Superintendent Responds To Parent Complaint Again

The Superintendent for the Anglophone South School District says they always have washrooms available.

Zoe Watson responding to a parent's complaint that for a few days last month following vandalism to some of the boys bathrooms at KV high, students were without the facilities.

She says if schools in the district ever have issues where water or power are threatened they quickly start thinking about closures if they know its going to carry on for any amount of time.

Speaking at the school district's meeting last night in Hampton, Watson tells Tide News they looked into the complaint and the administration at KV has assured her that at no time were all of the boys washrooms not working.

County Aces Announced At Garcelon

It's a big day for hockey fans in Charlotte County.

The new Jr. A Hockey team showing off their logo for the 1st time this afternoon as the County Aces.

Club President John Hyslop tells Tide News the team will be St. Stephen based -- but Hockey Canada will allow the team up to 8 American players, so the team will be open for Washington County as well as Charlotte and York Counties.



Hyslop says the team logo relates to both sides of the border -- with a puck and maple leaf representing Canada, and stars around it for the US. The "Aces" leads back to the history of the old Aces Hockey team decades ago in St. Stephen as well as the history of the airstrip in WW2 in Pennfield. 

They estimate the Aces 1st exhibition game will be scheduled around September 6th or 7th of this year.

Flooding Could Be A Concern In Many Areas

The provincial River Watch warning New Brunswickers that over the past 48 hours,water levels have risen and ice movement has begun in some waterways.

Warmer temps for the next few days could lead to melting snow pack and ice covers throughout the province, leading to localized flooding. There are currently ice jams on the Kennebecasis River at Hillsdale and Norton and Hammond River between Smithtown and Upham.

Water levels on the Nashwaak River remain a concern.

Tenative Agreement Reached Between Department Of Heatlth and Pharmacists

The Department of Health has reached a tentative agreement with the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association.

Both sides have agreed to withhold details until the agreement is finalized.

The Pharmacists' Association claims the memorandum of understanding provides pharmacists with some predictability and helps to establish a foundation for future discussions.

The MOU will be retroactive to April 1.

Improved Literacy Could Be The Game-Changer NB Needs

Many adults in New Brunswick are struggling with basic literacy skills--as many as 60%, according to some polls. Liberal Leader Brian Gallant slamming the Alward government for what he calculates are 1.4 million dollars in cuts to adult literacy since the Tories took power.

He says in its first budget the Alward Government cut funding to the community adult learning services by $395,000, and in its second budget they cut even more than that.

Post-Secondary Education Minister Jody Carr counters that throwing money at problems isn't enough--and while cuts have been made that doesn't mean the quality of the services has suffered.

According to Life Literacy Canada, about 13% of workers in Canada are under-qualified for their jobs, which has a significant effect on wages and productivity.

Parent Unhappy At Washroom Investigation By Education Department

A parent whose son attends Kennebecasis Valley High says he's dissatisfied with the investigation that was carried out by the Education Department into whether all the boy's washrooms but one were closed for 2 and a half days recently.

Blair Surette tells Tide News he was told by a senior official in the Education Dcepartment that Superintendent Zoe Watson denied it happened which was what she told us in an interview. Surette questions how all the boys he talked to could be wrong and points out Watson wasn't there are the school.

We also heard from another parent, who did not what her name used, who told us she was told by her daughter one boys' washroom and two washrooms for the girls were open.

Surette is vowing not to let the matter drop and is nowlooking at writing a letter of complaint to the Premier.

Warning About Cellphone Scam

The Kennebecasis Regional Police have received several calls about a cell phone scam where victims buy a used cell phone on Kijiji or other on-line sales sites.

The scammer goes to any mobile phone shop, receives a phone at a significant discount or even for free, based on a promotion which involves a contract, which the receiver agrees to abide by. The person may use their own name or a fraudulent name to receive the phone and then sells the phone which technically has not been paid for and is now your problem.

Police say the easiest way to avoid being conned is to meet the seller at any mobile service provider and let them know you're going to have the mobile service provider check to see if the phone has been flagged in their database.

Former Soldier Will Not Be Tried In Machete Attack

There will be no trial in the aftermath of a violent attack January 20th at Eastern College on Prospect Street in Fredericton.

A judge has ruled a former soldier, accused of attacking a classmate and an instructor in a criminology class with a machete is unfit to stand trial.

The decision is based on the findings of a mental health evaluation at Restigouche for 31 year old Luke Thomas Walter Powers. It determined he was not criminally responsible for his actions.

Powers has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

Dealing With All The Rain Possibilities

The City letting us know they are preparing to deal with rainfall and snowmelt from the heavy rain and warm temps.

Transportation and Environment services crews are inspecting catch basins in known trouble spots to ensure they are open and ready to handle any run-off.

The City warns the freeze and thaw cycle can cause ice to form on the street and sidewalks and crews will put down sand and salt where its needed.

To the joy of Saint Johners, that same freeze-and-thaw cycle can bring on potholes in our streets.

Potholes can be reported by calling 658-4455 or email service@saintjohn.ca

3 Dogs Maintain Spots On NHL Scouting Ranks

Three Saint John Sea Dogs are on the list of the NHL Central Scouting Service's final rankings for North American players for this year's NHL Draft.

Olivier LeBlanc, Matthew Highmore and Spencer Smallman were identified earlier this season and have kept their spots in the final ranks.

18 year old Leblanc is at 126 while Highmore who is also 18 is ranked at 155 and the 17 year old Smallman is at 173.

The 2014 NHL Draft starts June 27th in Philadelphia.

Literacy Is An Economic Issue

A full room at the Delta to hear TD Bank's chief economist speak about the valule of literacy and numeracy skills in today's workforce.

The call was made to make literacy an issue in coming provincial election campaign.

Craig Alexander says the you don't get a job for life anymore so you need different skills for several employers. He says literacy skills are the great enabler and if you experience unemployment the greater literacy skills you have will strongly limit how long you are out of work.

Learning difficulties that lead to school failure can increase the risk of absenteeism, dropping out, substance abuse, teen pregnancy all of which keep the cycle of poverty or dependency going.

Police Seize MDMA, Marijuana During Traffic Stop

A 20-year-old man being arrested after police found drugs during a traffic stop in St. George.

RCMP finding a quantity of M-D-M-A, which is often referred to as ecstasy, and a small amount of pot Sunday evening around 7pm, while conducting a traffic stop on Main Street.

The man will be appearing in court in August.

Big Money To Benefit Heart Patients

The provincial Health Department releasing the letter sent to Dr. Marc Pelletier of the New Brunswick Heart Centre at the Regional Hospital about the large infusion of provincial funding which amounts to 4.5 million dollars.

2.3 million dollars will be used to renovate the cardiac care unit and 2.2 million for the purchase of an intervention suite at the heart centre.

In the letter, provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming writes that for too long politics have influenced decision-making in the health care system but now the decisions are being made on the basis of what's best for patients.

He also claims 40 million dollars of savings in healthcare this year alone.

Do Harm-Reduction Initiatives Actually Work?

Do harm-reduction initiatives like needle exchanges actually make a difference in the lives of drug addicts? 

For the Executive Director of AIDS Saint John Julie Dingwell the answer to that question is a no-brainer. She tells Tide News it absolutely does, not only reducing the spread of disease amongst drug users but acting as a connector.

She says once people start using the service on a regular basis, that's when the organization can really begin working with them "to show them that they matter."
 
Dingwell speaking as part of a discussion panel at U-N-B Saint John on community policing and harm-reduction in the city.

Crews Require Jaws Of Life In Sandy Point Road Crash

A scary crash sending 3 adults and a child to hospital after a car left Sandy Point Road ending up in a stream at the bottom of an embankment.

One person was stuck in the backseat of the vehicle so the jaws of life were required to get them out.

It was a challenging rescue for police and fire as they were standing 2-3 feet of water in a small brook. 


Emergency services got the call just before 3:30pm.

Keep An Eye Out For Flooding

With up to 50 millimetres of rain forecasted in the region, New Brunswickers are being warned to keep an eye out and prepare for flooding. 

Richard Keeley of River Watch tells Tide News water levels are expected to peak on Wednesday and Thursday.

Keeley says if you live in a flood-prone area and you have a basement, you should move your belongings to a higher level and be sure that any drainage equipment is functioning properly. 

For a link to more information and updates, click here

Point Lepreau Is Offline

The Point Lepreau generating station is temporarily offline after an issue on Saturday night with one of the turbine system pumps.

The issue occurred on the non-nuclear side of the plant.

Repairs are underway and the station is expected to reconnect to the grid and power back up to 100 per cent later this week.

Health Minister Says Government Is On Right Track With Its Senior Care

Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming says New Brunswick is ahead of all other provinces with the exception of Ontario when it comes to keeping seniors in their homes for as long as possible.

Flemming says the "Home First" policy means the government, hopefully, won't have to spend a lot more money constructing new nursing homes for a growing population of seniors.

Flemming is even hoping to see the movement of seniors from long term hospital care, not necessarily into nursing homes, but back to their own homes as long as there's proper home care in place.

He says the role of hospitals is to treat people, who are sic,k on a short term basis and move them out as quickly as possible.

Teen Facing Charges After A Bracelet Grew Legs

An update on the shoplifting incident at the mall on Friday.

A 14 year old arrested outside Brunswick Square after a bracelet was taken from a jewellry store.

After a search, police found the boy also had some marijuana.

He was held in custody until a court appeance facing three charges including theft under $5000.

Accused Armed Robber From St. George Back In Court

A 25 year old St. George man, facing a charge of armed robbery in the holdup of the Garden Street Circle "K" last Friday morning, is back in jail after making a brief court appearance.

Stephen Hall of Fundy Bay Drive was in court for a bail hearing but asked for a one week adjournment. The judge agreed to that and scheduled his next court appearance for next Monday afternoon.

Peppercorns Recalled Over Salmonella Concerns

Various organic black peppercorns being pulled off grocery store shelves because they could be contaminated with salmonella.

Eleven products including three from Frontier, four from 365 Everyday Value and four from Simply Organic being recalled. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says if you have the product in your home you should throw it out or return it to the store where you bought it.

Salmonella can lead to fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea in healthy people. There have been no reports of anyone getting sick from eating any of these peppercorns.

Click here for a full list of the recalled products.

Does New Brunswick Have A Work Ethic Problem?

We all know that New Brunswick has an employment problem--but does it also have a problem with its work ethic?

That was the question posed to Premier David Alward, who responded it's not for him to say whether there's a work ethic problem. All he knows is that he meets New Brunswickers every day, and they want jobs.

That being said, the province has seen unfilled jobs in a number of sectors including Tourism and Hospitality, which can get short shrift as people leave for better paying jobs out West.

But according to the Premier, we're seeing that trend of unfilled positions and empty classrooms turning around.

Program Lends Helping Hand During Tax Season

With the tax deadline looming many of us are feeling the pressure to file, and help is available for some in the form of a free tax clinic.  

Ashley Clarke of the Canada Revenue Agency says the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program is for those with a modest income and a simple tax situation. 

For a single person to be eligible they can't make more than $30,000 per year, it's $40,000 for a couple and $35,000 for an adult with a child, however according to Clarke those numbers can vary slightly from place to place.

Clarke says seniors, students and social assistance recipients use the service, among others. You can see a list of clinics taking place in St. Stephen by clicking here. 

For more information, call 1-800-959-8281.

Campaign Encourages Dialogue Between Doctors & Patients

The lines of communications between doctors and patients are opening up around the province. 

New Brunswick physicians teaming up with the Canadian Medical Association to help launch Choosing Wisely Canada, a campaign that aims to start conversations within the health care system.

Doctor Camille Haddad works in Miramichi and he tells us the point is to get everyone on the same page. He says when you explain to a patient the rationale behind the treatment being ordered, the patient will not only be appreciative but will put in extra effort to be involved in their own care.

President of the Specialty Section of the New Brunswick Medical Society Dr. Liam Hickey says they are pleased to be leading the work nationwide.

IBC Keeping An Eye On Severe Weather

Severe weather seems to be the norm 365 days a year no matter where you live but getting home insurance will not be a problem in New Brunswick.
 
Amanda Dean of the Insurance Bureau of Canada says while people can still shop around that doesn't mean that the industry isn't concerned about it.

She says it's one of the things where claims drive premiums so if these types of weather-related claims continue premiums may keep going up but that is not necessarily helpful for insurance companies or for consumers. 

For more information, click here.

More Wild Weather On The Way

Brace yourselves, because another storm is coming our way.

Environment Canada issuing a special weather statement for the region, describing a low pressure system that will track eastward along the St. Lawrence River Valley on Tuesday. 

Meteorologist Paula Sutherland says we're looking at winds gusting to 90 kilometres an hour and up to 50 millimetres of rain. She says temperatures says will reach between six to 10 degrees on Tuesday so there's the potential for major snow melt.

Most of the rain will fall mid-afternoon on Tuesday into the evening and we could see some lingering showers on Wednesday morning as the storm moves out.

Harsh Winter Weather Takes Toll On Businesses

The stormy winter has taken a toll on the bottom line of many small businesses.

A recent survey shows 25 per cent of Canadian firms and 34 per cent of American companies have been negatively affected financially. David Rumour of Sage North America says companies have to develop weather policies and procedures when storms hit.

He says it can be as simple as a communication plan for your employees which identifies who within the organization would step up in the case of a basic emergency.

Rumour adds with the technology tools available today, employees can still be productive on storm days by working from home with laptops and mobile phones.

Korean-Made Rice Porridge With Abalone Recalled

A Korean rice porridge with abalone being recalled because it could allow the growth of a dangerous bacteria that causes botulism.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says food contaminated with the Clostridium botulinum toxin may not look or smell spoiled but can still make you sick. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, respiratory failure and paralysis. In severe cases, people can die. 

There have been no reports of anyone getting sick.

The recalled product was sold in this province, Ontario and possibly nationwide.

Big Turnout For Tim Cameron Memorial Blood Clinic

Lots of donors braving the snow and rain to donate blood in memory of Tim Cameron.

He passed away last year and a the clinic is put on by his daughter Katie Mitchell.
 
Tim's wife Cathy tells us he would thrilled to see this clinic in his memory. She says despite working for the Red Cross for many years, Tim couldn't due to an illness in his past but to see others donate on his behalf would be a big deal to him.

Cameron says the family believes Tim's life was extended by the blood transfusions that he received because they allowed him to receive more treatment for his cancer.

45-Day Outage Planned At Point Lepreau

In March, Point Lepreau produced about 45 per cent of the total net generation from NB Power generating stations, putting about 660 megawatts on the  grid.

An outage is scheduled to begin in early May and last 45 days. It coincides with the anticipated increase in hydro electricity from the spring melt on the St. John River.

CAA's Worst Roads Campaign Gaining Momentum

The votes are already pouring in for this year's edition of Atlantic Canada's Worst Roads campaign. 

The C-A-A's Gary Howard tells us in about a week they received around a thousand ballots. 

Howard says there's a lot of momentum in voting this year and a lot of roads being named that haven't been brought up before. He says they're also seeing a lot of discussion on social media as well, with people talking about what road they voted for and encouraging others to vote.

Hanwell Road in Fredericton and Route 630 in Andersonville tied for the worst as of April 2. You have until the 25th of this month to cast your ballot, click here.

Grand Manan Ferry Service Cancellations

The 7:30am, 9:30am and 1:30pm departures of the Grand Manan Adventure being cancelled due to mechanical problems with the ferry.
 
Coastal Transport Limited says they are now aiming to begin regular service at 5:30pm from Blacks Harbour using the Grand Manan V.

Armed Robbery At Saint John Convenience Store

Saint John Police investigating an armed robbery at a convenience store on the East side. 

The incident happening at Little John's Variety on John T McMillan Avenue around 10pm last night and an undisclosed amount of money was taken.

Police aren't saying what type of weapon was used but no one was hurt and they are still looking for the suspect.

Man Charged In Gas Station Robbery

A 25 year old Saint John man appeared in court this afternoon on charges that he robbed the Garden Street Irving with a knife shortly after 3am.

Stephen John William Hall will be back in court for a bail hearing on Monday morning.

While trying to track down Hall, a police officer slipped on the ice and had to be taken to the hospital with serious injuries to his leg.

RCMP Seek Help In Stolen Parakeet Case

The Mounties looking for your help in finding out who took a bird from a pet store in Dieppe.

Two men came into the PetCulture store on Paul Street last Thursday night around 7pm and after they left workers in the store realized the sun parakeet worth over $1000 was missing.

One man is white and in his late 40's to early 50's and described as pale. He's about 5 foot 9 with a slim build and long dark hair wearing a dark coat.

The othe man is in his 30's and could be Aboriginal.

He has brown eyes and brown hair that is shaved on the sides.

He's about 5 foot 9 with a medium build and clean shaven.

He was wearing a dark coat with white stripes on the arms and designs on the chest.

If you know anything about this crime, contact police at 1-506-857-2400 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Health Minister Says Decisions Are Being Made For The Right Reasons

Provincial Health Minister Ted Flemming says he has taken the politics out of healthcare decisionmaking.

He says it's up to the Anglophone and Francophone Health Authorities to decide what their lists of priorities should be. Flemming says those priorities can be switched around depending on circumstances and points to the breakdown of a mammography machine at an unnamed hospital as an example.

Flemming maintains decisions in health are being made for clinical reasons and not because they might benefit M-L-A's on the government side get re-elected.

Remember Cameron By Giving Blood Tomorrow

It's a fitting tribute to a well-loved community leader.

A blood donor clinic is coming up tomorrow in memory of Tim Cameron-the former President of the Regional hospital foundation who died a year ago.

His daughter Katie Mitchell tells Tide News blood donations were essential during her father's treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

She says in order to continue with treatment for his cancer, her Dad needed to get his blood levels up so that he could accept treatment so he required blood transfusions.

The clinic begins at 9am tomorrow and runs until 1pm at 405 University Avenue.

For more info, click here 

Student With A Knife At FHS

No one was injured after a student at Fredericton High was brandishing a knife around 8:30 this morning.

A School Resource Officer acted quickly to contain the situation.

The student was arrested off school grounds and classes are continuing as normal.

Harley Tickets Now For Sale

You can now get your Harley ticket!

Rally In The St. Croix Valley spokesperson Bob Hamel making the announcement via Facebook this morning the Harley Tickets are now for sale.

Hamel tells Tide News 1st and 2nd prize at the Annual Harley Draw will both be 2014 Harley Davidson motorcycles and the best part is the winners will get a chance to upgrade. Hamel says the winners can use their prize bike as a down-payment towards the bike of their choice at the dealership.

He tells us it will still be one draw, with only 800 tickets available for $50 each.

You can get your tickets from any 2nd CAV member.

For more details... call Bob Hamel at 467-7101.

Artists Chosen For Sculpture Saint John

The bigger and better Sculpture Saint John for 2014 includes more communities so in turn requires more artists.

Executive Director Diana Alexander tells Tide News says three of the artists coming this summer were here back in 2012.

Jim Boyd is local and his piece will go to Hampton and Jhon Gogaberishvili from the Republic of Georgia is also returning and this time his piece will go to St. Stephen. His first sculpture went to UNB Saint John.

The Sussex sculpture will be created by Australia's Hew Chee Fong and the peice for Black's Harbour will be created by Bulgarian artist Petre Petrov. Calais, Maine has also been added to the community list.

The event runs from August 7th to September 20th.

For more info, click here

Saint John Is Not Alone In Overspending During Winter

The Port City is in the same pickle as hundreds of other North American municipalities that likely overspent this year on clearing and removing snow.

Kevin Rice of Transportation and Environment Services tells Tide News they will be speaking to council in May about how much was spent on winter maintenance up to the end of March.

He says some budgets might be overspent and others would be underspent and the City as a whole will put the numbers together to determine where the offsets might be.

Rice remembers a winter a few years back where the City overspent by a million bucks and he expects this winter has been worse than that.

Alward Government Being Assailed Over Roads

The Alward Government coming under fire again for its winter road maintenance. Provincial Transportation Minister Claude Williams says this winter has been the worst in the last twenty years and you have to deal with the realities associated with that.

Bay du Vin Liberal M-L-A Bill Fraser says he will pass along to Williams the hundreds of reports he has received about the condition of the roads. He argues they have never been in worse shape.

Williams, who says the budget to maintain roads has not been reduced, claims the plows have been out when required and if extra supplies of salt and sand were needed, they were bought.

He also points out when it's stormy, you can plow a road and an hour later with the drifting, it will be snow covered again.

Investigation Launched Into Washroom Closure At K-V-H-S

The controversy over whether Kennebecasis Valley High violated the Health and Safety Act after a washroom at the school was vandalised continues at a higher level.

The Provincial Education Department will investigate what happened after parent Blair Surette wrote a letter of complaint to Education Minister Marie-Claude Blais. He says just one washroom was made available to the hundreds of boys attending K-V-H-S and the rest were all locked for 2 and a half days.

Surette says that one washroom on the main floor ran out of soap and toilet paper so it got pretty disgusting. He claims the school may have violated the Health and Safety Act. He also tells Tide News Blais, herself, has spoken to him directly about the issue.


Surette says he has lost confidence in the school district because in his words "Someone's not telling the truth".

Ice Storm Will Take Chunk From NB Power's Bottom Line

NB Power's finances will be taking another hit because of the second ice storm in the Moncton region and the Premier admits this stormy winter is causing unsettling financial issues.

The clean-up costs for the December ice storm that ravaged Charlotte County, the Kennebecasis Valley and Kingston Peninsula in December came to $12-million with 88 thousand restorations.

The most recent storm saw 75,000 restorations with more than 100 crews working on the outages, mostly in the Bouctouche and Shediac areas.

Police Investigating YMCA

The Fredericton police have confirmed that they are investigating a complaint against the YMCA in the provincial Capital.

A camera was allegedly discovered in a locker room at the facility after they experienced an ongoing problem with theft. There's no word on who installed the camera.

Inspector Gary Forward says they can't say anything more at this point for fear of influencing the investigation.

They'll release more information as it becomes available.

Introhive Is Hiring In Saint John And Fredericton

A Fredericton-based data-analytics company called Introhive will be hiring 60 new people for information and communications technology jobs in Saint John and Fredericton over the next five years.

Their software, used worldwide, analyzes data to improve how companies market, sell and manage their customers.

Funding of up to $480,000 will be provided to the company to create 60 program manager, developer, customer support jobs.

You Can Sign Up Today For Drug Coverage

People can now start signing up for the New Brunswick Drug Plan on a voluntary basis.
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If you're not ensured and have a valid Medicare card, you're eligible to enroll in the plan. Some insured residents will also be able to join if they need a drug that is not covered under their private plan but is covered under the government drug plan, or if their current plan is maxed out.

More information about the drug plan is available by calling 1-855-540-7325 or by going online.

Radio Stations Recognised By United Way

98.1 the Tide in St Stephen, as well as Country 94 and 97.3 The Wave in Saint John have been honoured by the United Way for support of the organization's 2013 fund raising campaign.

The stations received the Valued Community Partner Award during a reception yesterday.

A number of other awards were also presented including one to the former ExxonMobil call centre where employees raised almost half a million dollars over the years the centre was located in the city.

Everyone Is Taking Part In Pranks Today

It's April Fool's Day, and everyone is getting in on the practical jokes-- even politicians.

A news release from the NDP arriving in our inbox overnight spoke of the expulsion of NDP leader Dominic Cardy and Kelly Lamrock, touting it as the final step following an unprincipled public attack upon the party and the building of socialism.

The release also speaks of how socialism has defeated Cardy and Lamrock as it defeated other petty bourgeois tendencies in the revolutionary movement.

Another prank unfolding on Twitter had a stadium going up on Partridge Island generating outrage from a few who got fooled. saying it was heritage site and should be protected. It even includes a picture of how it might look adding to the legitimacy.

Graeme Stewart-Robinson has admitted it was his idea describing it as the least controversial of his photo-shopped April Fool's Day ideas.