Students Help Count Fundy Park's Swamp Donkeys

Students were helping to count the Bullwinkles at Fundy National Park over the weekend.

The aerial survey by helicopter was conducted in the park and just outside its borders with helps from students from the Maritime College of Forest Technology and park staff.

It's the second year of a multi-year program to better understand the moose population in the Park.

Weekend snowfall was perfect timing as the moose are much easier to track if there is  fresh snow close to the survey.

The last moose survey at Fundy National Park was completed in 1993.

Former Pension Board Trustee Grilled At Defamation Trial

Saint John East M-L-A Glen Tait, a former pension board trustee and Common Councillor, undergoing cross examination at the defamation trial of former Councillor John Ferguson by lawyer Rod Gillis.

Tait told the jury he could not say which of Ferguson's criticisms were defamatory, relying instead on the opinion of the pension board's lawyer.

Gillis got Tait to agree Ferguson was exercising his right as a councillor to speak out on a matter of public concern freely even if what he says is hotly disputed.

Tait also agreed Ferguson didn't want to go public but failed to have the pension issue discussed in closed session three separate times.

Common Council was not provided with an explanation of the financial consequences of early retirements in 2003 and was led to believe there would be no additional cost to the city's pension plan.

As  turned out, the early retirement package wound up costing the plan more than 2 million dollars.

Saint John Not Hit Too Hard By Blast Of Winter

All schools are open in District 6 today but the schoolbuses are operating on a one hour delay as they are in School District 1, which includes Samuel de Champlain. All the schools are also open in District 8.

7 centimeters of snow had fallen at Saint John Airport at last report and Environment Canada tells CHSJ News we might wind up with another one or 2 before it's all said and done early this morning. 

We're also told rain that had been forecast is unlikely because of the cold air mass so for those of us who have to shovel, the snow will stay powdery and the wind is not gusty.

If you have to travel east, however, there is a snowfall warning in effect for Moncton where up to 15 centimeters is expected

East Side Motel Robbed

The Park Plaza Motel on Rothesay Avenue was robbed again. it happened around 9:00 last night. 

City Police have arrested a man in his 20's who is expected to be charged in court this morning.

No one was injured.

New Fire Chief And Commissioners Appointed

The city has a new fire chief.

Kevin Clifford has been appointed as the head title after serving as the Acting Fire Chief and the Acting Director of the Saint John Emergency Organization.  He joined the fire department back in 1980.

The city also appointing 4 new commissioners as the city rearranges itself into 6 key departments.

Greg Yeomans was appointed the commissioner of Finance and Administrative Services, Ken Forrest for Growth and Development Services, Bill Edwards for Transportation and Environment Services, and Jacqueline Hamilton for Strategic Services.

Portions Of Captial Budget Draws Criticism

Portions of the capital budget drawing the ire of some of the councillors.

Councillor Patty Higgins not happy with a 200-thousand dollar investment into Saint John Industrial Parks in order to move a barge facility forward.
 
Councillor Bill Farren also dismayed at the purchase of two transit buses totaling almost 900-thousand dollars, which was a carry-over cost from last year.

While the budget was approved, the industrial park investment was set aside and will be discussed further by council.

Common Council Approves Capital Budget

Common Council approving a 31 million dollar capital budget.

New spending in the budget comes in at 11.2 million dollars -- 39 percent of the budget has been set aside for drainage projects but money will also be spent on the Coast Guard Site, IT infrastructure, and half a million dollars in Market Place West.

Commissioner of Planning and Development Ken Forrest tells CHSJ News spending was carefully considered and even projects pre-approved last year were looked at again.

He says every project was weighed on several criteria, including public safety, whether cost-sharing is available, and the strategic significance of the investment.

Ferry Back In Service

The Department of Transportation advising the Belleisle Ferry is now back in service.

CUPE Says Show Me The Numbers

The Canadian Union of Public Employees is taking issue with the suggestion that not opening 22 provincial government garages for the summer would have saved enough money to buy enhanced M-R-I's for hospitals in Saint John and Moncton. 

That's what CHSJ News was told by interim Provincial Liberal Leader Victor Boudreau. 

The President of Cupe Local 1190, Andy Hardy tells CHSJ News he hasn't seen any proof of money being saved when the Liberals closed them down. 

Hardy claims closing those garages, which the Liberals did, may have cost the province even more money with the work having to be done 50 to 75 kilometers away.
 

He also doesn't know when money has ever been taken from Transportation and given to Health unless the Liberals are planning to merge them into one department when they return to power.

The Give 2012 To Boost The NB Heart Centre

The Give 2012 wants to raise $750,000 for the New Brunswick Centre.
Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation Director Victoria Clarke tells CHSJ News 13,000 people walks through the doors of the NB Heart Centre for treatment every year.

She tells us the NB Heart Centre is funded for 800 cardiac surgeries every year adding when they came to the foundation with some needs they wanted to ask on them immediately.

The 2012 campaign will invest in 11 pieces of equipment including two complete heart-lung machines and a cerebral oxygen saturation monitor.

Police Lay Charges In Peter Street Home Invasion

City police tell CHSJ News they do not think a weekend home invasion was a random act.

Major Crime arresting four people after the incident on yesterday (Sunday) morning just after 11am on a home on Peters Street.
 
Two men in their 30's and two women, one in her twenties and one in her fifties, are due in court today facing charges of break and enter, assault with a weapon, possession of a controlled drug and probation violation.

Two 21-year-old men were slightly hurt.

Ferguson's Allegations Called "Reckless"

The defamation trial of former Common Councillor John Ferguson continues to hear from Saint John East M-L-A Glen Tait, a former Common Councillor himself and pension board trustee.
 
Tait told the court he grew increasingly frustrated with Ferguson making allegations without offering up any proof to substantiate them and believes a conflict of interest allegation was mean't to discredit him personally. 

Tait was receiving a city pension while serving on Council along with the pension board and sought a legal opinion as to whether he was in a conflict of interest but tells the jury his pension benefits did not change or increase. 

Tait freely admits, at the time in 2007, Common Council and City Staff were not having a positive relationship and Ferguson got under his skin many times. 

In a letter to Council, City Solicitor John Nugent called the allegations being made about the pension board "reckless".

Tait opposed Ferguson's suggestion of setting up an ethics commission believing it would only foster the public impression that something wrong was going on.
         

Ferry Off Its Run Until This Afternoon

The Belleisle Ferry is off its run for the next few hours for maintainence work.

Police Seek Suspects In Shell Robbery

The Saint John Police Force looking into an armed robbery on Saturday night at the Garnett Shell Service Station on Wellesley Ave.
 
Police are looking for two white men in their twenties who left the area on foot with some cash.

No one was hurt in the robbery.

One man is described as between 5 feet and 5 foot 5 weighing 220 pounds and the other is between 6 feet and 6 foot 5 with a skinny build.
Both men were wearing blue jeans, sneakers and a black jacket with a hood.

If you know anything call the  Saint John Police Force at 648-3333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Temporary Closures On Harbour Bridge Over The Next Two Months

Get ready for the temporary closures of one eastbound lane on the Saint John Harbour Bridge over the next eight weeks.

The closures are necessary to allow crews to prepare for the final phase of bridge work, which will close both eastbound lanes from April 15 until the fall.

Transportation Minister Claude Williams says in a release that up until April 15, they are committed to keeping at least three of the four lanes open at all times.   Williams notes it will be necessary to close one lane at times to allow crews to do preliminary work in advance of the closure of the eastbound lanes.

The temporary lane closures will only take place during non-peak hours between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m Monday through Saturday and the closures are dependent upon the weather.

Liberals Charge Keeping Campaign Promise Derails M-R-I Machine

Opposition Liberal leader Victor Boudreau claims there wouldn't be any problem having money for enhanced M-R-I's at the Regional Hospital and in Moncton but for campaign promises that don't make sense.

Boudreau maintains there would be plenty of money available to pay for enhanced M-R-I machines in Saint John and Moncton had the Premier not fulfilled a campaign promise to keep 22 government garages open all summer even after the Transportation Department says it's not necessary.
 
A controversy has arisen over the province turning down an offer of a million dollars from the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation to help pay for the more expensive M-R-I machine.

Budget Day Is A Month Away

The Provincial budget is a mere four weeks off and many fear it will features a lot of slicing and dicing.

David Alward tells CHSJ News adding tolls to provincial highways and increasing the HST are not on the government's radar screen.

He says they did not run on a mandate to increase tolls or the HST and the only way it can be done is with a referendum.   He adds they have no plans for that this spring.

Alward praising the work of his Finance Minister Blaine Higgs on his recent pre-budget consultation tour of the province.  The budget comes out on March 27th.

Local Big and Little Brother Share Bullying Experience

Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada releasing a survey where 30 per cent of adults say bullying from their youth caused them life long harm.


James Connor is a little brother and tells CHSJ News he has experienced bullying.

He says he was always a different kid when he moved from the west side to the north end. James tells us he wore glasses and was a bit on the chunky side so he thinks bullies targeted him thinking he wouldn't stick up for himself.

Connor also tells us when he was being bullied he had people he could go to including his Big Brother Mike McCarron.

North End Gas Station Robbed

The Shell Station on the corner of Wellesley and Somerset Streets was held up over the weekend. It happened Saturday night around 8.

Two men wearing ski masks made off with the cash box. There's no word on whether they were armed. 

The gas station's lone employee who was working at the time wasn't hurt.

Sentier NB Trails Laments Budget Cuts

Time to hit the trail--that message from Paul Jorgensen, the director of Sentier Trails NB. But hiking the province's trails might  not be so easy at a time when the province's economic outlook is on the decline.

He tells CHSJ news funding cuts are putting the hiking trails at risk: last year, he says, their funding was cut by $40,000.

Jorgensen notes that 30 percent of New Brunswickers are considered not just overweight, but obese--and that opportunities for outdoor recreation and important to the health of the province.