A multimillion-dollar rehabilitation of the Marysville Bridge in Fredericton was originally supposed to finish at the end of 2023, but the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says delays have prompted the need to reschedule the completion date.

New Brunswick’s auditor general, the province’s top fiscal watchdog, will come under scrutiny himself next month over the departure of a dozen staffers in his office.

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A Fredericton man whom city police arrested on a Canada-wide warrant had been wanted by federal correctional officials for an alleged parole violation, the police force reports.

The Fredericton Police Force issued an alert through social media Tuesday afternoon seeking information from the public about the whereabouts of Catlin Morehouse, 34.

It said Morehouse was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant, though the advisory didn’t indicate the grounds for the warrant.

It also warned members of the public not to approach him.

Before the afternoon was over Tuesday, the police force followed up and announced Morehouse had been located and apprehended.

City police spokesperson Sonya Gilks told the Fredericton Independent on Wednesday that Morehouse wasn’t being sought on suspicion of a new offence.

“Catlin Morehouse was arrested at a location on Fredericton’s north side on the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 15,” she wrote in an email.

“The Canada-wide warrant issued was a warrant of apprehension, suspension and recommitment to custody of day parole; therefore Mr. Morehouse will be returned to a correctional facility without additional court appearance.”

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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New Brunswick's Department of Natural Resources continues to miss its due date for releasing the state of the province's forests report. The last one was published in 2015. Since then, they've missed seven years' worth of deadlines, something the Green Party leader says shows a lack of transparency that's become a pattern.

After a year of hard work, Sitansisk artist Percy Sacobie saw his mural, depicting a Wolastoqey story of the creation of the Wolastoq and the giant beavers that once called the river home, unveiled at the Fredericton airport.

LGBTQ students, parents and supporters are applauding an advocate’s criticism of New Brunswick’s gender-identity policy, but they’re still grappling with uncertainty as another school year looms.

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A retired veteran of 30 years who admitted to driving drunk this spring told a court Tuesday he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and is working on maintaining his sobriety.

Joseph Allan Rohrback, 57, of Gilmour Street in Oromocto, pleaded guilty in Fredericton provincial court to a charge of impaired driving.

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Bueno said the RCMP received a report May 5 from a member of the public who said a belligerent man had just exited the Oromocto First Nation Lounge, stumbling to a red GMC Sierra and left the area at the wheel.

The witness provided the plate number of the Sierra, court heard, and officers went to the address connected with that vehicle, though no one was home.

As an officer left that area, Bueno said, they spotted the red Sierra and pulled it over. Rofrback was at the wheel.

“He said he’d had a couple of drinks with a buddy,” the prosecutor said, adding he told the Mountie he’d likely fail a roadside screening test.

When he was out of his truck, she said, Rohrback had to lean on the vehicle as he was unable to support himself.

A breathalyzer test later revealed his blood-alcohol level was 150 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, court heard, almost double the legal limit of 80 mg.

Rohrback told the court he was medically discharged after a 30-year career in the Canadian Forces and has post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of that work.

“I am an alcoholic,” he said, noting that at the time he drove drunk, his wife was away on a cruise and he wasn’t in a stable mindset.

Since his arrest, Rohrback said, he’s been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and working on his sobriety.

Judge Cameron Gunn said it was encouraging to hear that. Rohrback made a mistake May 5, the judge said, but he’s learned from it and has taken steps to ensure he doesn’t make the same one again.

That’s to be applauded, Gunn said.

He imposed a $1,500 - the mandatory minimum fine given the breathalyzer reading - plus a $450 victim-fine surcharge.

The judge also prohibited Rohrback from driving anywhere in Canada for the next year, another mandatory requirement for a first offence for impaired driving.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Town set to renegotiate its waste-management contract, which may limit garbage and encourage recycling

Woodstock residents in all wards may see new uniform rules surrounding waste collection as early as January 2024. Those rules may include significant restrictions for everyone.

At the Aug. 15 regular session, council gave staff the go-ahead to negotiate a new garbage collection contract with J.S. Bellis Ltd. 

Mayor Trina Jones said garbage-collections discussions became a hot topic this summer as residents in the former local service districts sought the same service received by those in Ward 4, the former Woodstock town limits. 

Under the current garbage collection contract, all residents see recycling picked up once each month. However, only residents inside the former town limits see regular garbage collected on recycling week during the summer months. 

Jones explained the town can’t extend that service beyond Ward 4 as the town does not yet control the waste-collection contract in the other wards. That contract remains under the control of the Western Valley Regional Service Commission. 

Woodstock council, the garbage-collection firm and the WVRSC agreed to renegotiate the contract, which will only expire in 2025. 

While a new contract would place residents in all wards under the same rules and regulations, it could mean significant changes for everyone. 

Jones said the most significant change could be limiting the amount of waste residents can leave at the curb for weekly collection. She explained the town needs those limitations to keep costs under control. 

Jones said Woodstock is one of a few New Brunswick municipalities without garbage limitations. Because of the limitless garbage collection, she said, the town faces an almost impossible task of budgeting for tipping fees. 

The mayor explained Plaster Rock enacted garbage limits a couple of years ago, allowing it to predict tipping rates within a ton of annual waste. 

Jones explained that under potential new rules, each resident would have a uniform garbage bin, similar to the blue recycling bins, to fill weekly. She explained homeowners could put additional waste at the curb, but they would need to purchase a ticket for the extra garbage. 

“You can put out unlimited. You just have to pay for it,” Jones said.

She said the new waste-management model would include more special pickup days and drop-off locations.

Jones said homeowners would face no limits on how much recycling they set out for collection. 

The mayor said waste-collection companies explained that without waste limits in place, homeowners often throw recyclable items into the regular garbage, significantly driving up tipping fees and driving down conservation efforts. 

Deputy Mayor Mark Rogers said other New Brunswick municipalities, and almost everyone in Nova Scotia, must divide their waste three ways — compost, recycling and regular garbage. 

He said the system encourages residents and business owners to significantly reduce what ends up in the landfill. 

Jones agreed, noting all residents pay the cost of waste. 

“All those working hard to compost and recycle pay for those who don’t,” she said. 

The mayor encouraged council members to contact residents in their wards for feedback. She said staff could utilize residents’ input during the negotiations with the waste-collection company.

The post Woodstock residents may soon face garbage restrictions first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Some New Brunswick farm owners say they've lost vegetable crops due to excessive rain this season.

UNI Financial Cooperation announced Tuesday the "immediate departure" of president and CEO Robert Moreau. This follows last month's widespread problems with UNI's new online banking platform.

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An accident that saw a car go through the wall of a downtown restaurant and injure a customer won’t result in any charges against the driver, says the Fredericton Police Force.

Police, firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to William’s Seafood on the Exhibition Grounds in Fredericton at suppertime Aug. 7 after a car, operated by a male driver, crashed through a wall of the business.

The Fredericton Police Force (FPF) reported at the time that one customer inside the restaurant sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

City police spokesperson Sonya Gilks said Wednesday investigators are still looking into the accident, but those events won’t lead to a case in provincial court against the driver.

“While the file remains under investigation, FPF is able to confirm there will be no charges associated with the incident,” she wrote in an email to the Fredericton Independent.

The restaurant was forced to close as a result of the damage to the structure, but it reopened Aug. 11.

Probe into similar crash

Meanwhile, the investigation into a similar accident in uptown Fredericton two months before the William’s Seafood incident is ongoing, Gilks said.

A tractor trailer going through the roundabout at the top of Smythe Street shortly after 6:30 a.m. June 7 went off the road and ended up crashing through the wall of the Fredericton Animal Hospital, which is in a strip mall at the corner of Smythe and Prospect streets.

The accident shut down the roundabout for hours that day, and the animal hospital for weeks.

“For the animal hospital, the file remains under investigation with no further information available at this time,” Gilks said Wednesday, declining to say if charges - be they under the Criminal Code of Canada or the provincial Motor Vehicle Act - are expected or being considered.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A Fredericton man admitted Tuesday to a bizarre series of crimes starting with a carjacking in Fredericton and leading police on a chase all the way to Salisbury last fall.

Daniel Andrew Murphy, 39, of Trailside Lane in Fredericton, appeared by telephone from jail in Fredericton provincial court.

Defence lawyer L.A. Henry said her client was changing his pleas to guilty on almost all of the charges against him, most of which stemmed from Nov. 2 events.

Murphy - a former Fredericton firefighter who was fired last fall and a one-time star pitcher for the Fredericton Royals - admitted to robbery by stealing a vehicle from Kevin Campbell by making threats of violence, an assault with a weapon (a tire punch) on Fredericton police officer Cpl. Chris Furlotte with a tire punch and obstruction of justice, offences he committed in Fredericton on the day in question.

He also pleaded guilty to robbing Holly Girouard by assaulting her with intent to steal, dangerous driving and driving while suspended, all in the Pepper Creek area; fleeing from police in Chipman; robbing Route 10 Gas and Convenience in Albright’s Corner of a bottle of Coca-Cola, three  fireworks, a bottle of motor oil, a package of cigarettes and lighters while armed with a screwdriver; and resisting arrest in Salisbury; again, all on Nov. 2.

Furthermore, Murphy admitted to assaulting Brandon Peterson in Fredericton on Oct. 7.

Judge Cameron Gunn ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence report and victim-impact statements for consideration at Murphy’s sentencing hearing, which he scheduled for Oct. 13.

He remanded the offender again until that time.

Murphy had also faced a charge of stealing a vehicle belonging to Mikayla Dejong in Fredericton on Nov. 2, but prosecutor Jennifer Bueno asked the court to reserve that count until sentencing. It’s expected the Crown will withdraw that charge at that time.

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal has ruled that sentencing judges should impose prison terms of three to eight years for robbery offences, even for first-time offenders, barring exceptional circumstances. Given that Murphy is to be sentenced for multiple robberies, it’s highly likely that he’s facing a stint in federal prison, even after he gets credit for the nine months he’s spent on remand.

Cross-province chase

Police reported in a news release last fall that officers with two forces - the Fredericton Police Force and the RCMP - dealt with a volatile situation that began in the capital Nov. 2, led police to the Minto/Chipman area and then all the way to Salisbury near Moncton.

The RCMP reported the Fredericton Police Force advised that an offender - later identified as Murphy - had carjacked the driver of a van in traffic in the capital and sped off down route 10 toward Minto.

Information on social media established the van was a commercial vehicle owned by ServiceMaster, and it was outfitted with a tracking device.

RCMP officers tracked the van as a result to Minto and attempted to arrest Murphy there, but he fled in another stolen vehicle, the release said.

Murphy then led officers on a chase back on Route 10, then on Highway 2, heading east.

Police were able to halt the vehicle in Salisbury with a tire-deflation device, the RCMP reported, and Murphy was arrested at that time. He’s remained in custody ever since.

Henry asked the court in June to order a psychiatric assessment to determine if her client might be exempt from criminal responsibility due to a mental disorder at the time of the offences.

She filed documentation with the court indicating Murphy suffered from a variety of mental-health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Henry argued that after the City of Fredericton fired Murphy in September, his health benefits lapsed in October. That cut him off from the medications he was taking for his mental illnesses, she said, and the sudden cessation of his meds led to the events of Nov. 2.

However, the court also heard that the offender had serious addiction issues and was abusing street drugs in the time leading up to his Nov. 2 spree.

A report from the Restigouche Hospital Centre - a secure psychiatric facility in Campbellton where such forensic examinations are usually conducted in New Brunswick - found Murphy wasn’t exempt from criminal responsibility.

The defence accepted that finding, which set the stage for Murphy’s guilty pleas Tuesday.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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When a Fredericton police officer tried to pull a McLeod Hill woman over earlier this year, the impaired driver tried to put her SUV in park before stopping it, a court heard Tuesday.

Kaylee Alana Reed, 29, of McLeod Hill Road, pleaded guilty in Fredericton provincial court Tuesday during her first appearance on a charge of impaired driving.

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Bueno said a city police officer spotted a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe on the road April 23 and noticed it had no rear licence plate.

As such, the prosecutor said, the officer moved to pull the vehicle over.

The driver of the Santa Fe - later identified as Reed - started to pull over to the side of the street, Bueno said, but as she did so, she tried to put the SUV in park, “causing a grinding noise.”

When the officer approached the vehicle, court heard, Reed was exhibiting clear signs of intoxication.

Reed smelled of alcohol and slurred her words, Bueno said, and she confirmed that she had been drinking.

A breathalyzer test administered later at the Fredericton police station showed Reed’s blood-alcohol level was 190 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, she said.

That’s more than double the legal limit of 80 mg.

The prosecutor said given Reed’s early guilty plea and lack of a prior criminal record, the Crown was seeking the mandatory minimum fine - which, given Reed’s elevated blood-alcohol level, was $2,000.

Impaired-driving fines start at $1,000 for lesser blood-alcohol readings.

Duty counsel Gerald Pugh said that was appropriate, noting that Reed is employed and was co-operative with police at the time of her offence.

Judge Cameron Gunn imposed the $2,000 fine, plus a required victim-fine surcharge of $600.

He also prohibited Reed from driving anywhere in Canada for a year.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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The new rapidly rising COVID-19 Omicron subvariant, EG.5, now dominant in the United States and declared a variant of interest by the World Health Organization, has hit New Brunswick.

Construction crews are busy this summer clearing and resurfacing a section of a cycling trail that will eventually connect Mill Creek Park in Riverview to Parlee Beach Provincial Park.

The Higgs government has doubled its spending and staffing on Indigenous issues since it took power, with little visible progress to show for it.

Hampton is the latest community to be recognized as "age-friendly" by New Brunswick.

Invasive smallmouth bass have been target of rotenone applications that were cancelled or suspended over past three years at lake.

Acadians remember their ancestors and think of the future during Aug. 15 celebrations.

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A Fredericton man who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant has been arrested, the Fredericton Police Force reported within a couple of hours of its initial plea for tips on his whereabouts.

The force issued an advisory on social media Tuesday afternoon stating that there was an outstanding, Canada-wide arrest warrant for Catlin Morehouse, 34, though it didn’t reveal on what charge he’s wanted.

Morehouse has no active files before the Fredericton courts at present, though he has been prosecuted for break-ins in Fredericton and Saint John in recent years.

“Police are warning the public to not approach the suspect,” the force said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

However, in a followup post the same afternoon, the police force advised Morehouse had been located and apprehended.

Fredericton police spokesperson Sonya Gilks said the suspect was arrested in Fredericton. The force was silent on the circumstances of his apprehension and again what charge or charges he might face.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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Acadians all over New Brunswick are marking National Acadian Day, or le Quinze Août, with events throughout the province celebrating Acadian history and culture.

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A volatile defendant in custody on charges including sexual assault and uttering threats was just as disruptive in court in person Monday as he has been remotely from jail.

Joshua Daniel Grant Burden, 48, of no fixed address, was brought to Fredericton provincial court in person Monday for a bail hearing.

The hearing stemmed from charges laid recently alleging he threatened provincial court Judge Scott Brittain, tried to intimidate him and breached his probation in the process, all on June 19.

Nova Scotia provincial court Judge Diane McGrath, who’d been brought in to deal with the case given the threat against the New Brunswick judge, had attempted to deal with the bail hearing last Thursday.

However, the unruly defendant, appearing in court by video at that time, wasn’t co-operative, ranting and cursing after he thought the judge referred to him by the wrong name, when in fact she’d been talking to the prosecutor at that time.

McGrath, who noted she’d be on vacation for three weeks beginning Monday, set the bail hearing over to Monday, and the judge ordered that Burden be brought to court in person in the hope that he’d be calmer and that communication would be clearer.

But Judge Pierre Arseneault, who normally presides over provincial court in Moncton, discovered  Monday that wasn’t going to be the case.

“He’s asking to be released,” said duty counsel Gerald Pugh.

Burden wants to live in the Saint John area now, Pugh said, but later in the proceedings, the defendant insisted he had a place to live on Two Nations Crossing.

The June 19 counts allege offences when Burden was in court to answer to other outstanding charges.

Those counts include breaking into City Auto on Main Street and stealing a vehicle belonging to Nicolas McPhee on April 19; sexually assaulting a woman June 6; uttering threats to Eric Lanteigne and Terri-Lynn Stewart, and breaching a no-contact order with the sex-assault complainant on June 7; as well as related counts of probation violation.

The identity of the complainant listed in the sex-assault charge is protected by a court-ordered publication ban.

During Monday’s proceedings, Burden kept insisting he couldn’t have committed the earlier crimes because he was incarcerated at the Saint John jail then.

“There’s a big mixup here,” he said, reiterating he was arrested last October and has been in custody since that time.

However, he also said Monday and during previous court appearances he had been at the Oak Centre this spring and that the sexual contact alleged in the June 6 charge was consensual, which contradicts his assertion he’s been in jail since last fall.

Arseneault said the court file shows Burden has been in custody since June, not October.

Burden grew increasingly agitated and irate as Monday morning’s proceedings wore on, cursing while he contended he couldn’t have committed the earlier crimes.

“That’s why I got heated with the judge,” he said, referring to Brittain and the events of June 19. “It don’t make no sense. This is a witch hunt.”

Burden tried to deny the charges against him, while also acknowledging he went too far when he was before Brittain June 19.

“I plead not guilty to everything except threatening a judge,” he said, but then he changed his mind, and denied all of the charges, including those stemming from his comments to Brittain.

Arseneault said the court would proceed with the bail hearing as planned, and prosecutor Matthew Paik noted it was a reverse-onus situation.

That means rather than the Crown having to show why Burden’s detention is justified, the defendant instead must demonstrate to the court why his detention isn’t necessary. 

Burden became further enraged, yelling and cursing as deputy sheriffs removed him forcibly from the courtroom when the judge ordered him taken out.

As he was pulled from the courtroom, the defendant said something about punching someone’s “fucking face off,” but it wasn’t clear to whom he was referring.

He said something similar about Brittain on June 19.

“There’s no way we can deal with Mr. Burden,” Arseneault said, due to “that outburst, that attitude.”

He said Section 650 of the Criminal Code of Canada allows the court to go ahead with matters in his absence if he persists in disrupting the proceedings.

Arseneault said he was going to delay the bail hearing given the situation, setting it over to Aug. 28. At that time, he said, Burden would appear remotely by video from jail, giving him another chance to participate in the bail hearing in the hope that he’d contain his outbursts.

“If he doesn’t, he’s going to be silenced,” Arseneault said, referring to the option of muting the defendant during the video conference.

Paik said one of the reasons Burden was brought to court in person Monday was because he’d previously hung up during remote appearances.

“Well, if he hangs up, he obviously doesn’t want to participate,” the judge said, noting the prognosis for an orderly court appearance in person isn’t promising.

The bail hearing is something of a moot point, as Burden had already been denied release on the charges that pre-date the June 19 incident.

Arseneault noted Burden has twice been assessed by forensic psychiatrists and has been found fit to stand trial.

Despite comments Burden made Monday, the judge didn’t record his pleas.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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There’s been no sighting of or contact with a Kingsley man since late June, the Fredericton Police Force reports, and investigators are turning to the public for help in finding him.

The city police force issued an advisory through social media Tuesday morning noting that Jeremy Sorensen, 36, has been reported as a missing person.

“Sorensen was last heard from on June 29,” a Facebook post stated.

The force is hoping the public can provide information that might lead to Sorensen being found, it said.

Sorensen was described as six feet tall, weighing about 200 pounds, physically fit, with dark hair, a black beard and brown eyes.

The news release also stated Sorensen is missing a front tooth, and he has his surname tattooed on his left calf. 

Anyone with information on Sorensen’s whereabouts is urged to contact with the Fredericton Police Force at 506-460-2300.  Those wishing to provide tips anonymously can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Tipsters should cite file number 23-19481.

The Fredericton Independent can be reached by email here.

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Some Dieppe residents were without water service part of Monday and are now under a boil water advisory until further notice, following a water main break on Amirault Street.

Dozens of unionized nursing home workers rallied Monday in Moncton, saying contract talks are stalled over wages.

Half of New Brunswick's provincial park beaches are closed to swimming because of high fecal bacteria levels, including Oak Bay, which had a recent test result more than 156 times the national guidelines.

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A Lower Kingsclear man who denied robbery and other criminal counts Monday continued to complain to a judge about being remanded pending the outcome of his criminal case.

Kyle Joseph McKay, 39, of Route 102, elected Monday to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to counts of robbery, possession of a weapon (a screwdriver) for the purpose of committing an offence and face-masking during an offence.

The charges stem from an alleged robbery at Scholten’s Convenience in Hanwell on April 22.

Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan estimated the trial would take about a day and a half of court time.

A recently instituted policy in Fredericton provincial court calls for judges to hold case-management conferences ahead of any trials expected to go beyond a half day.

Judge Cameron Gunn scheduled the conference in McKay’s case for Aug. 24.

He said a trial date would be set at that case-management conference.

McKay, now represented by Fredericton defence lawyer T.J. Burke, appeared in court Monday by telephone from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre.

He insisted a trial date be scheduled as quickly as possible.

“I’ve been in custody for 115 days as of today,” McKay said.

His preference would have been a judge and jury trial in the Court of King’s Bench, he said, but he was told it would take much longer to take his case to trial in that manner at the higher level of court.

Given the extra delay that would entail, he said, he opted for a trial in provincial court, without a jury.

McKay’s case stalled for a couple of months after he and his previous defence counsel, Hampton lawyer David Lutz, parted ways. 

Lutz asked to be removed from the record during a court proceeding two months ago. What caused the rift between McKay and Lutz was never detailed in court.

Burke noted Monday his firm recently accepted a certificate from the New Brunswick Legal Aid Services Commission to represent McKay.

During that June appearance, McKay also complained about his detention on the charges and pleaded with Judge Scott Brittain at that time to release him from custody, despite the fact that he’d already been denied release after a bail hearing.

“I’m losing everything in my life,” McKay told court June 2.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A Saint John man alleged to have been found with a significant amount of fentanyl in Fredericton as well as a violent knife assault will stand trial in the capital this fall.

Jahvon Diego Lasalle, 23, of Carleton Street in Saint John, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone from jail Monday to elect mode of trial and enter pleas on three indictable charges.

He’s accused of possessing fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, damaging a metal box and ceiling belonging to the City of Fredericton and assaulting William Woodcock with a weapon - namely, a knife.

The counts all allege offences in Fredericton on April 30.

Lasalle, represented by Fredericton defence lawyer T.J. Burke, elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Judge Cameron Gunn initially suggested a trial date of Oct. 27, but prosecutor Rodney Jordan, while noting that Crown witnesses would be available, said it was unlikely the suspected drugs seized in the investigation would have completed the testing process at a police lab.

The lab is quite busy, he said, and requests for testing aren’t submitted until a defendant pleads not guilty.

Gunn scheduled Lasalle’s trial for Nov. 8 instead and remanded him again until that time.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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A Boiestown man earned a 30-day stint behind bars Thursday for his second impaired-driving offence, and his request to serve the time on weekends was denied.

Skyler Eric O’Donnell, 30, of Route 625, previously pleaded guilty to a Feb. 27, 2022, count of having an elevated blood-alcohol level within two hours of driving.

He was back before Judge Natalie LeBlanc on Thursday for his sentencing hearing.

Crown prosecutor Blake Johnston said a Fredericton police officer was on patrol shortly after 9 p.m. Feb. 27, 2022, when he spotted a 2011 Dodge Caliber driving without its headlights on, so the officer pulled the vehicle over.

The first thing the officer noticed in the car, the prosecutor said, was a full, one-litre bottle of Smirnoff Ice.

O’Donnell was at the wheel, court heard, and he provided his licence, insurance card and registration.

The officer noticed the driver’s movements were rather slow, Johnston said, so he inquired about whether O’Donnell had been drinking.

“He said he hadn’t been drinking but rather that his passengers had been drinking, and he was the sober driver,” Johnston said.

Nevertheless, court heard, the officer still suspected O’Donnell might be under the influence, so he made a demand for a breath test in a roadside screening device.

O’Donnell failed that test, the prosecutor said.

A later breathalyzer test at the police station revealed his blood-alcohol level to be 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, which is the minimum level at which someone is determined to be impaired.

Normally, that would attract a minimum fine of $1,000 and a one-year driving ban, but the problem in O’Donnell’s case was his criminal record.

Johnston said the defendant has a prior conviction for the same offence in recent years, and police gave O’Donnell notice the Crown would be seeking a greater penalty as mandated under the Criminal Code of Canada: 30 days in jail and a two-year prohibition against driving.

Defence lawyer Emily Cochrane said unfortunately, the court’s hands were tied, as it was obligated to impose the 30-day jail term.

However, she asked LeBland to consider making that jail term an intermittent one, allowing her client to serve the time on weekends.

The defence lawyer said O’Donnell has been in treatment for drug issues, and he has a line on two possible avenues of employment, and the intermittent sentence would allow him to pursue them.

Johnston opposed an intermittent sentence, noting such an exception should be reserved for cases in which it’s appropriate. Generally, he said, intermittent sentences are granted to allow people to maintain employment, and that’s not the case for O’Donnell.

LeBlanc agreed with the Crown, noting sentences have to be imposed to deter people from driving drunk.

“We’re going in the wrong direction with impaired driving,” she said, noting the courts and police are seeing instances on the rise despite the greater awareness of the dangers such crimes pose to the community at large.

“You’re effectively turning your car into a weapon.”

Intermittent sentences should be imposed rarely, the judge said, and there’s no documentation before the court to confirm the treatment program or potential employment awaiting O’Donnell.

Furthermore, she said, she had concerns about whether the offender would follow the terms of an intermittent sentence.

“When I look at your record, you have more than one breach of a court order,” LeBlanc said.

She imposed the required 30-day jail term as straight time, and barred O’Donnell from driving for two years.

The judge also warned him such criminal conduct can’t and won’t be tolerated in the future.

“I’ll tell you sir, you can’t do this again,” she told O’Donnell.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at [email protected].

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More than seven months after the systemic racism commissioner's report was released, the New Brunswick government still can’t say what, if anything, it plans to do with her findings and recommendations.

A photo gallery at the Fredericton Exhibition Centre shows life in Fredericton from the 1860s to the early 2010s.

An accident on the Confederation Bridge Sunday brought traffic to a halt, but one lane is now open.

New Brunswick RCMP are blaming a technical error for problems with an Alert Ready message issued on Wednesday in the area of Cloverdale, N.B., east of Hartland. RCMP issued a statement on the matter Friday.

A convicted murderer walked away from the minimum security Dorchester Penitentiary in Dorchester, N.B., Saturday, but was quickly apprehended, according to a news release from the Correctional Service of Canada.

The search for New Brunswick’s provincial bird began in 1981 when the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists, now called Nature N.B., held a mail in poll for people to vote on what bird should receive the honour.

According to a report by the Maytree Foundation, New Brunswickers on social assistance receive the lowest welfare payments in Canada.

Ethan Morrison is no fan of three-ring binders. The 18-year-old is left-handed, and binders are just one more reminder of the challenges that he faces in a right-handed world.

Recent UFO hearings in the U.S. have some people in Fredericton wondering if their neighbours, friends or even their pets are from another planet.

There aren't many people like Barbski.

A body has been found near Portage Island, in the area where New Brunswick RCMP continued to search for two elderly brothers who failed to return from a fishing outing Monday afternoon. The men are presumed dead.

Freeman Patterson is one of Canada’s most acclaimed photographers and has taught photography around the world. His story is now being told in a new documentary directed by fellow New Brunswick photographer Scott Munn.

Saint John-raised author Josh O'Kane explores the story behind Google's failed attempt to build a smart city on Toronto's waterfront, complete with heated sidewalks, ultra energy-efficient heating and cooling, and equipped with smart everything. 

About 100 people gathered on the dock at the end of the Market Wharf in Saint Andrews to see a new hybrid lobster boat. The boat was a joint effort between Aspin Kemp & Associates and the Peskotomuhkati Nation.

A decision by the federal government to send epidemiologists to New Brunswick to review the files of a Moncton neurologist who has reported mysterious brain symptoms affecting his patients comes months after he asked the province for help and was instead allegedly threatened with discipline by his employer, internal government correspondence obtained by CBC News reveals.

The Newcomer Summit in Fredericton this week drew more than 300 immigrants eager help lay the foundation for a more inclusive society, where people new to the region can succeed and want to stay.

RCMP continue their previously suspended search for men believed to be dead

As a new jail is slated for the rural community of Minto, locals are excited for change.

The P.E.I. Court of Appeal has ruled a lawsuit over a fatal accident at Oyster Bed Speedway a decade ago can continue.

The fall lobster fishery in the Northumberland Strait will begin Sunday following days of delay due to poor weather.

The minister of education has not yet read gender-identity policies passed by education councils that undo changes he made, and it's still not clear which version of the policy will be in effect when the school year starts next month.