Literacy Is About More Than Just Reading And Writing

Your level of literacy can mean the difference between moving up at work or staying still.

The Saint John Learning Exchange is partnering with local employers to offer skills training and it many cases it leads to a full-time job.

Executive Director Christina Fowler tells CHSJ News literacy is about more than reading and writing.

Fowler says literacy really means that you can get a job but, you do not have the skills to move to the next.

The Saint John Learning Exchange relies on government for about 70 per cent of their funding, the rest is through donations and fundraising.

For more information go to www.sjle.org

Lower West Side Loses Water

A watermain leak at the Port causing those living on the lower West Side to lose their water for a few hours this morning.

Spokespeson Chesley Hynes with the Department of Water and Sewerage tells CHSJ News things are back to normal.

He says the leak began around 6am.

He adds crews will be spending the day making repairs but there won't be any loss of service.

RRCA Wants To Continue Improvements to Westfield Road

The River Road Community Alliance looking for support from Common Council to continue its work fixing the Westfield Road.

President Mike Bonga says they're looking for money for phase B, which would involve improvements from civic address 2300 and onward.

The remainder of phase A has already been approved and will be completed in the 2011 construction season.  The group is also appealing to the province for funding to repair the Martinon Bridge.

A price tag has not been attached to the phase B funding.

Snow Causes High Number of Fender Benders

The flurries yesterday afternoon causing some headaches on the road.

City police report 14 accidents as the snow fell.  No serious injuries but police are reminding drivers to slow down this time of year.

Also, a moose is dead and two cars are banged up after a moose-vehicle collison on the airport arterial. 
One car struck the moose and then another followed suit as the moose was on the ground. 

No one was hurt.

Ward 3 byelection tomorrow

If you live in Ward 3, tomorrow is the day you choose your ward's city councillor.

There are six candidates running for the empty seat left by Carl Killen, who became the MLA for Saint John Harbour back in September.

The polls are open from 10am to 8pm.

About 680 people cast their ballots at advance polls and through special ballots.

Voting locations are:

Carleton Community Centre, 82 Market Place West
Boys and Girls Club, 1 Paul Harris Street
St. John the Baptist/King Edward School, 223 St. James Street
St. Joachim's Parish Hall, 603 Loch Lomond Road
Returning Office, 120 MacDonald Street in Loch Lomond Mall

Multi-vehicle accident on Mackay Highway

The Mackay Highway going westbound is backed up due to a multi-vehicle accident.

The crash occured around 8 o'clock at the Rothesay Avenue overpass.

No serious injuries but police are cautioning all drivers to slow down and drive carefully.

JDI gets award from Maine

A nice honour for a local company from south of the border.
J.D. Irving winning the award for the creation of and it's committment to the Irving Nature Park.

It's the second time J.D.I. is being recognized by the Gulf of Maine Council Awards.

In 2004, the company picked up the Visionary Award for its work in watersheds and coastal areas of the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine.

JDI Naturalist Kelly Honeyman accepting the most recent award in Portland Maine earlier this month.
The Province's Department of the Coastal Areas and the Marine Branch of the Province's Department of the Environment nominating the company.

City Police Conducting Road Checks Looking For Impaired Drivers

The Saint John Police Force encouraging you not to drink and drive over the Holidays or ever.
The annual Impaired driving enforcement program for the Christmas season is underway.
Traffic Enforcement Officer Jeff Lafrance tells CHSJ News part of the program involves educating the public.

He says unfortuneately they still have to tell people that drunk driving is a very dangerous and it could lead to death something police do not want that on our streets and highways.

The Saint John Police Force will be conducting spot checks throughout the city.
Since December 1st, 8 impaired driving charges have been laid.

Quispamsis Man Dies In Workplace Mishap

WorkSafeNB investigating a workplace death that claimed the life of a 44-year-old Quispamsis man.

Leonard Allan Deveau was working with a crew at McDonald Applicators Limited, using a boom truck to load a 1-ton metal drum suspended by a sling.

As the sling was raised, the drum slipped out and struck Deveau.

WorkSafeNB health and safety officers are investigating to find out how the accident could have been prevented and if there were any violations to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Winter Parking Ban To Come Under Review

There have been complaints about the winter street parking ban from the lower west side.

Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase says the city will conduct a review on whether there should be more exemptions in addition to the one affecting those drivers who live along the portion of Douglas Avenue that's closest to Main Street North.

The head of Municipal Operations Paul Groody says the ban is working well and he is cautioning Common Council to be careful about making any changes but Chase maintains there are some anomalies which need to be addressed.

Mayor Refutes Criticism Of Being Out Of Touch

Mayor Ivan Court is dismissing the criticism being voiced during the byelection campaign about Common Council being out of touch with what the people of Saint John consider to be priorities.

Court points to the 2010 citizen's survey which indicates the priorities of Council are very much in line with those of Saint Johnners.

Court maintains reducing the tax rate is not the top priority of people who live in the city.

Mullin Tries Again For A Council Seat

Anne-Marie Mullin is taking her second crack at getting a seat on Common Council.
She ran two years ago and is taking a run at the Ward 3 seat left behind by councillor-turned-MLA Carl Killen.

Mullin tells CHSJ News her campaign principles are pretty straight-forward.
She says she advocate for greater accountability, transparency and respect around the table.
She says the important files she wants to tackle are clean drinking water and air quality.

Leger Says Council Needs To Focus on Quality Of Life

Ward 3 Candidate Mark Leger is feeling great as voting day for the byelection approaches on Monday.


He tells CHSJ News the people he is meeting going door to door want city hall to focus on services and infrastructure improvements that impact them directly.


He says voters want them to spend less time on big projects like Peel Plaza, the parking garage and the transit building and more time on quality of life issues.

Leger adds water is the issue that affects the entire city and he thinks the city should find the funding to get a water treatment plant build so we don't continue to have the embarrassment of boil water orders.

Man Dies After Being Struck By Barrel At East Side Industrial Park

An investigation has been launched by Worksafe NB into what went wrong after a 44 year old unidentified man was killed in an industrial accident at the McAllister Industrial Park. City Police say a barrel was being loaded onto a truck when it somehow broke free and struck the victim.

Push Is On For Holiday Blood Donations

A veteran blood donor will escort his granddaughter for her inaugural donation today.

Harry Cross, who has given blood more than 600 times will welcome granddaughter Amy to kick off the Holiday blood drive of Canadian Blood Services.

Amy Cross is a Grade 12 student at Saint John High School. Harry Cross is one of three New Brunswickers to donate blood 600 times.

C-B-S is asking busy shoppers to give them one hour of their busy schedule to donate blood.

The Crosses will make their donations at noon today at Canadian Blood Services in Millidgeville.

Asimakos Says This Property Won't Be Idle For Long

When its lease expires, The Bargain Shop at the top of King Street will be closing its doors. At one time when Shirley McAlary was Mayor there was talk of an IMAX theatre going up there. The General Manager of Uptown Saint John Peter Asimakos tells CHSJ News he doesn't anticipate it will lay idle for very long.

He says a property of that value with it's proximity to the park and other uptown assets will remain vacant for long but, it may requires substantial changes.
As for the Paramount Theatre, Asimakos says a business plan has just been completed with the conclusion that the project will be self sustaining.

Norton Ready For Voting Day

Ward 3 candidate Mel Norton is hoping to take his place at the council horseshoe after Monday's byelection to fill the council seat left behind my Carl Killen.

He tells CHSJ News he brings a lot to the table with his law background.
He says in his everyday life he advocates for clients and he can bring the same approach to common council.
Norton says he's being told by citizens that clean drinking water is a huge concern, which means he'll make it his top priority.
If you live in Ward 3, Monday, December 13th is the last day to cast your vote.

A Record Breaking Years For P.R.O. Kids

A great year for Pro Kids locally with over 150 thousand dollars being raised. The money is earmarked to provide a record 900 young people with a chance to be active in various forms of recreation. Mayor Ivan Court coached young people when he was a high school teacher and has spoken out about how expensive taking part in organised sports has become for families, many of whom are struggling financially.

Court says it's unfortunate but when times get hard, it's more often than not recreation budgets getting sliced and diced.

The Province Forming Committee To Study Bullying

The co-founder of an anti-bullying website is happy that his efforts to shine a light on the growing problem are paying off.
The Provincial government is forming a Positive Learning Environment committee that will seek input from students, teachers, parents, educations and other.


Rob Frenette, co-founder of the website Bullying Canada.ca, tells CHSJ News the aim is to create legislation.

He expects the bill that was before the legislature last year will be ammended.
To see the report on the Bullying summit, click here.

West Side Co-Op Closing

28 people will lose their jobs with news the West Side co-op store is closing by the end of the year.
The decision coming out of a membership meeting where declining sales and substantial losses over the last few years are the main factors in the closure.

Of the 28 positions that will be lost, four are full time and we are told a severance package is being offered to each employee along with job counselling.
Co-op Atlantic area manager Ron Montgomery says they regret the timing saying there is never an ideal time to close and put people out of work.

A liquidation sale will begin this week and the gas bar will stay open until stocks have been exhausted. The land and building will go up for sale sometime after the expected closing date of December 31st.

Family Loses Everything In Glen Falls Fires

An East Saint John family has lost everything a little more than two weeks before Christmas.
The family's Glen Falls home on Broadway Avenue home was the site of two fires yesterday.

The first fire claiming the family dog and the second late last night destroying the home.
Donations are being accepted at Bayview Credit Union to assist the family.
The family's daughter is a Saint John High student who at basketball practice when she was told of the fire.
City fire officials tell CHSJ News the cause of both fires is undetermined.

The Great One In Saint John Before Full House To Raise Money

It was a full house at the Trade and Convention Centre to hear from Wayne Gretzky who was in town to help raise money for the Empty Stocking Fund and Romero House.

Gretzky is considered the greatest goal scorer ever in the NHL but even he concedes there was one part of his game that was a bit on the weak side and that was scoring on breakaways when it's best for the goalie to wait and let the shooter make the first move.

Gretzky says his favourite record is scoring 50 goals in 38 or 39 games. His idol growing up was Gordie Howe and toughest player he ever faced in the NHL was Islander defenseman Denis Potvin.

Gretzky says to succeed in the NHL these days requires alot more work and commitment than it did years ago. He advises young people to hang up the skates over the summer and play other sports.
The event a big success bringing in $25,000 which will be split between the two charities.

Tolls On The Harbour Bridge Will Not Increase

You will still be chucking in 50 cents when you cross the Harbour Bridge on January 1st.
Harbour Bridge Authority Chair Bob McDevitt tells CHSJ News the bridge fare will not increase.

He says due to the uncertainty of the issue the board will not be increasing the tolls on the Harbour Bridge from 50 cents to 75 cents as planned for the start of the new years.

McDevitt adds there are still no answers as to what will happen to the 7 full-time employees of the Bridge Authority and the commissionaires.
A deal to remove the tolls by the end of March, cover the debt and transfer responsibility to the Province announced in the City nearly two weeks ago by the Prime Minister.

Gas Prices In City Take Hike

It might have been a good idea to fill up yesterday with prices rising after the weekly setting. Self serve regular is selling in the city for $108.7 a litre, a rise of over 3 cents. Diesel is at $115.1, up almost four cents and heating oil is now at an even $1.00 a litre, an increase of three cents.

Police and Fire Departments Kept Busy Into Early Morning Hours

A robbery early this morning at the Dolan Road Irving. Rothesay Regional Police telling us there were no injuries. City Police are also helping to nab whomever was responsible.

When you have two fires break out at the same house within hours of eachother, it tends to raise suspicion about a cause. That's what happened at 85 Broadway Avenue in Glen Falls. The first fire killed the family pets and District Chief Gerry Morris says the second fire last night destroyed the rest of the home which was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived to put it out.

City Police rescued a 70 year old woman whose van went off the end of Millidge Avenue at the old ferry landing into about 4 feet of water. She was taken to hospital for treatment and police are looking into how it happened.

School District 8 Wants To Spread Pain Of Budget Cut

District 8 officials working hard to keep the impact of cost-cutting away from the classroom.

The Provincial government is looking for 1 per cent savings this year and additional 2 per cent for 2011/2012 school year.

Superintendent Susan Tipper tells CHSJ News they are looking at every way possible to find savings, everything from photocopying practices to turning down the heat at night. Tipper adds the cost saving measures are being spread throughout the system so no particular department feels the crunch more than another.

 Provincial Education Minister Jody Carr is asking the Districts not to fill existing vacancies but that does not mean teachers.

Plan SJ Open House Told Future Development In City Must Change

A strategy for growth will be presented to Common Council by late February because every city needs one. That message was delivered to the Plan SJ open house which attracted a good turnout.

Urban designer Mark Reid says since the Second World War growth in Saint John has been outward with negative consequences for the core of the city with disinvestment and depopulation. He says there should be a return to the type of development which was taking place pre-war instead of having pockets of isolated residential housing in the rural areas of the city.

Reid advocates what he calls a celebration of the city's many waterfronts with greater access but Gordon Dalzell of the Clean Air Coalition tells CHSJ News he can see a problem with that because the port wants more industrial uses such as the proposed metal shredder on the lower west side.

The plan also calls for retail growth be focused on the McAllister Drive area, north end and Fairville Boulevard with suburban residential growth concentrated in Forest Hills, Lakewood, Millidgeville and Gault Road. The new municipal plan is expected to go before Common Council by the end of next year.

Steve Carson of Enterprise Saint John doesn't think establishing a growth boundary in the the city will inhibit development. Heargues what deters developers is not knowing what the rules are.

East Side Fire

No one hurt after a fire in East Saint John this afternoon.
The fire at a home on Broadway Street in Glen Falls.

It appears the fire was contained to the home's kitchen but, no word yet on the cause.

Diesel Spill At Port

Emergency crews containing a big diesel spill down at the Port on the city's west side.

District Fire Chief Eric Garland says fire crews responding to a tractor trailer on fire around noon, which caused the spill.

200 to 300 litres of diesel being contained but the Department of the Environment has been notified as some fuel may have leaked into the sewers.

No word yet on the cause of the fire but Garland says it does not appear to be suspicious.

Candidate Encouraging Everyone To Vote

Ward 3 Candidate Anne-Marie Mullin is encouraging everyone to get out and vote in the municipal byelection.


She tells CHSJ News Ward 3 can play a huge impact in shaping the future of the city.


She says as she was doing meet and greets in the ward many people did not know what ward they fell in or that there was even a vote.


She's encouraging everyone to call the local returning office at 643 2578 if you did not get your voter card or need more information.


Voting day is December 13th.

Common Councillor Objects To Mecklenberg Street Lots Being Used For Parking, Recycling

Common Councillor Donnie Snook is questioning why three large lots along Mecklenberg Street are being turned into a location for recycling with the blue bins and a place for parking when the streets have to be plowed of snow.
 

Snook says he would have preferred to see new housing built there especially in light of the stated goal to have more development in the urban core. He calls Mecklenberg one of the nicer residential streets in the south-central peninsula.
 
Chief Planner Ken Forrest says the city is hoping this will just be a temporary use and sees the lots eventually be marketed as sites for residential housing.
 
Snook has also suggested the Charlotte Street court building be turned into housing when the new justice complex opens at Peel Plaza.

Two Cases Of Impaired Driving Causing Death In Court

19 year old Erika Simms of Loch Lomand Road has pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death in a collision last New Year's Day that killed a friend of hers, Chad Simon.

Her car struck a pole on Sand Cove Road near the Irving Nature Park. Simms will be sentenced on January 7th and is looking at a minimum of three years in prison.

Meantime, a Morrison Road man, 19 year old Nicholas Thomas Pike has been charged with impaired driving causing death.

15 year old Kylee Wallace was killed after she was thrown from a car that went off Hillcrest Road on the east side. Pike returns to court on January 10th.

Homeowners Warned After Costly Rothesay Breakins

Rothesay Regional Police have a message for homeowners after a rash of breakins........Don't leave your Christmas presents out in the open where anyone can look in your window and see them lying about.

That message being delivered with an investigation into three breakins in Rothesay during which gifts worth several thousands of dollars were stolen.

Police tell CHSJ News they believe the same person is responsible for all three.

Disabled Committee In Valley Wants Involvement In Planning New Developments

The Chair of the K-V Committee on Disabled Persons wants to see the disabled represented at planning advisory committee meetings in both Rothesay and Quispamsis in order to make new developments more disabled friendly.

Dean Mullin tells CHSJ News they want to work with new developers from the ground up.

He says both Quispamsis and Rothesay councils are doing an okay job and are aware of the need to make buildings more accessible.

He says a representative from the committee will be putting their name forward for the vacant seat on the P-A-C to provide a different perspective.

Animal Rescue League Gets New Executive-Director

Orphaned dogs and cats in greater Saint John have a new champion.

Kari Poore is the new executive director of the Saint John SPCA Animal Rescue League.

Poore tells CHSJ News they don't want animals given as gifts over the holidays because it's a lot of responsibility.

She says they see adoption down a little bit this time of year.The Home for the Holidays program is underway where they encourage people to foster a pet from the shelter over the Christmas period.

Poore says in the new year they will be announcing some new fundraisers and a new website.

In the meantime, for more information go to www.saintjohnanimalrescue.com

Christmas Mail Delivery Disrupted Earlier This Week

If you were expecting some mail on Monday but noticed that your mailbox was empty than you're not alone.

Canada Post spokesperson Denise Corra says mail was not delivered on Monday because of lighting issues in the building which prompted health and safety concerns from the employees.

She calls the lighting issue an isolated incident and all mail was delivered on Tuesday. Corra does not anticipate any further delays.

Deputy Mayor Says Parking Garage Not A Priority For Citizens

Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase is still voicing his displeasure with the Peel Plaza parking garage.

Chase says the latest citizen's survey shows road maintenance to be the number one issue with Saint Johners and parking to be low on the list.

He says it makes him wonder about the money being spent on the parking structure.

Common Council voted in favour of building the garage back in October.  Chase was one of three dissenting votes and openly critical about the project.

Watson Gets Fredericton Promotion

Trading Quispamsis for Fredericton.

District 6 Superintendent Zoe Watson getting a promotion, she is Assistant Deputy Education Minister.
Watson is filling a vacancy that became available in October.

Andrew Hopper will be taking over as the new District 6 Superintendent, he currently holds the Director of Education position.

Chang Seeks Seat At City Hall Again

A former common councillor is hoping for another term around the Port City's horsheshoe.
Jay Chang agrees with others who see the negative culture as a problem for city hall.
He tells CHSJ News we live in a democracy but, it doesn't feel that way most of the time.
He says it's great that the city hosted the Ward meetings last week but, more interaction is needed.
Chang says city hall should be more transparent.

Local Housing Market Described As Static With Buyers Holding The Upper Hand

With the economy just plodding along and Saint Johnners not as optimistic about the economy as they were last year, the housing market is described as static in the latest report from Remax.

Local realtor Gordon Breau tells CHSJ News it will likely remain that way for a few months yet but he expects activity to start taking off again by the middle of next year. He says housing in the Valley remains hot and an attractive location for young families.

Breau also warns potential buyers housing prices will not be going down because land is at a premium and regulations governing the building of new homes boost the overall cost.

Seniors In Province Looking For Better Care

The number one priority for the New Brunswick Senior Citizens Federation is to have cancer drugs covered by medicare because they're so expensive and for some people in the province, a matter of life and death.

The Federation's Conrad Leblanc tells CHSJ News there is concern over all this talk about cutting the provincial budget but he's hoping Premier David Alward will strike a balance and not just slice and dice.

The Federation is also calling for the government to resume notifying seniors when their driver registrations expire and abolition of ambulance fees.

Friends Of Rockwood Park To Question Plan SJ About Municipal Plan

The Friends of Rockwood Park will be on hand for the open house tomorrow night hosted by Plan SJ to let people know how far along they are in getting a new municipal plan in place.

Three areas, Martinon, Treadwell Lake and Lorneville, have been identified as natural areas but they don't include Rockwood Park. David Thompson of the Friends of Rockwood Park tells CHSJ News he finds that surprising and disconcerting.

Thompson is questioning whether Plan SJ is being unduly influenced by what he calls their political masters at City Hall.

The new municipal plan is to serve as a roadmap for future development in the city for the next generation and there is concern more young people have not been involved in shaping it.

Nurse Practitioners Cited As Way To Reduce Healthcare Costs And Wait Times

If the provincial government wants to reduce its health care budget, it should rely more on nurse practitioners and have more of them in nursing homes. That word coming from Sue Cole, who's the nurse practitioner at Loch Lomand Villa.

Cole tells CHSJ News emergency room care is 3 to 4 times the cost of care in a nursing home and a seven day stay in hospital costs an estimated 7 thousand dollars.

There are over a thousand nursing home beds in the Saint John region but only 300 are covered by nurse practitioners.

Saint Johnners Want More Compact City According To Plan SJ

According to the latest community feedback Plan SJ is receiving about the municipal plan, the future of the city lies in focusing on compact urban development.

Consultant Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker says the key message is to focus development on the priority neighbourhoods and build up on top of existing infrastructure.
 
Another key recommendation is to establish a significant retail presence in the north end.
 
Plan SJ will be presenting its latest progress at an open house meeting tomorrow. It starts at 5pm at the UNB Saint John Grand Hall building across from the City Market.

Common Council's Priorities Are The Same As Those Identified By Saint Johnners

The priorities of Common Council are lining up with what the people of Saint John deem important..... That, according to the 2010 Citizen Survey.

The latest results show that roads, water and sewer treatment, taxes, the budget and employee issues top the list of priorities for Saint Johners.

Heather Shuve with Ipsos-Reid says accountability and the priority areas identified by Council lines up nicely with the results.

Overall satisfaction with living in the city stayed virtually the same as last year's results but the city did see slight drops in satisfaction when it came to economic outlook and traffic flow. The loss of several high profile projects, like the second refinery, contributed to the bleaker outlook.

Another Credit Card Scam Making The Rounds

As we head into the busy holiday season -- city police are advising to be careful about the latest phone scam making the rounds.

Police say a number of residents have fallen prey to a caller with generic information about the credit card and asking a series of questions to verify the card holder.
Another twist on this scam is the caller indicating they are investigating a fraudulent purchase on the credit card account and will ask for the three digit verification number on the back of the card.
Again -- police are warning not to give out any information over the phone unless you make the call and you know you are dealing with a reputable company.

Power Crews Struggling To Restore Service

The late fall storm is continuing to cause problems in some areas of the province -- the high winds and heavy wet snow in some areas are knocking down power lines with N-B Power reporting just under 12-thousand customers without power.
That includes about a thousand in the Sussex area and 14-hundred in the St Stephen area.
Environment Canada's weather service says we can expect a mix of showers and flurries through this evening with the temperature dropping off to near minus 2 overnight.

Report Shows Wait Times Growing

If you're waiting for elective surgery - this may come as no surprise -- our province has the second highest wait times for elective surgery in the country -- 33.6-weeks.

The report from the Fraser Institute pegs Prince Edward Island with the longest waiting period at 44.4-weeks while the shortest wait times are in Ontario at 14-weeks.
A spokesman for the Institute says governments should try new health care policies including cost sharing and private health care instead of just throwing more money at the system.

Survey On Student Attitudes In Hampton To Be Released

How do students in the Hampton area perceive their community?.......How do they spend their time and do they engage in risky behaviours?

A survey was conducted to find those things out and the results will be released to the community tonight at 7:00 in Hampton Middle School.

Kent Staal of School District 6 tells CHSJ News the results were better than a similar survey done back in 2002. He says the survey finds young people who are active in their community and feel a sense of belonging behave better than those who feel disengaged and isolated.

City Wants Landlords To Keep Properties Clean To Deter Firebugs

The city is working on a bylaw or some other way to reduce the threat of fires being lit in some of the neighbourhoods around town.

Councillor Gary Sullivan, who used to head One Change in the North End, says he doesn't care what happens but wants to see landlords clean up the garbage lying around their properties. He says there have been several fires in the north end caused by garbage being lit.

Councillor Donnie Snook says this is turning out to be a problem in the south end as well.

Common Council To Get Report On City's Finances Tonight

(Deputy Mayor Stephen Case)
            (File Photo)

Common Council will be receiving a report tonight from the city's Finance Committee on the latest budget figures for this year.

The committee is chaired by Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase and he tells CHSJ News there will be a shortfall.

He warns there will be a huge fiscal crisis if the pension plan issue is not sorted out and, even if it is, the city will still be facing what he calls a moderate fiscal crisis which means Council will have to watch its spending next year.

Saint John M-P Gets Plan From City On Safe Clean Drinking Water

(Saint John Common Councillor Gary Sullivan)
            (Photo by Brian McLain)

Fresh off fulfilling a campaign promise to get rid of the tolls on the Harbour Bridge, Saint John M-P Rodney Weston is turning his attention to safe drinking water saying it is a priority for him.

The city has presented Weston with a plan that would see it get done over a 7 year period but Common Councillor Gary Sullivan questions whether the city can afford to pay its share of the 200 million dollar price tag even if the province and federal government pick up two-thirds of the tab.

Weston says there are programmes in place to access funding for such a project and Common Councillor Peter McGuire would like to see a point person in place at city hall whose job it would be to get that money.

Drivers On Harbour Bridge Urged To Share Road Space

(Saint John Harbour Bridge)
         (File Photo)

West side traffic has been a bone of contention since repair work on the Harbour Bridge began with collisions clogging things up.

Tim O'Reilly is the manager of pedestrian and traffic services for the City and he stresses the need for drivers to share the road space and to not be cutting in front of each other.

O'Reilly says they will also be looking for ways to improve the situation for pedestrians and cyclists. He tells CHSJ News they're hoping for the public's support again next year when the remaining construction on the bridge starts up again.

Numbers In For Advanced Byelection Polls

238 people casting their early ballot in the municipal byelection for Ward 3.

The returning office has also been taking votes since Nov 26th and combined with yesterday's advanced polls, 323 votes have been cast.

Returning Officer for Ward 3 Mary McAuliffe tells CHSJ News it was a small but steady turnout.

6 candidates are vying for the empty council seat left behind by Carl Killen when he got the MLA nod for Saint John Harbour.

Election day is December 13th.

Texting Is Number One Concern For Drivers

Canadian drivers are now afraid of a new threat while on the road: texting.

In a CAA survey, 85 pecent of respondents feel texting is the number one road safety issue, followed closely by drinking and driving.

Gary Howard with the CAA tells CHSJ News it has become a real threat since everyone uses mobile devices.

Howard says public education is important in order to make the use of mobile devices while driving socially unacceptable.

New Brunswick is banning the use of cell phones while driving with new legislation in early 2011.

City Transit Adding WiFi Service

You can update your status and tweet - all while making your way to and from work.The Saint John Transit Commission officially launching free Wi-Fi for its customers on its entire fleet of buses.

Assistant General Manager Brian Thorne tells CHSJ News they have testing it for over a year and the feedback is very positive.

Saint John Transit is the newest additions to the Freespots program.  

Irving and UNBSJ Team Up To Offer Degrees

Irving Oil and UNBSJ teaming up to deliver secondary education for Irving Oil employees.

The two recently launched an executive MBA program, which allows employees to earn their master's degree while remaining fully employed.

Director of Human Resource Management with Irving Oil Tracy Chapman tells CHSJ News they had more than 130 applicants.

Student JC Besner says it's a great way to learn more about his industry.

The course takes 2 years to complete and it is equivilant to the one year MBA program at UNBSJ.