Saint John Doctor Facing More Charges

More charges of sexual assault have been laid against a doctor who has practiced medicine in the Saint John area for more than 25 years. 

8 of 9 charges were laid a couple of days ago against Dr. Alan Cockeram, a gastroenterologist who has an office in the north end. 

In response, Horizon Health has announced restrictions will be imposed on Dr. Cockeram when he treats female patients for an undetermined amount of time. No decision has been made on whether his license to practice medicine will be suspended. 

A preliminary hearing on the charges will in June which will determine if there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Strong Winds Coming With Weekend Storm

From the deep freeze to a winter wonderland.... Southern New Brunswick is bracing for a weekend storm.

Claude Cote of Environment Canada tells Tide News the snow will start falling tomorrow.

He says when expect about a centimetre of snow during the day tomorrow with conditions worsening Friday night and most of the snow will fall Saturday along with high winds causing reduced visibility.

Cote says the storm's track has changed so they are now predicting 10 to 15 centimetres of snow by daybreak on Sunday.

A Covered Bridge Seems To Be What The People Want

A meeting held last night (Wednesday) to discuss options for the Maxwell Crossing Covered Bridge stirred up a lot of debate, answered a lot of questions, and left many unanswered. 

Regardless, Department of Transportation representative Alan Kerr said he believed it was a unanimous decision from the public that residents want their covered bridge repaired.

Money wasn't the only thing on the table, the value of the covered bridge as a tourist attraction to Charlotte County is a key component.

Local Resident Annabelle Juneau tells Tide News besides fixing the bridge, we need to start spending some tourism dollars on signage to better promote the covered bridges throughout the province. "At the end of the day, this is something, especially with the new highway being there, that we need to promote those covered bridges. Get the signs out, and I'm hoping we'll see the Department of Tourism step up to the plate as well."
Juneau says New Brunswick is known for covered bridges, "I think if we reach out to other people in New Brunswick that they will probably feel as we do. That we have to keep these covered bridges, there aren't many left."

Some members of St. Stephen Town Council were also present. Councillor Jim Maxwell spoke on stage making his opinion quite clear to DOT representatives. He told them, "We know you're not here to tell us you're tearing down that bridge."

Councillor Allan MacEachern tells Tide News even looking at the financial side of things, repairing the bridge makes sense. "I'm in favor of the covered bridge because it is return, and I'm all about return on investment. It just makes sense to get money out of tourism later, it makes it worth more as a covered bridge."

Before LSD President Vern Faulkner closed the meeting, he handed out parting gifts to each of the DOT representatives -- bags of Covered Bridge potato chips.

DOT's Side Of The Covered Bridge

The future of the Maxwell Crossing Covered Bridge is now in the hands of Minister of Transportation, Claude Williams.

A group of approximately 70 people coming to a public meeting last night (Wednesday) to share their opinions on whether the historical bridge should be repaired, or replaced with a modular one.






DOT Representative Alan Kerr said his purpose was to gather information from taxpayers and then forward that information to the Minister of Transportation. Kerr said, "It's not a matter of if the bridge can be repaired, but is it financially feasible." Kerr estimated the costs of $300 thousand dollars to build a run-of-the-mill bridge, compared to $500 thousand to repair the old one.
One resident noted the life expectancy of a covered bridge is practically double that of a metal one. The man asked Kerr, "Let's say a covered bridge will last 80 years. How long will a metal bridge last?" Kerr responded, "Forty to fifty years." The man then asked if it would not be more financially feasible to build a covered bridge for the same cost in the long term, only a covered bridge would have the tourism factor.


Another question that was hot on everyone's mind was "Why can't the insurance from the car owner pay for the damages?" Kerr says they are currently pursuing an insurance claim, but it would be highly unlikely insurance would cover the entire cost. Many payment options were discussed, including money the province and fundraising by the people.

Kerr told the audience he believed it was obvious, the decision from residents was unanimous in keeping the covered bridge.
He is urging all residents to write or email the Minister with their concerns before a decision is made.
(Picture from left to right: DOT District Highway Superintendant Allan Acheson, DOT Asst. District Transport Engineer Mike Roseheart, DOT District Transport Engineer Alan Kerr, and Local Service District Dennis-Weston President Vern Faulkner )

NB Power Responds To CCNB Criticism

NB Power responding to the Conservation Council's claim Point Lepreau is 40 times more likely to suffer an earthquake leading to a nuclear accident than previously thought.

The Crown utility says Point Lepreau is safe and the misleading comments by the Conservation council are an attempt to undermine trust in the generating station.

In a release, NB Power refers to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission who state the structures and systems have been designed to safely survive earthquakes.

It goes on to say that Point Lepreau is located in an area of much lower seismic hazard risk than Fukushima.

Point Lepreau Reactor: Safe Or Dangerous?

How well would the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant handle an earthquake?
The Conservation Council's Action Group is pointing to the preliminary results of a new study released by NB Power.
Chris Rouse of the Action Group tells Tide News it shows a severe nuclear accident at Lepreau is 40 times more likely than originally thought. He says the next significant earthquake to hit New Brunswick is expected in Passamaquoddy Bay. "From research done from Natural Resources Canada that shows if a 6.0 earthquake happened within 10 kms of Point Lepreau, it would cause a lot of damage."

Rouse charges the nuclear power plant at Lepreau no longer meets internationally accepted safety goals. He goes so far as to say Point Lepreau is now one of the most dangerous reactors in North America.

More Charges For Snook?

Even more alleged victims are coming forward against former Common Councillor Donnie Snook.
Police Chief Bill Reid says their main concern is working with them and putting the charges together. He says, "We're still working interviewing people, talking to parents, children, etc. So that will be an investigation we will be working on for quite a while."
Reid couldn't specify how many more people have come forward, but doesn't believe it will push back Snook's bail hearing on March 11.

40-year-old Snook is facing 8 charges in total, relating to child pornography, child exploitation, and sexual interference with a child under 16.

Future Of Covered Bridge To Be Discussed Tonight

The future of the Maxwell Crossing covered bridge, which was damaged severely on January 21st after a car went out of control, will be discussed at a public meeting. The covered bridge, built in 1910, is located just outside of St. Stephen.
Vern Faulkner of the Local Service District tells Tide News people are worried the covered bridge will be replaced by a boring, concrete run of the mill bridge.
He says, "The bridge does not appear to be significantly damaged. I mean, it looks nasty in the sense that there's a lot of material that was knocked out. To the untrained eye, it looks like there's enough of an opportunity to basically rebuild it, it just a matter of where the money comes from and who is going to do the work." Faulkner adds, it's not a write-off. "A lot of siding was destroyed, but a number of pillars, even though they've been destroyed, doesn't seem like it's affected the structural integrity. The horizontal surface of the bridge is still intact and the roof line is still intact."

Faulkner tells us, people who live in the area fear the Department of Transportation doesn't see the bridge as they do. "A heritage facility that is used and enjoyed by hundreds of people and in many cases, could and can be part of a tourism venture because a lot of people come to New Brunswick to see the covered bridges."

You can have your say at the meeting to be held tonight at the St. Stephen Middle School auditorium beginning at 7:00.
(Photo by Murray Weeks)

Power Is Back For Many, 400 Still Without

Power is back for a lot more people in the region today.

NB Power reporting just over 400 people in Rothesay and Quispamsis are without juice, that's a very different number from the 5,000 in the dark yesterday.

The power company says they've hired extra crews and been working around the clock to fix up power lines since Thursday's storm, restoring over 100,000 homes. They say restoration will still be ongoing until tonight.

To get the latest update, click here.

Blankets To Help The Homeless

Warmth is coming to those who need it most.

Bee Green Removal's "Blanket Of Hope" has spent the past month collecting over 30 blankets for the homeless in Saint John. Organizer Brandi Green tells Tide news that's double the amount of blankets they collected last year.

They'll drive out with the Romero Mobile Unit tomorrow at 7pm to pass out the blankets.

Green says both her and fiance knew what it was like to live on the streets, and a warm blanket is a tremendous help.

Basketball Popularity Growing In Saint John

The popularity of basketball in Saint John has grown an incredible amount over the past 3 years.

That's according to David Cooper, coach of the Saint John Mill Rats. He says local kids are being scouted and getting full scholarships to play in Canada and the United States. Cooper calls it an exciting time, where there's a lot of chances for kids as young as 14 to play in showcases across the states. He says Saint John will always be a hockey town, but basketball gives kids another popular option.

Mill Rats GM Ian McCarthy adds a lot of people who never thought they were basketball fans have become one after they see a live game.

Pat McCaffrey Will Not Run For Ward 3 Councillor Spot

With a spot for a Ward 3 Councillor on the horseshoe in Saint John open and a by-election set for spring, many people are curious if previous candidates will run again.

Pat McCaffrey, the runner-up to current Ward 3 Councillor Donna Reardon and former Councillor Donnie Snook, tells Tide news he will not be seeking a seat on Council.

McCaffrey, who's retired from the Canadian Forces, says he believes Common Council is already doing a tremendous job and he doesn't believe he can offer anything that would be better than what they're doing. He says this Council has tackled many big issues that concerned him, like dealing with the pension plan in their first year and setting priorities like roads and water.

He's says they're on the right path, disciplined, have a vision and are all showing great leadership. McCaffrey feels Saint John has a great future in their hands.

Chris Belyea, another past candidate who followed McCaffrey in votes, hasn't yet decided if he'll run this year. Other candidates who ran in Ward 3 last year include Albert Vincent, Graeme Robinson, and Allan Leslie.

Year 2 For Feburary Fork Off Starts Tomorrow

The 2nd annual February Fork Off begins tomorrow with more than 20 uptown restaurants and eateries taking part.

Saint John's winter restaurant week is your chance to sample the fare of many uptown eateries in a $30 dinner, $20 lunch or $10 Fork plate.

Paula Radwan of the Taste of Egypt tells Tide News when they first opened last fall things were a little slow.

She says Saint John is a little conservative and this in a new cuisine for a lot of people but once people try it and like it they are very loyal people.

For more info on Uptown Saint John's February Fork Off which runs the 4th to the 10th, click here

City Lawyer Named To The Bench

Saint John lawyer Marco Cloutier has been named to the provincial bench.      

Justice Minister and Attorney General Marie-Claude Blais announcing today Cloutier will join Judge Andrew LeMesurier and Judge Henrik Tonning as full-time provincial court judges here in Saint John.

Blais says Cloutier's appointment will ensure the timely management of court cases.

Cloutier has been a lawyer in this province since 1998 and has written extensively in both English and French.

In 2010, he was recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 leading lawyers.

Pension Board Will Have No Restrictions On Travel

Saint John Common Council doing an about face at a special meeting on the new shared risk pension plan.

Mayor Mel Norton says Council will not be imposing any travel restrictions on the new pension board so that the Saint John plan is in line with the other provincial plans.

Norton is confident the new trustees, whom he describes as of the highest calibre, will act in a responsible manner when deciding on travel costs. He adds no matter what happens with the pension plan from now on, the city's contributions will not go up.

Only Councillor Susan Fullerton voted against.

Storm Keeps Fire Crews Busy

KV & City fire crews keeping busy cleaning up the storm's path.

The high winds and rain caused downed wires, flooded basements, wind damage and fire alarms going off across Greater Saint John. Bayside Drive was closed after 4 broken poles were discovered.

There were more than 20 requests for service during the height of the storm.

Over 5,000 People Still Without Power

People are still without power in many parts of the region.

In Rothesay & Quispamsis, over 2,600 people are still without electricity. In Sussex, more than 3,400 without juice.





Only 6 people in St. Stephen are without.

Saint John Energy is not reporting any outages on their website.

A Dozen People Warm Up At Qplex

About a dozen people, including a family of 4, taking shelter at the Qplex in Quispamsis overnight.

The town is offering the centre as a warm spot for residents without power to stay.

Aaron Kennedy from the Qplex says there's just short of a 1,000 people without power and the traffic lights are out by the Esso/Tim Hortons at Exit 141.

The Qplex will still be taking in residents until 5pm tonight. At that time they'll check on the power status with NB Power.

Wind Storm Hits Saint John Hard

A wild day of wind and rain have been incredibly destructive in the Port City.

The causeway is closed to traffic Eastbound because of high water and Bayside Drive is closed from the Causeway to Redhead Road due to downed power lines.
The Chipman Hill Pedway has now reopened as the windows have been secured. Large glass planes were dangerously close to coming out of the pedway and falling onto to Chipman Hill.

NB Power is reporting more than 33,000 customers are without power in the rain and wind storm. Over 8600 in impacted in Darlings Island, Quispam, Rothesay, Hampton and the Peninsula. Major outages are also reported in Sussex and St. Stephen and Moncton.

Saint John Energy is dealing with numerous broken poles and wires down and expect that work to continue until tonight.

City police telling Tide News the Redhead dyke is now closed due to the high water.
High surf is reported at Saint's Rest today.

Lancaster Avenue is blocked to traffic at Simms Corner after a power pole came down.
The storm leading to cancelled and delayed flights at the Saint John Airport.

Legion Ownership Was A Question Of Ethics

The deed is done.
However,  many residents are asking why the Town of St. Stephen is giving the old Milltown Legion building to the Legion members, when the Legion plans on selling the building to the St. Croix Christian Centre.

St. Stephen Town Manager John Ferguson tells Tide News, "Research of the deeds found that when the previous legion building burnt down in 1965, it led to the construction of a new legion building being built on Town property. But the legion that was built, was actually built by the legion members, and paid for and constructed by the legion members."

Ferguson tells us it was a question of ethics. He says, "The ethical route that Council took in this matter was to say, 'Do we believe this should belong to the Legion?' They determined whether or not they could own property, they found out that they could, and Council is basically deeding the property to them to do with what they wish."