Government of Newfoundland News

Justice and Public Safety

"Upon being notified that the RCMP had concluded its investigation into the shooting death of Donald Dunphy, I immediately took action to retain the services of the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT)...

Finance

The Honourable Cathy Bennett, Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, is responding to the announcement today from Standard and Poor's Ratings Services that they have changed the province’s credit rating...

Finance

The Auditor General has released his 2015 Report on the Audit of the Financial Statements for Newfoundland and Labrador for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. The report discusses not only the last fiscal year but also makes comment on forecasted numbers presented in the 2015-16 Fiscal and Economic Update.

Education and Early Childhood Development

The Honourable Dale Kirby, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, will be speaking at two events tomorrow, Saturday, January 30.

Health and Community Services

The Provincial Government has cancelled the current Request for Proposals (RFP) process for providing additional long-term care beds on the island portion of the province. The RFP has been cancelled because the process was too narrow in scope and considered only one procurement option, which was for the private sector to build, own, maintain and operate long-term care facilities. There are other options yet to be considered and measures are being explored to meet the immediate need for long-term care beds. Further work will be conducted to ensure optimal delivery of long-term care going forward.

Health and Community Services

The Honourable John Haggie, Minister of Health and Community Services, will participate in a flag-raising ceremony to commemorate Eating Disorder Awareness Week on Monday, February 1, at 11:00 a.m. The ceremony will take place at the site of Confederation Building’s ceremonial flagpole.

Executive Council

On behalf of the Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Bernard Davis, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and Community Services, will attend the Friends of India Association’s 67th Republic Day Celebrations tomorrow (Saturday, January 30). The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s.

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs

Fire and Emergency Services-Newfoundland and Labrador (FES-NL) encourages residents of the island portion of the province to be prepared and cautious as adverse weather conditions are forecast today and tomorrow.

Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development: The Rooms Corporation

Tom Foran, Chair of the Board for the Rooms Corporation, will participate in a donation reception on Monday, February 1. Mr. Foran will be joined by the Honourable Brian Tobin, PC, OC and, BMO Capital Markets, and Victor Pellegrino, Senior Vice-President, Atlantic Provinces Division, BMO Bank of Montreal, who will present a major donation to the Where Once They Stood We Stand Capital Campaign for First World War Commemoration. The event will take place at The Rooms, 9 Bonaventure Ave., at 2:00 p.m.

Education and Early Childhood Development

The Honourable Dale Kirby, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, is congratulating three principals from the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District who have been recognized as Canada’s Outstanding Principals. The awards, sponsored by The Learning Partnership, recognize remarkable principals from every province and territory in Canada.

Office of the Auditor General

In his Report on the audit of the 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 raises serious concerns regarding the Province’s ability to sustain the level of unprecedented deficits forecast in the December 2015 Economic and Fiscal Update.

Transportation and Works
Service NL

The Honourable Al Hawkins, Minister of Transportation and Works, met with federal, provincial and territorial counterparts yesterday in Ottawa during meetings of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety.

Executive Council
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development

The Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development, will participate in the Northern Lights Conference tomorrow (Friday, January 29). The conference is taking place from January 27 to 30, at the Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa.

Executive Council

Today, on Data Privacy Day, the Honourable Siobhan Coady, Minister Responsible for the Office of Public Engagement, is encouraging Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to think about what they can do to better protect themselves online.

Finance

The 2014-15 Public Accounts, the audited financial statements of the province for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, released today confirm that the deficit for the 2014-15 fiscal year was $986.3 million. This is an increase of $448.4 million from the original forecast which is primarily the result of lower than anticipated revenues during the year.

Municipal and Intergovernmental Affairs

Today, with the official opening of a new waste transfer station in Clarenville, the Provincial Government is moving closer to its Provincial Solid Waste Management Strategy goals of reducing the amount of waste and number of waste sites in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Transportation and Works

The MV Apollo will return to the Strait of Belle Isle ferry service between St. Barbe and Blanc Sablon on Monday, February 1. The vessel will follow the regular winter schedule with the first trip departing Blanc Sablon.

Transportation and Works
Business, Tourism, Culture and Rural Development

A ceremony was held today involving representatives of the provincial and federal governments and the St. John’s International Airport Authority to officially mark the conclusion of the Airfield Accessibility and Safety Initiative. The initiative includes the completion of a new runway extension and implementation of a category III instrument landing system in St. John’s.

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner

Data Privacy Day 2016 has arrived! The Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner has been busy promoting privacy in this Province.

Executive Council

The Honourable Perry Trimper, Minister of Environment and Conservation and Minister Responsible for the Office of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, will attend a meeting of the federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Environment and Climate Change this week. The meeting is taking place in Ottawa, January 28-29.