Public Safety Day 2023 makes the sights and sounds of emergency a day of play

The sights and sounds of emergency response vehicles in action rang through downtown Woodstock on Saturday, Oct. 14, but they didn’t instill fear or concern.

In fact, the wild action at the NBCC Woodstock parking lot brought smiles to the faces of dozens of children taking in the 2023 Woodstock Police Force’s annual Public Safety Day.

“Kids usually only hear these sights and sounds as they travel to an emergency,” said WPF Chief Gary Forward as he served free hot dogs to families attending the event.

He explained that Public Safety Day’s focus is to provide an opportunity for children and their families to see the equipment in a fun atmosphere and give them a chance to meet the folks who keep them safe.

“It’s a nice community event,” said the smiling chief.

Forward said he was “very grateful” to the many first responders who participated in the annual event.

The RCMP, the Woodstock, Debec and Hartland Fire Departments, Carleton Ground Search and Rescue, and Sharp’s Towing joined the WPF with personnel and equipment to present demonstrations and provide hands-on experience for the youngsters.

Sirens blared from police cruisers while young voices rang out from the car’s speakers as children happily sat in the driver’s seat.

Children and adults tried on the Woodstock Police Force’s body armour vests, with most learning quickly how heavy the tactical gear weighs.

Cst. Shaun Kimball, the force’s liaison with Special Olympics, helped little Special Olympian Floyd Atherton try on the vest as Floyd’s mother and Western Valley Special Olympics Executive Director Debbi Graham watched.

Graham described the positive impact of events such as Public Safety Day for Floyd, who has been part of the Special Olympics family for three years. Floyd became a member of the bowling team this year.

Other first responders displayed their specialized equipment. The Hartland Fire Department showcased its ladder truck, while the Woodstock Fire Department demonstrated its drones.

Fireman Curtis Weir explained that drones are a valuable asset in search and rescue operations, and their thermal cameras help identify hot spots from the air.

Sharp’s Towing displayed its massive recovery vehicle, and the life-size dummy swinging from the rescue line demonstrated its team could do more than rescue wrecked vehicles.

Carleton Ground Search and Rescue personnel showcased their trucks and equipment and answered questions from curious visitors.

Chief Forward believes the Public Safety Day met its objective to entertain the children and build a closer relationship between first responders and community residents.

The post Families meet those who keep them safe in fun-filled atmosphere first appeared on River Valley Sun.

A small crowd of people were at Irving Nature Park in Saint John on Saturday, hoping for a chance to see the moon partially cover the sun.

It still feels surreal to Janeville’s Cindy St-Louis that she’s finally met Toni Purcell, her Australian pen pal of 48 years, in the flesh.

A Saint John software engineer and father has written new a new parents’ guide to answering a host of head-scratching questions of the kind very likely to come from curious-kid minds.

An increase in theft is increasing business losses and safety risks and driving greater demand for security services in Moncton, according to a retail group and a private security firm.

Fredericton Coun. Cassandra LeBlanc says she's concerned that parking requirements for new buildings are getting in the way of making housing more affordable.

Two women in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick say they are deeply concerned about the safety of their families back in Gaza.

Fredericton councillors are moving forward with a plan to replace the RCMP with its own police force in parts of the city that were annexed this year as part of provincewide local government reforms.

Physicians thanked for dedication; board provides financial update

At the Upper River Valley Hospital Foundation’s 2023 Annual General Meeting on Sept. 26, the inaugural chairs of the foundation were honoured.

Past Chairman Dr. Wayne McLaughlin and past Vice-Chair Dr. WIlliam Mutrie helped resurrect the foundation in 2021, 15 years after the Carleton Memorial Hospital Foundation disbanded.

“The Foundation has raised nearly $3.3 million in the first two years and has invested nearly $1 million so far,” reported former treasurer and current co-chair Andy Lenehan.

Co-chair Betty Lou Craig noted that the number is impressive when you consider the amount came from a mere 104 donors.

The foundation has raised nearly $2.3 million for the URVH MRI project and hopes to secure the last $700,000 soon.

During the meeting, URVH Chief of Staff and Colorectal, General and Laparoscopic Surgeon Dr. Gurpreet Singh Ranger shared how the foundation’s donations have positively impacted the hospital’s ability to provide quality care, pointing to specific purchases and explaining how the new equipment has impacted patient outcomes.

Facility Manager Sherry Leech spoke to the hospital’s importance within Horizon Health, highlighting the facility’s mandate to provide hip and knee surgeries to provide more access in the province to joint replacement surgeries to reduce wait times.

“We asked the Department of Health to look at us differently than they have, and that is why we now have hip and knee surgery,” Leech explained.

In honouring Dr. Mutrie and Dr. McLauglin, Foundation Co-Chair Betty Lou Craig explained they wanted to present them with something just as unique and special as the two men who helped revive the foundation and helped raise an impressive amount of money in such a short time. 

The blown glass sculptures are each unique and inscribed with each doctor’s name and the words, “Co-Founder of URVH Foundation, Inspiring Others with Vision and Dedication.”

The post URVH Foundation honours co-founders at AGM first appeared on River Valley Sun.

A historic Sackville diner has received a new coat of paint, a new menu … and a robot.

Barine Ngbor, a recent Mount Allison University graduate, wrote her first children's book based on her personal experience. Ngbor moved to New Brunswick from Nigeria in 2018 and is now working on her second children's book and first novel.

A new initiative by the Vitalité Health Network is asking the public to help house new international nurses in the face of housing challenges.

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Is Daniel Andrew Murphy someone who needs to be locked up for a decade to denounce how he terrorized people by carjacking them last fall, or is he a broken man in need of help due to trauma he witnessed as a Fredericton firefighter?

A court heard Friday he may be both.

Murphy, 39, formerly of Trailside Lane in Fredericton, appeared by video conference from jail in Fredericton provincial court Friday for a sentencing hearing for a long list of crimes.

He’d previously pleaded guilty to 11 offences, most of which stemmed from a violent and bizarre series of events that started in Fredericton and ended in Salisbury on Nov. 2.

Crown prosecutor Gwynne Hearn said Murphy’s crimes on that date started early in the morning, shortly after 7:30 a.m., when he jumped out in traffic in Fredericton in front of a ServiceMaster van being driven by Kevin Campbell.

After he stopped the van, court heard, Murphy got in the vehicle on the passenger side, brandishing some kind of metal object in his right hand as a weapon.

Campbell later told police the assailant ordered him to get out of the van and said, “Leave your wallet and cigarettes in the van or I’ll fucking kill you.”

The carjacking was immediately reported to police, Hearn said, but the van was driving so erratically and dangerously around Fredericton, the force received numerous calls and complaints.

Fortunately, the prosecutor said, ServiceMaster was able to track the GPS in the van and was keeping police updated on its location, tracking it from Fredericton down Route 10 toward Minto.

One police officer - Cpl. Chris Furlotte - found the van on Industrial park Road in Minto, Hearn said, but it appeared to be unoccupied.

A silver car was nearby, she said, and the officer believed the carjacker was trying to secure a new ride, and sure enough, he found Murphy by the car.

“He drew his service pistol and told the suspect he was under arrest,” the prosecutor said, but Murphy said, “Oh fuck off,” and continued to approach him, wielding a tire punch.

The offender ended up jumping back into the van and driving off back down Route 10, she said.

Two more robberies

Murphy then stopped at Route 10 Gas and Convenience, Hearn said, where he brandished a metal object as a weapon and robbed the business, stealing a bottle of Coca-Cola, three fireworks, a bottle of motor oil, a pack of smokes and some lighters.

The prosecutor said he continued to make his way along Route 10, and it was in the Noonan area along Route 10 that he tried to carjack another motorist.

She said Holly Girouard reported that the van came barrelling straight at her car, forcing her into the ditch.

“He was at her window, yelling at her to get out,” Hearn said, noting that Girouard had locked her doors.

Murphy continued his frantic flight in the stolen van, court heard, leading police on a chase that stretched all the way to Salisbury, about 150 kilometres away.

It was in that area that police successfully deployed a spike belt to deflate the van’s tires, Hearn said, and the vehicle came to a stop about two miles from where the tires were flattened.

When Constable Ore Rodriguez approached to arrest Murphy, the prosecutor said, he was non-compliant, and she had to use her Taser to take him to the ground.

The offender was also before the court Friday for sentencing on a couple of earlier crimes, committed Oct. 7, 2022.

Hearn said Murphy stole a pack of cigarettes from the Petro-Canada station on Royal Road at about 9:04 a.m. that morning, and immediately afterward, got into a skirmish with Brandon Peterson nearby on Hawkins Street, assaulting him.

Radically different sentencing recommendations

The prosecutor said Murphy’s volatile and violent behaviour in three robberies - the two carjackings and the gas station holdup - has left the victims with emotional trauma, and his conduct has to be denounced in the strongest way by the court.

She recommended a total prison term of 10 years, less credit for time Murphy has spent on remand.

Hearn noted the offences required a 10-year firearms prohibition and an order for a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database, and she asked the court to impose a non-communication order with the victims while Murphy is subject to the sentence.

Defence lawyer L.A. Henry argued for a significantly lower prison term, just three years, less credit for remand time.

Murphy was in the throes of a breakdown driven by addiction and mental illness on Nov. 2, she said, and the court should consider it a single criminal offence, from start to finish, and impose concurrent terms of incarceration.

The day before the spree, the defence lawyer said, her client was supposed to be receiving a dosage of suboxone for treatment of his drug addiction, but it got delayed from a morning appointment to the afternoon. Unfortunately, she said, his state of mind declined and didn’t return for the dose.

“There was a mental-health crisis going on the day the incident went down,” Henry said.

Murphy’s breakdown was the thread running through all of his crimes that day, she said, arguing it should be treated as one ongoing event for the purposes of sentencing.

The defence lawyer also argued that the step principle in sentencing directs courts not to jump up penalties for subsequent crimes too much as compared to past sentences.

Murphy’s criminal record shows he’s only received conditional sentences and probation in the past, she said, so the court shouldn’t impose as lengthy a prison term as what the Crown had proposed.

Working on recovery

The offender’s pre-sentence report shows he’s remorseful for his actions, Henry said.

It also demonstrated that Murphy has suffered from a serious drug addiction for the past 10 years, she said, and that he’d been actively seeking treatment for it at the River Stone Recovery Centre with Dr. Sara Davidson right up until the Nov. 2 spree.

The defence lawyer said her client has been participating in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings over the past several months during his time on remand as well.

Murphy was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2019 as a result of horrors he witnessed over the course of more than 13 years in his former job as a firefighter for the City of Fredericton, Henry said.

“I realize that might be quite low,” she said, referring to her three-year recommendation, but she argued it as in the best interest of her client and of justice that “he not be given too onerous a sentence.”

Murphy has strong family support, Henry said, noting his parents and brother were present in court Friday. She added Murphy has a young son who’s suffering due to the absence of his father as well.

“I lost touch with reality, your honour,” Murphy told Judge Scott Brittain on Friday.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about that day … I worked to protect people, not to hurt them.”

While he didn’t harm anyone physically, he said, he knows he inflicted emotional and psychological harm, and he apologized for that.

Murphy said he’s focused on recovering from his addiction and on getting better mentally as well.

“I’m working extremely hard,” he said, noting his goal is ultimately to help others with mental illness.

Brittain said given the material presented Friday, the cases cited and the differences between the Crown and defence recommendations, he needed time to consider the various factors.

He reserved his decision on sentence to Nov. 27 and remanded Murphy again until that time.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Former District RCMP Commanding Officer John de Winter to lead next step of process, which includes public consultation

The District of Carleton North and the town of Hartland recruited a retired police officer with more than three decades of policing experience to help chart the future of policing in central and northern Carleton County.

Retired District Commander and Staff Sergeant John de Winter agreed to chair the District of Carleton North and Hartland Police Review Committee.

Hartland Mayor Tracey DeMerchant, Carleton North Mayor Andrew Harvey and de Winter made a joint announcement on Oct. 12, detailing the next steps towards an improved police presence in the central and northern Carleton County communities.

De Winter told the River Valley Sun that the committee will begin the review portion of the process to improve policing levels in the region.

“They want an increased police presence, a 24-7 model similar to what they have in Woodstock,” de Winter said.

He explained the review will compare service models to decide which works best for the Carleton North and Hartland communities.

“They’re certainly open to all options,” de Winter said. “One thing for sure, they want an increased presence.”

De Winter explained the committee already determined a goal for a detachment in Carleton North and a sub-detachment in Hartland.

While the long-closed RCMP detachment in Florenceville-Bristol was sold, the former police station in Hartland could be quickly available for the sub-detachment.

The retired police officer understands the value of being part of the community. He explained when the RCMP transferred him to Florenceville, his family became part of the community, and his children went to the local school.

He said that police presence stretches beyond just more patrols to permanent local detachments. Residents want officers in the community, in the schools and at local events.

In their press release, the two mayors and de Winter explained the ongoing review and public consultation is part of the long process required to upgrade policing services.

The release described policing as an important obligation to every citizen and a point of discussion in our homes, schools, and businesses throughout the District of Carleton North and Hartland.

Following amalgamations in both communities, the newly elected councils agreed to form a joint police review committee.

Justice and Public Safety Minister Kris Auston approved completing the official review outlined in the province’s Police Service Delivery Model Process Guide.

The committee will host public meetings to gather information and answer questions to fulfill the required public engagement. It will also encourage feedback through a survey.

“The police have an incredible influence in the lives, safety, and well-being of our communities, and I see the committee’s work as an opportunity to provide the best policing model possible,” said de Winter.

With 15 years in the RCMP and another 15 in municipal forces, de Winter said he knows the value of both.

“I love the RCMP,” he said. “They’re a great police service.”

But, he added, he also knows a municipal police service can deliver excellent results. 

Retired police officer to chair Carleton North, Hartland police review committee

Former District RCMP Commanding Officer John de Winter to lead next step of process, which includes public consultation

By Jim Dumville, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The District of Carleton North and the town of Hartland recruited a retired police officer with more than three decades of policing experience to help chart the future of policing in central and northern Carleton County.

“It’s a review. It’s not a criticism of the existing service,” de Winter said.

Mayor DeMerchant welcomed de Winter to the role of committee chair.

“We are confident that his knowledge and experience will enable us to propose an excellent and affordable police service for our community.”

Mayor Harvey said the committee and its review will address the community’s policing concerns.

“Policing is a major issue to the people of Carleton North,” he said. “Our residents want to see a local police service that is highly present and effective across our entire municipality to serve and protect our citizens.”

De Winter said the committee still must schedule public meetings and the timing of the survey, but the committee has met several times over the past three months.

He said while the committee has a policing vision in mind, it still must study significant issues, including the level of services, number of officers and costs.

“There may be a few more officers,” de Winter said, “but that needs to be determined.”

He said the committee still must determine the cost of the desired service. He said he believes Carleton North and Hartland currently pay approximately $3 million annually for the current RCMP service. De Winter called that the starting point.

He recognizes the RCMP is an excellent force as it offers services and assets that municipal forces cannot provide.

De Winter said municipal forces secure services such as call centres, 9-1-1 dispatchers, dog services, helicopters and major crime units through MOUs (Memorandums of Understanding) with larger forces or the RCMP.

He said the goal of the review will determine the cost, staffing and service levels needed to meet the demands of the public, which include improved response time, greater presence in school and community events and expanded police visibility.

The post Retired police officer to chair Carleton North, Hartland police review committee first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Advance polling begins Saturday for local government byelections in nine municipalities.

All proceeds are to be donated to the local community

When World Pond Hockey started in 2002, President Danny Braun thought it would amount to nothing more than a small fundraiser for the Plaster Rock arena.

With only 40 teams competing in the games then, there was no reason to think otherwise.

But over time, due to the hard work of Braun and the people of Plaster Rock, it has become an internationally recognized event.

Some of the highlights of its history include then Prime Minister Steven Harper dropping the first game puck in 2007 and in 2016 when Wayne Gretzky made an appearance.

Plans for the February 2024 tournament prepare for approximately 115 teams competing from across the world.

Each team will pay $800 to participate in the competition, with all proceeds being donated to various community causes.

Money from the event “has bought gym equipment for schools, built boat landings, and helped the golf course with repairs they had to make,” says Braun.

Profits from World Pond Hockey have also been donated to various municipal buildings throughout the village of Plaster Rock.

With approximately 600 people expected to attend, the event will also considerably boost the local hospitality industry during the off-season.

Outside Plaster Rock, Perth-Andover and Grand Falls hotels are also expected to see many visitors.

Some residents are also renting out their homes during the games to individual players or whole teams.

All teams will play five games during the tournament, with a champion being crowned at the end.

The event will take place in February, with an exact date to be decided.

The post Plaster Rock prepares for World Pond Hockey first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Fredericton city councillors have agreed to buy Ross Island, a 36-acre island in the St. John River that for decades was used to grow hay and pasture cattle.

A 62-year-old man from southeast New Brunswick has been charged with first-degree murder after police say officers found a woman's body in Sackville on Thursday.

Dr. Jennifer Russell has resigned as New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health.

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A 15-year-old Fredericton girl has been reported as missing to the Fredericton Police Force, which is hoping the public might have information that could lead to her being found. 

The police force issued a news release Friday afternoon advising that it was seeking tips from the public on the whereabouts of Lillie Dawn Finnie, 15, of Fredericton.

“Lillie was last seen on Oct. 11 on Fredericton’s north side,” the release said.

“She was last seen wearing a black and grey sweatshirt, black camo stretch pants, black and pink hiking sneakers, and was carrying a black and green bookbag.”

Lillie is described as being about 5’7” tall, weighing about 120 pounds, with dark brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.  

Anyone with information about where she is or that could help in the search is urged to contact the Fredericton Police Force at 506-460-2300, or by calling CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 to provide information anonymously.

Tipsters should cite Fredericton police file no. 23-25956.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached by email here.

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Tyler Campbell-Stafford says he's no longer holding out hope that his mother, Kari Lynn Rose Campbell, will be found alive after being missing for more than two years, but he's still looking for closure.

Valley Food Bank’s boutique is also seeking donations of items for its online auction in November

The Brighter Days Boutique, an essential fundraising arm of the Valley Food Bank on Houlton Street, offers special deals for seniors and students for one day each week.

Every Tuesday, starting Oct. 17, the boutique, located at 163 Houlton

Street, host Student Discount Day. On Tuesdays, anyone with a valid student ID will receive a 50 per cent discount on all purchases.

Meanwhile, every Thursday is Seniors Day, when anyone 60 and older can purchase anything in the store for 50 per cent off.

While Brighter Days Boutique has hosted Seniors Day for the past six months, Valley Food Ban Executive Director Monica Grant wants to get the word out to everyone in its coverage area.

“The more we can spread the word, the better for the community,” she said.

Grant explained that funds from all boutique purchases go straight to the food bank to help fill the food hampers.

She said the boutique is open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Grant said the boutique is currently canvassing businesses, organizations and individuals in its coverage area from Nackawic to River des Chutes for donations in support of its online auction from Nov. 20 to 24.

“Our goal is to raise $5,000 for the Valley Food Bank,” Grant said in a letter to Upper Valley businesses.

She explained they want donations of items upon which the public can place bids, such as gift certificates, baskets of various goods or other items.

Grant said auction organizers need donation replies describing the item by Friday, Nov. 3. If the donor can’t deliver it to the boutique between Nov. 6 and 10, the boutique will arrange to pick it up.

Donors can call 506 328 4417 or write to:

Brighter Days Boutique,

162 Houlton Street,

Woodstock, N.B.

E7M 1Z1

The post Brighter Days Boutique has half-price days each week for seniors and students first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Police are investigating a New Brunswick's man death at the Tata Steel mine that straddles northern Labrador and eastern Quebec.

In the countryside served by the Anglophone West School District, long bus rides for students are "the norm," the district says. Sarah Kennedy says this norm has her daughter, who is in Grade 1, coming home from school not wanting to talk to or look at anyone and going straight to bed.

The greatest growth in cricket is in the greater Moncton area, where only about five men played the sport five years ago but about five teams play in leagues now.

New Brunswickers have been paying a price on carbon in one form or another for more than four years, but this week marks the first time we’re getting it back directly.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with manslaughter in the death of an 11-year-old boy in Shippagan nearly a year ago, RCMP say.

A metal recycling company that's been at the centre of workplace safety concerns and a fire that sent hazardous smoke over Saint John has been charged with operating a salvage yard in Moncton without a valid licence.

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A recommended prison term of 2½ years for a Fredericton man caught selling hard drugs twice in 2021 seemed light given his past convictions for the same sorts of offences, a judge said Thursday.

Chris James Arbeau, 45, of Brookside Drive, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by video conference from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Thursday for his sentencing hearing on drug-trafficking charges.

He pleaded guilty in February to possessing meth and hydromorphone for the purpose of trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime Jan. 19, 2021; and to possessing meth for the purpose of trafficking and possessing the proceeds of crime again Sept. 29, 2021.

Arbeau was supposed to be sentenced in the summer, but he missed his appointment with probation services for his pre-sentence report interview.

The sentencing was delayed to Sept. 25, and while he did get his pre-sentence report done, he was a no-show for court that day.

A warrant was issued for Arbeau’s arrest, and he was taken into custody and held.

Prosecutor Wesley McIntosh said the Crown and defence had previously arrived at a joint recommendation on sentence: 30 months in federal prison.

“It appears this was low-level street dealing to support one’s habit,” he said.

Such trafficking activity is considered to be on the low end, the prosecutor said, but even that has to attract a prison sentence.

But Judge Scott Brittain expressed concern that the suggested prison term was on the low end, given the fact Arbeau has related convictions on his criminal record, including entries for possession of illicit drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

The prosecutor said at least one of those convictions would’ve been for possessing cannabis for trafficking purposes.

“It’s obvious he’s been involved in the narcotics underworld for quite some time,” McIntosh said.

Defence lawyer Edward Derrah said one of the reasons for the 30-month recommendation was due to weaknesses in the Crown’s case.

Specifically, he argued, when the deal was reached, the case was nearing the timing threshold set out in a Supreme Court of Canada case, R v. Jordan, which directed that provincial court cases should take no longer than 18 months, barring delays on the defence side.

Derrah said there were two Crown adjournments in the case, meaning the Jordan guideline was an active issue. There was some give and take in the negotiations for the joint recommendation, he said.

The defence was also taking issue with the circumstances of how evidence against Arbeau was collected, Derrah said.

“The searches were challenged for both arrests,” he said.

McIntosh, who wasn’t involved in the original sentencing negotiation, acknowledged the jointly recommended term did flow in part from issues with the Crown’s case.  

Brittain said he needed some time to consider the arguments, so he set the sentencing over to Nov. 17. He said it could be for decision on sentence at that time, or for further questions about the recommendation and his concerns with it.

McIntosh noted that Arbeau had also pleaded guilty to failing to attend court Sept. 25, and the parties had agreed the time he served since his arrest shortly thereafter would cover that offence in terms of sentence.

However, the joint recommendation of 2½ years in prison going forward was intended to be as of Thursday’s hearing, he said.

Any additional remand time accumulated from this point onward would have to be deducted from whatever prison term is imposed at the customary 1½-to-one credit formula, the prosecutor said.

Brittain remanded Arbeau again until the next court date.

Court heard earlier this year that the Fredericton Police Force’s drug section had Arbeau under surveillance as part of ongoing trafficking investigations, and its officers witnessed him engaging in drug transactions around the capital.

Officers followed a car in which Arbeau was a passenger on Jan. 19, 2021, and they saw him sell drugs to a man he met in the parking lot of St. Mary’s Supermarket.

The parties were surrounded by police at that time, and officers found more than 50 grams of crystal meth, four hydromorphone capsules, other drugs and $2,185 in cash on Arbeau’s person.

The offender was released on conditions, but police caught him selling drugs again Sept. 29, 2021, in front of the River Stone Recovery Centre, a downtown addictions treatment facility.

Arbeau was arrested again, and police found crystal meth, clonazepam pills, meth pipes and $175 cash on him at that time.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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The Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibition Escape: Art from New Brunswick’s Internment Camp highlights the role artistic creativity played in the lives of those interned at B70, the Maritimes’ only…

The post Escape: Art from New Brunswick’s Internment Camp appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

As Atlantic Canadians brace for new and powerful weather events in the region, the companies that insure their homes are learning to adapt with the times as well.

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A school in uptown Fredericton was under a hold-and-secure alert Thursday morning due to a nearby emergency response, the city police force reports.

Fredericton High School was placed on hold-and-secure status Thursday morning, the police force told the Fredericton Independent before noon.

“The Fredericton Police Force is responding to a call for service in the Prospect Street area, and due to the proximity to Fredericton High School, for safety purposes, we advised FHS administration to put in place a hold-and-secure while we conduct the investigation,” police spokesperson Megan Barker wrote in an email at 11:40 a.m. Thursday.

Hold-and-secure means no one is permitted to enter the school, and none of the students or staff members can leave. However, people can still circulate within the building.

Barker didn’t detail the nature of the call for service in the uptown area in her initial email.

Anglophone School District West hadn’t issued any alerts about the hold-and-secure on its social media channels as of this writing.

The Fredericton Independent will update this story as more details become available.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A Fredericton man scheduled to stand trial for three days for a stabbing incident early this year opted Thursday instead to admit to the assault.

Bradley Anthony Reid, 31, of Douglas Avenue, previously elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to Feb. 21 counts of committing an aggravated assault on Wilbur Elliott and breaching a probation order.

He was back in court in person and in custody Thursday for his scheduled trial, but court heard Crown and defence counsel had resolved the matter.

Defence lawyer Ron Morris said his client was maintaining his not-guilty plea on the aggravated assault but was offering a guilty plea to the lesser, included crime of assault causing bodily harm to Elliott.

Reid also changed his plea to guilty on the probation violation.

Crown prosecutor Gwynne Hearn asked the court to order a victim-impact statement.

Morris said a pre-sentence report on his client was necessary, as a psychiatric-assessment report filed with the court earlier in the proceedings would suffice as background on the offender.

Judge Natalie LeBlanc set the sentencing hearing over to Nov. 16, and she remanded Reid again until that time.

Fredericton Police Force officers arrested Reid the afternoon of Feb. 21 after Elliott was reportedly stabbed, but that arrest only took place after a standoff with police on the city’s north side that dragged on for several hours.

Numerous city police officers - including members with the emergency response team and a crisis negotiator - cordoned off a Hillcourt Drive home the morning of Feb. 21, as Reid was inside, having barricaded himself inside.

People were advised to stay away from the area for several hours, and that ended only after Reid surrendered peacefully.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Connection Dance Works’ Perspective will bring an evening dance, music, and engaging discussion to the BMO Studio Theatre on Nov. 4. Matt Carter  Connection Dance Works’ annual Perspective performances are…

The post Connection Dance Works Pull Back the Curtain with PERSPECTIVE appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

Love them, or hate them — cable ferries are a way of life for river communities across southwestern New Brunswick.

Linda Patterson has lived in the same Oromocto apartment building for 34 years. She knows a lot of her neighbours and worries about those facing rent increases of $150 a month as early as next month.

Tens of thousands of people a day take the free river ferries at Belleisle, Evandale, Gagetown, Millidgeville, Kennebecasis Island, Westfield and Gondola Point. Few people stop to think about how they work.

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A Burtt’s Corner man learned the hard way this week that the old disciplinary mainstay of washing a child’s mouth out with soap doesn’t fly in the world of modern parenting.

The 30-year-old man was charged with a summary count of assault that occurred between Dec. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, and he pleaded guilty earlier this year to the offence.

He was back in Fredericton provincial court for sentencing Tuesday.

Judge Scott Brittain ordered a publication ban on any information that might identify the young victim, and given the facts of the case, the Fredericton Independent isn’t naming the offender either so as to comply with that order.

Crown prosecutor Gwynne Hearn said in the fall of 2021, a mother told her two children they weren’t going to see the defendant around anymore.

Court heard the mother had been the offender’s girlfriend, but they were breaking up.

Hearn said upon learning of the end of the relationship, the woman’s daughter, the older of her two kids, told her of an incident between the accused and her five-year-old brother.

The prosecutor said months before, the offender was home alone with the kids, and there was an incident between him and the boy.

As a result, court heard, the offender took the child into a bathroom and washed his mouth out with soap, and the boy told his sister about it afterward.

The defendant confirmed Tuesday that’s what happened.

Hearn said the offender was acting in loco parentis, meaning he was acting in a parental role at the time and therefore abused a position of trust or authority over the victim.

Another aggravating factor in the case, she said, was that the victim was a minor.

Court also heard that the Burtt’s Corner man has a prior criminal record, but not for anything similar or related to this offence.

Given those elements, the prosecutor said, the sentence needed to send the right message. 

Hearn recommended a conditional sentence of four to six months, to be served in the community under a curfew, with no contact with the victim, to be followed by a period of probation.

Defence lawyer Ken Allen emphasized his client’s guilty plea, remorse, family support, employment and lack of a history of such offences.

“It wasn’t an appropriate response,” Allen said of the defendant’s actions.

“I’m sorry for what I’ve done,” the defendant said.

The defence lawyer asked the court to grant a conditional discharge, which would spare his client a criminal record for the minor assault.

“This is certainly at the lower end [of assault offences],” Allen said, arguing the public wouldn’t be outraged at a discharge in the circumstances.

But Brittain said the age of the victim is a statutorily aggravating factor, and as such, a discharge wouldn’t be a fit sentence, especially in light of the fact that the offender has a prior criminal record.

A conditional sentence is appropriate, he said, although the duration recommended by the Crown was a bit excessive.

The judge imposed a 90-day conditional sentence, during which the offender must observe a curfew of 10 p.m.-6 a.m., present himself at the door should authorities check on compliance with the curfew, have no contact with the victim or his mother, and participate in any counselling or treatment programs as directed by his sentence supervisor.

Brittain also ordered a 12-month term of probation to follow, continuing the counselling and no-contact conditions.

He further ordered the offender to pay a $100 victim-fine surcharge.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Ambulance New Brunswick has reversed a change to its dispatch system that led some fire departments in southeast New Brunswick to no longer answer medical calls. 

Regulations, established in 2020, allow residents in Woodstock to raise chickens under tight restrictions

Woodstock Municipal Council agreed to have town staff review bylaws about raising chickens in residential areas in response to a resident’s letter.

The letter from a St. James Street resident complained about her neighbour’s chicken coop located against the fence and hedge dividing the two properties.

“I wrote a letter to the town in early summer regarding the stench from a neighbour’s chicken coop but have not heard as to what the town has done about it,” the resident explained in the letter.

According to the letter and confirmed by Mayor Trina Jones, the town’s compliance officer visited the neighbour raising the chickens, finding they complied with the town bylaw.

The lengthy letter raised several issues, including potential health hazards, asking if the municipality studied the issue in depth before instituting its current bylaw.

Council discussion determined the town’s current bylaw dates to 2020, adding the town closely aligned it with similar bylaws in other communities.

Coun. Christa McCartney said that while the compliance officer ruled that the chicken owners complied with the regulations, it didn’t match up to the neighbour’s complaints.

While the letter described the chicken coop pushed up against the fence and hedge separating the property, McCartney noted any such structure must be a minimum of two metres from a neighbour’s property line.

Council also heard that the bylaw states that anyone wanting to raise chickens in an urban area must comply with all regulations and have pre-approval from the town.

Coun. Will Belyea questioned the wisdom of raising chickens in a dense residential setting.

“Does it make a lot of sense to have chickens in that area,” he asked.

Belyea also wants more details surrounding the “turnaround time’ for the compliance officer.

Council agreed to hold any further discussion on the issue until after it hears from municipal staff at a future committee-in-council meeting.

Woodstock Police Chief Gary Forward touched briefly on the force’s bylaw officer’s handling of chicken regulations and other bylaws during a Council-in-Committee report on Oct. 10.

He explained the force is enhancing its reporting system.

“Every matter the bylaw officer engages in will be in the reports,” Forward said.

He added the process will ensure the complainant is advised of every conclusion.

The chief said he will work with council on bylaw issues.

The post Council to review chicken bylaw first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Cottage owners and others welcome the decision to end plans to use rotenone as a poison pill option 

Cottage owners surrounding Miramichi Lake are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing they can enjoy the end of the summer vacation season calmly and serenely, which befits their holiday location. 

For the last two years, most cottage owners and local Indigenous groups battled on the water and in the courts to stop a working group’s plan to treat the lake and surrounding waterways with Noxfish II, with the active ingredient rotenone. 

The working group, including the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council, proposed the radical treatment as the only means to eradicate smallmouth bass, considered an invasive species.  

While the treatment would kill most fish and other natural inhabitants of the treated waterways, the working group contended native species would return through restocking and natural means. 

Cottage owners like Austin Greenway and his family look forward to a peaceful autumn at the cottage. 

Sitting on his cottage deck overlooking the calm and peaceful lake on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 5, Greenway said the working group’s decision to end its eradication efforts is music to their ears. 

“Oh my goodness,” he said. “We’ve had this hanging over our heads for four years.” 

Greenway said cottage owners first heard about plans to treat the lake in 2020 and immediately opposed what they deemed a dangerous and overly dramatic plan to protect the Miramichi River salmon stock. 

He said the pandemic halted the working group’s plans in 2020. In 2021, the constant presence of Indigenous groups, including Wolastoqewi Mothers and Grandmothers, on the lake forced the working group to abort its plans. 

Greenway said the combination of the Indigenous group’s protest and legal efforts from them and the cottage owners limited the treatment to a 17-kilometre stretch of Lake Brook. Protesters responded to interrupt the Lake Brook treatment. 

He said the cottage waited for signs of another attempt this year but knew as October approached, the group faced limited time to treat the lake. They welcomed the news confirming the final cancellation of the project. 

Greenway credited the multi-year efforts of Woodstock First Nation’s Andrea Polchies, the Indigenous Mothers and Grandmothers and the Connect the Land groups and their supporters for successfully blocking treatment of the lake. 

“If it hadn’t been for them, it wouldn’t have been successful,” he said. 

While Neville Crabbe, spokesperson for the Working Group on Smallmouth Bass Eradication in the Miramichi, didn’t respond to our request for an interview, the organization issued a statement confirming its decision to end the project. 

“Members of the Working Group on Smallmouth Bass Eradication in the Miramichi made a unanimous decision following an unsuccessful request for the Province of New Brunswick to become proponent, and multiple catches of smallmouth bass outside the project area this year,” the group wrote in its five-page statement.

It noted the working group requested the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Energy, which has been part of the operation since 2019, to take the lead this year. They could not reach a deal. 

Much of the group’s statement defended its decision to use rotenone while sharing several success stories in the past. It also pointed to widespread support for its plan. 

The statement noted the discovery of smallmouth bass in Miramichi Lake in 2009. Over time, the invasive fish will play havoc on salmon and other native species. 

The working group explained that DFO initially confirmed the presence of smallmouth bass in the lake in 2009. While some experts suggested using rotenone soon after the discovery, DFO opted to use its own methods, such as fishing and barriers, to eradicate the bass. Those efforts failed, the statement said. 

DFO failed to take the lead in using rotenone in 2018 but agreed to consider proposals and regulate it. At that point, proponents formed the working group and, with the approval of DFO and the N.B. Departments of Environment and Natural Resources, began to implement its plan. 

A DFO spokesman said in an email that the department is one of the government regulators that can authorize such an eradication project. While it provided such approval in 2021 and 2022, it did not receive such a request in 2023. 

The DFO said the department has worked since 2009 and continues to do so to physically contain, control and monitor smallmouth bass in Miramichi Lake and the Southwest Miramichi River. 

The working group said that the decision to halt the eradication program could seriously damage the long-term health of salmon and other native species in the Miramichi River. It explained part of the reason for ending the project was the discovery of smallmouth bass as far downstream as Boiestown. 

The working group ended its statement with a dire warning.

“The full effect of this preventable tragedy will be understood in time,” it said. “The selfish, thoughtless act of dumping a bucket of smallmouth bass in that lake will be a permanent black mark on the long, incredible story of the Miramichi.”

The post Miramichi Lake bass-eradication efforts halted first appeared on River Valley Sun.

In the two years since a truck driver was crushed to death at American Iron and Metal, WorkSafeNB has issued 22 orders to the company to fix issues at its scrap metal plant in Saint John, a coroner's inquest heard Wednesday.

Fredericton police say they now believe 42-year-old Teri-Lynn Wilson who disappeared in April was the victim of foul play.

Three people died in New Brunswick from COVID-19 during the last week of September, according to the province’s latest respiratory watch report.

Parent Adam Harris says students at Fredericton’s Devon Middle School deserve better — better than asbestos tiles, mice infestations, soccer field sinkholes, and now porta-potties.

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When a Fredericton man peered in an apartment window to watch a couple having sex, he was drunk, a defence lawyer said Tuesday, arguing alcohol was his client’s real issue.

Jeremy Aaron Muise, 44, of Dundonald Street, was back in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday for sentencing, having previously pleaded guilty to counts of voyeurism, prowling at night and breach of a police undertaking.

Crown prosecutor Gwynne Hearn said police were dispatched to Chatham Hall at 360 Forest Hill Rd. in Fredericton at 12:41 a.m. on July 30, 2022, after receiving a report of an unknown male lurking around windows at the former St. Thomas University residence.

One resident told police he’d been having sex with a partner in his room when he noticed a man staring in the window and realized he’d been watching them, court heard.

The prosecutor said the resident went outside to confront the stranger and snapped a photo of him, the prosecutor said.

The man was later identified as Muise, she said, and police interviewed him in late August 2022.

The defendant said he’d been out that night to pick up some groceries and was walking home when he wandered by Chatham Hall, Hearn said, and he admitted to police he’d seen the couple having sex.

He told officers he stopped and set down his groceries, the prosecutor said, and he watched the couple.

Defence lawyer T.J. Burke noted Muise has a drinking problem, and he was under the influence on the night in question, driving him to make some poor choices.

Hearn said Muise came to the attention of police again Sept. 12, 2022, as he’d been spotted at Chatham Hall again despite having been released from police custody previously on an undertaking to stay away from that location.

Again, court heard, booze appeared to be a factor.

“Officers did smell alcohol on him,” Hearn said.

Muise has a prior criminal record, she said, though it’s for an unrelated offence, impaired driving.

Hearn and Burke offered a joint recommendation on sentence: a conditional sentence, to be served in the community under a curfew, to be followed by a year of probation.

Burke said his client’s pre-sentence report highlights the core issue giving rise to his offences, and that’s a drinking problem, which was exacerbated by the isolation Muise experienced as a result of the pandemic.

“I do want to sincerely apologize to the victims for the incidents that occurred that night,” Muise told the court Tuesday.

He said the past year has been a long and challenging one, but he’s working to move forward in a more positive direction now.

Burke said there were a number of mitigating factors - such as Muise’s guilty pleas, employment and adherence to conditions over the past year - that indicated a conditional sentence was an appropriate one in the case.

Judge Scott Brittain agreed. He imposed a 90-day conditional sentence.

During that time, Muise is to observe a curfew of 10 p.m.-6 a.m., present himself at the door during those hours should authorities check for compliance, have no contact with the resident whose privacy he violated, and to attend any treatment or counselling sessions as directed by his sentence supervisor.

That will be followed by 12 months of probation, during which the no-contact and counselling conditions will continue.

The judge also ordered Muise to pay $300 in victim-fine surcharges.

Hearn withdrew a related charge of committing an indecent act outside Chatham on July 30, 2022, as well.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Multi-platinum, 3X CMA nominee Jordan Davis extends his DAMN GOOD TIME headlining tour with October 2024 dates in Moncton and Halifax. Multi-Platinum, CMA award-winning artist and current reigning CMA Song…

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Watch Kylie Fox and her band perform “Alberta” live at the BMO Studio Theatre. Matt Carter On September 8, Kylie Fox and her band performed at the BMO Studio Theatre…

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The City of Fredericton is looking at hiking the rate it charges residents for water and sewer services in 2024 in an effort to generate five per cent more revenue next year.

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A McAdam man who’d rejected a seven-year plea deal for a long list of crimes - including drug-trafficking and weapons offences - was sentenced Tuesday to almost a decade behind bars.

Clayton Maynard Ernest Townes, 37, of Harvey Road in McAdam, appeared in Fredericton provincial court late last month for a sentencing hearing on a long list of charges dating back to January 2022, and he appeared again remotely in court Tuesday to hear the judge’s decision.

Judge Cameron Gunn imposed an overall sentence of 9 ½ years in prison, less credit for time spent on remand.

The judge noted Townes had been in custody 627 days since his arrest.

After one factors in the standard 1½-to-one remand credit formula, that means Townes gets a credit of about 31 months for the time he’s already served.

Court heard previously that RCMP officers were asked to accompany Department of Social Development workers during a visit to the Townes home on Jan. 28, 2022, and during that visit, an unsecured firearm and drugs could be seen in plain sight.

That prompted officers to arrest Townes and to obtain a search warrant for the premises.

Drugs - including meth, cocaine, MDMA and hydromorphone - worth a combined street value of about $24,000 were found, as were three rifles, two handguns (one of which was loaded), one shotgun, one revolver and a crossbow.

Also located were several stolen vehicles.

Townes eventually pleaded guilty to possession of various drugs for the purpose of trafficking, weapons crimes and possession of stolen property, as well as a breach of a court-ordered prohibition against possessing firearms.

Gunn said the offender admitted to 33 crimes in all. Those guilty pleas represent a mitigating factor in his case, the judge said, as does his contrition.

“He has expressed sincere remorse and regret for his actions,” Gunn said.

But the court also had to consider the aggravating factors in the case, he said, such as the seriousness of the crimes, the number of offences, the fact that there were loaded firearms in the home and that there was a young child present in the same space as guns and drugs.

Townes’ criminal record doesn’t include past convictions for possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, the judge said, but it does include prior weapons offences, which gave rise to the firearms ban to which the offender was subject at the time.

While the Crown had sought a prison term of 10 to 11 years in prison, defence lawyer Joel Hanson argued last month that seven years was a fit sentence.

He had pointed out the Crown had offered his client a seven-year deal, but that Townes had rejected it, believing a lesser sentence might be forthcoming.

The defence later revised its position and approached the Crown about the seven-year deal, Gunn said Tuesday, but the prosecution wasn’t prepared to offer it again.

The judge said this wasn’t a case in which the Crown reneged on a proposed plea offer, but rather that Townes had turned it down. The court can’t enforce an agreement the defence had declined, he said.

Furthermore, Gunn said, higher courts have directed sentencing judges to take a tough stance against trafficking offences when they involve hard drugs such as the ones Townes had at his home last year.

Hanson had also argued in September that his client should be given an enhanced remand credit because of the more onerous conditions at the Saint John jail during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Gunn said higher courts have found that COVID-19 restrictions weren’t so extreme as to trigger additional credit for time spent on remand, so he dismissed that argument.

In addition to the prison term, the judge imposed a lifetime firearms prohibition, an order for Townes to submit a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database and an order of forfeiture for the items seized from Townes’ home.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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