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)

At A Grow-Op Near You...

With winter upon us, criminals often move their illegal operations indoors....

Crime Stoppers and New Brunswick RCMP asking the public report any information they may have about possible indoor marijuana grow ops. Growing marijuana indoors can pose a number of risks, including criminal activity and risks of fire and toxic chemical exposure.

Signs of a grow-op include heavy condensation and dark coverings over the windows, an unusual number of vents, increased security measures, and a strange odour coming from the house.

If you have a tip regarding a grow-op in your area, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). There is a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Nursing Homes Open To Visitors, But Screening For Flu-Bug

A ban on public visitation has been lifted for two local nursing homes.

The Passamaquoddy Lodge in St. Andrews and Lincourt Manor in St. Stephen both confirming they are now allowing family and friends to visit loved ones at the facilities after a ban was put in place December 31st to keep the influenza virus from coming into contact with residents.

Karen Lord from the Lodge tells Tide News they are open, however, she asks anyone showing cold or flu-like symptoms to please stay away.


Lincourt says they are currently screening visitors before allowing them to visit.

Cold Snap Could Get Costly With Electric Baseboard Heating

A prolonged cold snap focuses the mind wonderfully on what you can do to keep your heating bills from exploding.

Carl Diuvenvorden says electric baseboard heating is inefficient and tells Tide News from first hand experience he knows what effect the installation of heat pumps or mini splits can have.

He says, "I can tell you, my mother lives in northern New Brunswick and she installed two mini-splits and a few other upgrades as well, and her power bills fell by 50%. In the case of a mini-split, they are several thousand dollars each."



Diuvenvorden says with baseboard heating you get one unit of heat for each unit of electricity.

Snook Stays In Jail

Former Saint John common councillor Donnie Snook will remain in provincial jail until March 11. Snook waiving his right to a bail hearing due to the amount of evidence still remaining to be processed by city police.

According to crown prosecutor Kelly Lamrock the police predict the investigation will take 4-6 weeks to complete. Police are currently working to identify victims in images found on Snook's computer and other potential victims. A number of people have also approached city police and the RCMP since the initial charges came to light, saying they too were abused.

Snook's laywer, Dennis Boyle, says Snook will be entering a plea on March 11.

More Alleged Victims Coming Forward Against Snook

Several people coming forward to both Saint John City Police and RCMP alleging they've been sexually abused by former Saint John Councillor Donnie Snook.

In a release, police say they're also trying to identify victims from the computer images seized from Snook's laptop. 40-year-old Snook is facing 8 charges in total, relating to child pornography, child exploitation, and sexual interference with a child under 16.

Police and the RCMP'S Internet Child Exploitation Unit are asking anyone with information relating to this matter to contact them.  Saint John Police Force at 506-648-3333, RCMP at 1-888-506-7267 or N.B. Crime Stoppers anonymously online at www.crimenb.ca  or 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Snook was arrested at his home on January 9th and resigned as a councillor on Thursday. He's set to appear in court tomorrow for a bail hearing.

New Affordable Housing In Fredericton

Those searching for affordable housing in the Fredericton area may soon have a little more choice...

The government announcing the opening of 8 new units for low-income individuals at 411 St. Mary's St., and 75 units for seniors, non-elderly singles and people with disabilities at Brookside and Terrace Courts.

The Feds contributed $3 million in funding for the  Brookside Drive development, and the provincial and federal government contributed equally to the $75 million dollar costs for the development on St Mary's Street.

Human Resources Minister Troy Lifford referred to the developments as part of the mission to enhance taxpayers quality of life while also living within their means.

Liberals Call On Health Minister For Apology

The opposition critic of health is not impressed with various actions by Health Minister Ted Flemming this week.

Donald Arsenault tells Tide news he knows Flemming has a plan in place to reduce 22 emergency rooms to 15, but it's the way he's doing it that's frustrating. Arsenault says the way he's attacked doctors and referred to New Brunswicker's as hillbillies for not jumping on the shale gas bandwagon is not a proper comment to make.

He says if the minister is thinking about shutting down ER's to save money, he should be honest with the public and say where they are. Arsenault worries it's the province's rural areas that would suffer the reduction in health care.

Arsenault is calling on Flemming to make an apology, and be more open with the public in a less aggressive way.

Doctors' Pay Will Not Be Made Public

The idea, put forward by provincial Auditor-General Kim McPherson, to make the individual pay of doctors public has been rejected by the Alward Government.

Health Minister Ted Flemming met with the New Brunswick Medical Society to talk about the concerns raised by her about double billing on the part of some doctors.

Anthony Knight of the Medical Society says it supports addressing what he calls rare inconsistencies but tells Tide News the doctors have gone out of their way to help out the province financially with a two year freeze on any increases in their Medicare fee schedules. He questions how much value the provincial government has placed on that.

The Medical Society has told us doctors believe they have been under attack of late in some sort of campaign to taint the public's perception of them but adds they're looking forward to a stronger relationship with the Department of Health.