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Sunday, November 25, 2012

New Health Coaches To Help Fight Diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, you're about to get a new way to fight it.

New health coaches are gearing up here in Saint John and across the province as part of New Brunswick's new Live Well! program. The $1.7 million partnership between the Department of Health, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Medavie Health Foundation uses a community approach to prevent and manage diabetes.

Lesley Melanson is one of the heath coaches here in Saint John and she tells CHSJ news she'll be helping people between the ages of 16 and 50 fight the chronic disease. She'll be a resource and mentor in helping people get healthy. They'll work with community groups that focus on healthy eating, active living and mental health.

Melanson says a big misconception about type 2 diabetes is most people view it as a disease only older people get and because of this, a lot of young people keep living an unhealthy lifestyle. She says about 10% of people living in Greater Saint John and over 70,000 people in New Brunswick have diabetes. That number is also expected to rise to 128,000 by 2032.

The service is free but you'll need to be refereed to the health coach by a physician or another health care provider.

Fires Destroy Homes In Shediac & Bathurst

Five people in are temporarily homeless after a fire yesterday afternoon that destroyed their duplex. No one was hurt in the blaze at 115 Smith Avenue in Shediac.

The Canadian Red Cross provided emergency aid with blankets, food and shelter.

Firefighters were on the scene for several hours. No word yet no the cause of the blaze.


The second fire happening in Bathurst around 8 o'clock at night.

The Canadian Red Cross says two families are without a home after a fire broke out on Assaff Drive.

Fire crews say the blaze destroyed a row house and caused smoke damage in several other nearby row houses. No one was injured.

Woman Assaulting Police Officer

A woman will appear in court after assaulting a police officer.

City Police say the woman was arrested then released over night. 


She is accused of assaulting the officer outside a bar after a night of drinking.

Most Canadians Like Their Job

It turns out most of are pretty satisfied with our jobs according to a recent study by the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling.

Jeff Landine,
an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at UNB, has reviewed the study and found we also have a better balance between work and our personal lives than most countries.

The study shows a whopping 81% of us are satisfied with our jobs, 86% like the work we do and 78% are happy with our overall lives It also found 88% of us like our coworkers and 62% are content and don't plan to switch jobs. Landine isn't surprised by the numbers explaining the more control we feel we have in our jobs, the happier we are.

The downside? 39% of us feel we aren't paid fairly. Landine says when you look at pay, perks or interest in work, that can lead to dissatisfaction.

Gondola Point Ferry Should Be Fixed By Christmas

The folks at Gondola Point will be getting a gift by Christmas.

That's when the ferry William Pitt II should be fixed up, according to the Department of Transportation.

Since the ferry's been sent out for repairs in Nova Scotia, it has been replaced with the smaller F-79 Woolstock ferry that holds 8 fewer vehicles than the Pitt.

The smaller backup ferry has experienced a few mechanical problems itself, which D-O-T says is due to overuse.