COVID-19 and the flu have each killed two more New Brunswickers, and hospitalized a combined total of 34 people, including four youths, updated figures from the province show.

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A Fredericton man accused of impersonating a well-known downtown doctor has been approved for an alternate-measures program that would spare him a criminal conviction for the charge.

Trevor R. Marney, 51, of Flemming Road, was charged last month with fraudulently personating Dr. Sara Davidson on Jan. 26, 2023, to obtain custody of a child.

He was back in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday, scheduled to enter a plea to the charge, but defence lawyer Emily Cochrane said the Crown had agreed to allow her client to go through an alternate-measures program rather than the usual criminal-court process.

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A Perth-Andover man hasn’t been seen in a couple of weeks, the RCMP reports, and police are hoping members of the public can held with the effort to locate him.

The Perth-Andover detachment of the RCMP issued a news release Tuesday, advising that community resident Donald James Pirie, 29, AKA DJ Pirie, has been reported as missing.

Pirie was last seen Jan. 29 on Skyline Drive in Perth-Andover, the release said.

“Police have followed up on several leads to try and locate him, but have so far been unsuccessful,” it said. “Police and his family are concerned for his well-being.”

Pirie is described as being about 5’8” (178 centimetres) tall, weighing about 170 pounds (77 kilograms), with blue eyes and blond hair. 

“He has a scar in the middle of his head and several tattoos, including an angel on his left upper arm and a star on the front of his right shoulder,” the release stated.

“He was last seen wearing a gold watch, a gold chain with a cross on it, and black shoes.”

Anyone with information on Pirie’s whereabouts or that could lead to him being found is urged to call the Perth-Andover RCMP at 506-273-5000.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached at [email protected].

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A psychiatrist told a court Monday he needs more time to complete his assessment and report on a Pomeroy Ridge man accused of touching a minor sexually more than two years ago.

Jarett Wayne Fraser Heuff, 26, of Clark Point Road in Pomeroy Ridge, about 50 kilometres south of McAdam, faces charges of sexual assault and sexual interference, alleged to have occurred in McAdam between Oct. 30-31, 2021.

The girl’s identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

Heuff’s mental state has been a central issue in the prosecution, as court heard he suffers from cognitive delays that doctors linked to a potential but unconfirmed diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome.

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A Lincoln man admitted to a variety of crimes Monday, including impaired driving, theft and failures to attend court.

William (Billy) Petten, 34, of Nevers Road, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone from jail Monday to answer to numerous criminal charges.

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The plan would allow new zoning in two city locations and aims to address affordability and reduce emissions.

New Brunswick Public Health officials are keeping a close eye out for measles, given the surge of cases in Europe and some recent confirmed cases in Canada.

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A frequent panhandler in the city facing trespassing and committing an indecent act found himself charged with a much more serious allegation Monday: robbery.

Robert (Robbie) Keith MacDonald, 47, of no fixed address, was scheduled to appear in Fredericton provincial court Monday on a variety of charges.

MacDonald - a homeless man who’s well-known as a panhandler in the city - was supposed to enter pleas Monday on June 25 counts of assaulting a minor, committing an indecent act at Dairy Queen on Prospect Street and breaching a probation order, among other criminal charges.

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The New Brunswick Court of Appeal has closed a 43-day gap in the province’s child protection law by declaring that the gap never legally existed.

A 70-year-old man from Passekeag, near Hampton, died on Sunday after his ATV fell through the ice on the Kennebecasis River near the Renforth Wharf. 

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Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Bill Hogan issued the following statement today in recognition of Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week:

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is a great opportunity to honour the essential role that all educators and support staff play in imposing the political and ideological will of a handful of aging politicians.

By doing so, the provincial government is hoping they’ll be indirectly complicit in damaging the long-term viability of New Brunswick's educational system.

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After 14 years of work to restore the Atlantic salmon population in the Petitcodiac River and its tributaries, things are looking up for the species.

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The City of Fredericton is looking for artists to showcase their talents al fresco this summer and to earn weekly stipends while doing so.

City hall issued a news release Monday announcing that submissions are open for the 2024 Artist-in-Residence program.

“The city is inviting artists to submit proposals for a residency at either location during July or August,” the release said.

“Residency periods are for two weeks with a stipend of $500 per week.”

Artists selected for the program will display their work and practise their crafts in outdoor spaces on both the north and south sides of the capital.

“The program provides a unique opportunity for artists to move their studio outdoors into the natural surroundings of Killarney Lake’s wooded recreational park on the north side, or in the community-run Botanic Garden adjacent to Odell Park on the south side,” the release said.

“Both locations are open and free to the public.”

This year marks the sixth instalment of the annual summer program, the city said.

This residency is open to all artists working in any medium, but the city noted it’s specifically looking for those creating art that lends itself to community engagement. 

Those selected for the program are expected to be in residence Mondays to Fridays, for six to seven hours a day, it said, and accommodations aren’t provided.

The program aims to have artists interact with members of the public visiting the park spaces, the city release noted, but it also asks the artists to engage with the wider community online through updates on their residency through social media, for example.

“Selected artists are free to move throughout the park or garden as part of their creative process and will be provided with portable lawn signs which will indicate that they are the artist in residence,” the release said.

Those interested in applying can find submission guidelines here. Submissions can be sent by email to [email protected].

The deadline for submissions is 4:30 p.m. on March 15, and successful candidates will be notified by April 30.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached at [email protected].

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A Minto man is slated to enter a plea later this month to an allegation that he violated a court order requiring him to register annually as a sex offender.

Jude Dennis O'Reilly, 49, of Centennial Drive, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Feb.  7 for his first appearance on a charge alleging he violated the terms of an order issued under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA).

The charge indicates he failed to report in person to the registration centre Jan. 31, 2023, to indicate where his main residence is.

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Heavy Sleeper (Live) was recorded on stage at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in November of 2017.  Matt Carter  Sleepy Driver has to be one of the city’s most underrated…

The post Sleepy Driver share live album appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

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An Oromocto man will return to court later this month to answer to a summary charge alleging he sexually assaulted someone last summer.

Michael Upshall, 47, of  Ripley Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Feb. 7 for his initial appearance on a summary count of sexual assault.

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A Calgary landlord who snapped up 20 properties in St. Stephen three years ago is letting some sit empty as the town grapples with homelessness and a lack of affordable housing.

The growing number of families and individuals looking for subsidized housing comes as the province’s rental market continues to struggle to keep up with demand. It’s a trend happening across Canada, and economists say the shortage in housing is moving hundreds of units out of affordable levels.

The New Brunswick justice system could be in line for a digital upgrade that would allow people to file information to courts electronically and retrieve important information online.

The Bell Aliant Tower has been cleared of ice after the Moncton Fire Department decided the sheets falling from the tower were a safety hazard.

The University of New Brunswick men's hockey team completed a perfect regular season on Saturday with a 9-1 win over the University of Prince Edward Island, becoming the first U Sports hockey team to win 30 consecutive games in the process.

A New Brunswick environmental group says the provincial government is falling short on protecting water resources.

The latest round of winter scenes you sent us this week.

A promised homeless hub in Saint John has opened, but there’s still a lot of work to be done before it’s fully operational.

The Moncton Fire Department had to block off several downtown streets after sheets of ice smashed into two vehicles driving by the Bell Aliant Tower in Moncton on Saturday morning.

United Way is hoping it can get more egg salad sandwiches and shepherd’s pie on the plates of low-income seniors who need it, thanks to new federal funding. It's expanding an already existing program that offers meals to seniors living on low income in the Moncton area.

It's been almost six years since Riverview’s Rebecca Schofield, or Becca, died from brain cancer at the age of 18, but her good-deed campaign lives on through a new play.

New Brunswick's housing minister has pledged to mayors of the province's major cities to create a task force on regulating short-term rentals.

Eighty athletes from across Canada, the United States, Spain, Italy and Ireland are skiing the slopes at Crabbe Mountain this weekend.

A Saint Andrews nursing home is turning out to be the purrr-fect home for several new residents.

A two-storey, 60-bed nursing home will open on Fredericton's north side next week. Shannex will operate the home and will start welcoming residents on Tuesday.

American Iron and Metal has pleaded guilty in connection with the death of a worker at its Saint John scrapyard in 2022, and to an unrelated safety charge stemming from an incident at the Point Lepreau nuclear plant in 2021.

Police based its decision on the fear that an armed youth may target someone at school

The RCMP and Woodstock Police Force based their decision to lock down Woodstock High School on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 8, on maximum caution, explained Sgt. Dan Sharpe, commanding officer of the Western Valley Region Detachment of the West District RCMP.

Sharpe explained the situation began with a report that a youth stole a firearm from a family member.

He said the family member expressed fear the youth may head to Woodstock High School.

Sharpe said the family explained the suspect youth had a previous altercation with someone at the school about a year ago.

“We had no direct information or evidence that he was heading there,” Sharpe explained.

To exercise maximum caution, he said the RCMP shared the information with the Woodstock Police Force, and together they decided to secure the building.

Although the person with whom the youth had the previous altercation no longer attended Woodstock High School, Sharpe said the police and school chose to enact the safety protocols to ensure everyone’s safety.

He said the youth, somewhat confused by the perceived threat towards the school, turned himself in to the police.

Sharpe said the police expect to lay charges soon.

Woodstock Deputy Chief Mark Bennett said the RCMP hold responsibility for investigating the case, but the two forces often work together to protect the community.

Both he and Sharpe praised the excellent working relationship between the two forces.

The school lockdown began in the early afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 8, with the Woodstock Police Force and Woodstock High School posting social media messages shortly after 2 p.m. explaining the situation.

The Woodstock Police Force explained the situation in more detail in a later press release.

“Acting on information provided by the RCMP, the Woodstock Police, in consultation with the Woodstock High School, deemed it necessary to initiate a precautionary lockdown at the Woodstock High School,” the WPF explained. “Prioritizing the safety of students and staff, the lockdown was upheld as the situation evolved, eventually transitioning to a hold and secure protocol. Once the matter was resolved safely, the hold and secure measures were lifted.”

The post RCMP explains reasons behind lockdown at Woodstock High School first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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A judge said a jointly recommended sentence of probation for a teenage offender who broke into a downtown home in 2022 and tried to rob a gas station last fall may be inappropriate.

Nevertheless, Judge Cameron Gunn said Friday he felt bound by the law to impose the lenient sentence.

He made the comments as he rendered his decision on sentence for a 15-year-old Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation boy.

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Traditionally, the town of Quispamsis has been a community of single-family dwellings with very few apartments or townhouses. But that is starting to change, according to Mayor Libby O’Hara.

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Seniors in New Brunswick are being targeted once again with a new round of a telephone fraud scheme commonly known as a “granny scam,” the RCMP warns.

“Police have received reports of victims receiving phone calls from an individual claiming to be a police officer who had one of the victim's family members in custody,” the force said in a news release Friday. 

“A large sum of money is then demanded to have the family member released from jail.”

Numerous New Brunswickers - mainly seniors - have fallen victim to similar scams in recent years all around the province.

The scheme is often referred to as a “granny scam,” given how often senior-citizen victims are told grandchildren are in trouble and in need of quick cash.

"Be cautious of any call you receive from a number you do not recognize, especially if you are being asked for a large sum of money," New Brunswick RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette spokesperson said in the release. 

"This type of scam often targets senior citizens that have limited access to the internet or who don't use social media, and preys on the fear of a loved one being hurt or in trouble."

He pointed out that Canada’s criminal-justice system doesn’t really operate on a cash-bail-only system for release from custody.

Anyone who receives a suspected scam call is advised to refrain from sharing confidential, personal or financial details over the phone or online; to hang up immediately if you think you’re receiving a scam call; to refrain from calling numbers left in voicemails from suspected scammers; and to report such calls to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

The release also said that anyone who has fallen victim to such a scam should contact their local policing agency and their financial institution.

Ouellette said it’s also important for people to talk about these issues with loved ones.

"It's important to keep family members informed about scams so that they don't become a victim," he said in the release.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached at [email protected].

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Fundy FRINGE Festival seeking submissions from local, national, and international artists in preparation for festival’s twelfth summer.  Planning has begun for the 2024 Fundy Fringe Festival. Performances, workshops, and after-hours…

The post Fundy Fringe seeking acts for 2024 summer festival appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

Regina based folk-bluegrass ensemble will play three shows in the Maritimes later this year with special guests Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. The Dead South will celebrate the release of…

The post The Dead South announce East Coast dates appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal says it will rule Monday on whether it can fill a legal “gap” created by a legislative mistake that accidentally repealed child-protection sections of a provincial law.

Dene filmmaker Kelvin Redver’s Cold Road opens on Friday, Feb. 9

Upper River Valley film buffs can view the acclaimed Indigenous thriller Cold Road all this week in Woodstock.

Atlantic Cinemas will screen the modern Indigenous thriller, written and directed by Dene filmmaker Kelvin Redvers and starring Metis-Cree actress Roseanne Supernault, from Friday, Feb. 9 until Wednesday, Feb. 15. Showtimes are 7 p.m. each night, with matinee viewings at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The film follows an Indigenous woman and her dog on a frozen highway in the remote Canadian North, who find themselves hunted by a stranger in a big rig.

Tracy, played by Supernault, is on a 12-hour road trip with her dog Pretzel as she tries to get home to see her dying mother.

Each mile takes Tracy further from civilization, safety and warmth. She’s alone on the road except for a truck driver following her.

A big rig starts to toy with her, like a cat with a mouse.

When Tracy realizes she’s being stalked, it’s too late to turn back—the temperature drops. Night’s coming. She has no choice but to fight for her life.

Redvers said the pulpy thrillers of the ’70s and ’80s inspired him to write and direct a modern, Indigenous-based take on the genre.

Film critic Chris Knight compared it to the ’70s television movie classic “Duel,” by the young Steven Spielberg. Duel is considered by many to be one of the best TV movies of all time.

He noted Duel spawned several imitators over the years, with Cold Road the latest and a “good one” because of Redver’s choices in script and direction.

The native of Hay River, NWT, set the film Canada’s far North where, as Knight notes, the freezing temperature, ice and environment become characters as dangerous as the madman in a semi-truck.

Knight praised Supernault’s performance and described Cold Road as “an excellently paced thriller, and yet another addition to a rapidly growing canon of exciting, Indigenous genre filmmaking.

The post Atlantic Cinemas to screen Indigenous thriller first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Unique drug and alcohol prevention organization present family event at AYR Motor Centre Feb. 19

A unique drug and alcohol prevention program will help Woodstock celebrate Family Day on Feb. 19 by hosting an afternoon of family fun at the AYR  Motor Centre.

The community carnival hosted by Planet Youth Drug and Alcohol Prevention committee is the kick-off event for the organization’s pilot project on youth drug and alcohol prevention in Woodstock High School, Townsview School and Meduxnekeage Consolidated School.

Based on the successful Iceland-based program, Planet Youth has partnered with the province on a five-year pilot project to reduce youth use of drugs and alcohol using a method called “The Icelandic Prevention Model.”

“Our launch is a community festival. It’s a celebration, a party,” said Horizon Health Community Developer Emily Shapiro, who co-leads the project in the Woodstock area with Population Health team member and nurse Alyson Ross. 

Shapiro explained the Icelandic Prevention Model.

“We focus particularly on protective factors,” she explained. “This is about prevention, it’s not about treatment or addiction, but about understanding the root causes of substance use and supporting schools, families, and the larger community to make positive changes.”

Shapiro and Ross co-lead a community-based local coalition with student-led actions in the three selected area schools.

Planet Youth describes its program by noting that “the focus of the work is on holistic community building and long-term progress rather than standard short-term solutions.”

Shapiro explained the Icelandic Prevention Model is based on universal primary prevention where “everyone in the community is kind of like a client or a participant.”

“Anyone and everybody could be affected by using drugs and alcohol and [they] can be part of the solution.,” she said.

Planet Youth’s Family Day festivities begin with an introduction to Planet Youth and the drug and alcohol prevention methodology.

From 1 to 4 p.m., the carnival in the AYR Motor Centre’s Field House and Gallery Room will feature bouncy castles, popcorn, face painting, team games for youth, interactive games for adults, treats, prizes, and more.

The carnival will feature separate zones for ages eight and under and nine and above.

Woodstock will open the AYR Motor Centre for free family swimming and staking during Family Day.

Woodstock Mayor Trina Jones, a Planet Youth Local Coalition member, encourages everyone to take advantage of the many Family Day activities on Feb. 19.

“It’s great to have a strong community that fosters families connecting with other families as part of overall drug prevention,” she said. “The Town of Woodstock is a great partner and supporter of Planet Youth. We know that Woodstock has many other activities happening that afternoon and evening, so we hope that lots of people will come out and participate,”

Other Family Day events include the Battle of the Badges, which features a friendly hockey game pitting members of the Woodstock Police Force against the RCMP.

Game warmup will occur from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with the game between 6:30 and 8 p.m.

The Planet Youth carnival and all Family Day activities are free of charge and open to everyone.

The post Planet Youth to host community carnival during Woodstock’s Family Day celebrations first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Mount Allison University is renovating and modernizing its 54-year old campus library. The idea is to remodel the Ralph Pickard Bell Library building, constructed in 1970, making it better equipped and accessible for future students and faculty.

Two men received hefty punishment after the New Brunswick SPCA found a young dog severely injured from being chained up on a property near Neguac.

The town of Oromocto will get its first nursing home in 2026, the Department of Social Development announced Thursday.

As part of restructuring announced Thursday, Bell Canada is selling 45 of its 103 radio stations, including stations in Grand Falls, Woodstock, Bathurst and Truro.

New Brunswick’s ombud says she agrees with a national survey that ranks the province’s right-to-information-act among the weakest in the country.

Just over a week after plans for a French private school in Saint John were abandoned because of construction costs, the project leaders announced a similar school will open in Halifax in the fall.

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Accompanied by her new counsel Thursday, a Fredericton woman denied various criminal charges, including a count of possessing cocaine for trafficking purposes and the proceeds of crime.

Shelley Darlene Gosman, 37, of Doone Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Thursday afternoon, scheduled to elect mode of trial and enter pleas on various charges.

She elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to June 16 charges of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.

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A New Brunswick mother who almost lost her child to invasive Group A strep about 16 years ago says she's still haunted by the experience and is sharing her family's story in the hopes of helping others.

The man who killed three Mounties in Moncton almost a decade ago was back in court Thursday on charges alleging a prison assault, but the case was delayed until March.