As the new year approaches, we’re taking a look at New Brunswick’s most-read stories of the year.
From calls for changes to mental health services to shocking crime to a viral video of a woman getting into the wrong car, these are the stories readers found the most interesting in 2016.
10. Several Syrian refugee families leaving Saint John, others considering moving
About nine months after Saint John welcomed several Syrian refugee families, many had packed their bags and left the port city, with others preparing to leave.
Some families said they felt isolated in the neighbourhoods they were set up in, while others were having difficulty getting their children into schools or finding work.
Interpreter Rhama Bakir had told Global News to that keep Syrian families in the city, it could come down to Saint Johners showing more support.
9. Community reaches out to Moncton man living with no power, risks losing home
A Moncton man who had been considered a fixture in the city for 40 years saw an outpouring of support from the community in February as he faced the possibility of losing his home.
Bob Vautour had been living without power since November 2015 when he couldn’t pay his bill. Much of his money had gone towards funeral costs following the death of his wife of 34 years, and then he lost his job as a commissionaire.
To support Vautour, a GoFundMe page was set up and non-profit group Big Hearts Small City also stepped in to help. Supporters on the GoFundMe page donated more than $10,000.
8. ‘He was my only baby’: Baylee Wylie’s family pleads for answers in murder case
The family of 18-year-old murder victim Baylee Wylie made a public plea in January asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of two people charged with first-degree murder in connection to his death, to come forward.
Wylie’s body was found in a burned-out home in December 2015. RCMP later described it as an “extremely violent” murder. When Wylie’s mother and aunt made the plea in early January, police had not yet found 20-year-old Marissa Shephard and 18-year-old Tyler Noel.
“If they have children or friends that have children, if they could put themselves in my shoes just for a minute, I implore anybody who is hiding them to have a conscience,” Amanda Wylie, Baylee’s mother, said in an interview with Global News.
7. Viral video shows Fredericton man’s mother getting into the wrong car
One Fredericton man’s mother became an Internet celebrity at the beginning of 2016 when she unknowingly got into the wrong car outside a Woodstock mall, while her son filmed the entire mishap.
Robb Hartlen then decided to post the video on Facebook without his mother, Jan’s consent, but she didn’t mind and told Global News she couldn’t stop laughing whenever she watched.
The video had been viewed by more than 11 million people around the world within the week it had been posted, garnering comments from people as far as Australia thanking the family for the laughs.
6. Moncton family calls for crisis centre after waiting hours in hospital
A Moncton woman called for improvements to mental health services in the the province last month after her and her daughter were turned away from the hospital because of a lack of beds available for admittance.
Margaret Macintyre told Global News her daughter Jaime had come to her saying she was having suicidal thoughts, but said that despite a doctor agreeing Jaime should be admitted, no space was available.
Though Health Minister Victor Boudreau said investments were being made in mental health, Macintyre said Moncton needs a crisis centre where people could go for counselling sessions or other services.
5. ‘My university failed’: Université de Moncton student criticizes institution
A Université de Moncton woman who joined the Groupe Pont program criticized the school earlier this year, saying she was not provided adequate resources to pass the school’s required French language competency test.
Corina Stiles said in a February interview that Anglophone students were only informed of the three possible test attempts three months in advance, while Francophone students were told on day one of class. She also said there was only one tutor for more than 40 students and a lack of preparation materials.
The Université de Moncton said in an email to Global News that it would be reexamining the services it provides for students after 2016 saw a lower success rate of 75 per cent, compared to 94 per cent in 2015.
4. Murder suspect Marissa Shephard arrested in Moncton
RCMP confirmed in March they had arrested murder suspect Marissa Shephard in Moncton, after more than two months of searching, after they received a tip from the public.
Shephard, who was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for first-degree murder and arson in connection with the death of Baylee Wylie, was taken into custody in the area of Shediac Road and Lewisville Road along with two other adults.
She was the only remaining suspect in the murder not in custody. Tyler Noel, 18, was arrested in early January in Petitcodiac, 30 minutes west of Moncton.
3. Father of Moncton murder suspect Marissa Shephard fears she is dead
Proir to her arrest, the father of Moncton murder suspect Marissa Shephard said in a phone interview with Global News he feared his daughter was dead because no one had heard from her since December.
David Shephard issued a please in January to his daughter asking her to contact him and said he would urge her to come forward to “address the charges.”
Shephard’s mother Christine Carson also spoke with Global News, saying she too had not heard from her daughter. When asked if she had anything to say to the public or her daughter, she said, “That I love her.”
2. Huskies and guinea pigs fill Moncton SPCA
The Greater Moncton SPCA saw a surplus of furry animals through its doors in mid-April when it took possession of 19 full-grown Huskies and 17 guinea pigs.
SPCA officials said the animals were surrendered voluntarily by the owner when his “life circumstances” changed, preventing him from keeping the pets.
A call was put out by the agency for donations of bedding, leashes, and even leafy greens for the guinea pigs, to help with the sudden influx. They said at the time they would be examining the animals and testing their temperament before they could be adopted, which would take several weeks.
1. ‘It’s racist’: New Brunswickers unhappy with treatment of unilingual employees
A great deal of criticism was directed at the New Brunswick Official Languages Commissioner Katherine d’Entremont following the firing of two Vitalite Health Network commissionaires for being unilingual – speaking only English.
After the story of their firing in May went public, people voiced their frustrations saying terminating an employee instead of training them did not promote bilingualism, and an online petition was started calling for d’Entremont’s resignation. The petition surpassed its goal of 2,000 signatures quickly.
The Languages Commissioner did not comment on the petition.
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