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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Brief Power Outage In The City Today

It's the kind of power outage you like to have....short.
The lights went out in the North End and Millidgeville for 28 minutes between 4 and 5 this afternoon.

Eric Marr of Saint John Energy tells CHSJ News the problem was a loss of supply with NB Power transmission lines to the Millidgeville substation.
The lines were rerouted and power was restored to almost 4600 residents.

Spreading The Word On The Dangers Of A Potato Gun













            (Picture Of A Home-Made Potato Gun)
                              (File Photo)

As the amount of damages continue to pile up around the metro area because of potato guns in the last month and a half, City Police are pointing out just how dangerous of a weapon it can be for both the victim and the user.
The gun can propel a potato, tennis ball of other objects at a speed that can do some serious damage or injury.
There also a danger to the person using the weapon or that is around it when fired.
Just a few years ago, A 21 year old man was killed in Sioux Falls, Iowa in when a Potato Gun exploded while being prepared to fire.

Grand Bay Westfield Man Is Missing











The search is on by RCMP for a missing Grand Bay Westfield man.


Officers tell us they were called to Nelson Lake last night to find an aluminum boat drifting in the water at seven o'clock.

The boat had two life jackets in it and the man has been missing since Sunday night.


RCMP also tell us the 46-year old man was neither an experienced boater or swimmer.

Highlights Of Speech On Business Development By People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin

Waiting For Word On Rothesay Arena













(Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop)
         (File Photo)

Town officials in Rothesay continue to wait for word from the Province about land needed for an expansion of it's arena.
The proposal has been on the table for years but Mayor Bill Bishop tells CHSJ News, until the property is signed over to the municipality, this is as far as it goes.
Bishop met with Liberal Leader Shawn Graham late last week who assured him the land will be handed over to the town.

Talking Business with Leader Of The Peoples Alliance
















            (Peoples Alliance Leader Kris Austin)
                            (File Photo)

The leader of the People's Alliance party says it's time to stop offering companies grants to relocate here. Kris Austin says handing out grants isn't working - companies take the money and when the grants dry up - they close up and leave.


He thinks offering companies a tax holiday for a three year period is the better way to go.


Austin is also calling for a reduction of the regulatory jungle faced by businesses.

Update On Stabbing In Rothesay














A bail hearing will be held tomorrow for 21-year old Mary Lisa Carrier.


She is accused of attempted murder after a man was stabbed in the chest of a Scott Avenue apartment in Rothesay during the Labour Day Weekend.
Carrier has under-gone a psychiatric exam and has been found fit to stand trial.


Carrier hasn't entered a plea to the charge and this point.
Sargeant Craig McDougall with the Rothesay Regional Police Major Crime Unit tells CHSJ News, the investigation into the incident and whether the charge will be down-graded should be determined over the next week.

Party Leaders Debates Go Tonight














All five party leaders will take part in English and French debates tonight in what many are calling a decisive day in the Provincial Election Campaign.


Donald Wright is a Political Scientist at UNB and tells CHSJ News, with the latest poll showing a sizeable lead for the Conservatives, the pressure is on David Alward.


Wright adds all the leaders will attack the Conservative platform as well to try and find holes or contradictions.

District Eight To Host Open Houses










(District Eight Superintendent Susan Tipper)
              (File Photo)

Superintendent Susan Tipper tells CHSJ News it's beneficial for students, parents and teachers so they can all meet and learn the functions of the school.


Open Houses will be held in District 8 from 6-8pm for kindergarten through grade 8 on the 20th, on the 21st for high school and on the 22nd for kindergarten to grade 5.
Brown's Flat school will host their open house on the 23rd at 6:30pm because their principal also works at Morna Height school.

Mayor On Warpath Over Breakdown Of Population In Saint John Area











(Saint John Mayor Ivan Court)
          (File Photo)

Mayor Ivan Court says the city will not be able to function if population trends aren't turned around. He points to numbers which show 47 per cent of workers in the city live outside it.

According to the Mayor, at the very least municipal services should be regionalised but he's also suggesting the province bite the bullet with amalgamation.

Court is also answering the criticism that came his way over his opposition to expanding Highway One in the K-V to six lanes by saying those people who took him to task didn't understand what he was driving at.
 
He maintains the money would be better spent on the road leading from the highway to the university.

Major New Subdivision In The City To Go Ahead















(Saint John Common Councillor Donnie Snook)
                    (File Photo)

A major subdivision with 400 to 500 housing units will be built on King William Road towards Lorneville after a lot of debate about whether it constitutes urban sprawl.

Common Councillor Peter McGuire is still opposed even after learning water and sewage services are already there ready to be used. Another Council member, Gary Sullivan is also opposed saying he's worried the city will wind up with a bunch of empty subdivisions.

Councillor Donnie Snook warns, however, it's dangerous to give developers the impression that no subdivisions will be allowed until a new municipal plan is approved.

Sculpture Unveiled For Harbour Passage As Part Of 225 Celebration















(Scale Model Of "Shards of Time" Sculpture)
              (Photo by Brian McLain)

Common Council has given its okay for the purchase of a 200 thousand dollar work of art called "Shards of Time" to be part of the Saint John 225 celebration. Lisa Hrabluk of the 225 Committee says it will be built along Harbour Passage between Fort LaTour and the Brunswicker.

She says it is mean't to look like a piece of pottery from the Paleo-Indian period from the earliest history of Saint John. Hrabluk says it's hoped people will get the sense of venturing into an archaeological site.

The work is by Peter Powning who will be embedding everyday items of historical interest in the sculpture which the 225 Committee hopes Saint Johnners will donate during a day set aside this fall.

Common Councillor Loc,ks Horns With Enterprise Saint John Over Rumoured Salary Hike















(Saint John Common Councillor Bruce Court)
                      (File Photo)

Common Councillor Bruce Court, meantime, was looking for confirmation about whether the General Manager at Enterprise Saint John was given a hefty salary increase of 20 thousand dollars a year while the city had a wage freeze in place for management.

Enterprise Saint John chair Tony Goguen told Court he would answer his question in closed session but not in open.

Court argued since Enterprise Saint John gets most of its money from taxpayers in the city, then there shouldn't be a problem answering questions about spending in public.

Mayor Warns City Can't Continue Without More Help From Outside Municipalities












(Saint John Mayor Ivan Court)
            (File Photo)

Enterprise Saint John says the city's business community is optimistic these days with the local economy more diversified now than it was 15 years ago. Enterprise Saint John chair Tony Goguen has told Common Council the key to growing the economy in the information age is the quality of your workers which is even more important to business than tax breaks.

Common Councillor Peter McGuire concedes he's struggling with giving Enterprise Saint John another 400 thousand dollars to operate. He believes the time may have arrived for the city to take back control of economic development.

Mayor Ivan Court warns the city can't continue to operate if half the workers live outside the city limits and he's suggesting the outside municipalities will have to start paying for Saint John's infrastructure.

Goguen says a priority with be future development of the knowledge cluster at Tucker Park with the university, Regional Hospital and now medical school.

Saint John Medical Society Hears From Candidates On Healthcare
















(Public Forum On Healthcare At Imperial Theatre)
              (Photo by Tamara Steele)

200 people on hand for a health care debate at the Imperial Theatre with candidates representing all five political parties. They were responding to questions from the Saint John Medical Society on senior care and doctor recruitment.

Rothesay Conservative candidate Margaret Ann Blaney tells CHSJ News this province is not considered "physician-friendly".

Jim Wolstenholme, a Green party candidate in Fredericton who spent 35 years working in health care, tells CHSJ News his party would scrap user fees for ambulance services. The People's Alliance, Conservatives and NDP also pledge to remove the ambulance user fees if elected on September 27th.

The Green Party also advocates collaborative care health clinics which would have nurses and doctors but, also dieticians, pharmacists and psychologists.

Water And Sewage Line Extension In Rothesay Proves Tough Going



















Rock is slowing down the water and sewer line extension project on the Old Rothesay Road. Things got started on June 21st but at this point, crews are laying less than 20 feet of pipe daily because of what they are finding underground.

Crews have begun using explosives to crack the stones to get through the area near Hazen.

While that is going on, crews have also started installing pipe in the opposite direction starting at Colwell Lane and working toward Hazen.
 
The work is expected to finish up by December.

No Dog Park In Rothesay For Time Being

The proposed dog park in Rothesay is on hold for the time being. An environmental concern of contamination has been raised by councilor Don Shea.

It's his belief that a swampy part of the area is where dogs will do their business and owners won't wade into the water to scoop it up.

The motion for the dog park has been tabled until a further investigation about the environmental concern is adressed.

Total cost of the park is just over $9500 dollars and Mayor Bishop indicates they may have found a sponsor for the facility.

Fairville Animal Hospital Wants To Expand

A new look could soon be coming to the Fairville Animal Hospital on Campbell Drive.......After recently become certified in canine rehabilitation, the owner of the Fairville Animal Hospital on Campbell Drive in Rothesay is hoping to expand her services.

Cathy Adams wants to rezone a wooded area behind the current setup and use it as a training space. Adams tells CHSJ News, if council approves the move next month, work on the area can get started right away.

Adams adds the cost of cutting out trails and stairs is minimal compared to what she has invested in underwater equipment also for rehabilitation.