Stock Car Driver Dies During P.E.I. Speedway Race

Tragedy on the race track—a 30 year-old stock car racer from Riverview died after his vehicle flipped onto its roof during the 98th lap of a 100-lap competition. 

He started to take off his own safety equipment while suspended upside down, but the effort somehow strangled him, leading to his death.

The race was hosted Saturday at the Oyster Bed Speedway race track, about 15 kilometres north of Charlottetown.

RCMP say reasonable safety protocols were followed during the race.

New Nature Preserve On Saint John's West Side

A large parcel of land on the West side of Saint John is now under protection. 

Jane Barry of the Nature Trust of New Brunswick says 122 acres of marshland, shoreline and forests in Saints Rest have been donated to the group for preservation. 

Barry tells CHSJ News the land has a rich history—about 300 years ago it was diked by Acadian settlers, and the settlers used the dried-up area for harvesting hay. In the 1940s, the the dikes were washed away and the land became reclaimed by the Bay of Fundy. Now, it's one of the largest salt water marshes in the area.

The area is home to the American black duck and the Savannah Sparrow, along with a number of rare plant species.

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick is hosting a reception and tour of the new nature preserve, called Saints Rest Marsh-F. Gordon Carvell, on Tuesday from 1-2pm, starting at the Tourism Information Centre.

South End Residents Disgusted By Crude Oil Smell

The stench of crude oil being unloaded near the Courtney Bay train tracks drawing concern and disgust from some residents.

South Ender Julie Dingwell tells CHSJ News the overpowering smell woke up her entire family in the middle of the night last week, and they called the fire department thinking there was a gas leak.

Dingwell says if it's that bad where she lives she can't imagine what it would be like on Bayside Drive.

Irving tells CHSJ News they are investigating but believe it was the result of the type and amount of crude being unloaded at the time, and it won't happen again.

Police Investigating ATV Theft

Police are investigating the theft of an ATV—and they're looking for your help.

The robbery happened overnight on Thursday.

The ATV is a yellow Can Am Renegade with two decals, one the gas tank that reads "Hot Balls" and the other on the front fender that reads "Metal Mulisha". 

If you have any information, you're being asked to contact the Rothesay Regional Police Department by calling 847-6300 or Crimestoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.

Siberian Tiger Dies At Cherry Brook Zoo

The staff at the Cherry Brook Zoo are mourning the loss of one of their animals—a Siberian tiger named Nyla.

The zoo saying in a release they were forced to euthanize the six year-old animal on Wednesday. 

After becoming suddenly ill on July 18, Nyla went blind, started having seizures and began losing weight—they consulted with other zoos and veterinarians from across Canada and the U.S., but she didn't respond to any treatments. The cause of death has been labelled a pneumonia.

As to whether or not they'll bring another tiger into the zoo, they say they're waiting on necropsy results first. They say they need to know what happened to Nyla before moving on.

The zoo says tigers can live into their twenties.

Brewery Projects How Much Beer NBers Will Buy This Weekend

It's no surprise New Brunswickers love their suds, but what might surprise you is the number of brews we're projected to buy over this long weekend.

Moosehead Breweries says it's expected that 130 to 140 thousand 12-packs of beer will be purchased during the New Brunswick Day weekend.

NB liquor will be open during regular hours tomorrow, but will be closed on Monday. You can visit their store locator site for the complete list of store locations and services available.

Police Increasing Presence On Roads During Long Weekend

Stay sober, buckle up and don't answer that call. Long weekends mean more traffic on the roadways, and police are heightening their presence to crack down on dangerous driving. 

Sergeant Claude Tremblay of RCMP's Traffic Services tells CHSJ News some people say they don't need to wear a seat belt because they're not driving very far, but Tremblay says statistics show that 80% of people drive within 25 to 30 kilometres of where they live, so that argument doesn't hold water. 

He says if you're not wearing a seat belt in a crash, you'll be knocked around or ejected from the car, and if you're ejected, 95% of the time you'll be seriously injured or killed.

The percentage of fatal crashes where the victims weren't wearing a seat belt has gone up, from 23 per cent last year to 40 per cent so far this year.

Charges Laid In Cochran's Country Market Robbery

All three involved in the armed robbery of a small grocery store in Rothesay have now been charged. 

On July 16, three people with weapons entered Cochran's Country Market on Hampton Road, bound two employees and made away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

27 year-old Blake Andrew Smith, 26 year-old Stephen Corey Richard and 47 year old Keith Oliver Dixon have all been charged with armed robbery, wearing a disguise, and unlawful confinement. 

Smith and Richard will be back in court on Tuesday, and Dixon will be in court again next Monday.

Fire Crews Battling Concession Stand Blaze

An old, vacant concession stand in Quispamsis going up in flames.

Rothesay Regional Police say the stand at the old drive-in near Carpenter's Pit off of Parkside Road was set on fire around 3am.

Fire crews from the KV Fire Department battling the fire were able to get it under control, and nobody was hurt.

Boardwalk Rescue In Saint John

An early morning rescue on the boardwalk.

City police say a woman was brought to the hospital with at least one broken leg after falling off of the boardwalk railing and onto the rocks below.

Crews spent nearly an hour and a half on the scene rescuing the woman.

MLA Praises Efforts Of Emergency Personnel

Charlotte-Campobello M-L-A Curtis Malloch is singing the praises of emergency personnel in the wake of last week's flash flood in the St Stephen area.
Record rainfall dumped on the area causing road washouts and flooded basements - and - Malloch can't say enough about the efforts of volunteers and first responders trying to help those affected by the rising water levels.
Malloch says he toured a number of businesses and homes in the area - the flooding wasn't near the disastrous levels experienced in the December 2010 flooding - but - he says it did cause damage and upset for a lot of people.

Liberal Leader Comes To See Flood Damage First Hand

"It really opens your eyes when you see someone's driveway ripped apart."

That word from Provincial Liberal Leader Brian Gallant after touring the devastation in St. Stephen caused by Friday's flood. On July 26th, 2013, St. Stephen was drenched under 165mm of rain.

Gallant meeting in Border-town with St. Stephen Mayor John Quartermain, Deputy Mayor John Ames, and MLA for Charlotte-The Isles Rick Doucet to tour the devastation in flood-prone areas.

Gallant tells Tide News it's imperative that we find out exactly why this happened. "You hear people talking all over the community and they keep saying, 'We thought last time was a once-in-a-hundred-year storm and we'd never get it again,' and obviously two and a half years later having something very similar happen raises concerns."

Gallant tells Tide News he supports local MLA Rick Doucet in his push for amending the Emergency Measures Act. "As Liberal leader, if there is ever anything we think we can push in the legislature, we'll be glad to do so. Rick Doucet, he is obviously very attuned to this, and he has proposed many legislations and many ideas as to how we can make sure that this doesn't happen again and doesn't affect communities in the future, so we will continue to do that as a Party."

Gallant says they are working with Doucet to organize public consultation so everyone can fully understand the impact of the situation from engineers and other officials.

A public meeting has been scheduled in St. George at the Magaguadavic Place on Tuesday, August 13th.

Poverty Seen As The Key Factor Affecting Your Health

A newly released report concludes how much you earn, what sort of housing you have, early childhood development and how well you eat are viewed as key factors that affect your health. 

Those conclusions were reached after the Canadian Medical Association held a series of town hall meetings and heard from something like a thousand people.

The provincial co-ordinator of the Common Front for Social Justice Jean-Claude Basque isn't surprised at the extent of food insecurity in New Brunswick. He says the main problem is that people in the province on the lower end of the income ladder just don't make enough money.
 
He claims if you're working, you should not be in a position where it's tough to eat well because you're not making enough money.

Basque tells Tide News if you have to rely on food banks, as more and more people in the province are doing, you likely won't have access to fruits and vegetables.

Pension Coalition Hires Lawyer

The New Brunswick Pension Coalition is pulling out the legal big guns in their fight to get the provincial government to adopt the Shared Risk Model for its pension plan on a go-forward basis only. 

Coalition spokesperson Clifford Kennedy tells Tide News their goals haven't changed since they've hired Toronto lawyer Ari N. Kaplan, who has a track record of successfully counseling public sector pensioners. He says they simply want the existing agreement to be respected.
 
Kennedy says they decided to hire a lawyer now because the government has been clear that they want to go ahead with the Shared Risk Model---and the Coalition wants to make sure the plan members are protected.

Pair Arrested In Norton Home Invasion

The RCMP have arrested a man and woman who allegedly forced their way into a home in Norton and threatened the owner.

The 25 year old homeowner fired a shot into the floor of the house, after which the pair took off in a car. He was arrested but later released.

Police say this was an isolated incident. The homeowner and one of the suspects knew each other.

Another Attempt Finding Common Ground On Shale Gas

The Atlantica Centre for Energy taking another step toward trying to find common ground on the energy future of the province with the release of another video. 

Opinion is divided right down the middle on shale gas and it doesn't appear as if minds can be changed. Atlantica's John Herron tells Tide News the videos will be offering up different perspectives on how the province should proceed.

He says neither industry nor the government should lead the discussion and believes it could be the Energy Institute through Louis LaPierre with a citizens roundtable.

Herron warns protests happen when people don't think they're being listened to.

Green Party Leader Unimpressed With Plans To Protect More Wilderness

The Alward Government plans to double the percentage of protected wilderness in the province. 

That might sound like a good thing to most people but not to the leader of the Provincial Green Party David Coon who tells Tide News there's less to this than meets the eye.

Coon argues the areas that will be protected are those where companies have been restricted to select cutting which is more expensive than clear cutting which he claims is continuing on an unimaginable scale.

He claims New Brunswick is facing a crisis when it comes to protecting habitat and the province is caving in to pressure from the forestry industry.

Parking Meter App Gaining Ground In The Province

After getting the green light from Fredericton for a pilot project, the founder of a parking app has set his sights on Saint John. 

Phillip Curley is a student at UNB and the CEO of Hot Spot Parking, a program that lets you pay for on-street parking through your smartphone.

It works like this: when you sign up for the app online, you register your phone number, and when that number phones the Hot Spot Parking system, it will deduct money from your existing balance.

Curley tells Tide News he's been in talks with Uptown Saint John to set up meetings with retailers to get them on board. Through the app, retailers can choose to pay for their customers' parking.

The pilot project in Fredericton starts on Thursday, and Curley says he wants roll out the app in Saint John by September. He says installing the app in the city may come with an integration fee.

Secret Shopper Scam Targeting New Brunswickers

If you get a suspicious cheque in the mail, beware. A secret shopper scam is targeting New Brunswickers.

The Financial and Consumer Services Commission says a 13 year-old Minto girl received a cheque in the mail for $3,900 saying she qualified as a secret shopper. Her parents intervened by calling police, sharing their story on social media and reporting it to the commission. 

The commission says scams like this one have been making the rounds across the country. At least three other people have been approached.

The scheme starts when you get a cheque and letter from a company asking you to spend the money at a certain store, then asks for a certified cheque or a money transfer in return telling you that you can keep the rest of the money as compensation.

If you've been the target of a scam, get in touch with the Financial and Consumer Services Commission by calling (866) 933-2222.

RCMP Identify Man In Bus Crash

The Mounties have identified the man killed in a crash between a coach bus and a car on Friday as 31 year-old Jean-François Audrain.

They say Audrain is originally from Montreal, but was living in Welsford. He was the driver and only person in the car that collided with the bus on Highway 7, about halfway between Saint John and Fredericton. 

They're still investigating the cause of the crash, however, heavy rains are believed to have been a factor.