Advanced Polls Open Today

The advanced polls in the Saint John Ward 3 and Grand Bay-Westfield municipal byelections are open today.

There are six candiates vying for the Ward 3 seat left by Carl Killen when he took the Saint John Harbour nod in the provincial vote -- Mel Norton, John Campbell, Mark Leger, Anne-Marie Mullin, Danny Robichaud, and Jay Chang.

The polls are open from 10 to 8 at the Boys and Girls Club.

Grand Bay-Westfield is filling an at-large seat with 3 candidates in the running. 

Election Day is December 13th.

Former Professor Remembered For Contribution

A former UNBSJ professor is leaving a lasting legacy.

The Regional Hospital holding a reception honoring the late Nancy Warring MacLeod for her donation to the Hemodialysis, Oncology, and Palliative Care departments.

MacLeod taught first-year biology at UNBSJ for 25 years.  She passed last December.

Grand Bay Mayor Not Worried About Impact From Grant Cuts

The Mayor of Grand-Bay-Westfield says municipalities in this province have been doing more with less for several years now.Grace Losier tells CHSJ News the 1 per cent cut to the unconditional grant is expected.

Losier says the cut is not insignificant but, this firm number will help in putting the budget together.

She adds they plan to adopt their budget on the 13th.

Woman Hit By Vehicle In The North End Is Recovering In Hospital

A City woman recovering in hospital after being hit by a vehicle during rush hour in the North End yesterday.
Darryl Connell tells CHSJ News his wife Bonnie was walking home from work when she was hit at the corner of Adelaine and Metcalf.

He says she was standing at the corner when she saw one driver motioning for another driver to proceed and thinking it was meant for her, she started walking and that is when she was hit.
Bonnie Connell has a dislocated shoulder,bruises to her knees and a fluid buildup around her heart.
No charges will be laid as City Police says the collision was accidental.

Not Too Worried About The One Per Cent Cut

The Mayor of Rothesay says 1 per cent reduction in grant money from the province will not have any impact on their budgeting process.
Bill Bishop tells CHSJ News he does find it frustrating that the Quispamsis gets double the amount of funding they receive.
He says they have been trying to find out from the two previous provincial governments with no satisfactory answer.


Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll understands the reduction is necessary as the Provincial government is trying to curtail spending.
He says maybe it's a one time things and they can overcome it in their budget process.
Driscoll says his town supports the Province's efforts to reduce costs.

25-year-old Man Dies In Workplace Mishap

Worksafe NB and RCMP still looking into an industrial mishap in Blacks Harbour resulting in a death.

25-year-old Adam Wade Harris was working for Dominion Refuse Collectors loading an industrial dumpster onto a truck when the dumpster swung sideways hitting him.
Worksafe NB seizing equipment while trying to determine what happened and if it was because of the operator or a procedural or mechanical problem.

New Numbers Released To Bolster Case For French School In Valley

(Meeting of Parents For French Elementary School In The K-V)
                          (File Photo)


Parents who are pressing their case to have a francophone elementary school built in the Kennebecasis Valley have new numbers to bolster their case.

A school development planning committee has determined such a school would need enough space for at least 342 students.

Plenty of support was voiced before the provincial election including from Blaine Higgs, the M-L-A for Quispamsis who was appointed Finance Minister but now there's only talk of cutbacks.

Marc Mathurin, President of Parents for a Francophone School in the Valley, tells CHSJ News they have been trying to set up a meeting with the new Education Minister Jody Carr to no avail so far.

Mathurin points out the K-V is the largest region in the province without a francophone school.

Armed Robbery And Attempted Armed Robbery In North End

There was an armed robbery in the north end and attempted armed holdup last night and police have made an arrest with a little help. The holdup occurred at Daly's convenience store on Taylor Avenue.

A 20 year old man, wearing a hoodie and armed with a weapon, assaulted the 23 year old clerk hitting her in the head a number of times. She was bleeding and needed medical attention.

The suspect was tackled outside the store by a passerby and was held down until police arrived. He suffered a head wound in the struggle to get away and now is in the lockup awaiting a court appearance on several charges including an attempted armed robbery that occurred at Sandy's Convenience Store on Sandy Point Road.

Police are also investigating to see if charges will be laid after a woman was struck by a car during the afternoon rush hour at Adelaide and Metcalf Streets. She was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries.

The Deal On The Bridge Has Many Unanswered Questions

One week after the triumphant announcement about the Harbour Bridge Deal between the province and Ottawa, many questions do not have answers.
Councillor Bill Farren sits on the Harbour Bridge Authority's board and tells CHSJ News the future is unclear for the 28 commissionaires who work on the bridge.

He says there is definitely no word from any level of government on how to alleviate the pain of the job losses for the commissionaires or the 7 full-time employees of the bridge authority.

Farren adds they add do not know if the increase to 75 cents for the tolls in January will proceed as planned.

Unconditional Grants to Municipalities Around Province Cut

(Saint John Mayor Ivan Court)
            (File Photo)

The Provincial Government has announced the unconditional grants municipalities around the province will be receiving next year are being cut by one per cent.

Saint John will get over 19.3 million dollars which represents a cut of almost 200 thousand dollars from last year.

Mayor Ivan Court is not surprised but tells CHSJ News it will make it that much harder to hold the tax line. He also isn't sure what effect the 3 per cent freeze on property tax assessments will have on the city's bottom line.

The provincial government is granting more than 831 thousand dollars to Quispamsis.....Rothesay will receive 413 thousand with over 381 thousand dollars for Grand Bay-Westfield.

Pedestrians Can Not Access Carleton Street Doors To Pedway System

Due to the Peel Plaza construction, the entrance to the pedway system at Carleton street is closed to pedestrians.


The doors at Carleton Street will be closed for both Saint John Sea Dogs games this weekend.
You are asked to use another entrance to the pedway system or to access Harbour Station from Station Street.

The doors to the Carleton street pedway access will remain an emergency exit.
For more information, please call 658-4455.

Grand Manan Family Wants Answers In Meeting With Fisheries Minister

(Gary Austin and Miriam Cossaboom)
        (Photo by Brian McLain)

The family of missing Grand Manan fishermen Corey and Harold Cossaboom are demanding answers why their boat sank off St. Martins and hopes to get some action at a meeting tomorrow with Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea.

Corey's sister Trish Greene says they want to find out why the boat sank and is also frustrated that 7 weeks after human remains first washed up on shore along Grand Manan, there's still no identification.

Gary Austin, who once operated a diving company, says a single engine plane crashed into the Bay of Fundy off St. Martins more than twenty years ago but was intact and is likely somewhere at the bottom which would be hazardous for scallop draggers.

Austin says if the plane had broken up on impact with the water, it would have been better for fishermen.

Industrial Mishap Claims One Man In Blacks Harbour

An industrial mishap in Charlotte county claiming the life of a man this morning.


Worksafe NB and the RCMP both investigating the death in Blacks Harbour.

More information will be provided this afternoon.

Weston Says He Will Run Again If There Is Election

(Saint John M-P Rodney Weston)

            (File Photo)

There's renewed speculation about a federal election being called in the spring but Saint John M-P Rodney Weston tells CHSJ News such talk is just par for the course when you are a minority government.

Whatever happens, Weston says he will be seeking re-election.

He is skeptical about whether the three opposition parties can get together to take the Harper Government down but Weston isn't saying whether the Prime Minister will call an election.

Warning About Tough Measures From Premier

(Andrew Oland of Moosehead Breweries)

         (Photo by Brian McLain)

Premier David Alward is warning people in the province to prepare for some difficult years and difficult medicine because of the provincial deficit and debt.

Andrew Oland of Moosehead Breweries expects some consumption taxes will be raised to tackle what he calls a desperate fiscal situation. According to Oland, the provincial economy is plodding along saying it's not great but it's not desperate.

The Premier says he first wants to hear from people around the province before unveiling a spring budget. Alward has said he won't be raising the H-S-T but that measure is being advocated by David Ganong who chairs the New Brunswick Business Council.

Doucet Has Concerns On The Future Of Regional Highway Projects

There are fears about what might happen to a slew of Highway projects in our region as the Province looks for ways to cut costs.
Finance Minister Blaine Higgs says everything is being examined including the Mackay Highway expansion.
Liberal Transportation Critic Rick Doucet tells CHSJ News worries about changes to the Highway One twinning project between Lepreau and St. Stephen which came about for safety reasons and to transport goods through the Saint John corridor.

Doucet says the Conservatives are looking for ways to save money yet they sign the deal with Ottawa on the Harbour Bridge which will have significant costs over time.

A Mixed Bag On Gas Prices Around Town

Whether you save any money filling up depends on what gas you use. Self serve regular has dropped ever so slightly after the weekly setting and is being sold around town for $105.1 a litre. On the other hand, diesel is higher by almost two cents a litre at $111.4. Heating oil also went up by almost two cents to 97 cents a litre.

Moose Collision Ensnares Three Vehicles

     

      (Car Collides With Moose Near Lepreau
  (Photo Courtesy of Musquash Fire Department)

Three vehicles were involved in a collision with a moose on route 790 at Lepreau. One car struck the moose shortly before 7:30 last night and managed to park a short distance away by the side of the road. Another car trying to swerve around the dead moose and collided with a vehicle going the other way. There were no serious injuries.

Lively Ward Meeting In North End

(Saint John Common Councillor Patty Higgins)
                  (File Photo)

Lots of questions about Rockwood Park, the need for Peel Plaza and the financial troubles facing the city dominated the ward meeting in the north end.

Common Councillor Patty Higgins told the meeting citizens are not the priority, the culture at city hall is terrible and there are too many backroom decisions being made.

Everyone who attended also urged Higgins and fellow Councillor Gary Sullivan to push for the pension board's lawsuit against former Councillor John Ferguson for defamation to be dropped. Ferguson is now the City Manager in St. Stephen.

Sullivan disputes criticism voiced the other night at the Meet the Candidates debate in Ward 3 that Council is ignoring basic public needs. He points to all the money spent on roads around town.

One Subject Dominates West Side Ward Meeting

(Common Councillors Peter McGuire and Bill Farren)
               (Photo by Tamara Steele)

The #1 issue for West side residents is traffic.

That message coming through loud and clear at the Ward 1 meeting last night.
Councillor Bill Farren tells CHSJ News while the bridge work is a concern, he got more emails on the closure of Harbour Passage.

Resident Don Darling says he wonders if a city of approximately 68,000 people afford so many projects like Peel Plaza.

Councillor Peter Maguire, whose idea it was to hold the ward meetings says they help reconnect council members to the citizens.