Passamaquoddy And Lincourt Keeping Visitors Out

Visiting hours are being cut at two of our local Charlotte County nursing homes to keep our elderly from getting sick.

The Passamaquoddy Lodge in St. Andrews and Lincourt Manor in St. Stephen announcing they have shut their doors to visitors until further notice.

The closure comes as a way of keeping the influenza virus at bay.

Major Water Damage Delays Opening Of Peel Plaza Courts

Problems at the new Saint John Law Courts building at Peel Plaza.

The opening of the courts will be delayed, after the building suffered major water damage in the overnight hours of Sunday. In an e-mail, Department of Justice and Attorney General spokesman Dave MacLean says an issue came up with the heating equipment that caused pipes to burst and resulting in water damage in the building.

In the meantime, the old courtrooms at City Hall, Charlotte street and Sydney street are temporarily being used. The contractor is working with its insurance company to evaluate the damage.

The new courthouse has 13 courtrooms. The original completion date was to have been June 2012, with the first cases scheduled to be heard this month.

Stabbing & Assaults Keep Police Busy Over NYE

'Non-stop' is how City and Rothesay Police describe their work over New Years Eve.

Saint John City Police Sgt. Jim Fleming tells Tide news a man in his twenties is in hospital after being stabbed by a 35-year-old man around 1:30 am. The man is due to appear in court today facing charges of assault with a weapon. Flemming says the stabbing occurred on the streets in the south end and it appears to be a random act since the two don't know each other. Alcohol is believed to be a factor.

There was also a total of 9 criminal arrests in the city that were mostly assaults. Those include 2 domestic assaults, while the rest were at bars in the uptown area and out east. 7 people were held overnight for drinking a little too much. Police say most of the commotion started after midnight.

Police do say there were no arrests for drinking and driving in Saint John, although in Rothesay there were 2 impaired driver reports.

In Rothesay, police tell Tide news they've been incredibly busy with calls since 9 pm and having to put a few people in jail until they sobered up. There were 5 car accidents and 2 domestic disputes.

Saint John Fire Department wasn't as busy, but did respond to a fire alarm being pulled at the Delta on King Street, although there was nothing to be found.

Mill Rats Coach David Cooper Named Coach Of The Month

A big accomplishment for a newer coach. Saint John Mill Rats coach David Cooper has been named Coach of the Month for December by the National Basketball League of Canada.

Cooper has been a Mill Rats player, VP of marketing and assistant coach before being named head coach in August. He's lead the team from a 3-6 record at the end of November to a 10-8 run, including a six game winning streak from December 13-28.

The Mill Rats are currently atop the NBL's Atlantic Division standings.

The Snow Is Done Falling, But The Temperature Isn't

Now that we're done shoveling snow -- it's time to throw on an extra sweater.


Environment Canada reporting 22 cms of snow falling on St. Stephen yesterday (Sunday, December 30th) with higher amounts being reported outside of town.

Meteorologist Linda Libby tells Tide News Charlotte County may see a few flurries over the next week. She says, "Primarily tonight and tomorrow, we will see a chance of flurries for New Year's Day. After that, we are either looking at sunshine, or a mix of sun and cloud with no weather systems at this time in our near forecast."


Libby says in the New Year, the temperature is going to drop. She says, "It won't be too bad for the next day or so, but by time we get to Wednesday or Thursday, where we are under a ridge of high pressure, we will see daily highs of minus 12 degrees ( C ) which is considerably colder than normal for this time of the year." Libby says the overnight lows will drop to the mid to low teens, which is just slightly colder than normal for this time of year.

Economy The #1 Issue For 2013, Says Liberal Leader

As we enter 2013, Provincial Liberal Leader Brian Gallant has no hesitation in saying what the number one issue is in New Brunswick these days. He says our major challenge is the economy, with a 11.2% unemployment rate and a rising deficit

Despite that, Gallant says the Liberals still favour a moratorium on shale gas development with too many unanswered questions. He tells Tide News even Provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard can't say how many jobs will be created, what impact it would have economically and how it would affect the environment.

Rplex? Rothesay Looks Into New Rec Centre

Quispamsis has the Qplex, and now Rothesay is looking at creating its own recreational centre.

Mayor Bill Bishop tells Tiude news there's 2 million dollars in their capital budget for a design study, but that will only be used if Rothesay Council gets enough information on funding and size to go ahead.

Bishop says the rec centre would have a focus on indoor sports, with small rooms for martial arts, an indoor walking track and courts for basketball and volleyball.

New Brunswick Gets First Dumping Of Snow

Hopefully you don't have anywhere to go today, because most of southern New Brunswick is snowed in.

Gelas Duguay, a meteorologist from Environment Canada, says the worst of the snowfall is mostly over, but there's still snow coming. He says we've received as much as 15 cm of snow at the airport that started late overnight. Duguay says the heaviest of the snow fall will end around 8:30 am, but we will continue to get 5-6 cm of lighter snow throughout the day. Although the snowfall will end tonight, we'll still have strong winds up to 70 kilometers an hour.

The winter blast is dumping as much as 30 cm of snow across Nova Scotia, PEI and southern and eastern New Brunswick. It will then head to Newfoundland, bringing winds gusting up to 140 kilometers an hour.

The high will be zero today, with a low of minus 12 for tonight.

The Princess of Acadia ferry crossing the Bay of Fundy has been cancelled for the day because of the storm. City transit says buses will start running at 10 am, but warn to expect delays and service may be stopped if the weather gets worse. Delays and cancellations have started at the airport.

Another Big Snow Storm To Hit Atlantic

Just when the streets start to get clear and delayed flights finally get home, more snow is coming to the Atlantic provinces.

Environment Canada says a low pressure system in the US is expected to move into the region and bring heavy snow and strong winds tonight and tomorrow. Forecasters expect anywhere from 15 to 25 centimeters of wet, heavy snow.

Here in New Brunswick, we're expected to get 5-10 cm of the white stuff starting at midnight tonight and throughout Sunday.

Traveling Saint Johnners Happy Despite Delays

Saint Johnners still in good spirits, despite enduring multiple flight cancellations and delays at multiple airports while trying to get home from their Christmas vacations after Thursday's heavy snowfall.

Roy and Muriel Marr had been traveling from Florida with their family for over 24 hours to get back to Rothesay. Their original flight from Toronto had been cancelled, so they had to transfer at the Halifax International Airport. The two say they don't blame the airline, and say the ticket agents have been working hard to get them home -- including giving a hotel and meal vouchers.

Pat Teehan is visiting his girlfriend in Saint John, and wasn't bothered by his flight being cancelled Thursday night since he had a place to stay in Toronto. He says it's frustrating to be on standby, but says it's expected this time of year.

Lilly Both from Quispamsis was ready for the delays by packing a carry-on bag full of extra clothes and food. She says she had to drive 2 hours to the airport in Edmonton to find out her flight was delayed and she missed all her connecting flights. She says what bothered her was that she only received one ticket to Ottawa, instead of all to Montreal, then Saint John. She says she received no compensation because the cancellation was weather related. Despite that, she says she's not cranky, just a little tired. Both says it hasn't ruined her vacation, since it happened towards the end, not the beginning.

Carolann Hatt from Back Bay is also in good spirits, despite having flight cancellations and delays from Ottawa. She says she's happy since she had good Christmas and just hopes everyone gets home safe and sound.

Overnight Snow Parking Ban Towing Tons Of Cars

It's not going to be a good start to the weekend for many people in the Southern and Central Peninsula.

According to Saint John City Police, over 25 cars have been towed overnight from parking on the street while the snow parking ban was in effect.

The ban runs from 11 pm to 7 am.  Those cars towed have been taken to a compound at Ashburn Lake.

And with more snow expected tonight, you can park your car overnight at Brunswick Square and Market Square for a discount rate of $4 between 8 pm and 8 am.

Garbage Day Changing Due To Holidays

Residents of Milltown will need to take the garbage out early.


Due to the holidays, the Town of St. Stephen reminding everyone that the garbage collection day has been bumped up to Monday, December 31st, instead of the regular Tuesday pick-up.

Make sure your bags are curbside by 7am, Monday morning.

The regular garbage collection day will resume on Tuesday, January 8th.

Storm Warning For St. Stephen And Charlotte County

Environment Canada has posted winter storm warnings for much of New Brunswick.


The storm has already pounded the midwest U-S and hit southwestern Ontario and Quebec.

Locally in Charlotte County the forecast calls for a mix of snow, ice pellets, and rain, with 70 km an hour winds.
20 cms is expected to fall today with another 10-15 cms coming tonight.

Bill To Help Prevent Flooding Washed Out In Legislature

A bill dealing with flooding in the province has been rejected in the legislature.


Bill 25 would make it mandatory for areas with dams to work with the EMO to get an emergency plan put in place incase of rising waters.

Local MLA Rick Doucet tells Tide News it was a simple amendment that would give residents in flood zones confidence in dam operators. He says, "Furthermore, the operators of the dams following the respect of pre-planned responses -- if they have some pre-planned responses put in place -- they would be well above critism and blame. If anything, let's end some of the finger-pointing that's gone on over the last couple of years." That coming after many residents in the St. George and Boney River areas questioned the actions of dam operators during the Flood of 2010.
Currently, a plan doesn't need to be made until the province calls a state of emergency for that area.

Doucet says the amendment was for people, like those in Boney River and Perth Andover,  to have confidence in dam operators that they will do all they can to prevent flooding.

Doucet says he will be having future discussions on the amendment. But, as for trying to table the amendment again, in his words, Doucet says the bill was squashed because the holidays were coming up, and it was easier for the legislature to kill it now rather than deal with it in the spring. He says he is sure they would do it again.

No "Ask" Yet For Subsidies For Possible Pipeline

   Premier David Alward says there hasn't been any "ask" by the private sector for government subsidies for the proposed west-east oil pipeline to Saint John.

    In a year end interview - Alward says the private sector is busy building a business case for the proposal:

Alward says companies like Enbridge that would operate the pipeline and the producers the companies in Alberta that produce the oil.

    Alward says government's role will be to ensure the regulatory process for the project is open - responsible - and - will allow the project to move forward in a timely manner.
   

The RSC's Get To Work January 1st

The new year will see 12 regional commissions in the province get down to work.
 
The Alward government announcing back in February the creation of the commissions to promote increased planning and communication among communities.
 
Chair Grace Losier announced last week that Jack Keir will be Region 9's Executive Director.

She says he did rise to the top because of his past experience with the Crane Mountain landfill reporting to a public board of directors.

The service commissions will be responsible for the solid waste commissions when their work officially starts in January.

Christmas Prep Is Tough Without Power

Just over 600 people in the province are off the grid but, likely not by choice.

Over 100 NB Power customers in Fredericton and St. Stephen are without power.

Crews working for the utility have been hard at this week trying to restore power after Wednesday's massive snowstorm so last night's wind and rain didn't help matters.

Need Some Help With Your Heating Bill?

Winter heating bills can be a major stress if you're getting by on a small income and the provincial government is offering a helping hand if you make less than $28,000.


Families can apply for a $100 subsidy to offset the costs but be warned, you should get your name in soon: 50,000 applications were received last year, and the program has benefitted over 95,000 families since first starting in 2010. The applications are available on Janaury 3.

You can apply online, in person at Service NB, or by phone toll-free at 1-800-669-7070.

Alumni Spartans Skate Again For Fundraiser

The lock-out is still on -- but here in St. Stephen -- it's almost game time!


Members of the Spartan Hockey Alumni, who are players from the past 30 years, are coming together this Sunday for a fundraising hockey game.

One of the original coaches from 1982, Mike Bronson tells Tide News when he coached they were all like one big family. He says, "Noone missed any time unless they were absolutely sick. It really worked out well. Looking back on the high school and doing the extra-curricular thing, coaching and helping start that team was one of the highlights of my career."

The "Spartan Hockey Legends of the Past" game will give proceeds to help our local kids on the Spartan 2012-13 team.

The game will be at the Border Arena, Sunday, at 4:25pm. Tickets are $3.

Grand Manan Fisherman Lost At Sea

It's a sad day on Grand Manan Island as one of their own is lost at sea.


Local fishing boats, along with helicopters and rescue vessels searching the entire night in the Bay of Fundy for a local lobster fisherman who fell overboard.

East Coast Navy Captain Tyrone Grande tells Tide News the call came in to the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax yesterday around 5:45pm.

He says at 7am this morning ( December 21st, 2012 ), there was still no sign of the man and the search was downsized due to weather and consideration to how long the man had been lost at sea.

Grande says the search has now been taken over by the RCMP as a missing persons case.