City Honours 5th Mayor of Saint John

The city paying respect to one of its former leaders with the unveiling of the restored gravestone of Lauchlan Donaldson at Fernhill Cemetery

Donaldson was the fifth mayor of Saint John and introduced the city's water supply.  He was appointed to the mayor's seat twice, serving from 1829 to 1833 and from 1843 to 1847.

Nan Hagan Gormon is the great, great granddaughter of Donaldson.

She tells CHSJ News she's proud that her great, great, grandfather has left a legacy in Saint John.

Gormon is following in his footsteps -- she is currently the mayor of Hazard, Kentucky.

To see a video of the unveiling, click here.

Buskers On The Boardwalk Is Underway

Lumberjacks are a part of the 21st annual Buskers Festival on the Boardwalk on now until Sunday.
Market Square's Stephanie Peterson tells CHSJ News this year's edition includes a 63 foot dragon and the log-roller demonstration you can try.

She says people are coming in from all over the world including some shows tonight at part of Alpine Country Star.
Peterson says Brad the Balloon Guy created a dress that will be modeled.
Events run all weekend long and are taking place at the Coast Guard site, on the Boardwalk stage and in Loyalist Plaza.   For the busker schedule, click here.

Drunk Driver Gets More Than 6 Years Behind Bars

35-year-old Vincent Eric Reid of Wright Street will serve six and half years in a federal penitentiary for his involvement in a fatal two-vehicle crash on the Golden Grove Road over the Victory Day long weekend.

Reid earlier plead guilty to five charges including impaired driving causing the death of Gerald Troy Bridges.

On May 22, both trucks were returning from the same event in Barnesville when Reid swerved over the yellow line and collided with a blue Tahoe head-on.
 
Officers say his blood alcohol level that night was four times over the legal limit.
 
Bridges' girlfriend, Teresa Ryans, was injured in the accident and read a victim impact statement to the court. 
 
She says when she closes her eyes she either sees Bridges' eyes or the headlights of a Dodge truck coming towards her.
 
Reid is also facing a 20-year driving ban.

A Two Tiered Minimum Wage Has Its Supporters

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business likes the idea of a two tiered minimum wage which the provincial government is going to examine.

Acting Atlantic Director Erin McGrath-Gaudet tell CHSJ News workers who serve liquour and receive tips would get less than the minimum wage along with those school leavers with no experience who get hired for their very first job and receive a so called training wage for a three month period.

She maintains small to medium sized businesses might be more willing to take them on. This system, she tells us, is working well in other jurisdictions including Nova Scotia.

Not Much Change In What You'll Pay At The Pump

The weekly setting sees gas prices remaining virtually unchanged.

Self serve regular increasing by less than a cent to $1.28 a litre with diesel being sold in the city for $1.30.9 a litre.

 Propane is listed at $113.2 a litre which is a bit cheaper.

House Fire In Sussex Area

Police and fire responding to a fire at a Smith's Creek home Tuesday night.

The call came in just after 9:00.

Sergeant Andy O'Connell of the Sussex RCMP tells CHSJ News no one was hurt in the fire at 97 Knightville Road.

The home did sustain smoke, fire and water damage but police describe the cause as accidental.

Fire Department Stops Building Work Due To Air Quality Concerns

The Saint John Fire Department putting a halt to the renovation of a 3-storey home at 100 St. James Street after complaints about particles in the air.

Acting District Chief Barry Oickle tells CHSJ News since the rubble contains urea-formaldehyde and the workers had to stop gutting the building until safeguards are in place.

The workers will now have to seal off the building and bag all of the rubble as they work.

Rainbow Park was shutdown briefly due to concerns about particles blowing down into the park.

AIM President Says Saint John Is Full Of Crybabies

The President of American Iron And Metal thinks Saint John is full of crybabies and creates an atmosphere that no ones want to be in.
But, Herb Black tells CHSJ News he is not mad or upset that council decided to say no to allowing power poles to be put up on the West side as part of his company's metal shredder expansion at the Port.

He says if Saint John is becoming an old people's home and they want to chase away industry that is fine with him.
Black tells us the project would start with 50 jobs and grow to 250 over time.
He says he could be making a decision on the future of the project by Monday but, at this point, without power it can't proceed.

Opposition Wants Hike Now

The Liberal opposition not agreeing that postponing the minimum wage hike is the best idea.  

Labour critic Chris Collins tells CHSJ News having the minimum wage at 10 dollars an hour would bring the province up to the same standards as the rest of Atlantic Canada. 

Collins says raising the minimum wage by 50 cents would not affect the province's employment rate and would actually benefit the economy by increasing the amount of disposable income.

Collins says the people who were counting on this increase are the ones who need it the most, and rather than listening to them the government is listening to businesses.

RCMP Believe Smith's Creek House Fire Is Accidental

Police and fire responding to a fire at a Smith's Creek home last night.
The call came in just after 9pm.

Sergeant Andy O'Connell of the Sussex RCMP tells CHSJ News no one was hurt in the fire at 97 Knightville Road.

The home did suffer smoke, fire and water damage but police describe the cause as accidental.

Heat Can Be Hazardous For Workers

Worksafe NB reminding you the summer heat can be just as dangerous for those working indoors as those working outdoors. 

Chief compliance officer Richard Blais tells CHSJ News heat can build up in places like restaurant kitchens, laundries and pulp mills causing heat exhaustion or stroke. 

He says proper ventilation and fans can help keep heat from building up when working indoors.

Blais says for people who work outdoors it's best to try and do the heaviest work during the coolest parts of the day, such as early in the morning or late at night. 

He says if you experience warning signs like headache or dizziness it's important to drink water, slow down the pace or work in the shade for a while.

City Will Host Strongman Championships

The Port City will be getting an influx of muscle at the end of September  -- the city will be hosting one of four semi-final events for the 2011 Strongman World Championships.

Spokesperson Sebastian Theberge tells CHSJ News this is a big opportunity for Saint John
as it is the first time the semi-finals have taken place in North America.

16 competitors will be taking part in a slew of events which will include the truck pull and tire flip.

The event takes places September 30th down at the waterfront.

For more information, click here.

Saint John Chaplaincy Centre Serves Over 100 People A Day

On Sewell Street, there is a drop in centre for ex-offenders, the homeless and displaced that serves over 100 people a day.
The Saint John Chaplaincy Centre is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.
Interim Chaplain Crystal Koven tells CHSJ News they help a lot of people with addiction issues.

She says people come in and talk to her about emotional, housing and spiritual issues and she does her best to connect them with the people who can provide help.
The Chaplaincy Centre provides toast, coffee and tea every morning and one meal every day between 11:30am and 1:30pm.

Next Increase In Minimum Wage To Be Delayed

The provincial government is proposing to postpone the forthcoming minimum wage increase until April 1, 2012 saying it has heard from small and medium sized businesses that they need time to adjust to the recent successive minimum wage hikes.

The move is being applauded by Erin McGrath-Gaudet of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business in New Brunswick who argues the minimum wage has gone up too much, too fast.

The Alward Government also announcing it will explore the idea of a two-tiered minimum wage.

The minimum wage rose to $9.50 per hour in 2011 from $8 in April 2009, an increase of nearly 19 per cent in two years. With the six month delay, it will reach $10 per hour by next April.

Trails In Province Won't Be Repaired Until Fall

The Saint John River Valley Trail is still a little worse for wear after last December's heavy rainfall.

Poul Jorgensen with the provincial Trails Council tells CHSJ News tenders are going out to try and fix 1.5 million dollars worth of damage, with some areas of trail washed away completely including one section south of Grand Falls that is 200 feet long and 100 feet deep.

Jorgensen says he's hoping cleanup work will be done in the next month and a half so that everything can be open again by the fall.

Construction Disrupts Traffic In Quispamsis

With uptown streets get snarled in gridlock due to construction, those in Quispamsis are not immune to it either.

The town's Director of Engineering Gary Losier tells CHSJ News water line installation on the Old Hampton Road, which began two weeks ago, will be slowing things down in the valley until the beginning of October.

Work on the Vincent Road will also be adding to the gridlock. He says work on that road will be done by the end of August.

East Side Gravel Pit Rejected

The issue that turned Common Council into a marathon session two weeks ago and prompted a shouting match involving Councillor Bruce Court at a later public meeting has been put to rest.......A proposed gravel pit adjacent to 460 Latimore Lake Road will not be going forward.

Odette McGrath lives on the road and spoke out against the project during the public hearing phase saying it would cause too much smoke and dust.

City Staff had concluded a gravel pit would have been appropriate.

She tells CHSJ News she is happy with the decision and if the proposal had gone through, many in the neighbourhood would have chosen to leave the neighbourhood.

McGrath also gives credit to her Ward councillors, one of whom is Bruce Court.

Common Council Warned About Rejecting New Housing

Common Council will have to be careful when deciding whether future housing developments will go ahead if they're not in the uptown core.

The President of the Saint John Real Estate Board Jason Stephen warns the wrong message could be sent to developers at a time when the city can use all the tax revenue it can get.

Stephen says he can understand proposals for new housing being denied if there are no services but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense if the water and sewage infrastructure is already available and paid for.

Council turned down proposals for 187 new homes on Loch Lomand Road which prompted Mayor Ivan Court to brand those opposed as being anti-development.

West Side Residents Happy With Power Line Decision

Fundy Heights resident Wendy Cyr spearheaded the campaign against the power lines because of fears of reduced property values and a ruined view of the coast.

She tells CHSJ News the neighbourhood is happy with the result but they doesn't want the project to die.  She's hoping an alternate route can be found for the powerlines.

She says her community is not anti-development but a balance needs to be maintained between job growth and the quality of life.

Metal Shredder Expansion In Possible Jeopardy

The future of the 30 million dollar metal shredder expansion by American Iron and Metal on the city's west side may be in trouble.

Council voting to not allow NB Power to put above-ground power lines on city-owned land along the Fundy Coast.

The lines were intended to power the expansion -- Mayor Ivan Court hopes the project can be moved to an industrial park or another location.

There was also opposition from west side residents who worried about losing their view of the coast and a drop in property values.

The city is currently looking into what land is does own in the area and work by NB Power is on hold.

Our newsroom has placed a call to American Iron and Metal to see how this will impact the expansion.  We have yet to hear back.