Shift (NB)

A new out-of-the-cold shelter opens in St. Stephens. Mayor Allan MacEachern spoke with Vanessa Vander Valk.

Shift’s political panel discusses the issue of homelessness. This comes after St. Stephen's council took the unusual step of declaring a state of local emergency in an effort to get the attention of the province.

The New Brunswick SPCA says the number of people abandoning pets when they move has more than doubled this year. They are urging people to reach out for help if they need it, rather than putting pets in harm's way. We speak to Chief Animal Protection Officer Tony Porter.

We'll hear about a community effort in Tobique First Nation to keep kids warm this winter.

The Higgs government has two rationales for moving to force 5 public sector pension plans into a shared risk model. The first is financial viability; the second is fairness to other employee groups. But 2 of the 5 plans are in sound financial shape, and there is another pension plan that won't be touched. The CBC's Robert Jones will join us with that story.

Imagine you drag a box of Christmas decorations out of the attic, open the box, and find a bat! It happened to one New Brunswick family. We'll speak with Pam Novak at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute.

We'll hear from a resident of St. Stephen who lives very close to a spot where a number of homeless residents are staying. Joanne Raye says she's seeing many more people without homes, and something must be done to help.

Homelessness in St. Stephen has hit an all-time crisis level, leading the town to declare a local state of emergency. We'll hear the reaction in the Legislature, and the response to it from St. Stephen mayor Allan MacEachern.

Chef and educator Janet Hamilton joins us for a dose of food safety, and the do's and don'ts to keep in mind during the holidays.

We head to the Fredericton Public Library to find out about their December programming.