Tourism Minister Confident This Season Will Be A Good One

The weather's been good but we'll have to wait awhile before seeing how good tourism has been this summer in the province.

Provincial Tourism Minister Trevor Holder says he won't have the numbers until the summer is over but from what he's been told by operators and seen for himself, he's confident the numbers will be up.

Holder says he's amazed that wherever he goes in the world to promote the province, everyone, it seems, wants to see the Bay of Fundy and that has to be pushed more because you can't over promise when selling New Brunswick to potential visitors.

Holder says the sculpturing taking place down at the Coast Guard site will boost tourism because there is a growing number of people who want to experience the culture of the place they're visiting.

Warning For Shellfish Cooking

If you're planning on cooking some shellfish for a long-weekend meal, you might need to take a second look at where you're buying it from and how you're cooking it.

The province's deputy chief medical officer of health warning New Brunswickers' when you buy your shellfish, make sure it's from an approved vendor, since some areas are closed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans due to levels of bacteria and toxins.

Dr. Denis Allard tells Tide news you also need to cook your seafood properly and the sooner you eat it, the better, if you don't cook right away it will start to spoil and bacteria will multiply.

Allard adds consequences range from vomiting to even loosing memory or becoming paralysed.

Click here for more information on shellfish food safety.

New Exhibit & Celebrations At Fundy Aquarium

As your planning how to enjoy your long weekend you can catch the end and start of exhibits at the Fundy Aquarium in St Andrews.

Event coordinator Janie Jones tells Tide news they have plenty of events planned for tomorrow including a cash BBQ from 11:30-1, mini Olympics from 1:30-3:00, and a puppet show 3:15. They'll also be a craft table where kids can make their own New Brunswick flag.

Today is the last day to check out shark week featuring a wide variety of rare sharks to make room for tomorrow's beginning of "Water Week". It'll focus on celebrating fisherman and display fishing techniques.

 

For more information, click here.

Woman Stuck On Elevator

It's the kind of story that makes you want to take the stairs.

One woman is free after being stuck in an elevator for about 20 minutes yesterday afternoon in Saint John.

Around 1:30pm the employee of Rocmaura Nursing Home was freed with the help of Saint John Fire crews and maintenance staff.

Fire crews stayed on scene for 55 minutes to make sure she was OK -- especially because it was a hot day and warm in the elevator.

New Rules, Tips For Crossing The Border

It's the long weekend--and many of us are heading south for shopping and fun across the border. Dwayne Ingraham of Canadian Border Services says to make your trip as hassle-free as possible, you might consider using the Third Bridge border crossing out of St Stephen instead of the downtown crossing most people use.


Of course, you should always bring proper identification like your passport of Nexus Card. Igraham also reminds travelers the personal exemption limits were bumped up in June to $200 for absences of 24 hours or more, and $800 for absences of 48 hours or more.

Beware of Scammers

The Rothesay Regional Police Force warning people about two different scams making the rounds...the first involves purchases made off auction sites like Ebay and Kijiji.

Detective Sergeant Craig MacDougall explains one involves fake email confirming money has been sent for items being sold online. The emails use PayPal's logo to make it seem official. The sellers then send off the items--but the money isn't actually there when they log in.
MacDougall also warns of a second scam that's been going on for a while in which the caller claims to be from Microsoft and needs access to your computer to fix a virus. He says it's most likely both of the scams originate from overseas.

Prices Go Up At Tim's

Your Tim's fix has just gotten more expensive.....Timmie's says the price of a muffin is now five cents higher, and sandwiches have gone up by about 10 cents. The new prices will affect most locations.
The price of coffee is staying the same.

The price jump comes after Maple Leaf Foods warned drought conditions will drive up food prices. Tim's has more that 3,700 restaurants throughout North America.

Cookie & Spice Recall From CFIA

A couple of warnings from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
One warning is not to consume, sell or serve the Spice Kingdom brand dried Egyptian Basil because it may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Spice Kingdom brand BASIL - EGYPTIAN, 30M, Whole, Fancy, bearing Lot No. 4685/E, was sold in bulk 25 kg (55 lbs) bags to cash & carry outlets, restaurants, bakeries and food service establishments in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. So far there's been no reported illnesses. The importer, Shah Trading Co. Ltd., Scarborough, ON is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.
In another case CFIA is warning people with allergies to milk not to consume the Crispy Just Baked, Crispy, and Sunrize Oven Fresh brands of Cookies described below. The affected products contain milk which is not declared on certain labels.
All codes of the following Cookies which do not clearly declare milk on the labels are listed below:
Brand Product Size UPC
Crispy Just Baked Punjabi Cookies 380 g 6 27265 00153 7
Crispy Just Baked Punjabi Cookies 800 g 6 27265 00152 0
Crispy Just Baked Punjabi Cookies 1.135 kg 6 27265 00151 3
Crispy Just Baked Almond Cookies 400 g 6 27265 00120 9
Crispy Just Baked Coconut Cookies 400 g 6 27265 00121 6
Crispy Just Baked Pistachio Cookies 400 g 6 27265 00601 3
Crispy Just Baked Salted Khari
Biscuits 200 g 6 27265 00247 3
Crispy Butterfly Cookies
Baqar Khani 340 g 6 27265 00132 2
Crispy Just Baked Cashew Cookies 400 g 6 27265 00602 0
Crispy Just Baked Cashew Cookies 800 g 6 27265 00262 6
Crispy Just Baked Cashew Cookies 1.135 kg 6 27265 00272 5
Crispy Just Baked Zeera/Cumin Cookies 400 g 6 27265 00116 2
Crispy Just Baked Zeera/Cumin Cookies 800 g 6 27265 00216 9
Crispy Just Baked Zeera/Cumin Cookies 1.135 kg 6 27265 00274 9
Sunrize Oven Fresh Zeera Cookies 400 g 6 27265 00865 9

Three Vehicle Crash Sends Three People To Hospital On Highway 1

Police sending out a warning after a three-vehicle crash on Highway 1.


Around 2pm yesterday (July 31st), District 1 RCMP responding to a massive collision on a 2-lane stretch of highway in Bethel.

Police tell Tide News a car had stopped on the highway, preparing to make a left turn, and was hit from behind by a second vehicle.

The first vehicle was then sent into the opposite lane, colliding with a third vehicle.

Three people were sent to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Sgt. Bob MacKnight warns drivers, when making a left turn, keep your wheels straight until you can make the turn safely.

This way, MacKnight adds, if you are hit from behind, your car won't be sent into oncoming traffic.

Rider Federation Encourages Safety

After 8 ATV deaths in the province this year, many considered preventable, the Provincial federation is echoing the RCMP's call for safety and better decision making. Many of those deaths involved drinking alcohol and not wearing a helmet or both.

The Provincial ATV Federation President Daniel Boucher tells Tide News these issues are covered in the safety courses they offer.

Boucher says in their ATV rider course they educate the riders on the proper techniques to use.
He says they spend time on the laws and regulations in the province and the good driving ethics like not drinking and driving and the impact it has on other riders.

Lower Power Restart A Success At Lepreau

After being approved by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Point Lepreau has successfully completed the low power reactor restart.

This comes after extensive testing and refurbishments. More test will be done in the future to make sure the reactor components and plant systems are working properly. It'll involve raising and reducing reactor power, along with shifting down and restarting.

The reactor power will gradually be increased to certain levels to warm up the heat transport system, run turbines and sync the generator to the province's electricity grid.

Neglected Pot Causes Fire

When they say a watched pot never boils, that's not exactly true.

A neglected pot on a stove was the reason fire crews cleared out a 7-unit apartment building at 101 Elliot Road, Saint John just after 3:30 yesterday afternoon. Crews had to force their way into the apartment and quickly put out the small fire, but stayed an hour to ventilate the smoke.

Fire crews were also busy looking for the source of a propane smell at Canadian Tire West in Saint John yesterday afternoon. Crews couldn't find the source of the smell, and after everything was deemed safe the store and gas bar opened back up.

Assaults Send Two Men To Hospital

Two separate overnight assaults leaving two men in hospital and another appearing in court tomorrow.

Saint John City Police tell Tide news in the first incident a group of people assaulted one man outside his home on Saint James Street West around 1:15am.

Almost an hour and a half later on Catherwood Street, a 30-year-old man was sent to hospital with head injuries after being assaulted by a 40-year-old man with what police say appeared to be a baseball bat.

World Championship Cancels Saint John

A year after Saint John was announced as the host city for the 2013 IFAF Women's World Championship, it finds out it will no longer be hosting the football tournament.

Football Canada and the IFAF says the decision to pull the tournament was due to liability, lack of suitable fields and international travel costs.

President of Football New Brunswick Lisa Harlow tells Tide news there are plenty of fields in Saint John and 68% of the budget was already covered, so the decision to pull was a surprise. Harlow says they tried to having meetings to make changes but were unsuccessful.

Harlow adds one concern was having Canadian sized football fields instead of American, but they were working with companies to get them changed over.

She says despite the disappointment, women's football is growing. There's still no word yet on where the new host city will be.

Blind Driver's Behind The Wheel For MIRA

Bet you've never 'seen' this before... a car race with drivers who are blind.

That's exactly what's happening today at 7 o'clock at the Centre for Speed in Shediac. The first blind driver stock car race in the Atlantic provinces will have 10 blind drivers competing in a 10 lap race.

Participant Brian Thorne tells Tide news each driver will have a co-pilot to give instructions, but they won't be allowed to touch the brakes or steering wheel.

All the money raised goes to the MIRA foundation, who train seeing-eye dogs.

For more information on tickets and to donate, you can call Brian Thorne at 672-5574 or e-mail atlantique@mira.ca.

Tickets are $10 each or $25 for a family pass.

Liberals Slam Decision To Cut N-B Day Merit Awards

The Alward government is taking it on the chin over its decision to can the N-B Day Merit Awards this year -- a move the Opposition Liberals are calling lame.
The government says the awards - which recognize individuals contributions to their communities - are on hold while departments figure out various programs and initiatives following a restructuring process -- although there's no date as to when they will resume.
Liberal M-L-A Donald Arsenault says the awards were a nice pat on the back for individuals making contributions to their communities - and - he says it was simply a matter of signing one certificate and copying the rest.
Arsenault says Premier Alward should be ashamed especially after handing out what would be the biggest merit award this year with the appointment of former Rothesay M-L-A Margaret Ann Blaney to head up Efficiency N-B with a salary in the 175-thousand dollar range.

N-B Day Merit Awards Missing This Year

The New Brunswick Day holiday weekend is just around the corner - but - there will be something missing from this year's celebrations.
The Alward government has confirmed to CHSJ News the annual N-B Day Merit Awards won't be handed out this year to residents of various municipalities - the awards recognize achievements and contributions by local residents.
A spokesperson tells us the awards are "on hold" this year as the government works through a reorganization of departments and agencies.
The awards are certificates with the provincial logo signed by the Premier and either the mayor of the municipality or the local M-L-A.
The "official" New Brunswick Day celebration is still a go - this year it's being hosted by the village of Saint Andre in the northwestern part of the province.
For more information on the official celebration click here.

"No Flowers" Policy for Saint John?

Deputy Mayor Shelley Rinehart suggesting the city adopt a "no flowers" policy when it comes to honouring the memory of people who pass.

 Rinehart says common council is expected to pay its respects to a lot of former staff and others, and charitable donations are a better use of funds. 

She points out while flowers are beautiful, they're temporary, and  donations to worthy causes in the community live on for much longer. The matter will be discussed at Monday's council meeting.

Seawolves Gear Up For Another Season

It's time to start thinking about dusting off the pom-poms and gearing up for a new football season at UNBSJ. Seawolves coach Barry Ogden tells CHSJ News the team has been growing and expanding as a force in Atlantic Canadian varsity football.

Ogden says the Seawolves aren't just a football team, but a reason for students to be proud of their school. The first game is on September 8th and you can get up to date information at seawolvesfootball.ca

Clean-Up On Pendleton Island Success

The Nature Conservancy of Canada celebrating a successful cleanup of Pendleton Island.

According to Shawna Wallace, their crew of 35 volunteers managed to clear the entire beach of styrofoam, rope, and plastic debris.

She tells Tide News the strong Fundy tides can take floating trash a long way before landing on our beaches.

She says they found a few neat things like toys, and even part of a sign from the Irving Nature Park in Saint John.


Wallace says even if you can't make it to a big clean-up, every piece of litter you pick up at your favourite beach helps.