Saint John Doctor Facing More Charges

More charges of sexual assault have been laid against a doctor who has practiced medicine in the Saint John area for more than 25 years. 

8 of 9 charges were laid a couple of days ago against Dr. Alan Cockeram, a gastroenterologist who has an office in the north end. 

In response, Horizon Health has announced restrictions will be imposed on Dr. Cockeram when he treats female patients for an undetermined amount of time. No decision has been made on whether his license to practice medicine will be suspended. 

A preliminary hearing on the charges will in June which will determine if there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Strong Winds Coming With Weekend Storm

From the deep freeze to a winter wonderland.... Southern New Brunswick is bracing for a weekend storm.

Claude Cote of Environment Canada tells Tide News the snow will start falling tomorrow.

He says when expect about a centimetre of snow during the day tomorrow with conditions worsening Friday night and most of the snow will fall Saturday along with high winds causing reduced visibility.

Cote says the storm's track has changed so they are now predicting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow by daybreak on Sunday.

A Covered Bridge Seems To Be What The People Want

A meeting held last night (Wednesday) to discuss options for the Maxwell Crossing Covered Bridge stirred up a lot of debate, answered a lot of questions, and left many unanswered. 

Regardless, Department of Transportation representative Alan Kerr said he believed it was a unanimous decision from the public that residents want their covered bridge repaired.

Money wasn't the only thing on the table, the value of the covered bridge as a tourist attraction to Charlotte County is a key component.

Local Resident Annabelle Juneau tells Tide News besides fixing the bridge, we need to start spending some tourism dollars on signage to better promote the covered bridges throughout the province. "At the end of the day, this is something, especially with the new highway being there, that we need to promote those covered bridges. Get the signs out, and I'm hoping we'll see the Department of Tourism step up to the plate as well."
Juneau says New Brunswick is known for covered bridges, "I think if we reach out to other people in New Brunswick that they will probably feel as we do. That we have to keep these covered bridges, there aren't many left."

Some members of St. Stephen Town Council were also present. Councillor Jim Maxwell spoke on stage making his opinion quite clear to DOT representatives. He told them, "We know you're not here to tell us you're tearing down that bridge."

Councillor Allan MacEachern tells Tide News even looking at the financial side of things, repairing the bridge makes sense. "I'm in favor of the covered bridge because it is return, and I'm all about return on investment. It just makes sense to get money out of tourism later, it makes it worth more as a covered bridge."

Before LSD President Vern Faulkner closed the meeting, he handed out parting gifts to each of the DOT representatives -- bags of Covered Bridge potato chips.

DOT's Side Of The Covered Bridge

The future of the Maxwell Crossing Covered Bridge is now in the hands of Minister of Transportation, Claude Williams.

A group of approximately 70 people coming to a public meeting last night (Wednesday) to share their opinions on whether the historical bridge should be repaired, or replaced with a modular one.






DOT Representative Alan Kerr said his purpose was to gather information from taxpayers and then forward that information to the Minister of Transportation. Kerr said, "It's not a matter of if the bridge can be repaired, but is it financially feasible." Kerr estimated the costs of $300 thousand dollars to build a run-of-the-mill bridge, compared to $500 thousand to repair the old one.
One resident noted the life expectancy of a covered bridge is practically double that of a metal one. The man asked Kerr, "Let's say a covered bridge will last 80 years. How long will a metal bridge last?" Kerr responded, "Forty to fifty years." The man then asked if it would not be more financially feasible to build a covered bridge for the same cost in the long term, only a covered bridge would have the tourism factor.


Another question that was hot on everyone's mind was "Why can't the insurance from the car owner pay for the damages?" Kerr says they are currently pursuing an insurance claim, but it would be highly unlikely insurance would cover the entire cost. Many payment options were discussed, including money the province and fundraising by the people.

Kerr told the audience he believed it was obvious, the decision from residents was unanimous in keeping the covered bridge.
He is urging all residents to write or email the Minister with their concerns before a decision is made.
(Picture from left to right: DOT District Highway Superintendant Allan Acheson, DOT Asst. District Transport Engineer Mike Roseheart, DOT District Transport Engineer Alan Kerr, and Local Service District Dennis-Weston President Vern Faulkner )