Government of Newfoundland News

The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, is in Fort McMurray, Alberta today with employers that are eager to draw prospective workers back to this province where there is a growing demand for their skills.

Speaking at a job fair to match workers and employers, Premier Furey will state that Newfoundland and Labrador expects to have 79,000 job openings within the next decade. Most of these jobs will be in skilled trades, transport and equipment operation, as well as sales and service industries, with the province expecting to face a shortage of workers to fill these vacancies.

While welcoming all who want to live and work in this province, Premier Furey will make a special appeal to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in Fort McMurray to return and put their skills to work, right here at home.

Quote
“The opportunity exists now to come home – not for a visit, not for a vacation, but for good. I encourage Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living away to consider making the move home to lend their talents and expertise to our growing economy.”
Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

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Newfoundland and Labrador Job Fair

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The Honourable Andrew Parsons, KC, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, today announced a provincial contribution of over $261,000 through the Innovation and Business Investment Corporation in non-repayable funding to Eastern Composite Services Inc. to support the development of a new method and processing plant for noble metal recovery.

Eastern Composite Services Inc. is also receiving advisory services and research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program to support the project. In addition, the company will provide more than $240,000 of its own funding to support the project.

Following years of research and development, Eastern Composite Services Inc. has developed a state-of-the-art process to effectively facilitate the recovery and recycling of platinum group metals. Today, the company is evolving its platinum group metals recovery process to support sustainable energy production.

Adapting its existing technology, Eastern Composite Services has identified a novel method to recover and recycle platinum group metals from waste produced during hydrogen recovery. This environmentally-friendly process chemically strips and recovers platinum group metals from Polymer Electrolyte Membrane electrodes used in electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen. This provides a green alternative from current methods, which require waste incineration to dispose of these electrodes, while also enabling them to be recycled for the production of new electrodes.

Eastern Composite Services is a local company established in 2013, which employes 30 people to serve the diverse needs of the industrial sector in the province and around the globe.

Quotes
“Our government is pleased to support Eastern Composite Services in developing and commercializing an innovative metal recovery technology that will support our clean energy and manufacturing industries. The company has a successful track record in completing innovative research projects, and we believe that this project will produce similar results as well.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons, KC
Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology

“This funding represents a significant opportunity for us to further elevate our innovative technology and establish Eastern Composite Services as an internationally recognized leader in the recovery and recycling of platinum group metals. This is especially crucial in the current global context, where the transition to sustainable energy sources is paramount in our collective efforts to combat climate change. We are appreciative to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program for their invaluable support in this endeavor.”
Andrew Colford
President and CEO, Eastern Composite Services

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Eastern Composite Services

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The post Supporting Green Innovation in the Industrial Services Sector first appeared on News Releases.

The post Supporting Green Innovation in the Industrial Services Sector appeared first on News Releases.

The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Michael Harvey, has released his Report A-2023-039 under authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015. A summary of the Report is included below.

To view the Report in its entirety, please go to www.oipc.nl.ca/reports/commissioner.

Report: A-2023-039 Report Date: September 19, 2023 Public Body: City of Corner Brook Summary: The Complainant made an access to information request to the City of Corner Brook for all records relating to a city-owned parcel of land dating back to 2010. The City responded by providing 835 pages of records, the majority of which it redacted pursuant to section 30(1)(a) of ATIPPA, 2015 (legal advice). Other exceptions to access applied to the records include sections 29(1)(a) (policy advice or recommendations), 31(1)(l) (disclosure harmful to law enforcement), 39(1)(a) (disclosure harmful to business interests of a third party) and 40(4)(g) (disclosure harmful to personal privacy). The Complainant disagreed with all redactions and made a complaint to this Office. After reviewing submissions and the responsive records, the Commissioner recommended the City maintain its position on the privileged records but that it release some records withheld under the other sections.

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Media contact
Sean Murray
Director of Research & Quality Assurance
709-729-6309

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The post Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner – Report A-2023-039 Released appeared first on News Releases.

Licenced wolf and coyote hunters and trappers now have extra incentive to support wildlife research through the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association’s newly launched Canid Incentive Program.

Wildlife managers document the occurrence of gray wolf from Labrador on the Island of Newfoundland by collecting samples from canid carcasses to determine whether an animal is a coyote, wolf, or a hybrid of both. The Provincial Government currently offers licenced hunters and trappers a $25-fee for each canid carcass submitted to the department. Starting this hunting season, the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association is investing $50,000 to supplement the provincial fee through the Canid Incentive Program, which offers hunters and trappers an additional $35 for each legally harvested animal.

All canid carcasses must be submitted to a Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture office to be tagged with a unique registration number. This information is forwarded to the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association for an additional $35 payment, administered on a first-come, first-served basis to a maximum of 1,400 registered carcasses. All seasons and methods of capture must align with provincial regulations. For more information, contact the Wildlife Division at 709-637-2025 or the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association at 709-639-5926.

Wildlife managers use the information submitted by hunters and trappers to make science-based recommendations about wildlife management, including quotas and regulatory changes. Other programs include:

• Hunter Return Forms: These forms reflect trends hunters observe in the field, including harvest success rates, hunt duration, number and sex of moose observed, sex of harvested moose, and harvest locations. This information helps biologists monitor the status of moose populations and note any changes in hunter behaviour or moose populations that may occur between annual aerial surveys. Successful hunters, including those from last season who have not yet done so, are encouraged to submit their hunter return forms as soon as possible.
• Moose and Caribou Jawbone Collection Program: Jawbones collected from harvested moose and caribou provide wildlife managers with information on the health and status of populations, including age and growth patterns, condition, productivity, and recruitment. While all moose and caribou hunters are encouraged to cooperate, due to the limited harvest of caribou on the island of Newfoundland, it is very important that all resident and non-resident caribou hunters make a special effort to submit the lower jawbone of their harvest at the nearest Jawbone Drop Box. All participating big game hunters will receive a Cooperating Big Game Hunter Crest for supporting research and management objectives.
• Black Bear Tooth Collection Program: Analyzing the teeth of harvested black bears helps us better monitor bear populations, make management decisions, evaluate black bear hunting trends and evaluate the age structure and reproductive success of their population. Successful bear hunters can return information using the tooth envelope and instructions included with their licenses. Participating black bear hunters will receive a Cooperating Big Game Hunter Crest.

Quotes
“Wildlife managers rely on information provided by hunters and trappers to help paint a more complete picture of the status of our wildlife resources. With current changes in wolf and coyote populations, it is especially important for hunters, and particularly those in Labrador, to submit canid carcasses, which are critical to predicting the presence of wolves among resident coyotes on the island of Newfoundland. I encourage hunters and trappers to support this important research, and I thank the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association for their foresight and important contribution to sustainable wildlife management.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

“The Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association wants to help provincial wildlife managers learn more about canid predators in an effort to further help the survival and population growth of our Woodland Caribou. The best way we thought we could help was to aid the Provincial Government in its current program by investing $50,000 to increase the incentive for hunters and trappers to participate. Our hope is that this program results in the collection of more samples to support the department in its scientific research.”
Brad Ledrew
President, Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association

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Hunters and Trappers Play Vital Role in Assessing Wildlife Populations

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The post Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association Strengthening Support for Canid Research appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Paul Pike, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, today announced that the Employment Stability Pilot for individuals in receipt of Income Support will be expanded province-wide this fall.

People in receipt of Income Support throughout the province who begin a new job or continue to work can keep more of their earnings and immediately experience increased financial supports and benefits from working. Some of the enhanced supports and benefits include:

• A new earnings exemption formula that allows people to retain higher earnings and results in higher overall monthly incomes; and
• Employment continuation bonuses to provide escalating financial rewards for continuous employment and to increase experience working. Bonuses are $250 at six months, $500 at 12 months and $1,000 at 24 months.

Minister Pike was joined by collaborating partners Laura Winters, Chief Executive Officer, Stella’s Circle, and Sheldon Pollett, Executive Director, Choices for Youth. The pilot was officially launched in January 2023, and is currently delivered in collaboration with Stella’s Circle and Choices for Youth to people in the St. John’s metro area.

There are over 170 participants enrolled in the pilot and nearly 40 of these participants no longer need Income Support to supplement their earnings. By working more, participants engaged in the workforce or who have increased their hours of work now have higher overall monthly incomes.

The pilot is undergoing an independent evaluation to inform further changes to the province’s Income Support Program.

Quotes
“As a government, we remain committed to better supporting the well-being and financial situation of families and individuals throughout the province. By expanding the financial benefits of the Employment Stability Pilot province-wide, we will be able to help more people in receipt of Income Support to transition to employment. In partnership with Stella’s Circle and Choices for Youth, this program has been successful to date and I look forward to its continued success to help those who can increase their labour market attachment.”
Honourable Paul Pike
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development

“The Employment Stability Pilot expansion is a shift towards progressive, person-centered policy. When community organizations are given the opportunity to uplift the voices of participants; and when partners in government are open to hearing those voices; we’ve proven we can work together to make the system better to support community members. These improvements to Income Support province-wide will empower people to make the changes they seek in their lives.”
Laura Winters
CEO, Stella’s Circle

“At Choices for Youth, we are thrilled to see the excellent results of this pilot project in successfully supporting young people’s transition to the labour market through financial incentives and wrap-around supports. We are pleased to see several components of this pilot project extended to help address the financial needs of those who are making the often very challenging transition from the income support system to employment. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at Stella’s Circle and the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development as we collectively strive to reduce systemic barriers to employment for vulnerable populations in our province.”
Sheldon Pollett
Executive Director, Choices for Youth

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Well-Being NL

New Employment Support Stability Pilot Project Officially Launched

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The post Provincial Government Expands the Employment Stability Pilot  first appeared on News Releases.

The post Provincial Government Expands the Employment Stability Pilot  appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, will announce funding to support the well-being of communities and residents tomorrow (Friday, September 22) in the Town of Marystown.

The announcement will take place at the entrance to the Walk of Hope Trail on Tolt Road off Crescent Blvd, Marystown at 1:00 p.m.

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The post Media Advisory: Minister Haggie to Announce New Grants for Communities in Marystown appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, will bring greetings at the St. John’s International CircusFest’s Opening Soirée tomorrow (Thursday, September 21).

The event will take place at the Sheraton Hotel, 115 Cavendish Square, St. John’s beginning at 8:30 p.m.

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The post Media Advisory: Minister Davis to Bring Greetings at St. John’s International CircusFest’s Opening Soirée appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Paul Pike, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, will provide an update on the Employment Stability Pilot Program for individuals in receipt of Income Support tomorrow (Thursday, September 21).

The event will take place at the Stella’s Circle’s Employment and Training Centre, 114 Cabot Street, St. John’s at 11:00 a.m.

Minister Pike will be joined by Laura Winters, Chief Executive Officer of Stella’s Circle, and Sheldon Pollett, Executive Director of Choices for Youth.

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The post Media Advisory: Minister Pike to Provide an Update on the Employment Stability Pilot Program appeared first on News Releases.

Today is National Tree Day, and the Provincial Government is demonstrating its support for sustainable forest management and forest protection by launching the new Newfoundland and Labrador Active Wildfire Dashboard, which provides residents with important information related to forest fires in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The new dashboard provides information about active wildfires, size and location of fires, fire suppression activities, and more. Similar dashboards are being used across the country in various jurisdictions, and the public and professionals alike are finding the tool helpful.

National Tree Day is a part of National Forest Week, which is proudly celebrated during the third week in September. This special day provides an opportunity for Canadians to celebrate the many benefits provided by our forests, and to reflect on how trees positively impact our daily lives.

In addition to the dashboard launch, the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture is holding a tree seedling giveaway. Spruce tree seedlings grown at the Provincial Tree Nursery at Wooddale will be available free-of-charge to families, individuals, schools and community groups at specific district offices. A list of participating offices can be found in the backgrounder below. Please note, there is a limited number of seedlings available, and interested people will be offered an appropriate number of seedlings for their group.

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“The Provincial Government is working hard to ensure that the forests of Newfoundland and Labrador continue to be protected and prioritized. We felt that National Tree Day was an ideal opportunity to launch the new Newfoundland and Labrador Active Wildfire Dashboard. This exciting application is expected to benefit individuals with an interest in forestry, but it will also provide the public with practical information about forest fires and how we may address and prevent them in our beautiful province.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

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Newfoundland and Labrador Active Wildfire Dashboard

Tree Canada – National Tree Day

Canadian Institute of Forestry – National Forest Week 2023

Participation in National Forest Week 2023

Forest management district offices

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BACKGROUNDER

Forest Management District Offices Participating in the Seedling Giveaway

The following forest management district offices will be participating in the seedling giveaway.

• Bay d’Espoir
• Bishop’s Falls
• Clarenville
• Gambo (Gander included)
• Lewisporte
• Paddy’s Pond
• Pasadena
• Port Saunders
• Roddickton
• Springdale
• George’s

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The post Provincial Government Celebrates National Tree Day by Launching New Wildfire Dashboard appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Paul Pike, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development and Minister Responsible for the Status of Persons with Disabilities, will bring remarks at the 40th Anniversary of the Geraldine Rubia Centre tomorrow (Thursday, September 21).

The ceremony takes place at The Geraldine Rubia Centre, 41 Shaw Street, St. John’s beginning 12:00 p.m.

The Geraldine Rubia Centre, formerly known as the Longside Club, provides activities to make positive changes in the lives of adults with special needs.

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The post Media Advisory: Minister Pike to Bring Remarks at the 40th Anniversary of The Geraldine Rubia Centre first appeared on News Releases.

The post Media Advisory: Minister Pike to Bring Remarks at the 40th Anniversary of The Geraldine Rubia Centre appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Dr. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, will be speaking at a special job fair taking place tomorrow (Thursday, September 21) in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

The job fair will take place at Earl’s Kitchen, 9802 Morrison Street, Fort McMurray beginning at 4:00 p.m.

Premier Furey will be joined by Newfoundland and Labrador employers eager to convince skilled workers the time is right to live and work in this province.

Newfoundland and Labrador is anticipating more than 79,000 job openings within the next decade. Most of these jobs will be in skilled trades, transportation and equipment operation, as well as sales and service.

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The post Media Advisory: Premier Furey and Employers Looking to Bring Fort McMurray Skilled Workers Back Home first appeared on News Releases.

The post Media Advisory: Premier Furey and Employers Looking to Bring Fort McMurray Skilled Workers Back Home appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister Responsible for Labour, recently established a provincial Fish Price-Setting Strategic Review Team. The team was established to assist with the development of a formula-based framework for fish price-setting, and other potential mechanisms, to address ongoing issues with the current price-setting process.

As part of this mandate, consultations will occur with interested parties. Anyone wishing to provide input can do so until October 5, 2023 by emailing: StrategicReview@gov.nl.ca.

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The post Public Advisory: Fish Price-Setting Strategic Review Team Seeks Public Input appeared first on News Releases.

The Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, will attend an announcement at College of the North Atlantic tomorrow (Wednesday, September 20) regarding College of the North Atlantic’s Wind Turbine Technician and Hydrogen Technician programs.

The announcement will take place at College of the North Atlantic’s Turbine Technician Program facility, 175 Minnesota Drive, Stephenville at 2:00 p.m.

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The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, will join in National Tree Day activities tomorrow (Wednesday, September 20).

The event will take place at Victoria Park, 34 Sudbury Street, St. John’s beginning at 11:00 a.m.

National Tree Day is an initiative of Tree Canada, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments, in every province across the country. This year’s event marks the 13th year of the initiative.

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To encourage more early childhood educators to enter or re-enter the profession in Newfoundland and Labrador, and to recognize the important work of early childhood educators already working in child care, the Honourable Krista Lynn Howell, Minister of Education, today announced the Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant.

The Early Childhood Educator Recruitment and Retention Grant will provide funding to recruit and retain Level I to IV early childhood educators to become certified and work in regulated child care services. This grant replaces the former Early Childhood Educator Graduate Bursary Program, which will end on June 30, 2024.

Effective September 1, 2023, early childhood educators who meet the eligibility criteria under the grant program will be eligible to receive $2,500 upon initial child care services certification. Further grants of $2,500 up to a total of $7,500 will be awarded following each three-year renewal of Level I to IV child care services certification. The grant includes a commitment for recipients to work in regulated child care services in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Access to quality education from a young age, including high quality and affordable early learning and child care, is a key social determinant of health, and is a contributing factor to the well-being of children and families in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Provincial Government will continue work to grow capacity in the early learning and child care sector in the province.

The Association of Early Childhood Educators in Newfoundland and Labrador, on behalf of the Department of Education, will be responsible for assessing and processing all early childhood educator bursaries and grants.

Anyone who wishes to apply for available grants can apply to the association at ecebursary@aecenl.ca  or 709-726-3044.

Quotes
“This grant program addresses some of the feedback received from professionals in the child care field on what is needed to attract and retain early childhood educators to the industry. This is a great time for those considering a career in early learning and child care to take the next step and enroll in a program. I encourage those who may have left the field to take this opportunity and return to what is a truly rewarding career path.”
Honourable Krista Lynn Howell
Minister of Education

“Recruitment, retention and reattraction of qualified early childhood educators must be prioritized in order to expand quality early learning and child care across Newfoundland and Labrador. The new Recruitment and Retention Grant is another step in recognizing the valuable work of early childhood educators. AECENL looks forward to seeing the development of future workforce strategies and the ongoing commitment from the Department of Education as the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement progresses.”
Skye Taylor
Executive Director, Association of Early Childhood Educators in Newfoundland and Labrador

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Resources for Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Providers

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The Provincial Government is investing nearly $757,000 to support agriculture infrastructure projects for dairy and livestock producers through the 2023-24 Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program, including more than $185,000 for pasture development projects and more than $60,000 for four new entrants to the livestock sector.

Access to good food is a key social determinant of health, and these projects will help support the well-being of residents by increasing food self-sufficiency, agricultural growth, and secondary processing in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Investments in 2023-24 include:

• $358,034 to support dairy production;
• $123,866 to support livestock production;
• $89,350 to support poultry production; and
• $185,432 to support pasture development.

Agriculture infrastructure projects support enhanced environmental sustainability and stewardship in dairy and livestock sectors, improve animal health, reduce wastage, support on-farm diversification, and help farmers and producers adapt to climate change. Details on investments are available in the backgrounder below.

Budget 2023 approved $2.25 million for the Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program to support current farmers and new entrants to the province’s agriculture and agrifoods sectors. The program has two streams, focusing on agriculture infrastructure and land development. Projects support food self-sufficiency, and increase agricultural growth and secondary processing.

The Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program is one of two major programs that support Newfoundland and Labrador’s agriculture sector. Under the five-year, $3.5-billion Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), Newfoundland and Labrador’s farmers and producers can also access more than $42 million in cost-shared funding.

Quotes
“Every project funded under the Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program’s infrastructure stream gives a farm enterprise the opportunity to grow and thrive. By enhancing environmental sustainability and stewardship, and helping farmers and producers adapt to climate change, we continue to build strong and vibrant livestock and dairy sectors in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Elvis Loveless
Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

“The Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program is an important mainstay for Newfoundland and Labrador’s agriculture sector. Whether a farmer is investing in new land development, upgrading on-farm technology, or working to improve environmental sustainability, this program responds to challenges. We appreciate the Provincial Government’s ongoing commitment to offering solutions and supporting new opportunities in agriculture.”
Wayne Simmons
President, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture

“The Provincial Agrifoods Assistance Program has been government’s ongoing commitment to recognizing the economic importance of agriculture in Newfoundland and Labrador. It provides farmers within all sectors of the industry an opportunity to invest in their enterprises based on a broad range of program objectives. Headline Holsteins has benefited from the program through projects involving adoption of new technologies and improvements to animal welfare. We are grateful for the support.”
Pauline Duivenvoorden and Phil MacLean
Headline Holsteins

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Agriculture Programs and Funding

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BACKGROUNDER

2023-24 Agriculture Infrastructure and Regional Pasture Development Projects

Dairy Production Project Purpose Proponent Approved Funding Manure alley scraper Enhance manure handling efficiency, enhance environmental sustainability New World Dairy Inc., St. David’s 75,000.00 Manure pit Increase waste management capacity, enhance environmental sustainability Larch Grove Farm Ltd., Cormack 75,000.00 Dairy barn extension Improve cow health, enhance productivity Whiteclift Farms Ltd., Robinsons 34,978.00 Ear tag software system, ventilation for dairy barn Improve herd management and monitoring, improve cow comfort Richard, Marjorie and Darryl Walsh, Bay Bulls 54,711.00 Footbath system, steel gating, electrical, plumbing Automated technology to maintain cow health Headline Holsteins Ltd., Little Rapids 12,790.00 Vacuum pump Support environmental stewardship, enhance productivity H&E Williams Dairy Farms Ltd., Goulds 16,431.00 Dairy barn ventilator Maintain cow comfort, optimize healthy livestock housing Craig & Patricia Lester, St. John’s 40,850.00 Feeding system, feed tanks, flex auger, circulation fans, LED lighting Enhance farm productivity, advance adoption of technology Gary, Marjorie and Matthew Rose, Logy Bay 48,274.00 Total dairy production: 358,034.00 Livestock Production Project Purpose Proponent Approved Funding Square bale hay elevator Increase forage production in livestock sector Patten’s Farm Ltd., Burin-Grand Bank 2,730.00 Manure spreader Support environmental stewardship, increase forage production in livestock-sheep sector Gail Hansford, Goulds 10,500.00 Cattle chutes and gates, barn cleaner Improve livestock handling, enhance environmental sustainability Connors Farm Ltd., Torbay 10,000.00 Cattle head gates, on-farm fuel tank Enhance cattle feeding, reduce hay wastage, support environmental stewardship D&D Mink Inc., Cormack 9,989.00 Robotic manure scraper, beef barn enhancement Adopt green technology, improve cow environment and animal health Big Falls Agriculture Ltd., Cormack 50,000.00 New Entrants (Livestock) Baler wrapper combo Increase forage production in livestock-beef sector Jonathan Omiachi, Victoria 1,697.00 Cattle handling system Enhance cattle handling, support diversification in livestock-beef sector Morning Star Ranch Inc., Glovertown 18,950.00 Manure spreader, feed mixer Reduce synthetic fertilizer use, enhance feeding efficiency in livestock-beef sector HRT Beef Farm Ltd., Robinsons 20,000.00 (Total new entrants: 40,647.00)

Total livestock production: 123,866.00 Poultry Production Project Purpose Proponent Approved Funding Ventilation fans, environmental controls, quick disconnection cords Improve barn ventilation to enhance poultry health, support environmental stewardship and adapt to climate change Country Ribbon Inc., St. John’s 69,350.00 New Entrant (Poultry) Tractor, loader attachment, ice machine Support commercialization, enhance farm productivity, properly cool product and meet food safety requirements Kennedy Farms Ltd., Carbonear 20,000.00 (Total new entrant: 20,000.00)

Total poultry production: 89,350.00 Pasture Land Development Project Purpose Proponent Approved Funding Pasture land development Rough clearing and land enhancement to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Trinity Placentia Pasture Inc., Placentia Junction Area 30,000.00 Pasture amendments and fencing Pasture amendments and fencing to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Carbonear Cattlemen Association Inc., Carbonear 14,330.00 Pasture amendments and fencing Pasture amendments and fencing to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Cape Shore Cattle Association Inc., St. Bride’s 14,250.00 Pasture fertilizer Pasture amendments to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Robinsons Pasture Association Inc., Robinsons 29,520.00 Pasture fertilizer Pasture amendments to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Port Albert Regional Pasture Association Inc., Stoneville 10,000.00 Pasture land development Rough clearing and land enhancement to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Hy-Gan Cattle Inc., Makinsons 30,000.00 Pasture amendments and fencing Pasture amendments and fencing to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity O’Regan’s Pasture Inc., O’Regan’s 28,142.00 Pasture fencing and fertilizer Pasture fencing and fertilizer to increase availability of grazing land, enhance pasture stocking capacity Rock Iron Pastures Corp, Pouch Cove 29,190.00 Total pasture land development: 185,432.00 Total Agriculture Infrastructure Projects: 756,682.00

 

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The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills, and the Honourable Andrew Parsons, KC, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, will speak at the 2023 Placentia Bay Industrial Showcase being held  from September 20 to 21.

Minister Byrne will bring the keynote address tomorrow (Wednesday, September 20) at the Star of the Sea Hall, Jubilee Road, Placentia at 12:30 p.m. Minister Parsons will bring remarks on Thursday, September 21 at Unity PARC Arena, Placentia at 12:30 p.m.

Presented by the Placentia Chamber of Commerce, the Placentia Bay Industrial Showcase is a two-day event that highlights work in facilitating industrial development in the Placentia Bay region. Discussions will focus on emerging world class opportunities available to chamber members and other stakeholders in these developments.

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The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure wishes to advise that Ruth Avenue Bridge, which crosses over Pitts Memorial Drive between roundabouts on Ruth Avenue and Beaumont Hamel Way in Mount Pearl, will be closed from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 23 and from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 24. The bridge closure is necessary for to facilitate inspection and evaluation of the structure.

Motorists will be required to use an alternate route and should plan for some traffic delays.

Details on highway construction projects are available on www.nl511.ca and the NL 511 smartphone app.

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The post Public Advisory: Temporary Closures of Ruth Avenue Bridge This Weekend to Facilitate Ongoing Work first appeared on News Releases.

The post Public Advisory: Temporary Closures of Ruth Avenue Bridge This Weekend to Facilitate Ongoing Work appeared first on News Releases.

On September 7, 2023, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal ruled that the Commissioner will no longer be able to demand to see certain records, which he needs access to review in order to ensure that the government and public bodies are being open and transparent as required by law. The Court’s decision concluded that the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPPA, 2015) does not contain “sufficiently clear, explicit and unequivocal” language to allow the Information and Privacy Commissioner to require that public bodies provide him with records during an investigation of an access to information complaint where the public body has claimed that the records contain information protected by solicitor-client privilege. Today, Commissioner Michael Harvey is calling on the government to act quickly to fix this serious gap with a simple legislative amendment.

The ability of the Commissioner to demand to examine documents during an investigation that a public body claims are subject to solicitor client privilege – i.e. legal advice – is central to how the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) performs its independent oversight function. If the OIPC cannot examine the documents to ensure that the privilege applies, how can requesters have confidence in the access to information system? The OIPC will be unable to ensure that this exception is not abused and applied to documents that are not legal advice.

Without this ability, all a public body has to do to deny disclosure is claim the exception and, unlike for every other exception, including cabinet records, the OIPC cannot review these records to confirm their validity. Instead, a complainant’s only choice is to go to court – a lengthy and expensive process, compared to the free and time limited process that the OIPC was created to provide.

The Court of Appeal’s decision arose out of  a 2016 Supreme Court of Canada decision interpreting Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act wherein it was determined that a certain specific clause of that Act, similar to our own, is not explicit enough to provide the Alberta Commissioner the ability to compel such documents. While we have argued that there is clear evidence of our legislature’s intent, and that our Act can be distinguished in other ways, the Court of Appeal found that the language used in our Act, as in Alberta’s, does not provide this authority.

While we are disappointed with the Court of Appeal’s decision, we respect it and will not seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. However, the decision results in a return to Bill 29, a situation where there is a gap at the core of the OIPC’s critical oversight function of the access to information system. There was a consensus in 2015 that this was unacceptable. Nothing is different now. Just as then, a legislative fix is required to ensure continued transparency and oversight within public bodies.

Fortunately, we know precisely how to achieve this. After the Supreme Court of Canada decision that led to this situation, the Government of Canada amended the federal Access to Information Act to clarify the federal Information Commissioner’s authority to compel production of those records. We now encourage the provincial government to follow the federal example, and make this simple but critical change to ATIPPA, 2015 as soon as possible.

The Centre for Law and Democracy, the Globe and Mail and others, have hailed ATIPPA, 2015 as one of the best, if not the best, access to information laws in Canada, and one of the better access to information laws worldwide. One reason for that status is the strong oversight mandate of the Commissioner, whose role involves ensuring that public bodies do not misuse the law when withholding information from applicants.

On May 25, 2023, during the last sitting day of the House of Assembly this spring, Minister John Hogan gave notice of his intention to introduce amendments to ATIPPA, 2015. Commissioner Harvey noted: “The timing couldn’t be better. Minister Hogan now has an opportunity to put ATIPPA, 2015 back on track by making sure that it contains the necessary clear, explicit, and unequivocal language to allow the OIPC to resume this important part of our mandate. Doing so will ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador remains a leader in Canada and in the world in providing its citizens with the level of transparency and accountability for which we have become known.”

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Media contact
Sean Murray
Director of Research and Quality Assurance
709-729-6309

Background:

The Commissioner’s authority to compel the production of records about which a public body has claimed the solicitor-client exception, in the context of an investigation for the purposes of determining the validity of the exception, has been the subject of controversy for many years. It was the subject of a legal dispute between the OIPC and the provincial government that ultimately led to a Court of Appeal decision in 2011 confirming that authority.

This authority was then a core focus of the controversy surrounding Bill 29 when, in 2012, the provincial government enacted amendments to, among other things, deny the Commissioner this authority.

In the 2014 Report of the ATIPPA review, chaired by former Premier and Chief Justice Clyde Wells, it was recommended that “[t]he Act have no restriction on the right of the Commissioner to require production of any record for which solicitor-client privilege has been claimed and the Commissioner considers relevant to an investigation of a complaint.” The Government of the day accepted that recommendation, and passed a bill containing wording consistent with the 2011 Court of Appeal ruling that was deemed to be sufficiently clear, explicit and unequivocal to ensure that the Commissioner would be able to access such records when conducting an access to information complaint investigation. That Bill became ATIPPA, 2015, the current access to information and privacy law.

The Minister of Justice at the time the Bill was introduced in the House also spoke to the Bill, and stated for the record that the language of the Bill was meant to ensure the Commissioner was entitled to review claims of solicitor-client privilege during investigation of a complaint.

Subsequent to ATIPPA, 2015 coming into force, a decision of the Supreme Court of Canada was issued (Alberta (Information and Privacy Commissioner) v. University of Calgary) in which the Court determined the specific language that was necessary in a statute in order to compel production of records subject to a claim of solicitor-client privilege. Even though the language in ATIPPA, 2015 was sufficient for that purpose when the law was passed, and ATIPPA, 2015 has more specific provisions than the law which was the subject of the University of Calgary decision, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal found that the language in ATIPPA, 2015 was still not sufficiently clear, explicit and unequivocal, in light of its analysis of the Supreme Court of Canada decision.

Since ATIPPA, 2015 came into force on June 1, 2015, and until the current matter arose in May 2019, the Commissioner has always been able to review thousands of records claimed to be subject to solicitor-client privilege. In doing so, the Commissioner makes a determination as to whether the records were withheld appropriately in accordance with the law, or whether additional information should be disclosed to the access to information applicant.

When ATIPPA, 2015 was drafted and passed into law, its drafters (a committee chaired by former Premier and Chief Justice Clyde Wells), and the government of the day when introducing it in the House, made it explicitly clear that the provisions of the Act were intended to allow the Commissioner to be able to access records subject to a claim of solicitor-client privilege for the purpose of carrying out his mandate.

The post Commissioner Calls on Government to Restore Authority first appeared on News Releases.

The post Commissioner Calls on Government to Restore Authority appeared first on News Releases.

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure wishes to advise that Rattling Brook Bridge on Route 93 (Mount Carmel) will be closed on Thursday, September 21 from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The closure is necessary to install framing sections for the new structure.

A detour through Route 91 (Colinet) will be put in place and motorists are asked to reduce their speed, pay attention to traffic control, and travel cautiously through the community.

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The post Public Advisory: Rattling Brook Bridge Temporary Closure and Detour first appeared on News Releases.

The post Public Advisory: Rattling Brook Bridge Temporary Closure and Detour appeared first on News Releases.