The continuing conflict in Libya causing some reaction right here in Saint John.
About 50 demonstrators taking to the streets of the uptown yesterday afternoon to show their dissatisfaction with Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
The group was carrying signs and declaring that that Gadhafi must go.
Participant Mohammed Mohiuddin says the group wanted to show their solidarity with their Libyan brothers and sisters back home trying to oust the ruler.
The U-S and European nations continue to target Moammar Gadhafi's forces with airstrikes and dozens of cruise missiles this morning after instituting a no-fly zone.
Power has been restored to over 5000 customers who were in the dark last night.
The outage hit customers in Rothesay, Fredericton, Moncton and St. Stephen.
The utility tells CHSJ News outages were due to sudden high winds causing tree branches, and in some cases trees, to make contact with the lines.
Fire crews getting a call to 181 Princess Street around midnight to battle a blaze.
A fire began in the second floor laundry room of the two-storey building.
The room suffering fire damage with smoke, heat, and water causing damage throughout the rest of the second floor.
No one was hurt but 8 people have been left temporarily homeless with the Red Cross being called in for assistance.
The cause is being looked into but does not appear suspicious.
In a year from now, residents of Quispamsis and Rothesay will be able to do all of their grocery and liquor store shopping at the same location.
NB Liquor is opening a brand new 12,000 square foot store next to the KV Market Superstore on the Marr Road.
Corporate Services Manager Nora Lacey tells CHSJ News shovels hit the ground this fall this October with the store opening in March of 2012.
Lacey adds all their employees currently working at the Landing Court store and the outlet inside the Superstore will be under one roof.
It's a Friday night without power for many New Brunswickers. The lights are out for over 5000 NB Power customers including Rothesay, Fredericton, Moncton and St. Stephen.
The utility tells CHSJ News outages are due to sudden high winds causing tree branches, and in some cases, trees to make contact with the lines.
Crews are working to restore power but, due to the elevated number of outages occurring at this time, restoration times will vary. For more, click here
Yet another funding annoucement in Saint John from the federal government, the third one in the last three days.
Saint John MP Rodney Weston giving $16,000 to the Community Autism Centre to assist in hiring a person with disabilities. Weston says the possibility of an election is nothing new for him.
Weston says it's clear the opposition parties want an election with all of them making demands on Ottawa and if they are not met, we go to the polls.
The Mackay Highway is not expanding to six lanes according to the Provincial government.
Transportation Minister Claude Williams says the government has concluded it is not necessary at this time. Williams tells CHSJ News significant savings will come from amending this project. He says they are at the end of negotiations with Dexter construction and while he doesn't have a firm number he says the savings are in the millions of dollars. The government is pledging to continue with measures that will reduce traffic congestion in the area. Upgrades will be made to the Route 111 interchange and selected ramps along the highway to improve access and safety.
Landowners giving Provincial Environment Minister Margaret Ann Blaney a standing ovation for the changes she announced in wetlands policy. Gone are the predictive layer and 50 metre buffer zone along with the reverse onus requirement for landowners to spend sometimes thousands of dollars to prove their properties don't contain wetlands. Blaney says wetlands provincewide will not be disappearing.
She says they are seeing a net increase in wetlands from 4 to 6 per cent and she hopes to introduce a new strategy early next year.
She also says permits will be required for alterations in or within the 30 meter buffer of a mapped wetland.
Mike Haines of Quispamsis is happy now that he won't be stuck with land he couldn't sell.
He says his family had a life plan set and he says the Department of the Environment with their previous wetlands policy really messed up with their one acre building lot.
David Thompson of the Conservation Council tells CHSJ News there are some issues that have to be addressed.
He says situations have come about in recent years costing the taxpayers millions of dollars particularly in coastal areas where roads and bridges have been built over marshes that are flooding. Thompson is also accusing the city of dumping ten thousand tons of rock on a wetland in Rockwood Park.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says the provincial government has to make significant cuts to the public service in Tuesday's budget. The Federation's Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey describes it as financially unsustainable. Michel Boudreau of the Provincial Federation of Labour tells CHSJ News that's not what people were saying at the pre-budget consultations back in September.
He says they want a strong public service and he adds it's not about cuts but about revenue.
Boudreau questions whether you want to make cuts in education, healthcare and services for seniors. He says the government should not go ahead with tax cuts that had been announced by the previous Liberal government.
12 people are homeless after a fire in an apartment building at 168 St. James Street.
Firefighters found heavy smoke billowing from the building upon arrival.
No one was injured and the cause is under investigation.
The recent spike in gas prices has many people thinking a corresponding increase in taxi fares might be on the way.
Not yet-that from the President of the City's Taxi Advisory Committee.Christine Saumure tells CHSJ news no official discussion has taken place yet but that could change quickly.
Samure says should gas prices increase, she can see a dialogue happening between the advisory comittee and taxi stand owners to reevaluate the situation.
Many taxi drivers are implementing an anti-idling policy and it's working so well, we are told, one Saint John company isn't feeling the pinch from high gas prices whatsoever.
Saumure says there is no interest at this point in adding the gas surtage to taxi fares in the city.
The provincial delegation at a Florida cruise trade show wrapping up the experience with recognition for the City, the Port and a tour operator.
The Port of Saint John singled out for being one of the most improved port facilities in the world and for being a destination featuring the best tour guides on the final day of Cruise Shipping Miami, the world's largest cruise trade show.
The city of Saint John also gettting kudos for being one of the best organized destination experiences worldwide. Aquila Tours Inc. of Saint John also honoured for the 2nd year in a row recognizing their outstanding service to passengers, crew and ships.
An anti-bullying advocate has been appointed to the provincial Ministerial Advisory Committee on Positive Learning which was set up to deal with this specific issue.
Rob Frenette is co-founder of Bullying Canada tells CHSJ News the worst thing someone who is being bullied can do is keep quiet about the abuse.
Frenette says when you make others aware of what's going on, the bullying stops 90 per cent of the time.
He expects the provincial government will eventually bring forward legislation.
The new provincial wetlands policy will be spelled out tomorrow morning at the Lily Lake Pavilion by Environment Minister Margaret Ann Blaney.
She travelled around the province to hear what people had to say and tells CHSJ News it was tough to find the right balance between protecting the environment and not hindering development.
Without being specific about what the policy is, Blaney believes most people in the province will be satisfied with it.
She vows there will be no reduction in the amount of wetlands which are considered essential in the prevention of flooding.
The lack of nursing home beds in the province is compounding the operating room issues at the Regional Hospital -- that from the President and CEO of Horizon Health Network Donald Peters.
He says surgeries are being put off because there would be no place to put the patient.
He says the government could give him a million dollars tomorrow to fix the operating room crisis but, it wouldn't help if he doesn't have any beds. He says the beds are at 100 per cent occupancy at the regional hospital.
Peters adds the bed shortage hit the Regional Hospital sooner than any other hospital in the province.
Despite all the talk about government cutbacks, Symphony New Brunswick is on the receiving end of more than 85 thousand dollars from the federal government.
That announcement coming from Saint John M-P Rodney Weston who denies it has anything to do with all this talk about an impending election.
The President of the symphony's foundation, Reid Parker tells CHSJ News the endowment fund is quite healthy these days although it has become tougher to raise money privately the last couple of years.
The federal government gives 71 cents for every dollar raised by the symphony.
Bayview Elementary School and Irving Oil putting an official stamp on a partnership that will include upgrades to the school's library.
Principal Jill Baxter says the partnership over the last few years is bringing many benefits to the school including a new playground.
She says the Irving employees come in and sit down with the students, have lunch and talk with them as part of their mentoring.
Refinery General Manager Mark Sherman says this is one of several initiatives they are involved in from healthcare to education.
He says with Bayview school and other schools in the neighbourhood, they have a number of partnerships over the last few years which is important to celebrate.
The partnership with Bayview also includes two class trips per year and an on-site refinery education program. To see video of today's launch, click videos.
There has been virtually no change with gas prices after the weekly setting.
Self serve regular is down by the slightest of margins to $1.19.4 a litre while diesel remains the same at $1.31.
Heating oil rose slightly to $1.18.2 a litre.
The price of oil on the world market has fallen since the earthquake and tsunami devastated the Japanese economy.
ACAP Saint John snapping a pic of a coyote in the wetland near the McAllister Mall on Commerce Drive.
The image taken March 5th with a remote sensor camera.
The environmental group doesn't suspect the animal is a threat to the public or their pets but, they feel obligated to let people know so they do what is necessary to protect themselves.
The images are part of an ongoing project identifying the function of wetland habitats in supporting fish and wildlife during the winter.
You can see more pictures on the ACAP Saint John facebook page.
For the link click here
If your vehicle was the victim of ticketing or towing on January 23..you may be eligible for a refund. On that date the South Central peninsula was under a snow ban.
You may be eligible if you were registered before January 23rd to receive email alerts, relied on the City's website, a parking brochure or text alerts to find out about snow ban declarations.
All application forms and supporting documents must be in to the Parking Commission by April 22nd by 4:30pm.
You can find the link to the application form by clicking here
President of the Medical Staff Organization in Saint John Andrea Garland tells CHSJ News she is pleased with the announcement of a task force that will address scheduling and access issues with the Regional Hospital's operating rooms.
She says it's a great first step in finding a solution to a tense issue.
She adds she is not actively seeking a spot on the force but would join if asked.
A sad story from Pocologan as a man burning brush dies in a fire today.
The 73-year-old man was tending to a brush fire and got caught up in some branches where the fire had spread.
His wife tried to free him but could not and he died in the fire. The woman was not hurt but, some of her clothing burned.
Proposed changes to how much money M-L-A's will receive in their pensions don't hit the mark according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Its Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey tells CHSJ News the pensions for the M-L-A's are not funded the way pension plans are for other retirees and, even with the changes, will wind up costing taxpayers millions of dollars each year which is money that could be spent on health and education.
Lacey says the Taxpayers Federation would like the M-L-A's pension plan to be changed from defined benefits to a matching RRSP set up.
A new task force being created to come up with recommendations on how to begin addressing the shortage of operating room time and inconsistent access at the Regional Hospital.
The issue came to a boil after two senior surgeons went public on the issue.
President and CEO of Horizon Heath Network Donald Peters says Horizon has been working on the issue for years but compounding issues like budgets and lack of beds created a perfect storm for frustration.
The force will be lead by Nancy Savage,VP of Clinical Services and Margaret Melanson, the Executive Director of the Regional Hospital.
They will have a report to doctors and nurses in 2 weeks.
U-N-B Saint John is receiving 150 thousand dollars in federal money for student interns to help small businesses do better with their web sites.
The Director of the E-Commerce Centre at the university, Dan Doiron tells CHSJ News they've talked to more than 3 thousand businesses.
More than 80 per cent of small businesses in this part of the country have websites but only half of them are having success and that's where the students come into play.
Doiron says traffic on one of the websites increased by 39 per cent and another business began selling in Japan which would not have been possible without having the right website.
Doiron adds 30 per cent of the interns get fulltime job offers from the businesses they help better market their website.
Over 650 students at Rothesay High are reading the tale of a young man with Tourett's syndrome for this year's Big Rothesay Read.
The book is "Jerk California" by Jonathan Friesen.
Organizer Mary Anne Gallagher tells CHSJ News the book is about Sam Carrier who is from a broken home and has just finished high school.
She says the whole story involves his search for information on his father, dealing with his Tourett's syndrome and dealing with a girl and trying to figure out if she likes him. She says it's appealing to high school kids and adults alike.
The book's author Jonathan Friesen will visit Rothesay High students next month to discuss his novel. Students, adults and businesses are being given a little incentive where by taking part in the big read, they can win a coffee party from Java Moose.
For more information, click here
Potholes continue to wage war on vehicles using city streets - the latest victim is the car on the left that lost its front wheel to a crater at Union and Chipman Hill this morning.
At last report - this one had been filled with a pylon as a warning - but - nothing else.
Crews are out on pothole patrol doing what they can given the fluctuating temperatures and snow melt runoff.
City officials are advising motorists to slow down - and - avoid driving through puddles.
You can also click here and fill out the service request form to report a pothole - the online form even allows you to upload a photo of the offending pothole - there is also a phone number for reporting potholes.
The inquest into the death of a mentally ill 19 year old woman from Moncton in a Kitchener, Ontario jail will begin April 4th with lawyers for the Ontario coroner presiding over the inquest claiming jailhouse video would be of little help but Ashley Smith's family considers the video to be key evidence that could help determine why she died.
Smith choked herself to death with a strip of cloth in 2007.
The lawyers say videos depicting Smith's treatment at Joliette prison in Quebec are not relevant to what happened in Kitchener.
The videos show Smith being injections without her consent and medical staff threatening her with further injections.
Before she died, Smith was forcibly medicated, isolated and transferred from one prison to another 17 times.
City fire crews battling a house fire on the lower west side at this hour. The call came in just after 11am this morning at 319 Clifton Street West.
District Fire Chief Peter Saab tells CHSJ News the fire is now under control in the one and a half story home.
He says everyone living there got out safely, no one was hurt.
The first floor of the building suffering extensive damage and it appears that the fire began in the basement of the home.
The Port of Saint John will be welcoming cruise ships this year from two lines that have not previously docked in the city...... M-S-C Cruises and Oceania Cruises.
The announcement was made as representatives of the provincial government, the Saint John Port Authority and industry attended Cruise Shipping Miami which is the world’s largest annual cruise trade show.
M-S-C Cruises and Oceania Cruises have each booked two calls to the port during the fall of 2011 bringing an additional 10,000 passengers to the city.
More than 70 ships are expected to dock in Saint John in 2011, bringing to the city and region more than 200,000 passengers and close to 70,000 crew members. The Port estimates that more than $30 million was spent last year as a result of cruise traffic to the port.
This is World Glaucoma week--the eye disease affects a quarter of a million Canadians and half of them have no idea they even have it.
Canadian National Institute for the Blind spokesperson Rose Misner tells CHSJ News glaucoma involves damage to the optic nerve and sometimes people with normal eye pressure can develop it.
She says it's silent and painless because it happens so gradually and a lot of damage is done but, she says it can be controlled.
Misner adds risk factors for glaucoma include age, family history and nearsightedness.
The CNIB is holding a contest in honour of World Glaucoma Week where you could win a trip just for submitting photos. For more info, click here
The population of the Port City will be growing greatly over the next 25 years and Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Development Jacqueline Hamilton says the city's newly endorsed growth strategy will meet those needs.
She tells CHSJ News a lot of the growth will begin in the next 5 years as baby boomers start to retire.
She says the areas targeted for growth will be able to handle twice the amount of projected growth.
Construction can now begin on a 44 unit seniors apartment complex on Loch Lomond Road. Final approval being given at last night's council meeting.
The Josselyn Road will also be extended as part of the project, despite the concerns of residents that such an extension will be used as shortcut to bypass Loch Lomond Road.
A report by city staff says that would be unlikely due to the shortness of the extension.
The provincial government is saying goodbye to the unpopular branding slogan "Be...in this place".
It will no longer be featured on marketing materials including license plates.
Rothesay MLA and Minister for the Province's Communications department, Margaret Ann Blaney says it's no secret that the slogan is widely disliked.
The government supply of licence plates with the slogan is expected to run out this year.
A report from K-P-M-G is expected to be finished soon on the three options for blood services with the production lab in Saint John scheduled to be transferred to Dartmouth in 2013. The three options being analyzed in the report are transferring blood production to Nova Scotia, going it alone and partnering up with HEMA Quebec. The President of the Medical Staff Organization in the Saint John Region is Dr. Andrea Garland.
She personally she thinks an independent facility would work best and it would still connect to Canadian blood services as does Hema Quebec.
Dr. Garland says an earlier plan to consolidate blood services in Moncton was dropped after intense opposition from Nova Scotia, especially by the hospitals in Halifax.
Common Council giving its approval to Plan SJ's new growth strategy. The strategy will eventually be used as the basis for a new Municipal Plan which will guide development over the next 25 years.
Highlights include a focus on urban development, continued suburban growth, minimal rural development, in other words, building up instead of out.
Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase tells CHSJ the city has reached an important milestone and Councillor Mel Norton describes it as a plan by the people and for the people.
A new Municipal Plan will be created by the end of the year.
Deputy Fire Chief Mark Gillan has a new title......Gillan is now the Acting Fire Chief for the Saint John Fire Department until a permanent chief is found.
He tells CHSJ News it's a huge honour. Former Chief Rob Simonds left the Department last month in order to become Fire Chief in Hamilton, Ontario.
Gillan says he has a great team which will help make his transition very smooth. He says the department is facing many financial and operational challenges but he looks forward to taking them on.
A teen facing charges in the stabbing death of a city man will be back in court later this month.
The 17-year-old turned himself in to Hampton R-C-M-P Friday morning hours after a 29-year-old man was found lying on Barker street in the old North end.
The teen will be back in court on March 28th at 1:30pm to enter a plea in the case.
There should be 7 operating rooms running at the Regional Hospital but only 5 are being utilised because of a lack of resources and that's why the situation has become critical.
That, according to Dr. Andrea Garland, President of the Medical Staff Organisation in the Saint John Region.
She tells CHSJ News wait times for surgery are longer and there's the risk of losing surgeons who have become frustrated with the situation.
Dr. Garland adds not having local autonomy with the administrative staff at the Horizon Health Network in Miramichi doesn't help.
Meanwhile, Lisa Caissie with the Horizon Health Network says management at the Regional Hospital met last week with the heads of the Clinical Department to discuss the operating room issues.
She says more talks have been scheduled for tomorrow.
Concerns about the safety of nuclear power hitting home with a reactor down the road and the crisis unfolding in Japan. An energy expert says there are always tradeoffs when it comes to safety with nuclear power. Norm Rubin of Energy Probe tells CHSJ News companies can always spend more money to guard against things that seem unlikely including seismic activity.
He says Japan was prepared for 6.5 and they got a 9 and he adds if anyone had suggested they build the plant for a 9.0 magnitude earthquake they probably would have been laughed out of the room.
The Point Lepreau nuclear generating station is built on a fault and Rubin says the issue of seismic safety at Candu plants in Canada is a source of active discussion and controversy.
A man is facing a charge of criminal negligence causing death after a crash near the airport Friday night.
The head-on collision killing a 50-year-old Saint John area woman whose name is not being released by City Police.
The crash about 8:30 Friday forcing the closure of the airport arterial for over three hours.
The driver of the other vehicle is due back in court at a later date.
Common Council will be asked tonight to formally endorse Plan SJ's growth strategy.
Jacqueline Hamilton of Plan SJ says the goals are to bring about more economic and residential development in the city core along with the more efficient use of land which will improve the city's bottom line. The new direction would see 50 per cent of new development taking place in the urban core instead of just 15 per cent and 40 per cent in the suburban areas of the city instead of 60 per cent.
Mayor Ivan Court wants less sprawl arguing Saint John has too much territory with too few people and that's why it costs the city more to provide municipal services than in Fredericton or Moncton.
Court says Moncton and Fredericton combined would still be smaller than Saint John in the physical size of the city.
Enterprise Saint John is coming out with strong support in favour of Plan SJ's new growth strategy.
It also is telling Common Council that investment opportunities now being worked on could bring over 800 jobs to the region.
In the past month, there have been four visits to the city by potential investors and meetings with several others in Toronto.
Councillors have been told this can be tough slogging.....over 200 hours have been spent with just one potential investor and there's still more work to be done.
Common Council will be receiving a report tonight on the priorities for the old North End where 43.3 per cent of people who live there get by on low incomes with the median being just over 16 thousand 500 dollars a year.
The major priorities include pre-natal programmes which would include nutrition counselling, programmes aimed at getting young children ready to learn at school, expansion of recreational programming at the North End Community Centre, legal advice for teenagers and for adults, education and employment training along with addiction services.
Councillors will be told parents worry about the safety of their children when they're walking to the North End Community Centre.
CFB Gagetown will be hosting a ribbon cutting of its own today at its health services centre.
The interim facilites are part of improvements announced by the Minister of National Defence back in the fall of 2009.
The centre will also include a new dental facility and integrated personnel support centre.
ACOA Minister Keith Ashfield will be on hand this morning for the ribbon-cutting at the CFB Gagetown Medical building.
A brand new ambulance station is opening in Kingston today.
Ambulance NB CEO Alan Stephen, Hampton-Kings MLA Bev Harrison and Tony Rickett of the Kingston local service district will be on hand for the grand opening on Route 845.
It gets underway at 1 o'clock today.
Did you remember to put your clocks ahead one hour last night?
If you didn't, you might be waking up to find it's later than you think.
Everyone in Saskatchewan and a few other pockets of the country do not recognize daylight time.
For the rest of us, in exchange for the possible loss of an hour's sleep, there are months ahead with an extra hour of evening sunlight.
A City man who son lives in Japan felt the impact but was not hurt by the earthquake.
Bob MacVicar's son Mark and his family live near Yokohama about 30 minutes south of Tokyo. He tells CHSJ they felt the earthquake in Tokyo where transportation was knocked out.
His daughter-in-law and grandson were in downtown Tokyo at the time shooting a tv commercial and spent three hours on a bus trying to get back to Yokohama but ended up stayng in a shelter.
MacVicar says the aftershocks are the strength of legitimate earthquakes themselves registering magnitude 6.0. To make a donation to the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan,
click here
It
's that time of year again. Most Canadians lose an hour of sleep this weekend in the switch from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time.
Before going to bed tonight, turn your clocks and watches ahead one hour.
The major Canadian exception is Saskatchewan, which is on Standard Time year round.
