No One Seriously Hurt In Sussex Collision

Freezing rain wreaking havoc in the Sussex area for a short time this morning.
RCMP responding to a collision eastbound on Highway 1 in which in an SUV flipped over in the median sparking a chain reaction involving three other cars.

Sgt. Bruce Reid telling CHSJ News the road conditions were extremely slippery in the area when the accident occurred just before 10 this morning.
Two of the vehicles suffering serious damage but luckily no one was seriously hurt. Three people were taken to hospital to be checked out.

Some motorists stuck on the highway for at least 40 minutes waiting for the accident scene to clear.

NB Museum Launching Virtual Exhibit Project

Sometime next year, you will be able to look at the 11 best geology stories in the Province without leaving home.
The New Brunswick Museum launching it's Magnificent Rocks project which will make their exhibits accessible online.

Dr. Randall Miller tells CHSJ News says everything you use and everything you do is connected to something extracted from the earth.
He says around Saint John we are most familiar with limestone and marble at Fort Howe and at the quarry at the Millidgeville superstore.


Miller says in the 1800's this city had many lime quarries and it was one of the city's biggest industries.
The stories include the Fundy Trail Cliffs, the Grand Falls gorge and the oldest Maritime coal mines near Minto.   The virtual exhibition will be ready next year. To learn more,
click here

Provincial Social Development Minister Vows Poverty Will Be Reduced

New Brunswick has a hard road ahead............That warning from Provincial Social Development Minister Sue Stultz who says we need a more realistic view of what government can afford.
 
Stultz tells CHSJ News one size fits all doesn't work with lifting people out of poverty and you have to talk to the people who live with that reality day after day. She cautions government can't solve this problem by itself.

Stultz also says she will be back in the city soon with more to say about the Crescent Valley revitalisation project.
 
The Alward government has signed on to the poverty reduction strategy that came about under then Premier Shawn Graham, much of which came together during a conference held in Saint John.

Energy Commission Co-Chair Impressed With What People Had To Say

Now that the public consultation is over, the Premier's energy commission will now have to come up with the nuts and bolts of a new long term energy plan for the province.

Commission co-chair Bill Thompson tells CHSJ News they heard three major themes time and time again........price, impact on the environment and the need for proper regulations to ensure the public interest is protected.

Thompson says the commission will be seeking outside expertise to avoid the law of unintended consequences.

Peter Vihvelin is with the wind energy company Wind Dynamics and he says going green is a smart direction for the province to pursue.

Gordon Dalzell of the Clean Air Coalition agrees protecting the environment is top of mind for most people and it will be a delicate balancing job for the province. He suggests buying cheap, clean energy from other jurisdictions could be a way to bring down power costs and shut down heavy polluters.

Icy Conditons On Route 1 Near Sussex

The RCMP in Sussex are letting drivers know highway 1 and other roadways in the area are extremely icy with the current freezing rain.
Highway one eastbound near Sussex has now been reopened after being blocked by a four vehicle collision. A couple of our road warriors telling us they were stuck there for about 40 minutes with 5 ambulances passing by along with three fire trucks. People are being asked by the RCMP in that area to either stay off the roads until the weather clears or drive with extreme caution because the roads are covered with ice.

Fish Farmers Respond To Environmental Concerns

The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association does not believe proposed legislation from Ottawa will make it easier for aquaculture companies to use pesticides.

Executive Director Pamela Parker is disputing the contention from environmental groups who are saying the pesticides that will be used are toxic to krill and lobster.

Parker says these regulations will just formalize and strengthen processes that were already in place.

Saint Johnners Hear We Can't Afford Poverty Anymore

A big turnout last night at the U-N-B Grand Hall on Charlotte Street across from the city market to hear about what's being done to reduce the poverty rate and what needs to be done.

Senator Art Eggleton, a former Mayor of Toronto and federal cabinet minister, says the federal government has to become part of the solution and come up with a national anti-poverty strategy which would include a plan to provide affordable housing.

Provincial Social Development Minister Sue Stultz tells CHSJ News the Alward government is committed to the poverty reduction strategy that was cobbled together at a conference in Saint John under the previous Liberal government.

Eggleton maintains a national housing strategy would be cheaper in the long run than having people living on the streets. He claims poverty costs the Canadian economy 30 billion dollars a year and we can't afford that anymore.

Fire On East Side And Schoolbus Accident Outside Sussex

A motorcycle that was on the porch of a home at 965 Grandview Avenue caught fire last night and spread to the outside of the two storey, two family home. District Chief Joe Armstrong says fire crews were able to make quick work of it. There were no injuries and the cause is not suspicious.


Meantime, The RCMP are investigating why a schoolbus left the road at Sussex Corner yesterday afternoon coming to a stop in a snowbank. There were 35 students on board at the time but no one was hurt. The schoolbus will be inspected for any mechanical problems.

Irving Oil Urges Energy Commission To Consider Changes Carefully

Irving Oil making a presentation to the New Brunswick Energy Commission as they hold their final public input session on creating a 10 year energy plan for the province.

While not mentioning any specifics, Irving Oil spokesperson Kevin Scott says any future changes to policy or regulations should be considered carefully.

He says while Irving Oil may seem like a large company by local or provincial standards but, he says they are a small company next to the companies they compete against.

Scott offers one example being Valero Energy in Texas which has 14 refineries compared to Irving Oil's 1.   They say action that would increase their operating costs or slow down their ability to respond to market conditions will make them less competitive.

You Can Now Text Votes For The Bay

You can now text your love for the Bay of Fundy.


The campaign to promote the Bay of Fundy in the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest is now including text voting.

The bay is the only Canadian finalist in the global campaign with the winners will be announced November 11th.  To vote: text the word Fundy to 77077.

Municipal Operations Crews Are Ready For Rain And Tackling The Potholes

As if the City's Municipal Operations department haven't been busy enough this winter, a mild spell is revealing horrendous potholes.
Kevin Rice says they are preparing for tomorrow's rain and the anticipated snow melt that will come as it combines with very mild temperatures.

Rice tells CHSJ News their crews are out weekly identifying potholes and adding them to the list. He says they prioritize typically by size and the type of damage they could do to a vehicle and tackle those ones first.


Rice adds the potholes that citizens call them about, they are often already aware of.  He adds crews did put pylons up yesterday alerting drivers to a particular nasty pothole on Chesley Drive.

CFIB Opposes Increases For Minimum Wage

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is speaking out against the decision by the Alward government to proceed with two 50 cent increases in the minimum wage this year to raise it to 10 dollars an hour as of September 1st. The C-F-I-B's provincial affairs director, Andrea Bourgeois tells CHSJ News the move ignores reality.

She says the reality is this province has a very sluggish economy and employers have soft hiring plans with many jobs lost last year and she thinks increasing the minimum wage will only hurt the people it's trying to help.

Bourgeois also points out most small businesses are operating on very small profit margins and raising the minimum wage also means higher costs for E-I, C-P-P and workers compensation premiums.

Saint John Cabinet Minister Proposing Rockwood Park Be Protected

Saint John Portland MLA Trevor Holder, who's also the Provincial Tourism Minister, will be making a pitch to Common Council about designating Rockwood Park as a provincial heritage site.

Holder tells CHSJ News with council recently nixing residential development by the park, he says it's time to act now to prevent further development.

He says the park does have significant historical value, such as Charles Gorman winning a world speedskating championship at Lily Lake in 1926.

Holder says he wants to give councillors as many options as possible and will be presenting his data to them in the near future.

Gas Prices Remain Stable Despite Unrest In Middle East

Another mixed bag when it comes to gas prices after the weekly setting.

Self serve regular going up by a cent a litre in the city to $1.10.4 with diesel dropping a bit to $1.22.4.

Heating oil is virtually unchanged being listed at 108.1.

Groups Want Ottawa To Halt Legislation On Pesticides

20 groups calling on the Federal Government not to proceed with legislation that will help aquaculture companies use pesticides.


Fundy Baykeeper Matthew Abbott tells CHSJ News environmental and fishing groups from BC and New Brunswick have written to Prime Minister.


Abbott says these regulations would make it easier for aquaculture companies to use pesticides in the marine environment. He says this causes them great concern because the chemicals are toxic to crustaceans including lobster.   Abbott adds Ottawa should be forcing the aquaculture industry to be more responsible and operate in ways that don't harm our oceans.

Homeless Should Win "Coldest Canadian Contest"

The Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization is using an online contest by an airline to raise awareness of the challenges the homeless face during the winter.

Air New Zealand is looking for submissions from the "Coldest Canadian" with the winner getting a free trip to New Zealand.

Coordinator of the Fredericton Anti-Poverty Organization Dan Weston tells CHSJ News he wants a video to be submitted on behalf of the homeless because they face the challenge of being cold on a daily basis.

He says being warm in a cold country should be a right and not a privilege.

For more information on the contest, click here.

Provincial Metal Working Association To Discuss Shale Gas Potential

A member of the Metal Working Association of New Brunswick says shale gas exploration in this Province has the potential to be a game changer.
Spokesperson Dave Plante says the discovery of shale gas south of the border has had a huge impact on the natural gas sector in the United States.

He says it could have the same kind of impact on New Brunswick.
The University of Arkansas estimates the production of 1 billion cubit feet of gas can result in 9500 jobs and 200 million dollars in royalties.

He says this province is in the early days of exploration but on average the resources here are twice the thickness of those in western Canada.  The Province's Metal Working Association will meet on the topic tomorrow in Moncton.

Port Authority Rejects Suggestion It's Holding Up Harbour Cleanup

It's not a good way to do business.........That's the reaction of the President and C-E-O of the Saint John Port Authority, Jim Quinn to criticism that was voiced publicly the other night at Common Council.

The port authority was taken to task for what was described as a reluctance to resolve the property needs in order for harbour cleanup to be completed by the end of 2012. The city needs 625 square metres of port property on Broad Street at the foot of Water for a lift station.

Quinn concedes he was taken by surprise when its the port authority that's waiting for the city to respond to a request for clarification about the land on Broad Street needed for a lift station as part of the project.

 He tells CHSJ News a slanging match in public is not a good way to conduct business.

City Police Will Be Ticketing and Towing Vehicles Abandoned In Snow

The traffic division of the City police force will be ticketing and towing cars found snow covered and left on city streets more than 24 hours.

Under the Provincial Motor Vehicle Act, any vehicle left on the street for more than 24 hours is considered to be abandoned, and may be towed.


A ticket for $172 will be issued, and the owner will be responsible for all towing fees.
The City also reminding citizens to remove snow and ice from their front, rear and side windows before they drive.

Grenville Lane Garage Fire

City fire crews responding to the call of a possible structure fire on Grenville Lane off the Westfield road. The call came in just after 2 this afternoon.


District Chief Joe Armstrong tells CHSJ News on arrival crews found a single garage about 30 feet from a home fully involved.
Since the area does not have water service, they had to seta up a tanker shuttle for water supply.
He says there are three snowmobiles inside and crews were able to knock the fire down but there is major damage to the garage.

Armstrong says the garage is a loss but, their crews did a good job protecting two small homes on the laneway.
Fire investigators are at the scene and it will be a few hours before a cause can be determined.