CTF Calls On Province To Stop Taxing Gas Taxes

Dig deep when traveling this season to cover the high price of gas.

Kevin Lacey of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation tells Tide News that gas taxes cost New Brunswickers $24 every time they fill up their tanks --$4 more than it cost in 2010.

He says they are calling on the government to stop taxing the taxes on gasoline when they balance the provincial books.

Lacey adds we pay taxes on everything but he would have thought the Alward government would have stopped taxing its own taxes.

Lacey says the Alward government’s 2011 gas tax hike costs provincial families $31 million this year.

Heavy Rainfall This Weekend Could Lead To Flooding

They say a little rain never hurt anyone, but the same isn't true for a lot of rain.

As of late last night, Saint John was the recipient of the second highest amount of rainfall in the province with 80mm, with the first being Grand Manan. That comes on the heels of an advisory issued by River Watch warning people who live in flood-prone areas to keep an eye out for high water levels. 

They say that homeowners who have experienced flooding during heavy rain storms in the past, should make sure that their rain gutters, culverts and ditches are free from debris and leaves.

Chief Coroner Admits Drowning Death Remains A Mystery

There's still a lot of mystery about what happened in the three minutes 17 Year old Yifan Wang  hit the water at the Aquatic Centre until he was discovered unconscious in the deep end of the pool. That admission from Chief Coroner Greg Forestell in spite of an inquest at which 21 witnesses testified. 

Forestell does say, if nothing else, at least a lot of rumours and misconceptions were disspelled. The inquest determined Wang was not sick when he drowned or on drugs. 

Forestell regrets not being able to find out more about what sort of person Yifan was but his parents remained in China and did not attend the inquest.
 
He admits we still don't know what transpired in the 3 minutes from the time Yifan  hit the water until he was discovered unconscious in the pool and likely never will.
 
The family has until mid September to decide whether or not to launch legal action against the Aquatic Centre.

Holder Says Boys & Girls Club Will Have A Chance To Renew Next Year

The Boys & Girls Club of Grand Manan saved the season this time -- but what about the next one?

A one-year agreement being finalized with the Club to operate the Anchorage Provincial Park, after the province decided it would not open it's doors as a way to save money.

Tourism Minister Trevor Holder tells Tide News the Boys & Girls Club will have the opportunity to renew after this year. "After that, we often look at multi-year agreements, but that will be finalized come the next fiscal year. The Boys & Girls Club will have the usage of this park from now until the end of this fiscal year at the end of March."

With the camping season already upon us, Holder says they are hoping to have the park open for campers by early June. "That will welcome visitors to Grand Manan Island and give them a place to put their trailer and enjoy everything that Grand Manan and the Bay of Fundy has to offer."

Some Students Drink, Smoke, And Take Pills

The province releasing the results of the 2012 Student Drug Use Survey Report.

It's been in use since 1996 to gather info on the use  of alcohol, tobacco, gambling and more to understand student behavior and respond the right way.

More than 3500 randomly selected students in grade 7, 9, 10 and 12 completed the survey.

The results found 48 per cent of students consumed alcohol, 22 per cent smoked cigarettes and 28 smoked pot.

11 per cent report taking oxycontin or codeine without a prescription and 57 per cent drink energy drinks.

The numbers are consistent with the 2007 survey and down significantly from the 2002 edition.

Jury Delivers Reccommendations At Drowning Inquiry

The four person coroner's jury determined 17 year old Yifan Wang died of accidental drowning.

The jury made nine recommendations including additional lighting at the deep end of the swimming pool, province wide standards for aquatic centres and swimming pools along with an additional lifeguard at the shallow end of the pool.

They would also like to see portable phones for the lifeguards, the use of spineboards for swimmers who get into trouble and are pulled from the the water and provincial paramedics should be required to have a minimum of Advanced Paramedic training as they do in Nova Scotia.

The inquest began on Tuesday.

Owner Of Dog Offering $3000 Reward

A man who claims his family pet was stolen by misguided animal rights vigilantes is campaigning to get his family dog back. 

Elad Shalom says after his Alaskan Malmute, Tara, went missing he posted about it on Kijiji to see if anyone had spotted the distinctive white purebred. In response he received anonymous messages back from someone saying they had taken the dog because they thought Shalom was keeping her in a sub-standard crate. 

Shalom tells Tide News Tara is a show dog who has won numerous awards including Best Pet and Best in Breed. He describes Tara as a family member and says his children miss her desperately. The family moved from Israel to New Brunswick less than two months ago. 

Starting Saturday morning, Shalom is offering a $3000 reward to whoever finds both the dog at the thief.

Visit the Facebook group campaigning for the dog's return here

If you have any information about Tara's whereabouts you can contact the owner directly at 506-654 6664 or by email at e@devaffair.com

Doucet Applauds Grand Manan Residents For Fighting To Keep Park

Now that one of our Provincial Parks is off the chopping block, one local MLA hopes the government will still help out.

The announcement coming this week the Boys & Girls Club of Grand Manan is finalizing a one-year agreement with the province to take over operations of the Anchorage Provincial Park for 2013. The park was set to close this year in an effort to find efficiencies and cut costs.

Charlotte-The Isles MLA Rick Doucet tells Tide News the club came up with their proposal only weeks ago. "They've had little time to prepare and the camping season is already upon us, so there's got to be a lot of work from the Department of Tourism and from government to help them out to get them through the season because this is a big undertaking for a volunteer group."

Doucet says when the closure was first announced, the entire island took part in signing petitions and letters to keep the park open. He says, "It took every Islander who could print or write their name to sign a petition. There were countless letters that went into government. Bad press and bad social media, the Mayor was demanding a meeting with the Premier, and we also had a debatable motion in the legislature on the park."

He adds he applauds the people of Grand Manan for keeping the issue alive.

Dig Deeper At The Pumps

Dig deeper at the pump today.

The price of gas up by 2.2 cents per litre bringing the price for regular self-serve gas to a $1.29 a litre.

Diesel is up 1.7 cents a litre and furnace oil is up 1.6 cents a litre.

Regular self-serve gas was selling for 126.5 a litre around town while diesel was going for 128.7 a litre.

Inquest Hears From Pathologist

The inquest into the death of 17 year old Yifan Wang has been told by pathologist Dr. Marek Godlewski the cause of death was drowning even though Wang did not die until a couple of days after being pulled from the swimming pool at the Aquatic Centre.

The inquest also heard there was no indication Wang was sick before he drowned.

There was evidence of bronchial pnuemonia but that is consistent with taking in water and being on a ventilator.

He also had bruising and abrasions which the doctor concluded was caused when Wang was pulled from the pool and given what was described as aggressive CPR.

Adam Lee Steven Prest Facing 2nd Degree Murder Charge

A 39 year old man facing 2nd degree murder charges in the death of his common law partner 33 year old Tanya Shand.
 
Rothesay Regional Police have not released how she died in a violent domestic incident early Wednesday morning on the Dolan road.
 
Detective Sergeant Craig MacDougall tells Tide News he isn't surprised by the community's reaction.

He says anytime there is a homicide it's shocking especially in small community like Rothesay.

Adam Lee Steven Prest has been remanded to the Saint John Regional Correctional Center.
Police would not say if there was a history of violence at the couple's apartment. 

MacDougall tells us he doesn't expect any further updates now that the matter is before the courts. 

Prest is due back in court on June 10th.

Guilty Pleas In NS Confinement Case

A Nova Scotia man accused of confining and sexually assaulting a teenage boy at a home in Upper Chelsea has pleaded guilty to five charges in the case.
 
David James LeBlanc appeared in Nova Scotia Supreme Court today in Bridgewater, where he pleaded guilty to kidnapping, forcible confinement, sexual assault, uttering threats and breach of conditions.

The victim's mother, who can't be identified, says it was difficult to see Leblanc in court today.  She says it was hard and she wants him to suffer adding she isn't normally like that but the whole thing is overwhelming.
   
Leblanc was charged after a woman reported that a barefoot teenager arrived at her home in Upper Chelsea chained at his wrists and ankles.
 
At the time, the RCMP said they believe the 16-year-old was held captive about ten days before he was able to escape.

LeBlanc also pleaded guilty today to making and distributing child pornography as well as sexual interference in a separate case. 

The Crown and Defence are working on a joint recommendation for a prison term in the range of 11 years.

33 Year Old Woman Dies In Rothesay Incident

Rothesay Regional Police reporting the death of a 33 year old woman this morning through their Facebook page.

Craig MacDougall of the Major Crime Unit says a 39 year old man is under arrest and will be charged in the death.

The incident happened in the Dolan Road area about 5am.

In a video release, MacDougall says the names of the victim and the accused will be released later.

Inquest Hears From Paramedics And Lifeguards On Aquatic Centre Death

Testimony from Aquatic Center lifeguards continues at the inquest into the 2011 death of Yifan Wang.

Both lifeguards and paramedics on the stand said all procedures were followed correctly the day the 17 year old student died.

A lifeguard testified the Aquatic Center would have had adequate supervision even with 2 guards and 3 were on duty when Yifan Wang died. According to paramedics the boy had no heartbeat when they arrived on the scene, but his heart was restarted in hospital with a shot of adrenalin.

The paramedic added that from his very first impression of the patient he didn't expect a good outcome.

Doomed Park Saved By Boys & Girls Club

A doomed provincial park on Grand Manan Island being rescued by locals.

Tourism Minister Trevor Holder announcing an agreement has been reached between the Boys & Girls Club of Grand Manan to operate the Anchorage Park for the 2013 season.

The Alward government decided it would not open the park this year due to a decreased budget and sought a third party to continue its operations.

Holder says after reviewing proposals, the department decided the Boys & Girls Club had an innovative plan for operating the park.

He says a 1 year agreement is being finalized.

Death Toll Downgraded In Oklahoma Twister

The Medical examiner's office is revising the death toll from the Oklahoma tornado to at least 24.

The Oklahoma state medical examiner's office says that 20 children are among the dead in the tornado that ripped through Oklahoma City suburbs.

Medical examiner spokeswoman Amy Elliott confirmed the children's deaths last night.    The tornado made a direct hit on an elementary school in Moore and rescuers were seen pulling children alive from the rubble.

Authorities are still searching for victims throughout the community.

Inquest Begins Into Aquatic Centre Death

A jury of three women and two men have been chosen to hear testimony at the inquest into the death of a Chinese student at the Aquatic Centre in September of 2011

The General Manager of the Aquatic Centre, Karen Ervin was the first witness to testify at the inquest  

She wasn't working on the Sunday when Yi Fan Wang died.

She testified there is usually 1 lifeguard for every 25 swimmers. The inquest will be focusing on the Ultimate Swim when everything at the swimming pool can be used. 

Yi Fan Wang's family is not in attendance.

Two-Person Protest On Health Care Cuts

Two protestors gathering outside of a provincial announcement on the west side to show their disagreement with health care cuts.

Rick Patton, who works in nursing with CUPE tells Tide News the cuts that Health Minister Ted Flemming is imposing will have an impact on all communities in the province, big and small, but especially in rural areas, which he says have seen a reduction in both staff and service.

Patton tells us he's worked at the Ridgewood Veterans Heath wing for the past 25 years. 

Point Lepreau Power Output Increses

Point Lepreau's power output continues to climb. 

NB Power says that the nuclear power plant is now operating at 60% capacity. Power was down earlier in the year because of trouble with the reactor's fuel caps, forcing the company to slow re-fueling. They've said that the caps were too tight after adjustments were made during a refurbishment of the plant that finished in November.

The company says they'll continue to boost energy over the next few weeks until they reach full power. Point Lepreau began sending energy to back the grid in late April, with the reactor at 35% power.

Medical Residents Say Docs Won't Find Much Work In NB

Doctors who want to live and work in this province may be forced to find work elsewhere.

That's from Dr. Bobby Pomerleau, an assistant chief resident in Saint John. Medical residents have written a letter to Premier David Alward and Heath Minister Ted Fleming expressing their concerns that this province is discouraging family physicians from practicing here.

Pomerleau says that before he became aware of these issues, he would always say yes, that he is a New Brunswicker and wanted to stay and work in this province, but as he's nearing the end of his residency training, he says it's becoming more and more obvious that there simply aren't practice opportunities in our cities.

He says the few positions available in the province require doctors to take over established practices or move to remote and rural areas where there's little support for new physicians.