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A capital-region accused of breaking into a woman’s home, repeatedly breaching no-contact orders and setting a cabin belonging to her ablaze will stand trial on those and other allegations next year.

Chad Rex Kendell, 35, formerly of Fredericton and now residing on Route 625 in Greenhill, 40 kilometres west of the capital, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Monday with defence counsel Edward Derrah.

He was in court to answer to numerous charges alleging offences in recent months: arson by causing damage by fire to a woman’s cabin in Penniac on Nov. 24, and Feb. 8 counts of theft of a GMC Savana van, impaired driving, dangerous driving and breach of a judicial release order to remain within 300 feet of a York Street residence in Fredericton.

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River Valley Sun’s Jim Dumville plans to write for pleasure and spend more time with family

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. On April 1, after 31-plus years covering the issues, politics, and people of the Upper River Valley, Jim Dumville will retire from full-time journalism.

A graduate of the NBCC journalism program, Dumville honed his craft at the Bugle-Observer for 25 years before cuts to the then-owned Irving publication made him a free agent.

Shortly after his layoff in 2018, Jim joined Theresa Blackburn and her husband Stephen Chisholm in their dream to establish a free community paper in the valley.

“It gave us instant credibility,” said Blackburn. “He knew everyone, had covered everything, and we knew our dream would be easy to achieve once he was on board. We are really going to miss him. He gave more than he had to, and has always put the community first. We are more than just coworkers; we’re friends.”

In 2024, Blackburn penned a tribute to Dumville in ageless New Brunswick magazine, celebrating his 30 years as a steward of quality community journalism.

“As community newspapers continue to shutter in small towns and villages across Canada, what Jim does becomes all the more important,” wrote Blackburn. “He writes the stories and ensures issues get public exposure. He sometimes forgoes weekend relaxation to cover small community events. Jim doesn’t know what ‘downtime’ is because, as he says, his job doesn’t feel like a job. He loves what he does, and the community benefits from that love every day.”

When Blackburn and Chisholm planned the paper’s fifth birthday party in Feb. 2024, they quietly arranged for community and provincial politicians to present Dumville with certificates of appreciation. He was surprised and humbled.

“We wanted to honour a man who has given more than he’s taken and who continues to bring respect and honour to the practice of gathering, recording, verifying, and reporting information of public importance,” said Blackburn.

As for Dumville, he still plans to freelance and will be a regular contributor to the newspaper’s sister publication, ageless New Brunswick, when he isn’t hanging out with friends and family in New Brunswick and Quebec.

Blackburn says the paper plans to host a retirement party for Jim in late April.

The post Beloved community journalist set to retire first appeared on River Valley Sun.

A doctor is helping to design a modern health-care clinic in rural New Brunswick, and a new pay model is expected to attract the professionals needed to work there.

Maybe it was appropriate that Premier Susan Holt chose last week for the launch of her weekly livestreamed news conferences on her government’s tariff “action plan.”

The council in St. Stephen will be bringing forward an incentive package for certain healthcare professionals who provide a five-year service commitment to the community. 

A proposed policy was drafted and brought to the council during its committee of the whole meeting this month. 

Healthcare is not a municipal responsibility, though, falling strictly to the two other levels of government. 

Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Renaud said in his memo that “the responsibility for the health care crisis we are now dealing with lies solely with the New Brunswick government and every resident, business and organization needs to hold the province accountable for resolving this issue.” 

It said despite the recommendations in the report, management does not believe the municipality should be in the recruitment business. 

“I tried to be very blunt in my position that we shouldn’t have to do this,” he said. “We need to do it in order to compete in the market, but we need to continue to put pressure on the provincial government to fix the healthcare system so that municipalities can stop spending taxpayer money that should be going to roads, sidewalks and programming.”

The policy proposes adding a line item to the budget for $100,000 to cover the following incentives: 

• New family physicians: $125,000 for a five-year commitment
• Establish family physicians (out-of-province): $75,000 for a five-year commitment
• Specialist/ER physician: $75,000 for five-year commitment for a job at the Charlotte County Hospital 
• International medical graduates: up to $125,000, paid in $25,000 instalments 
• Nurse practitioners: $10,000, with two $5,000 payments 
• Recruitment consultants: $25,000 limit on the fee for a recruitment consultant out of the incentive paid by the town. 

Each amount would be spread out in $25,000 instalments each year, allowing for the $100,000 to travel further and not exceed the budget should more than one medical professional come at once, according to Renaud.  

Deputy Mayor Ghislaine Wheaton said this policy was something good it could do for the community. 

“I think we really need to approve this,” she said. 

Mayor Allan MacEachern said while this is a good service it is doing for the district, it going beyond it’s boundaries. 

“It is a provincial responsibility,” he said. “Again, I’m looking forward to this.”

There was also concern about this incentive package bleeding into more support from the municipality in a brick and motor fashion – like setting up clinics and funding those clinics. 

Coun. Earle Eastman questioned whether providing a structure would be part of this package. 

“Is the town going to be held accountable for providing a structure for a clinic or any of this stuff,” he asked. 

He said adding another expenditure on the budget like funding a clinic is concerning to him. 

“If we’re going to get tagged on top of that building a clinic or paying for a clinic or incentivizing a clinic, we got to look (at) the money we’re going to pay out,  it adds up it,” he said during the meeting. 

Some municipalities do subsidize medical clinics in their community, including in Charlotte County. In Saint Andrews, the wellness centre is provided with free space in the W.C. O’Neill arena to help provide healthcare to those in Charlotte County and elsewhere. 

St. Stephen is also first on the list for a collaborative care clinic, according to the Holt government, which intends to set them up in the first 18 months in office. Blacks Harbour is slated to get one in 2026. 

However, the council seems supportive of the idea. 

Coun. Emily Rodas worked extensively on this policy, using her experience in the health system. She spoke to some people in health care about the policy. 

“I think this is something that is unique,” she said. “But the purpose of it would be to lock them in through the financial gain.”  

She said not only can MDSS bring them here, but keep them here by showing them other incentives like community engagement and showcasing what the region has to offer. 

“Incentives from the business, like a 6-month gym membership,” she said. “Or if you want to get your kids in sports, you call this individual.”

Rodas explained it is about making them feel a part of the community, ideally allowing them to put down roots for the future. 

At the Charlotte County Hospital, she said, there is a one-day clinic, and the physician is reporting seeing 40 to 50 patients per day, sometimes more. 

All of this comes against the backdrop of the New Brunswick Medical Association calling out Horizon Health for ending physician incentives at the Charlotte County Hospital and the Sussex Hospital. 

According to NBMS, the incentives stopped on Feb. 15. 

“Without immediate action to maintain these incentives, further closures are inevitable,” she said in the statement, adding the Sussex ER has faced closures in 2025 as a result of a lack of physicians. 

Neither Horizon Health Network nor the Department of Health confirmed whether the incentives were removed back in February when asked by The Courier, instead, the two pointed the finger at the other. 

Council is expected to bring the policy forward for discussion and a vote in the near future.

People gathered at École Mathieu-Martin in Dieppe on Sunday to celebrate Holi, an Indian festival featuring bursts of colour.

Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for the southwest region of New Brunswick. Rain will begin Monday morning and continue into the night.

The fire broke out on the eighth floor of a 10-storey building.

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Heavy rains combined with melting snow could make for flash-flooding conditions and at least significant pooling of water on roadways, warns the federal weather service.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s weather service issued a rainfall warning just before 5 a.m. Sunday, predicting as much as 30 to 55 millimetres of rain Monday for parts of New Brunswick in its southwestern corner and south coast.

The following areas are subject to the weather warning: Fredericton and southern York County, Saint John and county, St. Stephen and northern Charlotte County, Woodstock and Carleton County and Grand Manan and coastal Charlotte County.

Time span: Monday and into Monday night.

“Rain, heavy at times, is expected to move into western New Brunswick on Monday morning and move slowly eastward through the day,” the alert stated.

“At this time, the heavy rain is expected to move into south-central New Brunswick on Monday evening.”

The service predicts that by the time the rain ends, the heaviest amounts will be along the Fundy Coast, and it noted the rain fall warning could be further expanded to eastern areas of the province later in the day Sunday.

“Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads,” the advisory stated.

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

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As the sun set on the Fredericton Public Library, readers picked their own corner of the building to settle into. Some reclined on beanbags, some perched on stools, others leaned against a wall. They chatted among themselves for a while, but at exactly 6:30, the room went silent.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, there was $638 million in reported losses in 2024. And two industry professionals say scams are getting harder to detect because of the advancements in technology and artificial intelligence.

A Woodstock farm is seeing high demand for its produce boxes. The level of demand is similar to that of the pandemic, said owner Tim Livingstone.

By Julie Stone

It’s March!

March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars and has 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on March 1. It is also Irish Heritage Month, with Saint Patrick’s Day (Patron Saint) occurring on March 17.  Noel Nason and Jim Grennan will be entertaining the folks at The Gathering Place at 2 p.m. on that day. March 8 is International Women’s Day, and March 14 is Commonwealth Day. We welcome spring in March, usually between the 19 and the 21 of the month. Clocks spring ahead on March 9, and the month is known for its cold winds. Folklore says that if March comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion and vice-versa. Hope you enjoy the month for whatever reason you may have.

Volunteer of the Month

The Volunteer for the Month of March is a relative newcomer to our community. Tom Tompkins of Southampton is the lead for the Wheels to Wellness program. Not only does he keep the appointments straight, but he also drives clients.  Tom supports other initiatives within Wellness, including helping with food preparation for our senior meals and working at the Community Bingo and Breakfast. We appreciate all that you do, Tom, and are happy you chose to reside in our community.  Thank you for your volunteer work.

Cribbage Tournament

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #27 will host a Cribbage Tournament on Saturday, March 22. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., and the games begin at 10:00. The cost is $40 per team, with room for a maximum of 20 teams. Teams pay at the registration desk. This event is popular, so get your teams together soon to see who can chase the pegs past the skunk and up to the winning mark.

Exchange Students

This school year has been great (best ever) for the Nackawic High School (NHS) International Student Exchange Program. At various times throughout the year, NHS has hosted 13 students from eight different countries. It is now the time of year when host families must be identified so that plans are all in place before the students arrive. Hosts can opt to take students from September to January, February to June or for the whole school year. Visiting students live with the host, attend regular classes at NHS, and participate in family, community and extracurricular activities during their stay. There is a financial incentive of approximately $850 per month to help compensate for the extra expenses of welcoming a guest into their home. If you want to host an international student for the upcoming school year, please get in touch with Sean Newlands at 506-575-6041 or at sean.newlands@nbed,nb.ca.

Remembering Gerald

On February 27, a crowd assembled at The Gathering Place to honour one of the centre’s first and most frequent visitors. Gerald died a few weeks ago of a lingering illness, but that did not stop him from making his nearly daily visits. It was a delicious lunch that featured all of Gerald’s favourite snacks, especially the sweets. The wellness group prepared and served lunch. Those in attendance chatted and shared their personal stories of the Gerald they knew, and to a person, all memories were of a kind, generous, coffee-drinking or napping guest who was loved by all. You will be missed, Gerald!

The post COLUMN: In and Around Nackawic-Millville first appeared on River Valley Sun.

The Municipal District of St. Stephen (MDSS) is looking to rebrand the municipality following the amalgamation of many different areas in greater St. Stephen. 

Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Renaud said the council had identified this type of exercise as something it wanted to explore. 

Hayley Bohan was asked by staff to prepare a proposal on her services to see what the rebranding might cost and what it could entail. 

“We were very impressed with both her and her proposal,” he said. “We’re bringing it here to see if that goal is still a goal that (the) council wants to pursue.” 

Coun. Earle Eastman did question whether the province would be able to pay for the rebranding – as councils across the province look to find their new identity under amalgamation.

“They’re part of the problem,” he said. 

However, Renaud said if it was something the council wanted, it would need to go it alone. 

“We did try that during amalgamation, but a lot of things that were promised during amalgamation did not come to fruition,” he said. 

Renaud thinks that if they sought external funding, the current council, which is slated to face an election in 2026, might not be around the table. 

“If we’re going to do it and we’re going to do it right, we need to start it in the near future,” he said. 

St. Stephen took in more than a dozen areas as part of the amalgamation, mainly rural areas, including Oak Bay, Crocker Hill, and Mayfield, among others. The new areas made the urban-rural divide about 50-50, according to Renaud. 

Its current motto is ‘The middle of everywhere’, citing its proximity to major areas in New Brunswick, but also the U.S.-Canada border. 

Renaud said the old and current formation of the municipality is stuck with too many tag lines. 

“Are we in the middle of everywhere, are we chocolate town … and we’re not fully leaning into any of them,” he said. 

He said going through this process will help the council find something that fits and they could lean into it. 

Coun. Brian Cornish pointed to a time when the motto was heavily debated by the council, saying the new areas that have joined the existing ones do support a new municipal identity. 

The council did express its intention not to change the names of the individual areas, noting that many municipalities struggled with that issue and their geographical identity. 

Coun. Marg Harding supported the proposal to be brought to the council, taking sharp aim at the current motto. 

“I also agree that the middle of everywhere, whatever that was, that was the stupidest thing that we ever did,” she said. 

Bohan proposal does include cost estimates:

• Phase 1: $5250, time: 6-8 weeks. 
• Phase 2: $4500, time: about one month, subject to certain approvals.
• Phase 3: $5000, time: 6 weeks, subject to certain approvals. 

Total: $14,750.

She did add an additional $1000 for support and training, and a surcharge for travel. 

Bohan has worked with several major brands, including Nova Scotia’s Alexander Keiths, and Swiss Chalet, as well as several high-profile alcohol brands. 

Coun. David Hyslop said the communication around the rebranding must be done well, given the animosity that existed when it first tried to land on something for the town. 

It is expected the agreement to move forward with the branding could come within the next few council meetings. 

Canadian crab and lobster industry representatives will be looking for some answers and opportunities at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston.

Moncton’s Frye Festival will honour late Acadian novelist and playwright Antonine Maillet with a special literary show, to showcase the depth of her writing.

Steve Earle is standing in the shadows by the side of the club stage enraptured as he watches the young artist win over a crowd of rowdy young men here to see the headliner.

Every once in a while, he casts his gaze towards the Moncton club floor giving the evil eye to any audience member who dares to yell with their friends but always he returns his attention to this captivating singer. I spent more time watching Steve Earle watching the performance than I spent watching the stage. It was electric, it was pure passion.

It was hardly surprising that after the tour the two were married.

Allison Moorer has had a long career in that nebulous area where the lines blur between rock, country and folk.

She is, simply, a songwriter, and to me, with Steve Earle, it was a case of like attracts like.

The album I come back to again and again is “The Duel”, perhaps the album with the best examples of her ability to rise above genres and present classic song craft. 

With a simple three-piece band playing guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards she sets the tone with opener “I Ain’t Giving Up On You”, dark chords and a classic mid-tempo beat frame a tale of self-examination: “I always toss it in when things get heavy, wash my hands and leave ‘em high and dry”.

The look in the mirror is stark and bare bones, “to tell the truth it’s hard being honest.” But then the bridge brings a little light because “you’re the best chance I got.”

The ringing guitar to close turns the whole tale around and feels like a moment of positivity in a dark life. The piano based “Baby Dreamer” is gentler without the rock n’ roll guitars of the previous track.

The lyrics are simple: “wake up baby dreamer, wipe the sleep from your eyes, look behind the curtain, such a beautiful sunrise”. A quiet picked guitar rises and falls without distracting from the melody.

Multi-tracked vocals give it a link to gospel. “Melancholy Polly” who “spills her guts on stage” is the next character we visit.

Someone who is “safe inside her music” and lives for the chance to be on stage in a seedy bar giving everything she has. It is a short riff-based rocker that is over too soon.

Track four, “Believe You Me” meanders through loud and soft verses and chorus parts. The bluesy melody highlights the list of struggling characters one after another, “a man jumps in the river to wash away his sin, in his religious fervor forgot he couldn’t swim, no one saved his skin.”

Moorer’s voice is a highlight here as it is on the next track, “One on the House,” where the weariness in her performance is palpable. A barroom patron has fallen on hard times and accosts a bartender, “wasted my fortune on having a ball, hit the bottle like a calf at a cow, what I’m gonna ask you takes a whole lotta gall, do me a favour and give me one on the house.”

The country lament touches all the right feelings with piano and guitar weaving a classic countrypolitan sound.

Side two starts with the album highlight “All Aboard,” an epic chugging rocker with beautiful backing vocals. It hides that dark dichotomy by loudly proclaiming “all aboard” but making it clear that not all are welcome.

“If you don’t love it you can leave”, that patriotic jingoistic slogan so often proclaimed is a touchstone line as we start to learn of those who are not invited aboard. Soon, it’s clear we don’t want to be one of those on the train. Subtle, but serious themes make this a classic in her catalogue.

The false ending and band workout are a musical highlight as well. Title track, “The Duel,” follows. It is a stark track with only piano and harmonica backing her fragile voice. “In this cemetery mist stands a newborn atheist” is a remarkable opening line. Reflections at a funeral, “I don’t know how many rounds are left in me ‘til I stay down” while “staring at my polished shoes in front of your wooden pews.”

The harmonica barely intrudes on her thoughts but adds another fragile touch.

“When Will You Ever Come Down” is an acoustic country pop classic with some Dylan touches in the production and arrangement. It breezes by with a rare guitar solo and then it’s over in two and a half minutes. “Louise is in the Blue Moon” is another highlight, an organ based gentle character study as we meet gamblers, sheriffs, musicians and other ne’er do wells.

Louise watches all from above without judgement as the organ swells and the drums insist that all these misfits are worth knowing. “Once Upon a Time She Said” has Moorer playing acoustic guitar solo on the first verses to put all the spotlight on her voice, “just getting by is getting old, locked up inside this pigeonhole.”

A story of strength and self-confidence, an artist who knows ‘it’s unpopular to be unpopular” as the drums and electric guitars come crashing in, she will not go quietly into that pigeonhole. The album closes with “Sing Me to Sleep” a country waltz with just acoustic guitars and brushes easing us to the end of the journey. 

The demands of motherhood have made the output less regular but no less compelling in the last two decades, Moorer is a singular artist well worth exploring.

After the election of Donald Trump as president and the elimination of an estimated 100,000 federal jobs in the United States, residents in that country are making up a growing proportion of job applicants in Canada.

Kai Baklinski, 18, and Isaac Molnar, 19, took a road trip to New Brunswick to see Kai’s older brother, Noah, who is a student at UNB. And Kai couldn’t help but to take a plunge into the frigid waters of Saints Rest beach.

This season’s Canada’s Got Talent gets two Carleton County acts

Canada’s Got Talent (CGT) just got a lot more Carleton County.

Local musicians The Martin Boys from Woodstock and young Hartland songstress Iris Lloyd will hit the CGT stage for the March 18 season four debut. The show will be broadcast on CityTV at 9 p.m. Atlantic time.

For The Martin Boys, the audition journey started last September when a family friend suggested they should audition for the show.

“We were actually watching old CGT clips on YouTube when they suggested it, and then we signed up right away,” said Micah

The two brothers, Macauley and Micah, say they went through quite the audition process. They were required to send in various clips of them singing to the CGT casting team, one being their performance song, an original song, an acoustic cover song, a cappella, and a video explaining why they want to be on CGT.

One month later, in October, the Martin Boys were invited to audition in front of the judges in Niagara Falls.

“It was very surreal performing in front of the celebrity judges. We both recall it being a sort of out-of-body experience, almost like we blinked once, and it was over,” said Micah.

Macauley and Micah said they were most nervous about performing before judge and country music superstar Shania Twain. As a country music duo, the brothers said they were humbled to be able to perform for the Canadian country legend.

“It was an honour and also very nerve-wracking to perform in front of her and hear her critique of our performance,” said Micah.

The Martin Boys look forward to gaining exposure from their time on the show and hope to gain more fans and support outside Carleton County.

The duo says they are excited to represent Woodstock on CGT and hope the town will support them on their journey.

“For those who watch the show, they will see us talking countless times about how proud we are of where we’re from and just how much it means to us that we get to represent our hometown on Canada’s biggest stage,” said Micah.

The River Valley Sun contacted Iris Lloyd’s family to request an interview for our story, but they turned down our request, noting they were told to refer all media inquiries to CGT publicists. We reached out to them for comment, but no one responded to our emails.

The nationwide contest highlights people demonstrating various talents. Thanks to Rogers, the winner walks away with $1 million.

The post Small-town stars hit one of Canada’s biggest stages first appeared on River Valley Sun.

A group of 15 researchers have been gathering data for the last two weeks as part of the first all-Canadian Antarctic mission. 

A now-scuttled proposal to introduce a four-day school week in New Brunswick's anglophone schools has sparked debate about the potential benefits and challenges for parents and students.

Zakkary Reed, 32, has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years after being found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Alexander Bishop, 38, in Saint John in August 2023.

This Week Uncut for March 10-16, 2025: Vicki Hogarth and Nathalie Sturgeon take an in-depth look at the top stories of the week from CHCO-TV and The Courier.

Original Broadcast Date: March 14, 2025

This Week Uncut is an original CHCO Television production produced on location at the CHCO-TV studio in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

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While a Thursday afternoon fire at an industrial recycling facility on Fredericton’s north side has been determined to be accidental in nature, the province’s workplace-safety watchdog is investigating.

Fredericton firefighters responded to a report of a fire at AIM Recycling at 400 Carman Ave. shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday and had the blaze contained and under control in less than two hours.

The fire department reported that a salvage trailer and a small pile of metal debris had caught fire in the incident.

It also had issued an air-quality advisory for a short time Thursday afternoon due to the nature of the material that was burning and advised people to steer clear of the area and to avoid breathing in any smoke.

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The yard is owned by American Iron and Metal, which has faced public scrutiny at other sites in the province. The facility on Saint John's west side was the source of frequent community complaints over explosions and the site of a massive fire in 2023.

A pilot program that allowed pharmacists to manage and prescribe for certain chronic conditions, such as diabetes and asthma, has been a great success, according to the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association — yet the province will not be extending it. 

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A defective gaming chair proved to be the undoing of a Staples manager in Fredericton, because when the customer tried to return it, the system showed a fraudulent refund had already been paid out.

Soegiono Liem Swie, 51, of Abbott Court in Fredericton, stood trial in Fredericton provincial court over the course of several days last year on an indictable count of fraud.

The Fredericton Police Force charge indicated he’d defrauded Staples on Prospect Street of more than $5,000 between Dec. 8, 2021, and Nov. 27, 2022.

Judge Scott Brittain presided over the trial, and in a decision issued in January, he convicted Swie of the offence.

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The chief of the Welamukotuk (Oromocto) First Nation will stand trial next year on a charge alleging she tried to pay a witness not to testify in a domestic-violence trial.

Defence lawyer Daniel Gallant appeared in Fredericton provincial court Friday on behalf of Chief Shelley Marie Sabattis, 56, of Wel-a-Mook Took Street.

Sabattis was scheduled to enter a plea to a charge of trying to dissuade Chanel Sabattis from testifying against Winton Labelle Walter Saulis, with the intent to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, between Nov. 23 and 29, 2023.

Sabattis wasn’t present when her case was called, but Gallant said he had instructions from his client on how to proceed.

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A capital-region man accused of sexually assaulting and touching two different minors during two different timeframes denied the allegations Friday, and he’ll stand trial next year.

The 70-year-old Keswick Ridge man appeared in Fredericton provincial court Friday accompanied by defence lawyer Robert Digdon.

The accused faces two sets of charges laid by the RCMP, alleging sexual offences against two underage complainants at two separate times.

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The Municipal District of St. Stephen (MDSS) has once again been denied housing accelerator funding from the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation. 

In a letter emailed to Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Renaud, dated March 6, 2025, it said it was reaching out about the application for the second round of funding and “to inform you that St. Stephen was not selected for funding.”

“Local governments from across Canada have been enthusiastic in their response to HAF,” the letter read. “Unfortunately, with more than 200 applications received for HAF2, we were not able to support all applications with the funding available.” 

Mayor Allan MacEachern said the news was disappointing. 

“For the second time, after all the work … we just wasted our time,” he said during the meeting. “What bigger problem do we have right now than housing? It’s frustrating.”

MacEachern said he believes there is some political motivation at play. 

Coun. Wade Greenlaw echoed those sentiments. 

“I know the effort that went into this housing accelerator fund … and it was done really, really well, so it was nothing to do with the application,” he said. 

In its most recent application, MDSS asked for $5 million in funding from the federal government. Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Renaud said he thought it had a very strong case. 

“Obviously some of those hopes and dreams projects will stay hopes and dreams,” he said during the meeting. 

He said it is hopeful that the Regional Development Corporation will be able to assist them with some funding. 

Coun. David Hyslop said it is really frustrating, citing that many communities are never successful at getting any funding. 

“Just to say that 200 applications received and you weren’t one of the successful ones, it’s not a very good excuse to me,” he said during the meeting.

The housing accelerator fund is designed to provide funding for affordable housing and increase housing stock in communities with significant needs. 

St. Stephen has been struggling with a growing number of people experiencing and facing homelessness. It has struggled to find space for those living outdoors and recently announced an out-of-the-cold (OOC) that will become permanent in the spring. 

The shelter opened on 9 Main Street and is operated by non-profit group Neighbourhood Works Inc. It is still estimated that around 100 people are experiencing homelessness, but the number fluctuates. 

In March 2024, all of the municipalities in Charlotte County that applied for the housing accelerator fund were also denied. 

Those included St. Stephen, Saint Andrews, Grand Manan, Campbello, Fundy Shores, McAdam, and Eastern Charlotte. 

“The municipality of Eastern Charlotte has been denied federal funding under the Housing Accelerator Fund,” said Mayor John Craig during a council meeting recorded by CHCO-TV back in March 2024. “This is very frustrating and disappointing. We have several housing developments waiting to move ahead, and this funding would have brought a couple of them over the finish line.”

The Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation confirmed St. Stephen was again denied funding. 

It said it did not receive any application from Fundy Shores, but none of the other Charlotte County municipalities were successful either. 

“The evaluation process for HAF was highly competitive, with many strong applications received, and not all could be funded,” said spokesperson Brian Harris with CMHC. “As with the first round of HAF, demand for the second round of HAF significantly exceeded the available budget and only the most ambitious applications were selected.”

It reiterated that it was committed to working with communities, despite all the money being allocated, to create positive housing solutions in the municipalities that were not selected.

By Barbara Rayner, The Courier

It’s been 60 years since a group of local citizens decided that St. George needed a library and it has been run by volunteers at various locations ever since.

Mary Anne Craig, who chairs the public library committee, said it was in 1965 that Mrs. Caldwell Stewart and Father John Francis Ryan spearheaded the group of local citizens who established the library in the town which was first located at the corner of Portage and Main Streets — in the former telegraph building. 

From there, the library moved to the Clarke House, which is now NB Housing, and then downstairs at the municipal building.

The next move was to St. George Elementary School but, as a result of security concerns at schools, the library was returned to the municipal building in 2008 but this time upstairs in what was formally used as both a council chamber and for court.

Being located upstairs has its drawbacks when it comes to accessibility, said Craig, and they would like to be located in a building which provides easy access but, to date, have been unsuccessful in finding somewhere. 

Attempts to join the regional library system have been unsuccessful and the library operates with a grant from the municipality of $1000 a year. Two new computers and a printer have recently been added which are well used.

“The convenience of being in a municipally owned building cannot be ignored,” she said. “We are included in the building insurance policy, maintenance, cleaning, utilities, internet and there are municipal staff present in the building.”

Volunteers take care of the processing of books when purchased and every book is assigned a proper library designation which is entered into their records, covered and an ID code placed on the spine, Craig said.

The library, which includes a children’s and young adults section, is open from Mondays to Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. thanks to a group of volunteers. Unfortunately, Craig said, they are not able to offer other programs without a paid professional staff librarian present.

“I think St. George has received a valuable service from loyal volunteers for the last 60 years. We long ago decided we could not live in a community without a library,” she said. 

Craig herself is one of the longest serving volunteers. She, together with Martha Bryan and Barb Robinson, have between them given more than 120 years of volunteer service to the library.

She said they can always use more volunteers and, if people cannot commit to a regular day each month, they can join as “spares” when someone is needed to fill in and they will be shown the ropes.

“We are buying new material and people are very kind and give us gently used books as well,” she said. 

I had asked you to wish Mildred and me luck as we ventured into the world of sourdough.

Mildred, as you already know, is the name I gave my sourdough starter. I read everything I could about how to create a new starter.

There are various schools of thought on the process. Some say you must use a food scale to precisely measure the flour and water needed for the daily feedings that help the starter develop. Others believe this is unnecessary, opting instead to use equal parts flour and water measured with spoons or cups.

Sourdough starter named Mildred. (Laverne Stewart/The Courier)

Before every feeding, an equal amount of starter must be removed. This is called discard. I hate wasting ingredients, so I didn’t want to throw it away. Luckily, I found plenty of recipes that put discard to good use. Within that first week, I had made pizza dough, blueberry muffins, and applesauce bread.

After a couple of days, I decided to freeze the baked goods to prevent the temptation of overeating and excessive calorie consumption.

While the discard didn’t go to waste, Mildred wasn’t doubling in size. I am typically a “measure with your heart” kind of cook, but I quickly learned that when it comes to sourdough, precision is paramount. After a week of feeding Mildred using measuring cups, she remained lethargic and didn’t appear to be growing.

My sister came to stay while I was away for a few days. She agreed to ensure Mildred received her twice-daily feedings — this time using a food scale to weigh the flour and water. Mildred loved it! She transformed into the bubbly, yeasty starter of my dreams.

She was slow to bloom, but when she was ready, she didn’t disappoint. I added a cup of her to a sourdough sandwich bread recipe I found online. After 12 hours, the dough tripled in volume. I punched it down to deflate it, then shaped it into two rectangular loaves and placed them in loaf pans. Another four hour second rise was required before the pans went into a 375°F oven for 45 minutes. When baked, I brushed the tops with butter and covered them with a clean tea towel to cool—an important step to ensure a soft loaf.

The first loaf disappeared quickly. It made the most incredible toast, even more delicious when topped with butter. My husband isn’t an adventurous eater and eyed the bread with suspicion, teasingly calling it “sour old bread.” He took a tentative bite and then declared it delicious. The next day, he helped himself to more, making toast again.

Many people bake sourdough in Dutch ovens, which creates a crispy outer crust with a soft, chewy center. That’s the method I’ll use for our next batch of bread.

Until then, Mildred is now living in the refrigerator, having a well-earned rest until she’s called back into service. When the time comes, she’ll warm up, get fed, and hang out until she’s active and ready to create more sourdough delicacies. I’ve been eyeing sourdough cinnamon roll recipes—that’s next on the list for Mildred and me.

Creating and maintaining a sourdough starter is a labor of love, but the time and effort are well worth it. There’s nothing better than homemade baked goods, and sourdough takes it to a whole other level.

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One suspect charged with an alleged robbery in Waasis on Sunday opted to forgo a bail hearing Thursday, and the other was remanded after a bail hearing.

Justin Edward Wayne Blosser, 49 of Hiawatha Avenue at Welamukotuk (Oromocto) First Nation, and Brandon Jason Dean Canning, 39, of Morehouse Road in Haneytown, appeared in Fredericton provincial court in separate proceedings Thursday remotely from a custodial facility.

Both were scheduled to go through bail hearings.

Each was charged earlier this week with using a handgun to rob Douglas Brown of a gold chain and oxycodone pills. The charges allege events in Waasis on Sunday.

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An advocate for New Brunswickers suffering from unexplained neurological symptoms says a letter obtained by CBC News suggests Health Minister Dr. John Dornan wasn't truthful about his role in the removal of a Moncton neurologist from his post at the clinic treating many of the patients.

Tariff threats and realities are spurring some New Brunswick art businesses to turn their backs on U.S. suppliers to create more local opportunities. 

Florenceville-Bristol Garden Club continues tradition

Seedy Saturday will happen on Saturday, March 15, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the R.G. ‘Bun’ Veysey Active Living Centre’s community room at 40 McCain Street in Florenceville-Bristol.

This is a seed-sharing event hosted by the Florenceville-Bristol Garden Club. People are asked to bring seeds they have collected or would like to share.

Please note—LABEL ALL SEEDS (veggies/flowers, etc.) with the plant name, variety, whether it’s an annual or perennial/biennial, the colour, plant height, and sunlight needed. Garden Club members ask that you NOT SHARE invasive species.

NO SEEDS? NO PROBLEM! Come and share and learn!

The club also accepts new members (beginners and experts welcome) and has an annual membership of $2.

For more information, contact Michelle Corcoran at [email protected]

The post COMMUNITY EVENT: Seedy Saturday first appeared on River Valley Sun.

A fire broke out at an American Iron and Metal recycling plant on Fredericton's north side on Thursday, resulting in heavy smoke and an air quality advisory for nearby residents.  

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A violent offender who was released from custody last year to attend rehab in Montreal for mental-health and addiction issues didn’t appear in Fredericton court as required for sentencing Thursday.

Liban Ali Ahmed-Shardi, 31, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty last year to charges of assault with a weapon on two victims, mischief causing damage to property and breach of probation, stemming from a bizarre incident at the NB Liquor store on York Street on June 7.

Ahmed-Shardi was scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 25, but he wasn’t present in court. However, he had contacted the court office ahead of time and appeared by telephone, explaining he couldn’t get from Montreal to Fredericton due to weather and illness.

Judge Lyne Raymond, while expressing doubt about his claims, rescheduled his sentencing hearing for March 13 and told him he’d better make his way to Fredericton for that proceeding.

When she called the case Thursday afternoon, though, Ahmed-Shardi wasn’t present.

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The aquaculture industry in the Atlantic region is getting a financial boost from Ottawa to support a two-year project to "expand markets, strengthen sustainability and improve innovation" within the industry, ACOA announced Thursday in Saint John.

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Fredericton firefighters remain on the scene of a blaze at an industrial recycling facility on the city’s north side Thursday afternoon.

A Fredericton police cruiser was blocking a portion of Carman Avenue, just past Barkers Point Elementary School, on Thursday afternoon to keep people away from the site of a fire being tended to by Fredericton Fire Department personnel.

In an email to the Fredericton Independent, assistant deputy fire chief Dave McKinley confirmed the fire was at the AIM Recycling facility located at 400 Carman Ave. He said further details about the situation would be forthcoming in a media release later in the day.

At 3:25 p.m., the fire department warned people of an air-quality problem in the area due to the AIM fire.

“Due to the nature of the materials involved in the fire on Carman Avenue, residents are advised to avoid the smoke issuing from the fire,” it reported on social media.

The department noted that the fire was contained at 4:30 p.m. and that firefighters remained on the scene to deal with hot spots.

The air advisory was lifted at 4:50 p.m.

AIM Recycling, a Quebec-based company that’s a division of American Iron & Metal, has been the source of controversy and catastrophe in New Brunswick in recent years.

There were explosions at its Saint John port facility in recent years and workplace deaths, and a huge fire that burned for two days in September 2023 at the same site gave rise to concerns among nearby residents over safety and pollutants.

The company also operates a scrapyard in Moncton that’s been the focus of noise complaints.

That led the company to erect a wall of shipping containers to block the noise, but residents reported it remains an issue.

The province gave the company more time by way of an operating approval to assess the effectiveness of the measure as a means to reduce the noise.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Fire crews are still at a structure fire in Lamèque that started at around 7 a.m. on Thursday.

Dylan Jackson was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday for fatally stabbing Kyla LaPointe in Moncton almost two years ago, a sentence her mother called disappointing.

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A Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation man will remain in custody until a variety of charges - including drug-trafficking and criminal driving allegations - are resolved in court.

Corey Steven Jason Jones, 35, of Maliseet Court, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video conference from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, for his bail hearing.

He faces two sets of charges, stemming from alleged events from last fall and last week.

Jones faces Oct. 19 counts of driving while prohibited by a court order and breaching a probation order, alleged to have occurred in Fredericton.

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By Brian Owens, The Courier

Operations at Ganong Bros in St. Stephen were temporarily disrupted in recent weeks in what the company described as an “IT security incident”

Claire Ryan, director of public relations, said the attack was discovered on Feb. 22, 2025.

“Upon discovering the incident, we immediately undertook countermeasures to protect our network and data, including retaining third-party cybersecurity experts and external legal counsel to assist with containment, remediation and to conduct a forensic investigation to determine the extent of the incident,” she said in an email.

“Ganong’s investigation is ongoing to determine the extent to which any data, including personal information, may have been compromised,” she added. “Should our investigation determine that personal information was impacted, we will notify affected individuals directly in accordance with privacy laws.”

Ryan said that while operations at the company’s facility in St. Stephen were temporarily affected, they have since been restored to normal.

The cybersecurity website RedPacket Security found evidence of the attack on a site on the dark web, including a screenshot purportedly showing the internal communications and data stolen from Ganong. The information was posted on a site linked to a group known as PLAY, a hacker collective believed to be based in Russia.

RedPacket identified the incident as a ransomware attack, in which hackers steal a victim’s data and encrypt it before demanding a ransom, usually in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, to unlock the data. The data may also be sold to other criminal groups.

Ryan did not say whether a ransom had been demanded or paid.

The day after the United States implemented 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum tariffs, Premier Susan Holt said she plans to hold a news conference every Thursday until the period of uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade is over.

Premier Susan Holt provides an update on the trade war after the U.S. placed 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum.

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A Hampton man who failed to attend court in Fredericton four times on a stolen-vehicle charge is in custody and awaiting pleas.

A Fredericton provincial court judge issued an arrest warrant Feb. 13 for Jean-Paul Dezainde, 36, of Acadia Crescent in Hampton, when he didn’t turn up in court that day to answer to several charges.

He’s accused of possessing a stolen 2010 Ford F150 belonging to the City of Saint John in Fredericton on June 29, and failing to attend court Nov. 12 and Dec. 17.

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A former Fredericton firefighter serving a federal prison term for a series of serious crimes in 2022 has lost his bid to sue city hall for $20,000 for firing him.

Daniel Andrew Murphy, 40, formerly of Trailside Lane in Fredericton, and his father, Daniel P. Murphy, filed three small-claims actions in Fredericton court last year against the “city administrator” for the City of Fredericton, fire Chief Dwayne Killlingbeck and Barry Durling, president of the the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1053, over the younger man’s loss of his employment as a Fredericton firefighter in 2022.

Murphy was sentenced in 2023 to seven years in prison, less credit time he spent on remand, for a series of bizarre and violent crimes in late 2022 that followed in the weeks after he was fired from the Fredericton Fire Department. He’s currently incarcerated at the Springhill Institution in Nova Scotia.

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In retaliation for tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles and steel and aluminum, China has announced a 25% tariff on Canadian seafood, set to come into effect on March 20. Canada exports roughly $7 billion in seafood every year, with China seeing a large portion of that, so that's left Canadian seafood producers, already facing potential U.S. tariffs in April, looking to Ottawa for help.