Jurors Picked In Ferguson Case

Over the next six weeks, a jury of 5 men and 4 women will be hearing testimony at the defamation lawsuit launched by Saint John's pension board against former Common Councillor John Ferguson back in 2007.


The jurors have been told there's a lot of documentation that will be presented along with the playing of excerpts from meetings of Common Council.
 
The lawsuit was launched after Ferguson voiced criticisms of how the city's pension plan was being managed.
 
Since that time, Ferguson ran for the Mayoralty but lost and is now serving as the town manager in St. Stephen.
 
The city's pension deficit, meantime, has increased to 190 million dollars.

Office Open For Civic Center

If you have questions concerning the future of the new Garcelon Civic Center in St. Stephen, the Civic Center Office is open this week to give you answers.

Here are the hours of operation for this week.

Tuesday 11am-1pm


Thursday 11am-1pm and 4pm-6pm

Friday 11am-1pm and 4-6pm

The office is located at 103 Milltown Blvd in St. Stephen.

Rally In Support For John Ferguson

The Saint John pension board's lawsuit against former Common Councillor John Ferguson goes to court starting today.

Six weeks set aside to hear testimony.

Ferguson is currently the Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of St. Stephen.

The Pension Board launched the suit back in 2007, after criticisms voiced by Ferguson about what he saw as the mismanagement of the pension plan.

John Campbell, who has already announced he's running for a seat on Common Council, tells Tide News this is a complete waste of time and money, calling it frivalous, and says the only people making money from this is the lawyers.
A rally is also being organised for in front of the provincial courthouse on Charlotte Street where the trial is being held.

Illegal Smokes Seized

A man getting burned in a sting on illegal smokes.

At approximately 7pm on Thursday, the RCMP n arrested a Moncton man on the Trans Canada Highway near Salisbury for being in possession of contraband cigarettes.  


Police stopped the truck he was driving and seized approximately 220,000 contraband cigarettes. 

A 26-year-old man was arrested and is facing charges under the  Provincial Tobacco Tax Act.

Photo Credit: RCMP

Dragonfly Centre For Autism To Open This Weekend

The Dragonfly Resource Centre for Autism will celebrate their Grand Opening  tomorrow between 1-4pm.

Everyone is welcome.

The Dragonfly Centre is located at 36 Milltown Blvd in St. Stephen.

Civic Centre Office Now Open

All questions from the community about the new Civic Centre -- can now be answered.


The Grand opening of the Garcelon Civic Centre office taking place today.

The Town of St. Stephen inviting everyone to check out the office at 103 Milltown Blvd, filled with plans and information about the project.

Deputy Mayor Jim Maxwell says the office will stay open during the construction process as an information centre.

Family Of 6 Burned Out

A fire yesterday in St. Stephen put a family of six out in the cold.

The Canadian Red Cross has stepped in, providing temporary accommodations and food for the couple and their four children.

The kids range in age between 2 and 13.

No word yet on the cause of the fire.

No Support From Town At Elm Street Park Meeting

'Frustrating' was the word of the night at a meeting for the St. Stephen Elm Street Park Society.

Wilf Torunski, President of the Society tells Tide News the resurrection of the park has not drawn the interest of the town council.

He says they are trying to re-open the southern section of Elm Park, which is mostly wooded areas, at little or no cost to the town.

Torunski says the society has received a $1000 grant from the provincial government to get started on the park.

With exception to Mayor Jed Purcell being out of town, all town officials were invited to the meeting, however, not a single one showed up.

St. Stephen Town Manager John Ferguson was unable to be reached for comment.

Endangered Species Only Home In Charlotte County

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is spreading the awareness about an endangered species found only in Charlotte County.

Program Manager of the NCC, Paula Noel, tells Tide News of a delicate plant with purple bell shaped flowers, called Van Brunt's Jacob's Ladder.


She says there were records of the plant being seen in New Brunswick in the 1880's, but there had been no record of it since then, so everyone assumed it was extinct.

Jacob's Ladder was re-discovered in 2005 by Dwayne Sabine and Stephen Clayden in Dipper Harbour.

The plant has also been found in Utopia.

The NCC is asking anyone to report their sightings of Jacob's ladder.

You can email them at atlantic@natureconservancy.ca or by phone at 1-877-231-4400.


Photo by Stephen Clayden.

Elm Park for Public Use Again?

What is the future of the St. Stephen Elm Street Park?

A public meeting will be held tomorrow at Humphrey's Funeral Home by the Elm Street Park Society.

The purpose is to try and re-establish the park in town for public use.

The meeting gets underway at 7pm.

For more information call Wilf at 465-6422.

Send A Valentine To Your Favorite Crustacean

Even the critters from the Bay of Fundy are feeling the love.

The Fundy Discovery Aquarium in St. Andrews inviting children to write Valentine's Day cards for the animals.

The cards will be dropped into special boxes near the animals, such as Loki and Snorkel the harbour seals, and Big Dee-Dee the Lobster.



Genny Simard will be making a presentation on lobsters and lobster love at 2:30pm.

The celebration is this Saturday, from 10-5.

Impaired Driver Hits Police Car in St. Andrews

Don't drink and Drive -- you may hit a police car.

That's what happened to a 20-year-old man last Friday, just shortly after 2am in St. Andrews.

The man from Saint John failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Parr and Sophia Street, colliding with a police cruiser head on.

The officer was sent to hospital with minor injuries and was released.

No other injuries, but both vehicles were significantly damaged.

The man was found to be impaired, and will appear in court to face charges at a later date.

St. Stephen urged to conserve water.

The Town of St. Stephen is urging everyone to conserve their water usage this morning as the town is running on a limited supply due to a breakdown that happened last evening.
Residents may be experiencing little or no pressure due the breakdown.
St. Stephen Water Department say parts to fix the problem will be trucked in from Saint John.

Loan Gives St. Stephen 13 New Jobs

A St. Stephen company is getting money from Invest NB and the provincial government to create 13 new full-time jobs.

Premier David Alward making the announcement today at Superior Tanks.

Alward says the government and Invest NB are empowering businesses to create jobs, grow their communities, and rebuild a stronger economy.

Superior Tanks co-owner Sylvain Villeneuve says the support has allowed them to nearly triple their workforce.

Invest NB is providing a $100 thousand forgivable loan.

Canadian Country in China

Two country stars from New Brunswick will soon be entertaining the chinese.

Kevin Chase of the Kingston Peninsula and Melanie Morgan of Cap Pele are a tour with 5 stops, ending in Shanghai.

 The purpose of the trip is to create awareness of their brand of Canadian Country in China.

 They leave next month.

Questions Raised About Nuclear Spill in Lepreau

An environmentalist is raising questions about the role of Canada's nuclear safety regulator after a heavy-water spill two months ago at the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant.
   
David Coon of the Conservation Council says the regulator, then called the Atomic Energy Control Board should have followed-up on similar incidents back in 1995.
   
The earlier incidents came to light in a report from NB Power.
   
The report, obtained by The Canadian Press, says heavy water entered a gas monitor three times during a shutdown in 1995, but the design was never changed.

Will Marriot Parent The Algonquin?

A prominent piece of New Brunswick history may be getting a new owner.
   
The Crown-owned Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews could soon carry the Marriott banner, if a deal can be finalized.
  
Tourism Minister Trevor Holder says the provincial government is in final negotiations with a consortium.
   
New Castle Hotels and Southwest Properties are interested in buying the resort, or becoming a partner with the province.
   
The minister says the parties now have 60 days to conduct their due diligence.
   
The province launched the search for a new operator last February .
  
Last year, the government said the century-old resort needed repairs and upgrades worth 20 to 25 million dollars.

Something For Every Biker

The "Rally in The St. Croix Valley" scheduling rides for all different kinds of bikers.

Canadian Chair Bob Hamel tells Tide News about a new ride added this year, called a dual-sport ride, for specialized bikes that go on and off road.

Hamel says they have a few dual-sport rides scheduled, leading the bikers through wooded areas, and giving them a chance to utilize the bike they own.
There will also be a "Blueberry-Chocolate" ride that includes blueberry tasting at Granite Farms in St. George and a tour of the Chocolate Museum in St. Stephen.

The Rally is set for July 1st to the 8th.

They are currently looking for volunteers, if you would like to participate, contact Bob Hamel at 467-7101 or through Facebook.

Cooke's To Be Awarded For Heroic Efforts

A local fish plant being honored for their heroic efforts.

Cooke's Aquaculture in St. George will be given an Industry Achievement Award during the Fish Canada/Workboat Canada Trade Show this weekend, for their selfless acts in the Flood of 2010.

When Charlotte County went under water last winter, an excess of 60 employees of Cooke's utilized boats to rescue people, as well as deliver food and supplies.

Cooke's also joined with JD Irving, in efforts to get those hit hardest into a new subdivision.

Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke's Aquaculture says "the flood happened in our town and to our people, there was no question of us getting involved."

The award will be presented at the Moncton Coliseum tomorrow night at 6.

SJDA Wins Technology Package

Congratulations goes out to the Sir James Dunn Acadamy in St. Andrews.
They are one of the winners from the MindShare Learning 21st Century Digital Classroom Challenge.  Sir James Dunn Adadamy is one of three regional winner’s from Canada  that will receive technology packages worth over $15,000.

Teacher Seth Richardson says “At SJDA technology education is at the forefront of our 21st century learning initiative. He says they are committed to inspiring future leaders to question, innovate and collaborate, using the skills necessary to succeed".