Organized Labour Says No Need To Change EI

The Employment Insurance program is seen by the federal government, regardless of which party is in power, as being its cash cow to be used when needed to reduce the deficit even though it doesn't contribute a nickel to the fund. 

That charge being leveled by Serge Landry of the Canadian Labour Congress who was in Saint John speaking at a town hall meeting and warning workers the appeal process is being made harder.
 
Landry tells Tide News the E-I program doesn't have a funding problem at all. In fact, the C-L-C has suggested there's a surplus and benefits could be increased.

Landry says last year in New Brunswick, there were 35 thousand unemployed workers with only 38 hundred available jobs.

Propane Truck On Highway 1 Flipping On Side Today

A propane truck tipping over this morning is tying up a lot of emergency personnel resources today.

In the latest update, Highway 1 just west of Spruce Lake is open to traffic one lane in each direction.

A technical issue has prevented the removal of the propane at this time.
It was decided it would best to wait until after rush hour to close the roadway.

The roadway will now be shut down after 6pm to remove propane from the truck and remove the truck itself.

Cause Under Investigation After Fire On Queensway

A house fire in Milltown over the weekend is under investigation.

Local police say the home on Queensway is a total loss with significant damage after it caught fire Sunday night (March 17th, 2013).

RCMP say noone was hurt.

Sgt. Bob MacKnight tells Tide News the cause of the fire is under investigation with assistance from the local Fire Marshall.

Nurse Championing Green Porch Light Community Challenge

When you choose to donate your organs and tissue after death, you're giving somebody a chance at life. 

Registered nurse Betty-Anne Waugh says that signing your medicare care and talking to your family about your plans to be a donor, could make all the difference for a patient waiting for a life-saving donation in the future. 

Waugh says studies have shown that 75% percent of people who have said no to organ and tissue donation said if they had been better informed they would have said yes, and that they regret it down the road.

Waugh is currently championing the Green Porch Light Community challenge, which coincides with national organ and tissue donor awareness week from April 21-28. She's asking people to change one regular light bulb in their home to a green light bulb during that time frame, to bring attention to the cause.

Stanley Local Calls Flooding Worst in 40 Years

A huge ice jam on the Nashwaak river has created what one local has described as the worst flooding Stanley has seen in 40 years. Bethany Ryan, a store clerk, says that around 35 homes were evacuated on Thursday as the water spilled onto the banks. Ryan says the main road the village center were covered in about a half metre of water in a mere 15 minutes.

The water has since receded from the village, located north of Fredericton. A spokeswoman for River Watch says water levels should continue to go down over the next couple of days, but says that residents should stay alert.

White-Tailed Deer Farming Allowed In NB

The Alward government had talked about banning deer farming after a man in northern New Brunswick was killed sometime ago by one of his own deer, but the province will allow the farming of white-tailed deer. 

A review was done after the government got some pushback on a ban.
 
The provincial government will not allow pen hunting and farmers will not be permitted to sell white-tailed deer meat and other white-tailed products within New Brunswick.
 
Deer farmers will have to comply with provincial rules on fencing standards and identification of farmed deer in order to obtain a permit to keep white-tailed deer. 

They will also be required to comply with any federal requirements in order to lessen the risk to wild populations of white-tailed deer.

Atlantic National Home Show This Weekend In Saint John

Another sign that spring is just around the corner is when Harbour Station hosts the annual home show. That's happening this weekend with more than 130 exhibitors and it usually draws a big turnout from the region.

Denise Miller of Master Promotions tells Tide News a growing number of people come armed with definite ideas they may have gotten on the internet on what they want done to their homes.

The Saint John Animal Rescue League will also be at the Station if you want to adopt a shelter pet.

Locals Give Opinion On New Mandatory Course On Rinkside Behaviour For Parents

The parents of the youngest hockey players in the province will be required to take a course on rinkside behaviour beginning in the fall. 

Brian Whitehead of Hockey New Brunswick says the organization is planning to introduce the online course in September.

Whitehead says the course will be mandatory for any parent registering children aged four to eight years old. The course will also be free of charge to parents, unlike a similar course offered in Nova Scotia which charges parents a $12 fee.

In the meantime, The Tide's Facebook page is getting a lot of action on the issue.

Stephanie says, "I get so embarrassed when parents behave badly at games. Hopefully this will help to stop the cycle!"

Brenda says she doesn't think the course will change anything.

Jason says, "I don't believe there are any reasons not to have parents know the rules and conduct of the game."

One comment told of a situation on the weekend in Fredericton where a parent allegedly went into the opposing team's locker room to have words with the coach.

Shannon says, "As a hockey parent myself, I think it should be mandatory for all of us, on an annual basis!"






Most of the comments were positive towards the new course, however, a high percentage thought it was sad that children's hockey has come to this.

Special Police Unit Investigating 5 Child Sex Abuse Cases In SJ

The Internet Child Exploitation Unit of the Saint John police force reports they are investigating 5 child sex abuse files in the Saint John area in the last week alone, and there are currently 50 suspected cases of pedophiles sharing abuse images across the province.

Constable Tonia Williams of the ICE Unit tells Tide News law enforcement is constantly trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to technologies predators have at their disposal.

The ICE Unit gave a presentation to Police Commission outlining how they respond to cases of child porn sharing. The unit advises parents to monitor what their kids are doing even if the computer is in a common area -- because they've seen videos that show the parent was even in the same room when their child was chatting on webcam with a pedophile.

Challenges Hindering Snook Child Sex Abuse Case

With the child sex abuse investigation into former Saint John common councillor Donnie Snook continuing to bring forward new victims, Police Chief Bill Reid is hoping they can help everyone affected find some kind of justice.

Reid tells Tide News the wheels of justice turn more smoothly if you can get everyone to come forward in a timely fashion. He says it's vastly preferable to deal with all the complaints in one shot than see them trickle in over 6 or 7 years.

Reid says investigators are dealing with a number of challenges, including the fact that some kids are too young to articulate the information and some families are in denial that abuse has occurred.

Donnie Snook reappears in court on May 29th.

White Smoke Signals New Pope

White smoke is pouring out from the Sistine Chapel chimney in St. Peter's Square, signalling that a new pope will appear on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica within the hour before many faithful waiting to witness the first new pontiff in eight years.

River Watch Warns Of Possible Flooding

You might want to keep an eye on water coming into your basement.

An advisory today warning locals about the possibility of flooding from River Watch because of ice jams due to the milder temperatures and heavy rainfall.

A special weather statement being issued by Environment Canada for St. Stephen and northern Charlotte County, Grand Manan, coastal Charlotte County, Saint John, and Fundy National Park with up to 40 millimetres of rain falling before it ends tonight.

Callers to our 466-2222 news line report water coming over the Reardon Road near Digdeguash (as seen in picture ), rising waters under the Rollingdam covered bridge, as well as near the King Street traffic Circle in St. Stephen.

Prison Time For Former Investment Dealer

A 48 year old former investment dealer has been sentenced in Moncton to 3 and a half years in prison for defrauding several of her clients. 

Catherine Darlene Ford pleaded guilty to six charges. 

The court was told she illegally withdrew 1.3 million dollars from the accounts of six of her clients, many of whom were elderly. They have since been reimbursed by Scotia McLeod. 

Several of her clients had more than 100 thousand dollars taken from their accounts without consent.

New Brunswick Takes #1 Spot As Seafood Producer In Canada

New Brunswick is number one... at least when it comes to seafood. New Brunswick ranked as Canada's largest exporter of seafood for 2012, with exports valued at $967 million. 

Nova Scotia and British Columbia came in second and third.

In a statement, Premier David Alward acknowledging the importance of the seafood industry in creating new jobs, especially in rural communities. Local producers from Charlotte County participated in the Boston International Seafood Show this week, promoting their products to more than 16,000 buyers and sellers from more than 90 countries.

In recent years, the province has turned to Asia and Europe as markets for its seafood.

Traffic Delays At Reversing Falls

If you plan on traveling to Saint John in the near future, you can expect delays over the next several weeks.

The city telling Tide News beginning today and for the next several weeks, the Reversing Falls Bridge will be down to one lane and there will be no vehicle access to Douglas Avenue from Bridge Road or Chesley Drive. 

There will be temporary traffic lights in place at both ends of the bridge but, as you might expect, there will be continual delays. 

The traffic flow is being disrupted to allow upgrades to be done to the east-west water main below the bridge.

Court Adjourned For More Possible Charges On Snook

About 50 spectators did not get to see Donnie Snook in court today. The matter is being adjourned until late May because more charges are pending.

The former Saint John common councillor would normally have appeared by video conference but the technology was not available due to the move to the new justice building at Peel Plaza. He had been expected to enter pleas today.

Snook is facing 8 charges including sexual interference on a child under 16, possession of and making child pornography as well as making it available.

Snook is due back in court on May 29th.

One Dead And One Injured After Snowmobile Crash At MacDougall Lake

A crash at a local lake causing one death and sending another man to hospital.

Police tell Tide News a 23-year-old man from St. George -- who was driving a snowmobile early yesterday morning at MacDougall Lake -- died after crashing the machine on the shoreline.

District 1 RCMP say a 22-year-old passenger was sent to the Saint John Regional Hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. He remains in hospital.

Investigators believe the men may have struck a large bed of rocks while they were crossing the lake, causing them to lose control and crash the machine.

Big Winnings and Gambling Intertwined

Those late nights spent emptying your wallet at the VLTs, could point to a problem. One of the first indications of gambling addiction is pouring time, money and energy that you can't afford to spend into gambling. Social worker Annie Pellerin tells CHSJ news that gambling addicts will often keep their distance from their home and those close to them.
 
She says that people who have gambled and struck it rich are prone to gambling addiction, as might try to recapture the high of winning over and over again. There is a direct correlation between gamblers who have won big, and addiction. However, Perellin adds, there are a variety of factors that make a person prone to gambling addiction.
The last gambling prevalence study was undertaken in 2009, where they found that VLT's are the most common form of gambling in the province. To seek help for a gambling addiction, call 1 (800) 461-1234, an information line and referral service.

Springing Forward

Many people don't mind the spring time change because it gives us an extra hour of daylight to enjoy....but it can also play havoc on your internal clock, particularly if you're already sleep-deprived. Dr Charles Samuels is the VP Clinical for the Canadian Sleep Society says there's data to support a greater frequency of accidents after time change.

Samuels says coffee is your friend this week and the Canadian Institute of Health Research actually recommends you get caffeinated before you get behind the wheel as your body adjusts to the time change.

Teens Charged In Saint John Assault Released For Now

Two of the teenage suspects in a brutal beating in Glen Fall have been released from jail but remain under house arrest.

John Alexander Adams and  Robert Hachey, both 18,  have been ordered to keep the peace and be of good behaviour and have no contact with a number of people before they return to court on March 26th.

Adams, Hachey, and a teen who cannot be named are charged with aggravated assault and stealing cigarttes from a man who was allegedly beaten with a baseball bat in a shed in the East Side suburb. He remains in hospital in serious but stable condition.