Government of Newfoundland News

Executive Council

The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will bring opening remarks at NOTES, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Environmental Industry Association’s (NEIA) Oil Industry and the Environment Seminar, on Monday, April 27,at the Delta Hotel. The Premier will speak in the Avalon Ballroom (Salon A) at approximately 8:15 a.m.

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development, and Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, will be at the Independent Living Resource Centre, 4 Escasoni Place, St. John’s, on Monday, April 27, to help officially launch a new accessible taxi service. The event begins at 11:30 a.m.

Executive Council

The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will join the Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement, to address the 52nd Allied Youth Provincial Conference closing banquet on Sunday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place at Yuk Yuks Comedy Club, 193 Kenmount Road, St. John’s.

Environment and Conservation

The Honourable Dan Crummell, Minister of Environment and Conservation and Minister of Service NL, will speak at the annual Kids Eat Smart Foundation fundraising gala tomorrow, (Saturday, April 25) in the ballroom of the Delta Hotel in St. John's. The event begins at 7:00 p.m.

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation

Work is expected to begin in early May on a $1.2 million upgrade to Cavendish Crescent area social housing in Labrador City. This is phase one of an extensive three-year revitalization and renewal plan scheduled for the neighbourhood. Details of the plan were unveiled today by the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), and Nick McGrath, MHA for Labrador West.

Environment and Conservation

The Honourable Dan Crummell, Minister of Environment and Conservation, has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs
Executive Council

The Provincial Government is continuing to apply pressure to the Federal Government on commitments relating to 5 Wing Goose Bay and specially the stationing of unstaffed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones at the base.

Executive Council

Over the next two weeks, the Provincial Government will be contacting approximately 600 households in eight Labrador communities to gain insight and input from winter trail users on ways to improve the Labrador Transportation Grooming Subsidy.

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development

The Provincial Government is providing $1.4 million in funding to the Corner Brook Port Corporation to support refurbishment and repurposing of the former gypsum factory at 85 Riverside Drive into an industrial port facility. The Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and MHA for Humber West, made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, this morning at the corporation’s office in Corner Brook.

Education and Early Childhood Development

The Provincial Government is making changes to teacher allocations as part of current budget deficit measures. This coming school year, there will be a reduction of 77.5 teaching units. This will be managed by adjusting class caps in Grades 4-9 and through the decline in student enrollment. With these changes, Newfoundland and Labrador will still continue to have one of the best pupil-teacher ratios in the country.

Justice and Public Safety

The 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission has released its proposal for the division of the Province into 40 one-member districts. Detailed information containing the suggested name, boundary description, population and map for each of the proposed districts is available at www.nledbc.ca/proposal.

Advanced Education and Skills
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development

The Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills and Minister Responsible for the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, will be in Labrador today (Friday, April 24) for a number of events.

Education and Early Childhood Development

The Honourable Derrick Dalley, acting Minister of Education, will make a pre-budget announcement today (Friday, April 24) at 10:00 a.m. outlining changes to teacher allocations for the coming school year.

Executive Council
Health and Community Services

The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, together with the Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Community Services, will bring greetings at the Mental Health Matters conference at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, April 24) at Holy Heart Theater in St. John’s.

Executive Council
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is moving forward with new legislation that balances the right to access information with the importance of protecting privacy.

Environment and Conservation

The Department of Environment and Conservation advises the public that a five kilometre section of the Newfoundland and Labrador T’Railway Provincial Park near Dowden’s Point, Conception Bay South, is closed to all pedestrian, ATV and vehicular traffic effective immediately. This section which is between Lance Cove and Flood’s Point is closed to the public to allow Labrador-Island Link General Partner Corporation to carry out work in the area.

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development

The Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture and MHA for Humber West, on behalf of the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, will announce funding for the Corner Brook Port Corporation tomorrow (Friday, April 24). The event will take place at 10:00 a.m. in the R.A. Pollett Building, 61 Riverside Drive.

Advanced Education and Skills

Employers, education and training institutions, students and job seekers in Newfoundland and Labrador can now learn more about current trends in the provincial labour market through the release of the 2014 Job Vacancy Report.

Service NL

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to inform the public that bike helmets are now mandatory on all public roadways in Newfoundland and Labrador. This amendment to the Highway Traffic Act became effective on April 1.

Advanced Education and Skills

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform residents and businesses throughout Newfoundland and Labrador about the release of the Job Vacancy Report.