In what
the judge called a "highly unusual" case, a young woman who robbed the
Garden Street Irving in Saint John with a syringe seven years ago, turned herself over to
police in the hope of finally kicking her drug addiction.
The
robbery happened on Boxing Day in 2006, when 32 year old Patricia Joy
Honeywell threatened staff at the gas station with what she described as
a "dirty" needle and demanded cash. Honeywell told the court she wants
to get the treatment available in jail so she can get off drugs and be a
mother to her three kids again.
In his sentencing, Judge LeMesurier
asked Honeywell whether she would want her children working late nights
at a gas station after what she did, reminding her that the employees
she "traumatized" are also someone else's children.
In his
sentencing, the judge said he tried to take into account both the
seriousness of the offence and Honeywell's honesty in finally coming
clean. Ultimately, she was sentenced to 3 years federal time.
It might
not look or smell spoiled, but that burger you're about to bite into
could be contaminated with a potentially deadly bacteria.
The
Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Belmont Meats Ltd., warning the
public not to eat the brand's uncooked lean ground beef because it could
contain E. coli. This is the third E. coli-related beef recall from the
Toronto factory this month.
Eating
food containing the bacteria can cause severe abdominal pain, bloody
diarrhea, seizures strokes, and in extreme cases, death. The Belmont
Meats Ltd. brand distributes products nationwide to stores including
Sobeys, Wal-Mart and Superstore.
Protestors in Saint John are standing behind the anti-shale gas movement on the Elsipogtog First Nation.
Joel Butler was in attendance at a demonstration in uptown Saint John this afternoon.
Butler
tells Tide News the pipeline could provide cheaper crude oil for the
refinery, but that wouldn't help consumer prices in gas--nor are there
are any details on how it would benefit our local economy.
Further talks between native leaders and Premier David Alward have been discussed for later this week.
The
Provincial Assembly of First Nations’ Chiefs want Energy and Mines
Minister Craig Leonard to suspend permits granted to SWN Resources for
shale gas testing near Rexton to ensure a cooling off period can take
hold.
Elsipogtog First Nation Chief Aaron Sock describes the
RCMP's actions against his people in a violent protest last week as
almost horrendous.
Assembly of First Nations' Chiefs co-chair
George Ginnish says the province has to acknowledge that the
consultation process has failed.
They go on to say that once the
licenses are suspended the government must return to the table and have a
consultation that isn’t rushed and that leads to a complete
understanding of how the shale gas industry would impact Aboriginal and
Treaty Rights.
The
Elizabeth Fry Society held its annual candlelight vigil in King Square
for Ashley Smith, the 19 year old woman from Moncton, who choked herself
to death in a Kitchenoer, Ontario jail cell while guards looked on and
did not intervene.
A
lengthy inquest in Toronto is being held into her death but Marianna
Stack, President of the Elizabeth Fry Society in Saint John, tells Tide
News it should be even broader and go back to the very start of her
problems in New Brunswick. Stack says while Ashley had difficulties, how
she was treated in prison made matters worse and broke her.
She adds
New Brunswick has an abysmal history when it comes to young people if
you consider the cases of not only Ashley Smith but the crimes
perpetrated by Karl Toft at Kingsclear, former Saint John Common Councillor Donnie
Snook and now deceased former SJ police sergeant and city works employee
Ken Estabrooks before that.
Protests
cut short National Energy Board hearings on a proposal to reverse the
flow of a pipeline that runs between southern Ontario and Montreal.
Some opponents suggest the Line 9 reversal is ultimately so Enbridge can
transport oil to the Atlantic coast for export, something the company
denies.
The
final day of the hearing at which Enbridge East was to present its final
arguments was postponed because of security concerns.
Dozens
of protesters rallied outside the site of the hearing to oppose
Enbridge’s plan to reverse its line and increase its capacity to carry
bitumen. They maintain the pipeline isn't up to the task, thereby
increasing the liklihood of a spill happening.
How this dispute between the First Nations and the province over shale gas testing will wind up is uncertain.
A
community meeting was held yesterday at the Elsipogtog First Nation and
there could be more said later today about where the protest is going.
Mark
D'Arcy of the Council of Canadians in Fredericton tells Tide News the
Alward Government is not backing down and the opposition of the people
of Elsipogtog is not diminishing. He's suggesting the dispute could wind
up in the courts.
D'Arcy
says the First Nations feel more strongly about this issue because if
their water gets contaminated, they can't just move away.
The violence erupting outside of Rexton at the fracking protest site ultimately undermining the cause.
That
word coming from the provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy, who tells Tide
News the second you break the law, the focus shifts from what you are
protesting to the tactics being used. Cardy says these types of violent
tactics have to be condemned, and that you can't change laws by breaking
laws.
After
several heated days, tensions seem to be cooling. Members of the
Elsipogtog First Nation attending a community meeting today to discuss
next steps. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs voicing their solidarity
with the nation and sending Grand Chief Derek Nepinak to the province.
The New
Brunswick Court of Appeal ruling Bradley Scott Wilson of Chance Harbour
will get a new trial as it overturns his conviction for sexual
assaulting a bartender on the west side in January of last year.
The Appeal Court ruled the trial judge, Mr. Justice Hugh McLellen did not apply the law regarding reasonable doubt.
The trial heard differing versions of what happened in the bar after it closed and there were inconsistencies in the testimony.
When the new trial will be held hasn't been determined.
