Four New Additions To Efficiency NB

A few new faces joining Efficiency N.B. A new chair and three members have been appointed to the group's board of directors.

The president and C-O-O of Groupe Savoie in Saint-Quentin, Alain Bossé being named the chair, while the owner of Quispamsis-based technology and management consulting firm Horizon3 Ventures, Richard Jones, being appointed vice-chair. Gisèle Levesque and André Benoit joining as board members. 

All of them were nominated based on their professional skills, backgrounds and knowledge in the field of energy efficiency.

The Number Of Fatal Collisions Down 30% In 2013

The number of fatal collisions dropping 30 per cent in 2013. That's the lowest number of in five years. 

 The New Brunswick RCMP saying there were 38 fatal crashes and 48 victims last year. Sargent James Bates tells Tide News, the strategy they're using seems to be working.
 
"Our focus will remain on ensuring that people are wearing their seatbelts, focus on not driving while impaired, reducing speed on our roads and intersections, to avoid dangerous situations," he says. 

Adding, the focus will also remain on decreasing distracted driving in vehicles. A lack of seatbelts, impaired driving and speeding were the leading causes of fatalities in 2013.

Police Association President Weighs In On RCMP Vs. Municipal Departments

As Saint John examines the cost of RCMP policing the city, several other municipalities appear to be moving away from the Mounties.

NB Police Association President Dean Secord tells Tide News as the RCMP have transitioned to three districts,  many communities have been told they'll be getting a so-called "drive through service," in which officers decide what calls they service--and some mayors aren't happy with that.

Saint George has already voted to see if they can be released from the RCMP contract and Black's Harbour voted to do the same last night. In Saint John, City Manager Pat Woods has been tasked with a report comparing the costs of the SJPD to the RCMP.

Black's Harbour Council Votes To End RCMP Contract

Black's Harbour voting to end its policing agreement with the RCMP.

Deputy Mayor Natalie Harris tells Tide News village council voted unanimously last night to seek permission from the Minister of Public Safety to release them from their RCMP contract.

St. George previously voted to stop using the RCMP and has been talking with the Black's Harbour council for about a year on getting a municipal force for their communities.

Combined the village and town pay about $500,000 a year to have the RCMP provide policing.

Trace Adkins Will Headline Fredericton Festival

Trace Adkins coming to the rescue of the Maritime Countryfest in Fredericton this June.

The singer will fill in for Ronnie Dunn who has cancelled all of his tour dates this year.

Other performers include Deric Ruttan, Kelli Pickler, Chad Brownlee and Great Big Sea.

The event coming up June 13 and 14th at Officer's Square in Fredericton.

For ticket info and to see the rest of the talent line-up, click here

Black's Harbour To Vote On Policing Tonight

Black's Harbour Village council has a big vote tonight on whether or not to keep RCMP policing in the community.

St. George has already voted to drop the Mounties.
 
Black's Harbour Deputy Mayor Natalie Harris tells Tide News they looked at what they are spending and whether or not they are happy with the service they are receiving.

She tells us they think they can get a better service if they went with a regional joint police force adding they think this is the best thing they can do for the amount of money they are willing to pay for policing.

Black's Harbour and St. George pay $500,000 combined for their RCMP contact.

If Black's Harbour votes to get rid of the RCMP,  the village then needs permission from the Department of Public Safety to proceed with a new municipal force.

Open Letter To Man Who Befriended Autistic Child On Flight Goes Viral

An open letter written by a mother of an autistic three-year-old to the kind stranger that sat next to them on long flight, going viral. 

36-year old Shanell Mouland of Quispamsis says when a businessman sat next to her daughter on the plane she was nervous about how he would react, but was pleasantly surprised when the man put away his papers and started talking and playing with Kate. Mouland tells Tide News the man gave her entire family a peaceful flight.

With the post garnering attention from the Huffington Post and the New York Daily News, Mouland says she's proud her letter is reaching so many people.

Mouland tells us she and the man have been in contact since the flight from Orlando, and she describes him as modest, and not looking for any recognition. You can read Mouland's post, which has 62,000 likes on Facebook, on her blog Go Team Kate.

H1N1 Flu Death Reported In Fredericton Area

A woman in the Fredericton area has died from complications arising from H1N1, New Brunswick's first flu-related death this season.

According to media reports, the province's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eilish Cleary says the woman was middle-aged, with an underlying health condition and would have been considered in the at-risk category.

The woman's death was reported by the Horizon Health Network.

Lacey Calls Wage Increases The Profs Want "Outrageous"

Professors at UNB are on strike and among their demands are wage hikes of 26 percent over 4 years.
 
Kevin Lacey of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says professors make on average $100,000 a year.

He says the reason this is so important to taxpayers is nearly 50 per cent of each university's budget is paid for by working families in the province adding these wage increases are outrageous when you consider the fiscal situation the province is in.

Provincial E-M-O Issues Ice Movement Advisory

Above-zero temperatures and heavy rains could cause ice-jam flooding, the Department of Public Safety's E-M-O warns.

Current weather conditions could cause ice covers to deteriorate and snow to melt. If you live or work along streams, tributaries or rivers, you're being reminded to be on the alert for ice movement and to stay away from the water's edge as you could be hit by moving ice.

Environment Canada forecasting rain in most areas of the province, issuing a rainfall warning to Saint John, Saint John County, coastal Charlotte County and more. We could be getting up to 25 millimeters overnight.

You can download an emergency preparedness guide from the Get Prepared website, information on preparing for an outage at NB Power's website and you can see a list of weather warnings at Environment Canada online.

St. Andrews Searching For New CAO

St. Andrews is looking for a new Chief Administrative Officer.

Tim Henderson giving his resignation to Town Council this week and has agreed to continue in the position until a new CAO replacement has been found.

Henderson also resigning from the position of Town Clerk.

Henderson's role as Development Officer has been taken over by Ande Mosher as of January 6th, 2014. She will work as Development Officer/Building Inspector/Compliance Officer.

To see the job posting on the Town of St. Andrews website, click HERE

UNB President Says The Sides Are Far Apart

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.

UNB SRC Prez Sees Mixed Reaction To Strike

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.

16lbs Of Pot Seized In Traffic Stop

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 Walking The Picket Line Starting Today

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.

Roads Closed Due To Flooding

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. 

UNB On Strike

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

Saint John Fire Assisting After Train Derailment In Plaster Rock

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.

How To Boost Your Immune System During Flu Season

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.

More Small Businesses Across The Province Plan On Reducing Staff Than Hiring

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.