Tag: CHMA

Mi’kmaq leaders, top adviser quit N.B. systemic racism commission

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn speaks to reporters in a virtual media conference on Monday, June 20, 2022. Photo: Screenshot

A top adviser to New Brunswick’s systemic racism commissioner announced his resignation on Tuesday, just as a group of Indigenous leaders withdrew from the controversial commission.

Robert Tay-Burroughs, senior advisor to commissioner Manju Varma, published his resignation letter on Twitter, saying he felt “troubled these last few weeks by the false pretences under which we are expected to do our work.”

He also said “it remains unclear” whether the provincial government can respect the commissioner’s independence or intends to accept her recommendations in good faith.

Indigenous groups have criticized the Tory-appointed commission, calling instead for a public inquiry, which would have the power to compel the government to produce information.

“We were skeptical of the process, we’d asked for an inquiry into the justice system in New Brunswick from the get-go,” said Chief George Ginnish of Natoaganeg, or Eel Ground First Nation.

He’s co-chair of Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn Inc., or MTI, an organization representing nine Mi’kmaq communities in New Brunswick, who announced this week they would no longer participate in the commission.

Minister of Aboriginal Affairs Arlene Dunn downplayed the level of division between Indigenous communities and the province this week.… Continue

‘You can never afford to buy them’: EVs out of reach for struggling taxi businesses

A gas station is pictured in Sackville on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Photo by David Gordon Koch

The owners of Sackville’s two taxi businesses say they’re struggling with the high price of gas, but electric vehicles remain out of reach financially.

“This is not Irving Oil that makes a million dollars a day,” says Larry Parsons, owner of Sackville Cab. “You make enough to have a car that’s fit for the road.”

His company has a fleet of four Mazda5 compact minivans. The four-cylinder engine vehicles seat six people, and he says they’re dependable. One of those vehicles isn’t being used at all as demand has dropped for taxis.

Danny Mitton, owner of Squires Courtesy Cab, is the sole driver for his small business.

His fleet includes two Toyota Priuses. He keeps one of the hybrid vehicles on standby, filled with gas.

He says gas and insurance prices are killing his business, but he isn’t convinced EVs are a viable solution, at least for now..

For one thing, he says they’re too expensive even with a rebate program introduced by the provincial government last year.

New Brunswick followed other provinces in introducing a rebate of up to $5,000 for eligible vehicles, to match a federal rebate, for a total of up to $10,000 in rebates.

CHMA asked the provincial government whether those efforts should go further to protect people from runaway energy costs.

In an email, government spokesperson Nick Brown said: “We understand the impact that rising energy costs have had across New Brunswick and will continue to look for ways to help mitigate these rising costs.… Continue

JORKE – CHMA Live Session

JORKE is a Canadian-born independent artist, singer, rapper, DJ, and producer. Stemming from a vast set of influences, his music transcends genre barriers, taking inspiration from Hip Hop, RnB, Afrobeats, Gospel and much more. Revered in the Sackville, NB community for his legendary DJ sets, JORKE took the time to stop by the studio to perform his latest single “MURDA” for CHMA.

Joe Hubley sat down with JORKE after the performance, and the microphones got switched on mid-conversation as JORKE reminisced on his time recording and producing in the CHMA studio when he was a student at Mount Allison.

… Continue

Drift Asleep ASMR

Sunday 12am. Join CHMA for a segment of ASMR (Autonomic sensory meridian response)

Tap into your mind and tune out of the world.

… Continue

Urban/Rural Rides aims to buy hybrid vans with wheelchair ramps to help ‘isolated’ rural residents

Clients of Urban/Rural Rides include seniors, people with moderate disabilities, low-income people and newcomers. But the group doesn’t have the ability to transport people in wheelchairs. Photo: Submitted.

A volunteer-driven transport organization that serves southeast New Brunswick hopes to purchase a fleet of wheelchair-accessible hybrid minivans.

“Our service is designed to improve the quality of life for people with little or no access to transportation,” said Kelly Taylor, executive director of Urban/Rural Rides NB, during a recent presentation at Sackville town council. 

Urban/Rural Rides NB is a charitable organization that offers transportation services for “a fraction of the cost of a taxi.”

Kelly Taylor, executive director of Urban/Rural Rides NB. Photo: Submitted.

It started off in 2014 in Salisbury and Petitcodiac, when it was known simply as Rural Rides. 

It has grown in size to include the Tantramar region since 2017, and throughout Westmoreland and Albert counties since 2018. 

In Sackville, the group completed 210 rides last year, Taylor told town councillors.

This year, its services expanded to officially include communities in the Fredericton area. 

Its clients include seniors, people with moderate disabilities, low-income people and newcomers. But the group doesn’t have the ability to transport people in wheelchairs.

Now, they hope to buy more than a dozen vans retrofitted with wheelchair ramps, with financial assistance from Ottawa.

The goal is to have one vehicle each of the 13 “entities” in southeast New Brunswick that will be created as part of local governance reforms that are currently underway.… Continue