Residents of Charlotte County will certainly appreciate some new additions around the Regional Hospital thanks to
the efforts of the Saint John Regional Hospital Auxiliary.
The
Auxiliary has approved over $80,000 of funding for a number of projects
including new recliner chairs for the Labour and Delivery unit - and -
customizable wheel chairs for the Neurology and Rehab units - president
Katie Rogers says the Auxiliary has donated over 5-million dollars to
patient and family comfort programs since the hospital opened in 1982.
The
Auxiliary raises its funds through sales at the gift shop - the uniform
shop - and - hair salon as well as patient referrals to Phillips Life
Line alert systems.
Some good news for those who didn't want to see passenger rail service disappear entirely from New Brunswick altogether.
It has
been saved thanks, in part, to Via Rail giving over $10 million to
Canadian National Railway to maintain over 70 kilometres of track
between Bathurst and Miramichi.
The passenger rail service goes between Halifax and Montreal through the northern part of the province.
Transport Minister Lisa Raitt would like to see something done to increase ridership.
City
Police reporting the seizure of 16 pounds of marijuana along with 54
thousand dollars in cash after three raids on St. James Street, Ross
Street and Canterbury Street.
Three
men have been arrested as part of a three month drug investigation by
City Police, the RCMP, Kennebecasis Regional Police and the Canadian
Border Services Agency.
Police
say the marijuana was brought into Saint John from outside the province
as part of an organised crime drug distribution network.
The
three are facing charges of possession of marijuana for the purpose of
trafficking and having the proceeds of crime but more charges are
possible.
A
preliminary hearing is underway on the second degree murder charge laid
against 46 year old Dennis Oland for the killing of his father Richard
in July of 2011 to determine if there's enough evidence to warrant a
trial.
It will
be weeks before any decision is made and since there will be
interruptions in the hearing, it's not expected to wind up until mid
July.
Oland appeared very relaxed as he sat in the front row of
the courtroom and before the proceedings began was sharing a laugh with
family lawyer Bill Teed.
Derek
Oland was sitting in the second row. When Oland was arrested back in the
fall, the family released a statement asserting belief in his
innocence.
A ban has been imposed on the broadcasting of any evidence.
As a
jobs summit begins today in Fredericton, the message in Saint John over
the weekend from Provincial Liberal leader Brian Gallant was the same.
His big priority is to improve education, skills training and literacy
to transform New Brunswick into the smart province.
The
Liberals chose two more candidates for the provincial election in
September with one being former Common Councillor Peter McGuire in Saint
John Lancaster who tells Tide News he has knocked on 600 doors in the
riding already.
Also
selected over the weekend was the Principal at Rothesay High, Stephanie
Tomilson to run in the riding of Rothesay which the Conservatives have
held for years.
The
Liberals have chosen three high school principals to run in Saint
John.....Gary Keating in Saint John Fundy, Mike Butler in Saint John
Portland and Tomilson.
The
murder of Richard Oland is back in the spotlight today with the start of
a preliminary hearing on a charge of second degree murder laid against
his son, Dennis.
Oland
was killed in July of 2011 from repeated blows to his body at his
Canterbury Street office. The hearing, which is expected to last six
weeks, is being held to determine if there's enough evidence to warrant a
trial.
It's expected the presiding judge will impose a ban on the broadcasting of any of the evidence from the hearing itself.
The premier isn't phased by a report by 14 scientists advocating a go-slow approach to shale gas development.
He
tells Tide News that's exactly what his government is supporting--and
it's a positive sign that some of the scientists that compiled that
report are also members of the Energy Institute.
Alward says in
the early 1990s, our average income was higher than that of
Saskatchewan; nowadays, Saskatchewan's average income is 25% higher, and
that's due to development of natural resources.
A 31
year old man from Ontario, suspected of being involved with a recent
shooting in Markham, outside Toronto, is or has been in the Saint John
area. That warning from City Police who say he has a history of
violence, considered armed and dangerous.
He's
identified as Sirvon Edwards, who's black with several tattoos and is
wanted for attempted murder. They include an Egyptian eye on his neck,
the number "187" on his left forearm, the words "Loved by few" on his
right wrist and "Hated by many" on his left wrist along with a cross
with the words "Remember me" on the underside of his right forearm.
Police say he should not be approached. if you see him, give them a call at 648-3333 or 9-1-1.
