Latest news with #BradHenderson
CTV News
7 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
New environmental study delays final decision on Saint Andrews, N.B., wharf
A final decision on refurbishing the town wharf in Saint Andrews, N.B., has been delayed until later this summer following the addition of a new environmental impact assessment. The $25,000 coastal study by GEMTEC will investigate how a refurbished wharf might impact the town's Market Wharf and Market Square shoreline areas, as well as water quality and sedimentation in Saint Andrews Harbour. The GEMTEC study will take about two months to complete. Town officials had initially planned for the $7-million wharf refurbishment – a hybrid project using both steel and infill – to be listed for tender before the start of this summer. In January 2024, town council approved the refurbishment's infill/steel plan out of a total of five options presented in public consultations. Outgoing mayor Brad Henderson said the GEMTEC study was a compromise to address concerns about the refurbishment, while keeping it on track. 'It also gives us a path forward where we aren't gambling with $5.4 million,' said Henderson, regarding a deadline for government funding. 'We all know we're running out of time with this funding.' Resident Cindy Kohler said she was happy concerns about the project were being studied ahead of a final decision. 'It would've been a nice thing to start with, but it's nice that it's being done now,' said Kohler, who owns a storefront on Water Street, near the wharf. 'There could be things that have been overlooked, or much more negative impacts than we've anticipated.' Wharf People walk on Market Wharf in Saint Andrews, N.B. (Source: Nick Moore/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
06-05-2025
- CTV News
Saint Andrews, N.B., raises concerns about power outages caused by wildlife
Saint Andrews, N.B., is raising concerns about the upcoming tourism season following a power outage caused by wildlife last weekend and a string of unplanned outages related to ospreys and squirrels last year. The latest outage on Sunday began around 11:30 a.m. and lasted three hours, affecting about 2,200 NB Power customers in the Saint Andrews area. NB Power says the outage was caused by wildlife damaging equipment. Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson says a squirrel has been linked to Sunday's outage – the same animal responsible for a power outage last July 1 during the height of Canada Day celebrations in the seaside town. 'It's a serious matter,' says Henderson. 'It cost this community hundreds of thousands of dollars last year in power outages, and we can't have that happen again. 'The concern is, despite how we met with NB Power, we put some solutions in place, we talked about what was happening… the concern is that although we had a break from it, this could be the start of maybe more.' Henderson says last year's wildlife-related power outages began to intensify around this time last year, with ospreys behind most of the incidents. Last year, NB Power reported as many as 15 'blue sky' outages in the Saint Andrews area that were unexpected and unrelated to weather. Some of the unexpected outages were caused by fallen trees and a vehicle collision; most were caused by wildlife. Carolyn Comeau, the owner of a pizzeria in downtown Saint Andrews, says her initial thought once Sunday's unexpected outage began was, 'I wonder if they're practicing for Canada Day.' Comeau says the Canada Day power failure was particularly frustrating because it's traditionally the town's busiest day of the year for tourists. An estimated 10,000 people were in downtown Saint Andrews last Canada Day when the power outage began, forcing several businesses to close. 'All the money that we spent to get ready for Canada Day just kind of went out the window,' says Comeau, who estimated a one-day loss of at least $7,000. NB Power says $60 million has been spent in recent years to upgrade power infrastructure in the Saint Andrews area, adding the utility has regulatory limits on what it can do to remove protected wildlife (including ospreys, who build nests on power infrastructure). Saint Andrews Saint Andrews, N.B., had a power outage last weekend. (Source: Nick Moore/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
