A New Brunswick cabinet minister is taking a step back from her role for the time being after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Alyson Townsend announced her diagnosis in a social media post on Monday.

“Last weekend, I was seen in the emergency room at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital for some health concerns. After a series of tests, my doctor diagnosed me with a brain tumor,” said Townsend.

“It was approximately 10 years ago that I was diagnosed with breast cancer and after thorough, rigorous treatment, I received a clean bill of health.”

The Rothesay MLA said she looks forward to returning to her role serving the people of Rothesay and New Brunswick once her treatment is over.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours will serve as acting minister of post-secondary education, training and labour.

“Minister Townsend has my full support and the love and care of our whole team as she tackles this treatment,” Premier Susan Holt said in a separate statement.

“We are all keeping her and her family in our hearts and wishing her a full recovery. Alyson is a thoughtful and experienced voice at the cabinet and caucus table, and we look forward to welcoming her back soon.”

Meanwhile, Townsend said her experience is a stark reminder about the importance of cancer screening and encouraged everyone to get regular testing and cancer screening.

By Brian Owens, The Courier 

St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern has joined an alliance of mayors from Canadian border towns to coordinate their response to sweeping 25 per cent tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

MacEachern was one of the first to join the group of more than 20 mayors set up by Drew Dilkins, mayor of Windsor, Ont.

“It’s about staying united and sharing our concerns,” MacEachern said.

There is not much that municipal governments can do directly to respond to the tariffs, MacEachern said.

“We don’t have a budget line in our toolbox to deal with this.”

But the mayors are taking advantage of their relationship with their American counterparts across the border. MacEachern has already spoken with Calais Mayor Marcia Rogers to discuss how the tariffs will affect both communities. Rogers will be raising the issue with Maine’s Republican Senator Susan Collins.

“They are also concerned,” MacEachern said. “They know this is not going to be good for our cross-border relationship.”

Trump’s tariffs are expected to hit New Brunswick hard, Herb Emery, an economist at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, told The Courier.

The province is one of the most likely to be affected because it is highly dependent on U.S. markets for its exports of oil and gas, forest products, food, and seafood. The provincial government estimates that as many as 6,000 jobs may be at risk.

“There’s going to be a pretty big impact all round,” Emery said.

There will likely be knock-on effects as well, Emery warns. The ongoing expansion of the Port of Saint John could be at risk, for example, if the tariffs disrupt the integration of supply chains across the continent. And the Canadian dollar is expected to fall – perhaps to as low as 50¢ against the US dollar.

“It will make everything more expensive and we will all have less purchasing power,” he said.

MacEachern urged Canadians to be united in response to the tariffs, remembering that people will be hurt by them all across the country. That means continuing to shop local as much as possible, and stepping up those efforts if you can.

“Do your best to support our own, because they’re going to need it,” he said.

He hopes, however, that the tariff fight will not permanently damage the good relationship the community has always had with its neighbours across the border.

“I hope we can continue to be allies and not create these divisions,” he said. “Our American friends are still our friends, but there are certain things we need to do as a country and community to deal with these tariffs.”

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A judge confirmed 2026 trial dates Monday in a case stemming from the death of a Lower Hainesville man at his home last summer.

Lucas D. LeClair, 31, of Tripp Settlement Road in Keswick Ridge, elected in the fall to be tried in the Court of King’s Bench by judge and jury on a July 21 count of manslaughter in the death of Josh Crouse.

His case was before the Court of King’s Bench trial division for motions day Monday to schedule his jury trial.

LeClair appeared in person at the Burton Courthouse for the proceeding, accompanied by lawyer Emily Cochrane, who was acting as an agent for his defence counsel, T.J. Burke.

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Alyson Townsend, the New Brunswick minister of post-secondary education, training and labour, has announced she's taking a step back from her role after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Eastern Charlotte council is concerned about the level of service the New Brunswick RCMP is offering in the region. 

Mayor John Craig said the council spends about $2.2 million on policing, the single largest line item in its budget. 

“Our options are very limited in what we can do,” Craig said during an interview with The Courier. “We’ve watched different areas of the province this past year or two.”

Coun. Darrell Tidd, a Ward 6 councillor in Eastern Charlotte, made a motion in July 2023 to drop the RCMP and adopt an alternative. 

Craig said the council has been watching the Hartland area – which is about 22 kilometres from Woodstock – and the efforts they undertook to acquire its police force. 

In March, then-Public Safety Minister Kris Austin rejected Carleton North and Hartland’s proposal to have its own police force, according to reporting by CBC New Brunswick. 

The plan submitted, at the time, called for a regional force with about 20 officers and an operating budget of just over $3 million. 

Fundy Shores, which is on the outer edge of Charlotte County, has also expressed dissatisfaction with the RCMP coverage. Craig said it is possible the two communities could join forces. 

“Other areas in the province are in the same boat,” he said. “We’re probably not happy with what we’re paying.” 

Craig said it would also consider exploring asking for the expansion of the Saint John Police Force – which is about 76 kilometers away from the community.

“Everybody is looking at different options,” he said. 

Other municipalities exploring options

Fundy Shores Mayor Denny Cogswell said the community has been discussing policing since 2023. In a recent post to his mayoral Facebook page, he updated the community on the progress that’s been made. 

“We are listening strongly to our community and will continue,” he said in the post. 

The town has met with local RCMP and former Commander DeAnna Hill. It has also spoken with the Saint John Police Force and the Kennebecasis Police Force on their capacity and operations, but nothing formal. 

Cogswell wrote there has been no formal meeting with Eastern Charlotte about a joint municipal force. Fundy Shores has also examined the study and report by Carleton North and Hartland – who were ultimately rejected. 

“At the time there did not seem to be an appetite for a joint force locally or regionally (Southwest NB) for various reasons including economically,” Cogswell wrote in the post. 

He said the council expressed gratitude for the frontline officers who’ve come to present to the council, adding it hoped frontline RCMP officers would be given the resources they need. 

The RCMP has struggled across the country to recruit and retain officers. It has also promised to add 51 additional officers to New Brunswick, one of those planned for Southwestern New Brunswick. 

“In the coming weeks, I will be meeting with the new Minister of Public Safety to follow up on the policing concerns as well as other public safety concerns in Fundy Shores,” he said in the post. 

RCMP working through challenging times

The New Brunswick RCMP said in an email to The Courier statement it knows that people care about police work in their communities. 

Cpl. Hans Ouellette, the spokesperson for the NB RCMP, said it is doing its best with the resources it has under its allocated budget, including mentioning the additional 51 officers slated for New Brunswick. 

“NB RCMP policing resources are based on workload and other factors, not a minimum number of police officers. The allocation of police resources are measured against theses factors, while also considering factors such as the ratio of police to population and geography,” he said in a statement. 

He said communities should be assured there are enough police officers to respond to urgent calls and keep the public safe. 

“Every day, our members deliver an outstanding policing service in the communities where they live and work,” he said. “The past few years have been very challenging times.”

“RCMP officers are working in our communities regularly. That includes daily patrols and local enforcement, but there’s also work going on that you don’t necessarily see by way of a marked police car – through proactive police work, crime reduction and prevention efforts, and crime analysis. We target the individuals and crimes causing the most harm in the communities we serve.” 

The NB RCMP is the only police force in the province with a full complement of specialized police services, he explains.

“These include but are not limited to the Internet Child Exploitation unit, Digital Forensic Services, Air Services and many others,” he said. 

Ouellette said the NB RCMP continues to work closely with communities and partners to keep New Brunswickers safe.

The provincial government is asking a judge to overturn a labour arbitrator’s ruling that says the province must balance student inclusion with employee safety in schools.

Legal filings by the province on Jan. 8 request judicial review of an Oct. 11 decision by Trisha Perry in a grievance from the New Brunswick Teachers’ Federation. Perry ruled that the province breached its collective bargaining agreement and awarded damages to a school principal and teacher after the union alleged the school district “failed to provide a safe workplace and positive learning and working environment,” related to alleged assaults and threats from a student with developmental disabilities between 2019 to 2021.

“Children are entitled to an education, and school employees deserve to work in a safe environment,” Perry wrote in the decision. “The solutions are not straightforward, but we need to strive to improve the experience of students with complex behavioural exceptionalities without sacrificing the health and safety of staff.”

The adjudicator ordered the province to pay special damages for the principal amounting to her pay if she had worked until June 2024, instead of retiring in 2022; to pay $30,000 in damages to each of the educators; and to pay aggravated damages in the amounts of $15,000 to the principal and $5,000 to the teacher for “forseeable mental stress” caused by the province’s handling of the situation.

But the province is asking a judge to quash, or nullify, the decision, calling the ruling “unreasonable, lacking in justification, transparency and intelligibility,” particularly toward the orders to pay special damages and aggravated damages.

Charles Renshaw, communications officer with the province’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, declined to comment on the facts of the ruling, citing the ongoing court matter.

“That said, the safety of our teachers and staff is paramount as is the need to ensure a robust plan with educational supports for students as needed,” Renshaw said.

In an Oct. 24 statement to its members, the teachers’ federation said the ruling established that the obligation to provide inclusive education “does not outweigh the employer’s duty to ensure a safe, violence-free workplace to employees.”

NBTF co-president Peter Lagacy declined comment in a statement Thursday, citing the ongoing judicial review process. Brunswick News contacted the provincial child and youth advocate and did not receive a response.

Perry wrote that New Brunswick’s Policy 322 on inclusive education calls for the development of personal learning plans to address a student’s strengths and needs, which may include an “individual behaviour support plan” for the most involved cases, and should go from school to school. The policy allows for “variation on the common learning environment,” either in a personalized learning environment in a school or through home tutoring, she wrote.

Policy 703 sets a framework for “positive learning and working environments” that are inclusive and safe, including setting standards for behaviour and discipline. The policy says that students who act in “challenging ways that are beyond the student’s control” may not be “subject to the typical consequences” but would be handled as per the student’s personal learning plan, according to the decision.

The labour board case involved a student with neurodevelopmental disorder, communication disorder, language disorder, autism spectrum disorder and fetal alcohol syndrome disorder, according to the ruling. The student, enrolled at a New Brunswick middle school, was described by a person identified as their resource teacher as between four or five years old developmentally.

Between September 2019 and 2021 “several staff and teachers incurred repeated physical, mental and emotional injuries” reflected in more than 100 violent incident reports and 95 incidents labelled as “behaviours not tolerated” or “serious misconduct” in the PowerSchool student information software.

Educators who testified before the committee including two educational assistants, a resource teacher and the principal said that the student hit them, threw objects, touched their breasts in some cases, rubbed snot and saliva on them, and threatened to kill them, including bringing a gun to school.

The principal and resource teacher testified that when the student transferred from elementary school in 2019, they were only told that the student was “on the spectrum and can be aggressive.” The resource teacher and a district specialist called a “behaviour and autism lead” began data collection and work on the student’s individual behaviour support plan that fall.

During the 2019-20 school year, the school “struggled to manage the student’s behaviour” despite using the recommended strategies from the lead. In the 2020-21 year, the student was put on a partial day plan as a short-term measure to reduce disruptive behaviour, but the student continued to stay until 11 a.m. or noon throughout their time at the school, Perry wrote.

In that year’s plan, staff were instructed to ignore profanity and verbal threats and take action to protect personal safety, including seclusion, when there was “immediate concern of harm” such as a raised hand.

After an incident on April 26, the principal wrote in an email to the director of schools that “I feel that our safety is not a priority. We continue to be physically and verbally assaulted in the workplace every day. I do not know how much longer I can take this.”

The district stepped in with their own staff April 30 and a short term intervention plan, Perry wrote. Perry wrote that district staff saw some progress, and suspected the school wasn’t “following the plan.”

At that time, the resource teacher testified that she had “instinctively moved her head away slightly” after a verbal threat and the student continue to threaten her and struck her, so she left the room, Perry wrote. The teacher said a district lead “told her they understood she had ‘PTSD,’ but she would have to get over it,” Perry wrote.

When the district started phasing out support, the student was said to regress, and by June, two EAs had invoked their right to refuse safe work.

The principal had been replaced on the case by the vice-principal at the end of April, and in May, she was placed on leave following an allegation from the student’s family that she had held the student down “and told them to shut their mouth” which was determined to be unfounded.

The student’s plan was set to be revised before the 2021/22 school year, but the principal claimed she asked for an update and did not receive a reply. The province said the district had earlier tried to set up a meeting with her while she was on vacation.

Incidents continued in the first week of school, and following an incident Sept. 10 where the student bit the principal on the shoulder, police removed the student from school and the student was transferred to another middle school.

Three days later, the district’s director of educational schools support met with the principal and expressed concerns that the plan had not been implemented with “consistency and fidelity,” according to an email, with the principal having concerns that partner agencies had “undermined” her with the student’s parents. The director wrote that those two factors led to the student’s transfer.

Perry wrote that the director testified that there was a “pathway to avoid violence” had the school correctly implemented the plan, and that while “‘some employees may be hit, yes,’ that was a characteristic of the system.”

The director said the things the school failed to do included “inadvertently reinforcing behaviour (e.g., flinching)” and “ineffective crisis response to deregulation (e.g. using seclusion too late),” Perry wrote.

Perry wrote that the NBTF had argued the “issue lies not with inclusive education itself, but with how it is applied in complex situations like this one.”

The union argued that “the employer had many options for ensuring a safe workplace,” including disclosing the student’s risk in advance, providing sufficient staff and resources, imposing immediate suspensions following serious misconduct and delivering programs in an alternate setting, Perry wrote.

It said that while the principal informed senior management about warning signs, the employer “behaved as though the right to a safe working environment did not extend to teachers,” Perry wrote.

The province argues that while there was harm, “it took all reasonable steps to ensure the health and safety of its employees,” including helping the school to update the student’s plan, increasing the EA allotment and intervening with district staff, Perry wrote.

The student saw success in the next middle school, the province noted, although Perry wrote that “many lessons had been learned by that point” and essential resources were implemented from the beginning.

Perry ruled that the first middle school “was not set up to successfully receive this student,” and that there was “indirect pressure” to keep the student in school as much as possible.

In response to the argument that the school staff had not implemented the plan with “consistency and fidelity,” Perry found that the student’s needs “exceeded their capacity” due to “varying levels of training” in dealing with students with exceptionalities.

“Based on the extensive evidence, it is clear this Student’s exceptionalities were well beyond the scope and expertise of nearly every educator or specialist involved,” Perry wrote.

“Yet while both the principal and the resource teacher were subjected to repeated physical and emotional assaults by the Student on a near daily basis … they were told they simply were not following the plan or in fact reinforcing the negative behaviours.”

The arbitrator wrote that in this case, “the harm experienced significantly outweighs the societal value” of school inclusion, noting that the student did not “participate meaningfully” in skill development programs.

Regarding damages, Perry wrote that while damages resulting from WorkSafeNB-eligible accidents should go through the compensation process, the NBTF argued that general damages should address “the employer’s failure to meet its safety obligations” rather than any specific injuries.

The principal testified that she had intended to retire as late as December 2024, but instead retired in 2022 as a result of the incident. She said she had received a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis.

The union argued that the principal retired early owing “both to the unsafe work environment and the Employer’s choice to lay blame on her shoulders for the violence” and should be awarded special damages for lost income, Perry wrote.

Perry ruled it was most likely she would have retired July 2024 and set the damages accordingly. She awarded aggravated damages to both employees “due to the heightened mental distress” from the province’s handling of the situation.

The province is now arguing that the arbitrator’s decision was unreasonable, particularly regarding the special damages and aggravated damages. A case conference to discuss their request for review is scheduled in March.

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Two named defendants in an ex-firefighter’s lawsuit - the City of Fredericton and the firefighters’ union - had a legal faceoff in court last week, and the plaintiff wasn’t even in the battle.

Former Fredericton firefighter Gregory Billings filed a notice of action and statement of claim in the Court of King's Bench in Fredericton in late 2023, initially alleging he was wrongfully dismissed from his job.

The Kingsley resident alleges his 21 years of employment with the Fredericton Fire Department went off the rails in December 2021. He had argued he was forced out of his job by way of the city’s pandemic-related policies for municipal employees.

However, his statement of claim has since been amended, and the main point of contention is with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1053, the Fredericton firefighters’ union. Billings is suing the union, alleging it didn’t carry out its duty to represent his interests and fight for his job.

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Whatever talks Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's has with U.S. President Donald Trump about the tariffs going into effect Tuesday shouldn't be considered a negotiation, according to federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

The U-12 and U-16 Lightning All-Stars Cheerleading teams bring home banners

A pair of young cheerleading teams from Woodstock began the cheer schedule in style on Jan. 25 when they brought home third-place banners from the Tidal Blast Cheerleading competition in the Hub City. 

“This is amazing considering it’s early in the season and two-third of the athletes have never competed before,” said Alana Bowden-Ball, owner and head coach of Lightning All-Stars Cheerleading. 

Bowden-Bell said Voltage, the under-12 team with 15 competitors, earned the third-place banner at the first competition of the year. 

She added that Synergy, the under-16 team with only eight athletes, also grabbed the third-place banner. 

Bowden-Bell said Synergy also “hit zero,” meaning they earned no deductions during their performance. 

She said the teams will head to Quispamsis in March to compete in the For Love of Cheer event, followed by a trip to Fredericton in April for Centre Stage Fredericton. 

The cheer teams will host a fundraising dance on Feb. 8, from 9 to 12 p.m., at the Elks Club in Woodstock, featuring live music. 

“We have Zach Peters coming to perform live and we will be hosting various raffles to assist in fundraising,” said Bowden-Bell. 

She explained that the fundraiser would “help cover the costs of the competitive team and travelling costs for the families.” 

Bowden-Bell said she hopes to see a large crowd join them for a fun evening and to support the young athletes. 

The post Woodstock cheer teams shine in Moncton first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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A Fredericton man will return to court later this month to answer to allegations he was drunk at the wheel when he crashed into another car, sending the other driver to hospital.

Samuel Havugimana, 40, of Carman Avenue, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Friday to answer to serious impaired-driving charges.

He’d originally appeared in court earlier in January, but due to a language barrier, the matter was set over to Friday.

This time, he was accompanied by an interpreter.

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A spike in December power bills has spurred an external audit of N.B. Power's billing system, and it's also left some wondering how they're going to afford their bill. 

Months before their plans caused a social media storm on Darlings Island, Adam Beman and his father, Mike, had been searching for a discreet setting for a program to help New Brunswickers recover from addictions.

A 10 per cent tariff on Canadian oil and gas is expected to create turmoil for consumers, workers and the industry as a whole.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt urged unity as the country faces tariffs on exports to the United States imposed by President Donald Trump.

Joan Osborne has become known in recent years as an interpreter of other classic songwriters. Her recordings of Dylan standards, Stax/Motown soul and cheesy 80s and 90’s fare have earned many accolades, but she started in the business as a songwriter of depth and raw emotion. Helped along by the songwriting chops and musicianship of Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman of the Hooters who had also worked with Cyndi Lauper as she got established, the tracks on “Relish” immediately made the public and critics sit up and take notice earning several Grammy nominations. If nothing else, the impact of this little record assured a long career in the music industry.

Leading off is the remarkable “St. Teresa” with that unmistakable Hooters mandolin sound. Atmospheric and darkly epic, this is an ambitious way to introduce us to the themes of those on the fringes struggling to survive in cityscapes and rural areas. Organ swells drive the song to an ecstatic height then the mandolin plays us out. The lost and perhaps drug-addicted soul is left to continue her path. Next up is her take on Dylan’s “Man in the Long Black Coat”. This does not feature the Hooters band members but reflects the same atmospheric texture. Acoustic and electric guitars chime way back in the mix as Osborne’s voice rises above the bed of sound. A tasteful solo from Rick DiFonzo only adds to the performance.

The pace is so controlled it creates an edginess in the listener waiting for the tension to break. It never does. Things liven up quickly with the raunchy “Right Hand Man”, “let me use your toothbrush, have you got a clean shirt”. An obvious one-night stand is detailed in all its glory, “I’ve been on the floor looking for a chair, I’ve been on a chair looking for a couch, I’ve been on a couch looking for a bed”. The Hooters are back for a rambunctious ramble right up there with the best of the Dylan and The Band sessions. The barroom piano drives the song with plenty of percussion to assist. Bazilian chimes in with a classic saxophone solo because that’s what you do in these tales. The first three tracks play to Osborne’s exceptional strengths- left-of-center moody pop, tasteful covers presented with lived-in emotion, and raucous small club rock n’ roll. “Pensacola” circles back to stories from the fringe of society, stately guitar and organ form a backdrop, “I’ve sold my blood for money, there wasn’t any pain” is the line from a trailer park denizen. “Don’t waste your time in looking, there’s nothing left to find” is the message as the narrator moves on from Pensacola. “Dracula Moon” follows with guitar and harmonica drawing us into a bluesy tale with a long intro to set the tone.

“What if the cure is worse than the disease”, “Don’t feel sorry for me” Osborne intones as she’s “naked in a hotel room” while the harmonica and electric piano weave around her elastic voice. Bazilian then rips off a classic guitar solo leading into a dark bridge as all the instruments chug away. The ragged edge to Joan’s singing in the bridge echoes years of struggle, “You said come back home, I said I’m just falling from grace” with “falling” echoing and echoing on the outro. Next up is the most famous track from Osborne’s career prefaced by a field recording of “The Airplane Ride” from Neil Lomax immediately segueing into Eric Bazilian’s “One of Us”, nominated as Song of the Year at the Grammys. This classic song has been covered over and over again, famously by Prince, but this remains the definitive version. Picturing God as “just one of us” meandering through the struggles of life just as we all do. “What would you ask if you had just one question?”, this is a timeless track and showcases what is great about rock n’ roll. It dives deep and connects with the listener viscerally. “Just a stranger on the bus trying to make his way home”. It immediately skews our perception making us see from a new perspective. The music is simple and unobtrusive guitar, piano, bass, and drums. “Nobody calling on the phone ‘cept for the Pope maybe in Rome”.

This is followed by “Ladder” which has a cool sample from T. Rex’s classic “Mambo Sun”.  Singing in a higher register soaring over the cool groove and heartfelt organ this a throwback soulful track highlighting her proficiency with traditional Stax funk. The lyrics are slight but the sound is powerful. “I dreamed about Ray Charles last night” opens “Spider Web”, a percussion-heavy loping groove with Larry Campbell on fiddle and another artist playing “virtual fiddle” whatever that means. It seems there’s a spiderweb in Ray Charles’s head! “Threads are stuck to me and you” rings as the guitar chugs away. The group vocals add a ragged party atmosphere to the arrangement. Hopefully, Ray Charles enjoyed this oddball tribute. “Let’s Just Get Naked” is a bit of a cliché tune about those awkward personal politics. Osborne slurs her words to play a character “How long till they shut off the phone”, times are tough, but one can do as the title says. “Help Me” is an old Sonny Boy Williamson track and Osborne again shows her ability to inhabit someone else’s song.

Sympathetic slide guitar and harmonica let us feel the juke joint attitude as the dust swirls around swaying dancers. For five minutes the small band swings around the classic blues groove. “Crazy Baby” is a solo composition driven by electric piano captured live in the studio continuing the bluesy feel from the last track. “As you light your twenty-seven cigarettes, how long have you been sitting in the darkness, you forget”. Again, the atmosphere is all on this album. The album’s closer “Lumina” is just voice, guitar, and subtle keyboard tones. It could almost be an introduction to the opening track, so we feel a circular motif occur, another piece about a character outside of it all. Osborne’s willingness to inhabit each song whether she wrote it or chose it is the key takeaway here as well as the Sympatico musicianship of true professionals.

Charlotte County resident Stephen MacKnight works for Anglophone South & Working NB after a decade spent as a music teacher in the school system and twenty-five years in the music retail industry cycling through Sam the Record Man, Records on Wheels and CDPlus. There have been nominations from ECMA’s & Music NB as a band-member and songwriter. Passionate and opinionated about music Stephen loves when anyone wants to have a debate. 

You can volunteer to help Canadians with a modest income and a simple tax situation complete their tax returns for free.

The Community Volunteer Income Tax Program was launched by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in 1971.

Natasha Brewer, a spokesperson for the program, said they are seeking community organizations and volunteers to take part.

“Individuals can participate in clinics both in person, but there are also virtual filing options as well, and virtual could look like assisting over the phone or through using other technologies such as video conversations through a computer,” Brewer told our newsroom.

“If you didn’t want to be a tax preparer, we do have volunteer roles such as greeters or booking appointments for some of the by-appointment clinics. So, there are a variety of different options for being involved as well.”

Those who do want to volunteer as a tax preparer do need to have a Canadian income tax return completed in their name for the 2023 tax year.

Nearly 16,000 community organizations and more than 3,400 volunteers were part of the program last year, according to numbers provided by CRA.

Brewer said it is important to file a return, even if you are tax exempt or have no income to report, as it could open up eligible benefits and credits you might be entitled to.

Last year, the program helped more than 758,000 Canadians get more than $2 billion in refunds, credits and benefits.

You can learn more how to volunteer or host a free tax clinic on the CRA website.

From her campus at Mount Allison University in Sackville, honours biochemistry student Claire Wilbur is preparing for a big move across the pond. Wilbur's best friend from Saint John, Alyssa Xu, is the other winner from the Maritimes.

It’s been over a year since the Financial and Consumer Services Commission launched the FundsFinderNB website, with a goal to reunite New Brunswickers with money they are owed. 

Fenian raids, which mostly impacted Upper and Lower Canada, made an important pre-confederation stop in New Brunswick

Chilly temperatures didn’t freeze out people looking to celebrate the start of Black History Month in Fredericton.

When deciding what to make for dinner, many of us rely on recipes. While recipes are helpful, they can also be limiting—sometimes requiring ingredients we don’t have or overcomplicating the cooking process. But what if you could cook confidently without a recipe, using only what’s already in your kitchen? With a little creativity and a few simple techniques, you can turn whatever you have on hand into a delicious meal—no grocery trip required.

Start with What You Have:

The first step in cooking without a recipe is assessing what’s already in your kitchen. Open your fridge, freezer, and pantry, and take note of what’s available.

Look for key ingredients in three main categories:

Proteins – These could be meats like chicken, beef, or fish, or plant-based options like beans, lentils, tofu, or eggs.

Not following a recipe can save money and lead to new and delicious meals. (Laverne Stewart/The Courier)

Carbohydrates – Rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, or tortillas can provide a satisfying base.

Vegetables and Fruits – Fresh, frozen, or canned veggies add nutrition and flavour. Fruits can be used in salads, sauces, or desserts.

Once you know what’s available, think about what combinations make sense. You don’t need a recipe to create a balanced meal—just mix a protein, a carb, and some veggies, then enhance with spices or sauces. Cooking this way simplifies meal preparation and avoids unnecessary steps or ingredients.

Use Simple Cooking Methods:

When cooking without a recipe, relying on basic, versatile cooking techniques makes the process easier:

Sautéing – Quickly cook meats, veggies, or tofu in a pan with a little oil. Add garlic, onions, or spices for flavour.

Roasting – Toss vegetables, potatoes, or meat with oil, salt, and pepper, then bake until golden brown.

A popular option is sheet pan dinners. Simply toss a protein, a carbohydrate, and vegetables together on a baking sheet with some oil and spices, then roast at 350°F until fork-tender.

Boiling/Simmering – Perfect for soups, pasta, or grains like rice and quinoa.

Soup is an easy go-to meal. Simply combine leftover meats, beans, vegetables, and pasta or rice in broth. If you don’t have broth, you can make a simple version with water and a bouillon cube.

Grilling – If you have a grill or a grill pan, this method adds great flavour to meats and vegetables. The char from grilling enhances the taste of both.

Stir-Frying – A quick way to cook up leftovers using a bit of oil and a simple sauce made from soy sauce, vinegar, a sweetener of your choice, and spices like ginger and garlic.

Seasoning Is Key:

Good seasoning makes all the difference. Even simple ingredients can shine when properly flavoured. Keep a few basics on hand:

Salt & Pepper – Essential for enhancing natural flavours.

Garlic & Onion Powder – Quick ways to add depth.

Dried Herbs (Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Rosemary) – Great for Italian and Mediterranean-style dishes.

Spices (Cumin, Paprika, Chili Powder, Curry Powder) – Bring warmth and complexity to different meals.

Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Mustard, Hot Sauce – These can be used to create salad dressings, sauces, or marinades with minimal effort.

Get Creative with Substitutions:

If you’re missing an ingredient, don’t stress—just substitute! No pasta? Try rice or quinoa. No tomato sauce? Blend canned tomatoes or mix a bit of ketchup with water. No fresh herbs? Dried ones work too. The key is flexibility.

Remember, this is your kitchen and your meal. You’re in control, and getting creative in the kitchen can be fun.

Think in Meal Templates:

If you don’t know where to start, use simple meal templates instead of strict recipes:

Stir-Fry: Protein + veggies + soy sauce + rice/noodles.

Soup: Broth + protein + veggies + grains (rice, pasta, beans).

Salad: Greens + protein + veggies + nuts/seeds + dressing.

Tacos/Wraps: Tortilla + protein + veggies + sauce.

Casserole: Protein + veggies + starch + cheese or sauce, baked.

Cooking without recipes is all about confidence and creativity. By understanding basic cooking methods, using simple seasonings, and being open to substitutions, you can turn whatever is in your kitchen into a delicious meal.

So next time you’re staring at your fridge wondering what to make, skip the recipe book and trust your instincts—you might just create your new favourite dish!

Laverne Stewart has spent her entire career as a writer, journalist, and communications professional.She’s won multiple literary and journalism awards for her work. After a year in radio, she made the move to TV news, spending 11 years with CTV in Halifax, Saint John, and Fredericton. Stewart has also worked in government communications, most recently in the Office of the Premier. Stewart is a published author and now works on feature stories from her community and beyond. Her life is full and happy thanks to the people who are in it. She is married to her husband Robert. She is mother to Mary Louise and Nicolas. Also included in her family is Sally, a Labrador retriever, and three cats; Dusty, Joe, and Clancy. She can be reached at [email protected].

By John Chilibeck, The Daily Gleaner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

New Brunswick’s Holt Liberal government should consider a larger inquiry into NB Power if it wants to help people upset over high electricity bills, says a political observer.

Mario Levesque, a political science professor at Mount Allison University, said Premier Susan Holt was smart to quickly order NB Power last week to hire an independent party to investigate the high bills people had received in December, with hundreds of angry complaints pouring in.

But he said he doubted New Brunswickers would be satisfied with the findings – especially if their power bills remain high in future months. A bigger inquiry is needed, he said.

“The Liberals need to show that they are being considerate and concerned about people, and I think that calling the inquiry was a good idea,” Levesque said. “At the end of the day, I don’t think it will change much.”

NB Power says people’s bills went up for several reasons: December was the first very cold month that included a 12.7 per cent hike to the electricity price, approved by an independent regulator, the billing cycle was a few days longer than the cycle of other months, and the temperatures were colder at the end of 2024 than they were in December 2023.

The latest bills also came out before the Holt government’s 10 per cent rebate on electrical consumption kicked in Jan. 1.

NB Power CEO Lori Clark told Brunswick News last week the public utility had heard the public’s concerns over higher-than-expected bills, and it welcomed an impartial, independent review.

However, she said details of the review, such as the firm that would be hired and at what cost, were still being determined.

“We are committed to full transparency and will share the results publicly once available,” Clark said in a prepared statement. “Should the investigation identify any issues or recommendations, we will act immediately to address them. Our goal is to ensure that our customers have confidence in the accuracy of their bills and trust in the systems we use to serve them.”

Levesque said NB Power’s reasons for the higher bills seemed to make sense, but there was a larger issue at stake.

“At the heart of it, what underlies it all, is people have no confidence whatsoever in NB Power. Its leadership is equated to used car salespeople. People just don’t trust them. People are fed up with money being taken out of their pockets, while NB Power executives keep getting richer with salary increases, over years of continual failures to properly manage their operations.”

As an example, he cited the Point Lepreau nuclear plant near Saint John, whose refurbishment a little over a decade ago went $1 billion overbudget and whose performance is at the bottom of the nuclear industry in North America. It was out of service for most of 2024, largely due to a major repair problem.

Looming on the horizon is the revamping of the Mactaquac hydro station near Fredericton, expected to cost at least $7 billion. The plant was supposed to last 100 years but began crumbling before the half-way mark.

NB Power has also failed to reduce its $5-billion debt, despite being told to do so over the last decade.

“They can’t seem to achieve what they say they’re going to do,” Levesque said. “You could look at Lepreau, which is a colossal failure, or what we’re about to step in with Mactaquac’s renos.

People don’t have the confidence for the organization to do things on budget, on time and to do the job specified to get the performance that’s needed.

“In most businesses, if you can’t do that, you’re fired.”

Besides holding a bigger investigation that could include the province’s auditor general and an outside firm with expertise in energy, the Holt government could also demand that NB Power’s CEO hold public consultations across the province, the political scientist suggested.

“What would be good would be to have a citizens forum where the CEO of NB Power would be made to have meetings in Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John and Bathurst and, say, Grand Falls, and face the public directly, so that she can feel the wrath of the public and put the heat on their backsides to do a little better,” the Sackville academic said.

“It would allow the public to vent at them and get their frustrations out. Right now, NB Power seems to be shielded, and that’s part of the anger that fuels the public.”

Professor Tom Bateman was more forgiving.

The political scientist at St. Thomas University said the explanations from NB Power on high bills seemed to make sense. Any technical reason for a glitch that would have spiked bills should easily be answered by the independent audit, he said.

“The government responded quickly and with some sympathy for consumers without too many rash promises. I don’t criticize the government for failing to come up with a grand solution. We need to find out what the source of the high billing is for this period.”

The professor doubts anyone’s bills will go down.

“The bottom line is power is expensive and it’s expensive in winter and it’s getting more expensive in general,” he said. “We’re stuck in between a rock and a hard place.”

Bateman wasn’t impressed with the Holt government’s 10 per cent rebate on electrical consumption, which he pointed out would mostly help people who waste energy on poorly insulated houses and have inefficient electric baseboard heaters, instead of incentivizing them to change their heating habits or installing more insulation and airtight windows and doors.

“At the end of the day, the Government of New Brunswick holds the can here and its liable for NB Power’s debt. If it comes to the rescue of consumers, it will simply shift the burden to taxpayers, who are the same people.”

Most New Brunswick households still heat with electricity, making the recent price hike a big financial burden. Bateman said consumers could also take matters into their own hands by replacing their baseboards with other heating sources, such as heat pumps, geothermal systems or solar panels.

Potentially, a huge shift in demand would take some pressure off the utility to refurbish or build new generating plants.

But if too many people stopped using a lot of electricity, NB Power could also run into more financial problems.

“If people are using less NB Power, that’s still bad for NB Power because it would have massive, outdated infrastructure to maintain and fewer consumers to buy its product. So, we’re in one big problem here.”

Bateman joked about his own experience installing heat pumps in his home in 2023, which he did with the help of government programs.

He said besides shouldering the high upfront costs for installing the machines, his family is paying just as much for electricity now because they like the cooling they offer during sweltering summer months. In the winter, they turn up the thermostat more because they like the heat they generate.

“Think of showers. They were thought to save a lot of water and energy over baths. But people just take 20-minute showers now and waste as much as before.”

“The heat pumps have not saved me a dime,” he said, laughing.

Port Saint John is poised to add another piece to its growing container operation.

The New Brunswick Non-Profit Housing Association is issuing a call to action to all New Brunswickers for help solving the province's housing crisis.

A stretch of land along the Nashwaak River where endangered butternut trees grow is one of eight nature preserves created this month by the Nature Trust of New Brunswick.

River Valley Suicide Prevention Awareness Committee plans several activities for its Day in Yellow

The River Valley Suicide Prevention Committee is asking everyone to brighten their wardrobes on Feb. 7 to raise awareness of suicide prevention. 

February is Suicide Prevention Month, and the RVSPC and partners will host activities as part of New Brunswick’s Day in Yellow and throughout the month. That includes an invitation to join them in downtown Woodstock for a coffee and chat at Fedelio’s Cafe. Wear yellow and get cake, plus free coffee for the first 24 people. 

Between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., visitors can enjoy coffee and cake and chat with RVSPC members about this important issue. 

Other events during Suicide Prevention Month include safeTALK, an evidence-based certification program, which will be held from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the L.P. Fisher Public Library in Woodstock. 

The program is designed to prepare participants to recognize signs of someone struggling with thoughts of suicide and to provide information to help connect them with life-affirming help. 

RVSPC also encourages Upper Valley residents, groups of friends, classmates, co-workers, and others to wear, carry, or use yellow and post a photo on Facebook or Instagram with the #RVSPC tagged to the committee’s page to be eligible for prize draws. 

Classrooms can win a pizza party, while businesses or organizations can earn a coffee break by having coffee and muffins delivered. 

Individuals can win “A Smile Box” featuring self-care products and items to “make you smile.”

The RVSPC stresses the importance of suicide awareness and understanding ways to recognize signs of your own or someone else’s struggles and the many options available to provide help. 

Dustin Day, Woodstock Community Program Coordinator Team Lead for the Canadian Mental Health Association of New Brunswick, highlighted a new project launched by the River Valley Suicide Prevention Committee and Western Valley Link Committee. 

“We have created a Resource Sticker that businesses, organizations, churches, community centres and clubs can put up to help link people to the services they need,” Day explained. 

He said a key element to a healthy community and society is knowing where to access help. 

Day said scanning the QR codes on the Resource Stickers on display with their smartphones links the phone holder to a list of available resources throughout the Upper Valley. 

Day explained that the Link program has been in existence in New Brunswick schools for 25 years and is excited to partner with the Suicide Prevention Committee to expand its work into the community. 

Day said the Suicide Prevention Committee and Link Committee have created ‘helping trees’ that direct people to the service they need when they need it. 

“We are providing access to these Helping Trees through the simple scan of a QR code, and we are hoping these will be on display in doors and windows throughout the River Valley starting this February.”

On Thursday, Jan 30, Day, RVSPC president Ebony Wade, other committee members and Western Valley Link representatives met at Day’s office in downtown Woodstock to accept a donation from one of Woodstock’s corporate sponsors. 

RBC Woodstock presented a $1,500 cheque, adding bank staff would volunteer at an upcoming RVSPC event. 

Mortgage specialist Andrea Leech said the donation was in memory of a co-worker. 

Day explained the funds donated through the N.B. Mental Health Association will help the committee in its ongoing efforts to bring awareness to suicide prevention and educate the public about help sources. 

Despite the efforts of so many, Day said, suicide numbers remain too high. He said the most recent numbers indicate 126 individuals, including 11 in the River Valley, took their own lives in 2022. 

Day added that the number is probably low, noting the coroner will declare suicide only when the evidence is clear. He explained that “accidents” may be a result of someone taking their own life.

He said the key to bringing down the number is informing those struggling that they have places to turn and helping others understand the signs that someone they encounter may need help and where to find it. 

The post Wear yellow on Feb. 7 to bring awarness to suicide prevention first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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A Hoyt man is headed to trial on drug-trafficking allegations, as he denied the indictable charges Thursday.

Dale Dunham, 36, of Mill Settlement Road in Hoyt, about 50 kilometres south of Fredericton, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone from the Madawaska Regional Correctional Centre on Thursday to answer to a number of serious drug-related charges.

His defence lawyer, Denis Sawyer, appeared by telephone as well.

Dunham elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded not guilty to to two sets of charges.

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A Saint John man is facing murder charges after two boys were found dead inside a residence in the city's north end Wednesday morning, say police.

A 12-member jury found Zakkary Reed guilty of first-degree murder Thursday.

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A Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation woman will return to court next month to enter pleas on provincial and criminal charges alleging she neglected an animal in her care last summer.

Hillary Sabattis, 43, of Kingsclear Avenue, made her initial appearance in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday to answer to charges under the New Brunswick SPCA Act and the Criminal Code of Canada.

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Police say a man is facing murder charges after two children were found dead in a home in Saint John.

Saint John police say they responded to a 911 call at a residence on Skaling Court, off McIntosh Street, around 7 a.m. Wednesday.

“Officers arrived and immediately forced entry into the home and located two deceased male youth, ages 10 and 17,” police said in a news release on Thursday.

A 46-year-old man was found inside the home with life-threatening injuries. He was taken to the hospital and remains in police custody.

Police said he will appear in court at a later date to face two counts of murder.

“The accused was known to the victims and the police have no further concerns for public safety,” said the release.

Officers remain on the scene continuing to collect evidence.

Eastern Charlotte Mayor John Craig sits down with CHCO’s Nathalie Sturgeon to talk about the Municipality’s completed 2025 budget, the creation of a Parks and Recreation department, housing initiatives, and more on an all-new January 2025 edition of Your Town Matters.

Original Broadcast Date: January 29, 2025

Your Town Matters is an original production of CHCO-TV taped on location in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson discusses setbacks with the Market Square and Market Wharf refurbishment, the revised water billing system, the incoming ladder truck for the fire department, and more on an all-new January 2025 edition of Your Town Matters.

Original Broadcast Date: January 24, 2025

Your Town Matters is an original CHCO-TV production taped on-location at the CHCO-TV studio in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

29-year-old Perth-Andover man now missing for a year

RCMP continue to look for a Victoria County man who has been missing for a year.

In a Facebook post, the RCMP said they continued to look for a missing 29-year-old man from Perth-Andover.

Donald James Pirie, also known as DJ Pirie, was last seen on January 30, 2024, near Churchland Road and Lerwick Road in Tilley.

Police have followed up on several leads to try to locate him but have been unsuccessful so far. The RCMP and his family are concerned for his well-being.

Donald James Pirie is described as being approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall (178 cm) and weighing approximately 220 lbs (99 kg).

He has blue eyes and blond hair. He has a scar in the middle of his head and several tattoos, including an angel on his left upper arm and a star on the front of his right shoulder.

Pirie was last seen wearing a gold watch, a gold chain with a cross, and black shoes.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Perth-Andover RCMP at 506-273-5000.

The post RCMP continue to search for missing man first appeared on River Valley Sun.

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A Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation man awaiting trial on firearms charges dating back 20 months will see his case delayed further after court heard he and his lawyer have parted ways.

Callum James McGraw, 37, of Geegan Street, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday by telephone from the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre.

Also joining the proceeding by phone was his defence counsel, Dieppe lawyer Nelson Peters.

McGraw faces May 10, 2023, charges out of Taymouth alleging he possessed a stolen rifle and shotgun; breached a court order prohibiting him from possessing firearms; possessed them without a licence, and knowing he didn’t have a licence; possessed a stolen pellet gun, chainsaw and tool set; and was unlawfully at large on that date.

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A tentative agreement has been reached for more than 2,200 general labour and trades workers in New Brunswick.

The province announced the agreement with CUPE Local 1190, the union representing the workers, on Tuesday evening.

“The parties came to an agreement after returning to the bargaining table after a deadlock was declared,” the government said in a news release.

“The parties have agreed to withhold details of the agreement pending its ratification.”

Talks broke down between CUPE Local 1190 and the provincial government back in early July and members voted 84 per cent in favour of strike action.

In September, the province offered the union 12.5 per cent over four years, which it said was in line with a conciliation board’s recommendation.

However, CUPE said that assertion was inaccurate. It said the board recommended 11 per cent over three years and a “significant” increase in year four.

President Jonathan Guimond said the province’s offer had worked out to an average of $3 per hour. The union was seeking a flat $7 per hour increase over three years.

CUPE Local 1190 represents, among others, mechanics, highway workers, parks workers and Service New Brunswick health supply chain workers in eight provincial government departments.

There is no word on when members will have a chance to vote on the tentative deal.

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A Fredericton man who’s been subject to a sex-offender registration order for almost two decades saw new charges against him withdrawn Wednesday as his trial was set to begin.

Anthony Stephen Beaumont, 41, of Albert Street, was scheduled to stand trial Wednesday in Fredericton provincial court on a charge of violating an order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act by failing to report his residence to the sex-offender registry between June 2 and July 2, 2022.

He’d denied that count previously, as well as a charge of failing to attend court Jan. 24, 2023.

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A building near Woodstock is one of the province's many tourist information bureaus that closed because of budget concerns and declining numbers of tourists stopping by.

A coroner's inquest into the death of a homeless teen in a hospital psychiatric unit concluded Wednesday in Moncton with the jury issuing five recommendations.

The southeastern New Brunswick municipality has faced local governance struggles since amalgamation in 2023.

More funds needed to repair and upgrade an aging system in dire need

Woodstock residents currently paying the lowest water and sewer rates, $550 annually, could see their costs jump to $650 in 2025 and $850 by 2028. 

During its Jan. 28 council meeting, which was almost entirely devoted to Woodstock’s at-risk utility system, the council gave the first reading to a bylaw it hopes will increase this year’s utility budget by 15 per cent. 

The Woodstock water and sewer system serves only Woodstock’s Ward 4, the former Woodstock town boundaries.  

Mayor Trina Jones and CAO Allan Walker explained the rate proposal, which will see the four-tier system introduced in 2023 change to a single tier over the next four years. The change will see Tier 1 customers, currently paying $550 annually,  jump substantially over that period to $850, while Tier 4 customers, presently paying $925 annually, will drop to $850 in 2028. 

Jones acknowledged that the rate hike would hit some homeowners hard but noted that the increase would be needed to ensure the town’s water and sewer systems were up to standard. She added that even after the town reaches the $850 annual target in 2028, Woodstock residents will still be paying approximately $2.30 per day, which is well below the provincial average. 

“We understand these are big leaps for our community members who have been treated for a long, long time, decades, with extraordinarily cheap water, the reality of that is we can’t keep pace with that or we won’t have water,” Jones said. 

The evening’s discussion of utilities began with Utilities Director John Lyons offering a detailed review of the town’s water and sewer system, which he said is in severe jeopardy without significant upgrades. 

Offering an overview of the entire system, Lyons outlined several critical infrastructure upgrades required in the short term and an overall upgrade of the aging water and sewer system over the next several years. 

He said failure to address the problems puts the town’s water and sewer system at risk. 

Lyons explained that the town currently relies on one well—Well # 2—to provide its water. He explained that Well # 1, located in the same well house, is no longer operational. He said that the town is in the process of drilling Well #3, located near the operating well house, adding that the effort will continue when warmer temperatures make it possible. Well # 3 will draw from the same source of water.

The town’s effort to find a second well source abruptly stopped in 2023 when testing showed water from a new well in Grafton unusable. 

The town and other levels of government spent approximately $4 million to build the Grafton well. 

Mayor Jones explained that the council approved legal action against the consulting firm overseeing the project to recoup the money invested in the Grafton well. 

“We have hired legal counsel to represent us in our claim against Dillon with respect to their work on the project,” she announced. “A Notice of Action was filed with the court on December 30, 2024. A corresponding Statement of Claim will be filed no later than January 29, 2025. At this point in time, there is nothing else to report.”

The proposed rate hikes follow several months of reviews, changes, and overhauls of the town’s utility department and system. 

In 2023, the council approved changing the billing system from a metered system to flat rates despite significant public backlash. To ease the changeover, the town implemented a tier system based on the homeowners’ historical water usage.

The rate proposal unveiled at the Jan. 28 meeting will remove the tiers by 2028. 

During his presentation, Walker outlined why the town chose the flat rate system over a metered system, highlighting the high cost of meters as the primary reason. 

Jones said a metered system could return in the future, but the utility’s current capital demands rule that out for the foreseeable future. 

“It would take years to get back to a metered system,” she said. 

Several council members agreed with the rate proposal and unanimously approved the first reading of the bylaw change. The council will then publicly debate the issue and potentially suggest amendments before giving the policy its third and final reading. 

Coun. Jeff Bradbury said he recognized the strain the increased rates would put on families already facing higher living costs. 

“They’re tough,” he said. “Everything is up. Everyone is strained right now. Power rates and assessments are up, things like that.”

However, he added, Woodstock’s water and sewer system requires immediate upgrades to avert potential disasters. He cited the disastrous water break in Calgary as an example of what could happen if the system is neglected. 

Bradbury and Coun. Norm Brown thanked Lyons and his team for their ongoing efforts to improve and secure the system. 

Brown also supported the decision to use the flat rate over a metered system, citing the estimated cost of meters. 

“The $600,000 for meters is better spent on repairs,” he said. 

Coun. Mike Martin cited the number of malfunctioning sewer lines and lift stations as a serious problem. These lines and lift stations leave the town non-compliant with environmental standards. 

“These are things that need to be fixed,” he said. 

Coun. Julie Calhoun-Williams pointed out that most New Brunswick municipalities use a flat-rate system instead of a metered one. 

The proposed rates, which the town posted on its website, will see Tier 1 jump from its current $550 annually to $650 in 2025, $725 in 2026, $800 in 2027, and $850 in 2028. 

Tier 2 will increase from the current $725 to $775 in 2025, $800 in 2026, $825 in 2027, and $850 in 2028. 

Tier 3 will remain at the current $825 in 2025 and increase to $850 in 2026, 27, and 28. 

Tier 4 remains at its current $925 until 2027, before falling to $850 in 2028. 

Utility rates for apartment units will increase by $50 annually from their current $350 to $550 in 2028. 

The post Woodstock council proposes significant hike in water and sewer rates first appeared on River Valley Sun.

No one injured in the Wednesday morning blaze, which is under investigation by Fire Marshal’s Office

A Perth-Andover residence sustained substantial damage Wednesday morning, Jan. 29, when a propane tank caught fire. 

The Perth-Andover Fire Department responded to the blaze on Hillcrest Street before 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. 

Chief Philip Walker said the tank caught fire but never exploded. The fire spread to the house, causing significant damage before the fire crew suppressed it. 

He said no one was injured. 

Walker said the insurance company would ascertain the extent of the damage. 

He said the New Brunswick Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the cause of the fire. 

The post Propane tank fire damages Perth-Andover home first appeared on River Valley Sun.

The jury in Zakkary Reed's first-degree murder trial began deliberations late Wednesday afternoon after about three weeks of testimony — minus some time when the accused felt poorly.

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Warning: This article includes graphic descriptions of a sexual encounter between an adult and a minor.

Four years after Jonathan Dort had sex with a 15-year-old girl in his truck on the side of a back road, a judge found him not guilty of sexual assault and sexual interference.

Dort, 43, of Maxwell Road in Geary, had been standing trial in a piecemeal fashion since 2022 on Jan. 7, 2021, charges alleging he sexually assaulted a then-15-year-old girl and touched her for a sexual purpose.

There’s a court-ordered publication ban in effect protecting the identity of the complainant.

Fredericton provincial court Judge Natalie LeBlanc rendered her decision on the trial Wednesday afternoon.

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Zakkary Reed admitted to shooting Alexander Bishop but testified it was in self-defence.

Possible support options include changes to employment insurance and making credit available to keep businesses afloat or help them diversify.

Now in its fourth week, the first-degree murder trial of Zakkary Reed is drawing to a close, with closing arguments Wednesday morning from defence and Crown lawyers.

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A Burton man already facing an outstanding sexual-assault charge is now being held on new counts alleging another such sex offence against a different complainant, as well as extreme violence.

Isaiah Joseph Ernest Bonnar, 23, of Irene Street in Burton, appeared in Fredericton provincial court by telephone from the cellblock in the RCMP’s Oromocto detachment Wednesday morning.

New charges were laid against him, alleging violent attacks against a woman over the past several months.

Crown prosecutor Brett Stanford asked the court to impose a publication ban on the complainant’s identity, and Judge Lyne Raymond granted the order.

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The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is ending its lawsuit against the New Brunswick government over its policy on 2SLGBTQ+ students choosing their own names and pronouns at school.

On the last Monday of every month, ​the Charlotte Street Arts Centre ​in Fredericton g​ives both veteran and ​new musicians ​a chance to play a ​​baby ​grand ​piano.