With a shale gas forum being held in Fredericton tomorrow, not everyone who will be impacted is invited.
Stephanie Merrill with the province's Conservation Council tells CHSJ News the forum is invite-only, even though there are many New Brunswickers who are upset about the province's plans to move forward with shale gas exploration.
Merrill says there shouldn't be this argument of the environment vs. the economy.
She says it may not be that good for the economy if it ends up causing problems down the road and the government has to shell out money for increased health care needs and water replacement.
The Alward Government is throwing good money after bad attempting to get rid of the mould which has forced closure of part of the Grand Manan Nursing Home. So says Liberal M-L-A Rick Doucette who tells CHSJ News he doesn't understand why the Conservatives are doing yet another review.
He says an independent review of the homes found 11 were set to be replaced due to health concerns and it's still sitting on the back burner. The former Liberal government proposed a 9 million new facility for the community. Doucette goes on to say 100 thousand dollars has been spent on the mould this year alone at the Grand Manan Nursing Home without any discernible improvement.
Meanwhile Social Development Minister Sue Stultz says the province is working to address the mould issue. She tells CHSJ News building a new nursing home would not have prevented the problem because the new home wouldn't have been constructed until 2012. Stultz says the province is moving forward with their review of nursing homes as quickly as possible, and does plan to move forward as soon as any deficiencies are identified.
45 Marr Road in Rothesay getting an initial "okay" from council for the development of two 8-unit appartment buildings and office space. Sheila MacDougall lives nearby and says she and her neighbours are worried about incresed noise and traffic, as well as decreased property value.
MacDougall says they don't want any type of business on that residential property adding the homeowners will suffer. Land owner David Long says he lives in Rothesay and he's trying to add to the community, not take away from it. He says it will be an upscale project with full landscaping that is well maintained.
Premier David Alward says Invest NB will hit the ground running by July 1st.
He tells CHSJ News the group in bringing together it's private sector board of directors and doing some hiring. Invest NB is designed to foster job creation and attract investment to the province.
Provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard says talks between the province and the federal government are going well with regards to the cost overruns on the Point Lepreau Refurbishment. The project is 3 years behind schedule and the province believes is should not be on the hook for the payment of replacement power.
Leonard tells CHSJ News negotiations are progressing well but litigation is in the backpocket. He says the two sides will be meeting again in the coming weeks.
While the postal strike drags on, the province is putting in place measures to minimize the impact before the services return to normal. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, regional offices of the Department of Social Development will distribute social assistance cheques at specific locations. You can also call the nearest office to hear a recorded message about where to pick up their cheque. You will need to produce a health card and one other piece of i.d. to pick up your cheque.
To find locations for picking up social assistance cheque next week click here You can also call 506-444-4131.
Clients who normally make Family Support payments by mail are encouraged to use online or telephone banking or make payments in person at their local Service New Brunswick office. Employers are also encouraged to use direct deposit to make payments. For more info on the government's efforts to minimize the impact of the postal strike, click here
Disappointing news for residents of Oakville Acres in Rothesay as they learn a detention pond will not be going in this fall to deal with flooding issues.
Mayor Bill Bishop says the town tried to get a necessary piece of land through expropriation but the land owner has appealed and that will take time.
Terry Melles of Oakville Acres says she's disappointed but remains optimistic the project will go forward next year.
Another obstacle is working something out with Quispamsis about what to do with a lift station because the detention pond could could have an effect.
The town is also waiting for the go ahead from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which still needs to approve the project.
"Deplorable"..........That's how Liberal M-L-A Rick Doucette describes conditions at the Grand Manan Nursing Home where four elderly residents, one of them over a hundred years old and another with advanced dementia, are sleeping in the dining area because of an ongoing problem with mould which has forced the closure of part of the home.
Doucette tells us the people who work at the nursing home are also being adversely affected with at least one staff member on sick leave.
Construction of a new nursing home was to have started this spring but is on hold because of the provincial government's budget problems.
Doucette argues hundred of thousand of dollars have been spent trying to get rid of the mould and, in the long run, it would be less costly to build a new nursing home.
Money from the provincial government will help IT company Innovatia fulfil a new contract with a global technology client.
The province is investing 3.3 million dollars into the the company -- 425-thousand dollars will be used a payroll rebate while 75-thousand dollars will be used to upgrade infrastructure.
Co-owner of Innovatia David Grebenc tells CHSJ News they have already filled 35 new jobs.
A tourist fixture in the Uptown is bigger and better this summer. Barbour's General Store and Museum are offering hot and cold tea, "tea"-shirts and a spot to play checkers. Sylvia MacVey-President of G.E. Barbour Inc. says they decided to expand after a complete change in the management team.
She says it's a way of showing Saint Johners they are part of the community now, always have been and will be for a long time. The expansion is allowing the company to hire about ten staff and they will be hiring more people as they plan to increase their hours to tie in with events on the boardwalk.
There was a brief court appearance for a 10 year veteran of the Saint John Police Department.
34 year old Chris Messer is charged with assault causing bodily harm, assault and uttering threats. Those charges were laid after an outside investigation carried out by Miramichi Police.
Messer's home was also the target of a drive by shooting and breakin.
Messer's lawyer, Brian Munro elected trial by judge and jury.
Another court appearance is scheduled for July 22nd at which time a date for a preliminary hearing will be scheduled. That hearing will determine if there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.
Two years in prison for a 28 year old Sussex man, Joseph Shortridge of Fowler Avenue who stole 7 handguns May 27th from Sussex Outfitters on Main Street. All of the handguns were recovered.
Shortridge claims he wasn't in his right mind when he stole the guns, had no intention of selling them and even thought about returning them when he realised what he had done.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen credit card, theft of a $125 jacket from a store in Market Square, possession of marijuana and failing to make an earlier court appearance in Saint John
As June draws to a close grade twelve students in Districts 6 and 8 are picking up their caps and gowns for graduation.
Belleisle Regional High School holding the first graduation ceremony of the week tomorrow night at 7pm in their school gym. Sussex Regional High and St. Mac's both have ceremonies on Thursday. St. Mac's goes at 6:30 at the school, while the Sussex ceremony starts at 7 at the 8th Hussars Sports Centre.
Provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard is hoping the shale gas industry will be in full swing by next near.
He tells CHSJ News their priority right now is to get industry regulations up to par in order to handle such an expansion.
He acknowledges there has been vocal opposition against such development but he says it's a matter of educating the public about the safety and success of the industry in other jurisdictions.
He says revenue generated by shale gas is estimated at 300-400 million dollars a year, which would make a huge dent in the province's debt.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says thing are not looking good them once back-to-work legislation get enacted and an arbitrator is brought in to settle their dispute with Canada Post.
Local President Wally Moore tells CHSJ News the government appointed arbitrator will be choosing either Canada Post's offer or the unions -- and he's pretty sure how things will turn out.
He says the corporation will get everything they want and the Union and workers will get none of the things they want. He says government involvement has already cost the union a bump in wages -- as the back-to-work legislation includes wage increases that are even lower than what Canada Post was offering.
It's been almost 3 months since City police began using the online tool CrimeMapping.com. The software identifies the type of crimes happening in any given neighbourhood. Deputy Chief Bruce Connell tells CHSJ News it encourages public involvement. He says one of the options is the public can email the department about crimes in their neighbourhood. He adds the force can then send units out to those areas for follow-up. You can register for alerts about crimes in your neighbourhood. To sign up, click here
Four guilty pleas from a Wright Street man charged after a fatal head on crash between two trucks on Golden Grove Road May 22nd.
35 Year old Vincent Eric Reid will be sentenced July 18th for impaired driving causing the death of Gerald Troy Bridges and three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm for injuries suffered by three women passengers.
Reid has been remanded to jail and a presentence report has been ordered by Judge Anne Jeffries.
For those of you receiving Employment Insurance cheques, Service Canada is reminding you they are not being mailed out like other government cheques and will have to be picked up due to the postal strike.
However, Canada Post will continue to deliver Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security benefit cheques.
To find out where to pick up your EI cheque, click here.
Two young children who were injured when an A-T-V flipped over in Red Head were treated and released from hospital.
Police say a woman and two children were riding just before noon yesterday on Harbourview Drive when the A-T-V crashed and the children, both under the age of 5, were pinned underneath.
Reports from the scene indicated helmets were not being worn.
