City Solicitor Grilled At Defamation Trial

Before an unusually crowded courtroom at the defamation trial of former Common Councillor John Ferguson, his defence lawyer Rod Gillis began his cross examination of city solicitor John Nugent. 

Nugent testified while no close friends challenged him about the board's activities, thousands of strangers certainly made judgements. He told the court of overhearing conversations with people saying Ferguson was astute and on to something with his theories on the plan.

Nugent became a pension board trustee in 2003 and Gillis calculated Nugent's pension at $1.7 million dollars.  Nugent told the jury he had no idea whether that was true because he hasn't calculated it.
 
Nugent claims the investment strategies under his watch and says the accusation trustees were stealing money eroded trust but Gillis countered by pointing out Ferguson never said that.

Grass Fire Gets Out Of Hand

The fire department has been kept busy with the annual rite of spring and that is extinguishing a large number of grass fires.

One of them last night along Cranston Avenue spread to pine trees that were close by with the flames shooting 20 to 25 feet into the air. Nearby hydro wires caught fire.

It's not believed anyone lost power but traffic was disrupted.

Energy crews are expected to be out this morning to survey what damage was caused.

NB Liquor Raises Thousands For Flood Victims

Good news for flood victims in Perth-Andover -- almost 50-thousand dollars being donated to NB Liquor stores during a donation run last week.

The money will go towards the Red Cross.

NB Liquor stores will be accepting donations until April 15th.

Meanwhile, Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors says the recovery process is moving along quickly. 

He says nearly 200 hundred assistance applications have been recorded and he says payments for disaster assistance should be going out soon.

For more information on the assistance program, call Service New Brunswick at 1-888-298-8555.

Gambling Comments Raised at Defamation Trial

Minister of Finance Blaine Higgs' recent comments about a so-called double-or-nothing investment strategy by the city's pension board being cited in the defamation trial of John Ferguson.



Under cross examination by defence lawyer Rod Gillis, city solicitor John Nugent called the minister's comments badly misinformed. Nugent said the investment strategies under his watch were always responsible. One of John Ferguson's allegedly defamatory comments was that the board acted like desperate gamblers.


Nugent became a pension board trustee in 2003. Gillis made much of Nugent's declared conflict of interest, because he calculated Nugent's pension at $1.7 million dollars. Nugent said he had no idea whether that was true because he hadn't calculated it.

Closure of Saint John Immigration Office Not Confirmed

Meanwhile, Saint John MP Rodney Weston says nothing has been confirmed as far as the immigration office moving to Moncton.

He says the spending plans of the department should be revealed in a few weeks and there will be cuts as per the new federal budget.

Weston adds any changes made will not affect the ability of immigrants to come to Saint John and believes immigration is a key part of Saint John's future.

Cruise Ship Passengers To Volunteer at Romero House

Most of us don't want to be voluntold to take part in anything but there is a new movement taking shape where people are voluntouring by choice.
It's combining volunteering and tourism and it's going to be happening in Saint John this summer.
Beth Kelly Hatt of Aquila Tours tells CHSJ News they will be partnering with Crystal Cruises this summer to offer cruise guests volunteering opporotunities at Romero House.

She says 6 to 8 passengers will go to Romero House and Aquila Tours will provide transportation back and forth.
Hatt adds both Aquila Tours and Romero House are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year.

Red Triangle Awards Coming Up Tonight

A pair of well-known Port City ladies will get some recognition tonight at the Saint John Y's Red Triangle Awards Gala.

Former Senator Ermine Cohen is the winner of the Red Triangle Award for her years of service to the community in many roles.

Stephany Peterson of UNB Saint John and Market Square is the 2012 Leader to Watch Award.

The event gets underway at 5:30 tonight at the Trade and Convention Centre.

Front-Line Police Services Could Be Restored If Non-Police Jobs Are Cut

The Saint John Police Association says well over a million dollars can be saved if city police eliminates several non-police positions and uses staff already available at city hall.

The positions include Chief Administration Officer, Director of Finance, and IT personnel.

Association spokesperson Bob Davidson says recent cuts to the front-line is unacceptable, especially when those positions can be handled by staff at city hall.

He says more money can also be saved if the Staff Sergeant rank was eliminated, which would get rid of 4 positions and save half a million dollars.

City Solicitor Describes Accusations At Defamation Trial As Surreal and Nonsense

He must be living in the 4th dimension........That description at the defamation trial from City Solicitor and Pension Board trustee John Nugent about claims that were made about the Pension Board by former Common Councillor John Ferguson.

Nugent was asked about the specific claims and testified he was not aware of any city employees getting disability pensions because they didn't get along with the bosses....He had no knowledge of anyone getting a disability pension without the proper documentation and he was not aware of any workplace culture problem at City Hall.
 
Nugent told the defamation trial he was floored by the allegation of illegality by the Pension Board based on a conversation Ferguson said he had with one of the trustees. Nugent told the court that's as serious a charge as you can make because it would take a majority of pension board members to improperly approve disability pensions.
 
He told the jury the accusations would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.

Perth Andover Pets Get Helping Paw

As recently-flooded Perth Andover struggles to get back to normal, some animal-lovers stepping in to take care of supplies for the village's pets. Global Pet Foods, based out of Saint John and Fredericton, has worked with volunteers and suppliers to donate thousands of dollars worth of non-perishable cat and dog food. It's currently being distributed it at the Emergency Flood Center.

Global Pet Foods CEO Jeff Kelly says pets can fall by the wayside in crisis situations, as people struggle to take care of their own needs and rebuild their homes.

Kelly says the donated food will be enough to feed over 100 pets.

Blow to Development as Immigration Center Shut

An alarm being sounded about the closure of the federal immigration office in our city – councilor at large candidate John Campbell tells CHSJ News it’s a blow to our future development:

He says with the Port and UNBSJ trying to attract foreign students and new immigrants, the center is particularly important.

Immigration services are apparently being consolidated in Moncton – a move Campbell says should be meeting with solid opposition from the community and Common Council.

Water Problem Plagues Village Near Saint John

The people who live in Blacks Harbour are living under a do not consume water order. 

Mayor Terry James says one water sample has been taken which was clear. Another one will be taken today. There has to be two consecutive clear samples.
 
The water became discoloured after some work was done last weekend.

John Ferguson Defamation Trial

Rothesay Mayor Wants Another Term

Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop is running for re-election and made it official by filing his nomination papers with Elections NB. 

In Quispamsis, there will be a race for the Mayoralty. Incumbant Murray Driscoll is being challenged by Beth Fitzpatrick.

Police Chief Quiet On Union's Allegations

Police Chief Bill Reid not saying much in regards to the union's allegations.

He says it's a labour relation issue.

He adds it's obvious that the union is upset with council, the police board, and management but he will let the proper process take its course.

Union Says Police Woes Tied To Lack of Communication From Chief

The police union is once again sounding the alarm over communication problems between them and police management, particularly the Chief of Police.

In a presentation to the Board of Police Commissioners, the union says communications have broken down and are akin to how the force was ran back in 1918.

Union spokesperson Bob Davidson tells CHSJ News it's the root cause of current legal woes between certain officers and the force.

The various cases range from maternity rights and benefits to promotions.

He says while the Saint John Police Force may be one of the best forces in the country, its morale is very low.

The union also making recommendations on how to save the force more money and restore more front-line services -- such as cutting several non-police positions and the Staff Sergeant rank.

Commission Chairman Chris Waldschutz says all recommendations will be looked at by the commission.

Book Chosen For The Rothesay Read

If you're a bookworm, you'll be happy to know that the book for the 4th annual Rothesay Read has been chosen.

Event Chair Mary Ann Gallagher tells CHSJ News the book will be "The Book of (Even More) Awesome" by Canadian author Neil Pasricha.

She says the book reminds you about great feelings you can get from life's smallest and most trivial things -- like bubble wrap and bakery air.

Students and staff at Rothesay High School as well as community groups will be reading the novel.

The event comes to an end on May 11th with a visit from the author.

Morrison Says Ferguson Was Engaging in A Whisper Campaign

City solicitor John Nugent testifying at the John Ferguson defamation trial while he became numb to Ferguson's comments after a point, they were still provoking and offensive.Pension board lawyer Barry Morrison asked Nugent whether he believed Ferguson was engaging in a whisper campaign. Nugent says he was certainly trying to raise the value of his own stock in the public eye.



The jury saw a video of the July 17, 2006 council meeting in which Ferguson made many of his accusations. In that meeting, Nugent advisted council is had to seek a full disclosure of any proofthat would support Ferguson's comments. Other councillors disparaged the presentation as a waste of time, and nothing but smoke and mirrors.


Nugent told the court he found Ferguson's comments disturbing.

Convervation Council Gives A Thumbs Down To New Forest Plan

Daivd Coon of the Conservation Council not happy with the province's new forest management plan.

The new management plan will reduce the area of conservation forest from 30.5% to 28% of the overall forest

Coon tells CHSJ News the new trees planted after a clear-cutting operation aren't the same habitat as a natural forest.

He says the plan ultimately chips away at protection measures for water and wildlife.

North End Common Councillor Running Again

The Principal of Millidgeville North and former head of One Change, Gary Sullivan will be seeking re-election in Ward 2.

Sullivan tells CHSJ News he wants to see pension reform that insulates the taxpayer from having to cough up big bucks to keep the plan afloat. He's asking what transitioning to a defined contributions plan would entail.
 
Sullivan says Common Council has done alot when you consider it's spending more money than ever on the roads, which are high up among the concerns of Saint Johnners according to surveys, Harbour Cleanup is being finished up and a new municipal plan, cobbled together by Plan SJ, will chart development over the next generation.

Another Candidate Comes Forward For Municipal Election

A long time uptown resident and volunteer is entering the fray of municipal politics -- Donna Reardon will be running for a seat on council to represent Ward 3.

She tells CHSJ News while one of her election planks is making sure infrastructure and services are in place to attract families to live in the city centre, she will address the needs of her entire ward.

She says some of her priorities will be clean water and roads.

Reardon currently sits on the board of directors for Uptown Saint John and chairs the finance committee at St. John the Baptist Church.

Ferguson Defamation Trial Coverage

City Solicitor Says Former Common Councillor Left Impression "Pension Board Was Up To No Good"

City Solicitor John Nugent has testified it was more the impression left by former Common Councillor John Ferguson, than what he specifically said, that cast the Pension Board in a bad light.

Nugent told the defamation trial, Saint John's pension problems were not comparable to San Diego's where there were lawsuits and a fraud investigation. Nugent says it was like day and night. Nugent told the court the reference made by Ferguson to San Diego in a public presentation to Common Council left the impression the Pension Board was up to no good.

When asked about Ferguson's reference to a desperate gambler, Nugent testified he thought that referred to the city's early retirement programme which transferred costs on to the pension plan.

Nugent told the jury Ferguson did not provide any information he claimed to have about the pension plan from professional people but left it hanging thereby leaving the impression of misdeeds and misconduct.

Ward 4 Candidate Reveals Some Key Election Planks

Safe drinking water, better roads, and continued harbour clean-up---those are some of the city's top priorities according to Scott Waddell. He's running to represent Ward 4 in the upcoming election and says he'd give current council a C or a D for its performance.

Waddell tells CHSJ News there's a sense of discontent in Saint John with our elected representatives, especially in light of the high-profile John Ferguson trial.  He says people don't have the trust in politics that they once had.

Other goals Waddell outlines in his platform include supporting development (including PlanSJ) and pushing for more recreation facilities.

East Side Councillor Not Running Again

Common Councillor Bruce Court will not be running in the spring election in Ward 4.
 
Court tells CHSJ News he won't be re-offering due to issues with his health. He may soon be undergoing a back operation.

We earlier reported Ward 2 Councillor Gary Sullivan has decided not to seek re-election but that turns out not to be the case. 

Sullivan tells CHSJ News he will be running again May 14th.

Energy Saved During Earth Hour

Those people who participated in Earth Hour 2012 over the weekend in the province saved enough energy to power approximately 15,000 homes. 

NB Power is reporting that's the equivalent to turning off more than 2.1 million 13 watt compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Warning About Moose In Valley

Drivers in the area of Gondola Point Road and Sherwood Park being warned by Rothesay Regional Police to be on the lookout for a moose. 

Police received a report around 10:45 last night about a moose running about and causing a bit of havoc. It was nowhere to be seen when police arrived. 

They were told it's large but not fully grown. Police say if a moose gets scared and starts running amok, it can cause serious damage.

Pension Board Alarmed By What Finance Minister Said

The city's Pension Board responding to comments attributed to Provincial Finance Minister Blaine Higgs about its investment strategy being double or nothing with a reference to spending time in a casino. 

The Board is asking for a meeting with Higgs to clarify the role of the trustees when investments were made saying they took the advice of qualified professional investment advisors and were in compliance with the provincial Pension Benefits Act. 

One of those investments, as revealed at the defamation trial of former Common Councillor John Ferguson, was Nortel when went down the tubes.

The city is trying to get approval from the province for changes to the pension plan.

City Will Pay Up Despite Last Week's Vote

Turns out the city will be making good on an $800,000 pension payment--the one council voted against making last week. Councillors Patty Higgins and Bill Farren had voted nay to protest what they see as the chronic mismanagement of the pension plan. But legal counsel Melanie Thompkins advised the motion to pay passed anyway, because it had a simple majority. Normally a two-thirds majority is required.

Mayor Ivan Court said the payment isn't going to come out all at once, but rather be planned into the budget over a period of years.

Councillor Bill Farren had voted with Councillor Patty Higgins against making the payment. He said plenty of motions have been defeated because they didn't have a 2-thirds majority--and if these are actually the rules, they should be revisited. Higgins appeared outraged by motion, saying the city has done nothing concrete to deal with the city's pension woes.

Flooded Hospital Still Closed

As the village of Perth Andover battles major post-flood clean-up, there's no word yet on when the hospital will re-open. Fortunately, there's been no significant oil damage to the building--which means it will likely be made safe again.

Dionne tells CHSJ News people have had to make alternate arrangements while the hospital building gets assessed, heading to Tobique Medical Centre, Waterville, Grand Falls, and elsewhere.

Several school in Perth Andover also remain closed--and the high school won't re-open again until the next school year.

Six-Year-Old Battles Huntington's Disease

The family of Gabriel Arseneault is asking for your help -- the six-year old has been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease and is the youngest person in the Maritimes to be diagnosed with the illness.

The family is planning a fundraiser for him in June in Titusville and a trust fund has been set up with ScotiaBank.

Tristin Arseneault is Garbriel's mother and she tells CHSJ News the money will go towards his future medical expenses.

She says one of her goals is keep things as normal as possible for her son.

For information on how to donate to the fund or about the fundraiser, click here.

Perth-Andover Flood Update

The flood waters have receded, but there's still a long way to go before life in Perth Andover is back to normal. That from the village's Chief Administrative Officer, Dan Dionne. 

Dionne tells CHSJ News there's a lot of activity in the community right now as people clear up the debris and work to repair the damage.

Dionne says while he's very satisfied with the government's response to the natural disaster, there hasn't yet been an accurate assessment of the financial toll on the village--and the citizens affected by the flood are looking for answers.

PotashCorp Donates Half-A-Million Dollars To Medical Program

PotashCorp making a 500-thousand dollar donation to Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick.

The money will be used to attract and support a Research Chair in Occupational Medicine.

General Manager of PotashCorp Stewart Brown tells CHSJ News donating to medical causes is very important as the welfare of his employees depends on having a top-notch healtcare system.

He adds everybody in the region will benefit from improved healthcare as well.

The money goes towards Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick's 15 million dollar fundraising campaign.

The campaign has raised about 12 and a half million dollars so far.

Fundraising Chair Lynn Irving says morel major major announcements are expected in the coming months.

Study Says SJ Is a Great Place for Business

Saint John comes out well in a study of how competitive the city is when it comes to the cost of doing business.



The KPMG report gives Saint John a score of 92.5 out of 100 which is even better than Moncton get. Christine Comeau of Enterprise Saint John tells CHSJ this puts the city on the map because the study covered all of North America.


She says this is a form of external validation: someone who;s not from the community looking in on us and giving us a gold star.
According to to the report, Saint John is on a par with the four largest American metropolitan areas and 8 percentage points below the U.S. baseline.

Premier Getting Support On Shale Gas Development

It's expected the Alward Government will be releasing its regulations to govern shale gas exploration in the province in the coming weeks. 

It's also expected to promptvigourous, even emotional, debate. 

Kevin Lacey, the Atlantic Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is applauding the Premier for pressing ahead in the face of opposition because shale gas development holds the potential of solving alot of New Brunswick's economic problems. 

Lacey also sees alot of opportunies for Saint John in energy and points to all the talk about building a western pipeline to the Irving Oil refinery.

Port Hosts Emergency Planning Session

Being prepared is the reason for a recent marine contingency planning session hosted by the Port of Saint John.

President & CEO Jim Quinn tells CHSJ News the participants had many questions so much so that the event ran long.

He says there lots of questions for City Fire Chief Kevin Clifford and for representatives from the Port and Canaport LNG.

Quinn says the event is important to make sure as the players change everyone still has a clear understanding of their role in an emergency.

Common Councillor Says You Have To Eat An Elephant One Bite At A Time

It appears how the city's pension board is governed will be looked at by Common Council at some point in the future. 

There have been questions raised at the defamation trial of former Common Councillor John Ferguson whether there are too many trustees who are receiving or will be getting pensions from the city and does that vested judgement cloud their decisionmaking. 

Common Councillor Peter McGuire tells CHSJ News there will be plenty of time to do that but getting pension reform approved by the provincial government is the big priority right now because it will free up money that can be put into muncipal services rather than just the pension plan.        

High Schooler Hurt By Bus Cuts

Concerned citizens are saying bus cuts are having a negative effect on the city's most vulnerable populations--namely, seniors, disabled persons, and students.

Tevinn Richards is a Simonds High School student who lives on the West Side. He says it's literally impossible for him to get to school on time now that the bus routes have changed. He says if he were to to try and get there early, he'd have to add on an extra hour to his school day.

Richards says he's missing out on his entire homeroom period, when students can ask questions and develop a rapport with teachers--because he doesn't arrive until halfway through the next class. 

There have been a number of protests throughout the city aimed at getting Common Council to reconsider the cuts.

Farren to Re-Offer: Says Pension is City's Achilles Heel

On the heels of public criticism from Mayor Ivan Court regarding his constant questioning of pension issues, Councillor Bill Farren says he wants another chance to address what he calls the city's Achilles heel.

Councillor Farren tells CHSJ News that he is re-offering for common council, but he won't be joining the pension board---because as he puts it, its operations are currently clouded with "shenanigans."

Farren says he hopes the electorate will support him in his bid to tackle the issues and help the city move forward.

Respected Saint John Charity Turns 30

One of Saint John's most respected charities is marking a major milestone today (Sunday): Romero House is turning 30 years old. Established in 1982, the soup kitchen has served over a million meals to Saint John residents.

Founder Carolyn McNulty says they've weathered some changes over the years since they started in 1972--and they've happy to have a building now that was designed for the soup kitchen and its needs.

One thing that hasn't changed, according to McNulty, is the need for the soup kitchen in the city. She says she's had many people come in and thank the staff years later for their assistance.

There will be a celebration at Romero house today (Sunday) from 2-4pm at 647 Brunswick Drive .

Harbour Clean-Up Will Be Complete By The End Of The Year

A huge milestone is approaching for the city -- with the recent approval of the 2012 Capital Utility Budget, City Manager Pat Woods says Harbour Clean-Up will be complete by the end of the year.

Mayor Ivan Court says it took 10 years to get the funding for the project but less than 4 years to complete it.

The 2012 Utility Budget comes in at almost 20 million dollars with almost 40 million dollars in carry-over projects.

The price tag for Harbour Clean-up is about 87 million dollars.

MP Says Budget is Good News

The federal budget is in line with protecting social programs, balancing the budget, finding efficiencies in government, and boosting the economy--that from John Williamson, the MP for Southwest New Brunswick. He says the best way to achieve those mandates is to keep taxes low and debt down.

CHSJ News asked Williamson if he's heard any concerns over changes to the age requirements for Old Age Security. He tells us its such a long-range time-frame that a lot of the backlash has quieted down. The changes won't be phased in until 2023-2029--and the demographic who was most concerned were people currently on the edge of retirement.
 

Regarding another high-profile decision--to phase out the penny--Williamson said he's heard mostly positive feedback.

Drugs & Ruckus in Rothesay

A quantity of marijuana was seized after a traffic stop on the Gondola Point arterial. The Rothesay Police pulled over a man driving with a female passenger, and noticed there appeared to be marijuana laying on the floor of the car. Both were arrested and the car was searched. The woman admitted to owning the drugs and was booked for possession of a controlled substance, then released.

Police also responded to a call from the McDonald's on Hampton Road, where some young men were causing a ruckus by screaming and swearing inside the restaurant. They were trespassed from the restaurant and taken home to be dealt with by their parents.

Greater Saint John Ready For Earth Hour 2012

The global movement to create awareness about climate change is coming up tomorrow night.

Earth Hour will be observed in 135 countries worldwide as people switch off their lights for 60 minutes.

Saint John Energy's VP of Engineering and Operations Darin Lamont tells CHSJ News it's important to take part at 8:30 tonight.

Lamont says you should take part between 8:30 and 9:30pm tomorrow in order to help reduce energy consumption.


He says Saint John on average is turning off the equivalent of 36,000 lights during Earth Hour adding on Monday morning they will examine the numbers to see how it went this year.

For more info, click here

City Solicitor Testifies "Untold Hours" Were Lost In Dealing With Ferguson

City Solicitor John Nugent continuing his testimony at the defamation trial of former Common Councilor John Ferguson.

He says the board had gotten outside advice there was no conflict of interest from receiving advice from staff about the pension, even if they sat on the board.

Nugent told the court that "untold hours" were lost from dealing with Ferguson.  He adds the timing was not great as Ferguson's issues were coming at a time when council was dealing with the controversial LNG tax deal.

Testimony will continue at the Court of Queen's Bench on Tuesday.

Losier Seeks Re-Election In Grand Bay-Westfield

The longtime mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield aims to stay put.
Grace Losier is seeking her fifth term this spring.

She tells CHSJ News one of her goals if re-elected would be to have all of the assets in place in order to grow Colonel Nase Boulevard.

She says one of those goals would be a new primary school adding it's the number one priority of the District Education Council and they support their efforts to achieve that goal.

She says they are looking forward to discussions with the province about regional service delivery boards and how it will impact the town.

Intelligent Communities Forum Has High Praise For Saint John

The Co-Founder of the Intelligent Communities Forum says Saint John is well deserving of its most recent designation.


The city was recently named one of the top 7 intelligent communities.


Louis Zacharilla tells CHSJ News it's great to see such a big focus on educating children and how the city looks at it as something that is expected of everyone.

He also gives credit to the city for building an ecosystem for entrepreneurs which will lead to less reliance on federal and provincial funding.

West Side Common Councillor Running Again

The city is going through tough financial times at the moment but Common Councillor Peter McGuire says, despite that, he's running for re-election.

McGuire sits on the city's clean drinking water committee and remains hopeful that huge project will come to pass in spite of both the provincial and federal governments tightening their belts.

McGuire tells CHSJ News people on the west side have told him their number one concern is the state of the roads but they also want to see their neighbourhoods green.
 
He also says they're concerned about the city as a whole and growth on the west side. McGuire tells us he wants to see more work done on Main Street West and Fairville Boulevard.

City Solicitor Expresses Anger At Being Likened To Martha Stewart

The defamation trial of former Common Councillor John Ferguson hears how angry and outraged City Solicitor John Nugent was at what he calls sensational assertions that were left hanging without any proof being offered to back them up.

Nugent testifies his anger was ratcheted up when Ferguson compared accepting legal advice from him to Martha Stewart whom everyone knew had been charged with illegal insider stock trading.

He was already incredibly offended at Ferguson claiming senior city staff were blocking him from getting outside advice on the pension plan which Nugent maintains was not the case because that was an option given to Common Council.

Nugent also telling the jury he found it puzzling Ferguson would not identify who was giving him legal advice referring to it only as Canadian Corporate Legal Counsel.

John Ferguson Defamation Trial

Fundy Royal M-P Defends Pension Changes

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the Harper government is looking to the future with a budget that cuts 5.2-billion dollars in annual spending, eliminates more than 19-thousand public service jobs and promises to balance the books by 2016 at the latest. 

As expected, the government will raise the eligibility age for old age security from 65 to 67 but won't begin phasing in the change until 2023. 

Fundy Royal M-P Rob Moore tells CHSJ News the change recognises the reality there will be more and more retirees down the road. Moore says right now four workers are contributing for every retiree and in 20 years that will be down to 2 people working for every person who's retired and the average life sapan of men has risen to over 80.
 
Flaherty also announcing the mint will stop producing pennies this fall  since it costs 1.6 cents to make one.

Trial Ordered For East Side Man In Motel Robbery

A trial has been ordered for an Ellerdale Street man charged with robbing the Park Plaza Motel on Rothesay Avenue February 27th.

The same motel had been robbed on February 8th. 

25 year old Corey William Landry will remain jailed until his trial on August 8th. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 3 years in prison.

The court ordered a ban on reporting of any of the evidence from the bail hearing until Landry stands trial.

City By-Laws Get Reviewed As Part Of Municipal Development

The nitty-gritty of the new municipal is now under the microscope as PlanSJ is looking for input and feedback on its zoning by-laws.

Senior planner Mark Reade tells CHSJ News the by-laws help shape the city into the vision laid out in the municipal plan.

For example, the uptown area will see an increase in its mix of use such as more ground-level retail.

He says things can always change as the municipal is a living document but expects most of the work to be finalized by early 2013.

To give your feedback to the new zoning by-laws, click here.