St. Stephen Flushing Hydrants For 2 Weeks

You might be seeing some dirt in your crystal clear today.


The St. Stephen Utility Department starting to flush hydrants within Town limits.

They will be flushing for the next two weeks.

The process might cause dirty water for some residents.

The Town apologizes for any inconvenience.

Awards Ceremony Coming Up

A unique recognition of the Port City's best and brightest coming to the Imperial Theatre at the end of this month. The Originals Awards are the brainchild of Artistic Director Judith Mackin, who tells CHSJ News there are over a dozen categories ranging from singer/songwriter to social contributions.



Leading up to the ceremony on May 31, local galleries, bars, and restaurants will be putting on special events as a lead up to the Awards. Categories include Music, New Media, and visual arts.

Pennfield Residents Concerned

Pennfield citizens raising their concerns about wastewater from a fish processing plant leaching into their water. There has been talk of J Smith Excavating Company building a pit for wastewater, but local citizens say they're not prepared to accept that in their neighbourhood. Lester MacKay tells CHSJ News there's been a lack of public consultation, because people weren't aware there might be ash with arsenic dumped near local water supplies until just two weeks ago.



MacKay tells us they've decided not to build the pit in Pennfield, but a new location has not been decided yet. He says wherever it is there will concerns about the smell as well as animals like bears and seagulls being attracted to it.

Romeo and Juliet Coming to Saint John

The Saint John Theatre Company putting a new spin on a Shakespearen classic. Romeo and Juliet will run at the Imperial Theatre from May 17th to 19th. Director Stephen Tobias tells CHSJ News they've taken a uniquely local approach to the tragedy, with the warring Montague and Capulet families being portrayed as Anglophone and Francophone.



Some of the dialogue will be in a French translation with English subtitles playing simultaneously on a screen. The actors playing the title roles are local teenagers, just like in the original. Tickets are available at the Imperial Theatre Box Office.

Drug Bust on West Side of Saint John

City Police seizing cash and drug paraphernalia after a raid on the West Side.

Staff Sergeant Tanya Leblanc tells CHSJ News city police raided a home on the lower West Side yesterday (Friday) evening close to 9pm.

No word on what kind of drugs were involved. Three males ages 49, 34 and 19 are expected to appear in court to face charges at a later date.

Mugging in Saint John

Watch yourself when you're walking out in Saint John, especially in the early morning hours. City Police are searching for a mugger after an early morning incident on Landsdowne avenue.

A 23 year old man was walking in the North End  around 1:30am when he was approached by another man in his teens or early 20s wearing a dark hat and a hoodie.

The mugger managed to take some property off the man and fled. Police are looking for the person in question.

3 Locals Charged After Police Find Large Quantity Of Cocaine

Two women and a man are facing drug charges after their vehicle was stopped on Highway 1 near Pennfield with police seizing what is described as a large quantity of cocaine.


25-year-old Dana Hanley of Elmsville, 34-year-old Amy Mae Bryant of St. George, and 22-year-old Candice Jolene Cleghorn of Oak Bay appeared in St. Stephen Provincial Court on charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Hanley has been remanded to jail until his next court appearance.

Both Cleghorn and Bryant were released on conditions.

All three are scheduled to return to court on Friday.

The RCMP, Saint John City Police and Rothesay Regional Police are all involved in the ongoing investigation.

Doucet Worried About Cuts To Grand Manan Ferry

MLA for Charlotte-The Isles Rick Doucet is questioning why Premier David Alward is calling a vote to end the tolls on the Grand Manan Ferry.


Doucet tells Tide News, people will be voting next week, and they really don't know what they are going to get.

He says he has had conversations with Transportation Minister Claude Williams and the Minister wouldn't give any answers. He says the Minister would not deny cutting services, he would not confirm that the schedule would be maintained, and would not deny that the new $65 million ferry would be tied up in the winter months to save fuel. Doucet says Williams talked about looking for efficiencies with the Grand Manan Ferry service, and nothing would be written in stone without consultation with residents.

Doucet says another issue, is the vote on Monday is for Grand Manan residents only, excluding White Head Island and people from the mainland who also depend on the ferry service.

St. Stephen Flushing Water Lines Next Week

You might get some dirty water next week in St. Stephen.

The St. Stephen Utility Department will be flushing hydrants within Town limits, starting on Monday, May 14th, and for the 2 weeks following.

The flushing might cause dirty water for some residents.

The Town apologizes for any inconvenience this might cause.

Toumishey Says St. Stephen Needs Creativity

Current St. Stephen Town Councillor Gavin Toumishey is putting in his re-offer.


Toumishey tells Tide News even though he is serving council now, there are alot of things he wants to see change.
He says he wants to increase town participation, as well as clear the lines of communication between the council, staff, and people we work for.

Toumishey says he's a family man, who has lived in St. Stephen for the last 23 years because he believes the quality of life here is good. However, he thinks a lot of creativity is needed to reach out to young people. He wants to explore new areas like social media and environment to attract families.


The time to vote is this coming Monday, May 14th.

Sound Barrier Possible Reality For St. George Residents

Peace and quiet may be coming to residents of the Kennedy Court subdivision.


MLA Rick Doucet bringing the issue to the Transportation Minister about having a sound barrier erected to keep the noise at a minimum from the nearby Highway 1.

Mayor of St. George Sharon Tucker tells Tide News the CAO has had discussions with Dexter Construction, and Dexter's has offered 3 choices to residents.

Tucker says, to her knowledge, the options are trees and shrubs, a berm made by displacing soil, or a privacy sound deflection fence like that at Dominion Hill.

No word yet on when the barrier will become reality.

Parker Wants A Transparent Town Council

St. Stephen Mayoral Candidate Kenneth Parker tells Tide News he has already served four terms on council, and he is a strong advocate of transperancy within its chambers.
He says he believes council has to be open to the community, we have to get people involved and working with the council to restore a positive attitude, and if we can do that, we can make St. Stephen prosporous again.
Parker says he's been against the new Garcelon Civic Center since Day 1. He tells us he always thought it was too big, and too expensive for a community the size of St. Stephen.

However, the Civic Center is now a reality, and Parker says if he becomes Mayor of St. Stephen he will be working 110% to make the Garcelon successful, and managed carefully.
 
The elections, for municipal, the Education Council, and Hospital Authority are in one week, on Monday, May 14th.

Fallen Firefighters Honoured

Various services will march in Halifax to honour firefighters and others who have died in the line of duty. The march takes place tomorrow (Sunday) at 1:40 beginning at St. Agnes Church, corner of Mumford Road & Chebucto Road.

Saint John Fire Chief Kevin Clifford tells CHSJ News they're going to raise donations for the national recognition of fallen firefighters.

He says SAint John has experienced at least 9 deaths in the line of duty and it's important to remember that so best safety practices are at the forefront of everyone's mind.

Wheelchair-Bound Man Stabbed

Few details being released on what's described as a stabbing incident on the streets of the North End of Saint John this morning.

In the early morning hours, a man in a wheelchair reported being stabbed on the corner of Duke and Charlotte

Sergeant Callan of the force confirmed the man was seen at the hospital but described his injuries as minor. No description of the assailant has been released, although police are looking into what happened.

Car Crashes Into Building

A motorist is probably feeling a little red in the face after an accident that left one Hampton business with significant damage.

Police receiving the call around 1:30pm yesterday a driver had confused the brake with the gas and plowed into the window of Crazy Frog secondhand clothing store at 184 Hampton Road.

No one was injured but according to eyewitness reports the driver also dented her car. Rothesay Police tells us insurance will pay for the damages.

Farmer's Market Opens Today

Over 90 vendors are registered at The Kingston Farmers Market, which is will be opening for its 15th season today. It's open from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm, with Breakfast from 8:00 am until noon.

Rothesay's Mike Biggar, a recent ECMA winner for Gospel Recording Album of the Year, will be performing starting at 9:30 am.  A fire truck will also be there for the kids to enjoy, and donations to the Peninsula Fire Department will be accepted,.

Fresh herbs and perennials will be available with some fresh produce farmers scheduled for return on the May long weekend.

Vote Early Today

If you're going to be too busy or otherwise engaged when it comes time to vote on May 14th, you're in luck. Advance polling for the May 14 municipal, education council and health authority elections will take place today, and on May 7th. Polls will be open on both days from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Mike Quinn Tells CHSJ News you should already have been mailed the information you need on which polling station to go to with your voter card.

Voters also have the option of voting by special ballot, which are available at the 23 returning offices and satellite offices around the province up to and including election day.

NB Highway Of Heroes Still Just A Dream

The dream to have one of the highways in the province designated a Highway of Heroes remains just that - a dream.
The idea was first floated almost a year ago by some military veterans to honour our fallen soldiers - but - Premier Alward tells Tide News there is still work to be done before a final decision can be made.
Alward says he realizes it's an important issue to a lot of people.
The military vets want to see the Trans-Canada highway running through our province receive the designation -- a number of other provinces have designated stretches of roads or complete highways as a Highway of Heroes.

More Money For Wellness And Sports

It appears the Alward government is getting more serious about investing in preventative measures as a way to reduce future health care costs.
The wellness and sports branches are getting a 25-percent increase in each of their budgets this year.
Healthy Living Minister Trevor Holder says his department will be working closely with anti-poverty groups - for example - providing grants for things like community gardens getting people outdoors - close to the land - thinking about their food and their own well being.
And Holder says studies show that can pay big dividends with every dollar spent on wellness will net between eight and twelve dollars in savings on health care in the future.

Local Coach Wants To Bring Fresh Perspective To Town Council

One of our local High School coaches is running for St. Stephen Town Council.


John Ames says he believes the town needs fresh ideas and a new perspective.

"As the youngest, and possibly the poorest, I understand the struggle of keeping young people in St. Stephen."

But the answer is simple -- he says we need jobs.

Ames agrees with the construction of the Garcelon Civic Center, saying "anything that is an outlet to our youth is a positive thing to me."

The municipal elections are May 14th.