the money raised will go into the Skate To Care fund-raising pool. You can buy a leaf at the Quispamsis, Lancaster Mall, Lansdowne Street, Crown and Westmorland location Shoppers Drug Marts.

Deliberate Accidents On The Rise

The Insurance Bureau of Canada is keeping a close watch on an alarming trend....deliberate car accidents. Spokes-person Rick Dubin tells CHSJ News, this is being orchestrated by organized crime and appears to be centered in the Greater Toronto area:
Dubin says say they’ve identified more than 40 staged car accidents carried out by one particular crime ring alone, 17 of which have already been criminally investigated. Police have laid 291 charges against 39 people and 20 have been convicted.

Kindness Project

Imagine dropping everything in your life, packing your vehicle and travelling coast to coast to do nice things for total strangers. That is the scenario for 20-year Stefano Andriana from Nova Scotia who is on his Travel Kindness Tour. The goal is to do a good deed for total strangers in the hope they will pay it forward. Andriana tells CHSJ News, a lot of the face to face, day to day social interaction has been lost because of the internet:

He says people his age think they can make a change but, not enough 20-year-old's are willing to risk it.
All of the cash Andriana is using for this project is his own money and all he asks for in return is that the people he helps do the same. The journey started in Newfoundland last month and hopes to finish up on the west-coast and be back home for Christmas.

Big Catch On The Kennebecasis River

A Hampton fisherman can tell a tall tale about the fish he caught last weekend but, this story is true.
Richard Little caught a 52 inch, nearly 34 pound sturgeon.


Ron Pearson of the Picwauket Lions Club tells CHSJ news Little was towed around in his kayak for about 20 minutes by the huge fish.
The amazing catch happened at the annual Sturgeon Hunt October 2rd on the Kennebecasis River between Perry Point and Darling's Island.

Trailer Fire in Lepreau

The Musquash Fire Department responding to a trailer fire last night in Lepreau.
Firefighters found the trailer on the Joseph March road fully involved when they arrived on the scene.


The blaze was quickly knocked down but the trailer was completely destroyed.
No one was hurt and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Stories Wanted For Saint John History Day

Family, politics or sports. It doesn't matter what the topic is.....Saint John 225 wants to hear from you this weekend. It's Saint John History Day being held in the Market Square Atrium. The organization wants to hear your stories about life in the Port City. Spokes-person Lisa Hrabluk tells CHSJ News, if you bring along some of your memrobilia as well, it has a chance to be immortalized:

Hrabluk says you can also immortalize your story at www.saintjohn225.com. Things get started on Sunday at eleven and run til three.

Changes to the KV Fire Department Budget

A major about-face on spending for the Kennebecasis Valley Fire Department budget this year. Instead of refurbishing both of the Rapid Intervention Vehicles, only one will be at a cost of $15,000 dollars while the other is sold and expected to fetch $30,000 dollars. $175,000 dollars had been set aside to upgrade both vehicles but the department has now requested all of the surplus cash from this years budget be rolled over until next year. Quispamsis gave it's blessing to this move.
 Fire Chief Bill Ireland is putting forward a request in next years budget for $400,000 dollars to buy a Class "A" pumper truck to replace the exsisting Rapid Intervention Vehicles.

Saint John Water Is Clean....K-Park Still Under Boil Order

After four days of not being able to drink from the tap, all homes and businesses East of the Reversing Falls Bridge have had their boil water order lifted.

Clean tests have been approved by the Medical Officer Of Health and the Department of Health.

Saint John Water Officials do ask if you have been away from your home since the boilwater order was put in place on Thursday of last week, they remind everyone to turn on all the taps in your home to flush out the system.

Town officials in Rothesay continue to monitor it's distribution system and no word on when the order will be lifted for homes in K-Park.

Seadogs Holding A Food Drive

If your making plans to watch the Q-League game at Harbour Station this afternoon, a little reminder to bring a non-perishable food item.

The Seadogs are holding a food drive as they play host to Montreal and any and all donations are greatly appreciated.

Calandria Tubes Are Being Removed

An update from NB Power on the refurbishment at the Point Lepreau generating station.

Project staff are removing all 380 calandria tubes and a spokesperson from NB Power says they do not have details from Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. about how this will affect the timeline of the project.


In a release, the utility says the plan to offer more detailed information when it's available next week.
The delay in the project costs provincial taxpayers about a million dollars a day.

Day Three Of The Boil Water Order

It's Day 3 for almost 50, 000 homes and businesses under the restrictions of a boil water order.
The order was put in place early Thursday morning after a night of heavy rain and wind stirred up sediment increasing turbidity levels or cloudiness in the water.


City officials advise it will at least Sunday night before the boil water order is lifted.
It is safe to shower or take a bath and to wash dishes but, the water must be hot and soapy. Before consuming it, the City advises boiling the water for at least a minute.

Goodyear Challenging Business In Saint John

The 3rd annual Innovation Forum was held in Saint John earlier this week. One of the guest speakers was the Federal Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear who tells CHSJ News, Ottawa has plenty of programs for businesses to take advantage of:

He says business has to step up and use those incentives and become the best in the world.
Goodyear points out that businesses still producing and selling their product the same way they did five years ago won't be doing it much longer.

New Development Standards For The City

The new municipal plan that will be drafted for Saint John will include new development standards for subdivisions in the city. Chief City Planner Ken Forrest complains trying to enforce the standards today is not easy.

Saint Johnners, who want to let Plan SJ what they would like to see in the new municipal plan, will get another kick at the can Thursday afternoon starting at 4:00 in Simonds High.

Paving Work In Rothesay Today

You might want to take the highway if you are in Rothesay and are in a hurry today.
The Department of Transportation telling CHSJ News about some paving work in the town today.


The work will be taking place in the Campbell Drive area between the Marr Road and the Fire Station.
Traffic will be reduced to one lane and traffic delays.

Harbour View High Harvest Fair Today

If you are looking for a Thanksgiving weekend event, here is one for you.
The Harbour View Choral Ensemble is hosting a Harvest Fair today at the school.


Music Director Michael Molloy tells CHSJ News the fair starts with a breakfast, a bake sale, pie-throwing contest and finishes with a bbq.

The Harvest Fair starts this morning at 9am. For more info, you can check out Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Choral-Ensemble/373852359597

The Greyhounds Celebrate 40 Years

The Saint John High Greyhounds is celebrating 40 years of football this weekend.

Head Coach Dave Grandy tells CHSJ News they will honour the legendary Fran Hughes,who started the program in 1970 and ran it until 2002.

Grandy calls Hughes an icon of Saint John high football who in his 32 year coaching career worked with over 800 athletes.


Hughes will be honoured in a roast tomorrow night in the Saint John high school gym at 7.
Tonight at 7, The Greyhounds host Oromocto at Millidgeville Field.

Man Dies Near Havelock

RCMP are investigating a fatal single vehicle crash near Havelock.
The crash occurred about 8 this morning when an eastbound passenger vehicle lost control and went off the road.

The 53-year-old driver who is from Harvey was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and his identity is not being released at this time.

Simonds High Adds Inductees To Wall of Fame

Athletes, a coach, an entertainer and a longtime politician are some of the inductees for the Simonds High Wall of Fame.
Saint John born entertainer Terry Hatty and Mel Vincent Senior, the longest serving Saint John councillor are on the list.

Simonds High Vice-Principal Jill Eckstone tells CHSJ News that well-known coach Mike Upward will also be honoured.
Upward is known as Mr. Football and was instrumental in re-establishing football at Simonds back in 1988.
Eckstone adds they are also inducting former teacher Gary Marsh and the original Simonds athletic committee which is a group of 14 people.


The Simonds High Class of 1970 Reunion is taking place tonight at the Officer's mess at Barrack Green Armouries.
Alumni weekend activities start tomorrowing morning at 11am, there is a Seabees football game at 1 and the Wall of Fame induction ceremony at 7:30 tomorrow night at the school.

Kingston Man Found Guilty On Dope Charge

Michael Summerville from the Kingston Peninsula has been found guilty of conspiring to produce marijuana.


The charges stem against the 39-year old after a lengthy investigation which wrapped up in February of last year.
Eight of the people charged in the case have appeared before a judge and found guilty of conspiring to produce and traffic drugs and are now locked up for a period of between six months and seven years.
Summerville will be back in court for sentencing on November.10th.

Cupe Ratifies New Deal

Plenty for Cupe Local 1253 to give thanks for this Long Weekend.


The union representing school bus drivers, custodians, gardeners, engineers and maintenance trades-people have ratified a new four year contract.
Workers have been with-out a deal since the old one expired back in March.
Some of the demands from the union were more money and better conditions for bus drivers.

New Ideas On What Could Be Done With Revitalised Paramount Theatre

(Cultural Affairs Officer Bernie Cormier For City Of Saint John)
                       (Photo by Brian McLain)

There's a new idea of what to do with the now closed Paramount Theatre in King's Square  should it ever be purchased by Uptown Saint John. 

It comes from the city's Cultural Affairs Officer, Bernie Cormier. He tells CHSJ News with all the cruise ship passengers coming to the city as well as other tourists, much needed revenue could be generated by turning the building into an Interpretation Centre to tell the history of Saint John.

Cormier says another idea is to use it as a traning centre for the arts community but the big challenge for anything to do with the arts in Saint John is how you can be financially self sustaining.

He worries this effort is similar to the failed attempt several years ago to save the Odeon Theatre that was located across from the Admiral Beatty from being demolished.

Crane Crashes In The South End

(Shot Of Crane That Crashed Along Charlotte Street)
              (Photo By Jim Hennessy)

Nobody hurt after a crane owned by J.D. Irving toppled over in the South End this morning.  It was just after ten o'clock when the machine was getting in place to move pieces of wind turbines.


Deputy Fire Chief Mark Gillan tells CHSJ News, the crane crashed just after ten o'clock and fire crews had to be careful in approaching it as the motor was still running and there was fuel leaking from it.
The operator of the crane is a 66-year old man and has been taken to the Regional to get checked out but from all reports is going to be fine.

Charlotte Street between Broad Street and Broadview Avenue is closed after the Crane accident this morning.
The city telling CHSJ news that heavy equipment is on the way to clean up the site and we are told the street will not re-open before tomorrow morning.
Work-place, Health and Safety is trying to figure out what happened.

Boil Water Order Won't Be Lifted For Few Days Yet

The first series of tests is seeing the end of another boil water order for thousands of Saint Johners will be taken today.

The boil water order remains in effect for residents east of the Reversing Falls bridge after strong winds and heavy rain stirred up turbidity levels.

The order will be in place until at least Sunday night.

The city is advising you to boil your water for at least a minute before drinking it.

It is safe to shower or have a bath and wash dishes but, the water must be hot and soapy.

Construction Slated For Major East Side Thoroughfare

East Saint John residents will be happy to hear that a portion Westmorland Road is in line for some major repairs.

Randy Charlton is with Genivar Engineering, the firm hired by the city to put together the final plan and tells CHSJ News, part of the road will be reconstructed from Westmorland Mall up to Mountain Road and beyond.

Charlton says they hope to name a contractor by the end of the year, start the project in the spring and finish it up in three to four weeks.

West Side Business Looking To Boost Local Economy

A west side business is hoping to expand and bring more jobs.

American Iron and Metal has it's eye on a $30 million dollar expansion which establishes Saint John as it's new regional hub for processing recycable metals. The paperwork continues to be filed for the proposal and the company hopes to break ground in the coming weeks and be open by the spring.

The new setup would be capable of processing up to 250,000 metric tonnes of recycable metal every year. The proposal means 23 permanent jobs and 20 construction jobs which translates to $1.8 million in salaries and wages.
 
The project would also contribute $44 million dollars every year to the local economy in both direct and in-direct benefits.

Halloween Will Be Marked On The Sunday

Even though most people are still trying to find the right costume, some communities around the country are still fighting over what day Halloween should be celebrated on.

In Raymond, Alberta, the mayor says they will bump it back to Saturday because the 31st falls on Sunday. Here at home, officials at City Hall and the Town of Rothesay say they have no plans to move Halloween....... the day falls when it falls.

You might remember a few years back, then Saint John Mayor Shirley McAlary tried to bump back the day which created a hornets nest of controversy and eventually resulted in the day being celebrated on the 31st which fell on a Sunday.

Local Veterans Outraged Over Leak

Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn says a report by the Privacy commissioner about his department is an embarrassment.

The medical information of a Gulf war vet ended up in a government minister's briefing notes.

Bob Butt of the Royal Canadian Legion tells CHSJ News it's unacceptable to have a veteran's information leaked and vets from across the country are outraged over this incident.

Canada's privacy commissioner says the Veterans Affairs Department broke the law by failing to protect the personal information of outspoken critic Sean Bruyea.

Mayor Vows City Not Deterred Despite Little League Ruling

(Saint John Mayor Ivan Court)

            (File Photo)

In the aftermath of the brawl which marred the Canadian Senior Little League championship at Memorial Field back in August, Little League International has ruled Saint John will not host any more national tournaments until the city can provide better safety and security.

Mayor Ivan Court tells CHSJ News, this is a black eye for the entire community and doesn't believe the coaches from Saint John were treated fairly and if Little League International wants more security at its games, then it should make it part of its constitution.  

Court says this won't stop city officials from moving forward to attract more National and International sporting events for the area.

Keeping An Eye On the Neighbourhood

North End listeners on our Facebook Page have a question and this is the answer we have found.

Comments ask why we have not reported anything about a van making the rounds in that part of the city possibly trying to lure children into it.

City Police tell us they were called to Adelaide Street last night to speak to a young boy.
He told his mother that through friends of his, he was told about the little girl but didn't see anything happen.

Officers have taken a statement from the child and encourage all parents to give them a call if they see anything suspicious in their neighbourhood.

Boil Water Order Continues

Close to 50,000 homes and businesses East of the Reversing Falls Bridge are expected to be under a boil water order until at least Sunday evening.

The order went into affect late last night after high winds and heavy rained stirred up the turbidity or cloudiness of the drinking water.

That can cause sediment or organic matter in the water-shed.

Director of Municipal Operations Paul Groody says he realizes how frustrating this situation is for all of the customers of Saint John Water.

Groody adds close to six million litres of affected water entered the system but points out much needed upgrades to the water system would mean they wouldn't be dealing with this problem.

District Medical Health Officer Keeping An Eye On Water

Keeping a close watch on the boil order situation is the District Medical Health Officer.
Dr. Scott Giffen says this isn't a problem isolated to Saint John.

Dr. Giffen points out it's not that the water isn't clean, they just can't guarantee that it isn't infected.

Two clean tests seperated by 24 hours have to be produced before the boil order can be lifted.

East Side Woman In Court In Death Of 19 Year Old Man On West Side

Not guilty pleas to three charges from a 19 year old east side woman accused in the death of a 19 year old man New Year's day. Erika Simms of Loch Lomand Road was charged after a car ran into a pole on Sand Cove Road near Driftwood Lane.

Defense lawyer Dave Lutz offered to plead guilty to dangerous driving causing death but not guilty to the impaired charges causing death. The offer was rejected by the prosecution.

 Simms will return to court November 4th at which time a trial date will be scheduled.

The prosecuter told the court she expected the trial to last five days but Lutz believes it will be more like three.

Members of Mothers Against Drunk Driving were in the court as well.

Permanent Location Being Sought For Marco Polo Tall Ship

Enterprise Saint John and Uptown Saint John are looking for proposals to find a permanent location for the replica of the Marco Polo tall ship.

Barry Ogden of the Marco Polo project tells CHSJ News moving the ship from the lower west side is going to be a huge undertaking.

He doesn't want to see it moved around alot and confirms it won't be headed for the Harbour Station parking lot. It now seems doubtful the ship will be moved from the lower west side on October 18th as earlier talked about.

Ogden is still hoping for a location somewhere in the Uptown near the water.

A Significant Increase In Gas Prices

A big change with gas prices after the weekly setting. Both self serve regular and diesel have risen by more than 4 cents a litre. Propane also went up by just over a cent to a maximum of 105.9 and the max for heating oil is almost five cents a litre higher at 95.1 cents.

Boil Water Advisory Issued For Most Of Saint John

If you live east of the Reversing Falls, the city is advising you to boil their water.

The boil water order was issued early this morning because of an increase in the turbidity or cloudiness of the drinking water due to the rain and high winds. This can make disinfection less effective and leave bacteria in the water which can make you sick.

The city is advising you to boil your water for at least a minute before drinking it. It is safe, however, to shower or have a bath and wash dishes as long as the water is hot and soapy.

 Saint John Water has increased its chlorination and is monitoring the situation.

City Police Holding Public Meeting On West Side

The first of two community meetings being hosted by City Police in the next two weeks goes tonight at the Dennis Morris Community Center.
Sergeant David Hartley Brown tells CHSJ News, the purpose of the get together is to discuss home and business owners concerns because officers always rely heavily on information they get from the public.
 Sergeant Brown adds Inspector Bill Hanley will be at the meeting as well to discuss the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods legislation.

Things get started at seven o'clock.

A Cousteau Is Coming To Saint John To See Marsh Creek

(Alexandra Cousteau's boat The Bounty)

(photo by Lisa Gullison)

Jacques Cousteau's grandaughter will tour Marsh Creek last this month.
Alexandra Cousteau is bringing her 2010 Expedition Blue Planet tour, a 23,000 kilometre treak across North America to the Port City on the 23rd.

ACAP Saint John's Tim Vickers the day starts with a lunch and learn to go over the vision of the Marsh Creek Restoration Initiative.

The day also includes a 90-minute bus trip around Marsh creek and a canoe trip to shows off some of the scenic vistas and wildlife.

For more info on the ACAP events with Alexandra Cousteau, click on the link.
http://www.acapsj.com/MCRI_Dinner.html

Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation Honours Donors

A ceremony and dinner to say...thanks!

The Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation hosting its annual donor awards and dinner last night to honour those who contribute to the facility.

The event recognizing those who make significant contributions as regular donors, also those who are increasing their giving and those on the donor wall.

This year, the foundation made special mention of Irving Oil's "Fuel the Care" program which help families offset transportation costs when they have a sick child in hospital and the Knights of Columbus 6770 .

Mock Emergencies Rolled Out At Saint John Airport

Saint John Airport officials are feeling good after going through a pair of exercise drills.
A mock hostage taking and airline crash have been played out which is required to test the facilities services every four years by Transport Canada.
Spokesperson Judith Brown she is pleased with how things went but is anxious to get some feed-back.
Brown adds these scenarios can't be rolled out over-night and couldn't happen with-out the help of over 100 hundred volunteers.

New Moosehead Product Launching Next Week

Moosehead breweries will be revealing a new product next week.


The brewery's Vice-President of Public Affairs Joel Levesque tells CHSJ News it's an exclusive product with the Saint John Ale House that will bring the company back to its roots.

This new Moosehead product will only be available at the Saint John Ale House on tap, it's a draught beer.  Levesque tells us the official launch is coming up next Thursday.

Dehexanizer Sets Up At The Irving Oil Refinery

Refinery Installs New Piece of Equipment

(Refinery Workers Put In Place Dehexanizer)
          (Photo By Jim Hennessy)

Weighing 317 metric tons and coming in at close to 20 stories high, it is hard to miss a new piece of equipment at the Irving Oil Refinery.
It's called a Dehexanizer will isolate components of gasoline that produce benzene to cut content by 30%.
Spokes-person Glen Kettlewell tells CHSJ News, this unit is state of the art and a further committment to both the area and the industry to make high quality products.
Kettlewell says the unit is scheduled to go on-line by the end of June and comes from Korea where it took a year to build.

Uptown Fire An Example Of What Not To Do During Fire Prevention Week

(District Fire Chief Gerry Morris)
            (File Photo)

City Fire Crews were called last night to an apartment house fire at Castle and Waterloo Street.

District Chief Gerry Morris says the fire points out the need for more people to be aware of fire prevention with a man attempting to cook french fries without using an approved fryer. Morris says when the smoke alarm started sounding, he removed the battery and then fell asleep on his couch. With all the smoke in the building, another tenent tried to waken him.

The building sustained smoke damage and had to be ventilated before everyone was allowed to return. Ironically, this is Fire Prevention Week with the theme being " Know The Risks, Watch What You Heat".

It's Finally Official In Saint John More Than A Week After Provincial Vote

(Saint John Harbour Conservative M-L-A Elect Carl Killen)
                    (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

After four days of going over the numbers, the decision in the riding of Saint John Harbour is now official.

Conservative Carl Killen has defeated incumbent Liberal Ed Dhoerty by seven votes. the numbers on election night showed a victory for Killen by a margin of nine votes which is an automatic re-count under the rules set out by Elections NB.

Killen tells CHSJ News, he feels very content and gives plenty of praise to Justice High MacLellen who oversaw the entire process guaranteeing both Killen and Doherty that no stone would be left unturned.

Killen along with 41 other members of the Conservative Party will be sworn in as the new government Tuesday at the Legislature in Fredericton. Killen says he is looking to set up a constituency office and already has heard from people on a couple of issues.

Milestone Today for Cruise Ships Visiting Saint John

Saint John will welome it's 1.5 millionth cruise ship guest when the Norwegian Dawn calls today.

The lucky passenger will be treated to a private guided limousine tour of Saint John and surrounding areas including lunch in St. Martin’s. They also get a gift basket of Saint John momentos and visit Mayor Ivan Court in the Red Room at City Hall.

It's been a great cruise ship season with 77 vessel calls scheduled and over 200,000 guests.

Six more vessels will visit Saint John before the cruise ship seaon finishes including the Queen Mary 2 on October 29th.

To see the full schedule, go to www.cruisesaintjohn.ca.

Police Commission And Mayor React To Vital Signs Report

(Police Commission Chair Chris Waldshutz)
         (Photo by Brian McLain)

The chair of the Police Commission Chris Waldshutz concedes, according to the Vital Signs report, the police department could be doing better in a couple of areas of public safety but Mayor Ivan Court says the fact more crimes are being reported is open to interpretation.

The Mayor argues if people didn't have confidence in the Police Department to set things right, they wouldn't even bother to report crime.
 
Court concedes more work has to be done, however, to reduce poverty and narrow the gap between rich and poor which is described in the report as "significant". The poverty rate in Saint John remains above 20 per cent.

A Changing Of The Guard Taking Place At Saint John Police Department

(Police Chief Bill Reid)

      (File Photo)

The Saint John Police Department is in a state of transition with alot of knowledge and experience leaving through retirements and new officers coming on board. That message was delivered to the Police Commission which heard a presentation on training.

 Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News the new officers are now being trained on recognising the signs of mental illness. The Chief says this type of training should have been implemented a long time ago because, more and more, officers are dealing with people who are suffering from mental illness and need help rather than incarceration.

The Police Commission also heard the police department is under budget as of the end of August to the tune of more than 398 thousand dollars but was told the cost of D-N-A testing averages 40 thousand dollars a year but is escalating which is a worry. The province does not help out with any funding to offset the cost.

Kindergarten Registration Coming Up In School District 8

Kindergarten registration begins across the province next week and District 8 is hoping to improve the numbers. Special events will take place at every elementary schools to make the process go smoothly for kids.

Transition to School Coordinator Mary-Therese Davis tells CHSJ News the numbers of children who register on time is low.

Kindergarten registration starts next Tuesday and continues until the 15th.

An evening registration session will be between 4 and 8 at the School District 8 offices at 490 Woodward Avenue in Millidgeville.

Police Dispatch Centre Headed For Regionalisation

(Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll At Podium Speaking)
                             (File Photo)

The paper-work is now in place for the Rothesay Regional Joint Board of Police Commissioners to open up talks with the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners.

The goal is to consolidate the Kennebecasis Valley dispatch center with Saint John's with
Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll saying there are a number of benefits to doing this.

Right now, 9-1-1 calls from the Valley go directly to Saint John and then are sent back to the KV center after the fact.

The Saint John Police Commission last night, in closed session, talked about developing a policy on regionalisation.

New Building Bylaw In Quispamsis Described As Win-Win For Homeowners And Developers

After months of going over the wording, the Town of Quispamsis has a new building bylaw.

Director of Engineering Gary Losier says one of the main changes to the set-up is making sure a developer provides as much information as possible to protect prospective homeowners.

Losier adds the new bylaw also increases the number of inspections and puts in place a maximum $2000 dollar refundable deposit to make sure the terms and conditions of the bylaw are upheld.

Round-Ups A Success For Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission

A series of round-up's hosted by the Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission are being hailed a success.
Staff from the facility set-up in neighbourhood parking lots around Greater Saint John over a span of eight days to take old paint, batteries, motor oil and aerosols.


Spokes-person Brenda MacCallum tells CHSJ News, the response was phenominal especially in the Kennebecasis Valley where 4340 vehicles were serviced with many leaving because of the two hour wait.
MacCallum says over the eight day period there were 1200 vehicles in total, 35,000 litres of paint, 6000 litres of motor oil and more than 400 old computers just to name a few.


The round-ups will return next fall.

Brief Court Appearance For Saint John Man

A very brief court appearance for a 30-year old man accused in the brutal stabbing death of his estranged wife.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jason Getson but he waived it and will remain locked up until his next court appearance.

That is scheduled for November.1st when a date will be set for the beginning of his trial.

Getson is facing a charge of first degree murder in the killing of 28 year old Melanie Getson of Douglas Avenue in the parking lot of a business on Rothesay Avenue May 10th.

2010 Vital Signs Report Is Out

(Chair Of Vital Signs Report Sarah Mudge)
         (Photo By Jim Hennessy)

A wide range of topics have been covered in this years Vital Signs report.

It goes over everything from Health and Wellness, Housing and Transportation and the gap between the rich and poor.


Chair Sarah Mudge says steady progress is being made in every category with no one-star priorities since the first report back in 2003.

Mudge says they hope to expand the numbers of categories in the survey but the problem is they have to have the statistics.

Keeping An Eye On Poverty Rates

One of the closely watched surveys in the vital signs report is poverty rates.


It shows the over-all poverty rate in Saint John fell from 23.3% to 21.7%.

Randy Hatfield is Executive Director of the Human Development Council and tells CHSJ News, of the over 300 people asked about the topic, the survey is meant to reflect a person's gut feeling.

Hatfield says his group will dig deeper once the next cencus is complete but it's no secret Saint John has neighbourhoods that are under seige.

Pair Of Assualts Being Investigated

Not alot of details but Hampton RCMP are investigating an alleged assualt that took place on-board a scallop boat in the Bay of Fundy.
Officers tell us a 46-year old woman from Gardner Creek claims the assualt happened at the hands of her former boyfriend.
Officers are also looking into an incident where two 36 year old Kingston women say they were assualted outside a night-club in Hampton.
The women say they were trying to stop another woman, who they felt was drunk, from driving.
A 53-year old man from Saint John reportedly got out of the vehicle and assualted both of the women.

Conflicting Opinions on Where Marco Polo Tall Ship Is Headed

(Replica Of Marco Polo Tall Ship Under Construction At Storage Shed)
                            (Photo by Barry Ogden)

It was only going to be a temporary home but along with no permanent berth, the replica of the Marco Polo still has no place to go.

The Saint John Theatre Company citing unresolved engineering questions and a lack of logistical certainty, the musical on the 23rd at Harbour Station will not be using the replica. Barry Ogden, who started the project 25 years ago, says it will still be moved over the Harbour Bridge on the 19th.

Ogden says they are still looking for a location uptown to dock the Marco Polo.

Ogden tells us it's a huge undertaking moving the vessel across the bridge and as far as he's concerned, it's not confirmed that it won't be moved into Harbour Station. Right now, the vessel is docked in a port storage shed on the lower west side.