Cost Of Canadian Passports To Go Up Next Year

Border crossers will be digging a little deeper into their wallets in the new year.


Passport Canada announcing on their website that the cost of getting a five-year Canadian passport is jumping from $87 to $120 dollars in the new year.

Passport Canada says the increase is needed to maintain current operations, and offer security-enhanced travel documents.

The new fees come into effect July 1st, 2013, along with the introduction of the 10-year ePassport.
Passport Canada also states in March 2014, they will charge an additional $45 to replace a stolen or lost passport. Currently, that is a free service.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It

In the busy lead up to Christmas, you may have forgotten that the world is supposed to end tomorrow.


According to the Mayan calender, the world should end on December 21st.

Dan Riskin of Discovery Channel's Daily Planet tells CHSJ he can pinpoint an exact time everything will stop. He says, "No problem, the world will end in a few billion years. It will be because the sun expands and engulfs the earth. There's nothing to worry about for tomorrow, but just to be on the safe side, Daily Planet is doing a special on the Mayan 'supposed' apocalypse".

The Daily Planet special called 'End of the World 2012' premieres tonight at 8pm on the Discovery Channel.

Power Outages Getting Under Control

NB Power says there are still over 1700 people in the province without power.


Locally in St. Stephen, the number of outages has dropped to 4, with only 16 customers without juice.

Sussex and Woodstock are the darkest communities, with around 500 people each without electricity due to damage in yesterday's storm.

Opposition Trying To Stop Changes To Employment Insurance

Seasonal workers of Charlotte County -- cross your fingers.


The Opposition Liberals are calling on members of the provincial government to sign a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to oppose changes to employment insurance.

The changes to the E-I program take effect January 6th, and Opposition Leader Victor Boudreau says they will have a devastating impact on seasonal industries and the provincial economy. Boudreau says, "Whenever it involves speaking out against the federal government and their Tory friends in Ottawa, you know, they just lose their voice and they don't want to put action in place to send out a clear message."
Premier David Alward says he opposes the changes and supports the united position taken by the Atlantic premiers on the matter.

The new regulations will mean that recipients of the program will face stricter, more complex rules for keeping their benefits.

Woman And Child OK After Car Flipped On Roof In Bayside

A woman and her child are safe after a car crash today in Bayside.


Local police tell Tide News they received a call around 9am this morning ( December 19th, 2012 ) from the woman's cell phone.

RCMP say she lost control of her car on Route 127, near Ghost Road in Bayside, and the vehicle ended up on its roof in the ditch.

Cpl. Ross Davis of District 1 RCMP tells Tide News the woman and child were stuck inside the vehicle and unable to get out on their own.

Police, fire, and ambulance services were dispatched and still on the scene at noontime.

Davis says no injuries were reported, but the road was closed off for a short time.

Over 9000 Without Power In NB

Over 9000 people in the province are without power today.


Locally in St. Stephen, there are currently 349 customers affected by the outages. Just before 12 o'clock noon, that number was 746.
In Fredericton, more than 5000 NB Power customers are without electricity.

More than 900 customers in Woodstock are in the dark, almost 400 people in Dairytown do not have juice and it's the same story for over 1600 folks in Moncton.
In a release, a spokesperson for the Utility tells Tide News that due to the weather conditions and the high number of incidents they cannot predict when the power will be restored adding it will be sometime in the next 24 to 36 hours.

Anniversary Of Flood Brings Proposed Changes To Emergency Measures Act

We need to be proactive. We need to be prepared.


Local MLA Rick Doucet tabled a bill today in the provincial legislature that would make it mandatory for municipalities with dams to work with the EMO and have an emergency plan -- before -- flooding happens.

Doucet tells Tide News "When an emergency happens, like the flood in 2010, things change quickly, and we need to be sure things are done at just the right time." He adds, "Basically, right now what happens is operators of dams on the rivers have emergency measures plans to put in place when flooding occurs, but, the problem with the act is the enforcement of these plans does not kick in until a state of emergency has been declared by the Minister."


Doucet says the bill he introduced today will make it mandatory for areas with dams to have an emergency plan -- before there is an emergency.

Doucet tells Tide News two years ago, when the flood of 2010 hit, people in the Boney River area were upset thinking the dam had not done all it could to reduce damage. He says he sees the same thing after the flood this year in Perth Andover. "Let's get it all out in the open, so we can all work together and collaborate on some very important trigger mechanisms that are suitable for the communities."   In December 2010, much of Charlotte County was submerged under 174 mm of rain that caused widespead flooding and forced people from their homes and businesses.
During the most severe point, over 120 roads were either underwater or washed away in Charlotte County. (Picture - King Street traffic circle in St. Stephen, December 2010)  

Rainfall Warning For Charlotte County

The prospects for a white Christmas are looking worse in Charlotte County.


Environment Canada is sending out a rain warning for St. Stephen, Saint Andrews, Saint John, and Grand Manan.

Charlotte County can expect between 25 to 50 millimeters of rain by Wednesday afternoon, sometimes mixed with heavy snow.

Other areas in the province will be colder than us with a mixed forecast of warnings.
Environment Canada is calling a heavy snow warning, beginning this afternoon and continuing tonight and tomorrow for Fredericton, Quispamsis, Sussex and Woodstock.

EC says to expect between 20 and 40 centimeters of snow.

Trial Date Set After Home Invasion

A trial date has been scheduled for a 21 year old man who was stabbed and then charged after a home invasion where he lives on the lower west side of Saint John back in early November.

Christopher Reid of 341 Prince Street has pleaded not guilty with a trial set to go on September 25th on a charge of possessing a knife.

Two other men and a 16 year old youth are accused of trying to force their way into 341 Prince Street and carry out a robbery.

18 year old A-J Dennison died after he was stabbed and a warrant has been issued for the arrest of 21 year old Bradley Saia ( as seen in picture ) .

Maine Toddler Missing 1 Year

Today is a sad day for the State of Maine.


Many residents are remembering 20-month-old Ayla Reynolds who was reported missing from her father's home in Waterville, Maine on December 17th, 2011. One year ago to the day.
State police, game wardens, dive teams, and FBI agents searched neighbourhoods and lowered streams in hopes of finding the blonde-haired, blue-eyed child.

The toddler's father, Justin DiPietro insists the girl was abducted, even though he and two other adults were in the home at the time of her dissappearance.

Police say traces of Ayla's blood were found in DiPietro's basement, but he was never charged.

Officials with the Maine State Police say the case is still open, however, they believe Ayla is most likely dead.

Car Accident Traps Two Women

Two women being sent to the Saint John Regional Hospital after a two car accident on the corner of Carmarthen and Union street in uptown Saint John last night.

Saint John Fire Department Platoon Chief Roy Byers says the two women were trapped in an SUV that was flipped on it's side. Fire crews managed to pull the roof off and free the two.

The accident happened around 8 o'clock.

True Growth 2.0 Support Grows

True Growth 2.0 is getting full support from communities in Greater Saint John.

The initiative, steered by Enterprise Saint John, is a regional development strategy to develop our business and culture. When it started in 2003 it focused on improving 4 sectors (energy, health and life sciences, tourism, and ICT) but now it's hoping to attract and keep new people to the region.

The town of Rothesay is committing $86,000 a year for 3 years, or about $3,000 a year more than before. Mayor Bill Bishop tells Tide news economic development is the answer to improving our way of life and getting more tax dollars. He says if Saint John grows, it benefits the outlying communities.

Quispamsis Mayor Murray Driscoll agrees, saying if more business is brought to Saint John more people will move to Quispmasis. Driscoll says True Growth 2.0 has such a healthy attitude and provides fresh opportunities for the region. He says when that happens you can expect better things to come.

Update On Yesterdays Fire At Fuel Storage Facility

There's no damage to the environment, injuries or other damage involved in yesterdays fire at a large storage facility containing 15,000 tons of petroleum coke (or pet coke).

After 12:30 yesterday afternoon fire crews, Saint John Port Authority, Department of Environment and NB Power were on scene responding to the fire at 12 King street.

Acting Platoon Chief Roy Byers says there was a metre square burning at the base of an 11,000 ton of pet coke. The material is used as fuel by NB Power during peak demand times. The huge fuel and combustible covering the warehouse was a major concern but crews managed to safely put the fire out.

Fire crews were on scene for 5 hours.

Executive-Director Of The Boys And Girls Club Has New Job

Debbie Cooper, who has been the Executive-Director of the Saint John Boys and Girls Club, is moving on up to a new job.

Cooper will be the Regional Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. Cooper sees lots of potential for further development and improvement of what the Boys and Girls Clubs can offer such as early childhood education.

Cooper warns community groups are being asked these days to do alot more but without adequate support, there comes a breaking point. She will be based in Saint John but do alot of travelling throughout the region.

Pension Reform Continues To Be Hot Topic

Pension reform is a hot topic these days in the Port City and beyond--and the provincial government will host a pan-Canadian summit in 2013 to look at how governments can address pension issues.

The two-day summit will tackle challenging questions related to the future of public and private sector pensions. Human Resources Minister Troy Lifford says NB's Shared Risk Model has become of great interest to other municipalities because it offers employees better protection and reduces liabilities for taxpayers.

Ski Season Starts Today

Attention, snow bunnies and boarders: it's that time of year again!

Poley Mountain is opening today for the season after having been manufacturing snow since the end of November. General Manager Bill Anderson tells Tide News even if you're a total newbie there's something for you to enjoy at Poley, including ski camps for kids and ski school for adults.

The Chute, Snow White and Lazy Way will all be open today. Anderson says this is the earliest they've been able to open for a few years, because of last winter's weirdly warm temperatures.

Units Will Be Replaced At NB Heart Centre

Next year's Health Department budget includes funding to replace two imaging units at the New Brunswick Heart Centre in the Regional Hospital.

Health Minister Ted Flemming tells Tide News the units in the cardiac catheterization lab are nearing the end of their useful life after a refurbishment 11 years ago.

The equipment uses specialized x-ray equipment that help doctors place stents in precise locations in heart arteries guiding them to ensure they get to the right place.

Flemming adds this equipment is critical to saving lives.

Police Give Details On US School Shooting

Police have confirmed twenty-seven people were killed today at a Connecticut elementary school shooting, including the gunman, with one person dead at another scene.

The dead at the school include 18 children, ranging from kindergarden through to Grade 4. Two other children died later in hospital.

The gunman opened fire Friday morning (December 14th,2012) inside a school where his mother worked.

He blasted his way through the building as young students cowered helplessly in classrooms while their teachers and classmates were shot.

The gunman killed himself. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says someone who lived with him also died.

Photos were taken of young students crying, others looking frightened, while being escorted by adults through a parking lot in a line, the childrens' hands on each others shoulders.

The shooting happened  in Newtown, 60 miles northeast of New York City.

The suspect is 24-year-old Ryan Lanza. Police say his younger brother is being held for questioning as a possible second shooter. A law enforcement official says the boys' mother, Nancy Lanza, is presumed dead and worked at the school as a teacher.
The official added that Ryan Lanza's girlfriend and another friend are missing in New Jersey.

According to the official, the suspect drove to the school in his mother's car. Police say three guns were found at the scene.  A rifle was recovered from the back of a car at the school, and two pistols were recovered inside the school.

Another Recall Hits Atlantic Superstore

It's more trouble for our local St. Stephen Atlantic Superstore.
Grocery chain Loblaw Companies, has recalled two more frozen beef products because of possible.... contamination from E. coli bacteria.

The affected products are Butcher's Choice Hickory Barbecue Beef Burgers with best-before dates of Feb. 1st and Feb. 10th.

The company earlier recalled Butcher's Choice Garlic Peppercorn Beef Burgers with a best-before date of March 3rd.

Beef Recall Hits Charlotte County

It's bad news affecting our local Superstore in St. Stephen.


A burger recall is in place, prompted by possible E. coli contamination.

Loblaw and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are warning the public to avoid certain Butcher's Choice Garlic Peppercorn Beef Burgers.

The affected product is sold frozen with a best-before date of March 3rd.

The C-F-I-A says it is currently testing additional products from across the country and the recall may be expanded.