What is Next For The Garcelon?

What is the next step for the Garcelon Civic Centre?

 Town Manager John Ferguson tells Tide News some activity will include stockpiling fill, approximately 7 metres high, designed to weigh down a specific area of property, compacting the land, to support the future pool.

He adds, that stockpile mimics years and years of compaction, and the process will take around 2 months to complete.

Project Manager Announced for Civic Center

It's a big step towards our new Civic Center.

Last night, St. Stephen Town Council approved E.A. Farren Limited from Saint John as the Project Management for the Garcelon Civic Center, for a price just over $439 thousand dollars.

Town Manager John Ferguson says there were 6 companies who applied for the position.

He says E.A. Farren had the lowest price with no potential for cost overruns.

Finance Minister In St. Stephen

Another stop in gathering New Brunswickers' input -- Finance Minister Blaine Higgs will be in St. Stephen tomorrow morning.

Higgs is making the rounds in the province, holding public meetings in 10 communities, gathering the public opinion first, before the 2012-2013 budget comes out.

Everyone is allowed to participate, even thought the meeting is labeled for stakeholders.

The meeting goes from 10am until 12 noon at the St. Stephen Legion, located at 43 Queen Street.

Scammer In Charlotte County!

A scam is making the rounds in Charlotte County.

One of our listeners in Pennfield tells Tide News, during a call this morning, she was asked to give her credit card number over the phone, so an unknown person could de-bug and clean her computer so it ran better.

Our listener says she doesn't have a computer, and when she asked who was calling, they hung up.

A spokesman for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says they've had over 4000 complaints since early December for the same scam.

He warns they are targeting our directory, hitting on areas from St. Stephen to Grand Manan Island.

If you think you have been scammed, call the Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

1 Week Until The Marathon Begins!

Get your shopping carts ready!

1 week from today, The Tide is hosting The 10th Annual Marathon Food Drive, and it's getting bigger!

This year, a separate food drive will take place at the St. Stephen Superstore, the St. Andrews Save-Easy, as well as the St. George Save-Easy, filling the shelves of food banks in each community.


Food Drive times are Friday, from 5-9pm, and Saturday, from 10am-2pm.

Photos Released Of Snowmobile Armed Robbers

The RCMP have released photos and descriptions of two suspects in the armed robbery of Zealand Convenience, on Route 104.

A shot was fired but no one was hit.

The store owner was assaulted and taken to hospital where he was treated and later released.

An undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes was stolen.

There was an earlier armed holdup at Estey's General store on Route 104 in Millville, where a shot was fired with cash and cigarettes being stolen.

Witnesses say after each robbery, the suspects escaped on snowmobiles.

Grand Manan Opens Community Centre Tomorrow

Grand Manan Island will have the official opening of it's Community Centre tomorrow.

The ceremony gets underway at 1:30, at 1021, Route 776.

NB South-West MP John Williamson will be attending, alongside Wellness, Culture and Sport Minister Trevor Holder and Grand Manan Mayor Dennis Greene.

Health Advocate Digging on Ambulance NB in St. Andrews

Opposition Health Advocate, Bill Fraser has filed a right-to-information request with Ambulance New Brunswick concerning an incident in St. Andrews.

Last June, a town resident suffering from an allergic reaction waited for an ambulance to be dispatched from Lepreau.

Fraser says,  on the surface, ANB’s response rates look very good, they claim they’re meeting both urban and rural response targets in ninety percent of cases.

But what’s not often revealed is that there are exemptions that allow for missed response times to not be factored in.




This comes as Cupe Local 4848, which represents paramedics raises concerns over ambulance response times and proper coverage.

It claims the number of ambulances in the province is down 40 percent during the night and current health care cuts could lead to lengthier response times.

Red Cross Stepping In For Fire Victims

Two mothers and their children getting help, after their apartment building was destroyed by fire.

Janice Babineau of the Canadian Red Cross says the families were given blankets, clothing, hygiene products, and teddy bears for the kids.

Sgt. Bob MacKnight with the District 1 RCMP says the blaze was caused by a mattress that caught fire in one of the apartments at 17 Pleasant Street in Milltown.

He says there were no fatalities, but two people were treated for smoke inhalation.

SJ Airport Down In Passengers

CEO of the Saint John Airport, Bernie LeBlanc, giving a presentation to the St. Stephen Chamber of Commerce this afternoon.

He touched base on the airport's finances, budget, and goals.

LeBlanc says Saint John is down about 14 thousand passengers in 2011, as compared to 2010.

He hopes to improve those numbers by expanding customer offerings, enhancing facilities, and to get more involved with the community.

LeBlanc says their biggest problem is a lack of population.

(Picture: VP of Chamber of Commerce Terry Jordan with CEO of SJ Airport Bernie LeBlanc)

Murder In Saint John?

A two day preliminary hearing will be held in the spring to determine if 50 year old Stephen Wallace Martin should stand trial for the killing of a man in Saint John before Christmas.

It gets underway on May 2nd with two days set aside for testimony.

The body of 70 year old Robert Ryan was discovered by firefighters after they were called to 374 Mount Pleasant Avenue North.

Police have not said how he died but determined it was a homicide.

School Canceled From Lack of Heat

Lots of little ones staying home from school today over the river.

Kathy Lawrence of the Calais School Department confirmed the Calais Elementary School canceled classes for today, due to no heat in the building.

No word yet if classes will continue tomorrow.

Fire In Milltown Leaves 9 Homeless

Many residents of St. Stephen thinking of past time, spent living in an apartment building that caught fire last night.

EMS and Fire Services from St. Stephen and Calais responding to the blaze around 6pm at 17 Pleasant Street in Milltown.

Sgt. Bob MacKnight of the District 1 RCMP says a mattress in one of the apartments was the cause of the fire.

He says tenants tried to remove the mattress but were overcome by smoke inhalation.

Two people suffered minor injuries from the smoke and were treated.

In total, nine people were left homeless and have been arranged temporary accomodations.

MacKnight says foul play is not suspected.

Attention! Point Lepreau Emergency Test Thursday

A test of the Point Lepreau emergency notification system is coming up on Thursday.
The test is being conducted by the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization in partnership with the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating System.

When residents receive the test message, they should listen to the message and then follow instructions to confirm they have received it. The results will allow the Provincial EMO to assess the efficiency of the system.

An emergency notification system has been in place since Point Lepreau opened and an improved system has been in place since 2009 where residents can get the alerts in their home, work or cell hone through e-mail, text message or fax.

If your contact info has changed or you moved, you are asked to contact the Provincial EMO.

Emergency Measures Organization (1-800-561-4034) or the Musquash Fire Department (506-672-2702 or 506-659-2907).

Volunteers Needed For Rally in St. Croix Valley

You can almost hear the motorcycles revving!

The "Rally in the St. Croix Valley" is making progress as a biker festival in St. Stephen and Calais for this summer.

Canadian Chairman Bob Hamel says they are looking for creative individuals to volunteer, and help with a number of things such as lodging, entertainment, traffic control, vendors, sales during the event, ride escorts, and fundraising.

There will be a public meeting held at the Calais Motor Inn, Jan 31st, starting at 7pm, 6pm US time.

The Rally is scheduled for July 1-8, 2012.

CEO of Canadian Blood Services Says Province Made The Right Move

The CEO of Canadian Blood Services Dr. Graham Sher says remaining with CBS is the best option for the province.

He says by staying with a national system, patients and the medical community in the province can be assured of a safe and secure blood supply.

The province has announced it will be forming a watchdog group with various medical and advisory groups to ensure that safety will not be compromised.

CFIB Wants Government to Cut Through Red Tape

Grab the scissors and start cutting through red tape--that's the message from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses. The federation's Leanne Hachey says that reducing red tape is more difficult because many people aren't clear on what it means.

Sitting on the phone for hours at a time, getting two answers to the same question, mounds of unnecessary paperwork, and lengthy questionnaires are a burden on business owner's time, which could be better spent doing things that would help their businesses.

She says that because most businesses in New Brunswick are so small, it's generally one person that's left to jump through all the unnecessary hoops. 

The CFIB is getting to word out about the negative effects on red tape on business in the province with a new video series on their website starting Monday. 

You an check out the red tape video diaries at www.cfib.ca

New Road to St. Andrews Aquarium

No more sharp turns and winding hills to get to the Fundy Discovery Aquarium or the St. Andrews Biological Station.

A new road has been constructed leading directly to the Highway 127.

Brandy Cove Road, which brought traffic from the town to the Aquarium, via the Algonquin Golf Course, is now closed.

The new road is nameless for the time being.

A contest on the new name is being held by the Town of St. Andrews, Sir James Dunn Academy, and Vincent Massey Elementary.

What is The Future of School District 10?

A lot of commotion, raised voices, and emotion behind closed doors.

District 10 holding an Education Council meeting last night in St. Stephen, after hearing word the provincial government is cutting the 14 school districts in New Brunswick to 7, with 75 to 100 job losses.

Districts 6, 8,and 10 will be combined, from St. Stephen to Sussex, including Saint John.

District 6 Chair Roger Nesbitt isn't worried about the change, and says it won't affect the quality of education for students.

However, mixed emotions in St. Stephen.

District 10 Chair Joni Donahue says nothing is etched in stone until the province starts moving, and it will be very hard on district staff.

Vice Chair Wayne Spires says we need to be ready when the changes come.

SSHS In Canada's Spotlight

A special kind of report card bringing national attention to our local high school.

In November we reported St. Stephen High School conducting a "Student Health Report Card", testing students on issues like nutrition, blood pressure, cholesterol and self-esteem.

The Initiative is now reaching nation-wide attention, as they are the first to compare to affects of Body Mass Index or BMI in regards to the students' grades.

Nurse Practitioner Yvonne Bartlett says it's not a strong statistic, but they found the higher the BMI -- the lower the students' grades.

SSHS Guidance Counsellor Don Walker says "We're under the gun. Canada is watching."

Walker says SSHS has been flooded with emails and calls from schools across Canada, and health officials wanting to learn more about the project.

He says they are now in the intervention stage, helping students who discovered risk factors for heart disease and obesity improve their health.