Mike Biggar is a name in country star most folks in Saint John will recognize.
Biggar's been breaking into the mainstream music scene will his collaborations with Chris Cummings and he tells CHSJ News he's excited to release his new album Feels Like Now.
Biggar is an ECMA and New Brunswick Music Award winner. He's performing tonight on the Mexi's patio with Chris Cummings and a full band to launch the new record.
The show starts at 9pm at Mexi's on Princess Street in Saint John. For more info, click here
Premier David Alward says he has confidence the National Energy Board will be able to adequately evaluate the environmental risks associated with building a pipeline to Saint John.
David Thompson of the Conservation Council tells CHSJ News a lot of people were turned off by their treatment when the National Energy Board held hearings in the city a few years ago on the natural gas pipeline through Rockwood Park.
Thompson says the rules apparently have changed since then and a lot of people who might want to have something to say and take part could be shut out from participating because they won't be given standing.
A grassroots energy summit will be held in the city next week with the theme that shale gas, oil pipelines and nuclear energy represent the past and not the future. One of the speakers will be Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians.
The Alward government providing a long overdue fiscal update with first quarter results projecting a deficit of nearly 500 million dollars. Finance Minister Blaine Higgs joined by the Premier and MLA Glenn Savoie for the announcement at the Delta today as the Saint John caucus wraps up its summer retreat.
Higgs says if government had not confronted spending the revenue challenges they have been facing would be much worse.
In 2011 and 2012, Higgs says they saw year over year expenses decrease for the first time in 11 years adding in the last two years they have seen spending only grow by a half a per cent compared to the 10 year average of 4.2 per cent.
Premier Alward says historically departments have been way over budget with their early quarterly results and now they are seeing departments below budget and within 1 per cent representing a huge shift.
The Premier also revealing to the gathered media that the fall session of the Legislature will begin early on November 5th.
Next May will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland.
It's happened in the St. Lawrence River and more than a 1000 passengers on the ship died.
The New Brunswick Museum hosting a travelling showcase on the ship which includes video of the underwater wreck. Pascale St. Amand tells CHSJ News the exhibit is moving on to Halifax at 5 today.
She says she has had many visitors from cruise ships and they are a bit scared by the tragedy but most people are surprised they have not heard of the Empress before.
St. Amand says the exhibit includes a video that depicts how the Storstad hit the Empress sinking her. She add the sinking is significant as World War 1 broke out a short time later.
The stray cat population in Saint John has exploded and one foster mom wants to see changes to help the situation.
25 year old Missy Hebert has 10 cats in a one bedroom apartment most of which are rescues and she is also caring for two sick foster kittens. She says stray can be found in every neighborhood of the city and as it gets colder people are concerned about the animals being outside and they may also be injured or pregnant.
Hebert tells CHSJ News the City created a problem when they changed the animal control by-law and cut funding. She says with that move they decided cats are worthless by throwing them out of the city's by-law adding the local shelter has no legal responsibility to help cats unless its on death's door and there is no other option but to euthanize it.
Hebert would like to see a low cost spay and neuter program put in place and believes there needs to be more education on the true cost of pet ownership.
She says that free kitten someone gave you will need shots that average $100 and a neuter or spay that can run between $200 to $400.
Residents of the Baxter Road and Old Westmoreland Road area are going to be happy to hear about this one.
An illegal dump site on Worden Drive could be shut down in a matter of weeks, after which time it's hoped the province will help clean up the site. Common Councillor David Merrithew tells CHSJ News he wants everyone to know even though the operator was charging tipping fees he had no right to let people dump there.
Merrithew says he had never seen an illegal dump site this bad--and it looked like a lot of the materials were industrial waste. He says he'd like to see the people who dumped on the site penalized as well.
Just days after the province came out with their healthcare blueprint, the province's doctors releasing a companion piece called Care First.
The New Brunswick Medical Society says their document is built around the four pillars of primary care renewal, wait time reduction, healthy living and front line work input.
Medical Society President Dr. Robert Desjardins tells CHSJ News they advocate a new program called 'Choose Wisely' which aims to improve decision-making by medical profession in areas like testing.
He says the program will support a certain kind of standardization in testing but it only works with education and in co-operation with the government. Desjardins says in the US, the standardization of testing has saved over 25 per cent in hospital laboratory costs.
The Medical Society is also calling on New Brunswickers to be more responsible for their own health adding just talking about it is not enough. He says their must be some legislation by the government to force hospitals and schools to serve better food in their own cafeterias.
The city has taken members of the caucus on a tour of the city aimed at demonstrating Saint John's key role as the economic powerhouse of the region, according to Mayor Mel Norton.
Norton says the city was especially keen to show off the role of the Port in the economic life of New Brunswick.
An iconic Saint John tourist attraction is officially on the market.
Marc Gosselin and his wife started running the Reversing Falls Jet Boat 19 years ago and now they say it's time for them to move on to some new ventures. Gosselin tells CHSJ News it's unclear what the future will hold for the Jet Boat, but already they've received some inquiries. Gosselin says he's not in his thirties anymore and as time goes on he doesn't think they'd be able to keep providing the same quality of service.
The "For Sale" sign is currently hanging on the operation and they're entertaining offers.
It's time to make some major changes to the boardwalk area including Market Slip and Loyalist Plaza. With that goal in mind, Saint John Waterfront Development will host three public consultations with one beginning next week.
General Manager Kent MacIntyre says the sky is the limit adding they want as many ideas as possible from people who use the space every day and in every season
The first consultation is coming up next Thursday, October 3rd in the Mary Oland theatre at the museum. It begins at 6 and includes a reception and interactive presentation.
With poll numbers in the doldrums, Premier David Alward and his M-L-A's are holding a caucus retreat in the city with a year to go before the provincial election.
The Premier is rejecting criticism about not demanding more liability protection from the risks to the environment with Trans Canada's proposed pipeline to Saint John.
Alward says he has full confidence in Trans Canada based on its history. He adds the proposal will be scrutinised by the National Energy Board which will evaluate the risks and the provincial Environment Department will have input.
More than 2600 people in this province got a diagnosis of heart disease between 2009 and 2010. That startling stat from a provincial report on heart health.
More than 21,000 men and over 13,000 women are living with the disease. Almost 1800 people in the province went to hospital for the first time with heart failure over those two years.
The rate of new cases of heart disease is steadily decreasing over the last decade and more people with heart disease are living longer.
With growing senior populations and the increase in rates of diabetes and adult obesity, the evidence doesn't show whether or not the decline in new cases and deaths due to heart disease will continue.
Just another promise he made to get elected. That's what one Liberal Health Critic is calling the Alward government's failure to get the Saint John Regional Hospital a 3T MRI.
Donald Arsenault tells CHSJ News that was a commitment Premier David Alward made to the community and is now just another addition to a long list of broken promises. He says he wants to know where Alward stands on the issue now.
The city's medical professionals seem to want the 3T version, while the Horizon Health Network has come out against it. Arsenault says they'll see what position Health Minister Ted Flemming takes and go from there.
Watch out for those Bullwinkles and Bambis as you drive around the city.
City police putting out a warning about the potential for deer/moose collisions this time of year.
Drivers are asked to be vigilant when driving as deer are coming closer to roadways from the woods this time of year.
The police asking drivers to heed the warning signs in areas where moose and deer are regularly spotted, to drive defensively and be aware of your surroundings.
It's a keepsake that gives you coffee and supports your favourite team.
You can get a reloadable coffee card at your local Timmy's with the Sea Dogs logo on it.
Sea Dogs President Wayne Long tells CHSJ News it's something they always thought about doing.
He says you always see the cards with a winter scene or the Tim Horton's camps and they thought it would be a great idea to have a Sea Dogs logo on one of those cards.
You can get your own Sea Dogs Tim's card at locations between Sussex and St. Stephen.
A new telemarketing scam is making the rounds. The Saint John Police Force Fraud Section warns people are receiving calls stating that they have won anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 bonus Air Miles.
They are then asked to provide personal information like a credit card number. Air Miles has debunked the scam as a fake saying they never use automated messages. You can visit the Canadian Antifraud Centre's website at here to learn more about what steps you should take to avoid becoming a victim of telemarketingand automated telephone schemes.
We need to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to flooding. That from MLA for Charlotte-The Isles, Rick Doucet who isn't happy his idea to establish a committee on flood damage control was shot down by Premier David Alward.
He tells CHSJ News the government's Regional Emergency Management Coordinators network only deals with flooding after-the-fact. He says we have to get into a proactive stage and get out in front of these things because they're going to be happening more and more frequently.
Doucet says we're losing an opportunity to open up some dialogue on a topic that's impacting all New Brunswickers.
You might want to be extra careful about locking your doors if you live in the Quispamsis area.
There have been two daytime break-ins and thefts already this week on Hardwood Crescent and on the Quispamsis Road. Both happened when the homeowners weren't at home, and numerous items were taken.
The Rothesay Regional Police Force is asking the public to report any suspicious people or activities in their neighbourhood. Call the dispatch center at (506) 847-6300 or 911 if a crime is in progress.
A Nova Scotia franchise has opened a brand new restaurant in uptown Saint John.
The newly-opened Ryan Duffy's in Market Square is the third location of the steakhouse and seafood chain in the Maritimes, with locations already in Truro and Halifax
The restaurant is named after a Halifax speakeasy from the prohibition era and specializes in grilled menu items, table side-prepared caesar salads and drinks according to manager partner Matt Costain, who will be running the restaurant with owner Damian Byrne.
Ryan Duffy's will be announcing its grand opening in the coming weeks.
The New Brunswick Roadbuilders Association is not discouraged by the response of the Transportation Minister to spending more money on roads around the province. Claude Williams warns money is tight.
Tom McGinn is the Association's Executive-Director. He says the idea is to spend a bit today, then avoid being faced with a more serious problem that will require more money down the line.
McGinn also warns many of the people who work on the roads have gone out west to the point where there's a labour shortage.
The patient who's suffering from a potentially highly contagious type of tuberculosis and remains hospitalized at the Dr. Georges Dumont Hospital is a business faculty student at the University of Moncton who was on hand for the first week of classes.
Medical authorities indicate the student’s condition is getting better and are optimistic the risk of infection is low.
They're also confident only those people who had close contact with the affected student are at risk of infection. The university is establishing a list of those who could have potentially been in contact with the student, including other students, professors and all other staff members.
Over the next few days, health professionals will be present in the classes in which the affected student would have been present during the contamination period in order to answer questions that may arise.
In hopes of seeing charges filed, a Maine mom releasing documents from the police investigation into her daughter's 2011 disappearance.
Trista Reynolds posting the information on her website regarding the disappearance of 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds.
The move is an effort to get charges laid against Ayla's father Justin DiPietro and Reynolds believes there is enough evidence for a successful prosecution.
The document states the toddler's blood was found throughout DiPietro's house and vehicle, including a plastic tote box found in his basement containing bloody sheets.
Reynolds says police do not want to arrest DiPietro without Ayla's remains.
The toddler went missing in 2011 from her father's home in Waterville, Maine.
This wasn't a very smart move by a young man from Richibucto wanted on some traffic violations. Corporal Graham Milner tells CHSJ News police caught a car speeding near Exit 198 going toward Sussex. When the driver saw police, he took off and took the Sussex exit. When they came to the intersection of Picadilly Road and Route 111, he peeled onto a side street, got out of the car and ran.
Police detained the two other people who were in car and brought in dogs to try and locate him. It's thought he got into another car or hitchhiked further, as the trail dropped off after a short distance.
Milner says they know who the driver is and his address. He's now going to be facing both his tickets and a criminal charge of failing to stop for police.
Retired city employees want a chance to sit in on the meetings of the pension board--because, as Common Councillor Susan Fullerton put it, "if you're not at the table, you're on the menu."
Mayor Mel Norton says as he understands it, the retirees can sit in on the meetings but they can't participate.
The composition of the pension board was determined some time ago, so in his view it is a bit of a moot point to meet now and explain it again.
Wyatt has a home. He's the cat who was shot by an arrow near Exmouth and Richmond streets last month.
After undergoing complex surgery it was discovered the former street cat has feline leukemia meaning he can't be around other cats. Empty-nester Cheryl Estey tells CHSJ News she has room for him.
She contacted the SPCA who referred her to the Fundy Animal Hospital who housed Wyatt after his surgery and because he had to be isolated.
She was able to bring him home on Friday.
Wyatt joins a household that also includes a turtle named Franklin.
Six men between the ages of 29-50 are wanted by the Rothesay Regional Police for a variety of offences including fraud, break and enter, and driving while suspended. There are $500 rewards for information leading to the arrest of two of them.
The names and offences of the people wanted on warrants have been posted on the RRPD's website in an effort to get help from the public tracking them down. To check it out, click here
The province's new five-year health care plan is more concerned with dollars and cents than delivering services to patients.
That from the President of the Council of Hospital Unions, Norma Robinson. Robinson tells CHSJ News they're fully expecting to see more layoffs, but what they're unsure of is when and where the job cuts will be happening---which she says is very frustrating.
The New Brunswick Nurses Union says they're concerned about how little detail was shared about how the plan will be carried out, and how it affects the role of registered nurses.
It's full steam ahead for a revamped organisation that will represent businesses throughout the entire region.
The President of the Saint John Board of Trade Eric Poirier tells CHSJ News there's now a tentative date for a merger with the K-V Chamber of Commerce and the West Side Business Association. He says they've received overwhelmingly positive feedback and they're hoping to create the new organization in the spring. 25% of the K-V members also belong to the Saint John Board of Trade.
Moncton RCMP looking for your help as they try to find a missing 24 year old man.
Romeo Cloutier was reported missing on the 13th and his vehicle was found in Sainte-Marie de Kent the same day.
The search for Cloutier was expanded recently in that area with help from Tri-County Ground Search and Rescue but it didn't provide any clues as to where he is. Romeo Cloutier is described as 6 feet tall with brown eyes and tatoos on his arms and neck. When he was reported missing, he weighed about 145 pounds and his head was shaved. If you can help, contact Codiac Regional RCMP at 506-857-2400 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Kenyan security forces are still battling al-Shabab extremists in an upscale Nairobi mall for a fourth day in what they claim is a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left at least 62 people dead.
Despite Kenyan government assurances of success on Twitter, the Associated Press is reporting another explosion and more gunfire could be heard coming from the mall.
A woman who spent time in Saint John and has lived in Nairobi for the past two years, Joanne Ball Burgess has told the Toronto Star about being trapped inside the mall on Saturday when the attack got underway.
She speaks of being trapped in a bathroom for 3 and a half hours then hiding in a closet as she made her way to freedom through a fire exit.
Common council appears to be warming somewhat to the idea of letting businesses set their own Sunday Shopping Hours.
Mayor Mel Norton tells CHSJ News he approves of the decision to look into the by-law change, since local retailers are struggling in some parts of the city and need to be able to stay competitive.
Common councillor Shirley McAlary says she initially worried about workers and that hasn't changed--however, since the last meeting she's heard from retail workers who say they could use the extra hours where they can get them. Further, she says, businesses should be trusted to make the decisions best for them. The City Mananger has been asked to look into the by-law change which would take a minimum of weeks to go through the legal department have a second and third reading.
The President of the Atlantica Centre for Energy says it's unfortunate the province's Energy Institute got off to a false start.
With the head of the institute, Louis Lapierre, stepping down amid controversy surrounding his academic qualifications, John Herron tells CHSJ News the institute still has value to New Brunswickers.
He says energy is a very complex issue and having academic thought leadership coming from leading academics around the continent makes sense to help us find our way forward on issues that do have complexity so we can make sound science-based decisions and observations.
a component of the body is holding a citizen roundtable on energy, and he says that aspect is another illustration of why the institute is valuable.
Herron tells us Lapierre's mandate was to get the institute up and running and had no aspirations to stay in the position permanently.
Independent Fundy-River Valley MLA calls the new health plan a beginning. Dr. Jim Parrott tells CHSJ News he thinks a needs assessment combined with this plan may help the system work better.
He says he hopes so adding we're at the bottom of the pool right now and its time to make a real effort to turn things around.
Parrott applauds the coming implementation of screening programs for colon and cervical cancer saying they will decrease the number of cases.
Music, clapping and dancing in front of city hall as a group mostly made up of international students celebrate Saudi National Day.
The president of UNB Saint John's Saudi Students Association Marwan Alkatib tells CHSJ News when he came to the Port City two years ago to take mechanical engineering he wasn't expecting the community to be so welcoming. He's originally from Medina, a city on the West side of Saudi Arabia, and says the ceremony makes him feel like he's back at home. Events showcasing Saudi Arabia's culture will be happening in the uptown area and on the UNB Saint John campus over the next six days.
There's a little mistake on a larger-than-life likeness of a certain famous Saint Johner hanging on Prince William Street.
The recently-unveiled portrait of silver screen star Donald Sutherland on Prince William Street tacks an extra year on to the 78 year old's age, pegging him as born in 1934 rather than the correct 1935.
Thandi Restaurant owner Holly Singh commissioned the mural. She wasn't aware of the discrepancy until CHSJ News drew it to her attention. She says it won't be a hard fix for Grand Manan artist Sarah Griffin.
There's talk of donating the old murals--which are a little worse-for-wear after hanging on the building since 1990--to Saint John High School.
The Province releasing its long-awaited health plan which Health Minister Ted Flemming says will address our health care challenges and provide support for those who want to rebuild their personal health while making a system that will be sustainable for generations.
Over 5 years, the Department of Health will keep working with health system partners to achieve financial sustainability.
In a release, the government says the plan encourages a philosophical shift that put the patient at the centre of care with a bigger emphasis on building a healthier population and more services in the community.
The New Brunswick Cancer Network will work with the two regional health authorities and primary healthcare practitioners to implement screening programs for cervical and colon cancer. For more info, click here
Police looking for a man who tried to rob another man in the King Square bus stop.
The attempted robbery being reported around 9:30 last night. The suspect is described as being 5'6 to 5'9, having a large muscular build, dirty blond hair, a goatee and wearing a dark blue baseball cap, a blue shirt with a logo on it, shorts, and white sneakers.
Anyone with any information about the incident being urged to call police or Crimestoppers. You can call the Saint John Police Force at 506-648-3333 or Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-8477(TIPS).
A couple from the Baltimore area are the 2 millioneth cruise ship passengers arriving on the Grandeur of the Seas this morning.
Kyle Rensler and his wife Mary Jane receiving the honour today and just for visiting Saint John for the first time...25 pounds of lobster when they get back home.
He says it's terrific adding they did not expect it and lobster is a terrific food so they can't turn that down.
In celebration of the milestone, Port Saint John handing out wild blueberry jam to the first 1000 passengers getting off the ship this morning.
A video of a fight that took place on Ellerdale Street went viral on social media showing what appears to be a pregnant woman being kicked in the stomach.
We now have a better idea of when it happened and the aftermath. City Police telling us they are investigating and both the victim and perpetrator have been identified.
A 20 year old woman has been charged and will be appearing in court on October 28th.
She faces several charges including making threats, assault, probation violation and theft which is unrelated to the fight itself.
Police also say the incident actually occurred on July 2nd but the video surfaced just recently.
It's a special day in the Port City for 1000 people arriving on the Grandeur of the Seas this morning and one extra special person.
Port Saint John is celebrating the arrival of it's two millionth cruise guest and to celebrate it's giving out 1000 bottles of wild blueberry jam to the first cruise passengers leaving the Grandeur of the Seas.
The vessel will be docking at the Marco Polo Cruise ship terminal at 7am.
It's a busy week for cruise ships with at least one in port every day until Friday.
About one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem in a given year, but getting help isn't always easy.
A Stats Canada report revealing over 1.5 million Canadians had a perceived unmet or partially met need for mental health care.
The CEO of the Canadian Psychological Association, Dr. Karen Cohen says psychological services needs to be made more easily available to the public, and they've been calling for that for some time now.
Cohen tells CHSJ News the association commissioning a report to develop some models whereby Canada could make psychological care more accessible. The models are available on their website.
The Anglophone South School District will be opening up its 7th Career Work Room at the end of this month but this one won't be inside a school.
Co-Ordinator Theresa Murray says it will be at Agar Place off Waterloo Street and is there for those who are not students to get help looking for a job. More than 3 thousand adults and 95 hundred students come in for help each year.
You can get career counselling along with a resume and cover letter written, free of charge.
Murray says they're also in touch with employers about what their needs are and students who come in are quite serious about getting help in selecting what courses they need to better their career chances.
Enterprise Saint John, the Saint John Real Estate Board and Saint John Waterfront Development were all in Moncton over the weekend to talk about investment opportunities in the Saint John area.
Former Mayor Norm McFarlane chairs the Saint John Airport Authority and tells CHSJ News the airport has 500 acres of prime land just ready for development but concedes nothing will likely take place in the short term so long as economic growth is not robust.
Talk about developing the land around the airport dates back to when Elsie Wayne was mayor. McFarlane says there are lots of possibilities which include hooking up with a road connection from Quispamsis to the industrial park.
