On Tuesday, PotashCorp NB made a $250,000 matching contribution and today MP Rodney Weston gave $100,000 to support the theatre over two different seasons. Executive Director S. G. Lee tells CHSJ News the money from the federal government is for programming.
She says this money goes directly to the cost of bringing in artists including fees, travel and flights and community activities in and around the Imperial.
Lee says planning for the 2013/2014 is 75 per cent complete and now they are working on the 2014/2015 season.
The mother of a Moncton teen who strangled herself in prison says no one has been held accountable for the death.
Testifying today at a Toronto inquest, Coralee Smith says nothing has changed for inmates.
She says everyone in the system knew how desperate her daughter was, yet they did not help.
Ashley Smith choked herself to death in her segregation cell in Kitchener, Ontario in October 2007. Guards, who were under orders not to intervene, simply watched. Her mom says the 19-year-old should not have been in prison in the first place.
Some streamlining at the top at the Horizon Health Network.
New president John McGarry announcing the Executive Management Team has been reduced from 12 to 7. McGarry says three VP's are out of the senior management team, 4 VP's have been converted to corporate directors and one person have been brought in as Chief Operating Officer.
McGarry says the two people leaving will receive a standard severance package as approved by the province. He says that will result in significant savings for the organization but he would say how much money they will save with these changes. Horizon Health Network must find 3 million dollars in savings by next year and McGarry tells CHSJ News this gives them a start on it.
Disabled patients should be seen as people first and their disability second and doctors should be more compassionate. So says Dr. Shawn Jennings who suffered a debilitating brainstem stroke when he was 45, forcing him to give up his family practice of 20 years.
Dr. Jennings still uses a wheelchair but has recovered to the point where he's a member of the faculty at the Dal Medical School and tells CHSJ News doctors will treat the disabled differently but not out of malice but because they feel sorry for them.
Dr. Jennings says examination tables in doctors' offices are too high for the disabled to get up onto but they're designed that way so doctors don't have to bend over as much and save wear and tear on their backs. Another barrier is actually getting into a doctor's office if it isn't wheelchair accessible.
More than 17 per cent of people in the province are coping with disabilities which is the second highest rate in the country, second only to Nova Scotia and we have to get our act together. That was the message delivered at a forum organised by the Saint John Human Development Council.
Executive-Director Randy Hatfield tells CHSJ News there are still too many barriers when people with disabilities seek healthcare and at a time when the province is trying to constrain the escalating cost of healthcare.
The forum was told there are not enough interpreters around to allow the deaf to communicate by sign language and that sometimes results in them being treated with a lack of respect. The forum also hearing there's a stigma that if you have a physical disability, somehow you also suffer from a mental disability.
Elevated carbon moxide levels at the Charles Gorman Arena may have been responsible for several users getting sick over the weekend.
The Arena Attendant at the Gorman was alerted to the problem after getting a call from a user asking about the air quality. Testing with a hand-held device showed the carbon moxide levels in the building were indeed higher than safe levels, with readings up to 67parts per million. Exposures to 100ppm or greater are hazardous to human health.
The building was evacuated and the natural gas fired boilers were checked but no leaks or malfunctions were found. The Zamboni was pulled from service and tested as well, but the results were normal. At this point the source of the elevated levels is unclear but it is still being investigated.
We known New Brunswickers love to get outside in nature; however, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has some numbers to back that up.
Andrew Holland of the NCC tells CHSJ News nature is even more important to our family's overall health and well-being than we might think. A recent poll by the conservancy asked Canadians whether they'd rather spend family time inside or out--and a whopping 87% of those surveyed said they'd be inclined to head out of doors.
Holland tells CHSJ News it's a great way to beat the winter blues, pointing to skiing, snow-shoeing and winter bird watching as fun activities that can be enjoyed in nature, and says it's important to appreciate the value of our natural landscape if we want to preserve it.
We have more technical details from the search warrants in the investigation of former common councillor Donnie Snook.
The 568-page document describes events leading from March 2011 to Snook's January arrest, including the installation of a surveillance camera on a power pole outside his home. The camera recorded who was at 575 Martha Avenue while explicit chat sessions were happening with undercover police.
On January 9th an officer observed while all the lights were on at the home, no one answered the door. Snook was the only one inside. The chat logs from that time show a message saying "some one at the door....see you later?"'
The warrants also inndicate the person sharing the explicit images was hacking into their neighbour's wi-fi connection. However, the Mac Address of the computer used to transmit them was traced to Snook's home.
The chat user promised the undercover cop "live action" in order to win his trust--but only with their face covered, because if they were caught, "[they] would die." Cameras, computers, a tablet, phones and other electronic devices were all confiscated in the search. Snook's next court appearance is on March 11 when he is expected to enter a plea.
The Feds giving the First Steps housing project $80,000 to assess the social and financial benefits of their program.
The house on Cobourg street provides a place for pregnant and parenting young women to live and get an education.
40 women have graduated from the program since its inception in 2002.
First Steps Executive Director Sharon Amirault says they hope at the end of the two year project its helpful in evaluating their program and others.
She says it will set a standard for how other non-profit agencies will look at valuing their service.
Amirault says as an example it may find that every dollar First Steps receives five dollars is saved in the health of children and mothers and education etc.
Saint John MP Rodney Weston says the results of this survey will be helpful to government so they can show return on investment.
For more info, call 693-BABY (2229) or email info@firststepshousing.com
Graphic and disturbing details of the investigation into former common councilor Donnie Snook have come to light with the release today of search warrants in the case--albeit heavily redacted.
The warrants reveal someone using the same internet IP address as Snook's home on Martha Avenue engaged in lengthy chats discussing sexual activities with numerous young boys. The warrants state someone at the home posessed the technical knowledge and ability to steal Wi-fi from others at nearby addresses; however, the Mac address signal was traced to Snook's home address. To an undercover officer playing the role of a fellow pedophile, the chat user described himself as "100% boy lover" plauged by "forbidden passion that haunts [him.]" The person also described "playing" with at least 3 boys, engaging in "cam sessions" with others, and shared video depicting a prepubescent child engaged in a sex act.
Of the victims, chat user writes, "little boys like pleasure to [sic] you know...its society that has messed them up with shame and hate...i NEVER hurt. i treat them like gold...they are little princes." Over a thousand images with child-related pornographic content were shared on the network.
The documents also indicate Snook attempted to grab a laptop and flee through the back door when police came to arrest him at his home on January 9th.
Snook's bail hearing is scheduled for March 11 pending completion of the police investigation. Until then, he has been remanded to provincial jail. Since the initial charges came to light several more people have also contacted city police and RCMP alleging they have been sexually abused by the 40-year-old.
His lawyer, Dennis Boyle, says he will enter a plea on March 11.
One of our road warriors sent in this picture of an accident Sunday on Highway 1 near Hammond River. A tractor trailer had skidded off the road and had to be removed.
The Department of Natural Resources is on the scene today excavating some soil contaminated by a fuel spill after the weekend crash.
We could soon know more about the case against former common councillor Donnie Snook.
Search warrants in the case are scheduled to be released later today although some of the information will be blacked out.
The two-term councillor resigned last month amid 8 charges relating to child pornography, child exploitation, and sexual interference with a child under 16. The 40 year old was arrested at his home on January 9th and resigned as a Councillor on the 17th.
The best and brightest of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will be getting some kudos at the 3rd annual Salty Awards.
Voting is now live for the social media awards which includes categories like Twitter Person of the Year, Best Facebook, and a new award for the Best Instagram account.
Co-chair Craig Allen tells CHSJ News received over 500 nominees and they're hoping a large number of Saint Johners will vote as well.
Former winners include the Saint John Alehouse, Jonathan Huberdeau and Piece O'Cake Custom Creations. Allen says since social media is an ingrained part of many of our lives it makes sense to recognize the locals who make valuable contributions.
Some massive sketches by famed Saint John artist Miller Brittain are getting a new lease on life, thanks to the efforts of staff at the NB Museum.
Conservators are working to repair the 9-by-9 foot drawings, which were intended as the basis for a mural at the old TB hospital.
Conservation intern Moya Dumville has been removing decades-old tape inch by inch and making repairs using stable materials. The sketches, made for a proposed mural for the walls of the Saint John Tuberculosis Hospital in 1941-1942, depict people suffering from tuberculosis, the treatments of the time and the hope for a cure.
Conservator Claire Titus tells CHSJ News it's a shame that improper handling has done some damage to the works, which consist of large squares held together with paper tape. Over the years, someone had applied masking tape to hold them together--and while that was done with the best intentions, it now is damaging the works and needs to be removed.
The public are invited to see the sketches and the restoration work in person at the NB Museum Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:30-3:30pm; Thursday from 1:30-3:30pm and 5:30-7:30pm; and Sunday February 17 and Sunday February 24 from 1:30-3:30pm.
One Change has big plans for programming at the Nick Nicolle Community Centre on Victoria Street when it takes over running the day to day operations in a few months time.
The President of One Change Scott Crawford says there will be programmes on offer for everyone in the neighbourhood, not just recreation for young people.
Crawford is talking about pre-natal classes, early childhood education, which he calls essential, so children from the Old North End don't find themselves behind even before they start their schooling and adult education programmes including computer instruction.
PotashCorp New Brunswick giving a matching contribution of $250,000 to the Imperial Theatre. That means the theatre has to come up with $250, 000 themselves in order to get the corporate donation. Jamie Whittaker of the Imperial Theatre's board says this kind of contribution engages the community in something they already own.
He says a non-profit charity organization runs the theatre now but it was started by Saint Johners donating money so it's really owned by the whole community.
Whittaker says the Imperial Theatre has been restored now it just needs to be maintained.
Common Councillors will learn everything they need to know over the next several weeks about a public-private partnership to bring clean drinking water to the city with construction of a water treatment plant on the east side.
A number of meetings are being scheduled with the aim being to draw up an application for funding by early April.
Mayor Mel Norton, who would like to break ground later this year, is adamant the city will not be giving up control and ownership of its water.
Common Council will be getting a value for money study in the next little while to give a better idea whether this arrangement makes financial sense for the city.
The city of Saint John will soon be posting on its website the pay scales and salary ranges of its employees.
The idea coming from Common Councillor Greg Norton who argues it will provide taxpayers with the opportunity to compare the performance of an organisation with what's its paying people to do the job.
Fellow Councillor John MacKenzie is hoping Mayor and Council will be leaders of the pack with publicising what they get paid.
Norton points out there will be no names used and this is already being done by the city of Fredericton on its website.
One Change getting a vote of confidence from Common Council and will be taking over management and day to day operation in a few months of the North End Community Centre on Victoria Street which is officially called the Nick Nicolle Community Centre.
West Side Common Councillor Bill Farren is not hesitent to voice his support and fellow Councillor David Merrithew says he has seen how well this type of arrangement can work in the south end with the Boys and Girl Club.
City Manager Pat Woods telling Council One Change will be more responsive to the needs of the community and offer increased programming for both young people and adults.
The Province's conflict of interest commissioner says former premier Shawn Graham broke provincial rules because of his involvement in his government's decision to give financial help to a construction company. Patrick Ryan has released his report into allegations that Graham was in a conflict of interest in 2009 when his Liberal government gave a $50 million loan guarantee to Miramichi-based Atcon.
Ryan says Graham should have removed himself from cabinet discussions over the loan guarantee because his father was a director of Vanerply, a Swedish subsidiary of Atcon, and a paid consultant of Vanerply and other Atcon companies.
Ryan says while Graham didn't check whether his father had ties to Atcon at the time the loan guarantee was offered, it was his responsibility to know.
Despite the loan guarantee, Atcon went bankrupt in 2010. Ryan is recommending Graham be fined $3,500 and reprimanded.
Graham issued a statement saying the fault was an oversight' on his part and he accepts full responsibility for his actions.
If you can safely get out of your driveway, Canadian Blood Services is hoping you will consider driving straight to 400 University Avenue.
Peter MacDonald of Donor and Clinic Services says this is the fifth week they have experienced clinic impacts due to weather this winter.
109 appointments remain in Saint John for clinics this week.
If you can't keep your appointment to donate, you are asked to cancel it and allow CBS the chance to book another donor. To book an appointment, 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283).
Our Sunday storm has lasting impact in the form of power outages. More than 3200 NB Power customers province wide are without electricity including many folks throughout the Rothesay region from Nauwigewauk and Darling's Island to the Kingston Peninsula. At 11 this morning, that number exceeded 5500 homes and businesses.
All schools are
closed in the Anglophone South School District and the Anglophone West
School District along with the Francophone South School District which
includes Samuel de Champlain.
The Saint John campus of the Community College is closed.
Classes at the Community College campus in St. Andrews will not be starting until 10:30 this morning.
Somerset pre-school is closed for the day.
Eastern College and Eastern Trades College are both closed.
The Academy of Hair Design is closed.
All five libraries in the Saint John region are closed.
Grand Manan Library, 1144 Rte 776, for the whole day Kennebecasis Public Library, 1 Landing Ct., for the whole day Le Cormoran Library, 67 Ragged Point Rd., for the whole day Saint John Free Public Library, Central Branch, 1 Market Square, for the whole day Saint John Free Public Library, East Branch, 545 Westmorland Rd., for the whole day Saint John Free Public Library, West Branch, 621 Fairville Blvd., for the whole day The S-N-B Wood Co-op in Sussex is closed.
Family Ties Daycare will be closed.
Dr Mark Lowney's Office
Boys and girls Club closed and all programs - cancelled for the day Habitat Re-Store closed.
AJ's on the West Side closed
Classes at Ready Arc Welding are closed
All classes at the Atlantica Centre for the Arts are cancelled. The Princess of Acadia crossing today has been cancelled because of the high winds.
Now that the Alward Government has released its regulations to move forward with shale gas exploration, the big question is whether the public, by and large, will buy in.
The President of the Atlantica Centre for Energy John Herron tells CHSJ News the government will need what he calls "social licence" to make this a go.
To achieve that, Herron says the provincial government will have to show it's willing to enforce its own regulations because without enforcement, they're not worth the paper they're written on and if something does go wrong, the government will have to demonstrate it's got the landowner's back.
Common Council is being urged by city staff to turn over management and operation of the North End Community Centre on Victoria Street, officially named the Nick Nicole Community Centre, to One Change which is promising an increased level of service.
One Change says it can operate the community centre with a yearly budget of more than 184 thousand dollars, over 158 thousand dollars of which would be provided by the city.
The recommendation calls for One Change to take over at the beginning of June. The Centre will be closed for 6 to 8 months for work to be done to the exterior of the building.
Security at schools in the Anglophone South School District is being enhanced in the wake of the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut before Christmas.
There will be new I-D badges for school district workers who are not attached to any particular school but perform jobs at several of them when the need arises.
Superintendent Zoe Watson tells CHSJ News school safety is always uppermost in their minds at the school district and there are some schools in Saint John which have an intercom outside and you have to be buzzed in.
The new logo for the school district was designed by a grade 9 studeent at Hampton High, Melanie Levesque in her art class.
Saint John got 25 centimeters of snow in the latest winter storm to batter the region.
All schools are closed in the Anglophone South School District and the Anglophone West School District along with the Francophone South School District which includes Samuel de Champlain.
The Saint John campus of the New Brunswick Community College is closed today.
George Parkes of Environment Canada calls it a significant storm with winds gusting to a maximum of 87 kilometers an hour.
He tells CHSJ News we might still see a couple of more centimeters of snow this morning snow before its said and done.
The high winds will remain with us all day long with gusts up to 70 kilometers an hour. Parkes expects they will start to diminish tonight and become light by noon tomorrow.
As of early this morning, NB Power is reporting 11 outages throughout the Rothesay region affecting more than 600 customers from Nauwigewauk and Darling's Island to the Kingston Peninsula.
The first two flights of the day from Saint John Airport to Toronto and Montreal have been cancelled. he flights to and from Halifax are delayed.
We are told there will be traffic delays at Rothesay Avenue and Russell Street today, not so much because of the nasty weather but construction work that's taking place on the One Mile Interchange project.
Common Councillor John McKenzie describes the stretch of Main Street North from Lansdowne Avenue to the L-B-R as the gateway to the uptown but more recently it resembles a place where traffic races through on the way to somewhere else. He tells CHSJ News Main Street is much wider than it needs to be.
He says there is a lot of valuable space that is wasted. He says it would be safer to reduce the lanes to two and add some trees and bike lanes.
MacKenzie envisions condos and more retail in that part of the north end and he will be asking the City Manager and people in planning to formulate a draft plan with proposals on how to make that happen.
Whatever you have to do today, you might want to get it done early. Up to 25 centimetres of snow is due to fall in the Saint John area before it wraps up tomorrow morning.
Environment
Canada meteorologist Jeremy March tells CHSJ News the main area of low
pressure is still deepening and well to the southwest of us.
He
expects the snow will pick up around noon and tonight it will be pretty
nasty with more snow and wind gusts to 90 kilometres an hour.
While
the storm system is a rain event for Nova Scotia, the folks in Kings
County and the KV are looking at up to 35 centimetres of snow. March says Charlotte County is at the western end of the storm and should get 20 centimetres of snow. Due to the impending storm, the Princess of Acadia will be leaving early at 2pm from Digby for Saint John.
A young mom and her kids were not hurt when fire gutted a house they were renting in Evandale.
It happened yesterday afternoon and Red Cross disaster volunteers are helping the family, which includes a 7 month old baby and a 6 year old, with a place to stay, food and clothing.
No word yet on the cause of the fire at 5841 Highway 102.
16 firefighters on the scene of a fire on Broad Street this morning behind Shawn's Variety. Platoon Chief Eric Garland says smoke and fire could be seen underneath some decking between the first and third floor at the back of the building.
He tells CHSJ News crews later realized the fire was in the wall.
He says crews had to do a lot of ripping and tearing to open up the walls with a chainsaw to make sure they had contained the fire.
10 people living in the building are currently displaced but Garland is hopeful most of them will get back in today. The damage is restricted to one apartment with some in another unit. A fire investigator is looking into the cause.
The NDP leader says this Province has a proven track record of writing lots of nice things on pretty peices of paper that never get enforced. Dominic Cardy points out the shale gas regulations are for new developments not the existing 24 wells in the province.
He says why would exclude the operations that are already in place adding the same standard should be in place wherever you live in the province.
Cardy says he not sure if anyone will want to come drilling here and if they don't, he fears the government may start subsidizing them so they will.
He is also expressing concern about the ratio of chemicals being used in fracking.
An Upper Mills man has been arrested for assaulting three peace officers and resisting arrest in an incident near a home in that area.
At approximately 1:15 p.m. Friday two District 1 RCMP officers were accompanying an SPCA officer to the home for an animal welfare investigation. A 57-year-old man at the home became violent and assaulted the SPCA officer. When police attempted to arrest the man, he resisted and physically assaulted one of the police officers.
The second officer intervened, and the man was eventually taken into custody. He was later released on a promise to appear in St. Stephen Provincial Court at a later date. He is expected to face charges of assaulting peace officers and resisting arrest.
More details on a crash in Hammond River that left two people with serious, but what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
The collision occurred when a pickup truck crashed into the back of another vehicle travelling in the same direction. The driver of the truck left the scene, but was later apprehended by police.
The driver of the vehicle that was struck, a 20-year-old woman from Norton, had to be extracted using the Jaws of Life. She and an 18-year-old man from Sussex Corner were transported to hospital by ambulance with serious injuries. They are however not believed to be life-threatening. Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision, but who has not yet spoken to police, to contact them at 506-832-5566.
Some highly expensive brass coils have gone missing from the Coleson Cove generating plant. The Saint John Police Force responded to a call reported the theft of 24- Brass Coils that are described as being 24 x18 inches and look similar to that of a carpenter's square. The theft occurred between December and February 14th.
The brass coils are used to rebuild the generators located at this facility. The total replacement cost for these 24 coils are approximately $66,000.00.
Anyone who has information is asked to contact the Saint John Police Force, Major Crime Unit or Crime Stoppers.
A Fredericton woman charged with faking a home invasion in a bid to murder her husband.
Police in Fredericton say they have charged a 51-year-old woman with the attempted murder. Officers responded to 911 call regarding a break and enter at a home on Anderson Street on the city's south side around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday.
A 57-year-old man was taken to hospital where he was treated and later released. Police say their investigation has determined that there wasn't a break and enter.Police say 51-year-old Rada Veselinovic was subsequently arrested and appeared in court today where she was charged with attempted murder.
A man and a woman are dead and a child serious injured following a two-vehicle crash on the TransCanada Highway near Salisbury.
The collision occurring at around 8:20 p.m. A vehicle heading westbound was hit by a vehicle travelling the wrong way, eastbound in the westbound lane.
Both drivers, a 24-year-old man from Havelock and a 69-year-old woman from Grande-Digue, died at the scene. The woman was the lone occupant in the vehicle that was travelling in the wrong direction on the divided highway.
A 25-year-old woman and two young children, aged three and four, who were passengers in the other vehicle were transported to hospital. One of the children was airlifted to the IWK Hospital in Halifax.
The names of the deceased are not being released at this time pending proper notification of their families.
District Education Councils want a streamlined budget process so they know what numbers they have to work with well in advance.
Rob Fowler, who chairs the Anglophone South District Education Council, tells CHSJ News that point will be made clear to Provincial Education Minister Jody Carr in meetings this weekend.
Fowler would like to see the budget for the next school year soon after the end of next month to make planning easier. The Anglophone South School District is still on budget according to the most up to date figures.
Fowler says another issue he will bring up is the age of school buildings in Saint John and the extra cost needed to maintain them properly.
If and when full scale shale gas production moves ahead in the province and becomes a reality, there has to be better monitoring of air quality at production sites because there isn't any now.
That, according to the Health Watch Advisor for the Conservation Council who points to Penobsquis with its 16 gas well pads and 30 gas wells. Inka Milewski tells CHSJ News government oversight is among the missing despite all the industrialisation with no permanent air quality monitoring regime in place and the province not reporting publicly on how good or bad the air is.
Milewski claims the air at gas production sites is a major public health concern because of the presence of carcinogens in the form of volatile organic compounds like benzine.
More details expected from the RCMP later about a serious crash on Highway 1 which has been described to us as significant.
Fire crews were called to the City Market last night after it closed when the smell of natural gas was detected.
Enbridge Gas was called in and the leak was traced to the City Market's boiler room.
There was alot of smoke which could be seen from a fire in a dumpster early this morning at an overpass which is part of the One Mile Interchange project.
Fire trucks had difficulty getting to the scene and they also had to put out a small fire in a nearby construction trailer.
More than 40 thousand dollars had been raised in the first ever Radiothon at the Regional Hospital when our broadcast finished up at 6 last night.
The Director of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, Victoria Clarke tells CHSJ News the money will be used to make health care in the region better with cutting edge technology.
She says that type of equipment is needed to attract and retain top flight medical personnel.
Clarke says most of of the people who pledged money live in the Greater Saint John area but there were even calls that came in from as far away as Banff and Japan thanks to social media and the broadcast over the internet.
The government of Florida has just announced that the Florida Highway Patrol will not enforce a new law requiring Canadians to have an International Driving Permit. CAA saying in a statement they are grateful that the state of Florida has responded to pressure from CAA and thousands of concerned Canadians on this issue. However, they are still seeking clarity from the state on whether this applies to all the over 400 law enforcement agencies that exist in Florida.
In the meantime, CAA advices Canadians travelling in the next few days that it's better safe than sorry and they should get an IDP. Those who will not be travelling for some days, and those already in Florida are advised to wait for developments.
We will issue a release once the situation becomes more clear.
Here's a bit of a political shocker: a former Liberal cabinet minister under then Premier Shawn Graham has joined the NDP.
Kelly Lamrock was Minister of Social Development and led an anti-poverty initiative as well as giving some thought to running for the Liberal party leadership. Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy says Lamrock worked with him on the anti-patronage bills adopted by the Alward government, discovered they had a lot in common and more people could be coming on board.
Lamrock says he's excited to have the chance to work with fellow progressives in developing clear policies that will give New Brunswickers real choices down the road. Lamrock gave some consideration to running for the leadership of the Provincial Liberal Party leadership but decided not to.
