You Will Be Paying More For Milk Soon

The price of milk will be rising by 5 cents a litre as of February 1st. That translates into a 2.7 per cent increase.

Robert Goggin who's the general manager of the New Brunswick Farm Products Commission, tells CHSJ News how much you will be paying at the store depends where you do your shopping because the retail prices will vary.

Goggin, who points out there was no price increase last year, blames the increase on inflation which has been driven primarily by a rise in fuel prices over the past year.
Prices under the School Milk Programme will not go up thanks to a 1.3 million dollar subsidy paid for by processors and producers. There have been complaints about milk prices being higher in New Brunswick than they are in other provinces.      

Nothing Concrete With Porter Airlines Coming To Saint John

With WestJet flying to coop from the Saint John airport, rumours are swirling that Porter Airlines will be swooping in.

Spokesperson Brad Cicero tells CHSJ News they have spoken with the Saint John Airport and are exploring their options.

He says if service was to come to Saint John, it could happen as early as the spring.

Porter Airlines began offering flights out of Moncton this past summer.

City Has No Jurisdiction on Wage and Benefit Cuts Says Police Association

The rift between the Saint John Police Association and the city over pension reforms continues. 

The association claims the city has no authority to cut wages or slash benefits as that authority lies with the Saint John Board of Police Commissioners.

Association President Jamie Hachey tells CHSJ News they're willing to take legal action over this issue.

Hachey says the association accepts with a heavy heart other changes to the pension recommended by the city, such as changing the retirement age of new hires to sixty and using the best five consecutive years of service to calculate pension payments instead of three.

Group Argues Lepreau License Hearing Should Be Here

A hearing on extending the operating license for Point Lepreau is being held in Ottawa and not in the province where it operates. That move is raising the ire of the Province's Conservation Council who argue the hearing is not routine but serious given the on-going refurbishment.


Matt Abbott tells CHSJ News it seems the deck is stacked against the groups who wants these concerns about Lepreau to be aired in a public setting.
He says the people of the province need good information and a place to express their views in order to be a part of a positive energy future in the province.

Police Still Looking For Suspect In 2009 Robbery

Crime Stoppers and Sussex RCMP are looking for the person who committed an armed robbery in the fall of 2009.
About 2:30am on September 21st 2009, a masked man entered the Ultramar corner store on Main street armed with a hammer.


He pointed it at the clerk and demanded money from the till along cigarettes and lottery tickets.
The man is described as in his mid-20's, about 6 feet tall speaking english with a deep voice.
He has a thin build, dark complexion and brown eyes.

His face was covered by what may be a child's sweater and he took off on foot heading east on Main street.  If you have any information, click here to reach Crimestoppers or call 1-800-222-TIPS.

Mayor Meets With Westjet To Hear Why Airline Is Leaving

The reason Westjet decided to leave Saint John was because it was losing money due to the fact it didn't have aircraft small enough to make the run financially viable.

So says Mayor Ivan Court who met with the airline before the announcement was made. Porter Airlines has been mentioned as a possibility to move in and the Mayor doesn't disagree.

He says Porter is flying into Toronto with very cheap flights and he says you see advertisements where they are taking up the areas where service is slack.

Court says he suggested Westjet combine Saint John and Fredericton on its flight to Toronto but he was told the rising cost of fuel ruled that option out.

Small Business Owners In Saint John Less Confident These Days

Uncertainty about the provincial finances and a strong Canadian dollar are two factors in the slipping confidence of small business owners in New Brunswick.

It's down to 64.4 per cent last month compared to 69.3 per cent across the country according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
Saint John Board Of Trade President Imelda Gilman tells CHSJ News it comes down to the local level too.

She says it's the time of the year where municipalities are doing their budgets and we are still waiting to find what happen with the City of Saint John's tax rate.

Gilman adds this province is export-driven and a strong Canadian dollar may play a role in how small business owners are feeling right now.

City Budget Being Finalized

Finalizing the city budget is a few weeks away -- that from Mayor Ivan Court.

He tells CHSJ News council still needs to hear from a few groups about how they'll work with their new budgets before they sign off on the city's finances.

He says they will be focusing on the priorities, what they have to do now and what can they delay to make sure they can have a balanced budget.

Court says the tax line will be held and says council managed to drop the tax rate by 1 cent in their first two years.

He says safe drinking water is still council's number one priority.

Councillor Wants PALS-inspired Program At Community Centres

Councillor Donnie Snook wants community centres around the city to offer some new programming.

Snook says a program based on the PALS program, which has businesses sponor schools and tutor students, should be adopted.

He says the goals of such a program is to help youths in priority neighbourhoods realize their full potential and centres could ask private companies to volunteer their time to help youths with after school tutoring and mentoring.

The city will be doing a feasability study. 

Snook hopes a pilot project can be ready by the end of the year.

Two Flood Relief Benefits Raise Thousands

Two fundraising events for flood victims in the province a great success.

Market Square the scene of a telethon raising about 19 thousand dollars in cash donations with more to come from online and text donations.

Meanwhile, a Flood Relief Benefit Concert at the Eastern Charlotte County Lions Club in Pennfield raising about 10 thousand dollars.

Organizer Paul Evans tells CHSJ News they were seperate events but had the same goals.

You can still contribute to the cause -- a texting campaign called the “Flood Relief Textathon”, where a $5 donation can be made by texting “REDCROSS” or “ROUGE” to the number 30333 goes until days end Jan. 10.

Recovery Efforts Continue

The province says the recovery process continues for homeowners affected by flood waters last month.

More than 11-hundred people have called to register their damages and Public Safety Minster Robert Trevors says inspectors have made it out to most of the homes.

However, about 100 residents are still being housed in hotels or by host families.

January 14th is the deadline to register damages.  Doing so allows you to apply for Disaster Financical Assistance and the deadline for that is February 4th.

Rothesay Police Make Arrest In Car Break-Ins

Details are scarce but Rothesay police say they have 1 person in custody connected to a rash of vehicle break-ins in Rothesay last night.

Police say the person is connected to previous car break-ins over the past few months.

Lily Lake Is Not Safe For Skating

The City of Saint John is advising everyone that Lily Lake is not safe for skating.
You are asked to stay off the ice until the ice surface is officially opened by City officials.

For more information, contact Leisure Services at 658-2908.

Upper Floor Development Will Be Part Of New Municipal Plan For City

Part of the new municipal plan involves developing the upper floors of buildings in the uptown in a bid to boost the population of the city centre.

This has been talked about for years but nothing has happened. Urban strategist Mark Reid tells CHSJ News there will have to be changes with some flexibility and softening of the building code.

Building owners complain one major impediment to developing the upper floors is the cost of installing elevators.
 
Reid says you don't need to build huge high rises like you see in such cities as Toronto. He maintains buildings that are five stories high work very well as a way to increase population.

You Can Influence The Conversation With The Premier

The Saint John Board of Trade and the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce teaming up to give anyone the chance to ask the Premier a question.
By going to the Board of Trade website you can submit a question for David Alward that will be asked during the State of the Province Address in Fredericton on the 27th.

BOT President Imelda Gilman tells CHSJ News they encourage their members, the business community and everyone to get involved and post a question.  She says the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce will be posting all those questions on their website, shortlist them and on the day of the event have people vote on the questions they would like the Premier to be asked.  To submit a question, click here

Saint John Woman Sentenced To Prison In Death Of Her Friend

Emotions run high at another sentencing in a Saint John courtroom.

19 year old Erika Simms of Loch Lomond Road has been handed 3 years in prison with a 5 year ban on driving for impaired driving causing the death of her friend, 19 year old Chad Simon. He was killed on New Year's day of last year when her car speeding along Sand Cove Road went out of control and collided with a hydro pole.

Simms had consumed alcohol, marijuana and cocaine before getting behind the wheel. She was speeding at 91 kilometers an hour in a 50 kilometer an hour zone.

Chad's mother, Cynthia broke down in tears several times reading her victim impact statement to the court telling Judge Bill McCarroll she has a hole in her heart and not a day goes by she doesn't feel haunted and tormented calling Chad the glue that held her family together.

The 3 year sentence was a joint recommendation from the prosecution and defense. While accepting the recommendation, Judge McCarroll says two families have been devastated.

More People Were Working Last Month

A nice drop in the unemployment rate in the City last month.
It was 6.3 per cent last month down from 7.0 in November.
Provincially, it went down as well from 10.3 in November to 9.4 last month.
Across the country, the rate is unchanged from November at 7.6 per cent.

An additional 22 thousand jobs in December were enough to keep pace with an increase in the size of the labour force.

Construction Of West Side Metal Shredder Not Expected For A Few Weeks Yet

There seems to be some confusion about when construction will begin on a metal shredder at port property on the lower West Side.

There was a report it would start Monday but a spokesperson for American Iron and Metal tells CHSJ News the company is still waiting for final approval from the province and she doesn't expect construction to get underway until mid February.

Stephen Campbell, who chairs the Board of Directors, at the port tells CHSJ News this won't be as disruptive to the neighbourhood as people fear. In fact, he describes the operation as "cutting edge" and predicts it will revitalise the area.

The Environment Department wants the company to take on an independent noise consultant and monitor the air quality.

Saint John Is Losing West Jet

WestJet is pulling out of Saint John.

The president and CEO of the Saint John Airport Authority, Bernard Leblanc says the airline told him just before Christmas that it would not be back in May to offer its seasonal service to Toronto.

LeBlanc says traffic was down about 20 per cent last year over previous years.

The airline began offering flights to Toronto from May to October in 2007.

The loss of WestJet means Saint John now has two carriers........ Air Canada Jazz and during the winter, Sunwing.

Saint John Board of Trade president Imelda Gilman calls the news ``disappointing.''

Market Square Telethon Tomorrow To Aid Flood Victims

A 12-hour telethon coming up tomorrow at Market Square and other locations to help flood relief efforts began with two Fundy High students. The performers include Gene O'Connor, Steve Waylon, Devin Cook and Ryan Leblanc.

A live webcast can be found at http://www.bellaliant.net/.

Organizer Paul Evans tells CHSJ News he learned about Justin Gosse and Jonathan Barrieau of St. George hosting their own fundraiser in Pennfield through his wife.

Bell Aliant is donating $10,000 to the cause and will be providing the webcast at http://www.bellaliant.net/.

You can donate $5 automatically by texting "REDCROSS" to 30333.

For more info on tomorrow's telethon which begins at 10am, go to our website...country94.ca and click news.