Social Media Helping Police Solve Crimes In K-V

The Rothesay Regional Police Department's social media presence getting lots of "likes" from those living in the KV. 

That from Rothesay Police Chief Stephen MacIntyre who tells us the community response to their online presence has been positive for the most part. MacIntyre tells us they do get negative comments from time to time, but he says once you make a post online, you have to accept the fact criticism could follow.

He says it's been a excellent way for them to get information out there quickly---and says there have been at least several instances where police received tips concerning minor crimes from people who read their posts on social media. The department starting posting outstanding warrants on their site about five months ago and they are active on Facebook and Twitter.

More Snow Tonight

We're expecting a couple of centimeters of snow this afternoon and another 5 to 10 tonight before it tapers off in the overnight hours. 

George Parkes of Environment Canada warns another snowstorm is possible on Monday which could be more intense with more snow.
 
Parkes tells us if you have to go to work tomorrow morning, the snow will be over by the time of your morning commute.

Emergency Measures Organisation Issues Warning

The Emergency Measures Organisation is warning people, still without power, to never use charcoal or gas barbeques, camping equipment or home generators inside their homes because they give off carbon monoxide which can be life-threatening.
 
After your power is restored, you should give the electrical system some time to stabilize before reconnecting tools and appliances. Turn on your heating system first, followed in a couple of minutes by reconnecting your fridge and freezer. Wait 10 to 15 minutes before reconnecting everything else.
 
For more information on the emergency centres, you can call the Red Cross, 1-800-222-9597.

Tourism Minister Shares His 2013 Highlights

Having a tourism ad run in Times Square and a big funding announcement for the Fundy Trail are two of the big successes of this year for Trevor Holder.

The provincial Tourism Minister believes the province is getting much more sophisticated at how we market New Brunswick, pointing to the tourism ad that ran in New York's Times Square. He's also happy to hear about plans from Ottawa which was announced last June to seek a replacement for the Princess of Acadia.

Holder says he looks forward to hearing the results of the home-port study launched last May to see if Saint John can be a location for cruise ships to depart from.

Heating Unit Recalled Due To Overheating Hazard

A warning from Health Canada not to use a certain type of heating unit because it has a manufacturing defect that causes overheating, which could lead to injury or property damage.

RONA Incorporated issuing a voluntary recall of Uberhaus 1500-W wall-mounted convection heaters with the model number HC09C15 and a product number of 63545004 that were sold between April 2010 and November of this year. An estimated 17,000 units were sold in Réno-Dépôt stores in Quebec and in RONA stores across Canada, including RONA stores that were formerly under the TOTEM banner in Alberta.

Health Canada has received a report of an incident without injury relating to the use of the product. If you own this you're being told to stop using it immediately and return it to a Réno-Dépôt or RONA store. You can also contact customer service toll-free at 1-866-283-2239 for more information.

K-V Fire Chief Reflects On The Past Year

At the end of November, total volume for fire calls is down 14% over 2012 at the KV Fire Department.
 
Chief Bill Ireland tells Tide News calls for overall service are up but they are reducing the number of fires in the community. Ireland adds included in the overall numbers numbers would be the medical calls they respond to. He says medical calls represent about 55% of their overall call volume.

Two of the departments big fires occurred on a weekend last May when a home was lost on Alderbrook Crescent in Quispamsis and a forest fire in French Village. Another major blaze was just last month, a garage fire on Iona Avenue in Rothesay.

Ireland says the department did have to deal with a situation early in the year with several people out on long term disability which resulted in some increased costs at the start of the year.

Christmas Day House Fire In The Valley

A Quispamsis family getting out safely after their house caught fire on Christmas Day.

Rothesay Regional Police tell us it happened at a home on 64 Quispamsis Road around 12:30pm, and while the cause of the fire is not known at this point, it may have been caused by a problem with a generator. 

There is major fire damage to the front of the house and police say if crews had arrived five or ten minutes later the house would have been completely lost.

Thousands Still Without Power Across N.B.

It was a cold and dark Christmas for many New Brunswickers, as thousands of homes and businesses around the province still don't have power days after a major ice storm.

There are still more than 18,000 customers who don't have electricity with the hardest hit area being Rothesay with a total of more than 11,000 outages. NB Power saying trees and heavy snow are making it tough for crews to access many areas in order to do repairs, which is leading to more delays. The utility is estimating some customers won't have power back until New Year's Eve.

Saint John Energy says there are outages on Keating Road, James Way, Woodside Drive, Bay Crescent Drive, Chalmers Drive, Station Road, Upper Golden Grove, Kirkpatrick Lane, Bradley Lake Road and Dolan Road. They have no estimated time for when power will be restored. 

Warming centres have been set up in Grand Bay-Westfield at the St. Matthew's Church by Sobeys, the Lighthouse River Centre in Hampton and in Rothesay at Rothesay-Netherwood in Heritage Hall. The Quispamsis Civic Centre above the number 2 fire station on Civic Road will be open until 10pm tonight then will move to the qplex opening at 8am. Click here to see a list of other warming centres across the province.

NB Power Making Headway In Restoring Power

NB Power is making headway in getting power restored with more than 28 thousand homes and businesses around the province without, which is down from the more than 51 thousand yesterday morning.

There are still more than 14 thousand in the Rothesay region. This includes not only Rothesay but Grand Bay-Westfield, Quispamsis, Hampton, Nauwigewauk,  Titusville, the Kingston Peninsula, Nerepis, Rowley, Queenstown and Passekeag.

NB Power is now estimating restoration could be anywhere from late tomorrow night to  Saturday night depending on where you live.

Warming centres have been set up at the Brundage Point River Centre in Grand Bay-Westfield, the Lighthouse River Centre in Hampton, the Quispamsis Civic Centre above the #2 fire station on Civic Road and at Rothesay-Netherwood in Heritage Hall.

Saint John Energy, in its latest update, is reporting power outages on Keating Road, Kirkpatrick Lane, Bradley Lake Road, Dolan Road, Janes Way, Woodside Drive, Bay Crescent Drive, Chalmers Drive, Station Road and Upper Golden Grove. There's no estimate when the power will be back on.

There are more than 75 hundred homes and businesses still in the dark in the St. Stephen region. This includes as well as St. Stephen, Blacks Harbour, St. George, Lepreau, Harvey,  McAdam, St. Andrews, Pennfield, Musquash, Utopia, Oak Bay, Waweig, Yoho, Pocologan, Back Bay, Oak Bay, Little Ridge, Chamcook, Bocabec, Oak Hill and Digdeguash. NB Power is estimating it could be anywhere from tonight before power is restored for a few customers in McAdam but, for most still without electricity, it appears to be late Saturday night now.

Warming stations have been set up at the Civic Centre in St. George and the D-F-O Biological Station in St. Andrews.

More than 31 hundred homes and businesses are without electricity in the Sussex area with NB Power estimating it will be late tomorrow night before over a thousand customers in Jemseg get their service restored but the latest estimate for most is late Saturday night. 

Power Outages Update

                                 In St. Stephen, 3744 are currently without power.

About 58 customers are still without power in Rothesay.

That number going down from over 400 earlier today.

Saint John Energy reporting power outages affecting the West Side earlier today. Customers in the lower West side should have power back at this time.

A New Treatment Center Will Be Built For Mentally Ill Teens And Kids

This province is in dire need of new facilities to treat teens and children struggling with mental health issues.
 
No ones knows that more than Maureen Billerman of Dots NB who created a non-profit group after struggling to find help for her child with mental health challenges.
 
Billerman tells Tide News the province is seeking request for proposals for a 15-bed treatment centre for children and youth.

She says the facility for children and youth in crisis who need serious help. 

She says they will work intensely and the idea is that they will get back into their communities as quickly as possible.

Billerman calls this move a really good step that will serve a deep need.  

She expects it will be open a year from now.

For more info on Dots NB, click here

Proposed Medical Marijuana Factory In St. Stephen

A business in St.Stephen has put forward a proposal for the building of a medical marijuana factory in the town. 

Darren Marshall is VP of Tidal Health Solutions. The business has applied for a license, under the new Health Canada regulations. 

He tells us the factory will add 15 more jobs and will be regulated under the new Health Canada Rules.

"This whole new system is going to be centered around license producers, so we've made an application to become a licensed producer," he says.

 Right now, patients who use medical marijuana can grow it themselves or can have a licensed producer do it for them.
 
After the new rules take effect on April 1st, growing medical marijuana will only be permitted to licensed producers. 

Marshall tells Tide News, "some of the challenges will be educating people on what it is and how it's used, and getting away from some of the stigma that surrounds the product now."

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Or The Most Stressful?

For many of us it's not the most wonderful time of the year, it's the most stressful.

 But the C-E-O of the Canadian Psychological Association has some advice on how to stay calm and collected this holiday season. Dr. Karen Cohen says it's important to set realistic expectations.

"If you're go into the holidays hoping Uncle Jim and cousin Bob are going to get along really well this year, and mom is going to something different, and everyone is going to be happy. We may end up being disappointed because that's not always the way it works out," she says.

She says you should keep things in perspective if something doesn't go according to plan and try not make a mountain out of a molehill. She also says its important to pay attention to your own feelings and ask for help if you need it.

Holiday Fire Safety Tips

As you're decorating your home for the holiday season, Regional Fire Marshall in Saint John, Jeff Croft, has a few fire safety tips to keep in mind. 

He says, check your extension cords for damage before use.

"Make sure that they're not damaged, or that they aren't running under carpets, or in a high traffic area."

He adds, make sure you inspect your Christmas lights for cuts in the wires before putting them on. Especially if you use them year after year. 

Two Rexton Protestors Opt For A Trial, One Gets Time Served

27 year old Coady Stevens of Nova Scotia pleading guilty to five charges dating back to October's shale gas protests in Rexton.

Stevens faces several charges including assaulting a police officer.   He's been in jail since his arrest and was sentenced to time served with several conditions including that he stay away from any SWN Resources equipment, compound or work site.

20 year old Aaron Francis of Nova Scotia pleading not guilty to 16 changes stemming from incidents on October 17th.
The charges include two counts of assault on a police officer, assault on a corrections officer and eight charges relating to firearms.

21 year old Germain Breau of Upper Rexton was also in court pleading not guilty to 19 charges in connection with his actions on the same day.

Francis and Breau are due back before a judge on December 30th to have trial dates se

Expect Slippery Conditions Tonight

Expect slippery conditions tonight with freezing rain, and ice pellets headed our way. 

 Cindy Vallis is a meteorologist at Environment Canada. She tells us, the worst of the weather is going to around be midnight.

"Periods of rain through the evening hours, then changing to periods of rain around midnight," she says.
 
Expect about 10 to 15 centimeters of ice pellets.  She adds, the weather will gradually improve tomorrow as the system moves.

MADD Canada Launching Project Red Ribbon

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada and Irving Oil launching Project Red Ribbon in Atlantic Canada.
 
The red ribbon is a symbol many of us are familiar with, and is a reminder to never drive impaired. The campaign has been around for 26 years. 

 Dawn Regan speaks for MADD Canada, and tells us impaired driving is the number one criminal cause of death in Canada. 

"It just such a preventable activity there's no reason for this crime to happen. People just need to make the right decision and never drive impaired," she says.

She adds, 1,200 to 1,500 people die in impaired driving related accidents per year, averaging about 4 deaths per day.

More Than $1.5 Million In Unclaimed Lottery Money

 No one wants to miss out on winning some cash, especially during the holiday season.

 Atlantic Lottery telling us there's more than 1.5 million dollars in unclaimed lottery money. That's just for the month of December. 

Carla Burque of Atlantic Lottery, tells Tide News, 

"People have these ticket on their counters, in their wallets, in their purses. They're worth some money." 

She says smaller prizes may not change your life, but they could pay for dinner, coffee or something you may have had your eye on for a while.

After a year, unclaimed prizes are returned to a special fund and offered back to players through some form of prizing.

Tonight Is Algonquin Night!

Tonight is Algonquin Night at Kingsbrae Garden.

The annual Festival of Trees in St. Andrews is a silent auction on Christmas Trees loaded with goodies from local businesses, as well as collecting food and monetary donations for the food bank.

Volunteer Centre of Charlotte County Co-ordinator Donna Linton tells Tide News people are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items or a suggested donation of $3 for admission to the Festival of Trees.

For "Algonquin Night", the Algonquin Hotel will match the weight of food donations that are raised tonight.

The Festival is open from 5-9, and you will be able to bid on any of the Christmas trees until December 29th.

Slushy And Slippery Roads In Charlotte County This Weekend

Get ready for a big slushy mess.

Environment Canada issuing a freezing rain warning for the weekend in Charlotte County.

The national forecaster says periods of snow will be mixed with ice pellets and freezing rain by tonight.

That will continue into tomorrow evening when the temperature rises to 2 degrees above zero and we'll have some rain showers.

Sunday is also calling for more snow and freezing rain.