Latest news with #Moncton
CBC
14 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
AIM's Moncton scrapyard approval expires, province says it won't renew it
New Salvage dealer licence required to operate lapsed June 30 The New Brunswick government will not not renew a controversial Moncton scrapyard's expired — and required — dealer licence. The Department of Public Safety salvage dealer licence for American Iron & Metal's operation on Toombs Street expired June 30. In a statement emailed to Radio-Canada Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for the department confirmed it has not renewed the licence. "Given that the company has three months to file an application for judicial review, it would be inappropriate to comment on this matter," Jadesola Emmanuel, communications officer for the department, wrote in French in the email. It's unclear whether the company will have to stop operations at that location while awaiting the results of a potential judicial review. The Montreal-based company, also known as AIM, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. The company purchased the site in 2023. Shortly after, residents started calling for the scrapyard to be relocated over concerns about noise, vibrations, smells and trains blocking a city street. AIM is suing the provincial government over its handling of the permits for its Saint John port scrapyard. That site was shut down after a fire in September 2023 that sent a plume of smoke over the city. The shutdown led to AIM increasing activity at its Moncton site where it could ship material by rail. The fire also led to more scrutiny of the company's other operations in New Brunswick by the province. The fire marshal ordered the company to make changes to its Moncton location, which it did. The increased activity led to complaints from residents in the adjacent neighbourhood. The company was forced to reduce the scale of piles of scrap, and to install a wall of shipping containers to reduce noise reaching homes. Despite the efforts, including a third-party report which found the wall did succeed in mitigating some noise, residents still complained. Last year, minister Kris Austin threatened to revoke the company's approval. Days before the provincial election, Austin opted to extend the approval to June 30. The company has a separate approval for handling batteries and hazardous materials through the province's environment department.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Heart attack patient waits 13 hours in Moncton Hospital ER
Jonah Imeson says he'd heard plenty of stories about people waiting for hours in New Brunswick's emergency rooms and even dying before being seen by a physician, but then he had his own scare and he's still shaken. The 35-year-old graphic designer, with Type 2 diabetes, said he waited 13 hours at the Moncton Hospital ER with chest discomfort, arm pain, nausea, high blood pressure and a sensation like heartburn before he was seen by a doctor, who told him he'd likely had a heart attack and could have died. Imeson's story puts a face to the untold number of patients in New Brunswick who wait far too long in a hospital system that has openly declared a critical state of over-capacity. And although the Moncton Hospital has been left out of a new protocol demanding some hospital patients be fast-tracked into nursing homes — to help free up beds, including those in ERs — Horizon's dashboard paints a troubling picture. It shows wait times in the Moncton Hospital ER, from triage to assessment by a physician, reached 400 minutes (6.6 hours) in June — the highest since April 2022 and well above the national target of 30. That makes Imeson a remarkable outlier in a system already under-performing by a significant margin. From 3 p.m. on June 4 until 4 a.m. the next day, he waited in a room so full, he lost his seat a few times after getting up to vomit and when he went to call his mother. "You always hear stories, then it actually happens to you," he said of his ER experience. Time-stamped text messages tell wait-time story Imeson was able to reconstruct it from the text messages he sent home to his wife and to his parents in Oromocto. He didn't ask them to come to the hospital, he said, because he was concerned about his wife, who had to work the next day, and didn't want to trouble his mother or father. The experience began at 1 p.m., when he was scheduled to see his dietitian on the hospital campus. He reported chest discomfort and a numb sensation in his arm. The dietitian took his blood pressure, and when she got a reading of 210/119, she walked him to the ER herself. At the triage station, Imeson reported that his own father had had a heart attack at 49 and that diabetes ran in the family. Imeson was registered shortly after 3 p.m., then sat down to wait. WATCH | Why a Moncton man fears going to the hospital again: "While I was there, I started sweating profusely," he said. "I had to go to the bathroom a few times and vomit." As the hours ticked by, Imeson updated his mother by text: 4:11 p.m. "168 over 107 pulse is 95." 5:13 p.m. "151 over 92. They gave me some Tylenol" 6:44 p.m. "147 over 78 pulse is 76 I just had to run and throw up again." 7:48 p.m. "148/78 pulse is 76. This heartburn feeling is weird." 9:05 p.m. "153 over 12 pulse 97 *112" 11:11 p.m. "160 over 94 pulse 90. room's filled" As midnight approached, Imeson thought about leaving the hospital, walking down the street and calling an ambulance. "To see if that might rush me in more," he said. "I guess a part of me never would have done that, but it definitely crossed my mind." His mother texted him encouragement, told him to stay and that a doctor would likely see him soon. Shortly after 4 a.m., Imeson saw a physician and was given an electrocardiogram. It was the first time he heard from a doctor that he might have had a heart attack. More tests ensued. "They did the ultrasound and they had mentioned that it appears the bottom section of my heart was damaged." On June 6, Imeson was sent by ambulance to the heart centre at the Saint John Regional Hospital, where he underwent more examinations. "When I went to Saint John and they did the ink dye test, it became more apparent what the situation was with that blocked artery. So that's why … it appeared damaged, because that artery was blocked." Later that day, an ambulance returned Imeson to the Moncton Hospital, and he was discharged June 8. On Monday, June 16, he returned to work, while taking medication. Once he had his "foot in the door" and could speak to doctors, he said, his care was excellent. Cardiologists say heart attacks need immediate attention CBC News contacted Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed, a cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa, for a better understanding of what happens when a heart attack occurs. He was not asked to diagnose Imeson or comment on his care. Ahmed said heart attacks are caused by the gradual buildup of plaque in the artery and the sudden rupture of that plaque, which then blocks the artery. "And when that specific artery becomes blocked, the portion of the heart muscle it's supplying will have a lack of blood supply, and as a consequence those muscles will start to die," he said. Ideally, patients presenting with heart attack symptoms would receive an electrocardiogram test within 15 minutes of arrival at the hospital. "Someone presents with chest pain, immediately, an ECG within 10 to 15 minutes, and then the physician has to read it," Ahmed said. An ECG is a simple test, where a lead is attached to the patient's chest and the doctor looks at the electricity the heart generates, which helps a diagnosis. Ahmed said chest pain happens when the artery is partially blocked or blocked completely, and it's important for patients who do feel severe chest pain to get medical attention as soon as possible. "The longer they wait, the heart muscle that is not being supplied by blood will eventually die," he said. "And as it dies, it will start to scar." "I urge people to come to the hospital. Don't sit on the symptoms. Don't delay, especially if there are risk factors like a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or a history of smoking." Ahmed said symptoms include a sensation of chest tightness or discomfort, a feeling the pain or tightness is travelling down one arm or both arms or up to the jaw. Patients may also have sudden sweating or shortness of breath. They might feel lightheaded or nauseous. They might also feel pain in their upper stomach. Horizon Health said it could not comment on Imeson's file for privacy reasons, but provided a written statement from Bonnie Matchett, the network's clinical director of emergency and critical care. "We can confirm a high volume of patients were experiencing high acuity medical needs in Horizon's The Moncton Hospital (TMH) Emergency Department (ED) on this date," Matchett wrote. She said Horizon wants a "positive patient experience," and people concerned about the care they've received should communicate with a Horizon patient representative. Imeson said he's not sure he'll go to the patient advocate. He's focused on recovery. He is also reflecting on what he might have done to get seen more quickly — or whether causing any fuss would have been proper. "I just assumed they were doing the best with what they had and I just stuck through to the end," he said. "But I was concerned if I made a scene, would they ask me to leave? And would it even have been fair for me to do that to them they were as busy as they were."
CBC
a day ago
- Health
- CBC
Heart attack patient waits 13 hours in Moncton Hospital ER
Jonah Imeson says he'd heard plenty of stories about people waiting for hours in New Brunswick's emergency rooms and even dying before being seen by a physician, but then he had his own scare and he's still shaken. The 35-year-old graphic designer, with Type 2 diabetes, said he waited 13 hours at the Moncton Hospital ER with chest discomfort, arm pain, nausea, high blood pressure and a sensation like heartburn before he was seen by a doctor, who told him he'd likely had a heart attack and could have died. Imeson's story puts a face to the untold number of patients in New Brunswick who wait far too long in a hospital system that has openly declared a critical state of over-capacity. And although the Moncton Hospital has been left out of a new protocol demanding some hospital patients be fast-tracked into nursing homes — to help free up beds, including those in ERs — Horizon's dashboard paints a troubling picture. It shows wait times in the Moncton Hospital ER, from triage to assessment by a physician, reached 400 minutes (6.6 hours) in June — the highest since April 2022 and well above the national target of 30. That makes Imeson a remarkable outlier in a system already under-performing by a significant margin. From 3 p.m. on June 4 until 4 a.m. the next day, he waited in a room so full, he lost his seat a few times after getting up to vomit and when he went to call his mother. "You always hear stories, then it actually happens to you," he said of his ER experience. Time-stamped text messages tell wait-time story Imeson was able to reconstruct it from the text messages he sent home to his wife and to his parents in Oromocto. He didn't ask them to come to the hospital, he said, because he was concerned about his wife, who had to work the next day, and didn't want to trouble his mother or father. The experience began at 1 p.m., when he was scheduled to see his dietitian on the hospital campus. He reported chest discomfort and a numb sensation in his arm. The dietitian took his blood pressure, and when she got a reading of 210/119, she walked him to the ER herself. At the triage station, Imeson reported that his own father had had a heart attack at 49 and that diabetes ran in the family. Imeson was registered shortly after 3 p.m., then sat down to wait. WATCH | Why a Moncton man fears going to the hospital again: "While I was there, I started sweating profusely," he said. "I had to go to the bathroom a few times and vomit." As the hours ticked by, Imeson updated his mother by text: 4:11 p.m."168 over 107 pulse is 95." 5:13 p.m."151 over 92. They gave me some Tylenol" 6:44 p.m."147 over 78 pulse is 76 I just had to run and throw up again." 7:48 p.m. "148/78 pulse is 76. This heartburn feeling is weird." 9:05 p.m."153 over 12 pulse 97 *112" 11:11 p.m. "160 over 94 pulse 90. room's filled" As midnight approached, Imeson thought about leaving the hospital, walking down the street and calling an ambulance. "To see if that might rush me in more," he said. "I guess a part of me never would have done that, but it definitely crossed my mind." His mother texted him encouragement, told him to stay and that a doctor would likely see him soon. Shortly after 4 a.m., Imeson saw a physician and was given an electrocardiogram. It was the first time he heard from a doctor that he might have had a heart attack. More tests ensued. "They did the ultrasound and they had mentioned that it appears the bottom section of my heart was damaged." On June 6, Imeson was sent by ambulance to the heart centre at the Saint John Regional Hospital, where he underwent more examinations. "When I went to Saint John and they did the ink dye test, it became more apparent what the situation was with that blocked artery. So that's why … it appeared damaged, because that artery was blocked." Later that day, an ambulance returned Imeson to the Moncton Hospital, and he was discharged June 8. On Monday, June 16, he returned to work, while taking medication. Once he had his "foot in the door" and could speak to doctors, he said, his care was excellent. Cardiologists say heart attacks need immediate attention CBC News contacted Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed, a cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa, for a better understanding of what happens when a heart attack occurs. He was not asked to diagnose Imeson or comment on his care. Ahmed said heart attacks are caused by the gradual buildup of plaque in the artery and the sudden rupture of that plaque, which then blocks the artery. "And when that specific artery becomes blocked, the portion of the heart muscle it's supplying will have a lack of blood supply, and as a consequence those muscles will start to die," he said. Ideally, patients presenting with heart attack symptoms would receive an electrocardiogram test within 15 minutes of arrival at the hospital. "Someone presents with chest pain, immediately, an ECG within 10 to 15 minutes, and then the physician has to read it," Ahmed said. An ECG is a simple test, where a lead is attached to the patient's chest and the doctor looks at the electricity the heart generates, which helps a diagnosis. Ahmed said chest pain happens when the artery is partially blocked or blocked completely, and it's important for patients who do feel severe chest pain to get medical attention as soon as possible. "The longer they wait, the heart muscle that is not being supplied by blood will eventually die," he said. "And as it dies, it will start to scar." "I urge people to come to the hospital. Don't sit on the symptoms. Don't delay, especially if there are risk factors like a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or a history of smoking." Ahmed said symptoms include a sensation of chest tightness or discomfort, a feeling the pain or tightness is travelling down one arm or both arms or up to the jaw. Patients may also have sudden sweating or shortness of breath. They might feel lightheaded or nauseous. They might also feel pain in their upper stomach. Horizon Health said it could not comment on Imeson's file for privacy reasons, but provided a written statement from Bonnie Matchett, the network's clinical director of emergency and critical care. "We can confirm a high volume of patients were experiencing high acuity medical needs in Horizon's The Moncton Hospital (TMH) Emergency Department (ED) on this date," Matchett wrote. She said Horizon wants a "positive patient experience," and people concerned about the care they've received should communicate with a Horizon patient representative. Imeson said he's not sure he'll go to the patient advocate. He's focused on recovery. He is also reflecting on what he might have done to get seen more quickly — or whether causing any fuss would have been proper. "I just assumed they were doing the best with what they had and I just stuck through to the end," he said. "But I was concerned if I made a scene, would they ask me to leave? And would it even have been fair for me to do that to them they were as busy as they were."
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Notre-Dame loses short route across river when province closes another covered bridge
Robert Babineau was surprised one morning on his way to work to find concrete blocks barricading the covered bridge he takes across the Cocagne River. He had to take an alternative road to his lumber business, which added 40 kilometres to his round trip. Babineau and other residents of the community, a drive of about 30 kilometres northwest of Moncton, say they need a crossing. And they're having trouble getting answers from the province about one. New Brunswick's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure confirmed the bridge was closed the first week of July because of its condition. WATCH | 'If you want to build a new bridge, like I'm all for it there': Bridge closure forces Notre-Dame residents to make 40-kilometre round trip 3 minutes ago Residents say they were cut off from easily reaching their land and ATV trails when the province closed the covered bridge at Poirier Office Road in early July. Spokesperson Jacob MacDonald said in an email that the department is exploring options to determine the future of the bridge, which was built in 1942. "Improvements to detour roads have been made for better access to the area around the affected bridge," MacDonald. Babineau said he owns some woodland, a sawmill, and a sugar shack, where he makes maple syrup. All parts of his business are across the river. He goes to work six days a week and said the detour not only causes wear and tear on his truck but is expensive on gas. "I've got to maybe do about 230 kilometres, like, every week," Babineau said as he imagined the detour and the increased cost of gas. "And I just got a small business." Babineau said he was born in the area and has been using the covered bridge for about 60 years. While he has many memories tied to the bridge and would like it saved, what he needs now is a solution. "Sure, I would like to save that bridge but just as long as it's passable," he said. "If not, if they want to build a new bridge, like, I'm all for it there." He said there is no clarity on what the decision would be, but the closure has got him "thinking a lot." Babineau said he fears his business would only survive a couple of years without a bridge. The province's response did not say there were plans to demolish the covered bridge but didn't provide a reopening date either. Gilles Leblanc owns 40 acres across the river, which he likes to visit once a week for recreation. He said he and others in his community cross the bridge for barbecues, bonfires, hunting, fishing and access to ATV and snowmobile trails. Leblanc said he fears this won't continue if there is no bridge. "The travelling [is] what's going to really kill us to go all the way around, and on the other end it's a long, long dirt road that's not very accessible in the springtime because it is muddy." Ginette Leblanc, who lives within 100 metres of the bridge, said her family took their ATV and snowmobile to the main trail across the bridge four to five times a week. She said this has not been possible since the closure because she could not drive either of those on the road for 40 kilometres. "It affects a lot because one of the reasons that we bought this land 30 years ago was because we were beside a covered bridge … and that we like to have the access to the outdoors that we use all the time." Many people have used the bridge as a backdrop for their graduation and wedding pictures. Leblanc said her priority would be to have the bridge restored, but "if they cannot fix it, just give us a way to have access anyways." Leblanc said she worries the detour would be too great a distance for emergency vehicles if there is an accident on the ATV trail or her neighbour's house across the river catches fire. Patrick Toth, vice-president of the Covered Bridges Conservation Association of New Brunswick, said his organization is trying to arrange a meeting with the provincial government regarding the Poirier Office Road bridge. He said the association intends to seek information about the structure's future, as two bridges in the province have already been demolished this year because their condition had deteriorated. The William Mitton Covered Bridge in the Moncton area was demolished in late February, and the Germantown Lake or Shepody River bridge in Albert County was removed in April. "We need to get the word out to the public that many of our covered bridges in New Brunswick are in serious trouble and indeed in danger of being lost forever," Toth said.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Moncton's building permits surpass year-end total for 2024
Construction workers on a new condo site in Saint John, New Brunswick on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes Building permits in one of Canada's fastest growing cities continues to rise. Year-to-date building permits have reached $309.7 million, which is a higher amount than what was posted for the entire year in 2024, said the City of Moncton in a news release. That number is only $56 million short of the highest building permit year on the city's record – $366 million in 2022. For the second quarter, building permits totaled $112.1 million, a 21 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Deputy Mayor Paulette Thériault said the first half of the year has been very impressive. 'We are particularly pleased with the development we are seeing in the residential sector, which is very much needed to support our growing population, and with the continued commercial and institutional investments,' said Thériault. A total of 365 building permits were issued between April and June. The city said the growth is driven by dynamic residential, institutional, and commercial development activity. Residential construction has included 800 units representing a total investment of $117 million, a 70 per cent increase in the number of units compared to the same period in 2024. It accounts for 49 per cent of the quarter's building permit volume – a total value of $55.3 million. The City of Moncton's Director of Economic Development Luc Babineau said the city is delivering a balanced mix of development. 'These numbers reflect the ongoing interest from investors and the City's efforts to support development that meets the needs of our growing community,' said Babineau. Major projects for the quarter include a $17.3 million, 143-unit apartment building at 260 Millennium Boulevard and a $8.8 million, 63-unit development at 32 Marriott Drive The quarter saw 17 permits awarded for government and other institutions, for a total of $37.5 million. This included major initiatives such as a $20.6 million renovation to establish a public health laboratory at 330 Université Avenue and a $1.3 million renovation to expand the Oulton College facility on Elmwood Drive to accommodate a nursing lab. Commercial and industrial construction permits came in at $17.5 million which include a $3.3-million project to build a new lemur exhibit at Magnetic Hill Zoo and a $3.2-million project to replace the roof cap sheet at one of the city's two Walmart locations. More to come…. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
