Joey’s chef in legal limbo thanks to federal immigration backlogs
When fire destroyed the Joey’s Pizza and Pasta building on York Street in Sackville on April 7, about a dozen people lost their jobs. And for Andres Mendieta, the Joey’s chef and kitchen manager for the past 4 years, the job he lost is irreplaceable, at least until the Canadian government says it’s not.
Originally from Ecuador, Mendieta has been working in Canada on what’s known as a “closed visa”, meaning he’s legally allowed to work for just the company who made the arrangements for him to come. “I’m only allowed to work for one person,” explains Mendieta, and that’s Joey’s Pizza. “And until [April 7th], it was okay.”
Mendieta is now in a sort of legal limbo, caught waiting on approval of his permanent residency application, or another temporary work visa that could free him up to work elsewhere.
Mendieta is also unsure if he will qualify for EI, because although he’s been paying into it, he can’t legally look for another job, typically a requirement of filing an EI claim.
In order for Mendieta to get his first Canadian work visa back in May 2019, Joey’s owner Leeya Hicks had to first send in a Labour Market Impact Assessment to show that there was a need for a foreign worker to fill the job. Mendieta says since then he’s developed a deep trust with Hicks, and has done well at Joey’s, starting as a cook and eventually being promoted to kitchen manager.… Continue
Sight of smoke led Nokar Hussein to discover Good Friday fire
When Nokar Hussein headed to work on Friday April 7th, he expected a slow, uneventful day. But as most Sackvillians are painfully aware, it wouldn’t turn out that way. April 7th was Good Friday, the day that a fire consumed the building that was home to Joey’s Pizza and Pasta on York Street.
Nokar and his brother’s family run Fener’s Place on Bridge Street. As he was on his way to work, he smelled something strange as he passed the Independent grocery story on Main, but attributed it to a possible power issue, because he noticed an NB Power truck nearby.
When he went to get a coffee, Nokar noticed smoke on Bridge Street, and went to investigate. His search took him around the back of the Joey’s building, where he saw smoke billowing from the restaurant’s ventilation chimney, and flames appearing near the base of the kitchen exhaust.
At the same time, a young man came out of the building, and Nokar asked if he knew anyone in the building. He immediately went back inside to alert his friends, while Nokar called 911. Within minutes the Sackville Fire Department arrived to try to control the fire. That was around 9:30, when Nokar says the fire he observed was well underway.… Continue
‘I don’t think that we’ll be getting on a ferry for a while’: Former Sackville resident describes fiery crossing
A former Sackville resident was among the passengers aboard the MV Holiday Island last week, when the ferry from Nova Scotia to P.E.I. caught fire.
“I don’t think that we’ll be getting on a ferry for a while,” Hayden Nurse said in an interview with CHMA.
Now based in Halifax, Nurse is a carpenter who plays drums in the band West Ave., named after the Sackville street where they used to practice. (Nurse also has a CHMA connection: he used to host a sports show called Triple Play.)
The band had a gig lined up on the Island at Spud Fest, which is billed as a “shoestring, DIY, backyard music festival” near the Town of Souris.
But the trip to P.E.I. took an odd twist when a fire broke out in the engine room of the ferry.
More than 200 people had to evacuate the MV Holiday Island, near the ferry terminal at Wood Islands, P.E.I. The Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and no serious injuries have been reported.
CHMA caught up with Nurse to get his first-hand account of the experience.
Online fundraiser aims to assist family devastated by fire
The niece of a woman who lost her home in a fire this week is raising money to help her aunt get through the crisis.
Wendy Price’s aunt Kathy Brent lost her home to fire on Tuesday and has been in temporary shelter thanks to the Red Cross. Price’s fundraiser on Facebook has raised $3400 so far, with dozens of donations coming from the Sackville community.
The funds will help with longer term housing for Kathy Brent and her son Joey, who is in hospital with burn injuries. Price says her aunt is devastated at having lost her home and belongings, as well a beloved cat and dog. Another of her dogs is currently missing, a Husky named Shadow, who is believed to have run off during the fire. Though there is some insurance, Price says it is not enough for her aunt to rebuild her home.
The fundraiser is happening on Facebook, with a goal of $5000 to assist the Brent family.
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King Street blaze displaces two people, puts one in hospital
A King Street home was gutted and one person taken to hospital in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, according to Sackville Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Green.
The department attended the house fire on King Street at about 2am Tuesday morning, says Green, and found the house “totally involved.”
The occupants of the house were sitting in a car in the driveway at the time. Ambulance NB attended to a woman and her adult son, and transported the man to the Moncton hospital to attend to burn injuries.
The Canadian Red Cross says volunteers arranged emergency lodging and meals for the woman, and further help may be provided once needs are known.
RCMP were also at the scene.
No firefighters were harmed in fighting the blaze, which finished up around 5:30am.
Green says the house is “still standing but is totally gutted inside.”
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Update: Second fire call on King Street on Monday
The Sackville Fire Department also responded to another call on King Street earlier on Monday evening, but that call was related to burnt food, and there were no injuries, according to Green.
The RCMP also attended that call, and arrested a man at the scene who was later released without charge. The arrest was unrelated to the fire, according to RCMP Corporal Brian Villers.
… Continue
Home destroyed by suspicious fire in Upper Sackville
A fire destroyed a home in Upper Sackville on Saturday morning. No one was injured, but a man was treated at hospital in Moncton for smoke inhalation, according to the Red Cross.
The RCMP say the fire is suspicious and under investigation.
Sackville Fire Department Chief Craig Bowser says SFD was dispatched to a call around 6am on Saturday morning for a “fully involved structure fire.” Bowser requested mutual aid from Dorchester and Point de Bute fire departments, for water resources. There were approximately 30 firefighters on site, says Bowser, and none were injured in the operation. The fire department was on the scene until around 12pm, says Bowser, returning later throughout the day to douse hot spots.
Bowser says the house was completely destroyed, and the fire marshall has completed their investigation on Saturday. Fire marshall reports in New Brunswick are not released publicly.
The Red Cross says volunteers arranged emergency lodging and meals for the victims pending further help from insurers.… Continue