Barbara Simpson

Horizon workers 'falling apart' at chronically short-staffed cancer clinic Radiation therapists at the Saint John Regional Hospital are calling for relief after more than two years of shouldering a full patient load without adequate staffing.

NEW: Radiation therapists are 'falling apart' at Saint John's cancer clinic after being chronically short-staffed for more than two years, according to their professional association. Horizon says a plan to improve conditions is in the works. tj.news/new-brunswic...

Data centres not part of NB Power's 'energy shortfall' forecast Push for Lorneville data centre contradicts arguments of energy scarcity, say local activists

NB Power said their forecast of a "critical energy shortfall" of 400 MW by 2028 doesn't include the impact of a proposed AI data centre in Saint John which would draw 190 MW from the grid: tj.news/new-brunswic...

Green leader calls for inquiry in wake of alleged sex assault case Green party Leader David Coon is calling for a public inquiry to examine security measures at New Brunswick’s long-term care facilities in the wake of an alleged sexual assault case involving 15 senio...

NEW: Green party Leader David Coon is calling for a public inquiry into security at N.B. long-term care homes in light of alleged sex abuse at a Saint John home. Liberals say they're reviewing policies and procedures. tj.news/new-brunswic...

N.B. looks to ‘optimize’ operating rooms to reduce surgical wait times New Brunswick is undertaking a review of its operating room system in a bid to “optimize” existing resources to reduce surgical wait times.

NEW: New Brunswick looks to 'optimize' operating rooms to reduce surgical wait times. tj.news/new-brunswic...

Alleged sex assault of 15 seniors largest case in Canadian history: expert A New Brunswick nursing home is now the site of the largest mass sexual assault allegation in the history of Canada’s long-term care sector, according to a professor who researches seniors’ care.

NEW: Alleged sex assault of 15 seniors largest case in Canadian history, according to long-term care expert. N.B. Minister of Seniors Lyne Chantal Boudreau issues statement in response to "horrific" allegations at Saint John nursing home. tj.news/new-brunswic...

UPDATE: Saint John police have confirmed to Brunswick News that the accused is a family member of a resident.

Man arrested for sexual assault of 15 seniors at N.B. nursing home A 69-year-old Saint John man has been arrested for sexually assaulting 15 seniors at an east-side nursing home over the course of three weeks, according to police.

NEW: NEW: A 69-year-old Saint John man has been arrested for sexually assaulting 15 seniors at an east-side nursing home over the course of three weeks, according to police. tj.news/saint-john-s...

We can help with surgical backlog, but no one’s talking to us: clinic A private Moncton surgical centre says it has the capacity to take on some publicly funded operations and perform them more efficiently, reducing wait times for patients and costs for government.

NEW: A Moncton private surgical centre says it can help reduce the backlog of day surgeries, but it hasn't been able to get a meeting with Horizon, government officials. A health-care advocate says public-private partnerships aren't the solution to the surgical backlog. tj.news/new-brunswic...

UPDATE: Premier takes idea of closing St. Thomas campus off the table Premier Susan Holt has unequivocally taken the option of closing St. Thomas University off the table as her government reviews post-secondary education spending.

NEW: Premier Holt has unequivocally taken the idea of closing the St. Thomas University campus off the table. Opposition MLAs raise concern over the harm that proposed funding changes and restructuring ideas have done to the province's public post-secondary schools. tj.news/new-brunswic...

Saddened to learn of the passing of Saint John anti-poverty advocate Juanita Black. As a reporter, I had the pleasure of interviewing her several times over the years. Her lived experience helped shape many conversations about poverty reduction in New Brunswick. Her legacy will live on.

Liberals float idea of privatizing Mt. Allison, closing St. Thomas campus Upcoming provincial budget could include up to $50M in cuts to department overseeing universities, colleges

NEW: Liberals float idea of privatizing Mount Allison University, closing St. Thomas University campus. tj.news/new-brunswic...

Hospitals taking over seniors’ assessments despite pilot project results Horizon and Vitalité health networks will take over long-term care assessments for their patients from the provincial government despite the results of a recent pilot project.

NEW: N.B. hospitals are taking over long-term care assessments from the Department of Social Development. This is despite a pilot project showing that the use of hospital staff for this work didn't significantly reduce assessment times or patient length of stay. tj.news/new-brunswic...

HOW ARE WE DOING CANADA?

Tears in the commentary booth. Tears here at the rink.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier with a memorable free dance to send them onto the Olympic podium

Ex-nursing home CEO cleared on two out of three misconduct allegations A former Saint John nursing home CEO who evicted a resident during the COVID-19 pandemic has been cleared on two out of three professional misconduct allegations by a discipline committee.

NEW: Ex-Loch Lomond Villa CEO cleared on two of three professional misconduct allegations re: nursing home resident eviction in 2021. Family of the Pauline Breen says decision "should be sending shock waves through any family, any resident, that no one’s safe to speak up." tj.news/new-brunswic...

Deputy health minister in hot seat over eVisitNB decision The Holt government is set to stop publicly funding eVisitNB appointments this spring following a comprehensive review of virtual care services.

NEW: New Brunswick's deputy health minister was in the hot seat Tuesday, answering questions about the province's decision to not renew the eVisitNB contract. tj.news/new-brunswic...

Such good news! ⛸️🥇

UPDATE: eVisitNB CEO indicated that language issues flagged by the province's languages commissioner had been resolved, but the commissioner's office told me this afternoon that complaints are still coming in and that "the issues with the platform have not been rectified." Story update forthcoming.

eVisitNB CEO speaks out after government contract isn’t renewed The Holt government is set to stop publicly funding eVisitNB appointments this spring following a comprehensive review of virtual care services.

UPDATE: Premier Susan Holt has confirmed that negotiations are underway with Foundever, a Luxembourg-headquartered company, to provide virtual care services in New Brunswick. eVisitNB CEO says he's hearing from concerned patients. tj.news/new-brunswic...

UPDATE: N.B. government set to cut ties with eVisitNB The Holt government is set to stop publicly funding eVisitNB appointments this spring following a comprehensive review of virtual care services.

NEW: N.B. government is set to cut ties with eVisitNB. New vendor selected for virtual care services. Dr. Hanif Chatur, co-founder and CEO of eVisitNB, says he'll let "the government explain their decision to go to an RFP and their choice of vendor." tj.news/new-brunswic...

Hi Rob: It's Barbara Simpson with the Telegraph-Journal. I'm working on a folo story to the proposal of the twice-monthly professional development days. Do you have a few minutes to chat?