Watch Out For This Scam In Charlotte County

The West District RCMP is warning St. George, Blacks Harbour, and other Charlotte County residents about a telephone scam currently being reported in the area.

Fraudsters are contacting people at home pretending to be Microsoft or Windows employees, telling you your computer has a virus, that they need to perform an important update. They may request payment for this "service" by asking you to provide banking or credit card information. This can result in money being stolen from you and viruses added to your computer.

If you or a loved one may have been a victim of this type of fraud, please contact local police.

Canada Wins Morning Match At Curling Championship

Canada improving to 7 and 1 at the Ford World Women's Curling championship with a 7-5 win over Germany. Switzerland is also at 7 and 1 after downing Scotland 10-5.

The M-C for the tournament, Stewart Brown tells Tide News there have been a lot of surprises such as when the Koreans knocked off the Swiss who were unbeaten.

Canada plays the Koreans at 2:30.

Brown says the curlers love Saint John and he calls Harbour Station an amazing venue. He predicts the playoffs which will take place after the round robin ends will be nail biters because the teams are so evenly matched.

Shots Fired In The North End

The Saint John Police Force Major Crime Unit is investigating shots fired at a home in the North End of Saint John around 5 am.

A 29 year old man has been arrested and is facing several weapons related charges. The gun believed to be used has been recovered and no injuries have been reported.

He's set make a provincial court appearance this afternoon to answer to the weapons charges as well as other Criminal Code Charges.

Fredericton Area Businessman Fined For Evading Taxes

A businessman from Upper Kingsclear, Michael Bruce Newman, has been fined more than 138 thousand dollars in Fredericton after pleading guilty to nine tax evasion charges.

Newman evaded personal income taxes totaling 99 thousand dollars for the 2007 to 2009 tax years. He also evaded over 39 thousand dollars HST between September of 2007 and December of 2009.

A Canada Revenue Agency investigation revealing he didn’t report any business income or HST during these years.

Newman operated a consulting business and also acted as a sub-contractor. He was hired to supply tandem trucks, tractor trailers, excavators and survey crews on construction sites.

Update On Condition Of Boy Bitten By Dog

Rothesay Regional Police giving us an update on the 11 year old boy who was mauled last week by a dog in French Village.

He required 11 stitches to his face and one of his arms as well as sustaining lacerations to his hip and back. Police telling Tide News he's doing well all things considered.

The dog was seized by the SPCA.

Auger Repeats As MVP

Sebastien Auger is only the second player in Sea Dogs history to repeat as the Most Valuable Player. He also picked up the Team Player award and the 3 Stars award.

He tells us the coaching staff build confidence in the players saying his goalie coach Jim Flemming is a great guy who helped work on the little things that made the difference in the end.

Jason Cameron repeated winning the Community Service Award and also picked up Academic player of the year.
He admits it's tough balancing hockey and the demands of university but he says you find for both and it pays off.

Fredericton's Oliver Cooper won the Top Scorer award and Fan's choice calling it honour to win.
Olivier Leblanc is the Top Defenseman, Thomas Chabot picked up Most Improved Player and Rookie of the Year went to Newfoundland's Nathan Noel.

Chris Di Domenico is the other Sea Dog to repeat as MVP.

Algonquin To Unveil New Year-Long Renovation Today With Celebration

It's a Big Day in St. Andrews-By-The-Sea!

This afternoon -- after a year-long, multi-million dollar renovation -- the Algonquin Resort is opening its doors to everyone to celebrate their new beginning.

General Manager Tim Ostrem telling Tide News the biggest differences will be the availability of the hotel with all the rooms accustomed for winter and summer months, as well as the 3-storey water slide that runs outside of the building. he says the indoor pool is a completely new facility.

At 1:30pm, everyone will gather on the veranda for warm drinks, s'mores and live music.
At 2pm,  welcome speeches will be heard with an autograph signing.

An Open House will follow at 2:30pm.

Sign Up For Ball Hockey Tonight

The ice might be going -- but the hockey stays.

Tonight you can sign your kid up for Ball Hockey, a 6 week program for kids ages 6 through to 17.

Organizer Blair Furlotte tells Tide News the start date will be April 8th. He says Tuesday evening from 6-7pm will be for ages 6-9, and Thursday evenings from 6-7pm will be for ages 10-17.

Kids will need to have a full face mask helmet, shin pads -- soccer pads will do, and hockey gloves.

Furlotte tells us they had 80 kids participate last year and they are hoping for a bigger turn-out this year and expanding the program.

Registration is $30 and will be held upstairs at the Border Arena in St. Stephen tonight from 6-8.

A Men's Ball Hockey tema will also be meeting on Tuesday night from 7:30-9:30pm. Cost is $10 a head per night and the men will need to wear a helmet.

Furlotte says they are also looking for a few volunteers and any donations would be appreciated to get goalie equipment for the kids.

If you would like to donate, call Blair Furlotte at 921-0038.

Chilling Details From MacKean Trial

Chilling details are being revealed in the sexual assault case involving a teenage boy who was chained up for 10 days inside a cabin in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.

64 year old John Leonard MacKean is facing two charges in relation to his alleged role in the incident which took place in September 2012.

The alleged victim - a teenage boy - was the first witness to take the stand in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Bridgewater.

He told court he was blindfolded and chained to a bed while he was sexually assaulted by David Leblanc and Wayne Cunningham.

The teenager also testified about a third man involved in the sexual acts.
However, the boy was blindfolded and could not clearly identify the other individual.
Evidence of chains, a blanket from the bed and a blindfold were submitted as evidence by the Crown prosecutor.

Defence lawyer Mike Taylor will cross examine the alleged victim this afternoon.
The trial is being heard before a judge and 12 member jury.

The trial is expected to last three days.

Former P-C Party Staffer Claims Party Can't Win Next Provincial Election

There's deep dissatisfaction within the provincial Conservative Party and no one sees the Conservatives winning the next election.

That claim being made by Bill Carter of Hampton, a former Conservative party staff member and ex President of the party's youth wing in the province.

He points to how many young people are giving up on New Brunswick and moving elsewhere. Carter calls that a sad commentary since their hearts are in New Brunswick and they would rather be living here if there was opportunity.

Carter has joined the provincial NDP but will not be running to be an M-L-A in September's election.

Draw 9 Is In The Books At The FWCC

Draw 9 is complete at the World Women's Curling Championship, Canada doubled Latvia 8-4, Sweden beat Denmark 7-2, Korea defeating the Czech Republic 8-5 and Russia hammered Scotland 10-4.

Switzerland is undefeated at 5 and 0, Canada and Sweden are tied with a 5 and 1 record.

Switzerland plays today and Canada takes on Scotland tonight.

Scathing Report Released On Proposed Energy East Pipeline

A new report released by a group of environmental organisations claims nearly all of the 1.1 million barrels a day of crude oil the proposed Energy East pipeline would carry from Alberta would be exported unrefined. According to the report, eastern Canadian refineries would process only a small amount.

Catherine Abreu of the Ecology Action Centre tells Tide News the number of jobs that would be created considering all the money that's going to be spent is distinctly unimpressive, 166 for every billion dollars spent.

By contrast, Abreau says for every billion dollars invested in green energy initiatives, 15 thousand jobs are created according to research done by the University of Massachusetts.

Adam Scott of Environmental Defence claims we are being misled about the claims being made by politicians on how this pipeline will help turn the provincial economy around.

Fire Leaves Two People Homeless

A home is destroyed by fire a few kilometers north of Fredericton in McLeod Hill. We hear from the Red Cross that two people managed to get out safely but they were still in their night clothes.

The man and woman are getting emergency assistance from the Red Cross which includes somewhere to stay temporarily, food and clothing.

There's no word on what caused the blaze on Chateau Drive.

Canadian Women Curlers Win Twice

After an 8-2 win over Denmark in the afternoon, Canada, skipped by Rachel Homan, defeated the U.S. 9-3 in six ends at Harbour Station last night.

Team Canada improves to 4-1, behind only Switzerland, who won 7-3 over Denmark and has a perfect 5 and 0 record.

This morning, Canada takes on Latvia and then Scotland tonight. The Swiss will play South Korea this afternoon and the U.S. tonight.

Shale Gas Study To Be Carried Out

It's being described as its very first research initiative with half a million dollars to be spent by the New Brunswick Energy Institute on what the impact will be on groundwater of shale gas exploration.

According to the Institute, this study will provide the necessary baseline data that's required to assess shale gas extraction and the occurrance of methane gas in private water wells.

The study will examine four areas in the southern part of the province, including the Sussex area.

The Energy Institute was created by the Alward Governnment but its legitimacy was called into question after Professor Louis LaPierre resigned as the head of the Institute following controversy over his academic credentials.

Transformer Fire And Car Crashes In Musquash

Musquash firefighters responded to a transformer fire and a pair of car crashes over the weekend.

The transformer fire happened Saturday shortly after 9 o'clock in Lepreau and caused a power outage for 6 hours in that area.

One crash happened on Route 1 near New River on Sunday shortly after 2 in the morning after the car hit a guardrail. A few hours later, there was a rollover on route 790 in Musquash around 8am in which the vehicle ended up on its roof in a brook.

No one was injured in either crash. The roads were extremely slippery at the time.

CBS Workers Could Soon Strike

Canadian Blood Services workers in the province may soon be on strike, after they say the latest contract offer didn't offer enough money for the hours worked.


CUPE rep Mike Davidson tells Tide News the action could effect as many as 40 workers,
including phlebotomists, clinic assistants and drivers.

The workers will be in a legal strike position as of tomorrow. CUPE Local 1655 has requested another meeting next Thursday March 27th in hopes of negotiating a new deal.

Provincial NDP Snags Conservative

A former President of the provincial Conservative party's youth wing is jumping ship.

William Carter of Hampton is joining the NDP. Carter is also a former Conservative party staff member.

The NDP has scheduled a news conference tomorrow to introduce Carter and have him elaborate on his reasons for changing party allegiance.

Utopia Traffic Stop Leads To Coke Seizure

A Saturday night traffic stop in Utopia leading to the seizure of nearly 6 grams of coke.

The 47 year old man from Pennfield was stopped in his vehicle about 10:30pm on Johnson Lane.

He was arrested at the scene and later released with an August court date in St. Stephen provincial court.

Unique Drinking Facts For Saint Patrick's Day

It's Saint Patrick's Day in Canada's "Most Irish" City, which means the whiskey and green beer will be flowing at local watering holes.

To help your avoid feeling green tomorrow, CHSJ News has gathered a few drinking tips:

-Eat before you drink, especially proteins, fats and dense carbohydrates: they'll slow down the rate at which you get tipsy and allow you to enjoy the fun for longer.

-Pop and other carbonated mixers make your body absorb the alcohol faster, as does drinking warm drinks like Irish Coffee. Energy drinks mask your body's ability to tell you when you've had enough, making you more likely to drink more and be hungover.

- If you want to drink responsibly you should have no more than one drink per hour, or alternate alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones.

-Once alcohol is in your blood neither coffee nor a cold shower will make you sober up more quickly.

-One trick for avoiding a hangover: if you're drinking bottled beer, put your bottle caps in your pocket. Count them and have that many glasses of water when you get home.

Above all, make sure that you have a plan to get home safely and don't drive if you've been celebrating.