Marsh Creek Could Smell Better By Next Summer

You might be irritated by construction delays on a number of city streets these days--but Tim Vickers of the Atlantic Coastal Action Program wants you to know all that work is going to pay major dividends. 

Vickers tells CHSJ News the the Harbour Cleanup infrastructure they're putting in will make life a little sweeter for residents on the East Side and beyond. Raw sewage will no longer be pumped into the Harbour and Marsh Creek, which will mean an improvement over the coming years.

Vickers says once the sewage stops being pumped in the plant-life will take over purifying the water of toxins. He says the Cleanup will be pretty remarkable considering it's been generations since the Creek wasn't a cesspool.

Federal Funding Helps Local Crime Prevention

A provincial crime prevention program getting a big boost from the federal government.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews announcing close to $300,000 being provided to support the "Equipping for Crime Prevention" program here in the province. The funds will provide crime prevention workers with the resources to help reduce crime involving at-risk you, chronic offenders and Aboriginal persons.

Toews says his meeting with Saint John MP Rodney Weston and stakeholders showed him Saint Johner's are involved in making a difference in crime prevention. Toews mentioned he's seen the success and progress One Change has made in the Old North End since he toured the facility two years ago.

The government has also provided more than $1.1 million in support of the Nogemag Youth Program which helps at-risk youth from the Elsipogtog First Nation here in New Brunswick.

VIDEO: Mayor's Comments To Gay Community

Mayor Mel Norton speaks to the crowd at Saint John's 10th annual Pride flag raising.

SJ's Gay Community Is Here & Proud

The message of Pride week in Saint John is that it's OK to be who you are...and Mayor Mel Norton and other community groups are getting on board. At the Pride flag-raising ceremony this afternoon Norton tells CHSJ News the gay community is vital to his vision of Saint John as a "Renaissance City"--and he and common council will continue to work hard to embrace diversity in all its forms.

Organizer Brian Boyd says things have improved a lot since Pride started in Saint John a decade ago. He says instead of being told to "sit down and shut up", the gay community is now accepted as part of mainstream society. Further, Boyd says he hopes this year's celebrations will be bigger and more family-friendly than ever.

The official events for Pride 2012 are as follows:

Monday Aug 20th - Flag Raising 12pm City Hall

Coffee House for Youth ages 13-18 - Public Library Market Square from 2pm-5pm.

Tuesday August 21st - Pride Community Auction & Social @ Mahogany Manor 7pm-9pm

Wednesday August 22 - Movie Night @ Pump Nightclub 8pm - "Another Gay Movie" 

Thursday August 23rd - Vagina Monologues 8pm - $5 at the door. Pride Karoake @ Pump Nightclub -10pm

Friday August 24th - Pride Drag Show @ Pump Nightclub  - 9pm-midnight. Blackout Party @ Pump Nightclub Midnight-2am

​Saturday August 25th - Pride Parade 2pm set up 1pm. Pride Party @ Pump Nightclub - 10pm-2am

Buy Cheap Books All Week Uptown!

If you finished everything on your summer reading list, then this event may be calling your name.

 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Saint John hosting their annual big book sale with books going for as little as 50 cents.

It's on now until Saturday at Brunswick Square.   Executive director Laurie Collins tells CHSJ News they are still accepting books at the sale this week.
 
It's on today until 6pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Thursday and Friday from 10am to 8pm.

Police and Fire Investigate Weekend Blaze

City police are looking into a fire early Saturday morning on the 

Upper Golden Grove Road.
 

When police and fire arrived at the scene at about 3:30 am, the home was fully engulfed in flames.

In a release, Sgt. Jay Henderson tells CHSJ News they have since determined a break, enter and theft took place at the home and the cause of the fire is suspicious.

Fire investigators and the Major Crime Unit are looking into the incident.   

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 648-3333 or Crime stoppers 1-800-222-8477.

Dirty Water For Some Customers

Folks in areas of the South-Central peninsula including Haymarket Square, Douglas Avenue, and north and south of the Saint John throughway could be seeing dirty water from their taps in the next few weeks.

The city is flushing out fire hydrants between 8am and 8pm to clean out water distribution pipes. The dirty water could last for as long as 20 minutes. Water pressure might also be effected, but the water will not be shut off.

For further information please contact 658-4455.

Coal Creek Crash Claims One

A crash on Highway 10 in Coal Creek last night claiming the life of a 41 year old Chipman woman.

The mounties tell CHSJ News it appears the crash occurred when the woman's vehicle crossed the centre line and was hit by an oncoming transport.

The woman died at the scene and her name is not being released until her family is notified.

The driver of the transport truck was checked out in hospital.

Potential Partnership For Greens & NDP

A potential partnership could be in the works when the next provincial election rolls around.

Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy is looking favorably at Green Party candidate Roy McMullin's suggestion of forming an alliance. Cardy tells CHSJ news the idea of a cooperation is a good one, but should be on shared platform and shared values, not to get elected more easily. He adds people have to get beyond the idea of which parties flag is flying, and concentrate on getting the province back on track.

Cardy says he's already spoken with McMullin a few times this month, and both of them saw eye to eye on electoral reforms and the patronage system.

McMullin and David Coon are running for the Green Party leadership position.

Antlerless Deer Draw Results In

New Brunswick hunters hear today whether their names were picked in the annual anterless deer draw...almost 35-hundred names were drawn, and stickers will be sent out in the mail by the end of next month.


Having a sticker means you can shoot one deer of either sex within the wildlife management zone on the tag--or an antlered deer in any area open for deer hunting. Hunters are only allowed one deer apiece.

Following is a list of wildlife management zones (WMZ) and the 2012 quota of antlerless permits allocated for each zone:


WMZ 1 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 2 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 3 - deer season closed
WMZ 4 - deer season closed
WMZ 5 - deer season closed
WMZ 6 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 7 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 8 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 9 - deer season closed
WMZ 10 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 11 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 12 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 13 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 14 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 15 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 16 - 106
WMZ 17 - 55
WMZ 18 - 54
WMZ 19 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 20 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 21 - 201
WMZ 22 - 1,508
WMZ 23 - 1,017
WMZ 24 - 51
WMZ 25 - 0 (bucks only)
WMZ 26 - 50
WMZ 27 - 393

Fatal Highway Crash

The RCMP investigating a fatal collision early last night near Chipman which took the life of a woman. It happened on Route 10 involving a car and and a tractor trailer. No name has been released yet.

Transit Union Wonders If Common Council Considers Bus Service A Priority?

Saint John Transit is limping along and the President of the union local, Tom McGraw is worried whether the new Common Council considers bus service to be a priority. 

McGraw is saying this because of all the money that will be spent on surveying Saint Johnners and holding public meetings in the four wards. 

McGraw tells CHSJ News if the city spent 15 thousand dollars, there could be bus service on the three statutory holidays remaining in this budget year. Only four buses are run on a stat and it costs 5 thousand dollars for the day.

Councillor David Merrithew estimated the cost of the public ward meetings at 40 thousand dollars and fellow Council member Susan Fullerton objected to spending 22 thousand on sending out booklets and surveys to Saint Johnners so soon after the election campaign.

Parents Confused Over New School District

School districts 6, 8 and 10 are now the Anglophone South District, but confusion is building since their old district websites are still running.

Superintendent Zoe Watson says parents have stopped her while shopping because they're unsure of what district their children are now in. She says a website for the new district is in the making, but until then the older websites are still active.

Watson says the school district will have to go through the web, newsletters, and media to explain more specifically what changes have been made.

LBR GM Torn Over Expansion Idea

The chance of renovating the L-B-R to an Olympic size rink is growing smaller.

L-B-R General Manager Dave Nicholson tells CHSJ news the expansion would mainly affect the speed skating community, but he doesn't think there's enough money to go ahead. He says the complexion of the rink would also change completely and lose half it's seats (and ticket sales) from ice expansion.

Nicholson adds it's a subject that's been talked about for years. 

Common Council received a report last month estimating a cost around $3.5 million if the reno took place. The issue was referred back to the Leisure Services Advisory Committee.

A Second Home Destroyed By Fire

A second home has been destroyed by a fire this weekend.

The KV fire department battled a blaze that engulfed a mobile home at 9 Sitka Lane around 9:30 last night.

Assistant Deputy Chief Alick Taylor tells CHSJ News there was no one in the home at the time of the fire, but they were worried the fire was going to spread to other homes.

Taylor adds they had to call the Hampton and Nauwigewauk fire departments for help. No word yet on what caused the fire.

Patrol Stop Finds Stolen ATVs

For city police, it was being in the right place at the right time.

Two men in their early twenties were arrested last night after being caught with two stolen ATV's.
Saint John City Police tell CHSJ news while doing a patrol on Harbour Bridge they stopped a truck driving a utility trailer. When police checked the two ATV's they were towing they discovered they were stolen.

One man has since been released with a later court date while the other is being held.

Acadian Closure An Opportunity?

One organization sees the closure of Acadian Coach Lines as an opportunity in disguise.
The Ecology Action Centre and Atlantic Canada Sustainable Energy Coalition see this is a chance for the maritime provinces to come together to form a new public maritime transit agency.
EAC's Wayne Groszko tells CHSJ news they would start by having a round table discussion with provincial leaders to explore the idea. He says with moderate investments and with getting service standards for a towns depending on their size, he believes they could run better than Acadian Lines.

Groszko says Saskatchewan is a good example of public transit that works, which he believes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI could easily adapt.

The only inter-city bus service stops rolling on November 30th.

House Destroyed By Fire

A house on Golden Grove has been destroyed by a fire.

The fire investigator and the major crime unit are now on scene trying to determine what caused the fire early this morning.

City Police, KV Fire and Saint John Fire Department have been on scene at 2720 Golden Grove Road since 3:00 am.

Saint John Fire says three KV firefighters were on the second floor deck when it collapsed, leaving one firefighter hanging and sending two others to the ground -- suffering minor injuries.

Police say the owners were camping in Sussex at the time of the fire. Police add there are no neighboring houses near the blaze.

There's no word on what caused the fire.

Lawyer Argues Transparency Is Key in Oland Case

Media lawyer David Coles arguing that transparency is essential when it comes to law enforcement; this, after closing arguments to unseal warrants in the Richard Oland murder investigation. 

Coles says the documents already released were so heavily censored the process seems almost meaningless. 

He says transparency in the legal system is how we make sure police and judges are doing their jobs. Coles says there's little risk of police being misled by false confessions, considering the investigation is so focused on one person.

Giant Flea Market Underway In Sussex

Bargain hunters won't want to miss this one....what's being billed as the largest outdoor flea market in Atlantic Canada is underway in Sussex. As many as 1000 tables will be selling home furnishings, collectibles, auto parts and more at Princess Louise Park.

The giant sale runs from 8am until 8pm today and from 8 until 3pm on Sunday. There will also be a Show 'n' Shine from 9am until 3pm.

Admission is $5 for the day and kids under 16 are free with an adult.