It's a first. The faculty at UNB campuses including Saint John and Fredericton are on strike with classes suspended.
President
Eddy Campbell tells Tide News a cooling off period is needed for the
bargaining teams who have been working very hard to try and resolve
this.
He says like everyone on any side of this they are upset
and disappointed and they need some down time to recharge their
batteries.
Campbell says they are very far apart on the issues and he calls it a very bad place to be.
He
says their best offer is 9.5 per cent over 4 years and the Union
returned with an offer of 26 per cent over 4 years and Campbell says
they do not have anywhere near that amount of money.
The President's of the Student council at UNB Saint John says the reaction is mixed to the faculty strike.
Ashley Macosky tells Tide News some view it as a break and others are upset at the unwelcome interruption to their education.
We asked
him what might happen to the school year if the strike goes on
indefinitely and he tells us there is a no clear answer to that right
now.
He says there is enough room in the academic calendar to
accommodate a two-week strike. He says the semester would get pushed
back to the end of April adding March break would remain in tact where
people have already made travel plans.
Macosky hails from Calgary, Alberta and says while it's not breaking news out west, his mom is upset to hear of the strike.
RCMP conducting a traffic stop on Highway 2 near Havelock got much more than they bargained for.
A
search of the vehicle led to a seizure of approximately 16 pounds of
marijuana. Police arrested the driver of the vehicle, 36-year-old
Jean-Phillip Dubreil, of Montreal, and he has been charged with
trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking.
He has
been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in Moncton
Provincial court today (Monday). The drugs are believed to have been
destined for various locations in the Maritimes.
Teachers
at UNB walked the picket line in the early morning hours hoping for
better wages. comparable to those at universities elsewhere in Canada.
Teacher's
Association President Miriam Jones tells Tide News they were surprised
to hear the news they'll be locked out of the school as of tomorrow.
All
classes have been cancelled for the duration of the strike. The strike
headquarters has been set up in the Somerset Pub mini-mall. It's
expected that both sides will take a cooling-off period before they
resume further negotiations.
The following roads are still closed as a result of flooding:
Simpson Drive at Golden Grove Road
Rothesay Avenue near Rothesay Road at the train bridge
Todd and Holland Streets between Simpson Drive and Rothesay Avenue
Brown Street
Motorists are urged to use caution and observe barricades and signage.
Please
do not drive through water-covered or closed roads. Doing so may cause
damage to your vehicle or to adjacent properties.
As of
midnight Jan. 13, the Association of University of New Brunswick
Teachers (AUNBT) has announced it is exercising its legal right to
strike. Picket lines have been set up this morning at the Tucker Park
campus, and the teachers have been informed they've been locked out.
With
the exception of some online courses and courses in Miramichi, all
classes will be suspended for the duration of the strike. In a
statement, UNB restated its committed to achieving a new collective
agreement that serves the interests of students and and that improves
the current contract with faculty.
Key issues are wages and working conditions at other universities of a similar size.
UNB's
VP of Finance Dan Murray said the wage increase the teachers are asking
for amounts to an increase of more than $2700 and he said they don't
think it's a viable thing for the university to do in this economy.
Murray
also points to decreasing enrollment and caps on tuition increases as
reasons that money is tight at the university these days.
Meanwhile
Dr.
Miriam Jones, AUNBT president says she wondered if they ever intended to
settle, since they kept the negotiation team talking until
practically the
last minute and then offered no movement.
For details on which classes are cancelled, click here
The Saint John Fire Department offering some extra help after the train derailment in Plaster Rock.
They
were told early on that more command staff could be needed. A team of
four from Saint John, headed to Plaster Rock early Thursday Morning,
including Deputy Chief Joe Armstrong.
He tells us, the Saint John team helped develop about fifteen incident action plans.
"We
were glad too, that we could assist. We could go up there and we could
help CN and more importantly help the community, so that the evacuees
could get back into their homes safely," he says.
He
tells us the situation was handled very well. Especially since, there
were no injuries to anyone that lived in the area or any of the crews
members.
With
cold and flu season in full-swing, nutritionist Leslie Fancey has some
tips for boosting your immunity and avoiding those nasty colds.
She tells Tide News eating less sugar is a good start.
"Sugar
is an immune system depressant, and so that's why a lot of times in
January we see a lot of flu and cold symptoms because people have
indulged in extra of sugars over the holidays of course, and Christmas
time. That really has depleted their immune systems," she says.
She adds, adding garlic to your foods can be effective against viruses and bacteria.
Foods
that are rich in Zinc are also great for boosting your immune system,
including foods like pumpkin seeds, mushrooms and seafood. It's also
helpful to get more vitamin C through foods such as grapefruit or
lemons.
A
New Brunswick Policy analyst saying more small businesses across
Atlantic Canada plan on reducing full-time staff than hiring over the
next three months.
Richard Dunn speaks for New Brunswick's Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
"We're
getting into budget season both for federal budget and provincial
budget. We want to see governments come in with a fair bit of certainty,
and put their long-term plans on paper, so business owners know where
things are headed, and they can plan accordingly," he says.
Dunn
adds, there is a similar trend throughout the Atlantic region. While
the national unemployment rate rose to 7.2 per cent, New Brunswick's
rate is holding steady at 9.7-per cent.
He
says the silver lining is that we're at least closing the gap a tiny
bit with the national average, but the concern still remains if more
small business in the province plan on downsizing.
The City of Saint John is letting us know about road closures, due to heavy rain.
The
following roads are closed: Rothesay Avenue from One Mile House
Interchange and McAllister Drive, Rothesay Avenue near Rothesay Road at
the train bridge,Paradise Row at the on ramp to Main Street, Simpson
Drive at Golden Grove Road, Fairville Boulevard near the Comfort Inn.
City
crews will continue to monitor the worst areas. They ask the public not
to drive through water-covered or closed roads, as this could cause
damage to your vehicle.
Saint
John Fire responding to a rescue mission at Partridge Island overnight. A night of adventure for four young men, turning out be quite
dangerous. Around 1 am this morning Saint John Fire went across
the breakwater and found the four teens.
They made their made across,
and were unable to make it back after the water became rough. Platoon
Chief Eric Garland tells us, crews have responded to similar
situations in the area before, but generally not at serious.
"We've
been there for people who generally get a little ways out, but as I say
these people were all the way across," he says. Probably what they were
doing was possibly exploring. It's a very dangerous spot to be crossing
at any time in the year, doesn't matter if it was a warm day in the
summer. Due to the complications of tides, water and wind," he adds.
He
tells us conditions were treacherous, and crews were concerned the
teens risked getting hypothermia. One person had minor injuries. Crews
were on scene until about 5 am this morning.
The
Saint John Sea Dogs launching a crowd pricing initiative for a game
against the Halifax Mooseheads.Wayne Long is president of the Saint John
Sea Dogs.
He tells Tide News, the initiative is meant to create excitement among fans and drop the price.
"The
more people that buy the lower the price will go. For example, an upper
bowl ticket could start at seventeen dollars and drop it's way right
down to ten dollars, depending on the volume of people that buy," he
says.
The promotion will be introduced at the January 21st game against the Halifax Mooseheads.
January
is Alzheimer's Awareness Month and the Alzheimer Society is launching a
new campaign called "Don't Delay, Reach Out Today."
The idea behind the campaign is to encourage families to contact the society before they reach a point of crisis.
Melanie
McGillvary speaks for the Alzheimer Society of Saint John. She tells Tide News the organization is also launching a program across the
province called the "Memory Cafe."
"It
will be similar to Alzheimer's Cafe. The Memory Cafe has the same idea
but it's a new program. It combines education, socialization and
activity in a safe and inclusive space.
The society encourages families to reach out for information and support earlier on, rather than at a point of crisis.
Expect
lots of rain in the region today and overnight. A rainfall warning is
in effect. Ian Hubbard, meteorologist at Environment Canada, tells us
what to expect today.
"We're
looking at a low pressure system pushing over the province later today
and overnight, and we're expecting some precipitation to move across
beginning later this morning. Most areas are going to see a bit of
freezing rain to begin before the temperature warms up."
He
says, the worst of it will be this morning with some freezing rain
warnings in North-Eastern parts of the province.The heavy rain will be
ending towards dawn, with lingering periods of rain tomorrow morning.
The highest amount of rain is expected overnight with up to 25 mm.
Saint John Police advising the public to stay off the roads, after multiple accidents on Highway 1 this morning.
They tell us it's extremely slippery. A road warrior also telling us there was an accident on the Harbour Bridge.
The
10th Annual "Let's Celebrate" with Tracy Friars Family & Friends
raising more than forty-five thousand dollars at this year's community
fundraising Christmas concert.
The
donation of $45,907.86 will go to the Imperial Theatre, in Saint John. It will then be
matched by PotashCorp, as part of a three-year matching funds
agreement.
Sarah Tippett is Manager of Marketing and Communications at the Imperial Theatre says,
"A
great big thank you to all of the organizers, to Tracy Friars and her
family for both, putting on such a wonderful show that sells out every
year and for choosing the threatre and the community involvement of the
theatre in particular, as the recipients of the funds for the 2013
show."
She tells us, the donation will support outreach events at the theatre, such as performances for schools.
If you have used the web site "propertize.ca" to check on property assessments and taxes - you may be surprised to hear the 2014 assessments may not be available.
Developer
Shawn Peterson tells Tide News changes to the Service New Brunswick
network security rules have shut him out from getting needed
information.
Peterson
says individuals accessing the Service New Brunswick data base can find
the information - but - it's not as user friendly as his non-profit
site - he says discussions are underway with government officials in a
bid to find a solution.
Service
New Brunswick says it's aware that a particular user is having issues
with changes to its network security - but - a spokesperson says S-N-B
technical staff is working with that user to find a solution.
The
spokesperson confirms some changes have been made to network security to
prevent a high number of hits from one web address ultimately crashing
the Service New Brunswick web page.
He also tells Tide News the same information is available through the S-N-B search tool
under property assessments - it searches one property at a time based
on property number - address - or - location in a municipality or local
service district.
A
teenager is dead after a crash on Route 1 in Topsfield, Maine. 18 year
old Dylan Porter of Brookton, Maine collided with a Western Star truck
operated by 39 year old Kevin Lagase of New Denmark, New Brunswick.
Investigators determined that Dylan Porter was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was not injured.
US Route 1 was closed for several hours during the crash investigation.
The crash remains under investigation, although alcohol, speed and road conditions do not appear to be factors.
The District Education Council looking to battle some of the unsportsmanlike behaviour happening in the stands.
They're
exploring putting up spectator code of conduct signs in high school
gyms and community arenas in the Anglophone South School District.
Superintendent
Zoe Watson says one of the goals of the district is developing a
positive learning environment for students and staff. Tide News asked
Watson if she thinks signage will stop fans from engaging in bad
behaviour like yelling and swearing at sports games. She says she
doesn't know if it will stop it completely, but she thinks raising
awareness is an important first step.
The
New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association is currently talking
about the issue, and Watson tells us the School District has expressed
to the N-B-I-A-A that they're interested in partnering with them.
About
half the high schools in the district have these types of signs already
installed. Saint John High and Rothesay High do not.
The government says Home Energy Assistance Program forms are now available.
The $100 benefit helps families who don't have a lot of money cope with the high cost of energy.
It's a one-time payment given to those who had an income up to and including $28,000 in 2012.
Last year, more than 47,000 applications were received for a total benefit of about $4.74 million.
You can apply through the Department of Finance website and forms are available at Service New Brunswick outlets.
For more info, click here
