Today is the deadline for Newfoundland Power to respond to information requested by the Public Utilities Board on power bills that saw a spike last month.

There was a huge public outcry and a protest is scheduled for April 1st after many residents received power bills for February that were considerably higher than the previous month.

The PUB subsequently requested that Newfoundland Power provide the regulator with information on how the utility ensures billing accuracy and to reduce volatility in billing.

It also wanted to know from Newfoundland Power whether additional measures are being considered and the reasons for the recent spike in bills.

The deadline for receipt of the information is 3:00 p.m. today.

The U.S. government is closing the access Canadians use to the Stanstead, Que., library, an iconic building that straddles both borders, according to town and library officials.

A rock and roll staple will be the first to headline this year’s running of the province’s largest outdoor music festival.

Def Leppard will headline the Churchill Park Music Festival in St. John’s on Friday, July 25.

The band rose to popularity in the 1980s with their hits ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’, ‘Photograph’, and ‘Animal’, just to name a few.

Canadian groups Honeymoon Suite and Sam Roberts Band will open for the band on night one of the event.

The festival runs from July 25 – 29 in Churchill Park.

Further announcements on additional acts are expected in the coming weeks.

Tickets for Def Leppard will go on sale this coming Tuesday at noon online.

This investigation is a collaboration between the IJF and The Narwhal.

Oil and gas companies operating in British Columbia have reported 44 “serious” leaks at wellsites over the past year, according to publicly available BC Energy Regulator records. 

The courthouse in Saint Andrews has agreed in principle to hand the courthouse over to a non-profit organization. 

It has been a source of discussion for the municipal council given the property needs significant work, including removing the lead paint from the exterior of the building which could cost up to $300,000, and a new roof. 

“There’s actually not a purpose for the municipality directly, but there is a group that would like to turn it into a community hub that thinks that they’ll be very successful getting grants,” said Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson. “So, the municipality is open to transferring it to a not-for-profit or charity.”

Last month, the Saint Andrews Civic Trust gave an hour-long presentation about what it would like to do with the courthouse, including adding community space and revitalizing the green space in front of the building. 

However, the council has asked for expressions of interest on the property – to ensure transparency and fairness to any organization that might wish to take over the property. 

The expression of interest is simply to gauge how many organizations may be interested outside the SACT and it takes less time, but if the council receives multiple expressions, it could then move to RFP. 

Those are formal proposals with costing estimates and plans, afterward, the council could select whichever it prefers. 

“You can expect covenants from the municipality to make sure that that building is protected for the municipality and for the history of the building,” Henderson said. 

There were questions from the council ahead of showing interest in handing the courthouse over. 

Coun. Darrell Weare asked whether the town would need to provide financial support to the organization that takes over the building. 

Property taxes, according to the council, is the most significant thing it faces when it comes to financing the courthouse. 

Henderson said he believes some sort of short-term financial support would likely be required, but time limits would like to be imposed on those. 

“My short answer to that would be probably,” he said. “I think you’d limit it to a period of time and it is also a heritage and tourism asset, I think it is something you would consider using the tourism accommodation levy for a period of time.” 

The level of financial support could include a question in the eventual RFP, if there is one, and be subject to grading by the council. 

Coun. Kurt Gumashel reiterated feelings he’d expressed at a previous council meeting about returning the courthouse to the provincial government. 

Five years ago, the property was handed over, and the town received financial support to assist them in the costs associated with the building, but that funding has expired. 

“I’m stuck on the fact, we took this courthouse in good faith, with the understanding that it was in good shape and it was a sound building and I don’t think that is what we got,” he said. “I wonder if a fifth option is we simply lock the doors and say the Province of New Brunswick, here is your courthouse back and let them figure it out.” 

Henderson said given the town has owned it for five years, it is unlikely the province would take it back. 

No date has been set yet for council to discuss next steps on the future of the Saint Andrews Courthouse.

As measles cases rise in Alberta, many adults may be wondering whether they're protected against the highly contagious — and potentially dangerous — virus.

Hello, I'm Yzma! I'm a very sweet gal looking for the perfect lap to cuddle up on. I have been at the shelter for 125 days and no one can figure out why. I am so sweet and love to give hugs. I like to just walk around and explore but can be playful at times too. If I sound like the cat for you, please come by and meet me!

Today Minister of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills Sarah Stoodley will hold a media availability to announce funding for the St. John’s Farmers’ Market Cooperative.

The announcement will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market in St. John’s.

Stoodley will be joined by Pamela Anstey, executive director of the St. John’s Farmers’ Market Cooperative.

Good morning. Rage is the new Canadian mood. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if we know what to do with it. More on why we must carefully tend the fire in our bellies, along with Mark Carney’s energy ideas and Ukraine’s energy reality.

Today’s headlines

• Canada’s aviation safety investigator has released a preliminary report about the Delta plane crash
• The discovery of a secret list of suspected Nazi war criminals in Canada is raising questions about government secrecy
• Are U.S. tariffs a threat to Canadian health sciences innovators – or a golden opportunity?

Plenty of rom coms are filmed in North Bay, but in real life, sparks don’t fly on cue

Trial dates have been set for a man dangerously close to being declared a dangerous offender.

Thirty-four-year-old Stephen Hopkins is facing several charges involving indecent acts while doing time at HMP.

Incidents are alleged to have occurred in front of staff and other inmates this past January, last June, and in March of 2023.

Hopkins was sentenced this time last year to six-and-a-half years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in her Cowan Heights home in 2020.

That was in addition to previous sex offences, resulting in long-term offender status for five years, as long as he stayed out of trouble.

At the time, he narrowly avoided dangerous offender status, which comes with an indefinite prison term.

But that decision will likely be revisited if Hopkins is convicted on the new charges.

It remains to be seen if he’ll represent himself, as he’s done unsuccessfully in the past.

His three-day trial is scheduled for mid-April in Supreme Court.

Employees at Memorial University are calling on the provincial government to increase funding following news that MUN is facing a deficit of $8.9 million in their upcoming budget.

CUPE Local 1615 is calling for immediate action to protect the province’s only public university.   

A recent report from the Auditor General identified concerns in a 2014 audit in which recommendations were made to the Province to have a long term plan to address crumbling infrastructure.

CUPE says over ten years later, the same issues not only remain but are increasing in urgency.  

CUPE 1615 represents Administrative, Instructional, Technical, and Technical Support Staff at the St. John’s, Signal Hill, Grenfell, and Labrador campuses.

Subscribe now

A Fredericton woman is headed to trial next year on an allegation she shared intimate images of another person without consent.

Samantha Mary Basque, 22 - who resides in the capital but hails from Chamberlain Settlement near Bathurst - appeared in Fredericton provincial court Thursday with defence counsel Wanda Severns.

Read more

Manitoba's NDP Budget 2025 Meets the Moment by Building Schools and Hospitals to Keep our Economy Strong

Budget 2025 invests a record $3.7 billion in capital projects, noted Sala, which includes new schools, emergency rooms (ERs) and personal care homes, and critical infrastructure to keep Manitoba’s economy moving.

"I think the first reaction from most of us on the official opposition side was, 'Was that it?' shares Grant Jackson, MLA for Spruce Woods and the Official Opposition Progressive Conservative Critic for Education and Early Childhood Learning.

"This was one of the shortest budget speeches that many of more experienced members in the Chamber than me can ever remember, and that's deeply concerning to most Manitobans I've talked to that were in attendance today or that were listening in online because we're in some pretty complicated and challenging times right now," shares Jackson.

"And the fact that the government of the day, the Kinew government didn't have a robust and detailed plan, particularly when it comes to the economic response that we're going to need for President Trump's tariffs, whether they come or not, is deeply concerning," he adds.

Pertinent issues to Jackson's riding of Spruce Woods include affordability, rising crime rates, infrastructure and healthcare.

"I'm not sure that Westman was mentioned a single time in the minister's brief speech, which is incredibly disappointing and the only thing they had for Brandon, the Wheat City was two new schools that were previously proposed and promised by the Progressive Conservative government," he adds. "So, there was very little to nothing for anything west of Portage and I would agree with my colleague's assessment that all of rural Manitoba was forgotten in Budget 2025 by the Kinew government.

"Rural crime rates are on the rise and that was not mentioned at all," says Jackson.

"They made a brief commitment to adding a few more police officers to the city of Winnipeg Police Service, and that was the only thing they mentioned in with respect to measures to combat crime. So, obviously, Winnipeg police officers do not service rural Manitoba, so no new initiatives to combat rising rural crime. Very disappointed in that," adds Jackson.

"And with respect to rural health care, there were no commitments in terms of keeping Westman emergency rooms open," he says. "No funding commitments for the new medical school that they proposed for Brandon University to train doctors in Western Manitoba, it wasn't mentioned. So, I would say that Westman healthcare was missed by this government."

"On affordability, they announced that they're increasing their tax credit for property owners from $1500 up $100 to $1600. You know, if we're seeing double digit tax increases to the school property tax in Turtle Mountain School Division and many others, which is resulting in, you know, several $100 if not close to $1000 increases on people's school taxes this year.  So, $100 extra on the rebate really isn't cutting it and this is not the time when Manitobans jobs and companies and businesses are threatened by the American president."

"This is not a time for Manitobans to be paying higher taxes," adds Jackson.

Manitoba's highways and roadways were not addressed in yesterday's budget either, this being of concern to Jackson who still has a number of highways that were on the books with the previous government that have yet to be addressed, including Hwy #2, Hwy #34, and Hwy #5.

"These [highways] need significant investments from the department of Manitoba's infrastructure department and the budget speech was entirely silent on dollar figures that this government is going to be addressing and investing in infrastructure," he adds.

Please listen to more with Grant Jackson below on yesterday's budget.

"This is a time when we need specifics, and we need details," says Jackson, "and this Kinew government did not step up to the plate."

Over the next 6 days MLA's will be debating the 2025 budget at length beginning this morning at 10 am in the Manitoba Legislature.

Disappointments continue for our MLAs in southwestern Manitoba in yesterday's Provincial Budget 2025.

"Very disappointed," says Riding Mountain MLA Greg Nesbitt. "A lot of recycled announcements from when we were in government, things that the NDP cut when they came into office and now are renouncing again.  So, while I'm happy to see them going ahead, it's really not much of a new news budget."

"But rural Manitoba was pretty much left out of this budget," says Greg Nesbitt.

"To be quite honest, I see very little that's going to benefit a lot of the rural ridings," shares Nesbitt. "I see a 12% cut to infrastructure spending which is going to affect roadways and bridges and things like that in rural areas. Yes, they've announced some new schools around the province, but again, most of them were announced when we were in government, and they put them on hold."

Nesbitt says a few rural areas are seeing funding for schools like Neepawa and St. Anne.

"But rural Manitoba was pretty much left out of this budget," he says. "There was no mention of rural in the budget. There was no mention of agriculture in the budget. Very disappointing for a rural MLA."

Nesbitt says there was no real plan in the budget to deal with tariffs other than setting aside $500 million if and when the tariffs hit. "But of that $500 million, there's only $100 million ear-marked agriculture., and you know how important agricultural is to Manitoba and especially to the people who live in rural Manitoba, the farmers out there."

"And I just keep hearing from constituent after constituent about the canola situation and how we have to do something," he adds. "And so, it's very disappointing on my end that I hear no reference to agriculture in a budget when agriculture makes up such a big part of the gross domestic product here in Manitoba."

"We need more police in rural Manitoba as well, so that wasn't addressed at all," says Nesbitt.

Nesbitt says the budget did not address the rise in rural crime.  "There was no mention of any increases in in helping with policing costs in rural Manitoba given the crime situation, it's not just in Winnipeg.  They announced 12 new Winnipeg police positions. But no mention of RCMP or Brandon City police. Anything like that, they've added a couple $1,000,000, so you can buy some more doorbells for your homes. I guess that's their idea of home security," he adds.

"So that's a little frustrating too. I mean, crime is getting worse in rural Manitoba. And as you well know, the RCMP are stretched to the limit. We need more police in rural Manitoba as well, so that wasn't addressed at all. And I mean I if they're going to leave that all on the backs of the municipalities to try to, fund additional RCMP officers that's going to impact on local taxation as well."

"And municipalities are under pressure too, and that's the first person they go to, if there's increasing crime rate in the area, they're talking to their mayors and Reeves and counselors and things like that. So that that was disappointing to me as well.  

"Like I said, there was very little for rural Manitoba in this budget." 

"Some of this will become clearer as the days go by ... but I think Manitobans can expect higher hydro rates, they'll be paying more income tax moving forward, they're going to be paying more educational property tax, they're not going to be getting any more police protection, and I don't see much on the highway's front in rural Manitoba."

Please listen to more with Greg Nesbitt below.

Manitoba's 2025-26 budget is a mix of optimism and caution, with big spending increases and revenue-growth projections sharing space with contingencies for economic disaster.

A Winnipeg man says he's been traumatized after explosive devices — which he believes were stun grenades — were mistakenly launched into his condo during a police operation.

The grandmother of a 19-year-old Winnipegger facing terrorism-related charges says she burst into tears when she heard the seriousness of the allegations against him.