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 )

NB Power Responds To CCNB Criticism

NB Power responding to the Conservation Council's claim Point Lepreau is 40 times more likely to suffer an earthquake leading to a nuclear accident than previously thought.

The Crown utility says Point Lepreau is safe and the misleading comments by the Conservation council are an attempt to undermine trust in the generating station.

In a release, NB Power refers to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission who state the structures and systems have been designed to safely survive earthquakes.

It goes on to say that Point Lepreau is located in an area of much lower seismic hazard risk than Fukushima.

Point Lepreau Reactor: Safe Or Dangerous?

How well would the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant handle an earthquake?
The Conservation Council's Action Group is pointing to the preliminary results of a new study released by NB Power.
Chris Rouse of the Action Group tells Tide News it shows a severe nuclear accident at Lepreau is 40 times more likely than originally thought. He says the next significant earthquake to hit New Brunswick is expected in Passamaquoddy Bay. "From research done from Natural Resources Canada that shows if a 6.0 earthquake happened within 10 kms of Point Lepreau, it would cause a lot of damage."

Rouse charges the nuclear power plant at Lepreau no longer meets internationally accepted safety goals. He goes so far as to say Point Lepreau is now one of the most dangerous reactors in North America.

More Charges For Snook?

Even more alleged victims are coming forward against former Common Councillor Donnie Snook.
Police Chief Bill Reid says their main concern is working with them and putting the charges together. He says, "We're still working interviewing people, talking to parents, children, etc. So that will be an investigation we will be working on for quite a while."
Reid couldn't specify how many more people have come forward, but doesn't believe it will push back Snook's bail hearing on March 11.

40-year-old Snook is facing 8 charges in total, relating to child pornography, child exploitation, and sexual interference with a child under 16.

Future Of Covered Bridge To Be Discussed Tonight

The future of the Maxwell Crossing covered bridge, which was damaged severely on January 21st after a car went out of control, will be discussed at a public meeting. The covered bridge, built in 1910, is located just outside of St. Stephen.
Vern Faulkner of the Local Service District tells Tide News people are worried the covered bridge will be replaced by a boring, concrete run of the mill bridge.
He says, "The bridge does not appear to be significantly damaged. I mean, it looks nasty in the sense that there's a lot of material that was knocked out. To the untrained eye, it looks like there's enough of an opportunity to basically rebuild it, it just a matter of where the money comes from and who is going to do the work." Faulkner adds, it's not a write-off. "A lot of siding was destroyed, but a number of pillars, even though they've been destroyed, doesn't seem like it's affected the structural integrity. The horizontal surface of the bridge is still intact and the roof line is still intact."

Faulkner tells us, people who live in the area fear the Department of Transportation doesn't see the bridge as they do. "A heritage facility that is used and enjoyed by hundreds of people and in many cases, could and can be part of a tourism venture because a lot of people come to New Brunswick to see the covered bridges."

You can have your say at the meeting to be held tonight at the St. Stephen Middle School auditorium beginning at 7:00.
(Photo by Murray Weeks)

Power Is Back For Many, 400 Still Without

Power is back for a lot more people in the region today.

NB Power reporting just over 400 people in Rothesay and Quispamsis are without juice, that's a very different number from the 5,000 in the dark yesterday.

The power company says they've hired extra crews and been working around the clock to fix up power lines since Thursday's storm, restoring over 100,000 homes. They say restoration will still be ongoing until tonight.

To get the latest update, click here.

Blankets To Help The Homeless

Warmth is coming to those who need it most.

Bee Green Removal's "Blanket Of Hope" has spent the past month collecting over 30 blankets for the homeless in Saint John. Organizer Brandi Green tells Tide news that's double the amount of blankets they collected last year.

They'll drive out with the Romero Mobile Unit tomorrow at 7pm to pass out the blankets.

Green says both her and fiance knew what it was like to live on the streets, and a warm blanket is a tremendous help.

Basketball Popularity Growing In Saint John

The popularity of basketball in Saint John has grown an incredible amount over the past 3 years.

That's according to David Cooper, coach of the Saint John Mill Rats. He says local kids are being scouted and getting full scholarships to play in Canada and the United States. Cooper calls it an exciting time, where there's a lot of chances for kids as young as 14 to play in showcases across the states. He says Saint John will always be a hockey town, but basketball gives kids another popular option.

Mill Rats GM Ian McCarthy adds a lot of people who never thought they were basketball fans have become one after they see a live game.

Pat McCaffrey Will Not Run For Ward 3 Councillor Spot

With a spot for a Ward 3 Councillor on the horseshoe in Saint John open and a by-election set for spring, many people are curious if previous candidates will run again.

Pat McCaffrey, the runner-up to current Ward 3 Councillor Donna Reardon and former Councillor Donnie Snook, tells Tide news he will not be seeking a seat on Council.

McCaffrey, who's retired from the Canadian Forces, says he believes Common Council is already doing a tremendous job and he doesn't believe he can offer anything that would be better than what they're doing. He says this Council has tackled many big issues that concerned him, like dealing with the pension plan in their first year and setting priorities like roads and water.

He's says they're on the right path, disciplined, have a vision and are all showing great leadership. McCaffrey feels Saint John has a great future in their hands.

Chris Belyea, another past candidate who followed McCaffrey in votes, hasn't yet decided if he'll run this year. Other candidates who ran in Ward 3 last year include Albert Vincent, Graeme Robinson, and Allan Leslie.

Year 2 For Feburary Fork Off Starts Tomorrow

The 2nd annual February Fork Off begins tomorrow with more than 20 uptown restaurants and eateries taking part.

Saint John's winter restaurant week is your chance to sample the fare of many uptown eateries in a $30 dinner, $20 lunch or $10 Fork plate.

Paula Radwan of the Taste of Egypt tells Tide News when they first opened last fall things were a little slow.

She says Saint John is a little conservative and this in a new cuisine for a lot of people but once people try it and like it they are very loyal people.

For more info on Uptown Saint John's February Fork Off which runs the 4th to the 10th, click here

City Lawyer Named To The Bench

Saint John lawyer Marco Cloutier has been named to the provincial bench.      

Justice Minister and Attorney General Marie-Claude Blais announcing today Cloutier will join Judge Andrew LeMesurier and Judge Henrik Tonning as full-time provincial court judges here in Saint John.

Blais says Cloutier's appointment will ensure the timely management of court cases.

Cloutier has been a lawyer in this province since 1998 and has written extensively in both English and French.

In 2010, he was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 leading lawyers.

Pension Board Will Have No Restrictions On Travel

Saint John Common Council doing an about face at a special meeting on the new shared risk pension plan.

Mayor Mel Norton says Council will not be imposing any travel restrictions on the new pension board so that the Saint John plan is in line with the other provincial plans.

Norton is confident the new trustees, whom he describes as of the highest calibre, will act in a responsible manner when deciding on travel costs. He adds no matter what happens with the pension plan from now on, the city's contributions will not go up.

Only Councillor Susan Fullerton voted against.

Storm Keeps Fire Crews Busy

KV & City fire crews keeping busy cleaning up the storm's path.

The high winds and rain caused downed wires, flooded basements, wind damage and fire alarms going off across Greater Saint John. Bayside Drive was closed after 4 broken poles were discovered.

There were more than 20 requests for service during the height of the storm.

Over 5,000 People Still Without Power

People are still without power in many parts of the region.

In Rothesay & Quispamsis, over 2,600 people are still without electricity. In Sussex, more than 3,400 without juice.





Only 6 people in St. Stephen are without.

Saint John Energy is not reporting any outages on their website.

A Dozen People Warm Up At Qplex

About a dozen people, including a family of 4, taking shelter at the Qplex in Quispamsis overnight.

The town is offering the centre as a warm spot for residents without power to stay.

Aaron Kennedy from the Qplex says there's just short of a 1,000 people without power and the traffic lights are out by the Esso/Tim Hortons at Exit 141.

The Qplex will still be taking in residents until 5pm tonight. At that time they'll check on the power status with NB Power.

Wind Storm Hits Saint John Hard

A wild day of wind and rain have been incredibly destructive in the Port City.

The causeway is closed to traffic Eastbound because of high water and Bayside Drive is closed from the Causeway to Redhead Road due to downed power lines.
The Chipman Hill Pedway has now reopened as the windows have been secured. Large glass planes were dangerously close to coming out of the pedway and falling onto to Chipman Hill.

NB Power is reporting more than 33,000 customers are without power in the rain and wind storm. Over 8600 in impacted in Darlings Island, Quispam, Rothesay, Hampton and the Peninsula. Major outages are also reported in Sussex and St. Stephen and Moncton.

Saint John Energy is dealing with numerous broken poles and wires down and expect that work to continue until tonight.

City police telling Tide News the Redhead dyke is now closed due to the high water.
High surf is reported at Saint's Rest today.

Lancaster Avenue is blocked to traffic at Simms Corner after a power pole came down.
The storm leading to cancelled and delayed flights at the Saint John Airport.

Legion Ownership Was A Question Of Ethics

The deed is done.
However,  many residents are asking why the Town of St. Stephen is giving the old Milltown Legion building to the Legion members, when the Legion plans on selling the building to the St. Croix Christian Centre.

St. Stephen Town Manager John Ferguson tells Tide News, "Research of the deeds found that when the previous legion building burnt down in 1965, it led to the construction of a new legion building being built on Town property. But the legion that was built, was actually built by the legion members, and paid for and constructed by the legion members."

Ferguson tells us it was a question of ethics. He says, "The ethical route that Council took in this matter was to say, 'Do we believe this should belong to the Legion?' They determined whether or not they could own property, they found out that they could, and Council is basically deeding the property to them to do with what they wish."

High Winds Cause Havoc For Charlotte County

The high winds are wreaking havoc for NB Power crews who are busy with downed poles, wires and power outages.

Currently, NB Power's website says there are 3385 people without juice in Charlotte County.
The hardest hit area in Charlotte County is the Dufferin area outside of St. Stephen with 884 without power.

We have several tips to our 466-2222 News Line of a large spruce tree, approximately 50 feet long, that has toppled over power lines and is covering 3/4 of the road in Chamcook. The tree is positioned by the Clamdigger Take-out and NB Power crews have surrounded the tree with pylons until they are able to take care of the issue.

Every area from St. Stephen through to St. Andrews and Bayside, clear to St. George and surrounding areas has been affected by power outages.

Vocational Centre Needs Help!

Anything and Everything -- we just need donations.

That word coming from the St. Croix Vocational Centre in St. Stephen, who are left with only a small table of items used to support their organization.

Manager Tammy Parks tells Tide News their clients work sorting through clothes, books, and household items, as well as in the Wood & Wardrobe Thrift Store. She says, "It's kind of like a never-ending circle because the items people purchase helps the customers but they also help us because we have to make a certain amount of our own money in order to keep our organization going. The government funds us a portion, but they don't fund us completely."







Parks tells Tide News when it comes to people giving donations -- they're not fussy. "We sell clothing, men's, women's, children's, infants, we sell furniture, appliances, books, jewelery, you name it, we sell it. There is a corner for everything in this store."

The Vocational Centre serves intellectually disabled adults in Charlotte County, teaching them many things like literacy, life skills, and work ethics. Parks says donations are sorted, sold at the Wood & Wardrobe Thrift Store, and in turn, creates revenue to fund the program.

Parks says donations can be dropped off at 129 Union Street, and they are also willing to pick up any donations as far away as St. Andrews.
To contact the Vocational Centre call 466-4977.
(In Picture Kevin Clark and Bobby Clarke standing infront of what is left of their dwindling pile of donations.)

NBCC States Case To Council Over Donation To Kids Carnival

"It's a community engagement piece, not a way to fanaggle money."

That word from NBCC Student Life Coordinator Justin Sweeney while defending the 5th Annual Kids Winter Carnival to St. Stephen Town Council. The debate over a $200 donation brought Sweeney to Council Chambers last night (Monday) to clarify a few things reported elsewhere by local media.


Sweeney says, "The mention of fundraising and trying to raise funds for ourselves and things of that nature, I felt that was very innacurate, I felt that was where the misperception was." Sweeney tells Tide News he wants to clarify the event is not a fundraiser, infact, NBCC is in the hole around $1600 from the past 4 years. "People ask, and we'll say, 'Yeah, It was a huge success!' and for us, we measure success in the number of kids who attend the event, the fact that they have never had any injuries, and the only time we tend to see a kid upset is when their parents say it's time to go, so I mean, to us, that's the major success."

After Sweeney stated his case, St. Stephen Town Council voted 4-2 in favor of the $200 donation.

The 5th Annual Kids Winter Carnival will take place next Saturday, Feb 9th, at NBCC, from 10-6pm.

Charlotte County Residents Helping Local Fundraisers

Local communities were in the giving spirit this weekend.

The Tide's 11th Annual Marathon Food Drive held Friday and Saturday at the Atlantic Superstore in St. Stephen raising 1109 pounds of food along with $566 in cash donations for our local foodbank, the Volunteer Center of Charlotte County.

Meanwhile, Saturday night the Charlotte County Crime Stoppers held their annual community hockey game at the Fundy Arena in Black Harbour.
Locals saw Team 911 beat the Funday High School Alumni 14-9.



The fundraising game raised $1400 for Charlotte County Crime Stoppers.

Buildings Torn Down, Cause Still Unknown

The two buildings on Mecklenburg that received the most fire damage are being torn down today.

The Divisional Chief for Fire Prevention Mark Wilson tells Tide News they're bringing in a private contractor to bring the dilapidated and dangerous buildings down. While that's happening, investigators will be keeping a keen eye on the buildings as they continue their search for the origin of the fire. Wilson says they still don't know what started the fire, but believe it started at the rear of the vacant building.
Witnesses, first responders, and residents will all be interviewed today to help solve the mystery.
As for the frozen cars, a tow truck will move them around the corner in hopes that the sun will melt their icy casing. Wilson says there's been no other damage to the cars, that became encased after water from the fire hose froze on them.

The major fire Saturday morning fire destroyed buildings at 72 and 74 Mecklenburg street, and badly damaged another. 16 people have been displaced.

5 Busted After 4 Month Drug Investigation

Three men and 2 women, all from Saint John, busted after a four month drug investigation with police confiscating drugs with an estimated street value of more than $11,300.

City Police, the RCMP, Rothesay Regional Police and  the Canada Border Services Agency staged raids on Somerset Street, McLaren Blvd and Baxter Road along with a vehicle being searched.

Police say they seized cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills, 4 firearms, ammunition, a prohibited knife, other weapons, contraband smokes and more than $6000 in cash. 

St. Andrews Woman Helping Fire Victims In Saint John

7 kids including an unborn baby from 3 famillies are looking for everything you need to live after a devastating fire on Mecklenburg street in Saint John.

Stephanie Craig lives in St. Andrews but has an apartment on Orange street in the city and is friends with one of the fire victims.
 
She created a Facebook group in the aftermath of the blaze and has seen a tremendous outpouring of support with people offering everything school supplies to baby clothes.

She tells us she is impressed with the support was surprised to wake up this morning and see the group now has 1000 members.

Craig says they need the use of a large vehicle to transport larger items that people are offering to donate.  

To help out, you can post directly on the Mecklenburg Facebook page, click here

Fresh Start Services through the Salvation Army on Prince Edward Street.

Cannon Security on Bayside Drive above Beats and Bytes.

(photo courtesy of Brett Stevens)

Logs Smash Through Cab In Musquash Crash

Plenty of damage after a crash in Musquash last night.

Officers with the Musquash Fire Department tell Tide News a man driving a pick-up crashed his truck into a utility pole around 11pm last night (Sunday) on Route 790.
At the time, the truck was carrying logs, which crashed into the passenger side of the cab from the force of the impact.
Firefighters say they blocked traffic until NB Power crews could arrive. They tell us power and phone lines were down, including one home that had the service entrance ripped off of it.

Officials say the man was able to get out of the truck on his own and walk away from the vehicle before firefighters arrived. The man was sent to hospital to be treated.
(Pictures courtesy of Lt. Paul Poirier with the MFD)

VIDEO: 2 Buildings Destroyed By Fire In Saint John

Fire crews are still battling a major fire in the south end in Saint John, which has completely destroyed 2 buildings and caused serious water and smoke damage to a third.

Fire Platoon Chief Peter Saab tells Tide news the fire started at 71 Mecklenberg Street around 2 am, then spread to 2 other buildings eastward. The first two buildings are completely gutted, and had their back ends completely cave in from the damage. Saab explains the first building was unoccupied, while the surrounding homes were evacuated and no one was hurt.

Saab says it's a stubborn fire that's deep in the building and will take awhile yet to put out. Over 30 fire fighters are on scene, Saab says they're not only battling fire but the cold and exhaustion.

The Canadian Red Cross say 16 people were evacuated and sheltered on city transit buses until Red Cross volunteers arranged emergency lodging at motels.

There's still no sign as to what caused the fire. Fire investigators will look at the scene once everything has been extinguished.

Know Ice Strength By Color & Thickness

As we're smack dab in the middle of winter, skating outdoors on frozen lakes looks very tempting.

But to be safe, Divisional Chief for Fire Prevention Mark Wilson says you have to look at the color of the ice and measure how thick it is. Ice is strongest when it's clear blue, if it's white/opaque it's half as strong, and if it's grey in color it's very unsafe. If the ice is 15 cm thick it's safe to walk on, 20 cm means it can hold groups or party games, and 25+ cm can handle snow mobiles.

Wilson adds it's best to avoid going out alone and at night. For more information on ice safety, click here.

After School Programs Get Boost From Province

After-school programs getting a $52,000 boost from the provincial government.

The After School Hours grant program helps fund opportunities for school children to be active and engaged in fun activities. First Nations, schools, licensed day cares, community organizations and family resource centres in Saint John, Fredericton and 6 other communities have received the funding.

Healthy and Inclusive Communities Minister Dorothy Shephard says after-school hours are a key time and opportunity for kids to be active.

Sarah Wagner, interim executive director of the organization, says there's a need in the province for quality after-school programming that's affordable and accessible.

Premier Hasn't Seen Change With Ousted MLA

Premier David Alward says he's ready and willing to sit down with independent Fundy River Valley MLA Dr. Jim Parrot, but doubt he'll see a change.

Parrot was ousted from the Tory caucus in September after he criticized the party for not listening to doctors when making decisions on healthcare.  Alward says he understands Parrot wants to meet with him, and he will, but adds that so far he's seen no change in Parrot's attitude.

Alward says when Parrot made his comments he broke their trust, which is why they made the difficult decision to cut him from the Conservatives.

Alward says they did wish him well over the holidays, when Parrot underwent heart surgery.

Great Outdoors Full Of Winter Activities

Getting outside and enjoying the bitter winter can be 'cooler' than you think.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is showing you the beautiful outdoors at a wellness fair today at Market Square. NCC spokesperson Andrew Holland says the Musquash Estuary boasts 3,900 acres of forest and two trails. He says that's plenty of space for activities like birding, snowshoeing, and even a popular treasure hunting activity called geocaching.

The Fundy Wellness Network will also be promoting healthy eating, living and activities today in Market Square from 1 until 4.

Cross-Country Ski Event Hits The Slopes

Tomorrow an annual cross-country ski event will be hitting the slopes at the Kouchibouguac National Park.

The 29th annual Boules de Neige Loppet will offer 3 different distances for skiers that include 3, 10 and 30 kilometers. People who register will also get a warm meal. The oldest and youngest competitors that compete at least 10 km will receive a plaque that will be displayed at the waxing hut in the park.

The event gets underway at 9:30 am for 30 km and 11:00 am for 3 and 10 km tomorrow morning.

For more information, click here.

Literacy Skills As Essential As Healthy Food

Having strong literacy skills is as essential to your well-being as eating healthy... that's according to Deanna Allen, executive director of Laubach Literacy NB.

Today is Family Literacy Day, a day to recognize and promote the importance of literacy for both parents and children. Allen tells Tide news parents should put an effort into helping kids improve their reading and writing in their everyday lives. She says there's many easy exercises parents can do, like asking their child to read recipes, labels on boxes and picking out places on a map.

Although some parents may not have a love of reading themselves, Allen says just like eating healthy foods it's essential and kids will imitate their parents. She says 60% of people over 16 in New Brunswick have literacy problems, which is a pattern that needs to change.

Inquest Into Death At Aquatic Centre

An inquest into a death that occurred at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre in Saint John over a year ago is scheduled for court.

17-year-old Yi Fan Wang died in September 2011 from injuries sustained during a public swim session. The inquest is scheduled for April at the Sydney Street Courthouse where Chief Coroner Gregory Forestell and a jury will hear evidence from witnesses to determine the facts surrounding the international students death.

The jury will then take that information and make recommendations so a situation like this well never reoccur.

Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels---Or, Suspcious Fives

Your mama always warned you not to take any wooden nickels....and if you're in Charlotte County you might also want to watch out for counterfeit fives.

District 1 RCMP is investigating four incidents where counterfeit $5.00 Canadian bills were passed...... two at grocery stores and a pub in St Stephen, N.B. and in the elementary school cafeteria in St Andrews.

All the notes were 1986 series with the same serial number.Police have interviewed at least one person suspected of passing the counterfeit money. If you think you've received a fake bill contact the police or Crime Stoppers.

A Stark Message About The Provincial Economy

The provincial economy is not bouncing back from the recession of 2008 with New Brunswick at the bottom of the scale in economic growth. That message delivered by Provincial Finance Minister Blaine Higgs at his first pre-budget consultation meeting.

Higgs heard from alot of union members at the first of his pre-budget consultation meetings with the message from them being it's time to tax the rich more. Higgs says if you tax small businesses too much then more people won't be hired.

Peter Woychuk, who teaches skilled trades at Simonds, fears the province is failing its students even though Higgs pointed out student enrollment is falling but costs are still rising.

The leader of the provincial Green Party David Coon advocated personal income taxes be raised and a new tax created on junk food.

Alward Government Will Not Be Balancing Its Budget In Its First Mandate

The provincial books will not be balanced anytime in the next two years.

That means the Alward Government will not reach its goal of a balanced budget by the time the next provincial election is held in 2014.

Provincial Finance Minister Blaine Higgs says the only way it will happen is through a balanced approach of containing costs and raising more government revenue.

Higgs doesn't see any big improvement with the deficit happening. He says the provincial economy is not bouncing back from the 2008 recession and New Brunswick is at the bottom when its comes to economic growth as compared to the other provinces.

Green Party Leader Calls For Tax Increase

You don't hear this too often........A provincial party leader actually calling for taxes to be raised but that's what David Coon of the Green Party is advocating.

He says Provincial Health Minister Blaine Higgs only has two choices.....Raise taxes or implement deeper cuts to health and education.

Coon says income taxes are good and he is calling for the tax cuts instituted by the previous Liberal government in 2009 to be rescinded because in his words, they were reckless and left provincial coffers short of much needed revenue.

He goes on to say raising income taxes would mainly affect those people who already enjoy luxuries and maybe mean one less trip south in the winter.

Sick And Premature Babies To Receive Even Better Care

The Saint John Regional Hospital has received a big boost to its Neonatal Unit in the form of $2 million combined funding from a record-breaking The Give fundraiser and the provincial government.

Dr Luis Monterossa tells Tide News the new equipment for treating conditions including jaundice makes all the difference when you're dealing with severely premature infants.

The $2 million dollar upgrade to the facility features specialized equipment, 10 patient care rooms and three hostel rooms for mothers to remain in hospital and care for their babies.

Health Minister To Meet With Provincial Medical Society

A meeting will be held this weekend between the Provincial Medical Society and Health Minister Ted Flemming.

Flemming tells Tide News he was simply doing his due diligence when he investigated the feasibility of the suggestion that doctor's pays be made public.

Further, Flemming says it wasn't even him that wrote the proposal--rather, it was penned by the auditor general. The health minister has already met with the Saint John Medical Society and they say they're satisfied with Flemming's clarifications.

Mariners Playing Home Opener After Delayed Start

The Fundy Arena in Blacks Harbour will be a busy spot this weekend.

Tomorrow night (Saturday)  Team 911 will take on the Fundy High Alumni for the Charlotte County Crimestoppers Annual Community Hockey Game. The game starts at 6:30pm. Cost for tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students, and kids under six can get in for free. The annual event raises money for the local branch of Crimestoppers.

The next day (Sunday), the Fundy Mariners will finally have their home-opener after a delayed start to their season. Available ice at the local arena caused a back-log for the boys hockey team, and until recently, Coach Matt Murray was unsure when they could host another team.
What better way to kick off their first game than against the rival St. Stephen Spartans. (Featured in picture.)
Puck drops Sunday afternoon at 3pm.

CAO Recommends Virtual Tour Of Civic Center

The Garcelon Civic Centre is really starting to take shape.
Tilt-up wall panels can now be seen on most of the structure which will be the final exterior of the building.

St. Stephen Chief Administrative Officer John Ferguson tells Tide News a lot of work has been put into foundations and footing, surveying, and getting the steel erected for the arena section. Ferguson talks about what is next. "Work will continue inside the building on the section that has been enclosed. When we get into more milder weather in the spring, further work will continue on the exterior of the building that would include the pool, the conference area, the front entrance, offices, and ticket area."





Ferguson says the Garcelon has a split-level design with two main levels. He describes what the final result will look like once you walk through the front doors. "There is a 10 foot deck to your right, which is the platform of the pool. It's sort of in-between the first and the second floor. Then if you take the staircase or the elevator, you will end up on the second floor which is the conference area and the upper concourse of the arena walking track. If you stay on the main level, there is the lower concourse with access to all of the changing facilities, Zamboni rooms, maintenance rooms, and office area."

Ferguson says we are still on budget, and despite a few minor setbacks this winter, the construction is still on time to be completed by mid-October.
To see a full 3-D video of the completed Garcelon Civic Center click the link www.yourciviccenter.com

If You Are Sick, Don't Make Others Suffer

It's officially 'flu season, and Horizon Health wants to ensure the infection isn't spread more than necessary.

If you're coughing, feverish, sneezing, or have a sore throat, you're asked to avoid visiting friends and loved ones in the hospital. Or if you can't avoid visiting while under the weather, wear a mask and clean your hands with an alcohol based hand rub upon entering and exiting. Regional lead Marita MacMillan tells Tide News good hygeine is key: "To practice good hand hygeine, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rinse or soap and water because both methods are effective.

You can get surgical masks and hand rub at the entrances of all hospitals. If you have any questions you're asked to contact your local health-care facility.

Prison Guard Testifies He Followed Orders To Not Intervene

A prison guard who videotaped the death of Ashley Smith of Moncton says he was just following orders when he didn't intervene as the 19-year-old woman lay dying in her cell.
Rudy Burnett was testifying at the inquest into Smith's death in a cell in Kitchener, Ontario, five years ago.
He said there were orders and a protocol to follow at the correctional centre. The inquest was also told Smith trashed the sprinkler head in her segregation cell just hours after arriving at the jail where she died a few months later.
Another guard, Blaine Phibbs testified he first saw Smith tie a ligature around her neck within 12 hours of her arrival at the jail.

Deep Freeze To Last Until Next Tuesday

Put on your long-johns, the cold snap is holding strong.

Environment Canada issuing a wind chill warning for all of New Brunswick for tonight and tomorrow. Meteorologist Claude Cote tells Tide News the temperatures in Charlotte County are well below normal. He says, "Typically for this time of the year we should have afternoon temperatures near -4C, and overnight temperatures at -16C. Overnight tonight (Wednesday) Charlotte County will dip down to -24C and Thursday afternoon will se a high of -17C."

Cote says Charlotte County will be under the deep-freeze all week. "Beginning on Saturday, the temperature will start to recover somewhat, but we will have to wait until next Tuesday before the temperatures will return to seasonal value , around -3C to -4C, and by then we're probably going to find it mild."



Cote says a cold, arctic air mass from northern Canada and the Arctic has moved south to cover Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes. He says there is nothing in the upper atmospheres to push the air mass away from us that would make the cold last only a day or so. He adds, as a result, we've been under the same air mass for the past week and it is only going to be pulling out of the region late over the weekend or early next week.

Maxwell Crossing Closed After Crash Causes Extensive Damage

The short-cut through Maxwell Crossing has been cut off.

Local Police report a single car crash yesterday afternoon caused extensive damage to the Maxwell Crossing covered bridge, which has now been closed to through traffic.

RCMP say three people traveling east in a car lost control of the vehicle just before the bridge around 3:30pm.

All three people were injured and taken to hospital by ambulance, the car was totaled, and the bridge is now missing a large section on one side.

Sgt. Bob MacKnight tells Tide News alcohol was not involved, but high speeds, slippery conditions, and driver inexperience were all factors to the crash.

MacKnight says DOT has closed the bridge because of the damage and it will likely remain that way for quite some time.
(Top Picture taken by Murray Weeks)