Home Is Destroyed By Explosion in Sussex Corner

  (Smoke Rolls From Destroyed Home)
          (Photo by Jim Hennessy)

One man is missing and a 51-year old woman is recovering in hospital after a home in Sussex Corner has been destroyed by an explosion.
Emergency crews were called to the home on the Post Road just after six o'clock to find it flattened.


RCMP Sargeant Bruce Reid tells CHSJ News, they continue to interview people who were in the area when the explosion happened.
Crews were on the scene until after midnight and the fire marshall will inspect the area to try and piece together what triggered the explosion today.


Neighbours are still in shock and waiting to find out what rocked their homes.


Melanie Hawthorne lives around the corner from where the home was destroyed and tells CHSJ News, the explosion was heard miles from her front door.


Hawthorne tells CHSJ News, the owner of the destroyed home is Harvey Goddard who works with explosives for a living at the mines in Sussex and Pennobsquis but has had the home up for sale.

Wide Load Moving Through City Tomorrow

If you are up early tomorrow morning, be aware a wide load of equipment for the Irving Oil refinery will be making it's way through the city.

At 5am, the wide load which is 18 feet long will be moving from King William Road in Lorneville to Bayside Drive.

The load will have a police escort along Pedestrian and Traffic Services crews who will be removing traffic lights at certain intersections and Saint John Energy crews will be moving electrical wires.

Motorists should expect delays along the route.
The load is expected to reach the refinery by 1 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.

The load will travel King William Road to Ocean Westway to Manawagonish Road to Fairville Boulevard. The route then takes the Reversing Falls Bridge to Douglas Avenue to Main Street North. The load will go up Union Street via the Viaduct, then take Crown Street and Thorne Avenue to Bayside Drive.

Boil Water Order Remains In Place

A boil water order remains in effect for residents of the Dominion Park Area.

On July 30th, Saint John Water isused a localized boil water order for about 25 homes on Tippett Drive including Mary's Place, Mackie Lane and Cove Roadway.


It was expanded August 3rd to include 75 residents of the Greenhead road after the bridge.
Work will begin on the 23rd to clean and line a section of watermain on Greenhead road which officials believe will improve the area's water quality.

Four To Be Inducted Into Business Hall Of Fame

(file photo)

Four prominent Provincial business leaders have been named to the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame.
The 2010 laureates are Former Premier Frank McKenna, Bill and Ed Barrett and Jean-Claude Savoie.

Bill and Ed Barrett are Co-CEOs of Barrett Corporation based in Woodstock while Jean-Claude Savoie is the President of a hardwood processing company in St-Quentin.
All four will be inducted into the Business Hall of Fame at the gala dinner in November at the Trade and Convention Centre.

New Red Bus Lane On King Street

(New Red Bus Lane on King Street)

(photo by Tamara Steele)

You may see red when driving or walking down King Street today.
The City has painted the bus lane in front of City hall red with white lettering indicating that is a bus lane.


Communications Officer Leah Fitzgerald tells CHSJ News they chose this spot because people have been misusing it as a right-turning lane and they want to increase safety for pedestrians at the foot of King Street.
Fitzgerald adds it is a bit of pilot project and residents may see may red bus lanes where the safety of those using the bus has been an issue.

Court Confident Stimulus Projects Won't Run Out Of Time

Mayor Ivan Court is confident Saint John can complete its projects before the deadline for stimulus funding arrives. Court tells CHSJ News there is a lot of pressure in Ottawa right now as different bodies want to make sure projects can be finished on time.

Court says the contracts just came in for 16 new road projects and the water projects they wanted to get started in the city, thanks to permission from both levels of government.

Quispamsis Will Be Getting A Health Centre

Health Minister Mary Schryer announcing today that Quispamsis is getting a Health Centre.
The results of a community needs assessment found a centre is needed in the Kennebecasis Valley

Local residents were given an opportunity to provide input about primary health-care in the region.


The final report finds the region does very well overall but, work is needed to reach specific populations including seniors, young adults and women.

Horizon Health Network will use the health-needs assessment as a tool to determine service delivery in the health centre.
More details including the location will be announced this fall.

Main Street West Closed To Traffic

For safety reasons, Main Street West is closed to traffic between Ready Street and Church Avenue.
Motorists are asked to use a detour on Catherwood and Ready Streets.

Construction work is underway to install a water main along with curb repair and asphalt patching.
The road is expected to reopen to westbound traffic only tomorrow afternoon.

Pedestrian Killed Near Woodstock

A man has died after he was hit by a vehicle on the highway near Woodstock last night.
The 61-year-old Wooodstock area man was trying to cross four lanes when he was hit near Hodgdon Road.

He later died of his injuries.
The name of the victim is not being released until his family is notified.

Youths Arrested For Slashing Tires

Five young people have been nabbed by the RCMP for a number of tire slashings and other mischief in the Oromocto and Lincoln areas. The mayhem occurred on the night of August 3rd.

The five were arrested during an investigation that began on August 12th when an off duty RCMP officer, who was going to work, came across a vehicle that was abandoned in a ditch in the Rusagonis area after being stolen the night before.

Penalties Likely After Memorial Field Brawl

Longtime baseball coach Vic Fitzgerald says emotions were running a bit high all week long between the Saint John All Stars and the players from Valleyfield, Quebec.

Fitzgerald is a District Director for Little League Canada and he concedes handling teenagers, who are 15 and 16 years of age, can be difficult at the best of times but especially so when those emotions boil over.

He doesn't know what sort of penalities might be handed out after a disciplinary hearing. Suspensions have been mentioned for players and coaches.

Fitzgerald is also a former member of Common Council and tells CHSJ News he realises how much money hosting these types of tournaments can generate for the city. He's hoping the melee won't prevent Saint John from hosting such tournaments in the future.

City Police Believe Early Morning Fire Was Set Deliberately

The cause of an early morning fire on the east side is suspicious.

Fire Crews were called to the Old Daly's gas bar and a small attached house at 2380 Loch Lomand Road shortly before 2:00.

There has been no one working or living there for quite some time. No one was injured.

More Construction To Disrupt Traffic on West Side

Another construction project to impact your commute if you live West.
Starting today, Main Street West will be closed to eastbound traffic near Ready Street at Moosehead Breweries and Church Avenue.

A detour will be posted between Ready and Catherwood Streets.

No parking is allowed on Main Street West for two weeks hile a water main is installed along with curb repair and asphalt patching.

For more information, call Saint John Water at 648-4455.

Penobsquis Residents File Claim Against Mine

Homeowners living in Penobsquis are filing a claim against PotashCorp Inc. after mining activities affected their water quality and health. Residents say blasting created cracks in the ground that led to dirty water or no water altogether.

With 60 wells lost in the area, over 200 people have been affected. Spokesperson Beth Nixon says they respect that PotashCorp has the right to mine, but the community wants to make sure mining companies are held accountable for the damage they cause.

Youth Charged In West Side Vandalism

The Major Crime Unit making two arrests regarding the vandalism of a vehice on the lower West side.
Two youth will be in court at a later date after paint was splashed on a vehicle and symbols that resembled Swastika's.

Premier On The Same Page With Municipalities

(Mayor Ivan Court)
(File Photo)

Mayor Ivan Court is happy with a meeting that took place between Premier Shawn Graham and mayors from municipalities around the province.

Court tells CHSJ News the Premier understands that cities are the economic engines of New Brunswick, and if the cities aren't sustainable, the province isn't sustainable. 

Court says the Premier also recognizes some municipalities, like Saint John, serve large areas so it's difficult for them to pay for infrastructure. 

Court says the provincial and federal governments should really invest between 7 and 9 million dollars into a municipality each year.

New Mentorship Program For Immigrants

(Deputy Premier Donald Arseneault announces the province will give $75,000 to the mentorship program)
(Photo by Sherry Aske)

Immigrants in Saint John can now get help when looking to start a business.

The province is giving $75,000 to Enterprise Saint John to run a business mentorship program for immigrant entrepreneurs.

Project Coordinator Anita Punamiya tells CHSJ News the program will help keep people in the province.

Punamiya says local businesses will partner with an immigrant for half a year and meet with them for at least four hours every month.

Andy He came to Canada to attend UNBSJ and tells us he signed up for the program because he thinks he can learn a lot from his mentor. 

He says his mentor can provide him with local business information and help him meet new people.

The Business Immigrant Mentorship Program began as a pilot project in Fredericton last year and is now available in Moncton as well.

Doucet Refutes MLA's Claim On Church Suppers

(Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet)

Fisheries Minister and Charlotte the Isles MLA Rick Doucet is refuting a Conservative MLA's claim that new health rules could spell the end of church suppers in the province.
Wayne Steeves, the Conservative M-L-A for Albert says the Liberals are waiting until after the election to bring the new regulations into being.
Doucet tells CHSJ News there is absolutely no truth to this.
He says it's irresponsible and misleading and calls this move typical of the Conservatives.

Meanwhile, The Province's Chief Medical Officer of Health says there are no plans to prevent churches from holding suppers.

Dr. Eilish Cleary tells CHSJ News safety procedures need to be followed closely at these events.  Cleary says these suppers are good for public health.

Players Involved In Fight At Memorial Field

Some fisticuffs at Memorial Field after Saint John was eliminated by Edmonton at the Canadian Senior Little League Championships.
Sargeant Pat Bonner tells CHSJ News that police were called after players from the Saint John and Quebec teams began fighting.

He says at the end of the game, a fight took place between Saint John players and players from Quebec in the stands.
A woman in her 70's was knocked down, she was taken by ambulance by hospital to be checked out.
Bonner tells us there will be no charges unless someone comes forward with the details of what happened.

Church Suppers Under Threat According to Provincial Conservatives

The days of traditional church suppers in the province may soon be over.

That warning from Conservative M-L-A Wayne Steeves of Albert. He tells CHSJ news the Liberals plan to bring in new health regulations after next month's provincial election, if they should win, and these will adversely affect many rural communities.

According to Steeves, the Liberals are keeping these new regulations under wraps for the time being to avoid a voter backlash prior to the provincial election next month.

He claims many non profit organisations and community associations depend on the money raised by these benefit suppers which he calls part of the heritage of this province.
Our newsroom has placed a call to the Department of Health and is waiting to hear back from them.