Government of Newfoundland News

Municipal Affairs and Environment

The Honourable Eddie Joyce, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, has announced the following event relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer

The first day of advance voting for the Mount Pearl North by-election took place today, November 15, 2017. The polls closed at 8:00 p.m. The preliminary number of votes cast is as follows:

Justice and Public Safety

The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General, will be available tomorrow (Thursday, November 16) at 11:30 a.m. to discuss the Serious Incident Response Team Act (SIRT). The availability will be held in the Media Centre, East Block, Confederation Building.

Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation

Mark Browne, Parliamentary Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, will tour the Jumping Bean Coffee production facility tomorrow (Thursday, November 16). The event takes place at 9 Glencoe Drive, Mount Pearl, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Service NL

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House today to recognize the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims.

Transportation and Works

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to inform Honourable members of the completion of a significant piece of infrastructure that has strengthened the transportation network throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Office of the Child and Youth Advocate

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate has recently called two investigations and one review pursuant to Section 15 of the Child and Youth Advocate Act. Formal notification to the applicable government departments and agencies has been provided.

Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
Fisheries and Land Resources

The Provincial Government, through InnovateNL, has invested approximately $140,000 to support a research and development project at Bickerstaffe Farms and Nurseries to identify ways to successfully grow small fruits, canes and green crops year-round.

Natural Resources

The Honourable Siobhan Coady, Minister of Natural Resources, will speak at the 2017 Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Awards this evening (Wednesday, November 15). The event will take place at the St. John’s Convention Centre, 101 New Gower Street, at 5:30 p.m.

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer

Elections Newfoundland and Labrador would like to remind the residents of Mount Pearl North that Advance Poll voting is taking place today, Wednesday, November 15, 2017.

Health and Community Services

Advancing the province’s Opioid Action Plan and building on the success of the Pharmacy Network, Bill 25, An Act Respecting the Monitoring of Prescriptions in the Province will receive second reading today in the House of Assembly. This legislation focuses on the inappropriate dispensing of at-risk drugs, such as opioids and will lead to the creation of a Prescription Monitoring Program in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Education and Early Childhood Development
Executive Council

The Provincial Government is recognizing National Bullying Awareness Week (November 12-18) to increase awareness and concern regarding the societal issues of bullying. The theme of this year’s National Bullying Awareness Week is “Stand Up to Bullying".

Executive Council

The Honourable Siobhan Coady, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, will attend and speak at a Federal Government funding announcement for the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE). The event takes place tomorrow (Wednesday, November 15) at 11:00 a.m. at the NLOWE offices, 2nd Floor, Regatta Plaza II, 84-86 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s.

Health and Community Services

The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services, will hold a news conference tomorrow (Wednesday, November 15) to provide details on Bill 25, An Act Respecting the Monitoring of Prescriptions in the Province.

Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation

Mark Browne, Parliamentary Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, will tour Bickerstaffe Farms and Nurseries tomorrow (Wednesday, November 15). The event takes place at 131 Witch Hazel Road, Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Service NL

The Honourable Sherry Gambin-Walsh, Minister of Service NL, will speak at a National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims event tomorrow (Wednesday, November 15). The event will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP Headquarters, 100 East White Hills Road, St. John’s. Minister Gambin-Walsh will be joined by Bernard Davis, Parliamentary Secretary for Service NL.

Finance

The Honourable Tom Osborne, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, will speak at the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) Public Policy Insights luncheon on Wednesday, November 15. The presentation, entitled Fiscal Realities in Newfoundland and Labrador, will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the Capital Hotel, 208 Kenmount Road, St. John’s. Those wishing to attend should visit www.aims.ca.

Education and Early Childhood Development

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in this Honourable House to pay tribute to the late Sergeant Donald Lucas, member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, who was killed during active duty in Afghanistan in 2007.

Justice and Public Safety

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to recognize the career and contributions of the Honourable J. Derek Green, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Court of Appeal. With 17 years as Chief Justice and over 43 years of experience, dedication and commitment to the justice system of the province, Chief Justice Green has had a tremendous impact on the provincial legal system.

Finance

Despite challenging economic conditions and volatility with oil prices, the Provincial Government has maintained a steady fiscal outlook for 2017-18, and revenues remain within 99 per cent of the projection at budget time.