Charity Driven By Women Supports SJ Autism Centre

At the fourth 100 Women Who Care event in Saint John,   the Community Autism Centre got a cheque for over $25,000.

The centre is a room at Woodlawn school that serves over 1400 famillies on an annual budget of $35,000.
 
Lori Bunnell tells CHSJ News they offer support, mentoring and one on one counselling.

She says they are there to answer the phones when parent's receive their child's diagnosis and they don't know where to turn and feel their world is at an end.

The other finalist charities were the Cherry Brook Zoo and Key Industries.

100 Women Who Care is now 280 women strong and the event tonight at the Lily Lake Pavilion had a big crowd.





The next 100 Women Who Care event in Saint John is coming up in June.

For more info on how it works, click here

Fredericton Boy Died Of Cardiac Event

Just before 8:00 a.m. on Monday, police responded to Greenfields Drive in Fredericton after a child collapsed on the side walk.

Paramedics took the boy to the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital where is was declared deceased.

An autopsy was conducted this morning in Saint John. It indicated nine-year-old Garrett Blois died from a sudden cardiac event.

Out of courtesy for the family, no more information will be released at this time.

Flemming Calls Gallant's Questions "Inept", "Cheeky, "Cheap"

Liberal leader Brian Gallant received few answers today in the legislature after posing a series of questions on the current legal woes of deputy premier Paul Robichaud's brother.

Attorney General Ted Flemming remarked that as a lawyer, Brian Gallant should know not to risk prejudicing a case currently before the courts by discussing it in the legislature, commenting that Gallant may have been "making photocopies or getting coffee" during that portion of his "brilliant legal career".

Gallant says he simply wanted a clarification of a procedural questions, and rephrased the question a number of times.

While Flemming accused Gallant of inappropriate and repetitive questioning, Liberal MLA Victor Boudreau pointed out insulting language is also inappropriate in the provincial legislature.

You Will Need Your Shovel On Thursday

The snow we got today is nothing compared to what is coming.

Meterologist Claude Cote of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News a Noreaster is coming our way part of a system that is currently in the state of Iowa.

He says it will start around noon tomorrow as wet snow or rain.

Cote says the worst of it will be overnight Wednesday into Thursday. 

He says the KV could get up to 30 centimetres of snow by noon on Thursday.
 
Saint John is looking at 10-15 centimetres of snow.

District Medical Health Officer Supports Fluoridation

District Medical Health Officer Dr. Scott Giffin finds himself at odds with most of Common Council on the issue of fluoridating the city's water supply. He supports its continuation.
 
Dr. Giffin says toothpaste with fluoride only protects teeth down to the gum whereas fluoride in the water gets right down into the root. 

He maintains fluoridation also makes tooth enamel stronger and reduces the acid which causes cavities and the people who benefit most from fluoridating the water are young children between 1 and 3 years of age before they start school.

Common Councillors Are Unanimous On Mail Service

Saint John is joining the list of municipalities calling for continuation of door to door mail delivery. 

Common Councillor John MacKenzie, who works for Canada Post, says he's heard plenty from Saint Johnners and they don't like the idea of community mailboxes one little bit.
 
Common Councillor Bill Farren says the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is on the case. 

Councillor at Large Shirley McAlary fears more community mailboxes will translate into more jobs being lost which is the last thing Saint John needs.

Councillor Gerry Lowe, who for years was the union rep for local letter carriers, says they do more than just deliver letters. They can sometimes be lifesavers by helping seniors who are alone and find themselves in distress

Rothesay Council Gets Thumbs Up From Retail Council

The Retail Council of Canada is applauding the decision by Rothesay Council to give preliminary approval to allowing store owners to decide when they should operate on Sundays. 

Jim Cormier of the Retail Council in the Atlantic region tells CHSJ News it really doesn't matter whether any of them actually change from noon to 5pm. He says the malls in Moncton and Dieppe still don't open before noonhour on Sundays even though they can if they wish.
 
Cormier says the principle here is that government should not be dictating to shop owners when they should be open and shut.

Kids Can Learn To Curl Through New Program

With the World Women's Curling Championship just a few days away, a program being launched to help get kids into the spirit of the sport. 

New Brunswick curler Andrea Crawford on hand for the official announcement of the program which will teach students the fundamentals of curling, and she tells CHSJ News it's important to engage youth in the sport early on.

The Irving Oil-sponsored program will teach more than 2500 students between grades three and five throughout southern New Brunswick of curling leading up to and during the championships which start this Saturday right here in the Port City.

Campobello Island Man In Jail Following Fight

A 30 year old man remains in jail after an incident involving a weapon on Campobello Island.

RCMP got a complaint Sunday night about a fight involving four men at Wilson's Beach.   Police were told a gun was pointed and fired but no one was hurt.

Matthew Ray Dwayne Stanley of Campobello Island was charged with uttering threats to cause death.

If you know anything about this crime, contact the RCMP at 506-755-1130 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Slippery Road Conditions Cause Succession Of Accidents

A slew of traffic accidents happening after 8:30 this morning as road conditions worsened with the latest snow we're getting. 

Emergency crews were called out to at least three accidents in less than half an hour including a car striking the guardrail going westbound on the highway at the Rothesay Avenue overpass, a car colliding with a hydro pole at McDonald Street and Park Avenue near Loch Lomand mall along with and a rollover along the highway.  No serious injuries have been reported.

 In Charlotte County, a schoolbus left the road on Highway 1 by the Frye Road. There were no students on board and the driver is fine.

Fluouridation Of City's Water To Stop

Common Council was divided right down the middle on whether to continue fluoridating the city's water supply.

Common Councillor David Merrithew calls it terribly inefficient considering the small percentage of Saint Johnners who actually benefit. His fellow Ward 4 councillor, Ray Strowbridge calls it an epic business failure.
 
The President of the New Brunswick Dental Society Dr. Geoff Clark says the fluoride in toothpaste doesn't get down into the roots of developing teeth like fluoridated water does. Ward 3 Councillor Donna Reardon, who spoke in favour of continuing fluoridation, argued it's almost impossible to get a job if you don't have any teeth.

Councillor at Large Shirley McAlary pointed out, the new water treatment plant would cost an additional 700 thousand dollars if fluoridation were continued and there are people in the city who believe it's a poison being added to their water without their consent.

It was Mayor Mel Norton who cast the deciding vote to discontinue fluoridation, saying Common Council had to stick to its fundamental priorities of economic development, better roads and recreation..

Serena Perry Inquest Looking Increasingly Complex

The inquest into the death of Serena Perry appears to be becoming increasingly complex, with Horizon Health, the SJPD, and the Perry family all looking to represent their interests in court.

Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News the SJPD is pursuing standing in the inquest now because a court has already granted Horizon health the ability to cross-examine and call witnesses. He says the police want the public and those effected by Perry's death to know they did their due diligence.

Questions have been raised about the amount of time it took hospital officials to notify police of Perry's death, as well as the handling of the crime scene itself.

Rothesay Retailers Could Soon Set Their Own Sunday Shopping Hours

Retailers in Rothesay may soon be free to set their own Sunday shopping hours. 

Town council passing first and second reading of a bylaw amendment to remove the limitation of hours of operation from noon to 5pm on that day.

 Mayor Bill Bishop tells CHSJ News the idea that local retailers could be losing business because of the restriction is concerning to council, saying they would like to be supportive of the merchants and businesses in the valley since they've gone to some expense to set up their shops and they pay taxes to the town of Rothesay.

Council will make their final decision at the next meeting of council on April 14. Extended Sunday shopping hours took effect in Saint John in October of last year.

Shephard Eyes Re-Election in Saint John Lancaster

Dorothy Shephard wants to keep representing the people of Saint John-Lancaster winning the nomination last night for the Provincial vote in September.
 
Given the well-known Liberal names seeking the nomination, CHSJ News asked Shephard if she thinks she'll be facing a challenge.

She says you can't worry about who is running.   She adds in the end that candidate will be running under a Brian Gallant banner of moratorium and press pause and she'll focus on that.

Shephard's supporters on hand last night at the Branch 69 Legion included fellow MLA's Blaine Higgs, Ted Flemming and Glen Savoie.

Police Confirm The Death of a Fredericton Child

Fredericton police confirm the sudden death of a 10-year old boy this morning.

The call came in around 8am of a boy collapsing on Greensfield Drive in Fredericton.

Police and paramedics responded and the boy was declared dead in hospital.

An autopy will be conducted. 

The child's name is not being released right now.

Vigilante Justice In Alleged Microwave Assault

From provincial court: a strange tale of birthday wishes, violence, and assault with a microwave.

A 30-year-old Saint John woman pleaded guilty in court this afternoon to common assault. Crystal McGarity was charged with kicking and punching the brother of her ex-boyfriend in the parking lot of a local bottle exchange.

McGarity admitted she pulled the man out of a car and assaulted him because she heard he threw a microwave at his mother and failed to wish her a happy birthday.

McGarity was ordered to pay a $100 fine and stay out of trouble.

Be Aware of Problem Gambling

Problem gambling devastates families, friends and communities. 

That from Health Minister Ted Flemming as the province marks Gambling Awareness Week

Flemming says it's important to raise awareness about the warning signs and where people can get help.

The warning signs can include a preoccupation with gambling, betting large amounts of money or borrowing money for gambling, not being able to quit or cut back and gambling to win back losses or 'chasing'.

23,000 adults in this province suffer from problem gambling.

In New Brunswick about 23,000 adults suffer from problem gambling and it can have serious consequences on finances, relationships, employment and wellness.

Information on problem gambling is available at addiction centres or by calling the confidential, toll-free, 24-hour New Brunswick Gambling Information line at 1-800-461-1234.
 

RCMP Seek Sexual Assault Suspect

RCMP releasing a sketch of a man they are looking for in relation to a sexual assault outside a Moncton apartment building.

Around 11pm on February 2nd,  a woman was about to enter her home on Prince Street when a man forced her to the ground touching her in a sexual manner.

She got away and a witness called 911 and the suspect took off and could not be located. 



The man is described a white and in his late twenties.   He's slim and about 6 feet tall with a scruffy beard and short dair hair.

At the time he was wearing dark pants, a dark blue hoodie and a dark baseball cap.
 
In you know anything, contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS or call the Codiac RCMP at 506-857-2400.

Small Gain In New Housing Starts

The bone chilling temperatures and piles of snow apparently aren't deterring new home construction in the greater Saint John area.
The latest numbers from Canada Mortgage and Housing show 14-new units - mostly multi-residential - breaking ground in the first two months of this year - that's compared to just 9-units underway in the same period last year.
The federal housing agency says new home starts in Moncton and Fredericton are down so far this year with a significant drop in the Hub City being blamed on a slow down in construction of multi-residential units for the rental market.

Lawyer Calls Perry Inquest Hearing A Pandora's Box

There could be even more delays in the already lagging court proceedings to investigate the death of Serena Perry.

At The Court of Queen's bench, the coroner making a request for another stay of the proceedings because now that Horizon Health had been allowed standing in a February 28 court decision, the Saint John Police Force and Perry's mother have also requested to be able to cross examine and call witnesses.

The lawyer for the coroner called it a Pandora's box that has now been opened and now they have to make sure the process is fair to everyone and some interested parties in the case might not even be aware of the proceedings, or able to understand them.

The coroners office is looking to appeal the historic ruling allowing Horizon standing in the case a first in New Brunswick.

They're then asking to resume the process 30 days after the court of appeal makes its decision.