Sussex Man Back In Court For Murdering His Dad

26 year old Dana Allison Craig from Sussex, who was charged in the murder of his 63 year old father in a Brandon, Manitoba hotel room, has been declared not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder.
 
The Court in Brandon was told Craig had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was in the midst of an acute psychotic episode at the time Terry Craig, a retired banker, was strangled and stabbed. 

The younger Craig had been in Alberta and was returning to New Brunswick with his dad.
 
Craig remains in custody. What happens to him will be decided by Manitoba's Criminal Code Review Board. It can release someone into the community if no threat is posed to the public or detention in a mental health facility for those who pose a high risk.

Burger Warning

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning consumers to avoid certain Compliments brand Super 8 Beef Burgers because they may be contaminated with E. coli.
 
The burgers were distributed in New Brunswick at Sobeys.
 
The eight-ounce burgers are sold frozen in packages of six with a UPC code of 0 55742 37055 3.

Five People Sent To Hospital In Highway Crash

The RCMP called to a single vehicle collision on Highway 1 westbound in the Pennfield/Pocologan area.

It happened just before 7 yesterday morning and one lane of the highway was blocked.

Horizon Health confirming to Tide News that five people were rushed to the Regional Hospital.

One car could be seen flipped over on its roof in the ditch. 

The Mounties have not released any information about whether anyone died in the crash

Mom Stands Trial For Leaving Her Baby Outside In Cold

A 27 year old Saint John mother is on trial charged with leaving her baby outside in the cold alone last January along Paddock Street. The court was told the baby was dressed for the weather with only her face exposed and appeared to be no worse for wear.
 
Norma Cusack, who lived across the street, testified it was more like 15 to 20 minutes from the time she heard a baby crying to the time when police arrived. 

Shea maintains the baby was only outside for a few minutes while she took her groceries inside along with her other young children. 

When Police got there, Constable Amy Cunningham told the court Shea came out of the house dressed in a tee shirt, jeans and no shoes. Cunningham believes Shea didn't realise her baby had been left outside after telling her she had looked through the house twice for her baby who was 4 or 5 months old.

BREAKING: Highway Closed, Tanker Car Still Leaking Propane

Propane is still leaking from a railway tanker car behind Haymarket Square. Fire crews are on scene working to isolate the leaking car and determine the cause of the leak.

The call initially came in about an hour ago. Workers on the One Mile Interchange were evacuated as well as a number of buildings in the immediate vicinity.

Due to concerns about the propane drifting over the road, the east and westbound lanes of the highway are closed until further notice from Crown St. to Ashburn Rd.

Three Months To Go--Chief Still Predicts Oland Arrest Before 2014

As 2013 winds down, Saint John Police Chief Bill Reid still has a New Year's resolution to fulfill: an arrest in the investigation into the murder of Richard Oland. 

Reid tells Tide News the Crown will be reviewing the file in the next month, and then will come back with either a recommendation for further investigation or the green light to lay charges. He says it's impossible to magically declare "today's the day" when in fact a legal process has to be followed, as everyone is aware.
 
Reid says only a small amount of information is available to the public so it's discouraging for some people when assumptions are made about the lack of charges. At the same time, the Chief maintains the SJPD is transparent in all of their operations, and he's confident at the end of the day the police will be successful.

New Screening Program Could Save Lives

Getting screened for cancer improves your odds dramatically--and some people in the province will be taking advantage of a new screening program to catch the disease early.

The province has announced a new program beginning in early 2014 that will remind eligible individuals to get screened and track who's been checked and who hasn't.

A program has existed to screen for breast cancer since 1995--now colon and cervical cancer screening will be added to the list. Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada.

One Mile Interchange To Be Open Next Month

The $75 million dollar One Mile Interchange project, which will provide a direct connection between Highway One and Bayside Drive, will be finished by next month according to Tim O'Reilly of Traffic Services.

Truck traffic headed to the industrial areas out east will be rerouted onto the interchange---keeping it off city centre streets. There's going to be plenty of new signage to direct drivers where to go.

NB Power Integrates Companies Into Single Utility

The province's energy utility bringing its companies together under one umbrella. NB Power's Group of Companies are now one integrated Crown Corporation as required by the Electricity Act.

That company is now solely responsible for generating, transmitting and distributing the province's electricity.

The change means the Electric Finance Corporation which was created to deal with debt is dissolved and the utility will take on $325-million in net debt, and a new subsidiary, the NB Energy Marketing Corporation, will be created.

President and CEO Gaëtan Thomas says the changes will help keep energy prices low and stable over the next decade.

City Clarifies Estabrooks Costs

In an email, the City of Saint John letting us know their contract with the Investigative Solutions Network regarding the Estabrooks investigation includes the approval of funding in $100,000 increments beginning last October and again in January and April of this year.    

About $300,000 has been spent so far and Common Council authorized another $100,000 just over two weeks ago bringing the total approved amount to $400,000.

Local Student Gets Scholarship For Work With Boys & Girls Club

One local highschooler getting a headstart on post-secondary.

Grade 10 student Joelle McCray being awarded a Future Shop Future Generation scholarship in the amount of $5000.

McCray being one out of 23 Grade 10 students from Clubs across Canada to get the scholarship this year.

Program Director of our local Club, Jessica Hall tells Tide News Joelle is a deserving recipient because she has been a dedicated Club member for many years, participating in their after-school program, girls circle, youth collective activities and leaders in training program.

Energy Drink Discussion

If your kids like those energy drinks, you may be interested in the results of this discussion today.

The Department of Health is hosting a dialogue that include the chief medical officer of health Dr. Eilish Cleary, Dr. Samuel Godefroy of Health Canada and Martin-Pierre Pelletier of the Canadian Beverage Association.

A report on the dialogue will be made available on the department of health's website later this fall.

Young Woman Missing

Tide News has been contacted by friends who say they're worried about a 19 year old woman who has been missing since September 29th. 

Genevieve Mary Cormier, known as "Gen" was last seen on the Reversing Falls Bridge in Saint John, heading west. 

She's described as being about five feet 7 with dark brown/blackish hair and has a tattoo on her back reading "Take these broken wings and learn to fly" with a bird.  

Her friends are urging you contact City Police if you know anything about her whereabouts because they're worried sick.

Lawsuits Could Cost City Mega Bucks Just To Defend

If Saint John has to defend itself in the face of 263 lawsuits, the cost could alone bankrupt the city. That word from Halifax lawyer John McKiggan.

He tells Tide News a class action lawsuit will be filed in a matter of days or weeks on behalf of the people who say they were sexually abused by the late Ken Estabrooks when he was a City Police Sergeant and later a city employee with the Works Department.
 
McKiggan says they want to find if the Mayor and Common Council back in 1975 signed off on transferring Estabrooks from the police to City Works after confessing. 

McKiggan says a class action lawsuit offers a more flexible solution.

Man Saved From Leaping Off Bridge

A lot of activity for Police in the Valley. They had to save a man from harming himself when he was hanging off a bridge along Route 111 and threatening to jump the next time a truck came along. Police managed to grab hold of him before he could make the leap and he's now in hospital for mental health issues.

Another man was taken to hospital after losing control of the bicycle he was riding on Randy Jones Way. Police say he was wearing a helmet which save his head but did suffer injuries to his chest.

Another deer was struck causing considerable damage to the vehicle in Gondola Point by Miller Road and a home along Rothesay Road was broken into.

Local Baseball Player Signs With Toronto Blue Jays

A baseball player from Saint John joining the Major League team he grew up rooting for. 

20-year old right-hander Andrew Case of Saint John signing a Major League Baseball deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. He says his heart stopped when he got the call over the weekend, after impressing scouts at a tournament in Toronto by pitching a no-hitter. 

Case, who is in Alberta right now, is coming home for a few weeks to celebrate with family, then will head back out West to train at the Prairie Baseball Academy until late February or early March when he reports for spring training in Florida. The six-foot-two 190 pound Case says he hopes to get some more power behind his best pitch, a fastball which now sits at the low-90s, and put on some muscle.

He says he hopes his story inspires other Saint John baseball players to work hard because anything is possible.

Province Buys Wheelchair Golf Cart For Campobello

Just because you're in a wheelchair -- doesn't mean you can't shoot under par.

The Provincial government announcing today on Campobello Island the purchase of a wheelchair golf cart for the Herring Cove Provincial Park.

Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, Travor Holder tells Tide News accessibility is important to everyone. "It's important for both our residents to have an accessible experience so they can have the opportunity to play golf, and it's also very important as we move forward trying to promote ourselves as an accessible destination as well."

A number of upgrades have taken place recently in provinical parks as the government reviews health, safety, and accessibility in the Parks Act.

In Picture, From Left: Healthy and Inclusive Communities Minister Dorothy Shephard; local park patron Kyle Newman; Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Trevor Holder; and Charlotte-Campobello MLA Curtis Malloch. Picture from Conservative website.

Social Assistance Rate Rising In October

The number on your social assistance check will be a little higher this month. 

The province boosting the province's basic social assistance rate by four percent on the first of October, and it's going to go up again by three percent in April of next year. The government says it's part of their focus to reduce, prevent and alleviate poverty in the province. 

They're also making a few other changes to the system, including more support for families with high shelter costs and better assistance for clients with disabilities who are living with their parents.

UPDATED...Number Of Sex Abuse Victims Escalates

Deceased Saint John city police officer Ken Estabrooks may have sexually abused 263 children over the course of nearly three decades dating back to the late 1950s. 

That word coming from the private investigator contracted by Common Council to investigate the extent of the abuse. After decades of secrecy, private investigators and the city say vulnerable children were targeted for at least 25 years. Most of the sexual abuse victims were boys but some girls have been identified in the investigation. They were between the ages of 6 and 19 when the abuse happened.

About 53 of the victims are still living, 33 are dead and it's believed there are another 152 suspected victims.
 
Estabrooks confessed in 1975, but charges weren't laid until more than 20 years later. Perry revealing to Tide News he continued to sexually abuse children after resigning from the police department and being quietly transferred to a job in City Works. He was finally convicted in 1999 and sentenced to six years in jail, dying of cancer in 2005.

A toll free number has been set up for victims wanting to contact investigator Dave Perry and receive counseling paid for by the city of Saint John. The number to call is 1-866-790-4764.

Perry says the investigation could take up to a year to wrap up.

More Details Coming In Another Case Of Abuse Of Trust

An update into the investigation of now deceased former Saint John city police officer Ken Estabrooks, with more alleged victims coming forward, being delivered today. 

And as the decades-old case continues to unfold, the province's Youth Advocate speaking on the social impact of an all too similar case which came to light just this year. 

Norm Bosse tells Tide News, like Estabrooks, disgraced former Common Councillor Donnie Snook was in a position of trust and authority and he believes Snook used that power as a way of getting away with abusing his victims. "Who is going to question him?" asks Bosse.

While many may blame themselves for what happened, Bosse says at the end of the day only one person is responsible for Snook's actions, and that is Snook himself. However, he believes parents need to be aware of what their children are doing.

Bosse, who is a lawyer, represented the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of notorious pedophile Karl Toft at the Youth Training Centre in Kingsclear in the '90s.