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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Power Outages Wide-Spread Across the Province

It's two steps forward and three steps back for NB Power crews. They have been battling the weather all day trying to get a good portion of it's customers back on the grid. As of eleven o'clock Tuesday night, December.28th, 2285 are still with-out electricity. 1297 are in the Fredericton area, 330 in Rothesay, St. Stephen has 567 homes and businesses in the dark and Bathurst has 88.

Our radio stations, CHSJ and 97.3 The Wave were also hit by the power outage, with the signal for both stations down for a good portion of the day

Stricter Regulations at Saint John Airport


[Saint John Aiport---File Photo]

With stricter regulations in place about what passengers are able to carry onto an airplane, the Saint John Airport is recommending people travelling to the United States arrive earlier for their flights.

President Bernie LeBlanc tells CHSJ News, the regulations do not have a significant impact on operations.
There are exceptions to the regulations. Laptops, cameras, medications and small purses are still allowed onto the plane.
LeBlanc says nearly 25 per cent of traffic from the Saint John Airport travels to, or from the U.S.
The regulations have been increased due to a failed terrorist attack on Christmas Day in Detroit.

Vehicle Ends Up in Ditch Near Norton

Sussex RCMP are reporting a single vehicle accident near Norton yesterday.

The accident happened on Highway 124, when the 34 year old driver lost control on an icy road and ended up overturned in a ditch.
The vehicle was carrying 3 children, and the drivers 9 year old son was taken to the Sussex Health Centre, to be later released with minor injuries.

City Roads Getting Cleared


[Germain Street at 1:35pm----Photo by Dave Briggs]

Municipal Operations are on target for having all priority roads cleared this evening.

Deputy Commissioner of Municipal Operations Kevin Rice tells CHSJ News, so far operations have been running smoothly, with just a few minor maintenance issues this morning.
Rice says he's been getting great feedback from plow operators about the level of cooperation from uptown residents with vehicles.
Rice says plows have been able to clear uptown roads after one or two runs, rather than three to four like last year.
He says the important thing to remember during a snowfall is to be patient, because every road will be cleared.

Update on Barnwood Pub Robbery

The 55 year old Saint John man appearing in court in relation to an incident at the Barnwood Pub in Rothesay is being remanded for a psychiatric exam.

Adrien John Lepage appeared in court today in connection with the armed robbery of the pub, and the abduction of an employee.
Lepage did not enter a plea during his initial court appearance, and will be back in front of a judge on January the 5th.

New Rules for Selling or Purchasing a Condo

For the first time since 1969, a change is being made to the purchase and sale processes for condominiums in the province.

The Condominium Property Act aims to modernize the approval process, as well as increase transparency in the purchase and sale process.
Those looking to buy a condo will be given a 10 day cooling off period to obtain legal advice and to review any documents outlining the rules and requirements for living in a condominium community.
Over the past 15 years, condos have become popular housing choices, with more than 200 community's located throughout the province.
The new act goes into place on January the 1st.

BOT Expects Costco to Attract More Shoppers













[President of the Saint John Board of Trade Imelda Gilman----File Photo]

2009 was a good year for Saint John. So says the President of the Saint John Board of Trade, Imelda Gilman who tells CHSJ News it could have been alot worse considering the economic meltdown.
Gilman is looking forward to the opening of Costco in the spring which she says will attract more shoppers to Saint John.

Accident in St. George

Traffic along highway one westbound at St. George had to be detoured this morning after a head on-collision involving two cars. One person was taken to hospital after complaining of some pain.

MacIntyre Looks Back on 2009










[M-L-A Roly MacIntyre---File Photo]
 

The court house issue has been resolved, the emergency room expansion at the Regional continues to move ahead and the first students for the new Medical School are being interviewed. Just some of the highlights for the city from the eyes of Saint John East MLA Roly MacIntyre. He tells CHSJ News, regardless of the attention the NB Power proposal has and continues to receive, they are moving ahead with the capital budget.
MacIntyre adds not only is he proud of the work in the past year, very pleased with the accomplishments over the past 15. He will not re-offer in the Provincial election in September.

Accident in Hampton

The RCMP in Hampton reporting a single vehicle accident last night in the Hammond River area which injured three young people. police say their vehicle hit a patch of ice and left the road. Their injuries were not serious even though one of them was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle.

Road and Weather Conditions this Morning




If you are out and about on the roads this morning, we are getting reports of very treacherous conditions. There was a report earlier of a tractor trailer that jack knifed on Highway one westbound just past the Lorneville exit and a car went off ther McKay Highway going westbound between Quispamsis and Hampton. Linda Libby of Environment Canada tells CHSJ News the snow is expected to end around noonhour and then it gets alot colder tonight and tomorrow morning.

By contrast, the temperature yesterday reached plus 6. Libby didn't know for sure but says it could very well have set a new record high for the date.

Fire Chief Reflects on 2009












[Fire Chief Rob Simonds---Photo Courtesy of saintjohn.ca]
Looking back at the past 12 months, there certainly was a lot of down time for the City Fire Department. Along with the thousands of calls, they were kept busy with operational training, capacity building a full review of services at the request of council. Chief Simonds tells CHSJ News, he was thrilled to see members of his force iron out a new contract.

Chief Simonds adds although the fire services review took a great amount of time, it was over-due and helped highlight why they need the resources they have.

The Premier Says The New Year Will Be Challenging








[Premier Shawn Graham----File Photo]
He's calling it the most challenging year of his mandate -- and -- Premier Shawn Graham says the new year will be just as challenging.

Graham says his government has been dealing with reforms of the education - healthcare - and - taxation systems while struggling with the impact of the global recession.
Graham says his government isn't going to coast through the new year while preparing for the fall election -- he says he will continue to move ahead with reforms and the controversial sale of N-B Power to Hydro Quebec.

More People Moving to New Brunswick

Statistics Canada is reporting the population in this province is increasing.

New Brunswick's population increased by .13 per cent, which is the highest quarterly growth since 1991 for this province.
There is growth in population in every Atlantic province, and strong numbers of growth in the west.
This province has the smallest percentage of growth of all Canadian provinces this quarter.

Getting Rid of Your Christmas Tree

Instead of just tossing your Christmas trees on the street, getting them mulched is a far better idea. In Saint John.......you can take your tree to the Gorman Arena in Millidgeville, The Peter Murray and Hilton Belyea are taking trees for the West Side and in East Saint John,it's the Forest Hills Ballfield. A location for the South End is still trying to be found........ In Quispamsis, you can take your tree to the parking lot of the Recreation Center off Meehan's Cove Road and the Walter Jewett Ballfield parking lot. Trees must be dropped of by Jan.8th. In Rothesay, there are four drop-off area's. The Bill McGuire Center, Wells Recreation Field, East Riverside Kingshurst Park and the front lot of the Rothesay Arena.