Potential City By-Law Sparks Debate Over Deer

The City of Saint John is looking into a by-law that would prevent people from feeding the deer.  Councillor Bill Farren says he's fielding many complaints about deer becoming more bold in City neighbourhoods and possibly being sick and presenting a health risk.

Some of our listeners weighing in on our Facebook page with their opinions.  One woman tells CHSJ News deer are wild animals and people should realize that. She says by trying to tame them through feeding them people is not doing them any favors. She says if people don't understand the disservice they are doing by feeding deer then legislation is necessary.
One man says Saint John doesn't have deer problem and that we should just start scaring them away and he has to deal with them eating the horse grain every morning.

Seadogs On Brink Of Making History

Just one more win and the Saint John Seadogs will be this year's Memorial Cup champions which would be a first for Atlantic Canada. It's now a waiting game for the Seadogs until Sunday night's championship final.

Seadogs President Wayne Long tells CHSJ News it's always a guessing game going into a round robin tournament of this kind how well you will do but the Seadogs have proven they're as good as any of the teams taking part. In the past  Long says the "Q" League champion usually hasn't done that well.

He adds Seadogs organisation is now getting attention nationally because of the exposure generated by a national tournament and how well the team has played which, judging by the commentary, has surprised a few people.

He adds the reputation of Seadogs forward Jonathon Huberdeau is skyrocketing and he's now expected to be a high pick in the NHL draft.

Sea Dogs Prez Thinks They Could Win It All

The Saint John Sea Dogs are on the verge of making history having clinched a berth in Sunday night's Memorial Cup final. Sea Dogs President Wayne Long tells CHSJ News going into the tournment, you just don't know how well you stack up against the elite junior teams from other parts of the country.

He says the team is as good as any as the other team in the tourney and he says if they bring their game on Sunday they could bring the Memorial cup back to Saint John.
Long says the Sea Dogs organisation is now getting attention nationally because of the exposure and how well the team has played.

Province Reveals Health Estimates

Health Minister Madeline Dube announcing her department's 2011-2012 budget is 2.53 billion--an increase of $78.4 million over the previous year.


It includes changes to recruitment incentives for doctors and nurse practitioners, funding for the province's new Mental Health Action Plan and a patient assistance fund to support those with multiple sclerosis.
Dube adds more than $2.5 million is set aside for the implementation of a comprehensive diabetes strategy.

Social Assistance Cheques Arriving Early

Your monthly social assistance cheque will be early arriving by mail a week early.
Due to a possible strike at Canada Post, the Department of Social Development is mailing monthly social assistance cheques today.  The cheques being delivered will be dated for June 1.

Social Development Minister Sue Stultz adds a possible work stoppage is a good time to remind clients they can avoid a potential delay by signing up for direct deposit.     The department produces 24,000 cheques to New Brunswickers every month.

For more information click here

Charges Laid In Fatal Collision

A fatal collision over the long holiday weekend involving two trucks along Golden Grove Road resulting in four charges being laid against a Wright Street man, 35 year old Vincent Eric Reid.

The most serious charge is impaired driving causing the death of Gerald Troy Bridges who was in his 30's.

 Reid is also charged with two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm to two other people with a third such charge expected to be laid at the end of the week.

 He has been remanded to jail pending a bail hearing Friday afternoon.

Christine Saumire's daughter was in one of the trucks and she tells CHSJ News this is a tragedy affecting many people if not the entire community.

City To Study Deer Bylaw

Councillor Bill Farren wants a by-law enacted to prevent people from feeding deer within the city limits.

Farren says he has been getting calls from residents on the west side about deer ending up in their backyards and on their property.

He says residents are worried about a decline in their property values as well as health concerns because getting sick from a wild animal is no joke because they carry ticks.

Council has referred the issue to the city solicitor.

City Shies Away From Mixed Martial Arts Events

The journey to legalize Mixed Martial Arts events in Saint John has not gotten out of the first round.

Ground "N" Pound Entertainment wanted Common Council to add a by-law to the criminal code which would allow M-M-A events in the city but councillors voted not to hear the presentation based on advice they got from the city solicitor.

The group has been referred to the province as the city claims it has no jurisdiction to change part of the criminal code. City Solicitor John Nugent claims it's a matter for the province or the federal government.

Co-owner of Ground N Pound Entertainment Chris Archer tells CHSJ News it's a small setback and he will gladly make his case to the province.

He says Moncton and Shediac were able to enact the by-law locally and are enjoying thousands in economic spin-offs and predicts MMA events could bring up to half a million dollars in revenue to the city.

Shuttle Service To Start To Ease Uptown Parking

The city's parking commission is starting a free shuttle service to try and alleviate some of the parking congestion in the uptown.

The shuttle will go from the Peel Plaza construction site to the Crown Street parking lot.

Councillor Chris Titus says the hope is the tradespeople working on the new courthouse and police headquarters will use the service in order to open up more parking spaces nearby.
 
The shuttle will operate from 6 until 8 in the morning and from 3:30-5:30 at night starting June 1st.

Liberals Critical Of Energy Commission's Final Report

The Opposition Liberals not impressed with the final report from the New Brunswick Energy Commission.

The report contains 50 recommendations for the province on how to develop a 10-year energy plan.

Energy Critic Brian Kenny tells CHSJ News there are two key issues missing from the report which are how the government will deal with NB Power's five billion dollar debt and the costs at Point Lepreau. He warns not only is the debt is not going away, it continues to grow each day.
Kenny predicts those two issues will drive up residential power rates and should have been dealt with in the report.

The energy commission is recommending New Brunswick increase its reliance on natural gas as the province makes the transition to using more renewable energy.

The commission points out natural gas is used in 49 per cent of households in Canada, but only 4.3 per cent in New Brunswick.

Raphael Shay of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick says natural gas has a history of volatile price swings.

The Term "Bed Blockers" Called Insulting To Seniors

The term bed blockers to describe those seniors who find themselves in hospital beds when they should be in nursing homes if the space were available is being denounced.

Micheal Keating is Executive-Director of the Provincial Association of Nursing Homes calls it unfair and points out no one describes the children in pediatrics bed blockers but it's almost as if old people aren't allowed to be sick.

 Keating says nursing homes could be built in such a way they would be able to be converted down the road to another use.

O'Hara Newest Member Of Quispam Council

The newest member of Quispamsis Town Council says she is both delighted and honoured to sit around the council horseshoe. 

O'Hara was officially sworn in this afternoon, after winning the May 9th by-election by roughly 500 votes.

O'Hara says she wants to tackle road safety issues in Quispamsis.

She says there is a heavy flow of traffic in the Cedar Ridge area and she wants to work with council to see what solutions are available.  
O'Hara says while campaigning parents also expressed concerns that there is no longer a skate park in the area, so she would like to look into that issue as well.

O'Hara is replacing Gerry Maher, who resigned in December.

Grand Manan 5 Should Return To Service By June 11th

The Grand Manan V should be back in service next month.
The regular vessel providing ferry service between Blacks Harbour and Grand Manan suffering mechanical trouble and structural damage when it ran aground while docking last Wednesday.

Transportation Minister Claude Williams tells CHSJ News the ferry is now in dry dock in Quebec where it is being repaired and it will return to service in Blacks Harbour on June 11th.
In the meantime, the MV Grand Manan is transporting vehicles and passengers on five runs per day, one more than the regular schedule.  For more info on the schedule call 506-662-3724 or click here

RCMP Bust Pennfield Grow Op

Early this morning, RCMP busting a grow op at a Pennfield home and arrested two men.

During the search officers seized about 170 marijuana plants and clones in various stages of cultivation along with growing equipment.
Once fully matured the plants could have produced up to 85,000 marijuana joints.

A 35-year-old man and a 42-yearold man faces charges and are due in court on July 15th.

Five Face Charges After Being Caught Driving While Impaired

City police laying multiple impaired driving charges over the long weekend including a head-on collision on Golden Grove early Sunday morning resulting in the death of a man is his 30's. Another man in his 30's is in court today facing a charge of impaired driving causing death.

Spotchecks, citizen complaints and accidents over the weekend leading to four other impaired driving charges against a 38-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, a 29-year-old man and a 40-year-old man.

All four faces charges of impaired driving and will be in court at a later date.

Province Receives Energy Commission's Final Report

The Province now has the final report from the New Brunswick Energy Commission containing more than 50 recommendations for developing a 10-year energy plan.


Co-chairs Jeannot Volpé and William Thompson put the final document together after receiving input from those attending public meetings, makingpresentations, those who gave written and online input or took part in dialogue sessions over the past six months.

Energy Minister Craig Leonard says the government will examine the document and take the necessary time to review the recommendations.

5 key objectives include developing a plan for low and stable priced energy and producing, distributing and transmitting energy in an environmentally responsible manner. To see the full report: click here

Airport Funding And Deer To Come Up At Common Council

Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase will ask Common Council tonight to invite the President of the Saint John Airport to speak on why the airport hasn't received federal funding.

Airport President and C-E-O Bernie LeBlanc tells CHSJ News the airport can't receive federal funding unless it's part of a specific program because of its location on federal land.

He says it's hard for the airport to generate enough income to pay for upgrades because the airport has less than half a million passengers a year.

LeBlanc says the Saint John Airport is lucky because it is not in immediate need of funding but will need to come up with 20 million dollars in 2018 when the runways are due to be resurfaced.

When he was running as a Liberal candidate in the recent federal election, Chase warned Saint John could find itself without an airport a few years down the road if there was no federal infusion of cash.

Also tonight, Councillor Bill Farren will be pressing for the city to adopt a bylaw to stop people from feeding deer in the city.

Port Authority Happy With Relations With City

A lack of elected representatives the Port of Saint John's annual general meeting this past week isn't troubling Port Authority chair Stephen Campbell.

He tells CHSJ News he thinks the Authority has a good working relationship with the city.
 
Campbell also says the Authority has probably had greater engagement in the past year with municipal, provincial and federal politicians than it has ever had in its fifteen year history.
 
He adds the port is having ongoing discussions with the city on a number of joint issues, some of which aren't easy.

Literacy Scores Released In School District 6

The grades are in for the School District Six 2010 Literacy Assesments.

In the writing section of the grade 10 French Second Language Assessments, students scored 2 per cent lower than the provincial average.

Superintendent Andrew Hopper tells CHSJ News writing will probably be a focus area for literacy mentors moving forward.

At the Grade 7 level, students scored above the provincial average in both reading and writing.

Sussex Meeting Tonight On Shale Gas

Whether or not the public wins in the hearing against the Penobsquis Potash Mine over wells drying up will set a precedent if there are any problems that stem from shale gas development.

That from Bethany Thorne-Dykstra of the Citizens for Responsible Resource Development. Dykstra tells CHSJ News she attended the first day of the hearing being held in Sussex and thought the process used to seek damages seemed a little vague.

She says the Minister of Natural Resources Bruce Northrup has made it clear the mining commissioner is the only recourse available to people seeking damages outside of the court room.
 
 A town hall meeting will be held tonight at St. Paul's United Church in Sussex on shale gas development and the controversial extraction process known as "fracking".