Wheelers Stolen Near St. Stephen

Two royal blue four-wheelers were stolen near St. Stephen last night.


District 1 RCMP says the bikes were last seen parked beside the Schoodic Motel on Route 170, around 10 last night ( Sunday, April 29th ).

Cst. Julie Messina tells Tide News one is a 2000 KODIAK 400 Ultramatic 4x4 and the other is a 2001 model KODIAK Ultramatic 4x4.

She says the liscence plates are J4922 and XK6000, however, the plates may be removed by now.

You are asked to contact District 1 RCMP ( 466-7030 ) if you know the whereabouts of the four-wheelers, or who is responsible for the incident.

Morrison Calls Ferguson "Callous And Reckless"

In his closing arguments, Pension Board Lawyer Barry Morrison portrays former Saint John Common Councillor John Ferguson as being callous and reckless by misrepresenting reality in his campaign to discredit the pension board.

Ferguson is currently the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of St. Stephen.

Morrison contends in that campaign, decency and respect for others played no role.


Morrison repeatedly pointed out to the jury, Ferguson missed many opportunities to reveal his alleged conversation with a pension board trustee about disability pensions being illegally approved, which would would be breach of trust to his fellow council members.

The pension board argues that the conversation never took place.

Morrison also telling the jury Ferguson never produced any documentation to back up his criticisms because it was all smoke and mirrors.

Elm Street Park Getting A Clean-Up

The President of the Elm Street Park Society is preparing for a cleanup tomorrow.


Wilf Torunski says the Society wants to get the park ready so the Town can declare it safe.
He says they want to open the south side where all the trails are, hoping by the end of this weekend the park will be safe enough for Town Council to rule it open again.

The clean-up starts at 10am Saturday (April 28th ).

Torunski is also running as a candidate for St. Stephen Town Council.

Let's Get This Dam Issue Resolved!

There is alot of anxiety for residents in the St. George area.


Liberal MLA for Charlotte and The Isles, Rick Doucet says many people are worried they will lose their homes to flooding again.

He points out we had a tremendous rainfall this past week and we need to look at the question, "What can be done differently with the dam situation in St. George?"

Doucet says he was turned down by the government last year, when he tabled a petition with over 800 signatures from local residents, asking for a review into flooding and prevention for the Magaguadavic River.

The reason he was turned down? Doucet says the provincial government didn't think a review in our area was necessary.

He says now, the Alward government has announced, they WILL be doing a review for Perth-Andover.

Doucet says Charlotte County residents are being treated as second-class citizens by not getting the same treatment.

Doucet sending a message to Premier David Alward, quote "might I suggest the Premier put on his big boy pants and get this dam issue resolved."
Premier Alward was unable to be reached for comment.

Closing Arguments in Ferguson Trial

The John Ferguson defamation trial resuming today with the closing arguments. First up is Ferguson's lawyer Rod Gillis, who was scathing in his criticism of senior city staff.


He tells the jury the Pension Board launched lawsuit to stifle discussion of what had to be done to get a handle on rising pension plan deficit. Rod Gillis also points out each senior city staff member who served on Pension Board has a pension worth more than a million dollars.

Gillis says no one on the Pension Board had an obligation to taxpayers and senior city staff frustrated Common Council on the city pension plan's rising deficit -- even though solutions to erase deficit were known in 2005.

John Ferguson, as a member of Common Council, had a duty to pursue issue.

Ferguson is currently the Chief Administrative Officer of St. Stephen.

Premier Says Shale Gas Being Handled In Responsible Manner

It may be a controversial issue - but - Premier Alward isn't making any apologies for exploring the possibility of developing a shale gas industry.
In an exclusive interview with Tide News - Alward says his government has a responsibility to see what future opportunities may exist if the resource is developed and how any revenue will be shared.
And the Premier says New Brunswickers will have a say on new regulations being developed for shale gas exploration -- deflecting any comment on how that will happen by saying the process will be up to Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup.

Thursday is Candidates Night In St. Stephen

St. Stephen is getting prepared for a big election next month.


Tomorrow ( Thursday, April 26th ) is Candidates Night, with 22 candidates vying for 7 positions on the St. Stephen Town Council.

Three men are running for Mayor, Robert Tinker, John Quartermain, and Kenneth Parker.

Current Mayor Jed Purcell did not re-offer.

The event will take place in the St. Stephen High School Auditorium between 7-9pm.

The municipal elections are May 14th.

French Immersion Information Meeting Tonight

There will be a meeting tonight for those interested in French Immersion for next year.


Parents and students in Grade 2 from St. George, Back Bay, Blacks Harbour, and Pennfield can find out more about the program.

The meeting starts at 6:30 at St. George Elementary School.

Grand March Scholarship Deadline Is Tonight

Today is the last chance for Graduates of SSHS to apply for a special Prom Scholarship.


Shannon-May Photography partnering with other businesses in St. Stephen, offering a prize package with goodies for Grand March to girls graduating this year.

The winner will be someone who has been a voice of encouragement to friends and classmates, to be positive and confident in who they are, and let their inner beauty shine.

The deadline to apply is tonight at midnight.

Here is the link to apply for the scholarship: http://seniorportraits.shannonmayphotography.com/#/grand-march-scholarship/

Candidate Wants To Help Jobs Stay In St. Stephen

Jamie White is running for St. Stephen Town Council.


In an interview with Tide News, White says we need to show the community that we are ready to bring in new business.

White says St. Stephen has sidewalks that are falling apart, roadways that need to be repaired, a Civic Center that needs to be paid for, businesses that start up and close down, a lot of small things that are great, but St. Stephen needs to think a little bigger and really bring the community together.

He says we need to help businesses that are already here, so they can make money and the jobs we do have can stay in the community. You can't have a community without jobs for people, or places for people to spend their money, and if St. Stephen is lacking in those areas, then everything else doesn't matter.

The municipal elections are on May 14.

Earth Day Activities Abound

In honour of Earth Day, some special events planned throughout the region.

The NB Museum in Market Square will be screening topical environmental documentaries from 2-3:30pm in coordination by the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada and Planet in Focus.

At the Marine Museum in Saint Andrews, kids can do crafts and check two touch tanks, lobsters and seal feedings at 4 p.m. There will be a screening of Free Willy 3 at 1pm.

In Fredericton Green Matters will be commemorating Earth Day this year with a special screening of the Disneynature film “Chimpanzee” on April 22, 12 noon at the Empire Theatres. With a donation of a non-perishable food item or toy donation, admission will be $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children.

Fire in Saint John's South End

An evening blaze on Saint John's Princess Street caused smoke damage to an entire apartment building.

Police and fire officials responding to 178 Princess Street around 8 o'clock found smoke spreading throughout the multi-unit building.

The residents were evacuated and the source of the fire was traced to a kitchen on the second floor. The blaze was knocked down, but the people living there are still displaced from their homes.

Boat Catches Fire

A fire on a power boat partially loaded with fuel causing a scare at the Saint John Power Boat Club.

Fire officials responding to the call at 339 Kennedy Street saying a boat in winter storage had caught fire.

The blaze was contained to the 35 foot power boat where it started, but other vessels moored nearby sustained damage as well. District chief Joe Armstrong wouldn't say the boat was a write-off, but it did sustain major damage. No word yet on the cause of the blaze.

Irving Seeks Greener Image

Folks around the province will be celebrating our planet on Earth Day, which is April 22. The province's biggest corporation, Irving, wants to get the word out it's making some steps to reduce the amount of pollution it dumps into our air and waterways.

Mary Keth of JDI tells CHSJ News fossil fuels are one major contaminant, and since 2007 they've reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 346,000 tonnes annually.

Environment and Local Government Minister Bruce Fitch reminds citizens protecting the environment is a year-round endeavor.

Missing St. Stephen Man Found Dead

A missing St. Stephen man has been found dead over the Border.


Yesterday morning (April 19th), District 1 RCMP in St. Stephen recieving a call from police in Baileyville, Maine.

They said a local fisherman had found a car submerged in the Woodland Flowage area of the St. Croix River.

The body of 60-year-old Kenneth Lee, who has been missing since March 18th, was found inside the car.

Police say an autopsy is being done in Augusta, Maine.

Deadline Approaching For SSHS Prom Scholarship

St. Stephen High School Grads have an opportunity to win some great prizes for Grand March.

Shannon May Photography has partnered with other businesses in town to make a scholarship full of goodies for prom, including photos, accessories, nails, flowers and a cash prize.

The winner will be a girl who has been a voice of encouragement to friends and classmates, to be positive and confident in who they are, and let their inner beauty shine.

The deadline to enter is this Monday, April 23rd, at midnight.

You can apply through this link: http://seniorportraits.shannonmayphotography.com/#/grand-march-scholarship/

Premier Alward says drug policy is fair to pharmacists.

Premier Alward says his government's changes to the generic drug policy is fair to pharmacists.
The Pharmacists Association says they will be forced to cut staff and services thanks to government caps on mark-up and dispensing fees - but - in an interview with Tide News - the Premier says the new policy recognizes the challenges faced by pharamcists after consultations with them.
Alward says the new generic drug policy is good for New Brunswickers - however - he says pharmacists are private business owners and they will ultimately make business based decisions. 
The new policy takes effect June 1st.

10 Year Celebration For Relay For Life

This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Relay for Life in St. Stephen.


In appreciation, the Charlotte County Relay for Life Committee is inviting all participants and volunteers to a celebration of gratitude.

The event will be held tomorrow evening ( April 19th ) at 7:30 in the St. Stephen Town Square.

There will be live music, refreshments and a mini luminary service.

Chocolate-Fest Meeting Tonight

The next meeting for Chocolate Fest is tonight.


Anyone who would like to host a Chocolate Fest event, or volunteer is welcome to attend.

The Annual Festival will run in St. Stephen this summer from Monday, August 6 until Sunday, August 12.

The planning meeting gets underway at 7 at the St. Croix Public Library.

Local Fisherman Found Dead

No foul play is suspected after a 50-year-old Blacks Harbour man has been found dead.


District 1 RCMP in St. George say Ralph Bradley Ramsey was reported missing last night after he didn't come home from a fishing trip to Bonny River.

RCMP found Ramsey's truck, and his body was found roughly 120 metres away, next to the canoe he was using.

An autopsy has been ordered.

Lawyer Says Ferguson Only Concerned With His Own Selfish Interests

Former Saint John Common Councillor -- and current St. Stephen Town Manager -- John Ferguson and Pension Board lawyer Barry Morrison clashed at the defamation trial.


Ferguson testified no one at Common Council asked him who on the Pension Board told him disability was being approved improperly with taxpayers in the city being laughed at. When Morrison suggested the conversation with Pension Board trustee David Gould was complete fiction, Ferguson disagreed saying his fellow Council members just dismissed what he had to say as if they didn't care.
 
Ferguson was also accused of going negative by Morrison.


The Pension Board lawyer is suggesting Ferguson was laying in wait to launch an attack on senior city staff about the pension plan and misled his fellow Council members. Ferguson denied that claiming he wanted consensus when seeking outside legal advice. Morrison charged Ferguson didn't give a hoot about the city but was only concerned with his own selfish interests.
 
Ferguson admitted he was intimidated when he found out the Pension Board was going to launch the defamation lawsuit against him.


Ferguson testified the prospect of being sued was so intimidating, he was reluctant to say anymore about the pension plan but considered it too important. Ferguson claims Common Councillor Chris Titus, who's a criminal prosecutor, said there was no insinuation of wrongdoing in what Ferguson presented to Common Council about the city's pension plan. Pension Board lawyer Barry Morrison disagreed saying Titus mean't there was no substance to what Ferguson was claiming.

Facebook Outrage Over Bullying To SSHS Student

A local bullying incident has sparked outrage on Facebook.

A story circulating on the popular social media website, describes a student from St. Stephen High School who's belongings were spit on in a locker room last Friday, while the student was helping a teacher in the Gymnasium.

Vice-Principal of SSHS Krista Amos tells Tide News the school is investigating the situation and will deal with it accordingly.

The story can be found in the "Love Is Louder" category on Facebook.

Ferguson Begins Cross-Examination At Defamation Trial

Former Saint John Common Councillor John Ferguson has begun to be cross examined at his defamation trial.


Ferguson told the court he knew it was a long shot when he ran for Mayor in 2008 but felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders when he lost because of the pension plan's financial problems. The court was also told the Pension Board put a lien on Ferguson's home in the city and that's why he and his wife decided to move away.
 
He's now the Town Manager in St. Stephen.
 
Lawyer Barry Morrison for the Pension Board questioning Ferguson about his math skills, asking him to multiply 52 times 11 and accused him of craving attention.


Morrison questioned Ferguson about the Free Ferguson tee shirt making the rounds and about rallies being held in his support. Ferguson testified he has no knowledge of either and denies being a publicity hound.

He also told the court no one asked him to serve on the Pension Board. Morrison suggested if he had, this media circus could have been avoided to which Ferguson replied there were some members of the Pension Board who didn;t know what was going on prior to 2003.

Ferguson testified Common Council had no real information about the city's pension plan while the deficit was rising. That's why he wanted a committee formed with broad representation. He maintains that would have shown the wider community that best practices would be brought to bear on the problem. Pension Board lawyer Barry Morrison suggested it was an effort to set up a shadow pension board but Ferguson replied he wanted to find a solution after first identifying what the problem was.

Town Council To Approve Contract - Without Contract To Approve

It seems St. Stephen Town Council was counting their eggs before they hatched.


Over the weekend, a special meeting was called to approve two motions concerning the Garcelon Civic Centre, the first to authorize the signing of the Design Build contract with DORA Construction.

But there was no contract to authorize at the meeting.

Chief Administrative Officer, John Ferguson tells Tide News it's a requirement for the Town to have any contract legally vetted.
 
He says Council went to have certain language changed in the contract, and when the meeting came to order, they had not yet heard back from DORA's legal council.
 
The second motion -- which did get approved -- was to adopt the governance model for the Advisory Commission of the Civic Centre.

NDP Leaders Outline Vision

Federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair making his first visit to Saint John since assuming the leadership. He told the provincial NDP convention about his goal to win in the province and elsewhere, saying New Brunswick is the province he's visited the most.

Meanwhile, the provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy saying the NDP will topple the Tories and Grits by appealing to the working class. Cardy gave a rousing speech in which he claimed Liberals and Conservatives don't care about ordinary folks.

The NDP convention is being  held at the Delta until Sunday, and was concerned with the party's economic strategy, shale gas,and job creation.

Ferguson Tells Court, Tait Told Him To "Bite His Arse"

Former Common Councillor -- and current Chief Administrative Officer of St. Stephen -- John Ferguson defends his comparison of Saint John's pension woes with those of San Diego which the Pension Board claims is defamatory.


Ferguson told the defamation trial the pension plan in San Diego was not properly funded and neither was Saint John's with the city not making its contributions in 2004 and 2005. In San Diego there was a lawsuit launched by some of the pension plan members which resulted in a 178 million dollar settlement. As for his reference to a desperate gambler, Ferguson says he was talking about Common Council transferring the financial burden of early retirements to the city's pension plan when it was tanking.
 
Ferguson also told of a nasty meeting of Vision 2015 that was held.


He told the court then Pension Board member and Common Councillor Glen Tait didn't call him a scumbag at that meeting... That happened later during a Council meeting, but did tell him to quote " bite his arse".

Ferguson found out, just before that meeting, the Pension Board was told it would have to lower its rate of return assumption which would result in a significant increase in the pension's plan's deficit. Ferguson also denies grandstanding, telling the jury he was concerned about the rising deficit which he says is to the point of being catastrophic.

Grand March Scholarship For Lady Spartan Grads

St. Stephen High School female Grads have an opportunity to win some great prizes for Grand March.


Shannon May Photography has partnered with other businesses in town to make a scholarship full of goodies for prom, including photos by Shannon-May Photography, accessories from Terri Jordan - Stella & Dot, nails from Sea of Tranquility, flowers by Mehan's, and a cash prize of $250 donated by Kindred Home Care.

The winner will be a girl who has been a voice of encouragement to friends and classmates, to be positive and confident in who they are, and let their inner beauty shine.

 Here is the link and contest rules for the scholarship: http://seniorportraits.shannonmayphotography.com/#/grand-march-scholarship/

( Picture provided by Shannon-May Photography )

Nominations Close Tomorrow For Municipal Election

So far, 22 candidates are vying for 7 positions in St. Stephen Town Council.


As of today, 3 people putting their offer in for Mayor -- John Quartermain, Kenneth Parker, and Robert Tinker.

Thus far, the 19 candidates going for St. Stephen Town Council positions are : John B Ames, Robert Michael Booth, Kenneth C Chase, Patrick L Cummins, Barbara Ellen Donovan, Peter J Giddens, June Elizabeth Greenlaw, Glen D Gregory, Margaret (Marg) Harding, Debbie (Gullison) MacDonald, Allan L MacEachern, Jim M Maxwell, Michael K McVay, Richard Rogers, Wilfred Robert Torunski, Gavin G Toumishey, Jamie White, Ralph Williams, and Ed P Zammit

Nominations close tomorrow at 2pm for municipal elections, Hospital Authority, and the District Education Council.

Special Meeting Concerning Civic Center

A special meeting being held this weekend concerning the Garcelon Civic Center.


St. Stephen Town Council will be considering two motions.

The first is to authorize the signing of a contract for the design build of the Garcelon with DORA Conctruction Limited.

The second is the adoption of the governance model for the Advisory Commission of the Town of St. Stephen's Garcelon Civic Center.

The meeting is Saturday morning, April 14th, at 10am, in Council Chambers at 73 Milltown Blvd, Suite 112.

Elderly Man Dead After Grand Manan Crash

District 1 RCMP in Grand Manan are investigating a fatal pedestrian motor vehicle crash, in the early morning hours of April 4, 2012, on White Head Island.


A 75-year-old man died as a result of the collision.

Police are not giving any other details at this time.

Defamation Trial Shown Video Of Council Meeting

Saint John City Solicitor John Nugent tells the defamation trial of former Common Councillor -- and current St. Stephen Town Manager -- John Ferguson, under the Municipalities Act, he was not required as a Pension Board member to quantify the extent of his own personal interest in the city's pension plan.


Ferguson's lawyer Rod Gillis estimates Nugent's pension is worth 1.7 million dollars which the City Solicitor has not disputed.
 
Gillis also suggested the pension board could have reduced benefits 9 years ago for the future retirees but that would have adversely affected Nugent's own pension and that of now retired City Manager Terry Totten.
 
The trial has been shown video of a Common Council meeting that shows other Council members were also concerned about the early retirement buyouts and city pension plan.


Then Common Councillor Ivan Court is shown agreeing with some of the things Ferguson was saying about the cost of the early retirement packages.
 
Councillor Bill Farren expresses support for Ferguson saying there was mass confusion, mixed messages, walls being put up and city staff not wanting to give information to the extent he was beginning to suspect things and those raising questions were accused of nit picking.

NB Girl Goes For Miss Universe Canada

A close-to-home beauty is throwing her hat in the ring to become the next Miss Universe Canada.


26 year old Seena Love is a trained opera singer and performer who originally hails from Quispamsis although she now lives in Fredericton.

She'll strut her stuff onstage next month at a televised pageant in Toronto

Love tells Tide News she's thrilled to be taking part.


The winner of the pageant will travel to Nicaragua to do relief work among other duties.

ATV Crash Sends SJ Man to Hospital

An ATV Accident on the west side has sent one man to hospital.

Police and fire officials responding to the call close to 1am. An ATV had crashed on Riding Way and Miller Robertson Road causing considerable injuries to the driver.

According to early reports, a firefighter ended up driving the ambulance.

Investment Scammers Busted

A pair of scammers getting their comeuppance after being busted by the provincial securities commission. An Alberta couple named Steven Weeres and Rebekah Donszelmann came to New Brunswick in 2009 and struck up a relationship with a woman here, who they defrauded out of tens of thousands of dollars by spinning lies about false investment opportunities

Rick Hancox of the commission tells TideNews they scammed their victim by pretending to have bought a hotel and courting investment in it

The panel ordered the two to pay out a total of 2 hundred twenty five thousdand dollars and Donszelmann was banned from the NB capital markets for 20 years. Hacox says it's important that people report frauds of this sort because that's the only way justice can be reached.

Teen Rises Out of Tragedy to Fight Drunk Driving

At only 17 years old Kali O'Dell's life has already been changed by drunk driving. But the high school student, whose mother and father were both killed in  a car accident caused by an impaired driver --to become a spokesperson against driving under the influence.

She's recently been recognized for her efforts, as TD Canada Trust has granted her a $70,000 scholarship for her work as founder of Teens Against Drunk Driving (TADD) at her high school.

O'Dell tells Tide News she's worked so hard to get the message out to teens because as the next generation of teachers, politicians, and public servants they will shape tomorrow's policy on drinking and driving.

O'Dell plans on using the scholarship to attend UNB Fredericton and major in English and History.

Revenge of the Nerds: NB Geeks Unite in SJ

If you see a posse of strangely-dressed young people roaming around town, Halloween hasn't come early. Saint John is catching on to an international fad known as cosplay--or costume play, in which folks dress up as their favourite characters from comic books, films, or anime. In case you haven't heard, that's another term for Japanese animation.

To some, it seems strange pastime, but it's one a lot of people seem to enjoy. So much so, in fact, that there's a whole convention dedicated to nerdy pursuits coming up this summer. Organizer Jessica Milne tells CHSJ News the event, called Harbour Con-Fusion, is a place for fans of sci-fi, horror and fantasy to meet and talk about their favourite works of geeky art--and wear their crazy costumes, of course.

 Harbour Con-Fusion will be held at the Holiday Inn Express in Saint John, NB, on Saturday July 28th and Sunday July 29th, 2012.In the meantime, the group will be holding smaller, geeky get-togethers and raising money for the Animal Rescue league.

Winter's Not Over Yet: Snow Expected This Weekend

After an unseasonably warm winter, New Brunswick getting a reminder that this is still a regular Canadian March.

 Meteorologist Claude Cote with Environment Canada tells CHSJ news there's a storm system developing south of Sable Island and curving toward Cape Breton. It's going to hit the Saint John area with 5-10 centimetres of snow beginning late this evening. Charlotte County will get hit as well, but with considerably less white stuff: 4-6 centimtres are expected over the weekend.

Moncton and Bathurst are expected to get 15-20 centimetres. Cote says things will have mainly calmed down by Sun

Rising Gas Prices Won't Last

A prediction from someone who should know that gas prices might still go up a bit before going down in Atlantic Canada. So says Dave Collins of Wilson Fuel.

He says speculators are driving up gas prices at the moment but a look at the futures market for gasoline shows a drop coming with the August price expected to be seven cents lower.

Gas prices are at a six year high.

Regional Hospital Hoping To Get Advanced M-R-I Machine

The Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation is pretty excited to hear the province is looking at 3T MRI's possibly for Saint John.

The Foundation's President and CEO Tim Cameron says there is a case for the technology at the Regional hospital because it's a tertiary care centre.Cameron tells CHSJ News says they had fears along the way that the government might ask them to contribute more than a million the foundation had offered to help defray the cost.

Cameron says the 3T MRI is a highly advanced machine used for tertiary care hospitals while he describes the 1.5T MRI unit as the workhorse used in most MRI scanning.
 
The Department of Health telling CHSJ News that Saint John will be receiving a 1.5T MRI. 
 
The 3T MRI is a highly advanced machine mainly used for neuro surgery.

Saint John City Solicitor Clashes With John Ferguson's Lawyer

City Solicitor John Nugent continuing his testimony at the defamation trial of former Common Council and St. Stephen Town Administrator John Ferguson.
Defense lawyer Rod Gillis tried to get Nugent to agree that Ferguson's presentation to Common Council about alleged wrongdoing was not defamatory but Nugent maintained when taken as a whole, he found the it "outrageously defamatory."

Nugent would also not agree with Gillis that the "sweeping things under the carpet" comment was about the city and not the Pension Board.
Nugent also vehemently denied that he kept a log or diary of all of Ferguson's comments and, if anyone did, he had no knowledge of it.

Gillis also asked Nugent if he planned on suing Provincial Finance Minister Blaine Higgs for his recent gambling analogy when describing the city's investment strategy as double or nothing. Nugent told the court he was no longer on the board.

The trial resumes on Wednesday and Ferguson is expected to take the witness stand at that time.

Proposed Inter City Shuttle Bus Service Bites The Dust

A Prince Edward Island company has failed to get approval to start a door to door van shuttle service in the province.

Advanced Shuttle Services proposed to set up a reservations only shuttle service using 15-seat passenger vans but the Energy and Utilities Board rejected the application ruling the proposed service isn't covered under the province's Motor Carrier Act and didn't include a regular route.

The company was looking to run two shuttles which would make stops at the Regional Hospital and U-N-B Saint John. There also would have been stops in Fredericton, Moncton and Port Elgin.

Blacks Harbour Water OK says Health Department

Blacks Harbour Mayor,  Terry James tells Tide News the Do Not Consume Order has been lifted by the Department of Health.

Residents of Blacks Harour are encouraged to resume their water consumption as per normal.

Blow to Development as Immigration Center Shut

An alarm being sounded about the closure of the federal immigration office in our city – councilor at large candidate John Campbell tells CHSJ News it’s a blow to our future development:

He says with the Port and UNBSJ trying to attract foreign students and new immigrants, the center is particularly important.

Immigration services are apparently being consolidated in Moncton – a move Campbell says should be meeting with solid opposition from the community and Common Council.

Candidate For Council Gives Opinion On Garcelon

Stand Up, Shout Loud, and Be Heard.


That from Patrick Cummins, while announcing his offer for St. Stephen Town Councillor.

He tells Tide News his opinion on the future Garcelon Civic Center. Cummins says he wishes he could go back 2 years and give the Town of St. Stephen a different plan.

Cummins thinks St. Stephen could have made a different deal with the province by amalgamating St. Stephen Elementary School with Milltown Elementary, put a cap on the MES pool, and build an arena between the pool and MES.

He says it would have saved a lot of money for the province and town, had it been done that way, or a little differently and more efficiently.

Cummins says St. Stephen needs to prioritize on the tourism industry, if it wants to grow economically.

The municipal elections are coming up in May.

Nugent Says Ferguson Wouldn't Share Information On Pension

The defamation trial of former Common Councillor - and current St. Stephen Town anager - John Ferguson hearing more testimony from Saint John City Solicitor and Pension Board trustee John Nugent.


Nugent has told the court Ferguson would not spell out or share with his colleagues on Council any information he claimed to have about the city's pension plan when he had a duty to do so.

That, according to Nugent, cast the Pension Board in a bad light leaving the impression of misdeeds and misconduct.

When asked about Ferguson's reference to a desperate gambler, Nugent testified he thought that referred to the city's early retirement programme which transferred costs on to the pension plan.

Balancing Act In Car Accident

A car accident in St. Stephen, could have ended tragically.

The St. Stephen Fire Department tells Tide News, a car hit the guardrail on the Route 3 overpass by the St. Stephen High School , Saturday afternoon.

Officials say the car went on its side and was very close to rolling down the embankment, and onto the highway below.

2 dogs remained inside, until a crane was able to move the car to safety.

The driver was taken to hospital and released.

( Photo By Kendra Madsen )

Tinker For Mayor

It seems the new fad for the municipal elections -- is Facebook!


Town Councillor Robert Tinker announcing to the internet world today, he is running for Mayor of St. Stephen.

Tinker tells Tide News he believes in the future of St. Stephen, wanting to make it a better place to live with decent, well-paying jobs, as well as finding a team of people who can find where the best opportunities are to bring them to our town.
Blacks Harbour Mayor Terry James also announcing first to Facebook of her re-offer.

Do Not Drink The Water!

Do Not Drink The Water!


All residents of Blacks Harbour are being warned not to consume any water until further notice.

Mayor Terry James tells Tide News, significantly discolored water brought concern for health this morning.
James says it will be at least 24-48 hours before the water is drinkable.

Blacks Harbour Bad Water

Residents of Blacks Harbour are being warned to lower their water consumption, ASAP.


Mayor Terry James tells Tide News, significantly discolored water in the area has caused a concern for health.

She says Connors Bros. and the Village of Blacks Harbour are working to fix the problem through an aggressive flushing program.

James adds, there is no boil order as of now, but that may change after direction from the Department of Health.

More details on the situation coming this afternoon.

Saint John Completes Harbour Cleanup

A huge milestone is approaching for the city -- with the recent approval of the 2012 Capital Utility Budget, City Manager Pat Woods says Harbour Clean-Up will be complete by the end of the year.

Mayor Ivan Court says it took 10 years to get the funding for the project but less than 4 years to complete it.

The 2012 Utility Budget comes in at almost 20 million dollars with almost 40 million dollars in carry-over projects.

The price tag for Harbour Clean-up is about 87 million dollars.