Don’t forget to double those prices if you live in Canada!

After a long campaign in May, the candidates in Ward 2 were dealt a heavy blow.  There were numerous issues around the marking and counting of ballots.  These issue lead to the call for a byelection in Ward 2.  Once again, the candidates were faced with the task of running another full campaign.  The final decision will be made tomorrow; however, the question is - who will come out on top?

I believe the strongest candidate is Carl White.  Carl has the proven experience to get things done on council, as well as the common sense to do what is right. He has also been open to looking at various ideas before making decisions.

I believe he is a strong contrast to Patty Higgins who has shown herself to be close minded to issues (including the Irving Oil Headquaters plan), as well as easy confused when being asked questions.  Just take a look at what she was saying during the last debates:

“Patty Higgins, a vocal opponent of the pipeline through Rockwood Park, also plugged for consultations. But she got her facts wrong and was confusing at times. She suggested the province and the city should swap land for the old YM/YWCA site so the police would have better surveillance and could land a helicopter on the roof, even though the police don’t have one. She also said something incomprehensible about the unemployment rate, making it sound like it was running at 180 per cent.”

This city needs a strong voice in the Council’s table, and I belive the best person to do that is Carl White.

Tomorrow, get out and vote, and encourage your friends and family to vote as well.  Every vote counts!

Fusion Saint John is looking for input from its members on the proposed waterfront development.

“Fusion wants to hear from you on the latest waterfront development announced for our city.

Please take a moment to tell us what you think by filling out our short survey on the recent Long Wharf proposal, which includes an Irving Oil office building, extended public park spaces for Harbour Passage, a secondary cruise ship terminal, and the restoration of Fort La Tour.”

Help out by completing the survey here!

For more information on the proposed development, check out Irving Oil’s press release and frequently asked questions.

The most ridiculous news was announced today, Telus and Bell (the two cellphone carriers on the CDMA network in Canada) will start charging customers 15 cents per received text message.

Did I mention that spam messages or other unwanted messages will also cost you? Oh, and these new charges start in August!

The two carriers want people to purchase text messaging plans or bundles (you know, the $5+ a month plans), and they are using this new pricing scheme to force people into them.

What about Rogers (the cellphone carrier on the GSM network)? Well, as far as I can tell, they plan to continue allowing free incoming text messages.

Makes me glad that I made the switch to Rogers when I did.

This week, the house that we purchased finally closed.

We are now officially home owners!

It’s an exciting time; but, it is also stressful because there are so many little things that needs to be done.

Changing the locks is one of them.

After doing some searching, and speaking with a few locksmiths, I decided to go with Mr. Deadbolt (not his actual name).

I found his contact information on Canada 411.  He explained everything very well, had great prices, offered good suggestions, and he was able to come out that day.

Now instead of four keys, we have one that works in all of our doors.

I would highly recommend calling him if you are in Saint John and need a locksmith.

Plus the business name is awesome.

Update: The results are now online. We finished in second place!

Yesterday, the 2008 Harbour City Amazing Chase took place in Saint John, NB. The money raised went to P.R.O. Kids.

The HCAC is designed with teamwork in mind. This event is not only based on collecting objects, but also solving clues to get to your next destination. Our event will require teams of 4 to put their heads together to solve puzzles, codes and riddles and perform tasks, each leading to a “mystery location”; it could be a historical location, a well-known statue, or even a specific person. To win the prize, teams will need not only to work together as individuals but as a team.

I thought it sounded like fun, so I sent out some emails and recruited some guys to join the team. Our team was called “Those 4 Guys” (T4G). Our team dressed in red 2007 Bluenose Marathon running shirts, white head and wrist bands, and running shoes.

The event began at UNB-SJ at 12 noon, where we were given a crossword puzzle to complete before receiving our first clue.

We began in the West Side, where we:

• Recycled at the Carleton Community Centre.
• Kayaked in Dominion Park.
• Ran up and down the hill by Alex Coffin’s Fitness Shop.
• Answered energy related questions at the Milford Community Centre for bonus points.
• Took pictures with us at Reversing Falls, Martello Tower, and Partridge Island
• Gathered scavenger items at Deluxe French Fries and the Aquarius Tavern.
• Carried shot glasses of water across the room to fill a glass (with feet tied together) at the Aquarius Tavern.

Next was the North End, where we:

• Beat another team at Ultimate Frisbee at Shamrock Park.
• Dressed in Firefighter’s gear (extra points for carrying the heavy oxygen tanks) and ran through an obstacle course (extra points for pulling ourselves through a long tube).
• Found out our blood types at the Canadian Blood Services building on University.
• Completed a math puzzle at Rockwood park for bonus points.
• Took pictures with us at the Old Museum, Regional Hospital, Saint John sign, Rockwood Bark Park, and with a yellow car.
• Gathered item’s at my Mom’s cousin’s house and attempted to get a piece of Lego by knocking on the door of a random house.
• Raced back to Reversing Falls to get a Fast-Forward card from the Wave Cruiser.
• Had to make a leg split at the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre.

Next was the East Side, where we:

• Made a jigsaw puzzle at Benjamin Moore Paints.
• Played Guitar Hero at Future Shop.
• Stretched out pizza dough to fit a pizza pan at Vito’s.
• Gathered scavenger items at Future Shop and the Dollar Store. The items included money that was from a certain year and an American dollar bill.
• Took pictures with us at McDonald’s, the Jarvis Bay Artillery Gun, with an out-of-province car, Geraniums, and a person with a strange hat.
• Had to lookup SKU’s and take them to the Switchboard Operator at Kent.

Next was the South End, where we:

• Learned three types of kicks at Jay Chang’s Taekwondo. Russell and I also had to fight each other (sorry about kicking you in the neck).
• Climbed the rock wall and did the dance-dance game at the YMCA.
• Completed a crossword puzzle at First Steps by St. Joseph’s Hospital.
  
• Skipped the ball hockey course at Harbour Station by using our Fast-Forward card.
• Identified four different smells at SudsMuffin.
• Made a clay dish that held small glass items at Se’ramik.
• Dove off the highest diving board in the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.
• Answered music questions at A Khord.
• Found the large Whale Jaws at the New Brunswick Museum.
• Played “Are You Smarter Then A Fifth Grader” at Atlantica Centre for the Arts.
• Took pictures with us at the timepiece at Market Square and with the whale Jaw at the Museum.
• Collected a few items for the scavenger hunt.

We had one remaining stop in the South End (at the Bear making store in the mall); but, with fifteen minutes left, we raced back to UNB-SJ where we had all of the bonus clues needed to find and open the bonus locker. Inside was information on decoding a word puzzle. We raced downstairs to find the people with the decoding machine (like in the Da Vinci code). After we figured out the puzzle, we opened the machine to receive extra bonus points.

With five minutes to spare, we handed in our Passport and finished the Amazing Chase!

We stayed around for pizza and door prizes. After that, they announced several other prizes. Our team won the prize for finishing the most locations (we only missed one). We also anxiously waited to see if we won; but sadly, we didn’t. Today, the results were posted online, and we found out that we finished in second place.

Overall, the day was non-stop fun. We started at noon and didn’t finish until 6pm. We all had a great time and found it to be very well organized.

I hope they do it again next year, it’s another event that really makes this city a great place to be!

Tonight, I attended my first City of Saint John Common Council meeting. This is part of my new goal to become more involved in municipal politics. I think that it is best to see what is happening first hand - at the council meetings.

I know that I am not the only one who is interested in what is going on in Saint John. That is why I am going to start attending and blogging about what took place at the public council meetings. Instead of trying to document every little detail, I want to try and capture the important things that took place (along with any interesting observations).

I’m calling this “A Common Minute” and tonight is my first post!

City of Saint John Common Council Meeting - June 09, 2008

The meeting began twenty minutes late; however, it was quickly called to order once everyone arrived. Before business began, the 2008 Environmental Awards were handed out. I would highly recommend reading about these great local companies and groups.

Several Councillors spoke, during Members Comments, about successful events that went on in the city. An interesting mention, by Snook, was a group called PULSE that organized a graffiti cleaning event in the Lower South End.

Next, public hearings began. There were several proposed zoning amendments that were all motioned by Titus and seconded by McGuire. Each was quickly passed until 9.3(a)(b) came up. This one involved rezoning of 47-55 Golden Grove Road. Many residents spoke against the rezoning. Issues raised were around: increased flooding, increased car traffic, safety, and appearance. There were concerns that promises would be made, but not followed up on. One resident explained that a privacy fence was supposed to be created around a previous development, but it never happened. The developer did speak in favour of the rezoning. He cited that the area has always flooded and would continue to flood. He did not believe that it would increase flooding. The developer seemed open to working with residents and any conditions council made. No final decision was made tonight.

As part of the previous discussion, McGuire made a good point about “missing a step”. He explained that we seem to be skipping a step where we ask both sides if comprises would be acceptable before the issues make it to the council meetings.

Finally, the submissions by Council Members started. This is where the meeting became interesting. Titus made his many promised motions to Council.

At tonights Common Council meeting, the Environment Committee presented it’s 2008 Environmental awards. The recipients were:

Fundy Linen Services

Last year, Fundy Linen Services completed an energy reduction program. The upgrades and changes they made to their existing technology reduced their water consumption by over eight million gallons per year, and also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over 1,000 tonnes annually.

To reduce their water and energy consumption, Fundy Linen installed two Washex tunnel washers which use German technology that requires less water to operate, and started using a Performance program by Ecolab that kills bacteria at a lower temperature: it is that difference in washing temperature that resulted in the major energy savings.

As part of their Energy Reduction Plan, they also made the switch from Number 2 furnace oil to natural gas and installed two new vapour powered thermal water heaters, which are 23% more efficient at heating water.

Because Fundy Linen operates as a hospital laundry, there are strict standards for infection control. All operating room scrubs, drapes and gowns are computer monitored for quality. Any items with holes or tears are sterilized and recycled into rags to avoid the landfill.

The Blue Run

Our second Environment Award recipient is a small company known as The Blue Run that was started about one year ago.

This company is dedicated to recycling for you. Anyone looking for assistance with getting their recyclables to the depot would be a good customer for the Blue Run. For a small fee, Blue Run employees offer a curb-side recycling service on Saturday mornings. As a result, this company has decreased the amount of recyclables that were unnecessarily going into our landfill.

While the majority of their customers are residential, there are a growing number of commercial customers. Currently the material collected is mostly “lunchroom” recyclables.

Some comments from customers:

“I had always tried to be a loyal recycler but had at times become frustrated with the mounting piles of paper, cardboard and plastic accumulating in my garage. When time is tight it’s not always convenient to load up your car and truck recycling to the blue bins. (Especially on those cold winter days.) I immediately signed up. Without fail, every Saturday these hardworking individuals arrive at my door, and take my recycling. My garage is a lot cleaner. It takes care of my storing bags of recyclables and certainly makes me more apt to think about what I’m throwing out. I also know from talking to my neighbours how beneficial this program is for seniors, as well as children. My own son has become more aware of what we are putting into our garbage and even what we buy in terms of its recyclability.”

“I am a customer and it is a great service! It definitely eases the burden of being a busy working mom!”

Active Transportation Saint John (ATSJ)

This group of volunteers is committed to making a real and significant transformation of transportation in Saint John. ATSJ has been promoting the development of cycling lanes on roadways and walking and running paths within the City to facilitate and encourage human powered commuting as well as fitness opportunities. As part of this effort, they are developing cycling maps for Saint John to encourage more people to use this environmentally-friendly mode of transportation.

The nominator states:

“The traditional vehicle orientation is being replaced by one that highlights the importance of safe, accessible, environmentally responsible and integrated multiple-use to improve our street systems for pedestrians, cyclists, and users of the public transportation system – an essential part of our transition to a sustainable community.

The benefits are many: from a more active population to lowered rates of vehicle usage and lower greenhouse gas emissions, from improved mobility options to a variety of more responsible choices for us all.”

While this award is focused on ATSJ, the Environment Committee would also like to acknowledge key supporters that are helping to make the transformation real including Saint John Transit, Saint John Parking, and the staff of City of Saint John Municipal Operations including the Traffic Crew.

This Monday, Deputy Mayor Stephen Chase will present two motions to council - one asking for a definitive date to hear from experts about a public-private partnership and another calling on the province to investigate what caused the latest boil-water order.

This comes after the third boil water order since February of this year. In the latest incident, approximately 40,000 residents living east of the Reversing Falls Bridge were asked to boil water on June 2, after Saint John Water staff detected a break in a chlorine injection line.

“What I’d like to see is the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Health undertake a joint investigation of the incident and also a review of Saint John Water’s protocols for maintenance and operation of that water facility,” said Chase.

Chase also wants to see presentations on public-private partnerships from experts by Sept. 15.

“I’m asking council, let’s get on with that. Let’s get that piece underway so council and the public is understanding of the opportunities there.”

Council already passed a motion by Chase affirming that the city would always retain control and ownership of the system.

“No. 1, the federal government established a rule that if you are requesting infrastructure money, you have to show that you’ve examined the possibilities of public-private partnership,” said Chase.

“We have to do it, maybe people should start to understand that,” he added, frustration slipping into his voice.

I am very glad that Stephen is standing up for the citizens on this important issue. All options need to be looked at, and the best option needs to be implemented. We cannot wait for someone to become sick before moving on this issue!

The chief electoral officer has decided to hold a byelection to fill the final Ward 2 seat.

It has been a very troubling situation for the candidates in this ward after missing ballots changed the results several times. To add to the issues, there have also been reports of ballot tampering by elections staff!

The issue I see with this is that they are now saying anyone in the Ward 2 is free to run. It doesn’t make any sense to allow anyone other then White, Higgins, and McCormack to run.

Let’s face it, they have already put their names forward, run a full campaign, and then had to deal with these issues. Letting anyone run put them at an advantage because of the costs associated with running a campaign. These candidates now have to pay for two campaigns!

If someone else had wanted to run, they should have put their name down from the beginning.

Letting others get involved now is just plain wrong. This byelection should be between the candidates who were on the ballot.

The issues were not with the candidates, it was with the ballots and election officials.