Laura Brown
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Reporter for @ctvatlantic *currently on maternity leave* From rural PEI. Calls New Brunswick home.
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Articles by Laura Brown
Just four of 130 anglophone N.B. schools passed their grade four reading assessment. Why has the province fallen so far behind?
FREDERICTON, N.B. – A child’s ability to read and write is something Ainsley Congdon thinks about a lot. The trained teacher has seen students struggle first-hand, both in her classroom and in her tutoring program at the Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick. Congdon is also a mom and spent five-years advocating for her daughter to get the right resources to help her read and write at her grade level. “I had noticed that her reading development was different in kindergarten.
N.B. still struggles with worst literacy rates in the country. What needs to change?
FREDERICTON, N.B. – A child’s ability to read and write is something Ainsley Congdon thinks about a lot. The trained teacher has seen students struggle first-hand, both in her classroom and in her tutoring program at the Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick. Congdon is also a mom and spent five-years advocating for her daughter to get the right resources to help her read and write at her grade level. “I had noticed that her reading development was different in kindergarten.
Take a gander at this: N.B. locals are flocking to get their own porch goose, the decorative trend that’s made a comeback Original
LINCOLN, N.B. – Jenny Scott was nervous. It was February and she had just made an order of 50 metal geese to her garden centre. She wasn’t sure if the gaggle would sell. “They went so fast. And then we had to like start compiling a wait list of people. And I think that grew to almost like 200 people,” she said. The geese flew off the shelves. The so-called “porch geese” is an older trend that’s resurfaced with the power of social media.
N.B. serves up school lunch program, same week it gets a failing grade for food insecurity Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. – On the menu Thursday at Fredericton’s École Les Éclaireurs: chicken pot pie. A new face was also behind the cafeteria’s counter, handing out plates to the kindergarten to Grade 8 students. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt was seen slicing and scooping each plate and passing them to lined up students at the French school.
His ‘spidey-senses’ told him the world could use a pick-me-up. So, he puts on the mask and becomes a superhero.
FREDERICTON, N.B. – He claims his spidey-senses told him the world could use a pick-me-up. And that’s how Fredericton’s own Spider-Man came to be. “There’s a lot of negativity around in the world, sometimes even in Canada, in our city and country. I just wanted to come out, hopefully inspire people, do a good deed, make people laugh and just kind of spread joy in whatever way I can.” In true Spider-Man tradition, he’s not revealing his identity.
Because their local hospital’s labour services were suspended, this couple had their baby on the Trans-Canada highway Original
JACKSONVILLE, N.B. – Mariah Jackson and Fernando Gonzalez will never pass Trans-Canada highway marker 242 in Western New Brunswick without thinking about her newborn son’s birthday.
He spent three decades as a firefighter. It took seven months for cancer to kill him Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. – He was the type of person who couldn’t walk past someone in need on a sidewalk. Rather, Ken Jenkins would ask them what they’d like to eat and go get it for them. His wife often saw that kindness in action. “Sometimes a little too kind at a cost to him. But right about now, I think the world needs a little more of that,” Joanie Jenkins said. Ken Jenkins died from a glioblastoma in March, seven months after he was diagnosed with the brain tumour.
Union says violent incidents in Canadian prisons are on the rise Original
SPRINGHILL, N.S. – Rene Howe, regional president of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers, says the number of violent incidents, contraband, drone sightings and weapons seized at Correctional Service Canada prisons is on the rise, and the union representative feels little is being done to ensure the safety of correctional officers.
New Brunswick desperately needs more paramedics. Here’s what they’re doing to attract new ones
FREDERICTON, N.B. – New Brunswick added 118 new paramedics to its roster in 2025, while 116 left. They left for a variety of reasons: retirement, getting a different position or leaving the profession or the province altogether, says Derek Cassista, the deputy registrar of the province’s paramedic association. “The No. 1 reason they tell us when they leave to go to other provinces is because they want to go do more things and have different roles in health care,” Cassista said.
‘Do what you love’: N.B. teen finds her calling after summer job sparks dream of becoming head chef
MACTAQUAC, N.B. - Georgia Eastwood tried a lot of different jobs as a young teen: lawn care, dishwashing, and cleaning. At 15, she found herself applying for a summer job working in the kitchen of Big Axe Alehouse and Grill in Mactaquac, N.B. The teen even worked her way up to sous chef and supervisor. “Getting into the environment, I immediately liked doing the fast-paced stuff, the prep, the cooking,” she said. “I’ve always liked it.
A new collaborative care clinic in N.B. sparks succession plan for family doctors hoping to retire Original
PERTH-ANDOVER, N.B. - A small New Brunswick village has been grappling with a common Canadian issue: retiring family physicians and long waitlists of unattached patients. But due to the behind-the-scenes effort by the family doctors still working in the community of Perth-Andover, and a $1.6 million boost by the province, there’s new hope that those patients will soon have access to consistent health care. “These are my friends and neighbours.
‘It’s outdated’: Female hockey players in N.B. push against rule giving them shorter games than males Original
FREDERICTON, NB - A number of female hockey players, their coaches and parents, are hoping to change a New Brunswick school sport rule that gives them shorter periods of play than their male peers. The School Sport N.B. rule specifies that playing time for all boys games will be three 20-minute periods. The girls are three 15-minute periods. It does allow for a league to increase that to 18 minutes, but the regulations don’t currently allow for 20-minute periods.
Families using IVF double after N.B. announces coverage for first year
MONCTON, N.B. – At 35, Meredith Martell was single, but really wanted to have a child. At her first appointment to look into fertility treatments, she found out she had stage-four endometriosis with cysts on both of her ovaries. “I ended up doing six rounds of IVF (in-vitro fertilization). Three of those were canceled. Three of those got eggs, but none of them were able to implant. So then, we made the switch to donor eggs, which was the best decision I ever made,” she said. She got one good embryo.
‘The law doesn’t always equal safe’: N.B. mom fights for tougher car seat laws 13 years after losing two children in crash
WARNING: This article features details and images that some readers may find disturbing. FREDERICTON, N.B. - Eran Jones spends her days trying to find the good out of the worst day of her life. Thirteen years ago, the New Brunswick mom, her three children and sister-in-law, were driving along an Alberta highway when their car was struck head-on by a truck. Two of her children, four-year-old Hailie, and 17-month-old Trent, died along with her sister-in-law, Christine Michaud.
Vehicle modifications: What passes the road test, according to the N.B. RCMP Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. – The New Brunswick RCMP is working on initiatives to educate more drivers on what vehicle modifications pass the road test – and the ones that don’t. Whether it’s lifting or lowering, changes to suspension, or tinted windows, police are trying to help more people understand why certain modifications can be unsafe. “We just noticed that a lot of the times people have questions about what they can modify, what they can’t modify, and what is safe to do,” said RCMP Cpl. Hans J.
Father who lost son to overdose says compassion is what’s missing in saving lives of addicts Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. - He would have been 35 years old this week. But Brody LeBlanc only made it to 33 – and his father is working to ensure more families get the chance to see their children grow old. LeBlanc overdosed 16 months ago and died along Fredericton’s trail system within 200 metres of his father’s, Rick LeBlanc’s, home. A mixture of drugs were found in his system including carfentanil, one of the most potent and dangerous opioids.
N.B. increases Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners almost four years after victim seeking rape kit was turned away Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. – New Brunswick’s English health authority is looking to hire 11.5 full-time dedicated Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs), which would more than double their current number of the specialized positions. Today, Horizon Health Network has nine full-time SANEs plus one, who spends approximately two days a week in another unit.
Why this New Brunswick gas station owner holds ‘gas sales’ to help the ‘little guy’ Original
ISLAND VIEW, N.B. – A New Brunswick gas station owner says he’s trying to help the “little guy” by holding gas sales at his two retail locations. On Friday, Johnny Khoury’s gas was going for $1.66 a litre, about eight cents cheaper than a station just up the road from one of his locations. He’s held random gas sales over the last several months since the price of fuel started seeing increases after the beginning of the Iran war.
‘It’s a waste’: N.B. lighthouse and tourist site to remain closed this season, not-for-profit blames lack of provincial funding Original
CAPE ENRAGE, N.B. – The rugged cliffs and century-old lighthouse get their name from the way the water violently battles the reef, as the tides of the Bay of Fundy rip in and out. But the iconic Cape Enrage tourism site won’t be open for its usual 20,000 to 25,000 visitors to take in its views this season, after its board of directors says they were denied about $100,000 in provincial funding.
N.B. man’s suspicious death under investigation: RCMP
The New Brunswick RCMP are investigating a sudden death after finding the body of a man outside a residence on Park Street in Minto. The Minto RCMP received the call shortly after 6:20 a.m. on Monday. When officers arrived, a 59-year-old’s body was discovered outside the residence. A spokesperson said as of Tuesday, police are treating the death as suspicious. The Major Crime Unit, along with the Forensic Identification and Police Dog Services are all assisting with the investigation.
N.B. looks to Ontario Power Generation to get Point Lepreau nuclear plant operating reliably
MACES BAY, N.B. - At 43 years old, Point Lepreau Nuclear—Canada’s only nuclear power plant outside Ontario—is critical to New Brunswick’s energy supply, providing between 30 and 40 per cent of the province’s electricity when it is operating. On April 10, Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station went offline for a planned 119-day maintenance shutdown, just four months after it completed a 153-day planned outage.
‘Help wanted’: N.B. is on track to lose 20% of workforce to retirement Original
MONCTON, N.B.- A new report by a New Brunswick-based economist, sounds the alarm on the province’s future if nothing is done to replace its aging population. David Campbell found 20 per cent of the workforce is slated to retire within the next 10 years, with health care, construction and retail taking the biggest hit. “This is a community survival issue.
Pregnant women in rural N.B. speak out after suspension of birth services at hospitals Original
Pregnant women who live in a rural region of New Brunswick have, once again, been asked to make plans to give birth at hospitals up to two hours away, as their local hospital’s labour services are temporarily suspended due to a lack of surgeons and anesthesiologists. The closure has become commonplace at the Upper River Valley Hospital over the last several years, as the hospital’s battled physician and nurse shortages.
Looming Fredericton shelter closure leaves dozens without a plan for a place to sleep Original
FREDERICTON, NB - Strumming a guitar while perched on a picnic table, Matthew – or Matty to those around him - has found himself without a permanent place to call home. In recent months, Matthew has had to depend on a low-barrier shelter located on the city of Fredericton’s exhibition grounds for a bed, food, and warmth. Matthew Matthew has found himself without a home over the last few months. He isn’t sure where he’ll go once a nearby Fredericton shelter closes. (Laura Brown/CTV News).
Food banks spending more on fuel, less on food, as demand for help increases Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. - The organization that delivers food to food banks across New Brunswick said it’s worried about what the coming months will bring if fuel prices continue to rise. Feed NB’s Executive Director Stéphane Sirois said the non-profit has already stopped buying beef because the cost is just too high. “Meat. This is where we’ve seen the highest increase in prices. If you go to the grocery store you can see it.
‘Lobster police’: N.B. creating enforcement unit to recoup lost tax revenues
New Brunswick has joined Nova Scotia in creating a lobster enforcement unit, meant to recoup money both governments say is being lost to illegal lobster landings. The N.S. government has said up to 30 per cent of annual lobster landings in the Atlantic region go unreported. For N.S., that could mean a loss of about $400 million in tax revenue. In N.B., the estimate is far less. New Brunswick public safety minister Robert Gauvin said it’s more like $5 to $7 million lost in that province.
N.B.’s Base Gagetown to see billion dollars upgrades and population boom Original
Canada’s second-largest military base is expecting to see a big labour and population boom as Ottawa’s billion-dollar defence spending is put to work. Fifth Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown is on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s list of military bases that are seeing an influx of money, helping the Government of Canada meet its NATO defence spending target of two per cent.
Over 150 farmers rally in N.B. to combat cuts to animal veterinary services Original
Through unrelenting snowfall, about 150 New Brunswick farmers descended on the lawn of the province’s legislature Tuesday, to protest the government’s decision to privatize provincial veterinary services. The service ensures farmers and livestock owners have access to a field veterinarian across the province, who is ready to respond to calls at commercial and horse and hobby farms. The field vet administers vaccines and test animals, halting any spread of disease, day or night.
Filling a nursing shortage, UNB trains 25 Indian students in hopes they’ll work in Canada Original
When Dechen Palmo found out about a dual-degree nursing program between Canada and India, she said it felt like God had given her a second opportunity. The Tibetan lives in India, where her status makes it complicated to travel or even find work. She thought the best way to accomplish both was through her studies. “My mom said, ‘Go for it, go for it! I’m there for you!’” Palmo said in an interview with CTV News.
N.B. launches highly anticipated long-term care plan, but critics say it lacks urgency for seniors
A plan launched Thursday to address New Brunswick’s lack of senior care doesn’t act fast enough to help seniors who are currently in the system, according to those who work in the sector. The plan promises 624 new long-term care beds over the next two to three years and an increase in wages for personal support workers. But at the centre of the issue is the number of people having to wait in hospital for a long-term care bed.
A Saint John man waited 18 months for a nursing home bed. The hospital is now charging him $20,000 for it Original
SAINT JOHN - An 18-month wait in a Saint John hospital for a nursing home bed has landed a Saint John man a bill for more than $20,000. Malcolm Jones and his family say the bill came out of nowhere. The 68-year-old landed in the Saint John Regional Hospital after his health took a turn in the summer of 2024. Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a child, Jones lives with Parkinson’s disease as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This city council’s youngest attendee sparks hope more parents run for office Original
FREDERICTON, N.B. -- There was a new face at a Fredericton city council meeting this week – though they didn’t cast a vote. Councillor Cassandra LeBlanc brought her seven-week-old baby Josie to Monday’s regular council meeting, balancing parenthood and politics, and hoping others consider doing the same. But the young attendee didn’t come without some anxiety. “I was worrying about my baby having a blowout. And where am I going to change them?
N.B. introduces in-home treatment to tackle overcrowding in hospitals Original
FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s largest health authority is trying to combat its hospital overcapacity challenges by creating “diversion teams” to see if a patient could be treated at home, rather than in hospital. Horizon Health Network’s five regional hospitals are often operating at more than 100 per cent capacity, with patients being treated in hallways, storage rooms and even an ambulance bay.
Farmers outraged as N.B. moves to privatize large-animal vet service
15 hours ago Far, far to the east lies a small town with a bigger shadow than one might expect. Not familiar with Lubec? It's not surprising, as this hidden, charming town in Maine isn't exactly at the top of tourists' lists when visiting the already-popular state. Below, you'll find out just how silly this …
Farmers outraged over N.B. government’s move to privatize large animal veterinarian service
BURTON, New Brunswick – In their 28 years of dairy farming, the Howe’s have had several cows require a caesarean section, to save both the life of the cow and calf. They knew a large-animal veterinarian was always available and ready to respond to their call for help. “These aren’t just veterinarians. We become friends with them. They know our herds. They know us,” said Cindy Howe, standing alongside a pregnant cow they’ve been keeping an eye on all day.
‘Hiding in plain sight’: Significant growth in children exploited online, says N.B. RCMP Original
An image of a child being carried by an RCMP officer greets you as you walk into the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit at New Brunswick’s RCMP headquarters in Fredericton. Underneath, a warning, that the room you’re about to enter contains images of abuse. Child exploitation on the internet has grown significantly over the last decade, with N.B.’s ICE team experiencing a 151 per cent increase in files between 2019 and 2024.
N.B. government looks to highway tolls, civil service cuts to combat $1.4B deficit in 2026-27 budget
FREDERICTON — The New Brunswick government is projecting a nearly $1.4-billion deficit in its 2026-27 budget, tabled Tuesday in the province’s legislature. The $15.6-billion budget adds almost $2 billion to the province’s net debt, increasing its debt-to-GDP ratio to 30.8 per cent, and predicting future budgets will further increase that to 36 per cent in 2028-29. The projected net debt for 2027 is now $15.9 billion — more than ever before.
New Brunswick doctor says medical paperwork has increased 90 per cent
For 42 years, Dr. Mary Ann Bramstrup has treated families in the rural community of Nackawic-Millville, N.B. In those four decades, she’s seen family medicine change in several ways: reorganized practices, electronic medical records and aging demographics. One of the more drastic changes is the increased paperwork, up about 90 per cent from when she started, she estimates. “I see patients Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Bramstrup said. “On Wednesday morning, I book appointments.
A remarkable return to running sees Fredericton woman make world record attempt
Julia Reid-Howell wasn’t sure what level of running she’d reach after having her daughter, Winnie. But about six weeks postpartum, the Fredericton-based runner gradually returned to the sport. When Winnie was six months, she joined her mom for many runs in the stroller. After a fantastic race season which saw her crowned female runner of the year by Run New Brunswick, Reid-Howell wondered if there was something else she could work toward during the remainder of her maternity leave.
Maritime provinces sign onto almost country-wide, coast-to-coast energy grid agreement
An agreement has been struck between eight provinces and two territories to create a coast-to-coast energy grid and better secure the country’s power sovereignty. Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Stephen Lecce, said the agreement is a first step towards making a made-in-Canada, interprovincial-territorial grid. While there isn’t a timeline or price tag yet, the intention is to build transmission infrastructure and new electricity projects and linking them all together.
New Brunswick premier says feasibility study for Sisson Mine on track
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt isn’t certain there’s a way to “speed up” the Sisson Mine project, but says she’s open to see it happen as long as all the environmental impact assessment conditions are met. Holt says she met with Northcliff Resources CEO Andrew Ing while in Toronto for the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada mining convention.
N.B. premier unveils mining strategy
After a trade mission with Prime Minister Mark Carney in India, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is spending the next few days in Toronto promoting the province’s interest in mining.
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