Government of Newfoundland News

Justice and Public Safety

The Honourable Judy Manning, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General, will make an announcement tomorrow (Thursday, November 6) related to the justice system on the Northeast Avalon Peninsula. The event begins at 2:00 p.m. in St. John’s at Provincial Court, Atlantic Place, 215 Water Street.

Finance

The Auditor General today released his 2014 Report on the Audit of the Financial Statements for the Province for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. The financial statements released by the Provincial Government received an unqualified audit opinion from the Auditor General and confirmed that the deficit for the 2013-14 fiscal year was $388.6 million, a decrease of $175.2 million from the original forecasted deficit of $563.8 million.

Executive Council

The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, today paid tribute to James Greene, Q.C., a former Member of the House of Assembly in Newfoundland and Labrador, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 86.

Natural Resources

The Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Natural Resources, will address the annual Mineral Resources Review conference and trade show tomorrow (Thursday, November 6) at 9:00 a.m. The conference and trade show takes place at the Delta St. John’s Hotel and Conference Centre in the Harbourview Ballroom.

Office of the Auditor General

In his commentary on the consolidated summary financial statements of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, delivered to the Speaker of the House of Assembly today in St. John’s, Auditor General Terry Paddon highlights that the Provincial deficit of $389 million for the year ended March 31, 2014 has doubled from the prior year. This means that expenses have grown beyond the amount of revenue available to pay for those expenses.

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development: Sport Newfoundland and Labrador

The Newfoundland and Labrador Basketball Association will hold a National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Train to Train course from November 28 to 30 in St. John’s. This course replaces the previous Technical II course, and includes both technical and theory components under the NCCP.

Environment and Conservation

The Department of Environment and Conservation advises the public that a section of the T’Railway Provincial Park from Appleton to Glenwood is now open to all pedestrian, ATV, snowmobile and vehicular traffic.

Transportation and Works
Justice and Public Safety

Kleinfeldt Mychajlowycz Architects (KMA) has been engaged to develop a plan for a new provincial court house in Stephenville, which will provide residents on the southwest coast with improved access to the provincial judicial system.

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer

Ordinary polling for the Conception Bay South by-election is taking place today. The polls are open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Natural Resources
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development

The agricultural research symposium - Our Food, Our Future: Research that Feeds Newfoundland and Labrador - starts today in Corner Brook and is ongoing until November 6. Researchers from disciplines related to agriculture and agrifoods will be discussing areas of interest at this second biennial event, including diversification of agrifood production, value added production and processing, animal health and nutrition, climate change and farm economics.

Natural Resources

Clayton Forsey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Derrick Dalley, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Forestry and Agrifoods Agency, will address the agriculture research symposium, Our Food, Our Future: Research that Feeds Newfoundland and Labrador, tomorrow (Wednesday, November 5). The event will take place 7:00 p.m., at the Pepsi Centre Studio, Corner Brook.

Advanced Education and Skills

The Honourable Kevin O’Brien, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills, will address the Skills Work for Women Conference tomorrow (Wednesday, November 5) in Gander. The event, which is hosted by Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador, takes place at College of the North Atlantic at 9:30 a.m.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Ocean Choice International (OCI) will evaluate its refrigeration and electrical systems to reduce costs and energy use with help from the Provincial Government. The Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, announced $8,464 today through the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program to support the energy efficiency project.

Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fish, Food and Allied Workers – Unifor (FFAW) President Earle McCurdy announced his retirement yesterday after more than three decades of service to the union membership. The Honourable Vaughn Granter, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, acknowledged Mr. McCurdy’s lifelong commitment to the interests of the unionized workers in the provincial seafood industry.

Natural Resources

The Department of Natural Resources is advising residents that there have been black bear sightings in the Savage Cove area of the Great Northern Peninsula. Conservation officers with the department have placed traps where a black bear has been reported.

Environment and Conservation

Twelve-year-old Adam Andrews of St. John’s is this year’s local recipient of the Atlantic Provinces’ Youth Hunting and Fishing Exchange Program sponsored in part by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

Justice and Public Safety

Inmates and staff at the Bishop’s Falls Correctional Centre recently volunteered to assist Violence Prevention South and Central Inc., an organization dedicated to eliminating violence in homes and communities. Accompanied by correctional officers, the inmates helped renovate and set up the organization’s office, which is located in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Seniors, Wellness and Social Development

The Provincial Government is encouraging all citizens to eat better this month by participating in the Food Security Network of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Good Food Challenge, a program developed to encourage better food choices and to help overcome some of the obstacles to eating healthy.

Office of the Chief Electoral Officer

Elections Newfoundland and Labrador would like to notify qualified electors in the district of Conception Bay South that the by-election will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, November 5. The polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Executive Council
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development
Finance

Innovative entrepreneurs with high-growth potential will now have greater access to capital to help their businesses thrive, through a $20 million Provincial Government investment in two venture capital funds, Venture Newfoundland and Labrador and Build Ventures. The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, was joined today by the Honourable Darin King, Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, the Honourable Ross Wiseman, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, and partner representatives at Common Ground in St. John’s, a hub for entrepreneurs to work, network and meet with other like-minded people.