A Babysitters' Education

The Canadian Red Cross wants to give babysitters an education.

They are offering a babysitters course in St. Stephen, at the St. Croix Public Library on October 15th.

Teaching sitters ages 11 and up, how to care for children from infancy to school-age.

Register at the Library by Monday, October 3rd, and the cost is $30.

Charlotte County Walks for Cancer Tomorrow

It's walking for a cause, because we care.

Tomorrow the 9th Annual Walk Cause We Care march will take over Charlotte County.

Three communities are taking part, with participants meeting at the WC O'neil Arena in St. Andrews, Fundy High School in St. George, and the St. Stephen Guardian Drug.

All moneys raised at the event will stay in Charlotte County to help cancer patients.

Head on crash in Musquash

St. George RCMP responded to a head-on collision between two vehicles on Wetmore Creek Road in Musquash.

The incident occurred when one of the vehicles reportedly crossed the centre line into the path of the other. Ambulance New Brunswick paramedics and members of the Musquash Fire Department also attended the scene.

Both female drivers, a 20-year-old woman from Chance Harbour and a 27-year-old woman from Lepreau, were transported to the Saint John Regional Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. An 18-month-old child, who was a passenger in one of the vehicles, was also taken to hospital for observation.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in this incident. Investigation into the cause of the collision continues.

Successful Fundraiser for NB Railway

It's a successful fundraiser, even before the train leaves the station.

New Brunswick Southern Railway hosting a fall train ride tomorrow in support of UNICEF.

The ride going from McAdam to St. Stephen and back, sold every ticket available.

100% of the proceeds are going to specific UNICEF projects, helping children all over the world.

Get Rid of Your Old Computers this Weekend

Do you have a mouse that eats dust and not cheese?

Eastern Charlotte Waterways and the Solid Waste Commission are holding an E-Waste Collection this weekend in St. Stephen.

You can recycle your unwanted computer parts at the Border Arena Saturday.

The collection goes from 10 am until 2pm.

Local Church goes Digital for Good Cause

A local benefit is going digital.

The Seaview Full Gospel Assembly in Back Bay is hosting a benefit concert this Friday, that will be broadcast live on seaviewfullgospel.com.

Donations can be placed over the internet, with proceeds going to Walk Cause We Care.

The music kicks off at 7pm.

SSMS hits the Streets for Food Bank

If there's a kid on your doorstep begging for food, he's not reciting lines from Oliver Twist.

The St. Stephen Middle School is hauling in their annual food drive for our local food bank in St. Stephen, with students going door to door, asking for donations.

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and many people in our community depend on the Bank each month, just to make ends meet.

The Food Drive ends October 4th.

Public Warning

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public not to consume Compliments brand Sensations Old-Style Smoked Ham because the product may be contaminated with listeria.
The affected product is sold in 175 gram packages with a best before date of Nov. 13, 2011.
The product was distributed in New Brunswick.

Watch Your Speed

St Stephen Citizen's On Patrol members are going to be again conducting speed monitoring in St Stephen and surrounding area.

The RCMP will be providing the volunteer group use of the RCMP portable roadside system which displays the speed of approaching vehicles along with messages.

This unit will be used as a prevention tool, as opposed to enforcement, which will be first placed near our local St Stephen and area schools zones. It will be a friendly reminder to tell drivers to pay closer attention to what speed they are driving. As seen last year, we should see an increase in voluntary compliance near school areas where youth may be present and the first location will be the St Stephen High School.

The unit will later rotate around various areas where speeding is an issue. This would be another example of the value of the Citizens on Patrol Program and the citizens who have committed themselves to it.

Record-Breaking Weather

The last 2 days have been hot on the charts.

Saint John reached a record high temperature yesterday at 25.8 degrees, passing the previous high of 23.9 from back in 1958.

The major hot spot in New Brunswick was Kouchibouguac National Park, with a temperature of 28.3.

Beware of the Black Bear

The Department of Natural Resources wants to remind you of the danger of Black Bears this time of year.

Bears will be attracted to anything that smells like food, so be wary of what's in your backyard.

Regularly clean your garbage cans, and try to reduce garbage odors by rinsing food bags and cans before tossing them out.

Keep your BBQ and picnic tables clean, and don't leave pet food outside.

Local Library Hits 10!

One of our local libraries is hitting a milestone.

The Grand Manan Library is turning 10 years old tomorrow.

They are inviting everyone to come and enjoy a program with refreshments, and of course, to borrow a book or two.

Celebrations start at 7pm.

Board Of Trade Has A Role In Tackling Emerging Markets

The Saint John Board of Trade says when it comes to getting into the global market, they can help their members make it happen.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney says businesses in the province should look towards emerging markets given the recent economic downturn in the U.S.

BOT chairman John Warrington tells CHSJ News he agrees with that assessment -- he believes the BOT can educate members on how to begin tackling those markets
  
Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney says China is one emerging market that we should look at.

Lornville Cove Could Be Home To Future Barge Site

General Manger for Saint John Industrial Parks Brian Irving says a tenative location has been selected in the Lornville Cove area for a barge site.

He says the site is suitable because of water depths and a road that can accommodate transporters moving oversized components.

Irving tells CHSJ News the the export market for large fabricated metal pieces is very significant -- up to ten of thousands of man-years.

However, Irving says there is still work plenty of work ahead, such as community approval, engineering designs, and permits.

The estimated cost of the project is 6 million dollars and he says he has an aggressive timeline in mind - he would like the project to be completed in 2012.

Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission To Double Fees For Garbage Containing Compostable Materials

The local landfill is serious about you leaving the twigs and brush out of your garage.
 
To that end, the Fundy Region Solid Waste Commission is doubling the tipping fees for any garbage containing yard waste.
 
Brenda MacCallum tells CHSJ News the new fee will take effect in January.
 
MacCullum says any extra material should be beside the compost cart in clear or brown paper bags.

Saint John Gets Second Walmart

If you're a Saint John west sider and have been wanting a Walmart closer to home -- you are about to get your wish. 

After shelving plans for a new west location a few years ago -- Walmart has completed a deal with Target to assume the Zeller's location in the Lancaster Mall. 

It's part of a complex deal that sees Walmart picking up 39 Zeller's locations across the country that don't fit into to Target's plans as it moves onto the Canadian retail landscape gobbling up the Zeller's brand.     

Walmart says it will have the stores converted by the end of next year while Target will begin opening its locations in early 2013.

Taxpayers Federation Not Happy About Moncton CFL Game

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is opposed to using government money to help stage Sunday afternoon's Canadian Football League game in Moncton between Calgary and Hamilton. 

Premier David Alward is committed because he claims last year's game between Edmonton and Toronto turned out to be worth 7 million dollars to the province. 

The Taxpayer Federation's Atlantic Director Kevin Lacey remains unpersuaded as he believes the money should be spent on what matters to the taxpayer, like hospitals and schools.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the provincial government put up $1.5 million last year. Some of that money was used for additional seating to boost the Moncton stadium's capacity to 21 thousand.

Police Union Says They Will Not Accpet Further Cuts For Pension Plan

The President of the Saint John Police Association says his members are concerned about all the uncertainty over what's going to happen to the city's financially strapped pension plan. 

There are six new options on the table now that the province rejected the original proposal. Jamie Hachey tells CHSJ News his members gave up alot and some of them feel betrayed.
 
Hachey says they will not accept further cuts although they might be willing to contribute more but he complains the city hasn't said anything about it increasing its contribution to the pension plan.

Former Saint John City Councilor Gets Fined

A former member of Saint John Common Council finding himself in court for violating the city's residential standards bylaw. 

Jay Chang pleaded guilty to not carrying out repairs to a building he owns at 56 to 58 Queen Street. Nathan Gionet also pleaded guilty to the same charge and both were fined a thousand dollars each, which is the minimum fine. 

The court was told the city found 32 violations during an inspection. Both Gionet and Chang have been told to have those repairs done by December.       

Age Discrimination No Longer Applies to School Bus Drivers

A local school-bus driver has won the fight on age-discrimination.

Leonard Way was told he had to retire from driving school bus, once he turned 65.

Four years after he issued a complaint, The New Brunswick Human Rights Commission ordered the district to stop the discriminatory practice of mandatory retirement for the bus drivers.

Way says if people can pass the required driving tests, then they should be allowed to drive, no matter what age.

He returned behind the big wheel, just shortly after this school year began.