Despite nearly 4 hours of talk in council chambers over a proposed gravel pit near Latimore Lake Road, council deciding to put themselves rather than the issue to bed. Council deciding to table the issue for two weeks in order to clarify certain parts of the proposal and will make a decision at the next meeting.
Odette McGrath of Lackie Road was one of several people who spoke out against the development. She tells CHSJ News she can't believe a final decision was not made. She says they attended a community meeting and stayed past 11:30pm last night and the elderly members of her community can't sit that long. She says even if the decision didn't go in her favour, she would have rather known now then wait another two weeks for a final answer.
NB Power's plans to build a transmission line along the Bay of Fundy Coastline on the city's west side is being met some resistance. Residents living along coast say the power lines will ruin the view, cause noise, and devalue their property. Wendy Cyr is with Save the West Side Coastline and she says a lot of people will be affected by project. She says these power lines will border their 60 homes on the west side directly and hundreds more indirectly.
The lines are being built in order to power the metal shredding facility being built at the port. The community group asking council for help in the matter but they refused to comment on the matter until it's determined who owns the land the lines are being built on: the city or NB Power.
After an 11 year run as the Executive Director of the Greater Saint John Community Foundation, Jane Barry is stepping down.
Barry tells CHSJ News when she first started working with the Foundation she was unaware of just how many volunteer organizations existed in the city.
Barry says the Foundation's board will begin looking for her replacement within the next week, and they're hoping to have as many good, qualified candidates step forward as possible.
Barry says she'll be there to help in whatever way she's needed, but knows other people will bring their skills and talents to the table.
The City is installing a bike lane in the left-hand eastbound lane of Main Street this week. It will be set up between Chesley Drive and Union Street.
The eastbound side of Main Street will be reduced to two lanes for the duration of the temporary bike lane which will be open until Harbour Passage reopens in the fall.
The speed limit on Main Street will be reduced to 50 kilometres an hour there will not be a left turn from Main Street to Portland Street when travelling from Union street.
You can access Portland and Hilyard Street from Simonds street. More information will be made available this week. You can call municipal operations to find at more at 658-4455.
All three levels of government sitting down at the same table for the first time to discuss safe clean drinking water.
MP Rodney Weston meeting with Mayor Ivan Court and MLA Trevor Holder today to look at all the possible funding options for the 172 million dollar project.
Weston says one option is a public-private partnership, nicknamed "3P" for short.
Weston says there's a long line of cities looking for the traditional form of funding, where the cost is split between three levels of government, so every option has to be examined.
The project, which includes the construction of a water treatment facility near the Little River Reservoir, is meant to take place over four years and be completed by 2015, but Weston says the timeline will ultimately depend on the funding program.
You may be asking, if the city needs funding to provide safe, clean drinking water, what are we drinking now?
Mayor Ivan Court says the city's water is currently safe, but they can't guarantee a boil water order won't take place so a filtration centre is needed.
Court says the water regulations are changing, and in order to meet the new standards, the city needs a water treatment centre.
Fire crews also responding to a boat on fire near Ragged Point just after 4pm where seven people on a 45-foot power boat were rescued by a passing sailboat. No one was hurt.
The boat was fully engulfed when the Saint John fire department water rescue boat arrived on scene. The vessel is a total loss and the cause is under investigation.
A 2-alarm fire at 204 Ludlow Street in the West Side leaving one person homeless. District Chief Gerry Morris says heavy, black smoke was seen coming from the 2-storey apartment building at 2:30 Sunday afternoon, but the building's sole occupant was not at home when the flames broke out. Morris says the fire appeared to have started in the rear of the building and quickly spread to the roof.
Morris says he had to pull crews out of the building at one point in anticipation of the roof collapsing. The vinyl siding of a home on the left melted under the fire's intense heat.
Crews spent more than 5 hours on the scene and fire investigators are now trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
Politicians from all three levels of government talking about the future of water at Rodney Weston's office this morning.
Mayor Court, Tourism Minister Trevor Holder, MLA Glen Tait and Councillor Mel Norton will join Weston for what is described a meeting to discuss the long-term of safe clean drinking water for Saint John.
Councillor Chris Titus wants to save the city money by reducing the number of councillors by four.
Titus says the city should work to "do more with less" and will ask council to look into the cut at tonight's council meeting. For the change to take place, a by-law would have to be passed at least 6 months before the next municipal election, scheduled for May 2012.
One person is homeless, but no one is hurt after fire ravaged a 2-storey apartment building at 204 Ludlow Street in the West Side.
District Chief Gerry Morris says despite initial reports that someone was trapped on the second floor, the building's only tenant was not at home when the fire broke out at 2:30 this afternoon.
Morris says the flames spread quickly and were difficult to knock down. He says he made a decision to pull crews from the building at one point for fear of the roof collapsing.
Crews managed to keep the fire from spreading to neighbouring homes, but the vinyl siding of a home next-door melted under the fire's intense heat.
Ann MacDonald is related to the woman whose house suffered heat damage from the blaze.
She says she's thankful the adjacent home only suffered heat damage, but everyone is still worried and scared.
McDonald was one of many from the neighbourhood who stood on the sidewalk watching crews try and douse the flames through a sea of swirling black smoke.
City fire crews are at the scene of a house fire at 204 Ludlow street on the West side.
Heavy smoke is coming from the second floor. Firefighters inside the structure have been pulled out of the building due to concerns about the roof caving in.
Only one tenant living in the building was able to get out. Several streets in the area are closed near the fire scene on Ludlow street.
People have been testing out the facility for awhile now, but the Q-Plex rink, soccer pitch, play ground, meeting rooms and walking track all getting an official grand opening this weekend.
Fundy Royal MP Rob Moore got on board with the project in 2007.
He tells CHSJ News the Q-Plex is the town's crown jewel and a great facility for both the young and the old to enjoy.
Moore says he knew once the ball got rolling on the project that it would pull through. He says the environmentally friendly aspects of the facility made it easier to secure funding.
Saint John MP Rodney Weston also on hand for the grand opening. Weston worked on the project because of its proximity to his own riding.
He says the facility may be in Quispamsis, but it will benefit the entire southern region of the province.
Tourism and Parks Minister Trevor Holder urging people to vote for the Bay of Fundy as one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
Holder tells CHSJ News this is the biggest opportunity the region has had in a long time.
He says the chance ties economic development with provincial and national identity.
Holder says when he markets the province from a tourism perspective the two things that stand out are the friendliness of the people and the fact that people want to see the Bay of Fundy.
To vote for the Bay of Fundy in the New7Wonders of Nature contest head to http://www.votemyfundy.com/ or text FUNDY to 77077 ($0.25 per text).
A family physician in Saint John weighing in on how the 2500 dollar minor injury cap on auto insurance affects doctors.
Mary Garratt with the province's Medical Society says the abolishment of the cap might mean more forms for doctors, who have seen a decrease in information requests since the it was put in place.
She says whatever the new system is, paperwork should be streamlined to give doctors more time to care for their patients.
Garratt also suggesting the province consult the medical society when changing the definition of what constitutes a minor injury, to see if the definition is practical.
Construction can begin to refurbish the Trade and Convention Centre in 90 days...from whenever the necessary funding for the 8 to 10 million dollar project comes in.
The city already committing 3 million dollars to the refurbishments and is asking the provincial and federal governments to do the same.
Mayor Ivan Court tells CHSJ News government money has gone to Fredericton and Moncton and now it's Saint John's turn.
He says the city isn't asking for a lot of money, and if the cash could be committed over a two or three year period, the project could get done.
Court says the building is 27 years old and the upgrade would make Saint John a competitor with anyone in Atlantic Canada.
