Government of Newfoundland News

Tourism, Culture and Recreation

The Honourable Tony Cornect, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, will be in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, September 8-10, to attend the first ever joint meeting of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for Tourism and Culture. The meetings will take place at the Delta Prince Edward.

Child, Youth and Family Services

On September 4, the Honourable Sandy Collins, Minister of Child, Youth and Family Services, met with Carol Chafe, the Child and Youth Advocate. The meeting focused on several key priority areas including the department’s continued commitment to working collaboratively with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, will address attendees at the 7th Annual Wooden Boat Conference at a conference dinner tomorrow (Saturday, September 6). The dinner will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Community Centre located on Cribbies Road.

Executive Council

The Honourable Tom Marshall, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today announced that the Honourable Ross Wiseman, Speaker of the House of Assembly, has been appointed Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board. The Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Innovation, Business and Rural Development, assumes the role of Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs

The Provincial Government is investing $2.2 million in cost-shared multi-year capital works funding in the District of Carbonear - Harbour Grace. The funding will support water and sewer and lift station upgrades, a water main extension, and road improvements in the communities of Carbonear and Victoria.

Executive Council

The Honourable Tom Marshall, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will officially name the building in which the Corner Brook Law Courts are situated on Monday, September 8. Premier Marshall will be joined at the event by the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Justice. The event begins at 11:00 a.m. in the lobby of the building at 82 Mt. Bernard Ave., Corner Brook.

Natural Resources
Enviroment and Conservation

The Provincial Government today announced its support of an agreement between Harvest Operations Corp. and SilverRange Financial Partners LLC for the sale of North Atlantic Refining Limited. This includes the oil refinery in Come By Chance as well as its North Atlantic-branded marketing, marine, and home heating businesses.

Justice

August was another busy month for Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Officers in Newfoundland and Labrador as they continued to patrol the province’s wilderness and enforce legislation related to the protection of wildlife and the safety of residents.

Education

A formal Request for Proposals has been issued, through the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District, for the purchase of school transportation management software to help ensure the province’s school transportation system is operating as effectively and efficiently as possible. The purchase of the software was among the key considerations put forward in an independent student transportation review, released last year.

Health and Community Services

Residents, staff and visitors of the Dr. Leonard A. Miller Centre in St. John’s will benefit from nearly $370,000 for new equipment and infrastructure upgrades.

Executive Council

The Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister Responsible for the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, today released a mid-way progress report on the province’s Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Action Plans.

Executive Council

The Honourable Tom Marshall, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will join the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board, for an announcement today regarding Minister Johnson’s political future at 2:45 a.m. in front of the House of Assembly.

Environment and Conservation
Executive Council

Tenders have been awarded and site work is set to begin later this month on phase two of site remediation in Hopedale, the Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister of Environment and Conservation announced today.

Education

A tender valued at close to $440,000 has been awarded to BDW Roofing Inc. of Stephenville to undertake a partial roof and window replacement at E.A. Butler All Grade in McKay’s.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

The Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, announced a number of new measures today to provide cod harvesters more opportunity to sell their catch and to promote increased use of available quota. As a one-year pilot project, the Provincial Government will now permit seafood buyers from outside the province to purchase 3Ps Atlantic Cod from local harvesters. Additionally, active provincial plants that formerly processed cod and other groundfish will be able to reinstate their processing authorization for this year. The Provincial Government will also temporarily authorize provincially-based retail processors to market their cod outside the province to stimulate more sales.

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs

The Provincial Government is investing over $40,000 to enhance firefighting capabilities in the District of St. Barbe. The funding will be used for the purchase of firefighting equipment for communities throughout the district.

Health and Community Services

The Department of Health and Community Services wishes to advise that the Provincial Drug Plan Assessment Office in Stephenville will be closed today (Wednesday, September 3). Individuals requiring assistance can contact 1-888-222-0533.

Executive Council
Finance

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and unions representing employees of the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) today announced an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the plan, which includes a commitment to changes in the governance of the PSPP by negotiating the terms of a joint trusteeship agreement. Current retirees will not be affected and there will be a five-year transition period for changes to early retirement. Changes to the pension plan, including an increase in contribution rates, will come into effect on January 1, 2015.

Natural Resources
Executive Council

The Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced that the Provincial Government will be undertaking a biogas electricity generation pilot program for the province.

Executive Council

The Honourable Tom Marshall, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Honourable Charlene Johnson, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, will make an announcement today (Tuesday, September 2) regarding pension reform. The Premier and Minister will be joined by Carol Furlong, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE); Bert Blundon, Secretary Treasurer of NAPE; Debbie Forward, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses’ Union; Wayne Lucas, President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Newfoundland and Labrador Division; Virginia Whitten, President of the Association of Allied Health Professionals; and Jabez Lane, Business Manager with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.