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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Atlantic Mayors Send Message To Prime Minister On Ferry Service











(Mayor Ivan Court)
    (File Photo)

Mayors from Atlantic Canada getting together in the city to talk about ferry service.

Mayor Ivan Court is worried the Princess of Acadia between Saint John and Digby will not survive without sustainable funding from the federal government and that would be a big loss considering the numbers.....150 thousand so far this year.
 
The Mayors want the federal government to treat the ferry service the same as highways as part of the transportation system. 
 
Court maintains by the end of the year almost as many people will have used the Princess of Acadia as visit Saint John on cruise ships each year. Tomorrow, the Mayors will be talking about funding for their aging infrastructure.

More Human Remains Found On Grand Manan Beach

Another shocking discovery made by someone taking a stroll along a beach on Grand Manan. RCMP Sergeant Greg MacAvoy says someone out walking found partial skeletal remains about a kilometre from the site where they were found two weeks ago.


He says it's impossible to tell now if they are from the same person.

Identification, according to Sergeant McAvoy, could take several weeks to determine after forensic testing is done. Police do have several possibilities, we are told, of people who have gone missing from the area in recent years.

Saint John Board of Trade want career Saint Johners

Local high school students getting some career and life advice from Olympic Gold Medallist Jamie Korab.

Korab spoke at a job fair luncheon at the Trade and Convention Centre and encouraged students to work hard and pursue their dreams.

The Saint John Board of Trade was hosting the event and Chair Mike Murphy tells CHSJ News it's important to get high school students thinking about possible careers right here in Saint John.

He says Saint John is a thriving city with many career opportunities in energy, healthcare, and business.

23 People Forced Out After North End Fire

23 people forced out their homes after a fire in the North end this morning.
The call came around 8 this morning and fire crews arriving on the scene could see flames were shooting from the ground floor of the 8-unit building on Taylor Avenue.

Five people were checked out in hospital for smoke inhalation.


The Red Cross and other agencies are looking after the displaced tenants arranging accomodation along with food and clothing.


Two of the eight townhouses on Taylor Avenue are vacant.
The fire was mostly contained to one but others had smoke and water damage and the cause is under investigation.

Rothesay Mayor Will Not Rule Out Amalgamation

Amalgamation between Rothesay and Quispamis is not out of the question.
Quispamsis Town Councillor Gerry Maher surprised the Mayor and Council by suggesting at last night's meeting that money be set aside in next year's budget to fund a study looking at the idea.
Rothesay Mayor Bill Bishop tells CHSJ News he has talked to Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll on this.
Bishop says he and Driscoll both agree that is may be time to look at the situation but, it would have been better for both towns to sit and look at jointly funding a study.


Bishop says the idea will not be on the agenda for next week's meeting of Rothesay council but, he says it could go on before the end of the year.

Vets being honoured with luncheon

Sobeys in Rothesay is the scene of the 13th annual Veterans lunch.

The event honours veterans from World War 2 and the Korean War.

Store manager and co-organizer of the event Donnie Gass tells CHSJ News it's important to keep honouring our veterans.

Four other stores in Miramichi and Nova Scotia will be holding similar luncheons.

Leger Will Also Run In Ward 3

(Unofficial Ward 3 Candidate Mark Leger)

A community developer and former editor of Here magazine is giving municipal politics a try.
Mark Leger is the fifth candidate to come forward to the unofficial by-election next month in Ward 3.
Leger tells CHSJ News that disagreement around the horseshoe is natural.

He says we have to find a way to disagree and at the end of the day to respect each other and find a way to collaborate.
Leger lives Uptown and is a community development co-ordinator with the Saint John Human Development Council.

Another Candidate Running In Saint John Byelection

At least four candidates will be vying for the vacant seat on Common Council when the December 13th byelection is held for voters in ward 3.

The byelection was called after Carl Killen was elected as the M-L-A for Saint John Harbour.

The latest candidate to announce is Mel Norton. He graduated from Saint John High in 1992 getting a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science at U-N-B Saint John before earning a law degree from U-N-B in Fredericton in 1999.

He also serves as a Reserve Legal Officer with the Canadian Forces and describes himself as an advocate for more affordable housing in the city.

Fire In North End Apartment Building















(Fire In Apartment Building On Taylor Avenue)
           (Photo By Ryan Butler)

There could be as many as 7 families homeless after a fire this morning in the north end. It broke out around 8:00 in an 8 unit apartment building on Taylor Avenue.

Flames could be seen raging from the ground floor of the building through the roof. The building was evacuated.

The Red Cross is being called to help out those families who have been forced from their apartments.

Quispamsis Town Councillor Wants Amalgamation Studied












(Quispamsis Councillor Gerry Maher)
             (File Photo)

The hot topic of amalgamation between Quispamsis and Rothesay is about to heat up again.

Quispamsis Councillor Gerry Maher wants town council to set aside money in the 2011 budget to conduct a study on the pros and cons of amalgamation.

He tells CHSJ News amalgamation could be on the ballot in the 2012 municipal vote and people need to know the pros and cons.

Councillor Maher will be making a motion for the money at November 16th council meeting. He says early estimates put the cost of such a study at around 60-thousand dollars and hopes Rothesay council will enact a similar motion in the near future.

Voluntary Standards Emerge From Aquaculture Conference

The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogues have wrapped up in the city.

The event saw representatives from salmon farms, environmental groups, and fishing associations revise a draft of voluntary standards designed to keep salmon farming sustainable and responsible.

Jose Villalon is the managing director of Aquaculture for the World Wildlife Fund in the U.S and he tells CHSJ News the standards touch upon all the major issues like disease control and farmed salmon getting into the wild population.

The standards will be open for public comments and further revision before being finalized. Villalon concedes it's not easy trying to find some middle ground for all the players involved.


Emergency Exercise Today At Canaport









(Aerial View Of Canaport L-N-G)
           (File Photo)

Don't panic, it's only a test. The Canaport L-N-G facility is conducting an emergency response exercise between 8am and 5pm today and even the staff do not know the scenario before it starts.

Kate Shannon tells CHSJ News local residents will see and hear the event as it unfolds with emergency vehicles going back and forth with their sirens sounding.

The purpose of this exercise is to test Canaport L-N-G’s emergency plans and response.

Normal operations at the terminal will not be affected by the exercise which is set to start at 8 this morning and run until 5pm.