Peters Appointed to Province's Human Rights Commission

Jill Peters is the new director of the Province's Human Rights Commission.
She comes to the position from Social Developent where she was manager of operational consulting for the past 7 years.
Commission chair Gordon Porter says Peters has shown her commitment to equality and social justice through her work in New Brunswick and other countries.

Point Lepreau Refit to Extend Life of Plant Longer than Expected

The President of NB Power says delays in refurbishing the Point Lepreau generating station will not hurt the crown corporations reputation. The refit is currently running 16 months behind schedule, which is costing the province one million dollars a day to purchase replacement power. President, David Hay says this is a learning experience.

Meanwhile, Hay says the refit will extend the life of the Generating Station by longer than initially thought. He says officials with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd believe the refurbishment will keep Point Lepreau online for another 30 years, rather than the 25 years that was expected.

Fatal Crash in Drummondville

RCMP have released the name of the man killed in a Saturday crash in Drummondville. 47-year old Michel Pagé of Grand Falls passed away at the Moncton City Hospital yesterday. He was fatally wounded during a collision between his motorcycle and another vehicle on the Third Tier Road in Drummond.

Trouble Looming for Local Business

The warning bell is being sounded again by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. According to survey responses of 1,500 small business owners and data from Stats Canada, an aging population, out-migration of youth, and shortage of qualified labour are the most pressing issues facing small business in Atlantic Canada.


CFIB's Vice-President Leanne Hachey says the challenge in Atlantic Canada won't be to find jobs for people but to find people for jobs. Tax-payers will also find themselves paying for growing health and social services bills.

Walmart Scraps Layaway Plan

If you shop at Walmart, this may interest you. Notice has been posted at the East Side store they are getting rid of it's layaway plan, a move which has angered hundreds. A FaceBook group with 300 members has started in protest of the move. Bonnie Cox tells CHSJ News, In a perfect world, they would like to see the decision reversed.


Cox, who used to work at a homeless shelter tells us for most of the women clients she worked with, the layaway plan was their only option for Christmas gifts. We contacted Walmart who have no comment on the issue at this time but ask anyone with concerns about the move to call the store.

Industrial Accident

A man has been taken to hospital following an industrial accident at Irving Tissue next to the Pulp and Paper mill on the West Side. The call came in around 9:15am after the man's hand was injured in a machine. No other details are available at this time.

Robbers Busy in the City Last Night

The Simms Corner Tim Horton's the scene of the latest robbery in Saint John. Police say a man in his 40's walked in to the store around four this morning and demanded cash. No weapon was seen, but the man made off with an undisclosed amount of money.

Meanwhile, city police are investigating an attempted robbery outside the Studio 10 movie theatres on the East Side. Sgt. Pat Bonner says a 21 year old man was leaving the cinema following his shift last night when he was jumped by two young men. He suffered facial injuries but no money was stolen.

St. Stephen Border Crossing Closed Last Night

RCMP are releasing few details about the St. Stephen-Calais border crossing being shut down last night. The bomb squad was on the scene and people were questioned as the Ferry Point Border Crossing was isolated from 6pm until 1:30 this morning.

All the mounties will say at this point, is that information discovered by the Canadian Border Services Agency regarding a vehicle and its occupants led to the border crossing being closed. However, RCMP say an investigation has determined the concern was unfounded.

Close Call in Glen Falls

Fire investigators have determined the cause of a fire yesterday morning in Glen Falls. Crews were called to 954 Glen Road by the homeowner after flames started coming from the basement crawl space. About 17 fire fighters responded initially and quickly knocked down the blaze. Officials say a leaking furnace oil line is to blame and it's assumed oil leaked down the line and was ignited from an electrical current.

Power was shut down and repair crews were called in. No one was hurt.

Green Party Candidates

(Green Party Leader Elizabeth May--File Photo)

With what appears to be an election every year or so, the Leader of the green party says New Brunswick is a tough area to fill a candidate list. Elizabeth May tells CHSJ News, political life is a real committment, and annual elections really take a toll on a candidate.

May says so far the Green Party has some strong candidates for the province, and is confident as election time crawls closer they will have a full ballot.

Emergency Software

Nine Regional Communities from Grand-Bay Westfield to Norton are pooling their resources to purchase software called the "Sentinal"" that will relay information instantly in an emergency. Grand-Bay Westfield Mayor Grace Losier says the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program is helping with the cost of the software.

Losier adds if a disaster is happening in Grand-Bay Westfield it might also be affecting Saint John so it makes sense to share information.

City Police Consider New Rules for Complaints

The Saint John Police Force may soon adopt a new policy concerning anonymous complaints. The Provincial Police Commission has done this already, they require all complaints be submitted in writing and the person filing the complaint must be identified. Police Chief Bill Reid says currently there is no recourse for the accused officer and they want to build some teeth into the system so that people can face their accuser.

Reid says legal services and the police commission will consult on the matter and expects they will adopt a similar policy.

Green Party Leader

Since taking over the role in September, Jack MacDougall continues to find his pace as leader of the Provincial Green Party. He tells CHSJ News, the goal for next years election is to have a candidate in every riding and their vision remains clear to focus on the next generation, not the next election.

MacDougall adds the Green Party views success differently than the Liberals and the Tories who are only in it to win.

Province Continues Fight to Keep Blood Distribution Centre

(Health Minister Mary Schryer)

Despite what officials from Canadian Blood Services have said about it's distribution center in Millidgeville, the Province isn't ready to watch moving vans roll down the highway. Health Minister Mary Schryer tells CHSJ News, CBS continues to consult with the medical community to find the right fit to their plan to re-locate the center to Dartmouth.

CBS has said it wants this Province to remain part of it's national set-up but realizes one of the options Provincial officials are exploring is getting into the blood business on it's own.

Armed Robbery in the North End

A North End convenience store is the latest victim of an armed robbery. Just after midnight a man entered "At Your Convenience" store on Adelaide Street with a weapon demanding cash.
City Police tell us they expect there were three people involved in the incident, and the robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
There were no injuries, and Major Crime is investigating.

Deal Still Being Ironed Out

[Health Minister Mary Schryer---File Photo]
After reaching a settlement in principle back on the 22nd of last month, the wording on a final contract between doctors and the province continues to be ironed out. Health Minister Mary Schryer tells CHSJ News, there isn't a lot of details she can speak about at this point:

The doctors launched legal action after the government threatened to impose a two-year wage freeze. That came after the medical society reached a tentative agreement with the province that was never implemented, but was ratified by the doctors.

Student Joins District 8 Education Council

[Elizabeth Murphy Being Sworn Into the DEC----Photo by Dave Briggs]

District 8's student representative is now a full member of the District Education Council. Elizabeth Murphy is the student council president at St. Malachy's and was sworn into the DEC earlier this week.

Murphy tells CHSJ News, the reason she wanted to join the council was to try and make a difference.
Murphy is the first student to sit on District 8's education council.

Rothesay Student Survey

Rothesay town council wants to have detailed information on the assets of youth in the community. School District 6, together with the Atlantic Health Science Corporation, is conducting a Developmental Asset Survey of students in grade 6 through 12. Spokesperson, Thelma Messer explains, the survey will give decision makers an idea of how successful teens will be:

The survey was last completed in 2002. The town has agreed to pay for data on youth specifically in Rothesay.

Green Party Okay With Ideas Being Borrowed

[Green Party Leader Elizabeth May-----file photo]
Green Party ideas being borrowed by other political parties is not an issue with it's leader.
Elizabeth May tells CHSJ News, it shows other parties are thinking about the environment.
May says it's great that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff is retaining a lot of the green iniatives put forth by former party leader Stephane Dion.

City Police To Discuss Graffiti

[Police Chief Bill Reid---File Photo]
The City's Police Chief will sit down with the Acting City manager about Graffiti in Saint John.

Chief Bill Reid and Pat Woods may use the Halifax Graffiti Managemant Plan as a model.
Chief Reid says he remember Sgt. Jim Fleming bringing this subject to senior management at least 6 years ago.
Chief Reid will report back to the Police Commission at their next meeting in November.