A former ambassador from Miramichi and an Afghan newcomer are calling for more support, while a veteran who suffered a personal loss in the war questions the chance of making a difference.

On a recent chilly Saturday evening a group of men waded waist deep into the waters of Mispec Beach to submerge an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh — a ceremonial farewell at the end of 10 days of celebration.

New Brunswick's minimum wage is $14.75, but the province's liveable wage is much higher.

In Ann Paul’s family, the sweetgrass song is blood memory.

Woodstock First Nation recognizes National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with sunrise service; drumming ceremony planned for 3 p.m.

Over a dozen people gathered at the Woodstock First Nation ceremonial grounds by the Wolastoq River at sunrise on Saturday, Sept. 30. (See video posted below.)

Elder Lisa Sappier lit a sacred fire and conducted the sunrise service to mark the start of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

“I am so happy to see all of you here this morning on a very important day for our people,” said Sappier. “It’s nice to see our allies, our neighbours, and our friends come and participate in this ceremony.”

Chief/Sakum Tim Paul was on hand for the sunrise service. He says that while there is more awareness related to the need for reconciliation, more work still needs to be done.

“There’s a little bit more understanding, a little bit more awareness, but we have to get a little bit better in getting the message out, and the educational side of it, and we’re working on that, that will come. I hate to say this, but it’s the province that we have the biggest issue with in regard to roadblocks. I am happy with the progress (of awareness and understanding), but not with, really, all levels of government when it comes to the 94 recommendations.”

Sakum Paul is referring to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report on the history and legacy of Canada’s residential school system. The report outlined 94 ‘calls to action’ for Indigenous and non-Indigenous to come together to change policies and programs in a concerted effort to repair the harm caused by residential schools and move forward with reconciliation.

A community barbecue planned for today was cancelled due to a death in the community. Today’s drumming ceremony, scheduled for 3 p.m. at the ceremonial site behind Maliseet Fuels I, is still happening.

Awareness, education, heritage and culture are just some of the words that come to mind for those commemorating National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Sept. 30, was declared a provincial holiday by the New Brunswick government last year. The date falls on a Saturday this year, so some services that are typically closed Saturday will observe the day off on Monday. 

On a clear day, Digby seems little more than a stone's throw away from Saint John. Often, you can look across from Saint John Harbour and see the Nova Scotia town with the naked eye — a faint blue-grey outline on the horizon. 

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A man who shot and killed four people in Fredericton five years ago while suffering from schizophrenic delusions will be allowed to leave a secure psychiatric hospital for outings in the community.

The New Brunswick Review board, which oversees the dispositions of offenders deemed not criminally responsible for their actions due to mental illness, issued a written decision Friday in the case of Matthew Vincent Raymond, 53.

Raymond killed two civilians and two Fredericton police officers the morning of Aug. 10, 2018.

He shot the four victims - Donnie Robichaud, Bobbie Lee Wright, and constables Robb Costello and Sara Burns - outside from inside his apartment at 237 Brookside Dr.

After trial, Raymond was deemed to be not criminally responsible for those murders due to a mental disorder at the time of his offences, and he was remanded to the Restigouche Hospital Centre, a secure psychiatric facility in Campbellton, for treatment

At a hearing at Restigouche in April, Raymond's treatment team lobbied the review board to give the patient additional privileges at the hospital, including unescorted absences from the facility with his mother in Campbellton.

Dr. Ralph Holly, one of the Restigouche psychiatrists treating Raymond, said such outings with family members for patients remanded to the facility are usually done with a staff member or two accompanying them.

But there's also flexibility in the privilege to allow outings with a family member to be unaccompanied, depending on assessments, progress and specific situations.

Prosecutor Rebekah Logan, representing the Crown, opposed the notion of the killer’s mother taking him out of the hospital without supervision, arguing she doesn’t have the training or experience to know if her son might be in crisis or volatile.

“I think his mom has the positive factors,” Holly told the review board earlier this year, noting that if something went wrong during an unescorted outing, there’s always the option to call police.

Logan suggested in such a circumstance, the police ought to be notified in advance of a planned outing, but Raymond’s treatment team said Restigouche staff doesn’t usually do that.

In a written disposition issued Friday, the review board approved such supervised outings for Raymond.

"It is further ordered that the administrator of the Restigouche Hospital Centre implement a program for the safe custody and rehabilitation of the accused with the Restigouche Hospital Centre," it directed.

Among the elements of that program, the board wrote, would be unit transfers, accompanied privileges within the hospital, accompanied privileges on the property of Restigouche and the Campbellton Regional Hospital, and "accompanied privileges in Campbellton with staff member."

However, it also ruled that Raymond could be allowed to leave Restigouche if "it is appropriate, in the opinion of the person in charge of the hospital, for the accused to be absence from the hospital for medical reasons or for any purpose that is necessary for the accused's treatment, if the accused is escorted by a person who is authorized by the person in charge of the hospital."

A structured plan would have to be in place to manage any risk arising from his absence from the psychiatric facility, it said.

The wording of the new order seems to leave the door open to Raymond's mother, Shelley Raymond, being authorized to act as an escort, depending on the circumstances.

"Nothing in this order prevents the accused and his mother to have face-to-face meetings at the hospital as long as they comply with this order and that the meetings are recommended by the treatment team and authorized by the person in charge of the Restigouche Hospital Centre," the order states.

In its written decision, the review board expressed concern Raymond remains dangerous but that easing restrictions can be done if it’ll advance his recovery.

"... The New Brunswick Review Board came to the conclusion that the accused still poses a significant threat to the safety of the public, but that privileges may be granted for the purpose of treatment," it stated.

However, at the April 6 hearing, the board received conflicting assessments on the level of risk Raymond represents.

Restigouche psychologist Dr. Emilie Frenette filed a risk-assessment report with the board indicating Raymond poses a low risk to reoffend.

However, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Scott Woodside, tasked by the Crown to offer his expert and more experienced opinion, expressed more caution.

"He indicated that the test that uses self-reporting [that Frenette employed] can be useful information. However, because of Mr. Raymond's tendency to under-report, the information to perform the assessment might be limited," the review board decision states.

Raymond will continue to be detained at Restigouche to undergo treatment.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A 16-year-old boy from Campbellton died on Thursday after a crash on Route 275 in Saint-Arthur, according to an RCMP release.

Michael Sorenson has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting guilt to several charges including creating child porn, sexual assault and sexual exploitation involving 17 victims across New Brunswick.

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Warning: This article includes graphic details of sex crimes against minors.

Twenty charges listing 17 victims. Another 57 identified victims who declined to participate in prosecutions. Dozens of unidentified victims captured in photos and on video.

A single sex offender, sentenced to seven years in prison.

Those numbers offer a snapshot of the case against Michael Sorenson, 40, of Route 10 in Noonan, who was back in Fredericton provincial court Friday for sentencing.

He pleaded guilty in February to a long list of sexual offences - 22 in all.

Among them were including several counts each of sexual assault, sexual touching, making child pornography, possessing child porn and voyeurism, all perpetrated over the course of more than a decade, from 2008 to 2021.

Court heard previously Sorenson had a proclivity for teenage boys and young men.

Crown prosecutor Karen Lee and defence lawyer T.J. Burke offered a joint submission on sentence of seven years, and Judge Scott Brittain accepted it, noting it fell within the established range of sanctions for such crimes given the circumstances of the specific charges in the case.

Lee filed a table of precedents in support of the joint recommendation that she argued reflected the seriousness of Sorenson’s crimes but also the mitigating factors that the court had to consider.

“This was a situation where Mr. Sorenson used his position as an employer in order to gain access to young men,” she said.

He would cajole teenage boys into sexual activities “for his own sexual enjoyment,” the prosecutor said.

However, she said the sexual assaults and touching leaned toward the lower end of the spectrum for sex crimes. It’s the fact that Sorenson recorded the sexual activities in photos and videos that stands out as the more serious of the crimes to which he’s admitted, Lee argued.

Sorenson captured images of underage victims in the nude or engaged in sexual activity, she said, but also surreptitiously recorded youths and young men when they had expectations of privacy, such as when they used the bathroom at his home in Noonan.

The number of victims is aggravating as well, she said, as is the length of time over which he committed his crimes.

More victims than those listed in charges

“We have 17 identified victims [in the charges],” Lee said.

The identities of those victims are protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

However, the prosecutor added, there were another 57 identified victims who declined to participate in the police investigation process.

Furthermore, she said, there are dozens of unidentified victims seen in images found on the many digital devices RCMP officers seized from Sorenson’s home in Noonan.

The boys and young men the offender violated, manipulated and recorded - identified or otherwise - weren’t the only victims, the prosecutor said.

“Their families are victims as well,” Lee said.

Sorenson met one of his victims through his church, court heard, and others for having worked for their families.

Lee said he manipulated parents to gain access to their sons.

Most of the offences were perpetrated against young men who worked for Sorenson, either at his travelling petting zoo or agricultural business, she said, and in the process, he also tainted their first job experiences.

“They’re all at the age where that really matters,” Lee said.

That affects their ability to trust future employers, she argued.

Another aggravating factor was the age difference between Sorenson and his victims, she said.

It’s not as though he was just a few years older than his victims, the prosecutor said, noting he was twice their age or more.

“This is someone who ought to have known better,” Lee said.

Seven years for the number and seriousness of the offences might seem on the low end to some, she said, but the court had to consider several mitigating factors in the offender’s favour.

Chief among them, the prosecutor said, was how Sorenson’s guilty pleas spared the many victims the ordeal of coming to court, being seen and having to testify.

While there’s a publication ban in effect protecting their identities, Lee said, that protection only goes so far. The guilty pleas made it so they didn’t have to come to court and testify before a courtroom full of people, she said.

“Our system is adversarial,” said Burke, noting cross-examination is rarely a pleasant experience for any witness.

“What it’s important to recognize, of course, is that there’s been a high level of co-operation.”

An emphasis on rehabilitation

He noted that in the United States, a list of crimes such as the ones Sorenson committed would lead to a sentence lasting decades behind bars, but the Canadian criminal justice system embraces a different approach.

“In Canada, of course, we have restraint,” Burke said.

A sentence in Canada isn’t intended to punish, he argued, but to meet the specific principles of sentencing as outlined in the Criminal Code. Among them, court heard, as denunciation and deterrence, but also rehabilitation.

Lee agreed that Sorenson presents as an excellent candidate for rehabilitation, given his lack of a prior record and expressions of remorse.

The lawyers both argued the seven-year term meets the objectives of sentencing.

For someone like Sorenson, who’s never been in trouble before, the prosecutor said, such a prison term is a daunting and onerous one.

“I do believe that seven years is a significant sentence,” Lee said.

Burke said the sentence “will not offend the public interest.”

He pointed out that while the crimes of voyeurism and production of child pornography are serious, Sorenson didn’t distribute the material. Once such images get out on the internet, he said, they’re there forever. That didn’t happen in this case, he said.

Sorenson, speaking briefly from the prisoner’s dock in the courtroom Friday, apologized for his actions.

“I just want to clarify there’s no ill will towards anybody,” he said.

Judge Scott Brittain agreed with Crown and defence counsel’s representations, but he took the time in rendering his decision to emphasize the aggravating and mitigating elements of the case.

“Mr. Sorenson clearly groomed several of his young and impressionable employees,” he said, and in doing so, he abused a position of trust and authority over them.

Sorenson’s criminality has a long reach, as he’s not only scarred the victims emotionally, but shook so many families at their core.

‘Invisible mental scars’

The judge noted 14 of the victims listed in the charges declined to submit victim-impact statements, but three did.

They weren’t read aloud in court Friday, but Brittain reviewed some of the pain the young men poured out on those pages.

One victim reported he has such anxiety over what Sorenson did that he has scarring on the inside of his cheeks from chewing at them.

Another victim wrote he has deep trust issues now after going through what he described as the most difficult experience of his life.

“It has caused me shame and embarrassment,” that victim wrote. “The trauma is always front of mind.”

Yet another victim said he’s had suicidal ideations, Brittain noted, adding that his parent has limited that victim’s access to hunting equipment out of fear of what might happen.

It’s clear from this case and countless others in which children are abused sexually, he said, that these crimes leave “invisible mental scars” that can last lifetimes.

“I want Mr. Sorenson’s victims to know that their many voices are heard,” the judge said.

But he added that a focus on rehabilitation sets Canada’s approach to criminal justice apart, even as precedents are directing judges to ratchet up sentences for sex offences against children.

In additional to the recommended prison term, Brittain ordered Sorenson to submit a DNA sample for inclusion in a criminal database, to register as a sex offender for 20 years following his release, to refrain from possessing firearms and other weapons for 10 years after his release and to have no contact with the victims for the duration of his sentence.

The judge also imposed orders under Section 161 of the Criminal Code, barring Sorenson from being at any public place such as a park, pool, playground, schoolyard or daycare centre where minors can be expected to be present, to seek no employment or volunteer work placing him in a position of authority over children, and to have no contact with minors unless supervised.

He also ordered that items seized that the offender used in the commission of his many crimes be forfeited to the Crown.

Brittain said he hopes the sentence offers some measure of closure for the victims and their families.

“I know it’s incredibly challenging,” he said, wishing them well going forward.

The judge also urged Sorenson to avail himself of rehabilitative programs offered in prison.

Lee withdrew 11 counts from the total of 33, but she noted they were mainly duplicate charges that stemmed from other offences to which Sorenson had pleaded guilty.

History of the case

Sorenson’s crimes came to light after police received a tip he would host “parties for young, teen men where he would get teens intoxicated and would then engage in a variety of games resulting in the teens participating in dares and undressing - that images would be taken of these events,” according to an agreed statement of facts filed with the court at the time of the guilty pleas.

That led RCMP investigators to a victim listed in the charges as A.B. (not his initials), who reported that Sorenson got him to touch himself for a sexual purpose in front of him. That happened in Fredericton in 2014, when the victim as was 15 years old.

That victim said he believed there were other victims out there, which led the RCMP to discover it had received a prior complaint about Sorenson reporting criminal conduct back in 2007.

A larger investigation was launched, leading police to get a search warrant for Sorenson’s home in Noonan on June 29, 2020.

Digital storage devices containing “numerous images and videos of young nude males who were masturbating on camera,” the agreed statement said, and many of those videos were recorded in Sorenson’s bedroom.

“There were also numerous images and videos of males standing on top of a donkey in the nude while Michael Sorenson was holding a leash,” the statement says.

“There was even one video where it shows Michael Sorenson positioning a camera so that an unknown male could ride the donkey in the nude.”

Evidence of Snapchat and Instagram messages were found in which Sorenson enticed teenage boys to model for him in the nude.

In one such chat, he shared a photo of a naked teenager on a donkey, asking the recipient of the message to “Like the naked donkey challenge… jackpot is $1000.”

As more victims were identified and interviewed, they reported that Sorenson would groom them and ask them to do sexual things for him.

The voyeurism offences stemmed often from secret videos he’d made of boys he’d hired to work for him, often in the bathroom of his family’s home in Noonan where those workers would shower after a hard day’s work.

"Again, Sorenson had surreptitiously installed a spy camera in the washroom of his parents' house to catch the young male employees going into and coming out of the shower," the statement says.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Kehkimin, the Wolastoqey immersion school in Fredericton, honours National Day of Truth and Reconciliation with a walk around Killarney Lake.

A top judge in New Brunswick is warning of more court delays due in part to judicial vacancies unfilled by the federal government.

The Saint John police union alleges the 911 dispatch centre has become a "ticking time bomb" because the people filling in to answer emergency calls during the strike by inside city workers don't have adequate training.

A group hoping to spray rotenone on Miramichi Lake to kill smallmouth bass — with the goal of protecting Atlantic salmon from the predator fish — have cancelled the project.

Woodstock Airport celebrates 55th anniversary

Antique planes and cars dotted the runway as the Woodstock Airport celebrated its 55th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 23.

The event was hosted by the Woodstock Flying Association, which assists in running the Grafton airport in conjunction with the Woodstock town government.

“The Woodstock Flying Association has approximately 50 members” and is “a base for anyone who owns their own plane in the area and wants a safe location to store or fly,” says Woodstock Flying Association president Matthew McLatchy.

The celebration included a display of antique aircraft and cars, with some models shown from as early as 1968.

Also, at the airfield that day was a bouncy castle, other games for kids like cornhole game and a musical performance from the local band Wood “N” Nichols.

The club also offers breakfast on the second Saturday of each month for members and non-members, with eggs, bacon, sausage and more offered.

The airfield was founded in 1968 when the previous airport on Island Park in the St. John River, where Old Home Week was once held, was made inoperable due to the flooding caused by the construction of the Mactaquac Dam.

The Woodstock Fly-In event allowed visitors to participate in activities throughout the afternoon, pay for short flights over Woodstock, and watch as local and visiting pilots land and take off from the airport.

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A Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation woman says she’s been through detox and is going to rehab for her alcoholism after she was busted for impaired driving this summer.

Francine Elizabeth Francis, 46, of Kingsclear Avenue, pleaded guilty in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday to impaired driving.

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Bueno said the Fredericton Police Force received calls from motorists about an erratic driver who was all over the road on Prospect Street.

Officers responded to the area and spotted the suspect vehicle - driven by Francis - driving oddly, she said.

Police saw her car make a long, slow wide turn into a parking lot, the prosecutor said, striking the curb along the way.

Once it was in the parking lot, Bueno said, it almost struck another curb and narrowly avoided hitting another vehicle. When Francis brought the car to a stop, court heard, she parked it crookedly, diagonally across the lines of a parking spot.

Police approached her and noted signs of impairment, the prosecutor said.

“She stated her last drink was at 6 a.m.,” Bueno said.

Later, at the police station, a breathalyzer test revealed her blood-alcohol level to be 130 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. Anything 80 mg or higher is over the limit.

Bueno said the real danger Francis posed to the public June 29 is an aggravating factor in the case.

The defendant has a prior criminal record that includes a conviction for impaired driving, she said, but she noted it was quite dated.

As such, the prosecutor asked the court to impose the mandatory minimum fine and driving prohibition - which, given the breathalyzer reading, would be $1,500 and one year in Francis’ case.

Duty counsel Melinda Ponting-Moore said the offender has recognized she has a problem and has taken steps to address it.

“She’s connected to some resources [in her community],” she said.

Francis said she’s been through detox and is going to go to a rehab program for her drinking problem.

“I’m so sorry,” she told the court.

“She lives on social assistance,” Ponting-Moore said. “She needs the maximum time to pay [the fine].”

Judge Mary Jane Richards gave Francis a year to pay the $1,500 fine, noting if she makes efforts to pay regularly, she can apply for an extension if she can’t get it all paid down by then.

The judge also waived the customary 30 per cent victim-fine surcharge, which would have added $450 to Francis’ fine.

Richards also prohibited Francis from driving anywhere in Canada for a year.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A Lincoln man accused prolonged sexual abuse of his son was charged Thursday with new allegations that he possessed and made child pornography.

The 28-year-old man from Lincoln was charged this summer in Fredericton provincial court with counts of sexually assaulting his son, touching him for a sexual purpose, inviting the child to touch him sexually and committing incest.

The charges allege events in Lincoln between July 26, 2019, and Aug. 13, 2023.

The court ordered a publication ban earlier in the case to protect the identity of the complainant, and given the relationship to the defendant, the Fredericton Independent isn’t naming the accused man either.

The defendant appeared again in provincial court remotely from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre on Thursday, scheduled to elect mode of trial and enter pleas.

However, the RCMP laid new charges against him, and defence lawyer Edward Derrah asked for an adjournment of all counts so he can review the new allegations.

The new counts allege the defendant made child pornography and possessed it, again between July 26, 2019, and Aug. 13, 2023.

The charge of making child pornography notes that the material in question features images of the defendant’s son.

Judge Scott Brittain set all charges over to Oct. 19 for election and pleas.

He remanded the defendant again until that time.

After a bail hearing earlier this month, another judge ruled the defendant’s detention pending the outcome of the case was justified, though her reasons and the evidence presented at that hearing are subject to a publication ban.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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The number of Mounties policing the Moncton area may increase next year, but by a smaller number than previously planned.

Olivia Cannatella, an animal attendant with the Oromocto SPCA says the rescue organization is projecting a record year for animal surrenders.

The arrival of newcomers, from inside and outside Canada, continued to rocket New Brunswick's population into uncharted territory during the first half of 2023.

Another Progressive Conservative MLA who defied Premier Blaine Higgs on a key vote in the spring says he’ll vote with the government this fall and that makes an early election unnecessary.

Fredericton physical theatre company Solo Chicken Productions will host a four-week contemporary dance class with dance artist Raul Marquez Gaitan beginning October 14.  Solo Chicken Productions has announced a new…

The post Inclusive Community Dance with Solo Chicken Productions appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

Jessica Rhaye and the Ramshackle Parade will be playing dates in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario in October in support of the new album, Sunshine Baby. Matt Carter …

The post On Tour: Jessica Rhaye and the Ramshackle Parade appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

Doctor Mother Father will hit the road with Gizmo and Book Buddies for Maritime dates in October.  Matt Carter  Saint John garage pop trio Doctor Mother Father are teaming up…

The post On Tour: Doctor Mother Father appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

Council approves application for capital borrowing as town targets building for purchase

Woodstock council is preparing to finance the potential purchase of a building to house a new town hall.

At the Woodstock council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26, council approved a motion giving town officials the right to apply to the Municipal Capital Borrowing Board for more than a half-million dollars in funding if required.

Mayor Trina Jones explained with the time limit to apply to the borrowing board running out, council needs to approve a $575,000 application now, should the town decide to purchase the building it’s targeting.

She said the funds would cover the purchase price and possibly some renovation costs should the town complete the purchase of the building to serve as the new town hall.

Jones declined to identify the targeted building following the council meeting, saying the town still needs to complete the building inspection and finalize a sales agreement.

She and other council members have in the past expressed interest in having the new town hall in Woodstock’s downtown core, but she wouldn’t confirm if this purchase fits the bill.

Town officials have noted several times that the administration has outgrown its current town hall between the police station and fire hall on Main Street. With the expansion of Woodstock to include four new wards encompassing the surrounding local service districts, the already limited space became even more acute.

Jones said plans call for the police and fire departments to move into space vacated by town administration.

The Woodstock Police Station has already taken over the former council chambers as office space for its new Street Crime Unit, meeting and training rooms and media centre.

Council now holds its meetings at the AYR Motor Centre Gallery Room. It also announced plans to host future meetings in the outlying wards, beginning Oct. 10 at the Jacksonville United Church in Ward  3.

New Brunswick reported four new COVID-19 deaths this week, has 15 hospital unit outbreaks and 25 outbreaks in nursing homes and other vulnerable settings, but the government remains silent about what people can expect from the virus this fall and any plans to fight it.

Changes will blend the former town’s zoning and other regulations with the South Central Carleton plan regulating former LSDs

Woodstock residents have 30 days, until Oct. 27, to study and respond to amendments introducing changes to a Woodstock Municipal Plan encompassing the entire expanded community.

The process began Tuesday, Sept. 26, when Dillon Consultant’s Stephen Stone delivered a public presentation to council.

Stone explained that the draft amendments presented resulted from a “high-level overview” which kicked off in March.

He said the process included extensive land-use assessments and a series of online and in-person engagement forums to ascertain the views of all Woodstock amendments.

Stone told council the legislative process requires a 30-day comment period and public forums before both the PAC and Woodstock council.

He explained the final draft of the amended plan would consider feedback from the 30-day public comment phase and input from the PAC.

Stone said stakeholders, which include key interest groups and business and property owners, have time to study the proposed amendments and raise concerns.

The public can find details about the draft Municipal Plan amendments on the Woodstock website Town of Woodstock – Home

In its notice, the town said that details on how to inspect plan amendments can be obtained by contacting Chief Operating Officer and Director of Planning and Development Andrew Garnett by emailing [email protected] or calling 506-325-4600.

Mayor Trina Jones said the process gives residents time to ask questions and express concerns before Oct. 27. 

Stone explained that the council will review the feedback at its Nov. 14 council meeting. It will then head back to PAC on Nov. 20,

He added the public can attend council and PAC meetings.

Stone said the process calls for council to review the draft amendments on Dec. 12 and approve the first and second readings.

He explained that the third and final reading will be held in January, and changes can be made until its final approval.

Stone said the entire process would allow the town to maintain land-use legislation for the whole community under a single document.

He said rural landowners will see little change to the regulation under the South Central Carleton Plan imposed by the Western Valley Regional Service Commission.

“Those development regulations are working,” Stone said.

Stone said he and others involved in drafting the amendments consulted closely with the RSC.

He explained the amended plans aimed at preserving farm and woodlot use. It also recognized the “strong rural culture” of Woodstock’s Wards 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Stone explained the plan recognized the need to increase opportunities for housing, business development and recreation.

Rotary 4-Season Park offers year-round recreational activities

The Rotary Club of Perth-Andover’s new community park will be a recreational hub and gathering place for community members and visitors throughout the year.

The Perth-Andover Rotary 4-Season Park, located on East Riverside Drive in Southern Victoria, held its official opening on Sept. 22. 

Louiselle St. Amand, president of the Rotary Club of Perth-Andover, said the park is a long-term project to provide a recreational space for everyone to enjoy.

“We wanted to create a welcoming space for everyone,” St. Amand said. “The park is designed to be fully accessible and able to accommodate different activities throughout the year.”

The park includes a four-season paved activity court with basketball nets, a green space for other fair-weather activities, and an outdoor ice surface in the winter.

A new log pavilion constructed nearby is designed to blend into the natural surroundings. The pavilion has lights and electrical outlets for picnics, concerts, family reunions and community events.

“The new park expands existing green space facilities, including the municipal ball field and the refurbished Perth-Andover cenotaph,” said Marsha Lang, past president of the Perth-Andover club. “Rotarians have worked hard over the past five years to create the park, and we hope community members will enjoy the green space and amenities.”

“Atlantic Canada is brimming with new energy and growth,” said the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA.

“Investing in shared public spaces like the Perth-Andover Rotary 4-Season Park helps grow local economies, boost tourism and give residents more opportunities to deepen their connection to the people and places that we call home.”

“Our residents, families and communities flourish when they have community green spaces that provide opportunities for physical activity and social interaction,” said Margaret Johnson, Carleton-Victoria MLA and Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries. “We are pleased to have been a funding partner in the Rotary Club of Perth-Andover’s 4-Season Park and want to thank and congratulate the Rotarians and everyone involved in the completion of the project.”

The park is constructed on property owned by the Village of Southern Victoria, and the municipality has contributed to the improvements by installing outdoor lighting on the activity court and other improvements.

Mayor Cindy McLaughlin welcomed the upgrades to the community’s recreational space.

“Council is dedicated to making our beautiful village grow and thrive. We need attractive and welcoming green spaces to encourage people to move to Southern Victoria. I want to congratulate the Rotary Club of Perth-Andover for their dedication and commitment to improving our community,” Mayor McLaughlin said.

Phase 1 of the park project cost about $230,000, including financial commitments from the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), of $110,400 and the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) of $66,240.

An initial contribution from Dr. Oetker fund of $45,000 and a matching $45,000 from the Perth-Andover Rotary Club completed the final stages of Phase 1 and will kick off fundraising for Phase 2.

“The next phase will focus on accessible ‘movable’ washrooms and create walking paths to connect to the nearby Trans-Canada Trail, add additional picnic tables and benches to the park,” St. Amand said.

Music Runs Through It’s Uptown at Night Series continues in October with a performance by Australian chamber folk duo Charm of Finches. Matt Carter Melbourne, Australia duo Charm of Finches…

The post Australian Duo Charm of Finches Play Fredericton Oct. 4 appeared first on Grid City Magazine.

A progress report on the use of rotenone in the Miramichi River watershed to protect Atlantic salmon from an invasive species, says the first application killed 32 smallmouth bass, the targeted fish, and 514 salmon, most of them juveniles.

A Court of King's Bench judge issued an injunction on Wednesday preventing striking CUPE workers in Saint John from continuing to block city vehicles and personnel. 

Monster House Publishing and the Wabanaki Visual Arts Program to publish graduates' final projects. Mitzy’s First Time Picking Sweetgrass by Emily Johnson will be released this winter.

Jason King has filed an appeal of his conviction for criminal negligence causing the workplace death of Michael Henderson, a worker under his supervision who died on a Fredericton job site in August 2018.

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Jolleen Yeo was home at her first-floor apartment at 100 Clark St. on Thursday afternoon and was about to get in the shower when something distracted her.

“I heard a bang. It sounded like a gunshot to me,” she said Friday.

She initially paid it no mind but then saw a woman pull up in front of the building and park oddly, only to jump out of her vehicle and run past the building.

“She said, ‘Get out! Your home is on fire!’” Yeo said.

A fire had broken out on the upper level of the apartment building, burning quickly and sending flames and smoke up that could be seen from the south side of the St. John River.

The 44-unit building burned for hours. While no injuries were reported, all tenants were forced from their homes, with no timeline on their return.

“No alarms went off,” Yeo said, noting the building is outfitted with a sprinkler system, but she saw no signs that it was activated either.

Red Cross, landlord ready to help

The New Brunswick branch of the Canadian Red Cross was on site Thursday to aid displaced residents.

It estimated the total number of affected tenants at 110.

“Canadian Red Cross volunteers arranged emergency hotel lodging and meals for 20 tenants from 11 apartments, and financial aid for purchases of clothing and other essential needs for three people so far,” the Canadian Red Cross said in a news release Friday. 

“That number is expected to grow as additional Red Cross support is arranged later today (Friday) with tenants who at the time were unsure if they’d be able to access their apartments to retrieve clothing and other personal items.”

More than 70 residents from the building were able to find temporary places to stay on their own, the organization said, either with family or friends, or at hotels they booked themselves or arranged through their insurance providers.

Yeo, her partner and her 20-year-old daughter Kristina were among those who received help from the Canadian Red Cross. 

She said they put them up in a hotel room, and their stay will last until Sunday.

“Outside that, we’re looking for a new apartment,” Yeo said.

The rental market in Fredericton is tight, Yeo said, and a search for listings last night reinforced that for her.

“There’s really nothing out there,” she said. “It’s not getting any easier.”

Richard Michaud - property manager with Bella Properties, the owner of the building - said the company is working to ensure all tenants land on their feet.

“We have a new building that’s opening,” he told the Fredericton Independent on Friday.

Even more encouraging has been the response from other rental-property companies, Michaud said, noting he’d received calls from five or six of them letting him know of vacancies they have available to rehouse the displaced tenants.

Michaud said Bella is also in constant contact with its insurer, and the property-rental company is striving to ensure their clients have what they need.

He said he was on site until 11 p.m. Thursday, and he met with tenants across the street at the Jean Coutu pharmacy to ensure they got replacements for any important prescriptions.

It’s too soon to say if the apartment building can be salvaged, Michaud said, as he has to wait for word from the fire marshal’s office about the state of the burned premises.

Cause being investigated

Fredericton fire Chief Dwayne Killingbeck met with reporters at the scene of the burned building Friday afternoon, and he also noted it’s too soon to say what caused the fire or what can be done with the structure.

He said the call came in at 3:31 p.m. Thursday and the fire department had its initial personnel on the scene at 3:34 p.m.

The fire broke out on the upper level of the building, Killingbeck said, and that brings added challenges when it comes to knocking down such a blaze.

“It went immediately into the roof area,” he said. “It was immediately into the attic.”

Such open spaces in structures burn much more quickly, the chief said, and it makes it so firefighters can’t get inside a structure to deal with the flames.

“A lot of times, the roof shields the space from getting hit with the water,” he said.

Fire investigators began their examination of the site Friday morning and were continuing with the investigation throughout the day, Killingbeck said, noting he was hopeful they’d be making their determination by the end of the day Friday.

As of Friday afternoon, he said, the Fredericton Police Force hasn’t been brought in to assist with the investigation.

The chief said the initial response from the Fredericton Fire Department was 18 firefighters with five vehicles, but that grew to an even more fulsome response shortly thereafter.

Within minutes of arriving on the scene, he said, it was determined more assistance was needed, with more Fredericton firefighters being dispatched and a request was made for backup from the Oromocto Fire Department.

Oromocto sent about a dozen people, Killingbeck said, and all told, there were 50 firefighters on the scene.

The chief said he couldn’t comment on any lack of alarms going off or about the sprinkler system and whether it kicked in, noting it’s too early in the process. It’s also too soon to talk about whether the structure was in compliance with building and fire codes, he said.

The fire was brought under control around 6 p.m. Thursday, he said, but some hotspots and hidden fires kept firefighters busy through the night. The blaze was deemed to be completely extinguished shortly after 10 p.m. Thursday, he said.

Michaud confirmed the apartment building was a new one, having just opened three years ago.

He said it’s not believed any pets were harmed or lost in the fire because 100 Clark St. was a pet-free building.

A message in the aftermath

Yeo told reporters Friday it’s a difficult situation. Her family was doubly hit by the fire, as one of her daughters was renting a unit at the rear of the building. 

“I’m holding back tears,” she said.

However, she takes comfort in the fact no one was hurt and feels encouraged by the help offered by so many friends and family members.

Yeo had tenant’s insurance, she said, and she’s already been in touch with her insurer.

“My insurance adjuster has been amazing,” she said.

Yeo is a woman of faith, she said, and attends church faithfully. That’s why a discovery she and her daughter made at the rear of the building felt like a message that things would be all right.

Yeo held charred pages on which scripture passages were printed. They were pages from a Bible, mostly intact, that she just found on the ground near the building.

“We’re blessed, regardless,” Yeo said.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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