Province does not want to own the morrissy Bridge

March 4, 2009

The province may not know the cost to demolish the Morrissy Bridge, they just know they don't want to own it.

Last week the Transportation Department gave the results of an engineering study on the bridge piers to Miramichi Centre MLA John Foran who in turn passed them along to the group that wants to save the bridge for pedestrian use.

Department spokesman Andrew Holland said they gave the group time to come up with a plan to save the bridge, but the province made it clear they don't want to own it.

"We don't want to be on the hook for anything in terms of liability wise."

The Morrissy Bridge was slated for demolition in December due to structural problems that made it unsafe for vehicle traffic, but local interest in using it as a pedestrian crossing saved it from the wrecking ball.

The Miramichi Trails Coalition was waiting for the results of an engineering study on the bridge piers to evaluate the extent of repairs needed to make them safe.

Transportation Minister Denis Landry said his department hasn't given the trails coalition a time limit to come up with a plan, but they expect to hear back from them with a plan for the bridge around April or May.

"We're not pushing them, but we're expecting they will be back at us in no time now because they have everything they asked for."

The trails coalition requested the study at the Transportation Department's expense, he said.

"The thing we've done there is they've choosed the consultant and I've paid for it."

Although the bridge was slated for demolition, Holland said he didn't know how much it would have cost to tear it down.

"We didn't know the full cost because it wasn't tendered."

But he did say the cost of tearing it down was budgeted for this year.

"We'll give them the time that they need to come back to us with a proposal or some different suggestions and then go from there."

Holland reaffirmed the province does not want the bridge as an asset on their books and said if any groups come forward with a plan they will hold discussions.

"The government of New Brunswick or the Department of Transportation will not be liable for the future use of that structure."

Mike Mersereau is part of the group trying to save the bridge and said the report showed only one of the piers near the Chatham Head side of the bridge needed serious work, "It doesn't look so concerning or daunting as might have first been expected."

The trails coalition received the short report last week and hope to meet soon to come up with a plan, he said.

"Our members of the coalition are trying to digest the report."

Mersereau said the next step for the coalition is to work on funding for repairs and conversion into a pedestrian bridge.

"The Department of Transportation would like us to move quickly on letting them know what we'd like to do."

But before they talk to engineers about doing the necessary work on the bridge the group needs to develop a trails plan, he said.

"We're moving closer to getting a better understanding of what it would cost us, but we don't have a full picture yet."

Former Miramichi Mayor John McKay said when the Miramichi Bridge was built there was no discussion about keeping the Morrissy Bridge only if a private group took responsibility for it.

"Private groups don't take responsibility for provincial highways."

When the province was working on plans for the Miramichi Bridge, there was no talk of tearing the Morrissy Bridge down, he said.

"It was never the intention that the province would stop maintaining."

McKay said the Princess Margaret Bridge is in need of repairs and there are no talks of turning it over to a private group.

"So how come it's OK for Fredericton to maintain a very very viable structure and not for Miramichi?"

NSWC rejects facility tender

March 4, 2009

The deadline for tenders has come and gone, but there is still no plan in place to build a new solid waste facility.

Almost a year after the province committed $1 million to the construction of a new material recovery facility the Northumberland Solid Waste Commission only received one tender for the project.

Feb. 23 was the deadline and the commission board met Thursday to look over the bid and decide if they wanted to accept it.

Commission chair Lévis Savoie said the board rejected the proposal, but would not say why.

"I can't answer more than that."

In anticipation of media queries, the board prepared a statement for Savoie, but did not provide any details about their decision.

"The Northumberland Solid Waste Commission will continue to pursue other options as there were no compliant proposals received in response to our request for proposals for design, construction, and operation of the Northumberland Materials Recovery Facility," the statement read.

Envirem Technologies senior engineer Rod Fry confirmed his company submitted the one tender, but he didn't know why it was rejected.

"I don't have any other information."

Savoie said the board will decide how to proceed now that they have rejected the one tender.

"I don't know nothing before the next step."

The board is expected to meet again next month, but Savoie said he couldn't discuss any details of how they will proceed once they do meet.

"We're working on stuff that we can't release."

When the province announced its commitment to the facility last February, it included the use of renewable energy sources and compostable toilets to reduce its carbon footprint.

The intent was to design a facility that would divert organic waste from the landfill to large-scale composting facilities.

They anticipated the new facility would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 162,000 tonnes and would extend the current landfill's life by 22 per cent.

When they sent out their request for tenders, the commission was looking for two proposals. They were to consider options for a separate company to build and run the facility or to have a separate company just build the facility and the commission would operate it.

It is unclear if Envirem Technologies submitted tenders for both options.

Environment Department bioscience sector manager Mark Boldon said the province's solid waste commissions have some accountability to the province and have to submit reports.

"I believe an annual report has to be produced."

Each of the commissions also has to develop and follow a set of bylaws, he said.

"In essence what the regulations give them is a set of guidelines they have to follow."

Boldon said he didn't know if the commissions are required to disclose any information about tenders, but he did confirm they have to follow the guidelines set out under the provincial Public Purchasing Act.

"They have to follow the requirements under that."

The Northumberland Solid Waste Commission board is comprised of local officials who represent different areas around the county listed as follows:

Lévis Savoie - Village of Neguac

Scott Clowater - Upper Miramichi

Jocelyne Bourque - Village of Rogersville

Deputy Mayor Nancy Lordon - City of Miramichi

Elphège Sippley - Baie Ste Anne LSD

Hilda Robichaud - Fair Isle LSD

Jonathan Brennan - Village of Blackville

Charles Stewart - Village of Doaktown

Helen Ward-Wakelin - First Nations

Mike MacKenzie - Sunny Corner LSD

N.B. residents want pesticide ban, according to poll results

March 4, 2009

Cosmetic pesticides may help lawns look nice, but a recent survey shows most New Brunswickers want them banned.

The Canadian Cancer Society, New Brunswick Lung Association and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment released the survey results which showed 79 per cent of people surveyed support a provincial ban on cosmetic pesticides.

Conservation Council of New Brunswick science advisor Inka Milewski said she wasn't surprised by the survey results.

"We have been working on this issue for a very long time."

Several municipalities around the province have already implemented pesticide bans, including St. Andrews and Shediac, she said.

"This is the trend towards these bans and the province needs to get on board and take some leadership with this."

Milewski said the province is slated to make an announcement on cosmetic pesticide use this spring and she hopes they will initiate a ban.

"Ideally the ban should have been in effect 10 years ago or longer."

Quebec initiated a ban on cosmetic pesticide use in 2006 and Ontario included the sale of pesticides for lawn care and landscape purposes in the ban they instituted in 2008.

The scientific journal "Canadian Family Physicians" conducted a survey of studies on the effects of pesticides and concluded most showed a link between pesticides and cancer, she said.

"Children are the most vulnerable to pesticide exposure and it just makes sense to remove these from their environment."

Milewski said there is also evidence of links between pesticide use and effects on the nervous systems.

Even if signs are posted warning of pesticide use the chemicals linger for a long time and can drift when sprayed, she said. "It's just something that shouldn't be used."

Milewski said the government should do more to educate the public about the risks of pesticide use so they are aware of the dangers.

"I think part of the problem is this evidence is not as widely known or advertised as it should be," she said.

Miramichi public works director Frank Duffy said the city doesn't have a ban on pesticides, but they only use them in extreme cases.

"I think there was maybe one or two occasions where we have."

City workers either pull weeds out or cut them off instead of spraying them, but they did have a few places where there were too many for the staff to handle by hand, he said.

"It just got to the point where it was impossible to do."

Duffy said manually removing weeds does a take a lot of work.

"It places a much larger demand on our workforce when we do that."

But the public works department tries to be a good corporate citizen when it comes to cosmetic pesticide use, he said.

"Like everybody else we're concerned about the environment."

Ipsos Reid conducted the survey Dec. 5-9, 2008 and sampled 438 New Brunswickers. The poll is considered accurate with plus or minus 4.7 per cent 19 times out of 20.

Province releases guidelines for student travel

March 4, 2009

Local school officials are happy with the province's changes to extra curricular travel, says the superintendent for District 16.

The province released its new travel guidelines Friday to improve safety after last year's fatal crash involving students from Bathurst. Seven basketball players from the Bathurst High School Phantoms team and their coach's wife were killed when the passenger van they were travelling in was hit by a transport after it lost control on a slippery highway minutes from home.

Superintendent Laurie Keoughan said the new policies mean every district in the province will be following the same guidelines.

"We're pleased with it."

Under the new guidelines drivers who transport students will need to get mandatory training, vehicles used must have winter tires and schools will no longer be able to use 15 passenger vans.

Schools will still be responsible for maintenance costs on the vehicles they use, but work will have to be done by the Department of Transportation.

As part of the new regulations, the province will also be buying 15 passengers vans from any schools that still have them, although a ban was already in place against their use since the accident.

Keoughan said James M. Hill and North and South Esk Regional School were the only ones in the district that still had the vans.

"We didn't have that many in the district anyway," he said.

Since the province initiated its ban, three schools bought mini buses and most of the other schools were using buses for extra-curricular travel, he said.

"There have been purchases of the multifunctional vehicles since then," Keoughan said.

Education Department spokesperson Valerie Kilfoil said only 12 schools throughout the province still had the 15 passenger vans.

"Some had gotten rid of theirs already. Not every school had one anyway," she said.

In the past, whoever owned the vehicles used for transportation chose where to have maintenance done, but the new policies mean everyone will use the same maintenance guidelines, she said.

"Now they will all get standardized maintenance which gives us a bit more control and certainly higher quality."

Like other superintendents around the province Keoughan is now responsible for deciding if travel will be cancelled due to weather and unless he authorizes it, travel will be not be allowed between 12 to 6 a.m.

Keoughan said District 16 had a policy in place for extra-curricular travel, but the recent announcement standardizes them across the province.

"I think it's as equitable as it can be."

Kilfoil said the new policies outline the decision making process for student travel and how it's going to work.

"We've had a lot of meetings with superintendents on how to proceed," she added.

Some of the guidelines, like winter tire use and the ban on 15 passenger vehicles were already in place before the province's announcement, she said.

"There's a few new things that are coming into effect."

A coroner's inquest into the Bathurst accident will be held May 4-15 and the province will review the policies once the inquest is finished.

Husband looks for answers in wife's death

March 2, 2009

Years after having the last of three children, Paula McIntyre underwent surgery to tighten up the skin on her stomach.

She died less than two weeks later.

Now her husband Dale is looking for answers as to why his wife didn't get the care she needed before her death.

Paula had a blood disorder called cold agglutinin that can cause blood to clot if the body gets too cold. She discovered she had the disorder after her third child was born and the doctors were aware of it when she went in for the surgery.

A surgeon performed the operation at the Chaleur Regional Hospital in Bathurst on Feb. 2 and she left the hospital the next day.

"She was in pain after that," Dale said.

Before Paula left the hospital, she was given Tylenol 3 for the pain but Dale said it got so bad she ran out three days later.

By that time she was complaining about back pain and went back to Bathurst to see the surgeon as soon as she could, Dale said.

"She explained to him because she never had back problem before."

Paula also went to see her family doctor when her legs started to swell to the point she could hardly walk.

"Her thighs were rubbing together because they were so swollen from retaining fluid."

Dale said neither of the doctors performed any tests to find out what was wrong with his wife.

"I find it just a pure shame."

Despite her medical condition, Paula was no stranger to surgery. She had ceasarian sections for each of her children and also had a breast reduction, all without any of the problems she experienced after the tummy tuck.

Before undergoing the procedure, she researched it and spoke with people who had the surgery to make sure it would be safe and she would know what to expect.

But somewhere along the way something went wrong and she died when a blood clot went into her lung.

The coroner has completed an autopsy and although he has spoken with him, Dale doesn't expect to see a copy of the results for a few months.

Dale said he thinks his wife was overlooked when she went to the doctors for help and he doesn't understand why they didn't look after her.

"I want to ask why she wasn't taken care of and why she was sent home to die. "

When Paula went to the hospital, the swelling in her legs was so bad she could hardly walk, but Dale said her doctor still didn't admit her to the hospital.

"We were disappointed when she didn't admit her."

On the day she died, Feb. 12, then days after the surgery, Paula and Dale were at home when he decided to go down to the basement to watch a movie. Paula was upstairs in the bathroom where she fell and yelled out for help.

Dale heard her and ran upstairs to find her on the bathroom floor. He said he tried to do CPR to resuscitate her, but there was nothing he could do.

"She died in my arms."

Dale now wants a coroner's inquest to look into the treatment his wife received as she sought help from doctors.

"It's not going to bring Paula back, but I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through."

Dale said before she started to have problems his wife was happy with how the surgery turned out.

"She didn't have to die that way."

Public Safety Department spokesman Daniel Lessard confirmed there is an investigation going on, but he couldn't give a timeframe for when they will release the findings and said his department doesn't comment on specific cases.

"After a sudden and unexpected death a local coroner is investigating and when he's done the case will be reviewed by the office of the chief coroner and they will communicate the results to the family members."

As for the possibility of a coroner's inquest, Lessard said the coroner will determine if one is necessary after he completes his investigation.

"There is an inquest if the coroner determines that it would be beneficial in addressing community concern about the death and assisting in finding information about the deceased or the circumstances around the death."

The grieving husband and father hopes he gets answers and said he doesn't want what happened to his wife to happen to anyone else. He adds he believes the medical system "pretty much failed her."

The coroner and Chaleur Regional Hospital were contacted, but both said they were not able to comment on the case.

Technology drives journalism class

March 2, 2009

When Miramichi students make headlines these days, they really make headlines.

Since last year, students at four area high schools have been producing news stories as part of a broadcast journalism course.

Jamie O'Toole is one of the course's instructors who spreads his time between James M. Hill, Miramichi Valley High, North and South Esk Regional and Blackville schools.

Students at each of the schools take part in the class through a live camera feed so they can interact with their distant classmates.

O'Toole said the students can see what happens in the other classrooms and he can send information to every student's computer when he needs to.

"There's no barrier there anymore. It's pretty much seamless."

As he started the class Friday afternoon, O'Toole did a quick check of the other schools to see which ones were online and had them bring the camera around so he could see who was in the other classrooms.

A TV in the corner of his room displayed the feed and the students' voices came through clear as they unmuted their microphone to check in.

The students knew what work they needed to do so O'Toole didn't have much in the way of instructing that day.

While the class works away every one of the microphones is muted until someone needs to talk and as soon as they do, the camera flips to a feed of their room so the rest of the group can see who is talking.

As the students and teachers respond to each other the camera feed flips back and forth between them.

"It's real time," O'Toole said.

Throughout the course students learn the different concepts of doing a video story, do podcasts, write blogs and create photo galleries on the course's website.

O'Toole said the instructors start by teaching the basics of writing, but they also get the technical skills needed to do stories.

"They also get the experience of using the equipment, of using the cameras."

When they start the course, each student is assigned a school in the area to cover and they do stories for that school, he said.

"It's worked well. From that process we've been able to highlight things happening at every school."

Grade 12 student Schacel Despres is in the journalism course and as she sat in the school's studio surrounded by sound equipment and news set complete with anchor desk and Centennial Bridge backdrop she said people don't realize how much effort goes into making the news.

"I find when you watch the news or read the newspaper it seems like it's done so easily," she said.

Despres didn't have an interest in journalism before she started the course and said she took it because she wants to go into theatre and the class will give her experience in front of a camera.

"Now that I'm in it I find it much more interesting." The only story Despres has written since starting the class in early February was about the Spread the Net campaign to raise money for mosquito nets and she said it was one of the recommended stories on the class website.

"I was pretty proud of myself."

Grade 11 student Brittany Cormier said she took the class because she is interested in video work and writing and the course is a combination of both.

"I had friends who were in it the first year it came out and it seemed pretty interesting."

The first story she did was about the Maritime Idol competition and she admitted to being a little nervous about people reading it once it was online.

"Your first article, I guess I really haven't written them before and I wasn't sure if it was good," Cormier said.

Out of the six students in the James M. Hill classroom she was the only one considering a career in journalism once she leaves high school and might do a co-op program in it next year if she likes the course.

"By then I'll probably decide," said Cormier.

In the past Live at 5 visited the school and broadcast from their studio, which gave the students a chance to work with the CTV crew.

O'Toole said the students also visited the CBC studio in Fredericton and even produced a segment for that night's newscast.

"It's exciting for the kids," the teacher said.

But while they are at school, the students produce their own content and generate their own story ideas, he said.

"I've been really impressed with the content they've produced."

New school for Burnt Church

Feb. 27, 2009

There were a lot of smiling faces in the Burnt Church First Nation school Thursday morning as Indian Affairs and Nothern Development Minister Chuck Strahl announced a new school for the community.

A loud roar filled the gym as the students, teachers and other members of the community cheered after Strahl made the long awaited announcement.

With a price tag of around $10 million the new facility will replace the aging school used by the community's students from kindergarten to Grade 8.

Strahl stood in front of a Conservative blue backdrop with the words "Improving the Quality of Life" in bold letters printed on it as he told the people in attendance the new school is the first announcement the federal government has made since the budget passed.

"In Burnt Church you've been very patient.

You've been asking for a new school for a long time and it's been on the top of our priority list for a long time."

The community has already done a lot of the work needed to get the school built, including the building design and an assessment of what facilities are needed in the school, he said.

"All of that has helped us be ready for this moment."

After Strahl's announcement, Chief Wilbur Dedam said the community has waited a long time to get a new school.

"I want to thank you Minister Strahl for placing native education on a higher platform."

The community has made strides to improve the academic achievements and have been working hard to gather the resources needed, he said and thanked the parents for sticking with the school despite the problems it has faced in the past.

"We have the best staff, the best students and because of you Minister Strahl we will have the best school."

Miramichi MP Tilly O'Neill-Gordon is a former teacher at the Burnt Church First Nation School and was also on hand for the announcement.

She said although the building doesn't look that bad on the surface, there are concerns about its condition, including problems with the electrical system, air quality and past flooding.

"It really is a necessity for the area."

Being a former teacher, she said she knows what it is like for the staff and students at the school.

"I know the conditions that we struggled with."

While the government was keeping tight lipped about the plan prior to the announcement, Burnt Church First Nation education director Simon Dedam said he was glad to hear they had approved a new school.

"We're ready to start building.

This is one of the projects the federal government refers to as shovel ready. "

As for Strahl making the trip to announce the new school in person, Simon said he heard about the minister's visit on Monday and was impressed the minister took the time to go to Burnt Church.

"I'm glad the federal government is making a big deal out of it because it's a big deal for us."

During a question and answer period after the announcement, Strahl said the regional office will handle the money for the school, not the band council.

"They'll go through a regular tendering process so people will be able to bid on this based on the design work that's already been done and the region will handle the contracting of it and the following it through to completion."

There are expectations on whoever wins the contract to deliver the school on time and on budget, he said.

"As we have on every step,we work closely with band and council and make sure that the needs are met and there are no surprises here."

Strahl said there are concerns from time to time in different places about money being misspent, but he congratulated the chief and council on their handling of finances.

"I tip my hats off to chief and council on the work that they've been doing on money management and how they handle finances.

They've done exemplary work. If people want to come and find a good example of work that can be done by people dedicated to doing a good job and handling money it's here in Burnt Church."

When a reporter asked if Burnt Church was chosen for a new school because it is in a Conservative riding, Strahl said he works off a priority list the different regions give him and the school was first on the list since before the Conservatives won the riding.

"People can be very confident it's based on the needs of the students and nothing else."

Lost citizen turns sights on permanent residency

A Miramichi woman who lost her citizenship as a teen is still fighting to get it back.

Theresa Kenney doesn't receive the same health care coverage as other New Brunswickers because despite being born in Canada she is not a Canadian citizen.

At 92, Kenney said she pays about $200 a month for medication and health care is the big issue as she tries to regain her citizenship.

"I would like to get medicare above all things."

Kenney was born in the Miramichi, but when her father died her mother moved the family to Boston so she could find work.

Kenney was only 13 at the time.

When her mother became a U.S. citizen, Kenney did too and the family had to renounce their Canadian citizenship. Because she was a minor, Kenney wasn't aware of the long-term implications of giving up her Canadian citizenship and she has been fighting to get it back since returning to Miramichi in 2003.

While she tries to regain her citizenship, Kenney can apply for permanent residency, but in the past it was an option she didn't want to take.

Her plans have changed since a January interview with the Miramichi Leader when she said she wanted either her citizenship back or nothing.

On Monday Kenney said she might pay the $500 fee to apply for permanent residency so she can get medicare.

"I don't have much hope of getting the medicare without all the paraphernalia that goes with it."

Kenney said she has a neighbour who also moved to the Miramichi from Boston after she did and the woman already has medicare.

"I don't know how she got it so quickly."

Once the permanent residency application is sent in, Kenney said she doesn't know how long it will take for the government to process it.

"I hope this week to get the application together."

Bunny Dempsey is a member of the Knights of Columbus who brings Kenney weekly communion.

He said she worries about her citizenship issues and if she could at least get medicare it would be a help to her.

"Certainly they're not moving fast enough, as far as I'm concerned."

Every level of government knows about her situation and immigration struggles, he said.

"Permanent residency would help her a lot."

Dempsey has been trying to help her with her citizenship issues and said it is discouraging sometimes, but he pushes on because she needs health care.

"To me that's senior citizen abuse."

If something happened to her that required her to move into a nursing home she wouldn't be able to, he said.

"They won't take her in a home without medicare."

Kenney said she knows someone who was an American citizen, but hates the U.S. and is now a permanent resident in Canada.

"To be in her position, I don't want because I love the United States and I love Canada."

But she is getting older and said she is tired of fighting for her lost citizenship.

"It's so hard to fight at 92."

Through it all she still remains hopeful her situation will get resolved.

"Every day I run to the mailbox hoping to see immigration papers," she said.