With the November 28th municipal election drawing nearer, CHCO held a Meet the Candidates event for the Municipal District of St. Stephen at the Garcelon Civic Centre. 18 of the 20 candidates running for 8 positions on the new council participated in the opportunity to share their background and platform with voters. After introducing voters to council candidates, CHCO News Director Vicki Hogarth moderated a Meet the Mayoral Candidates event with all three mayoral candidates participating: Allan MacEachern, Ken Parker and Burton Stewart. The three candidates answered a series of questions submitted by the public and vetted by CHCO. For the first time since the pandemic, we were also able to have a live audience during filming. For those unable to attend in person, CHCO's Meet the Council Candidates and Meet the Mayoral Candidates for the Municipal District of St. Stephen will be available on CHCO's Facebook page and YouTube channel as well broadcast on television as part of the TV station's NBVotes Election Specials.

CHCO's NBVotes Elections Specials also include Meet the Eastern Charlotte Council Candidates, which premieres this week on all of CHCO's platforms. Like the District of St. Stephen, the newly formed Eastern Charlotte Municipal District will elect an entirely new council. Mayor John Craig, however, has been acclaimed. 

For Municipality of Saint Andrews, a full election is not required but Bayside residnets will elect a representative out of two candidates to join the council, and Chamcook residents will elect 2 of 3 candidates. CHCO's Meet the Bayside and Chamcook Candidates tv special is already available on all our platforms. For those who prefer to watch on television, just look for NBVotes on CHCO in the TV Guide and don't forget to vote on November 28.  Municipal reform will see the province amalgamating 340 local government entities into just 77 local governments and 12 rural districts.  

After delays due to weather, Setting Day finally came a few days late for Grand Manan fishers on Friday with fishing fleets taking to the sea as with the sunrise. Fishers could soon be required to wear life jackets while working. The provincial government recently introduced legislation to make life personal flotation devices mandatory for the commercial fishing industry. Post-secondary education, training and labour minister Trevor Holder said that this new legislation would allow WorkSafeNB to enforce safety standards by having fishing vessels declared a place of work.

“Working on fishing vessels can be a dangerous job, which is why these changes are crucial to make this working environment as safe as possible,” said Minister Holder. “Under federal regulations, fishing vessels must have personal flotation devices on board. The provincial changes will reinforce their use as a safety measure in their work environment. These amendments will address a safety gap in the fishing industry and will help to protect workers from the risk of drowning,” said Holder. ‟Fishing is one of New Brunswick’s longest and proudest traditions and we want it to be safe for workers.”

Holder said the amendments were inspired by a long history of drownings in the industry that could have been prevented. The amendments, if passed, would take effect June 1, 2024.

Finally, 97-year Herb McGee of Saint Andrews was recently awarded the rank of knight of the French National Order of the Legion of Honour. In a public ceremony at the All Saints Anglican Church on Remembrance Day, McGee had his medal officially pinned to his chest. The moment was met with a standing ovation from the audience. This distinction, which is the highest national order of France, was given to McGee in recognition of his personal involvement in the liberation of France during World War II. McGee joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943 when he was just 18 as an Tail Gunner, flying 40 missions over France and Germany during the Second World War.