People feeding deer causing problems Miramichi Leader

April 8, 2009

They may seem cute and cuddly, but deer are wild animals and people shouldn't feed them.

That's the message from the Natural Resources Department staff who sees it happen every year.

Department biologist Eric Sullivan said there are many problems that come from people feeding deer and they discourage it.

"You get these unnaturally high densities of the animals in one area." When they gather in large numbers, they compete for food and the dominant animals often push out the weaker ones if there is not enough food.

They can also spread disease more easily in larger groups and by bringing them closer to houses, they are at risk of getting hit by vehicles on the road or getting chased by dogs, he said.

"Generally people are feeding right on the front yards."

Sullivan said although the Natural Resources Department discourages people from feeding wild animals, the department doesn't have a penalty if people do it.

"There's nothing prohibiting them from doing it."

Although some areas are reporting high numbers of road kills this spring, Sullivan said the numbers in the Miramichi are down from last year, in part because of the deeper snow this winter.

"Their mobility was restricted."

But despite the lower number of deer hit by vehicles, they are gathering near communities in the area, he said.

"Deer certainly seem to be congregating around communities more and more."

Renous, Sunny Corner and Blackville are a few of the areas where deer yard naturally, but Sullivan said there are other areas where they are gathering because of people.

"There are hotspots where people are feeding."

Sullivan said the higher concentrations of deer aren't limited to just back roads or the busier highways.

"They're right in the communities whether it's a main road or not."

Transportation Department spokesman Matt Frye said the province has plans in place to help limit the number of wildlife collisions.

Along with cutting brush back from the roads, the government also sets up wildlife fences along roadways to keep animals away.

Despite the measures, the Natural Resources Department reported 3,279 deer were killed in vehicle collisions across the province in 2008 up from 2,685 in 2007.

Frye said the department gets numbers from the RCMP and uses them in part to decide where to put the fences.

"They take the numbers and try to identify hot spots."

But fencing is not always feasible, like in places where there are a lot of driveways the wildlife can just walk around.

"Those are circumstances where you'll see a lot of signage."

Province increasing Crown lease fees

April 8, 2009

When John Vickery first started leasing land from the government his rent was less than what it costs to fill up a car with gas today.

His one acre plot of crown land cost him $25 a year, but that was 20 years ago and the cost went up a few times over the years.

Now the province is set to implement further increases and Vickery isn't happy about them.

"It's getting to the point where they're gonna drive us out of the woods," he said in an interview last week.

As of June 1, Vickery's annual lease payment will go from $225 to $320. If he was on a waterfront property the rent would increase from $450 to $640.

But the increases don't stop there.

The province's plan is to gradually increase the fees to 40 per cent of the market value in the first year, 50 per cent in the second year and 60 per cent in the third.

By 2012 Vickery will be paying $480 a year and waterfront renters will pay $960.

The province is also introducing increases to various fees for applications and a variety of other services related to Crown land use.

Natural Resources Minister Wally Stiles said the last increase was in 1994 and they wanted to bring the rates in line with market conditions.

The department also wanted to increase the fees to cover administrative costs in a department that spent $5.9 million to administer programs last year and brought in $4.8 million through fees, he said.

"Governments have been trying to do that for that last few years," Stiles said.

Vickery said it was unacceptable for the government to make the changes without consulting the lessees and they should be able to come up with a better solution.

"There's gotta be a compromise of something that makes better sense," he added.

Stiles said the Natural Resources Department has a habit of seeking public input, but there are 2,710 Crown leases across the province.

"It's pretty hard to go to all 2,710," he said.

But Vickery said while we are in a recession, it's a bad time to increase fees.

"The last thing you should be doing in a recession is dig into the little man's pocket. They're tearing the pockets right out of our pants."

Stiles said it might look like a bad time to increase fees, but the people of New Brunswick need to get good value for the land.

"It's the taxpayers that own that land," he said adding the department would rather increase fees than lay people off or close programs.

"That's my goal. I want to make sure people are working and we still have as many programs as we possibly can keep," Stiles said.

Southwest Miramichi MLA Rick Brewer said he has been hearing from people in his riding who are unhappy with the changes, but they needed the increase to maintain programs.

"In order for government to continue to offer all the services we offer, keep as many as we can, the revenues have to come from somewhere," Brewer stated.

Police wait for details about sex offender

March 27, 2009

It's unlikely a convicted sex offender made up claims he victimized over 50 boys in New Brunswick, says a criminology professor.

Michael Boudreau is a criminology professor at St. Thomas University in Fredericton and said it's rare to see that type of confession turn out to be false.

"We don't see it very often, which does lend some credibility to his statement."

In 2005 Christopher Robin Karasek pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assaults involving boys from Alberta.

Last week a judge in Edmonton declared him a dangerous offender after hearing he told police he victimized over 50 boys, most of them in New Brunswick.

Since then, police in Miramichi have been trying learn more about the confession and any possible link to the area.

Karasek pleaded guilty to two charges of invitation to sexual touching and committing an indecent act related to incidents that occurred in Miramichi in 1996 and 1997.

Police say he was a suspect in other sexual assaults but no charges were laid.

Miramichi Police Force Superintendent Randy Hansen said recent media reports told people to contact police if they were victims, but no one has come forward.

"To this point we haven't had anybody contact us."

Boudreau said you would expect someone to come forward with such a large number of supposed victims, but there may be victims who have repressed memories and society is not always accepting of people who have been victimized.

"I still think as a society we still tend to blame the victims."

Canada has had high profile cases like Clifford Olson who sexually assaulted and killed 11 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 18.

Boudreau said there are people like Olson who gloated about his crimes and liked the attention it brought him.

"He loved the attention and revelled in that."

There might be an element of that attention seeking in this case, Boudreau said, but he couldn't remember any cases like this where the claims turned out to be false.

"That doesn't mean to say that it hasn't happened."

Boudreau said there may be cases where false claims were made and police used discretion in their investigation so people never heard about them.

"These kinds of claims really shake a community."

If police or prison officials believe there was a crime committed they have an obligation to come forward, he said.

"You certainly can't leave this uninvestigated. You have to put it out there. "

Boudreau said the number of potential victims may seem high, but it is the type of offence that we don't know about unless victims come forward and if someone gets away with it in the beginning they feel a sense of invincibility and continue to exploit victims.

"It depends too on his access. Obviously many of these cases in the past, they tend to be institutional where you have children who are in a vulnerable situation."

We live in a society that likes to hear about incidents like this, while at the same time we don't, he said.

"Of course the other irony here too is the higher the figure the more attention society gives to it, which is also unfortunate."

Boudreau said he was not aware of many high profile cases like this in New Brunswick, but there may be some that may not be known to the public.

"The problem again is that we are aware of."

Although he can read studies about past cases, Boudreau said he didn't know how victims feel because he has never been in their situation.

"Being the victim and what they go through is something that I can't even begin to imagine."

Hansen said Miramichi police have been in contact with Edmonton police since the allegations came to light, but there isn't much more they can do at this point.

"One of our detectives has been in touch with their sex crimes unit and it's just a matter of waiting to see if we can get any more details."

At the time of the confession, Edmonton police tried to get more details about the alleged incidents, but Karasek wouldn't elaborate, he said.

"There were no details whatsoever to even determine which jurisdiction any of the incidents may have occurred in or any timeframe whatsoever."

Newcastle Legion honours long-time employees

March 30, 2009

When Peter Murphy was president of the Newcastle Legion, the branch faced some hard decisions as it struggled to stay open.

One of the tough decisions made was to cut back on staff wages, which the employees accepted as a necessary sacrifice.

"We're still here today thanks to them," Murphy said.

That was 13 years ago and on Friday night Legion members, friends and family gathered to honour the many years of service put in by those same staff members.

Ray Taylor, Thea McEvoy and Elizabeth Davis have worked at the Legion for a combined 80 years and were all smiles as they gathered in the Legion hall's basement to celebrate.

About 50 people joined them, surrounded by balloons, streamers and the numbers 25 and 30 made of colourful construction paper taped to the walls.

Miramichi Centre MLA John Foran, Mayor Gerry Cormier and former MP Charlie Hubbard were also on hand with Foran and Cormier presenting certificates of appreciation from the province and the city.

Legion president Joe Pineau presented gold watches emblazoned with the Legion crest to Taylor and McEvoy for their 25 years of service.

Davis already received her gold watch five years ago, but Pineau made sure she didn't leave empty handed and presented her with a wooden jewellery box.

Taylor, who continually professed he didn't know what to say, was never at a loss for words as he talked about how much the night meant to him.

"I'm a very happy man tonight."

The staff were surprised to see the dignitaries at the celebration and although it was unexpected, Taylor said they appreciated it.

"To us it meant a lot for them to be here."

When McEvoy started work as the Legion's secretary/treasurer, she replaced someone who had held the position for 13 years and, at the time, she wondered how someone could stay in the same job for that long.

"Here I am 25 years later," she said.

As a paid employee, she said she felt humbled by the event because she generally thinks of herself as just staff, not someone who contributes to the Legion in the same way as the volunteers.

"I think it's really nice if them to think of us that way."

Davis is the longest serving of the three with 30 years under her belt and said she enjoyed her time working at the Legion.

"I'm glad I'm still here."

She started out as the building's janitor, but moved on to join Taylor behind the bar last year after another long-time employee retired.

As Davis helped cut pieces of the celebratory cake with McEvoy, she dropped one on the floor and laughed as she bent down to clean it up.

"I guess this is why I retired from this part."

At the other end of the room Legion member Sonny Drisdale sat at the bar and said it was nice to see so many people out to celebrate with the staff.

"It makes them feel good after being here so long."

Murphy said it is the dedicated staff who keep the Newcastle branch going.

"Those who are members really appreciate it."

There is a mutual appreciation from the staff who all expressed their appreciation for their jobs and the Legion members.

Taylor said he wanted to thank all of his customers for being so nice to him over the years he worked there.

"I'll never forget their hospitality."

McEvoy said she wouldn't have changed anything and smiled as she said she plans of working at the Legion until they get rid of her.

"Another 25 (years) sounds good."

Wellness conference tackles obesity rate

March 30, 2009

While many people watched their wallets get thinner in the Miramichi over the last few years, their bodies didn't follow suit.

The Miramichi has one of the highest obesity rates in the country and on Saturday the Miramichi Wellness Committee held a conference at the Douglastown Community Centre to help reduce the high levels of obesity in the region.

Committee chair Suzanne Watters said they are working toward a five year strategy that targets obesity through active living and healthy eating.

"Since we have the second highest obesity level in Canada we decided that's where we would start."

Almost 120 people registered for the conference where participants discussed issues surrounding the health of people in the Miramichi.

With a population of about 51,000 people in the region, 42.4 per cent are overweight and 27 per cent are considered obese.

Miramichi Wellness coordinator Debbie Churchill said that means over 30,000 people in the region are overweight or obese.

"Which is kind of a staggering figure when you put it down to people."

Miramichi-Bay du Vin MLA Bill Fraser attended the event and said it was a good step toward turning around the obesity problem.

"It is a crisis right across the province."

Fraser is an example of someone trying to adopt a healthier lifestyle and has lost close to 40 pounds since he started making healthier choices.

He said it was good to see so many people interested in addressing the issue and they want to make a change.

"I think people recognize that we do have a problem."

Jake McLaughlin is one of the wellness committee organizers and said they chose to focus on obesity and healthy lifestyles because they affect so many aspects of overall health.

"It embraces all the other determinations of health."

The coordinators broke the day up into different sessions with groups at tables spread out around the community centre's hall discussing the issues before presenting their thoughts to everyone in attendance.

Some of the issues discussed included looking at what already exists to help the community get healthy, the barriers that keep people from staying healthy and what people can do to improve their participation in healthy lifestyle choices.

Watters said one of the groups they want to target is youth, but they seemed to be missing from the conference.

"That's a major element that we don't want to miss."

Fraser also noticed the lack of youth at the centre and said people need to set a good example for them so they will develop healthy lifestyles.

"It all has to start at the top."

Teens raise $12,000 to combat malaria

March 30, 2009

While their schoolmates were learning about math and science some James M. Hill Memorial High School students were saving lives.

Tyson Theriault's world issues class raised $12,000 this year for the Spread the Net campaign's student challenge to combat malaria in Africa.

Founded by Rick Mercer and former MP Belinda Stronach, the initiative works with UNICEF to provide mosquito nets to people in Liberia and Rawanda to help reduce malaria transmission.

Theriault said the school came in fourth among high schools across the country and sixth overall, including universities and colleges.

"Considering we're outnumbered by the other schools that's not too bad."

The school's participation in the campaign started last year when the world issues students were looking for a cause to work with and one of the girls suggested Spread the Net.

"They thought it was the greatest good they could do for the least amount of money."

Students raised money through a loose change drive, a yard sale, the Misster JMH pageant and a calendar that featured work from 12 student artists.

The insecticide treated nets cost $10 per net and thanks to the school 1,200 nets will be used to cover beds in the sub-Saharan countries.

Mosquitoes carry a parasite called plasmodium that causes malaria. There are one-million people that die from malaria every year with 90 per cent of those deaths in Africa.

Theriault said the students raised $3,000 last year, but it was an end of the year project and they didn't know about the contest.

"It wasn't an ongoing project."

This year they set a goal of $10,000 and couldn't believe it when they surpassed their goal because it seemed high to them, he said.

"Almost everybody was telling them they couldn't do it, that that was too much money. It was a mixture of being so proud of themselves that they did do it but yet being disappointed that they came so close to the top but not quite getting there."

Kasandra Trajkovic is one of the World Issues students and said for a small school in a small community they raised a lot of money.

"I think we did excellent."

Although the students didn't expect to hear from any of the people they helped, Trajkovic said it didn't matter.

"Just to know that you saved a life is liberating."

Trajkovic said the students feel like they have saved lives by raising money for the Spread the Net campaign.

"We all saved a lot of lives and that's a great thing for Miramichi."

Budget cuts hit family court

April 1, 2009

While the province tightens its purse strings, the family court will see one of its services eliminated as part of the budget cuts.

Bob Ross is a family court social worker in Miramichi whose job will disappear as of April 20 when legal aid takes over his duties.

The social workers focus on custody issues and work on scheduling time so both parents have access to their children in custody dispute cases, he said.

"We try to get the parents to focus on the children."

Ross has worked for the Justice Department in various roles for 45 years and although he admitted a bias, he thought the social workers were effective in mediating custody cases.

"We seem to think it would be more beneficial to clients than a court date."

When there is a conflict between divorced parents, the mediators step in and work to resolve issues for the benefit of everyone involved.

"We felt that it was an effective concept. It's been here for a long time and didn't run into a lot of opposition that I know of," he said.

Ross said the mediation service benefited both parents and although it sometimes appeared to be lopsided, the focus was to be fair and even.

"Street perceptions are not always the way things work."

Justice and Consumer Affairs Department spokesperson Elaine Bell said the cuts to the social workers didn't reflect the quality of the work they did and was a budgetary decision as the government looked for places to cut back.

"This is the only one that wouldn't completely cripple the administration of court services."

Once the change is made people would have formerly needed the social workers' service will go directly through legal aid instead, she said.

"The only thing is the counselling and mediation service will no longer be attached to government."

Bell said the province will try to keep as many of the affected employees as possible and move them into different departments, she said.

"We're going to make every effort to redeploy the affected employees within government."

Although she wasn't sure how the change would affect the speed of cases going through the system, Bell said it is too early to tell and the department will release its budget estimates later in the legislative session.

"We'll be able to get into those specifics at that point."

Counselling and mediation services are available in the private sector for anyone who wants to use them, she said.

"They are certainly available in eight judicial districts where court social workers formerly delivered those services.

Shelly Williams is a former lawyer who said the old system worked well because issues can sometimes be resolved through mediation instead of court.

"It's going to add further pressure to the courts."

The family court system is supposed to be about the best interests of the child who won't be served by the pending changes, she said.

"I just find it appalling because the system, as it exists, has worked very well."