The New Brunswick RCMP is asking for an independent agency to conduct a review of police actions following a shooting incident involving RCMP members in St. Stephen.

On September 16th at approximately 4 a.m., members of the St. Stephen RCMP Detachment responded to a report of an individual in mental distress with a weapon outside of a home on Ross Avenue. When police arrived on scene, they were confronted by a man armed with a machete who refused to drop his weapon. An RCMP member discharged a firearm, shooting the man who was immediately taken to hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound. An electrical fire had taken place at the home where the shooting happened approximately three weeks earlier.

It's worth noting that exactly a year to day earlier, police were called to the same house on Ross to investigate the murder of 25-year-old Christopher Hanley, a homicide which has yet to be solved. 

The RCMP members involved in the latest incident at the Ross Avenue home have been placed on administrative duties pending the outcome of the review.

New Brunswickers wishing to access most non-essential services in the province will soon need to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. People will need to show proof of vaccination whenever they access certain services, businesses and events, including: indoor festivals, performing arts and sporting events; indoor and outdoor dining and drinking at restaurants, pubs and bars; movie theatres, nightclubs, amusement centres, pool halls, bowling alleys and casinos; gyms, indoor pools and indoor recreation facilities; indoor group exercise facilities; indoor organized gatherings including weddings, funerals, parties (excluding parties in a private dwelling), conferences and workshops; indoor organized group recreational sports, classes and activities; and visiting a long-term care facility.

These measures are expected to stay in place until the province has a 90% vaccination rate. Part of the motivation for the launch of proof of vaccine program came from the strain now being felt on the healthcare system. Currently, there are 15 New Brunswickers in hospital being treated for COVID-19, which is the most since April of 2020. New Brunswick also reported its largest single day case count of 63 cases this past Wednesday--the most since the pandemic began. The vast majority of both hospitalizations and new cases are among the unvaccinated.

People entering the province must also register their travels and provide proof of vaccination.
Higgs says New Brunswickers can expect to see a vaccination passport in the form of a QR code for Smartphones this October.