More Spending On Education By Province

The provincial government will spend 38 million dollars over the next three years on early childhood education with 16.7 million to bring the total number of childcare spaces up to 10 thousand as well as increasing subsidies to make childcare more affordable. 

This follows the commitment to spend 62 million to make inclusive education better. 

Ken Pike of the Provincial Association of Community Living tells CHSJ News there's alot of misinformation about how inclusive education is hurting other students when research shows it doesn't have that effect.
 
Pike says the Association hears from families on a regular basis who want their children to be included in the classrooms of their local schools but are being met with roadblocks and discouragement.
 
Employers will be encouraged to set up daycares for their employees.

Teen Charged In Charlotte Street Fire May Never Stand Trial

19 year old Samuel Nolan will be sent back to Restigouche for further mental health evaluations. The court was told doctors are concerned about his mental capability.

He was arrested, along with two others, in connection with the Charlotte Street Fire in late April which destroyed a convenience store at the corner of Princess Street, the boarded up Lyric Theatre and another building.

Provincial Court Judge Anne Jeffries says Nolan may never face a trial because of his mental capabilities.

He was found unfit to stand trial back in May and it will be up to a review board to determine if his status changes.

NDP Candidate Makes Election Promise

NDP candidate for the vacant Rothesay MLA seat Dominic Cardy is out of the hopper first with an election promise.

Cardy says if elected, he will introduce the Rothesay Charter to End Patronage.

The charter will include a ban to hiring based on political affiliation, with the exception of employees directly employed by elected officials. It would also include new rules for hiring CEOs of Crown Corporations, that would require an impartial hiring process controlled by an independent third party.

The election takes place June 25th.

Four People Charged In Armed Robbery

Four people being charged in the armed robbery of Handi's Convenience Store on Gull Street.

18 year old Nicholas Roy, 21 year old Samantha Joanne Hopey, 20 year old Jeremy Robinson and a 16 year old girl are facing charges of armed robbery. The 16 year old can't be named because of her age.

A shotgun was used but no one was injured. 

Robinson and Roy are also charged with having their faces concealed while committing the holdup.

All four have been remanded to jail and the court was told by the prosecutor the minimum sentence for armed robbery is four years in prison.

Common Council Will Not Have Free Reign Over Pension Changes

Some city employee groups, like the firefightes union, expressing concern over the repeal of the City of Saint John Pension Act.

The changes now allows the city to make changes to the pension plan without needing a sitting of the Legislature.

But Common Councillor Ray Strowbridge tells CHSJ News council will not have free reign over the plan as final approval still lies in the hands of the Superintendent of Pensions.

He says dealing with pension deficit will be easier because council will not be at the mercy of the timetable of the Legislature.

Flaherty Will Hear Premiers On EI Concerns

The four Atlantic Premiers expressing concerns for seasonal workers under the impending employment insurance changes.

Among the proposed measures, repeat recipients of the E-I program would have to consider lower paying jobs that could require longer travel.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tells CHSJ News he is willing to hear them out and wants to dispel any misinformation that may be out there.
 

Flaherty says consultations were done earlier this year with the various premiers on setting EI rates.

Traffic Backups Expected Off Highway Out East

Road Construction on Rothesay Avenue near the off ramp by Strescon off the highway will be continuing today.  

Only 2 lanes of traffic will be open and we have been told by our road warriors that, at times, the traffic has been backed up all the way to the highway so you might want to take another route, if possible.

Gas Is Cheaper

If you held off getting gas yesterday, you made the right choice with a significant decline after the weekly setting

Self serve regular in the city has dropped by more than 2 and a half cents and is going for $1.23.2 a litre. 

Diesel is down by the same amount at $1.24.2. 

The price of heating oil has dropped by over 4 cents a litre to $1.08.1 and propane also four cents a litre cheaper with the listed price being 93.8 cents.

Hampton Woman Arrested After Shots Fired

A 48 year old Hampton woman arrested after a  shotgun was fired inside a mini home at the Hampton Trailer Park.

Rhonda Aubin has been charged with uttering death threats with additional charges pending. 

She will undergo a 5 day psychiatric assessment and return to court in Hampton on June 11th. 

There was one other person in the trailer at the time but she was not hurt.

Sussex Man Who Was Wanted Behind Bars

A 32 year old man wanted on charges of assault with a weapon and uttering death threats dating back to 2010 has been arrested by the RCMP in Sussex. 

Police making the discovery of the outstanding charges following the arrests of Jason McPhee of Sussex and a 26 year old woman woman after frozen food and clothing were stolen from a home in the town. 

The two were nabbed after a taxi was stopped on Highway 1 near Norton.

Arrests Made After Armed Robbery

City Police making four arrests after an armed holdup on the East Side. 

The robbery taking place at a convenience store near Retail Drive. 

No one was hurt and the four will be formally charged later today in court.

Urban Centres Need To Grow

Growing the province's urban centres, like Saint John,  is key towards future growth and prosperity -- that from David Campbell of Jupia Consultants.

Campell was speaking at a Saint John Board of Trade luncheon and he tells CHSJ News the urban vs rural debate is a distraction.

He says urban growth does not have to come at the expense of rural growth and it will be the urban sector that will move the province forward.

He says if Saint John focuses on it's key sectors like IT, healthcare, and energy, other industries like retail will grow as well.

Police Chief Speaks Out On Bath Salts

A scary new drug that's been known to cause paranoia, hallucinations, psychotic episodes and death has been banned by the feds, and Police Chief Bill Reid says that's a good thing. Bath salts, or MDPV, were previously not subject to government legislation. 

Reid says while the drug hasn't been a big problem in Saint John so far, its popularity among youth in Maine is a worry.

Reid says the force has been keeping a close eye on the trend and he's hoping now that they're illegal the drug will have even less of a presence in the community.

Liberals Vowing To Go All Out To Win In Rothesay

The Liberals say they're ready to refute any attacks the Conservatives may launch in the battle to win the provincial byelection in Rothesay. They see winning that byelection, the first since Premier David Alward assumed office in September of 2010 as being a big deal. 

Interim leader Victor Boudreau tells CHSJ News the Conservatives accusing the previous Liberal Government of political patronage is like the pot calling the kettle "black", especially in light of former Rothesay M-L-A Margaret Ann Blaney's appointment as C-E-O at Efficiency NB. 
 
The Premier vows the Conservatives will not be making any campaign promises in the leadup to the June 25th vote.

Boudreau maintains the Liberals are recovering quite nicely from their election rout.

Ship Ahoy! First Cruise Ship Of The Season Arrives

It's that time of year again--the first cruise ship of the season has docked at the Marco Polo Cruise Ship Terminal. The Carnival Glory houses over 2000 passengers and is home to a wide range of restaurants, casinos, bars and lounges. Today is its first call of the year in Saint John

Captain Salvatore Rassello being presented a commemorative explorer telescope by Port CEO Jim Quinn. Deputy Mayor Shelley Rinehart and councillor Donna Reardon were also on hand. The captain tells CHSJ News it's still the same old Saint John since the last time he was here. As Rasello put it, "fishing boats, fog....everything as usual.

Boston is the next port of call for the Carnival Glory and the ship will return to Saint John on June 12.

Father Of Dead Soldier Excited About "Highway Of Heroes"

The decision to designate Highway 2 as the Highway of Heroes getting a thumbs up from a Saint John father whose son was killed in Afghanistan. 

Donnie Greenslade still remembers when his son's body was returned to this country and travelling along the Highway of Heroes in Ontario to C-F-B Trenton with people along the way paying tribute and how comforting that was.

Private David Greenslade, a Saint John High grad, was killed with five other soldiers when their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb in April of 2007.

St. Martins Being Plagued By Vandalism

The RCMP is investigating several incidents of vandalism and mischief in St. Martins. 

Police are asking for your help in finding those responsible.

Over the past couple of weeks newspaper boxes have been set on fire, mailboxes pushed over, windows have been smashed out of the fishway, and graffiti scratched into the fishway building.

You're being asked to contact police should you see anyone who appears to be loitering or acting suspicious.

District 3 RCMP at 506-832-5566 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Marigolds On Main Street Celebrates 15th Year

Main Street getting the golden treatment thanks to hundreds of kids planting marigolds.

Marigolds on Main Street is celebrating its 15th year and organizer Barry Ogden tells CHSJ News he will run into young adults who reflect on the experience.

He believes empowering children is a reason why the event has been successful for so long and taking ownership in the community helps reduce vandalism and keeps kids out of trouble.

Other communities will also be planting the golden flowers, including Quispamsis, Sussex and St. Stephen.

For more information about Marigolds on Main Street, click here.

John Wilcox Wins Liberal Nomination

Former policeman John Wilcox winning the Liberal nomination for the Rothesay seat in the upcoming by-election.

The seat was vacated by Margaret-Ann Blaney who left to head up Efficiency NB.

Wilcox tells CHSJ News he is going to be Rothesay's next MLA and his approach to winning it will be quite simple -- he will be knocking on doors and speaking to the issues.

He believes the Conservatives have not represented the issues well -- such as the controversy surrounding MRI funding.

Wilcox adds it is a good opportunity for the Liberals given the circumstances of Blaney's departure.

Conservative Candidate Ted Flemming and NDP candidate Dominic Cardy are also vying for the job -- the election will take place on June 25th.

Expected Move-In Date Set For New Police Station

After months of delays, the Saint John Police Force revealing their planned move-in date at the new justice complex.

Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News the force should be moving into its home in Peel Plaza by July 15th, barring unexpected issues. In the meantime there are housekeeping issues to consider such as parking and moving equipment to new locations.

They were supposed to make the move in April. Reid says the new station has improved technology and work space, which will work toward reducing crime.