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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Small Businesspeople Less Optimistic In November





There's alot of uncertainty about what the future economic prospects will be, especially if the new provincial government decides to raise some taxes to try to whittle down the deficit which exceeds 800 million dollars.

Despite that, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is reporting small businesspeople in the province remain generally optimistic although less so in November than they were before.

The C-F-I-B's Andrea Bourgeois tells CHSJ News there might be a reason for that considering the new provincial government is promising to reduce the small business tax by half.

78 per cent of small businesses in the province surveyed say they plan to keep their employment levels steady over the next three to four months. 54 per cent call the overall state of business as good but 64 per cent of the small business owners in the province complain tax and the cost of regulations are causing them grief.

Challenges Ahead for Winning Candidate Of Ward 3









Saint John Harbour MLA Carl Killen say it's a great show of community activism with 6 candidates running for the Ward 3 council seat.

Killen previously held the seat at the council horseshoe but vacated the position after winning the Saint John Harbour riding in the provincial election.

He tells CHSJ News the keys issues in Ward 3 are no different from those in other parts of town, such as clean drinking water, community engagement, and protective services.

He says an important fact the winning candidate needs to keep in mind is there are several distinct neighbourhoods within the ward, including the south end and lower west side.

Saint John MP Says Ferry Service Is A Vital Transportation Link











A huge cash injection for ferry services in the region will keep them afloat until March 31st of 2014.

Included in the $51 million dollar investment from the federal government is the Princess of Acadia Ferry, which goes from Saint John to Digby.

Saint John MP Rodney Weston tells CHSJ News funding ferry service is no different than funding other transportation projects.

When asked if additional funding would be made after 2014, Weston could not confirm it.

Ferry Services Get Financial Lifeline From Ottawa



















( Bay Ferries Vice President Don Cormier)
            (Photo by Brian McLain)

Good news coming out of Ottawa for supporters of the ferry services in this part of the country.

The federal government announcing it will invest enopugh money to keep them running until at least April of 2014. This would include the Princess of Acadia which plies the waters of the Bay of Fundy between Saint John and Digby.

 Bay Ferries Vice-President of Operations and Safety Management, Don Cormier says a decision is looming about getting a replacement at some point down the road. He expects the current ferry will be able to operate for another 4 or 5 years.

Bay Ferries operates two ferry runs in the region and Cormier points to studies by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency showing they generate more than 30 million dollars in benefits and savings.

Common Councillors Want To Talk Directly Tonight To Their Constituents










Do you have a beef with city hall? Here is your chance to vent.

Common Councillors are hosting meetings in all four wards simultaneously tonight. They're being billed as " Let's Talk..A Community Conversation".

The two councillors elected in each ward will be on hand for the discussion. Chris Titus will be appearing with Donnie Snook in Ward 3 which has just the one council member at the moment.

Every meeting starts at 6:30 tonight.

For the complete list, go to our website: country94.ca and click news.

Voters Get A Chance To Meet The Candidates In Ward 3















(From left to right, John Campbell, Jay Chang, Mark Leger, Anne Marie Mullen, Mel Norton and Dan Robichaud)
                      (Photo by Nelson Hum)

About 50 people attending a Meet the Candidates meeting for Ward 3. Most issues brought forth by those attending and the candidates centered around infrastructure, clean drinking water, and community engagement.

Candidate John Campbell tells CHSJ News his approach to city business is quite simple if he's elected......bring forward some logical, feasible solutions to solve some of the issues in the city.

Mark Leger says one of his key goals if elected is to improve park space, like the work being done to Rainbow Park.

Both Former councillor Jay Chang and Mel Norton say they want to increase the accessibility people have to their elected representative.

Dan Robichaud says he wants to unify the ward if elected while Anne Marie Mullen tells us she wants to show people in the ward she's there for them.

 Ward 3 voters go to the polls on December 13th.