Latest news with #Lorneville
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
Saint John woman pleads guilty to 2nd-degree murder in death of man last summer
A Saint John woman charged with first-degree murder in connection with the discovery of a man's body in a wooded area on the western outskirts of the city last summer has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. Jinelle Suzanne Thompson, 45, admitted to killing Allan Christopher Lee, 52, of Saint John, between July 31 and Aug. 1, 2024. His remains were discovered on Aug. 1, shortly after 7 p.m., off King William Road near Lorneville, on the same side of the road as the wind turbines. Thompson entered her change of plea in Saint John Court of King's Bench on May 15. There is a publication ban on other details related to her appearance. Her co-accused — Charles Pleasance, 56, and Stephen Chester Martin, 66 — both still face trial. They are each charged with accessory after the fact to murder, for allegedly knowing Thompson had murdered Lee and assisting her to escape. Thompson was arrested on Dec. 12, the day after Pleasance was taken into custody. Martin was arrested on Dec. 16. Sentencing in July Thompson had been scheduled to face a jury trial Aug. 24 to Sept. 25, 2026, after the Crown proceeded by direct indictment, without holding a preliminary inquiry first to determine if there was enough evidence to proceed to a trial. Unlike first-degree murder, which is both planned and deliberate, second-degree murder is generally a deliberate killing that occurs without planning. Both carry a life sentence, but second-degree murder offers parole eligibility after serving 10 years, while there is no possibility of parole for 25 years with a charge of first-degree murder. Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. She remains in custody. Pleasance and Martin, who also remain in custody, have both elected to be tried by judge and jury. They are due to appear in Saint John Court of King's Bench Thursday for a hearing related to scheduling. Accessory after the fact carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Cause of death not released Saint John police said they conducted an exhaustive search Aug. 2 of the wooded area where Lee's body was located, using police dogs and aerial drones. They also canvassed the area, conducted interviews, and asked anyone with information or video to contact them. Investigators deemed Lee's death a homicide based on an autopsy, but his cause of death has not been released.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Saint John industrial park expansion focuses on medium, light industry, staff says
Very few exceptions for heavy-industrial uses, Saint John growth director says In order to ease residents' concerns, city staff say the controversial Spruce Lake Industrial Park expansion will be mostly for light and medium industry. There will be "very few exceptions for heavier uses," said David Dobbelsteyn, the city's director of growth and community support services. "And those are primarily to allow for larger manufacturing of modern uses." City staff and Lorneville residents are fast approaching a pivotal public hearing on May 12, when councillors will make a decision on the controversial plan aimed at attracting businesses to the region. According to earlier iterations of the plan, the city wanted to create a new zone — called the Spruce Lake industrial zone — which would allow light, medium and heavy industrial uses, without specifying sectors and without a focus on light and medium industry. Medium-industrial zones are generally for operations where nuisances like noise and odours can stay within the site boundaries. Heavy-industrial zones accommodate larger operations, where these impacts will be more far reaching and need to be further away from residential areas. Light industries generally don't have those impacts. WATCH | Residents reject changes to controversial industrial park expansion plan: Media Video | CBC News New Brunswick : City shifts away from heavy industry, adds green focus to industrial park expansion Caption: Saint John has revised its controversial plan to expand the Spruce Lake Industrial Park. The city says the area will largely be for light and medium industry, with a shifted focus on green and clean sectors. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. The most recent version of the plan — released as a draft on the city's Shape Your City website — emphasizes "green and clean" sectors and de-emphasizes heavy-industrial uses with only some exceptions. "So let's say we were to have a semiconductor factory that was interested in moving from Silicon Valley in California and expanding to Saint John," Dobbelsteyn said. "That's a clean and green industry. It's no emissions whatsoever. We'd be interested in that." Planning language complications For the plan to move forward, the city needs council approval to change the municipal designation of 420 hectares of the area to "employment area and heavy industry." This — when announced in July — drew significant pushback from members of the Lorneville community who fear the potential hazards of living near a heavy-industrial site and the impacts it would have on surrounding ecosystems and residential areas. In draft reports, city staff say pushback stems from misinterpreting and misunderstanding the language in the city's municipal plan and zoning bylaw — specifically around the phrase "heavy industry." Complications come from the city's municipal plan — a long-term planning roadmap distinct from zoning bylaws — which only recognizes light and heavy industry. Anything considered "medium" would fall under heavy industry in the city's long-term plan. "Due to the limitation of the existing language in the Municipal Plan, the expansion area of the Spruce Lake Industrial Park must similarly be designated as Heavy Industrial even though the majority of uses [in the area] are intended to be medium or light industrial uses," the staff report says. Dobbelsteyn said the Spruce Lake industrial zone will be the most heavily regulated industrial zone in the city. "All of the industrial uses that Saint Johners would colloquially understand with heavy industry, whether that's a refinery or pulp mill, scrap and metal shredding — none of that is going to be permitted in the Spruce Lake Industrial Park," he said. Heavy industrial developments will still be permitted in the park, as long as they aren't explicitly prohibited — as scrapyards and emitting industries will be. Those with processes considered volatile — like ones that involve acid, for example — would require a risk assessment. Residents reject changes Lorneville community members, who have a protest planned on Sunday afternoon, say they feel their concerns were not heard in the eight months of discussions with the city. "Although the intention may be greener energy, the option is still there for heavy industrial development. It's not excluded. So the fear is still there of heavy-industrial development within 150 metres of our houses," said community representative Leah Alexander. Buffer zones would start at 150 metres from the industrial park. Industrial buildings would need to be 250 metres away from residences, and a volatile industrial site would need 500 metres of separation. Alexander said the buffer still amounts to being substantially less than the city's municipal plan guidelines, which recommends a 1.5-kilometre buffer between heavy industry and residential areas. In the report, staff say the municipal plan's guidelines — which are not bylaws — were created with larger operations, such as refineries, in mind. Dobbelsteyn said a difference of opinion doesn't mean staff aren't listening. He said the city is "trying to find reasonable compromises that benefit the needs of residents, but also the needs of our business community, and that's one of those challenges."
CBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Overflow crowd pours out worries to Saint John council about Spruce Lake plan
After 5 often emotional hours, hearing on industrial park expansion is adjourned until next Tuesday Saint John council had to delay its vote on a controversial plan to expand the Spruce Lake Industrial Park after residents spoke for five hours against it Monday night, many expressing anger and some on the verge of tears. Close to 100 people filled the council chamber and spilled into the lobby as residents of the rural Lorneville community in the southwestern part of the city got to address councillors for the first time since the proposed expansion was announced nearly a year ago. Twenty-nine people spoke on the rezoning required for the project before the hearing was adjourned at 11 p.m. "Thankfully, community members stepped up, not just people from Lorneville and not just people from Saint John," said Adam Wilkins, one of the leaders of the residents' opposition. The hearing will continue next Tuesday, when councillors will hear from more opponents and from supporters. The city announced its plan to expand the industrial park last July and said the site's municipal designation would have to change to "employment and heavy industry" to allow development. After nearly a year of opposition from the community and meetings of a task force set up in response, the city updated the proposal to say the development area will primarily be used for "medium" and "light" industry, with a focus on green sectors. Zoning provisions would ban emitters and several types of operations, including scrapyards and pulp mills. Other industrial uses that would fall under "heavy industry" would require a risk assessment. These changes did not quell opposition, however, with residents saying heavy industrial operations would still be allowed and there were no hints as to what industry might go there and when. In the week before the hearing Monday, staff said, they received more than 200 letters, most against the project. One was from John Williamson, MP for Saint John-St. Croix, which includes the community. He urged councillors to vote down the proposal. Environmental impact a key worry Residents spoke about the history of the community and the development it's already accepted since becoming part of Saint John. They had a variety of concerns about Spruce Lake plan, including wetland loss, long-term community impacts and the fear future councils might reduce protections. "What happens to the next council and the next council and the next council that degrades any type of protections that you put in and hollow any type of securities that you put in," said Ashley Anthony of the Climate Action SJ advocacy group. Community member Leah Alexander and other speakers also rejected city staff allegations of NIMBYism, or not in my backyard. "We're not complaining about shade from an apartment complex or increased noise from a new splash pad or fumes from a parking lot," Alexander said. "We are not fighting for our backyards. We are standing up for the hundreds of creatures and living things that call this ecosystem home." Image | Spruce Lake Industrial Park - Zone map Caption: Under the proposed plan, buffer zones would start at 150 metres from the industrial park. Industrial buildings would need to be 250 metres from homes. A volatile industrial site would need a 500-metres buffer. (City of Saint John) Open Image in New Tab Staff reports say pushback stems from misinterpreting and misunderstanding the language in the city's municipal plan and zoning bylaw. Residents say heavy industry should be 1½ kilometres away from neighbourhoods, according to the municipal plan, while staff say these buffer guidelines were created with larger operations in mind. But this is not explicitly stated in the municipal plan, said opponent Sherri Colwell-McCavour. "If this policy and distance was not meant to include all potential heavy industry, then the onus for understanding is not on the reader of said document, but it's on the author of that document." Image | Ashley Anthony - Climate Action SJ Caption: Climate Action SJ's Ashley Anthony said residents are screaming for councillors to protect them, and councillors aren't doing their jobs. This led to a heated exchange. (Nipun Tiwari/CBC) Open Image in New Tab The meeting's temperature took a notable spike when Anthony urged the politicians to "lead with their hearts" and "not make narrow-minded decisions," saying the community is "screaming" for councillors to protect them. "And you guys aren't doing your job," she said. "We just need a couple of you to exercise that moral value and to stand with the people here who care about that environment. Just because you don't see it every day, and because it's out of sight and out of mind for you, doesn't mean that it's out of sight and out of mind for them." Mayor Donna Reardon interrupted Anthony at the 10-minute limit placed on each speaker and said her statements were "quite the judgment" on council. Coun. Brent Harris said, without turning on his mic, that the comments weren't productive. Anthony and Harris got into a brief testy, largely indiscernible exchange as people in the audience reacted angrily to the councillor. City hall security guards tried to intervene and Anthony ended her address. City highlights uncertain economic future Representatives of the city and the business group, Saint John Industrial Parks, emphasized a need for the park expansion in their presentation of the plan to council. The need comes from what presenters described as an uncertain economic future for the province, including a low projected growth in GDP in the coming year and Saint John's position as the most tariff-exposed city in the country. Ian MacKinnon, who heads Saint John Industrial Parks, said that without the available land the city won't be able to accommodate new businesses. MacKinnon said he couldn't name interested businesses because of non-disclosure agreements but two companies allowed him to disclose some information. MacKinnon said the city received two "letters of intent "in April: one to build a data centre and another for a "green manufacturing project." He said these would both be $1 billion projects. The data centre would bring 150 jobs and the green manufacturing project would create 70. At the peak of construction, the two businesses would employ more than 700. The two together would increase the city's property tax base by at least $170 million, he said.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Overflow crowd pours out worries to Saint John council about Spruce Lake plan
Saint John council had to delay its vote on a controversial plan to expand the Spruce Lake Industrial Park after residents spoke for five hours against it Monday night, many expressing anger and some on the verge of tears. Close to 100 people filled the council chamber and spilled into the lobby as residents of the rural Lorneville community in the southwestern part of the city got to address councillors for the first time since the proposed expansion was announced nearly a year ago. Twenty-nine people spoke on the rezoning required for the project before the hearing was adjourned at 11 p.m. "Thankfully, community members stepped up, not just people from Lorneville and not just people from Saint John," Wilkins said. The hearing will continue next Tuesday, when councillors will hear from more opponents and from supporters. The city announced its plan to expand the industrial park last July, it said the site's municipal designation would have to change to "employment and heavy industry" to allow development. After nearly a year of opposition from the community and meetings of a task force set up in response, the city updated the proposal to say the development area will primarily be used for "medium" and "light" industry, with a focus on green sectors. Zoning provisions would ban emitters and several types of operations, including scrapyards and pulp mills. Other industrial uses that would fall under "heavy industry" would require a risk assessment. These changes did not quell opposition, however, with residents saying heavy industrial operations would still be allowed and there were no hints as to what industry might go there and when. In the week before the hearing Monday, staff said, they received more than 200 letters, most against the project. One was from John Williamson, elected last month in the federal riding of Saint John-St. Croix, which includes the community. He urged councillors to vote down the proposal. Environmental impact a key worry Residents spoke about the history of the community and the development it's already accepted since becoming part of Saint John. They had a variety of concerns about Spruce Lake plan, including wetland loss, long-term community impacts and the fear future councils might reduce protections. "What happens to the next council and the next council and the next council that degrades any type of protections that you put in and hollow any type of securities that you put in," said Ashley Anthony of the Climate Action SJ advocacy group. Leah Alexander and other speakers also rejected city staff allegations of NIMBY-ism, or not in my backyard. "We're not complaining about shade from an apartment complex or increased noise from a new splash pad or fumes from a parking lot," Alexander said. "We are not fighting for our backyards. We are standing up for the hundreds of creatures and living things that call this ecosystem home." Staff reports say pushback stems from misinterpreting and misunderstanding the language in the city's municipal plan and zoning bylaw. Residents say heavy industry should be 1½ kilometres away from neighbourhoods, according to the municipal plan, while staff say these buffer guidelines were created with larger operations in mind. But this is not explicitly stated in the municipal plan, said opponent Sherri Colwell-McCavour. "If this policy and distance was not meant to include all potential heavy industry, then the onus for understanding is not on the reader of said document, but it's on the author of that document." The meeting's temperature took a notable spike when Anthony urged the politicians to "lead with their hearts" and "not make narrow-minded decisions," saying the community is "screaming" for councillors to protect them. "And you guys aren't doing your job," she said. "We just need a couple of you to exercise that moral value and to stand with the people here who care about that environment. Just because you don't see it every day, and because it's out of sight and out of mind for you, doesn't mean that it's out of sight and out of mind for them." Mayor Donna Reardon interrupted Anthony at the 10-minute limit placed on each speaker and said her statements were "quite the judgment" on council. Coun. Brent Harris said, without turning on his mic, that the comments weren't productive. Anthony and Harris got into a brief testy, largely indiscernible exchange as people in the audience reacted angrily to councillor. City hall security guards tried to intervene and Anthony ended her address.. City highlights uncertain economic future Representatives of the city and business groups emphasized a need for the park expansion, pointing to what they described as an uncertain economic future for the province, including a low projected growth in GDP in the coming year and Saint John's position as the most tariff-exposed city in the country. Ian MacKinnon, who heads Saint John Industrial Parks, said that without the available land the city won't be able to accommodate new businesses. MacKinnon said he couldn't name interested businesses because of non-disclosure agreements but two companies allowed him to disclose some information. MacKinnon said the city received two "letters of intent "in April: one to build a data centre and another for a "green manufacturing project." He said these would both be $1 billion projects. The data centre would bring 150 jobs and the green manufacturing project would 150. At the peak of construction, they would employ more than 700.
CTV News
12-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Residents hopeful ahead of public hearing on proposed industrial park expansion
Saint John is looking to expand an industrial park in Lorneville, N.B. (Source: Avery MacRae/CTV)
