Fatal Snowmobile Crash Near Bathurst

A Moncton man being killed in a snowmobile crash in northern New Brunswick.

The 21-year-old died after being ejected from the snowmobile on a trail located about thirty kilometres south of Bathurst.

RCMP did not release the man's name.

Fredericton Police Want Help Finding Missing Men

Joshua Jewett

Police are calling on the public for help finding two missing men from Fredericton.

31-year-old Joshua Jewett disappeared on February 10 while 40-year-old David Watt has been missing since on December 2. Both were last seen in the capital city. The two cases are not related.

Jewett is described as 5 foot 9 inches tall, thin build, approximately 130lbs, mostly likely has a beard or facial hair, has glasses but rarely wears them, brown shaggy hair that may be in a ponytail, and does not have any tattoos, scars or other distinct features.

David Watt

Watt is described as 5 foot 10 inches tall, 150lbs, with short brown hair, and brown eyes.

If you have any information about either of the missing men you're being asked to get in touch with the Fredericton Police Force by calling 460-2300 or Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

NDP Leader Wants To End M-L-A's Influence Over Hiring

Provincial NDP leader Dominic Cardy says people are still fearful of voting for the wrong party at election time because the M-L-A's have too much of a say in who the provincial government hires.

Cardy would like M-L-A's to have their influence limited to just the people who staff their offices.

Cardy created quite a stir recently when he equated the reluctance of the school system to fail students to the province's high rate of illiteracy but he tells Tide News we have a crisis on our hands with 56 per cent of people in New Brunswick considered functionally illiterate.

Cardy argues having a highly trained workforce is the best way to attract business investment to the province rather than handing out grants.

Saint John Hosting Conference On Big Data

 

Big Data is fast becoming big business and T4G is holding a conference on Data Science at the Trade and Convention Centre through tomorrow.

Paul Mansz of Ambir Technology estimates it could be worth in the tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars as companies struggle with sifting through all the data that's available these days before they can make a decision.

Saint John M-P Rodney Weston says a lot is happening under the radar in Saint John.

The conference will be examining how data science can help improve patient outcomes while, at the same time, be cost effective.

The C-E-O of NB Power Gaetan Thomas will be taking part in another session on energy and the smart grid entitled "What can be measure, can be managed".

Cost Cutting In Healthcare Will Continue

The C-E-O at Horizon Health John McGarry has been given the mandate to reduce the cost of healthcare which was increasing year by year above the rate of inflation and swallowing up a greater percentage of the provincial budget.

McGarry tells Tide News the revamping of healthcare will be the norm from now on because the provincial government wants it to run more like a business and, as such, there will be destabilisation among the workers in healthcare.

McGarry says the technology is there to allow lots of things to occur at a distance which will restrain costs. He estimates if 2 per cent in cost efficiencies can be found in the system each year and growth can be limited to 4 per cent, the system should be sustainable with an annual increase in funding of 2 per cent.

One of the messages to be delivered to the Big Data conference getting underway today at the Trade and Convention Centre is that improved patient outcomes and increased cost effectiveness is within our reach with the intelligent application of data science to healthcare.