New Brunswick Medical Society Launching "Make Menus Matter."

The New Brunswick Medical Society is asking parents and teachers to take a second look at school menus. 

The group is launching "Make Menus Matter", a campaign to raise awareness about eating healthy at school. 

CEO Anthony Knight tells CHSJ News, when it comes to healthy school menus, there's still room for improvement. He says, unhealthy options are still available on school menus.

"There's all different forms of burgers, whether they're chicken, fish or hamburgers, lot of pizza and some variations of fried foods. We want to encourage more whole grain products, more fruits and vegetables, and more lean meat," he says.

Parents are being asked to submit their child's school menu to the Medical Society, for a chance to with a healthy lunch prepared by doctors and dietitians.

Quispamsis Council Requesting Update On State Of Emergency

Quispamsis council making sure they are prepared for the worst...the town making a request to be updated on the state of emergency and local state of emergency legislation. 

Regional Emergency Management Coordinator for Saint John and Sussex Brent Whalen tells CHSJ News, it all starts at the municipal level.

"If an emergency occurs...multiple police departments, multiple fire departments from adjacent municipalities have to come in to assist a single municipality. It becomes overwhelming, and so an escalation in support is going to be required," he says.

Whelan and KV E-M-O Director Brian Shanks making a presentation to council at their last meeting.

SCAN Program Helping Residents File Complaints Against Problem Tenants

It started as a pilot program, but now the SCAN program is helping residents file complaints against problem tenants and residents on a permanent basis. 

That's thanks to funding from the province. Police Chief Bill Reid tells CHSJ News, they have a lot of tips coming in, and they work with SCAN to deal with complaints about drug dealers, squats, and other issues.

 "Scan is not connected to police, it's an outside provincial unit and once we have information we certainly pass it along," he says.

 Reid says the city's fortunate the provincial government has continued funding for the program.

Maritime Author Releases "Road To The NHL"

Telling the stories of the Maritimes' well-known hockey players.   

Phillip Croucher of Nova Scotia, releasing Road to the NHL.
The book highlights the journey of 25 hockey players including New Brunswick's Willie O'Ree. Croucher says the book is for all ages to relate to. 

He tell CHSJ News, what it was like to interview the hockey players.  "You know Maritimers are known for being easy going and very approachable. [That's] what I was most happy about with these interviews, is just how open they all were with talking to me."

 Road to the NHL is in the top locally sold books in the Maritimes.

How To Be Safe If You're Cycling This Winter

If you're braving the cold on two wheels this winter,
Dean Roberts, of Consolvo Bikes, in Saint John says make sure you have the right equipment.

He tells us, "A lot of people that aren't familiar with winter cycling can get in over their head a little bit, if they don't have the right equipment."

Roberts tells us winter cycling is picking up in Saint John. 

He says if you're going to try winter cycling, make sure to have studded tires and warm clothing. If you choose not to, the ice can be very dangerous. He says, it can be very sudden, and you don't see it under the snow.

Salvation Army Kettle Drive Runs Throughout The Holiday Season

You've certainly noticed the volunteers in the malls and on street-corners ringing bells, and asking for a few dollars for Salvation Army kettles.
 
Salvation Army officer Rodney Bungay, tells us, they work hard to provide housing and hot meals to the homeless.

"They love the work that we do. Many people will stop me and just say thank you for the work the Salvation Army is doing, so the support is there," he says.

The kettle drive runs throughout the holiday season.

French Government Honouring Canadian Veterans For D-Day Landings

The French government paying special tribute to Canadian soldiers who fought in the D-Day Landings. The 70th Anniversary of the battle is coming up in 2014.
 
Larry Lynch is the district commander for the Saint John Royal Canadian Legion. He tells CHSJ News, the branch is looking for members who took part in the battle.

"There are many veterans out there that partook in that battle, that are not legion members. And we would like to make sure, any veteran that partook in that battle, [gets] the opportunity to be honoured." he says. Veterans will be presented with the highest honour conferred by the French government.

This includes veterans who who served in the army, air, or navy from June 6, 1944, to August 31, 1944. 

France will be honouring the veterans by nominating them for the National Order for the Legion of Honour. For more information, contact Larry Lynch at 635-1733.

Romero House Food Drive Another Success In Saint John

The 7th Annual Ritchie's Food Drive for Romero House wrapping up today, with lots of donations filling up the 53-foot-trailer.

 The donations will help fill the shelves at the soup kitchen. Evelyn McNulty of Romero House, tells us, it was another great success.

"Romero, helps a lot of people. A lot more people, then people will ever be aware of, and everything that was donated today will definitely go to good use," she says. She adds, the food from the fundraiser generally lasts throughout the summer and sometimes into the fall.

Saint John Celebrates The First Uptown Sparkles

Saint John kicked off the very first Uptown Sparkles event last night. The city was getting into the Christmas spirit with carols, choirs,horse-drawn carriage rides, and more. 

Kent MacIntyre is President of the Rotary Club in Saint John. The Boys and Girls Rotary club choir kicked off the group's 100th anniversary at King's Square during the event. 

 MacIntyre says, Uptown Sparkles is an event for everyone in the community to enjoy for years to come. 

He tells Tide News, " you can get out outside in the fresh and just have some local entertainment. You can interact with folks. It's absolutely wonderful."

McCreery Replaces Corbin: The Band Perry Changes Opening Acts For Bangor

If you were hoping to see Easton Corbin in Bangor -- you may be disappointed.

The Band Perry bringing their "We Are Pioneers" world tour to Maine on January 31st, 2014.

It was previously announced that country singer Easton Corbin and Lindsay Ell would be opening for the award-winning family trio at the Cross Insurance Center.

Now, American Idol winner Scotty McCreery will be replacing Corbin, and Ell's replacement will be announced soon.

There was no reason given for the recent change.

Tickets went on sale this morning at 10am, for tickets call 1-800-745-3000.

MLAs Duke It Out Over Economic Plan

Dieppe Liberal MLA Roger Melanson rising in the Legislature to slam the Tories for what he calls a slew of broken promises--he says under the Alward government we've seen every economic indicator in the province worsen, including higher taxes, rising unemployment numbers, and increased debt.

Meanwhile Tory MLA for Saint John Fundy Glen Savoie says the Tories, unlike the Liberals, are moving forward to developments that will create jobs for New Brunswickers

Melanson says the Tories have failed to present a comprehensive plan for exactly how job creation is going to work on a long term basis.

Higgs Warns Against Spending Binge

Finance Minister Blaine Higgs is suggesting the province has too many things to take care off considering how many people live here and that's driving the cost of government up. 

The provincial government's deficit is rising which doesn't leave much room to manoevre.

Higgs will be going around the province seeking ideas of what can be done to control spending and turn the financial situation around.

Stirring New Brunswick Tribute To Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, who died last night at the age of 95 after suffering from a prolonged lung infection, being honoured in the Legislature by Hampton-Kings MLA Bev Harrison.


Harrison describes going to Robin Island, where Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years, and seeing the blinding white rocks the leader was forced to hack away at. Mandela refused to use the dark glasses his captors provided, meaning his eyesight failed later in life.

Harrison says Mandela had every reason to hate, yet he taught the world how to forgive.

CCAPN To Host An Hour Of Rememberance For Victims Of Violence Tonight

A memorial is being held tonight to commemorate the tragic events of December 6th, 1989 when 14 young women were killed at l'École Polytechnique in Montréal.

Today is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. It commemorates the 14 young women who died in that act of violence as well as a chance for Canadians to reflect on violence against women in our society and in our local Charlotte County.

"An Hour of Rememberance and Hope" being held at the Wesley United Church, 77 William Street in St. Andrewsby the Charlotte County Abuse Prevention Network, beginning at 7pm.

2013-14 Deficit Has Increased By $38.3 Million

The provincial government has released its second-quarter fiscal update--and despite $113 million in spending reductions, the province is reporting a revenue shortfall of almost $173-million dollars.

The revenue shortfall has caused the deficit for 2013-14 to increase by 38.3 million dollars from the first quarter to $538.2 million dollars.

Finance Minister Blaine Higgs is expected to schedule a pre-budget consultation meeting with key stakeholders throughout the province to discuss possible solutions to the revenue problems.

Joshua Group Founder Speaks Out On Estabrooks

The founder of the Joshua Group says he sees the devastation former City police officer Ken Estabrooks caused on a daily basis.

Hayes tells Tide News he started suffering abuse at the hands of Estabrooks when he was 12-years old and living in the South end and it continued for about three years. He says after that he didn't see Estabrooks again until he was 18-years old and started a job with the City, and Estabrooks became his co-worker. 

Hayes says it's a hard thing to accept when you report abuse to your supervisor and are told to "go in, or go home."

Hayes says Estabrooks abuse a lot of kids all over the city and there are a lot of damaged people living here today. It was recently revealed that the deceased officer may have sexually abused 263 children over the course of nearly three decades dating back to the late 1950s.

Hayes is named as the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the city of Saint John and he hopes it leads to the victims getting help. You can hear the full interview with Hayes this Sunday by tuning into Pulse NB on 98.1 The Tide.

Auditor General Points Out Discrepancies In Provincial Government Service

NB Power did not adequately address the risks posed by the refurbishment of the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant even though it has a rigorous oversight process in place, according to the latest annual report from the auditor general.

Kim MacPherson says even though the decision making process took four-and-a-half years from 2001 to 2005, as late as the spring of 2005, there was still substantial uncertainty about what should be done to meet future provincial electricity needs.

She warns the province has a structural deficit where expenses exceed revenues and if this continues, buildings, roads and bridges may not be maintained and renewed as they should be.

MacPherson notes, in general, to correct a structural deficit, programs and services need to be reduced, revenues need to be increased, or some combination of the two needs to occur.

According to her report, the money owed the provincial government more than doubled between 2002 and 2012, increasing to $2.6 billion from $1.1 billion.

Union Claims Shared Risk Model Is Illegal

The Canadian Union of Pulbic Employees has filed a complaint with the Labour and Employment Board claiming the legislated changes to the provincial pension plan are illegal.

CUPE New Brunswick President Danny Légère says under the Public Service Labour Relations Act, once a notice to bargain is made, the terms and conditions of employment must remain in place until a new contract agreement is reached or a deadlock in negotiations is declared. 

CUPE argues the switch to the shared risk model is a violation of that.

UNB Professors Concerned About Quality Of Education

UNB has to refocus on the classroom and making sure students at the university get the best education they can. 

 That, from Dr. Miriam Jones, President of the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers. She says programs for people who retire aren't being replaced--and money is going anywhere but into the core mission of the university.
 
The union is threatening strike action in the new year if a new contract agreement is not reached with the university.

UNB Teachers Vote For Strike Mandate

UNB Teachers in Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton and Bathurst voting for a strong strike mandate.

90 per cent of the members on the four campuses voted to strike.

Spokesperson Miriam Jones says over 99 per cent of eligible members voted.

She says its clear the academic staff feel strongly that institution needs to change direction.

She hopes the strong strike mandate will convince our employer that their members are serious about defending UNB's reputation as a credible, competitive, and comprehensive university.