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.

Health Minister Defends Five-Year Heath Care Plan

With the Council of Hospital Unions slating the province's new five-year health care plan as more concerned with the fiscal bottom line than patients, Health Minister Ted Flemming says healthcare can't continue to grow at a rate of 5-8% or a billion dollars more today than 10 years ago.

Flemming tells Tide News what matters is the end result, and that's the highest level of health care people can get. He adds, if we can do that more efficiently and if we can do it on a more cost effective basis, he considers that "no crime."

Flemming says efficiencies are going to be found in all areas, there won't be just one area cut. The Council of Hospital have expressed frustration with the vagueness of the plan and they are anticipating more layoffs.

Apartment Blaze Displaces Residents

An apartment building being evacuated after a fire broke out in one of the units.

The Saint John Fire Department says there was heavy smoke pouring out of a third floor apartment on Davenport Avenue when they arrived. They found a fire in the back of the home, possibly in a bedroom. 

While fire crews kept the fire from spreading, the room is heavily damaged by fire and the rest of the apartment has major smoke and water damage. The building itself has slight smoke and water damage.

The people living in the apartment where the fire started are displaced for a while until the apartment is fixed. No word on the cause of the blaze.

Two Arrested In Uptown Saint John Stabbing

A teenager brought to hospital with multiple stab wounds after intervening in an uptown assault.

Sergeant Cowan of City Police says the incident happened on Peters Street where two men were assaulting a third man. When the 17-year old stepped in to help the assault victim, he was stabbed. Cowan says his injuries are not life-threatening and believes the teenager has already been released from hospital.
 
A 56-year old and 29-year old have been arrested and will be making court appearances. Police are still looking for a third suspect.

No word on the condition of the assault victim

Crews Respond To Milford Blaze

Saint John fire crews battling a blaze on the Upper West Side for three hours. It happened at 353 Dwyer Road, in the Milford area. 

Firefighters kept the fire contained to the outside of the building, but there was some slight smoke damage inside.

Vehicles Broken Into On West Side Of SJ

Car prowlers hitting more than five vehicles on the West side. Saint John Police say it happened overnight and the vehicles were not locked at the time. No word on what was swiped from the cars.

You Can Still Apply For Mill Rats Mini Camp

If you've always wanted to be a Saint John Mill Rat, you've got an opportunity to try out.

There are still a few spots open to apply for their mini-camp being held next Sunday in New Hampshire. From there, if you impress management with your skills, you'll be placed in the training camp roster. 

The mini camp has only 40 spots and is by invitation only. To qualify, you must register and pay online here by October 1st.

Explore NB's Forests This National Forest Week

Whether it's going for a stroll in the woods or having a picnic by the shade of a tree, take some time to appreciate forests this week.

That's what Andrew Holland of the Nature Conservancy of Canada is suggesting you do to mark National Forest Week. Holland tells Tide News forests help drive our economy, clean our air and water, help mitigate flooding from storms and give us a place to explore.

Holland says many people who grew up in rural New Brunswick learned to find a friend in trees, but nowadays, many kids are only interested in staying indoors and playing video games and he believes we have to get them back to enjoying nature.

Saint John Arts Centre Celebrates 10th Birthday

It's a day of celebration at the Saint John Arts Centre, where they're simultaneously marking their 10th birthday and National Culture Days, which encourages people to explore and engage in arts and culture in their communities. 

Executive Director Andrew Kierstead tells Tide News they're offering tours of the centre, which includes a stop at the new printmaking facility where artist Herzl Kashetsky made his latest edition of etchings. Kashetsky will be singing the prints today at noon.

Musical events start at 11am, when young pianist and composer Wen Gao will be playing original piano transcriptions of Hollywood movie music and popular Asian songs. At 12:30pm, Saint John Idol runner-up Sadie Donahue is will be singing with Jerry-Faye Flatt and at 1:30pm, Master Hammer Dulcimer Player Wenmei Li is performing.

All events are free.

Rothesay Police Looking For Help Solving Cases

Rothesay Regional Police want your help with a number of investigations.

On Tuesday, they found a water scooter floating on the river along the Gondola Point Road. On Sept. 3, a cell phone and wallet were swiped from the men's locker room at the Goodlife Fitness on the Hampton Road.

On Aug. 15, a Mercury short-shaft motor was stolen out of a boat on Cameron Road Beach in Rothesay. It has a chip in the propeller and a white arrow on the throttle handle. They're also looking for info in the theft of a ski-doo on the Vincent Road. The blue 2012 Grand Touring was stolen sometime between April 19 and Aug. 24.

Police asking you to give them or Crimestoppers a call if you have information about any of these investigations. You can contact police by calling 847-6300 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Ideas Brought Forward On Border Arena Future

An indoor skate park? A movie theatre? A paint-ball field?

Those are just a few of the ideas brought forward by residents on the future of the Border Arena.With the opening of the Civic Centre in downtown St. Stephen in the midst, a public meeting was held this week for residents to give their opinion on what should become of the 40-year-old facility.

Other ideas included an indoor turf for sports, a youth hostel, and keeping the building as an arena for a few more years until ice time requirements are met with the Civic Centre.



Deputy Mayor John Ames says the land is leased from the province and the arena will need around 40-50 rentable hours in order to keep costs withing reason.

No definate plans have been made yet.