Aquila To Welcome Their Millionth Guest

On Monday morning, one lucky person will be the millioneth guest of Aquila Tours arriving on the Carnival Glory.
President Beth Kelly Hatt tells CHSJ News they have some special surprises in store for that person including a limo ride and a lobster lunch.

Hatt adds she loves that they are arriving on a Carnival Cruise since Carnival has brought us the most cruise guests over the years.

Aquila Tours is celebrating 30 years in the business this year.
 

Sentencing Of Public Official Delayed

The sentencing of former case worker Kenneth Neves, convicted of defrauding the Department of Social Development, has been delayed.

Judge Anne Jeffries made the decision to change the date from today to next Thursday to review reference cases that have been submitted.

 It's estimated Neves defrauded the Department of Social Development around $36,000 over a three year period.

Crown attorney Patrick Wilbur is arguing for a 9 to 12 month provincial jail sentence and a restitution order.

Defence lawyer Rod MacDonald agrees on the length of the sentence, he's asking for it to be served in the community since Neves has no prior criminal record and is unlikely to reoffend.

The Premier To Give Pension Update

The Premier will be in Saint John tomorrow.

David Alward is going to highlight progress being made on pension reform.

He'll be speaking at the Delta tomorrow afternoon.

 

Moir Remembers Layton

One year ago today, former N-D-P Leader Jack Layton died -- just three months after leading his party to official opposition status in Parliament. 

UNB Saint John Professor Rob Moir ran for the NDP in Saint John in the last election and tells CHSJ News Jack wasn't about putting people down but pulling people up.

He says we are all taught as kids however you find the place leave it a bit better when you go and Moir says Layton did that.

Moir believes that the newly elected young MP's in Quebec are really proving themselves as strong players in government.

Union At Maritime Broadcasting Kicking It Up A Notch

The Canadian Media Guild is ramping up its campaign to end the strike at three radio stations in the city owned by Maritime Broadcasting.

Unions affiliated with the Saint John District Labour Council will be setting up information picket lines outside the businesses that have not pulled their advertising.

The Media Guild's Gerry Whalen is hoping this will force the owner, Robert Pace, to bargain seriously because he has 3 of the 7 employees on strike earn only 24 thousand dollars a year and find themselves on the border of poverty. There are 3 others making 30 thousand. Whalen charges they are not being treated with respect.

Whalen says he was told by one car dealer in town he has people working for him who clean cars and get paid more money than that.

Negotiations started last October and the strike has been going on now for 9 weeks.

Wilderness Classroom Kayaking To Saint John

This kind of classroom makes kids want to go to school!

Married duo Amy & David Freeman have spent the past two and half years kayaking across North America and now, they're paddling down the St. John River. But the trip isn't a vacation, David Freeman says the Wilderness Classroom focuses on teaching people the importance of protecting the environment and how nature is interconnected. Freeman says they normally go to elementary and middle school classrooms, but since school isn't in session they won't be able to speak in Saint John.

 

The two started in Seattle, Washington on Earth Day of 2010, and will canoe, kayak and dog sled around 20,000 kilometers.

Freeman says two things surprised him about the St. John Watershed. One was how much wildlife was along the river, and the other was how some areas of the river were abundant with boats and fisherman while others weren't.

The couple will be in Saint John either Thursday or Friday. They hope to finish in seven months in Florida. 

For more information on the Wilderness Classroom, click here.

Federal Minister Defends Closure Of RCMP Lab In Halifax In Face Of Criticism

Federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews doesn't share the same concern over the closure of the RCMP lab in Halifax as the New Brunswick Police Association. 

It warns delays in processing evidence could get even longer. The Police Association and Chief Bill Reid blame delays in processing evidence in the Richard Oland Murder investigation as being largely responsible for no one being arrested yet. A police affadavit that was released recently shows most of the evidence, at the time it was written, had not been analysed.

Toews, who made a stop in Saint John this week, says he has been given assurances the closing of the lab in Halifax won't make a difference.

Police Association President Dean Secord says it means police in the Atlantic region will have to send their evidence to Ottawa for processing. 

Toews also doesn't go along with the claim that you have to wait your turn in getting the evidence processed regardless of high profile the case is.

Alot Of Unknowns With New Sex Crimes Investigation

Mayor Mel Norton says he wants to do the right thing but the city doesn't know how much that will wind up costing.

An investigation is underway after a new complaint surfaced of sexual assault made against former city police officer Ken Estabrooks who served time in prison before dying in 2005. 

Private investigator Dave Perry says quite often after one person comes forward, others follow after being silent for years and he suspects that will happen here. 

Perry, who is well known for his work investigating sex crimes with the Metro Toronto Police, concedes he doesn't know how long the investigation will last but cautions when you're dealing with sexual assaults, the file is never closed permanently.     

Fire Trucks Respond To East Saint John Alarm

You may have noticed the fire trucks near Michael's just before 6 tonight.

They were responding to fire alarms activated due to a  malfunctioning sprinkler system.

As a precaution, all staff and shoppers were evactuated from the building.
No one was hurt.

Thieves Get A Haul From Peninsula Home

Just imagine how mad you would be....

Sometime between 6 and midnight on Friday night someone broke into a home on Centerton Road on the Peninsula stealing a laptop, MP3 player and an electric fireplace.

The homeowner was away for the night.

If you can help the Mounties solve this one,  call Hampton RCMP at 832-5566 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or click here .

Nine Alcohol Related Arrests In Sussex

Nine people have been arrested in alcohol-related incidents in Sussex over this past weekend.

RCMP say two men were arrested in separate incidents for refusing to take a road-side alcohol screening test, including one 42-year-old Saint John man. There was also an ATV collision in Lakeside that sent a 23-year-old man to hospital, where alcohol is believed to have been a factor. There were also six people arrested for public intoxication.

Cpl. Pat Cole calls the number of alcohol-related calls concerning, but was thankful no one was seriously injured or killed.

Two Vehicle Collision On Causeway

Two vehicle collision at Bayside Drive and Mount Pleasant Avenue East near the Causeway causing brief traffic problems early this afternoon.

Photo by Andrew Sanojca.

Running With Fido In Her Memory

If you love either running or dogs -- or even both -- this event is up your alley.

The "Fido and Friends" run is being held this Sunday at Rockwood Park and 100% of the registration fees go towards the Animal Rescue League. Organizer Cindy Loiser tells CHSJ news the event was started three years ago in memory of a friend who was killed while running and was passionate about the Animal Rescue League. Loiser says in the first year it was a bunch of friends who got together, and since then it's grown. She wants to make it a yearly event so people can support a cause and honor those who've had accident and injuries during a run.

Loiser says the run isn't a race, but a way to enjoy running or walking with your dog and friends while raising money. There's a 1, 5 and 10 kilometre course to choose from and kids are also welcome.

For more information, click here.

Common Council Can't Have Finger In Every Pie

Common Council has the authority to make things happen at City Hall, not the Mayor and individual councillors on their own.

That, from former City Finance Commissioner Darryl Wilson who cautions against Council getting into the nitty gritty, day to day operations of the city.

He tells CHSJ News it's up to Council to establish what the expectations are for the fire service, as an example, by deciding what level of response time it wants.

Wilson  adds Council will have to balance what it would like to see with what it's willing to pay in order to achieve that. Then it's up to City Manager, Fire Chief and staff to come up with options.

He maintains the City Manager is the most important employee at City Hall.

City Hires Firm To Look Into New Abuse Complaint

The City of Saint John learning early this year of a new sexual abuse complaint against deceased Saint John police officer Ken Estabrooks.

Estabrooks was convicted on four counts of indecent assault in 1999 and served jail time before his death in 2005.  Mayor Mel Norton wants the public to know that after receiving the complaint, the City took immediate action.

He says shortly after receiving the complaint the City contacted an arms-length investigative firm, Investigative Solutions Network,  to initiate an investigation.

Dave Perry of Investigative Solutions says sexual abuse investigations are never closed permanently.

He says if they finish their work in a couple of weeks or a couple of months and someone came forward in year they would have to listen to that person.

ISN will examine Estabrooks former work places to see where the alleged abuse took place.
The City is offering to provide counselling to any victims that come forward.

Toews: Priority Cases Can Be Processed Faster

Confusion builds regarding the delays in processing evidence at RCMP labs in the case of Richard Oland.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says if there's a high priority and time sensitive case, police and the labs work together to move it ahead. He says they take a number of steps to make ensure the case is before the courts as quickly as possible.

That's quite a different response from Police Association President Dean Secord, who said just last month that once the evidence is sent off to the RCMP lab in Halifax, you wait your turn. Secord says it's that slowness that's delayed laying charges in Oland's death.

Huge Seizure Of Drugs In City And Valley

A big drug bust resulting in the arrests of 2 Rothesay men 50 year old Joseph Henri Lambert of Lambert Court and 29 year old Andrew Brian Lambert of Hooper Drive. 

Canada Border Services, City Police, Rothesay Regional Police and the RCMP all getting together on this investigation. 

They seized 34 pounds of marijuana, over a pound of hash, 27 marijuana plants, half a pound of cocaine, 400 prescription pills and more than 10 thousand dollars in cash.

The drugs have an estimated street value of 362 thousand dollars. Also confiscated was a semi automatic handgun. 

Two women, aged 27 and 49 along with three otgher men ranging in age from 25 to 51 were also nabbed on drug related charges.

City Hall Launches Investigation

The city has launched an investigation that will be conducted by Investigative Solutions Network headquartered in the Toronto region in Pickering Ontario. 

More details will be released at a news conference this morning. 

The company claims to have recruited top homicide, fraud, sex crimes and forensic investigators who have proven track records from the Metro Toronto Police Department, RCMP and FBI. 

New Council Members Told How They Can Do Their Jobs

Common Councillors getting the ABC's of how to do their jobs and govern the city well from former City Finance Commissioner for 15 years Darryl Wilson who also worked as Auditor-General for the province over a period of 8 years. 

Wilson says Council members should be asking themselves what is their vision for the future of the city and how will success be measured by themselves and Saint Johnners when the next municipal election rolls around in 4 years time.

Wilson says it's up to Council to evaluate the performance of not only senior City Hall staffers but also all the agencies, boards and commmissions that operate on behalf of the city. 

He has no objections to having term limits for those people who serve on City boards, commissions and agencies. He doesn't necessarily accept the proposition that you have to pay in order to get good people to come forward.

Wilson also telling the Councillors, the city has great potential and if they're going to change the structure of local government, it should be done for one reason and that is to make things better.

West Side Beach Party Prompts Visit By Police

City Police had to break up what they say was a large beach party on the west side. 

It's believed from 50 to 75 teenagers had congregated on Bayshore Beach. 

An 18 year old man was arrested for violating the terms of his probation not to drink and he also resisted arrest.

Meantime, three people were sent to hospital after two separate crashes in the city. The first one happening on Sandy Point Road when a car went into a ditch and then, a short time later, two vehicles collided into one another on Lansdowne Avenue.