Province Releases Health Plan

The Province releasing its long-awaited health plan which Health Minister Ted Flemming says will address our health care challenges and provide support for those who want to rebuild their personal health while making a system that will be sustainable for generations.

Over 5 years, the Department of Health will keep working with health system partners to achieve financial sustainability.

In a release, the government says the plan encourages a philosophical shift that put the patient at the center of care with a bigger emphasis on building a healthier population and more services in the community.

The New Brunswick Cancer Network will work with the two regional health authorities and primary healthcare practitioners to implement screening programs for cervical and colon cancer.

For more info, click here

Man Involved In Crash In Serious Condition

The man involved in a collision on the Harbour Bridge in Saint John is in serious condition. 

Police say the 30-year old is at the Saint John Regional Hospital after his car crashed into a cement barricade just before 4:30 Sunday morning.

Traffic was slow-going on the bridge for most of the day.

Woman Faces Charges After A July Fight Goes Viral

A video of a fight that took place in Saint John on Ellerdale Street went viral on social media showing what appears to be a pregnant woman being kicked in the stomach.

We now have a better idea of when it happened and the aftermath.  City Police telling us they are investigating and both the victim and perpetrator have been identified.

A 20 year old woman has been charged and will be appearing in court on October 28th. 

She faces several charges including making threats, assault, probation violation and theft which is unrelated to the fight itself. 

Police also say the incident actually occurred on July 2nd but the video surfaced just recently.

Survey Shows Mental Health Needs Not Being Met

About one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem in a given year, but getting help isn't always easy. 

A Stats Canada report revealing over 1.5 million Canadians had a perceived unmet or partially met need for mental health care.

The CEO of the Canadian Psychological Association, Dr. Karen Cohen says psychological services needs to be made more easily available to the public, and they've been calling for that for some time now. 

Cohen tells Tide News the association commissioning a report to develop some models whereby Canada could make psychological care more accessible. The models are available on their website.

You Can Get Your Resume Done Without Charge

The Anglophone South School District will be opening up its 7th Career Work Room at the end of this month but this one won't be inside a school.

 Co-ordinator Theresa Murray says it will be at Agar Place off Waterloo Street in Saint John and is there for those who are not students to get help looking for a job. More than 3 thousand adults and 95 hundred students come in for help each year. 

You can get career counseling along with a resume and cover letter written, free of charge.

Murray says they're also in touch with employers about what their needs are and students who come in are quite serious about getting help in selecting what courses they need to better their career chances.

The Career Work Rooms are open all year round.

Airport Says It Has Lots Of Prime Space For Development

Enterprise Saint John, the Saint John Real Estate Board and Saint John Waterfront Development were all in Moncton over the weekend to talk about investment opportunities in the Saint John area. 

 Former Mayor Norm McFarlane chairs the Saint John Airport Authority and tells Tide  News the airport has 500 acres of prime land just ready for development but concedes nothing will likely take place in the short term so long as economic growth is not robust. 

Talk about developing the land around the airport dates back to when Elsie Wayne was mayor. McFarlane says there are lots of possibilities which include hooking up with a road connection from Quispamsis to the industrial park.

Unidentified Big Cats Being Spotted In Woods

Officially, there hasn't been a documented mountain lion sighting in this part of Canada since the late 1930s, but many people still swear they've seen or heard the big cats in the woods of New Brunswick. 

Researcher Bill Betty doesn't think they're all mistaken....he's with the Eastern Puma Research Network and he tells Tide News there's an even stranger possibility than a new and unknown species...wild house cats, which have been documented to get as big as 56 inches after living outside for generations.

He says the big black cats people have reported seeing could be the Asiatic Leopard which are a problem in Europe but haven't been proven to exist yet here, but we'll just have to wait until one is captured to know for sure.

Port City Commemorates Battle Of Britain

King and Charlotte blocked off from traffic as veterans, family members, cadets, and members of the public gathering in Kings Square to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Britain. 

John Bampton of the Royal Air Force was born in England but now lives in Sussex. He fought in the World War II battle as part of the 59th squadron. Bampton, who is now 91-years old, tells Tide News it's an emotional occasion for him because there aren't very many of veterans left, but it's also a reminder that it's all been worthwhile.

Bampton giving thanks on behalf of the veterans to the people of Canada, and especially the Maritimes, for backing them up in a time of need and helping them get back up on their feet after the war.

Quispamsis Gets $28,000 To Extend Trail System

The trail system in Quispamsis is expanding to become part of the Trans Canada Trail, thanks to a $28,000 dollar grant.

The funding, which comes from the Trans Canada Trail, will be used to extend the Saunders Brook Trail from Doncaster Drive to Lancelot Drive. 

Mayor Murray Driscoll tells Tide News they're always working on the town's trails. He says the money is a good start, and he hopes this is phase one of a larger project that will put a trail right through the community.

Ultimately, the Quispamsis trail will include the rehabilitated Matthews Cove Park and will connect to Rothesay along with Kingston via the Kennebecasis River and the Gondola Point Ferry.

Harbour Bridge Crash

One person in hospital after the car they were driving crashed into a cement barricade. City Police say it happened on the Harbour Bridge in Saint John just before 4:30 in the morning, going eastbound.

Importing Gas Would Increase PotashCorp's Costs

If PotashCorp can't secure a local supply of natural gas in the province, they'll have to look for an outside source, and that means higher energy costs. 

That's according to General Manager of the New Brunswick division, Stewart Brown, who says they need that local source of natural gas for their growing operation. He says we have a natural resource available here in the province and need to have clear and transparent regulations so companies that can extract it are able to move forward and we don't have that yet.

95% of the potash production from Sussex is shipped out of the Port City, which is about a million tonnes every year.

Queens Square Farmers Market Gets Postponed

Looks like you'll have to wait until next week to get those fresh vegetables and hot coffee.

Organizer Jody Kliffer letting us know the Queens Square Farmers Market in Saint John has been postponed until next Sunday, Sept. 29. 

It's been cancelled because of the rain forecasted for tomorrow morning.

Fire Crews Called To The Paramount

A concerned citizen calling City Fire after witnessing what they thought was smoke coming out of the back of an old theatre in uptown Saint John.

They responded to the Paramount, which is now undergoing demolition, and Division Fire Chief Gerald Green tells Tide News they discovered there was no fire in the building, it was just dust from bricks falling.

Demolition started on the Paramount this past Wednesday. It's scheduled to be finished by November.

SJ Board of Trade Announces Three Award Winners

The best in business will be honoured at an awards ceremony in October.

The Saint John Board of Trade announcing three winners for the Outstanding Business Achievement Awards: Carole Cunningham, the Board of Trade's Event Manager winning the Chair's Award, the UNB Saint John Promise Partnership winning this year's Big Heart Award and the Young Entrepreneur of the Year is Sarah Jones, the owner of Jones Gallery on Duke Street. The rest of the winners will be announced on October 2.

This is the 29th year for the awards ceremony. For more information on the event, call the Saint John Board of Trade at 634-8111.

New Inclusive Education Policy For NB Schools

The province has made some changes so nobody in the classroom is left behind.

The Inclusive Education policy was just announced by Education & Early Childhood Development Minister Jody Carr, and it's meant to make sure all students in New Brunswick schools get the support they need in the classroom. The approach focuses on students' particular strengths and needs and must be implemented by teachers and staff who are flexible and responsive to change.

A similar policy was launched in 1986, when the government established a mandate to ensure the inclusion of all New Brunswick children in their schools.

Fire Crews Battle Rail Yard Blaze

Photo Courtesy of Andrew Sanojca

A smoky scene at a rail yard with three boxcars completely engulfed in fire. 

Fire crews called to NB Southern Railway's South Bay yard had to use extrication tools in order to get inside and put out the blaze. 

Acting Platoon Chief Roy Byers of the Saint John Fire Department says the cars were retired from the rails and being used for long-term storage. There were no injuries.

Sea Dogs Home Opener Tomorrow Night

The President of the Saint John Sea Dogs Wayne Long would like to put last season behind him as year one of rebuilding following a Memorial Cup championship and appearance in the final. 

Long says they had an excellent draft and training camp.
He predicts this year's version in the second year of rebuilding is young, highly skilled and will be exciting. 


Long says the great thing about having younger players is that they go full out every game and can pull off some surprises.
 
The Sea Dogs' home opener is tomorrow night against the Acadie Bathurst Titan at 7 and they play again Sunday afternoon at 3 against the Charlottetown Islanders.

LaPierre Revelations Call Reports Into Question

It's a question of honesty: if Louis Lapierre was willing to falsify his academic credentials, what else did he lie about? That's the point being raised by Provincial Green Party leader David Coon.

He says the Alward government appointed Lapierre to give its pro-fracking stance some legitimacy but now all that has been cast into question.

Coon says the people of New Brunswick will doubtless want the government to look at Lapierre's reports again, since they supposedly consulted with people and gave a green light for fracking to go ahead.

Aquarium To Extend Fall Hours, Reduce Admission

The Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium in St. Andrews staying open from Monday until the end of October due to popular demand. 

The initial plan had been to open by appointment only after September 8, but instead they're opening a daily two-hour window which allows visitors to see the harbour seals Loki and Snorkel being fed, as well as the new seahorse exhibit.

As a special thank you to visitors, admission prices are being reduced by 20% for the period.

Head Of Province's Shale Gas Institute Resigns Amid Controversy

The big question is what the resignation of Louis LaPierre as head of the province's Energy Institute does to the Alward Government's policy on shale gas development. 

He had been appointed to head the province's new shale gas institute earlier this year. 

Provincial Energy Minister Craig Leonard, while announcing the resignation of LaPierre had been accepted, praised the work of the Institute under LaPierre’s leadership.
 
Controversy has erupted over LaPierre's supposed academic qualifications. LaPierre has been a University of Moncton professor for 30 years but now has admitted to misrepresenting his academic credentials. 

He also resigned as chair of the Marathon Panel, a federal environmental review board, citing medical reasons.