✨ Brightest in the burbs

Good morning Saint John! It’s national cake day and here’s hoping Jill Kingston had her fill yesterday. Happy belated birthday Jill and thanks for being such a big supporter of SJ today 🎂!

Here’s what we’re hearing today:

• Text Later, Tickets Now Await 🚨

• Spin Your Way to Study Buddies 🎲

• Shine bright like a Christmas light 🌟 

Let’s get it!

-Geoff Walsh, Publisher

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NEWS NOTES

📵 Eyes Up Saint John

If you spot a few extra patrol cars giving your windshield the side-eye this week, it’s not you. It’s Distracted Driving Campaign season. From now through Thursday, the SJPD is cracking down on anyone who thinks they can text, navigate, snack, and drive while pretending that’s totally fine. (It’s not. Transport Canada says one second of rubbernecking and your odds of a collision jump.)

Expect tickets, lost demerits, and a reminder that whatever’s happening on your phone can wait. Remember, the better plan is always to pull over before tapping, let your passenger play co-pilot, and set the GPS before you start rolling.

🏗️ Developer Trims Heights to Appease Neighbours

The 421 Woodward Avenue saga continues. Millidgeville developer Isaiah Reid is back with a revised plan for two mid-rise apartment buildings - cutting two floors off the northern structure after staff noted neighbour concerns about height. The proposal now calls for a six-storey building on Boars Head Road and a four-storey fronting Woodward Avenue, for roughly 167 units. Staff say the changes, including a required crosswalk, fire hydrant, and height limit, address the concerns. The project heads to council for a public hearing on December 1.

🎯 Study Buddy Roulette

Turns out the hottest new way to meet people at UNB Saint John isn’t intrumurals or awkward icebreakers. It’s a spinning wheel. Third-year computer science student Owen Yesuf has launched Buddy Sync, a study-partner matching app that pairs you with someone chasing the same academic goals… or at least someone equally panicked about midterms.

Here’s the wild part…the app already has over 10,000 users worldwide after just a few months. You build a profile, enter your program and study style, then give the “study buddy wheel” a whirl and let fate (and a bit of code) decide your next partner. Yesuf built it with co-founder Chibuzor Ezeji, who lives in Nigeria, which feels like the perfect proof-of-concept for an app built on connection.

💬 Your Opinion Please!

No point in fighting it any longer…the holidays are basically here, so we’re hitting the streets for Christmas lights this weekend. Share your favourite holiday displays below!

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EVENTS
What’s Happenin’

Here are a few notes from the stage and screen 🎭

🎸 Rockin’ the Scrooge Out of Christmas

Saint John’s doctor/guitar-slinger just dropped the music video for “Rockin’ Ebenezer,” a bluesy holiday tune that gives Dickens a modern, electric jolt. With guitar heavyweights Tommy Emmanuel, Muriel Anderson, and JP Cormier in the mix, it’s a Christmas track that’ll get you pourin’ the nog. Hit play below, then catch it live…Andrew’s got a few shows coming up.

Upcoming Performances
Nov 22 — Indigo East Point
Nov 29 — YIP Cider
Dec 19 — YIP Cider
Dec 20 — Saint John City Market

A Coal Miner’s Christmas | November 29
Get ready for two hours of holiday cheer with Cape Breton’s Men of the Deeps at the Imperial Theatre, 7:30pm. This world-famous coal miners’ chorus delivers Christmas songs, stories, laughs, and even a step or two, all in authentic mining coveralls and hard hats. Enjoy new renditions of old favourites, original compositions, and the unique warmth of a concert that feels like a Cape Breton kitchen party!

🎬 Saint John Palestinian Film Festival | December 5-14

The Saint John Palestinian Film Festival kicks off at Haven Music Hall on Dec. 5 at 6pm, celebrating Palestinian stories, culture, and resilience through film. The festival continues across the city with screenings at Chroma NB on Dec. 6, Harmony United Church on Dec. 7, and returns to Haven Music Hall on Dec. 14. Be sure to save your spot and RSVP.

🎨 Friends, Fights, and a Very White Painting | February 18-21

Saint John Theatre Company is bringing the laughs to the BMO Studio Theatre with Yasmina Reza’s award-winning comedy ART, running February 18–21, 2026. It all starts with a simple purchase: a big, totally white painting. Followed by three longtime friends arguing about taste, money, and loyalty in a fast, funny, ego-fueled showdown that’s both sharp and surprisingly heartfelt. Performances nightly at 7:30pm. Tickets $35, or $25 for Industry Night on Feb 19.

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Your Holiday Message Could Be Here
There’s still time to get your holiday message out to thousands of locals.We’re offering special one-time custom holiday banner placements in SJ Today. Get festive with us!

LOCAL PICS
WHERE ARE WE? 📸

Watch this spot each Wednesday for a random snap from somewhere in the Saint John Region. Where are we? Only true locals will know the answer. If you can put your thumb on it, hit reply and send us your best guess. We’ll reveal the correct answer and guesses in Friday’s issue.

Tag @sjtoday to get your photos featured!

SIDE NOTES

Today’s Tides 🌊 

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Thanks!

Thanks for reading SJ Today - If you found it useful, share it with someone who’s always late 😬.

-Geoff Walsh, Publisher

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