With about 20 centimetres of snow falling on parts of the west coast last weekend, snowmobilers were getting their first runs of the season. But the Snowmobile Federation says more snow is still needed before winter operations get fully into gear. NTV’s Don Bradshaw reports.

It was an emotional day in a Gander courtroom as Nicholas Villeneuve was sentenced to six years in prison for impaired driving causing death and bodily harm for a crash in 2019. NTV’s Colleen Lewis reports.

Two murder cases were called in provincial court this morning, both involving crimes that happened last summer in the same area of St. John’s.

NTV’s Rosie Mullaley has the story.

From a rise in crime, to the inappropriate use of restraints in long term care homes in the province; these are just some of the issues facing seniors, as highlighted in a recent report by the Seniors’ Advocate. NTV’s Beth Penney reports. 

Syrian refugees have been coming to Newfoundland and Labrador since 2012 while a civil war raged at home. Now that the Assad regime has come to an end, the N.L. Syrian community is hopeful but still uncertain about the future.

With a pair of convincing wins, Canada remains unbeaten at the world Para Cup in Prince Edward Island, with St. John’s star Liam Hickey playing a star role.

The world’s four best teams are facing off this week and the Canadian roster features two players from this province. Here’s NTV’s Mark Dwyer.

Newfoundland and Labrador's seniors' advocate is sounding the alarm with a new report that suggest the well-being of seniors in the province falls behind national averages in areas like health, finances and overall safety.

The City of Mount Pearl is moving ahead with $58.9 million operating budget for the incoming year, with plans to make investments into road infrastructure and amenities, while also keeping mil rates unchanged for both residents and businesses.

Both residential and commercial mil rates will not be going up in the city of Mount Pearl in the new year.

Councillor Chelsea Lane tabled the $58.8-million budget for 2025 at city hall earlier today.

All water fees, and sewer and wastewater removal fees are also being maintained. All other rates and fees will remain steady.

In terms of other municipal projects, Mayor Dave Aker says the city has several initiatives they will be focusing on.

He says funds have been allocated for a new community centre to replace Park Place, they are using $6.1-million through the housing accelerator fund to build 386 new housing units, and they will also be focusing on a new expansion area – Northlands – on the top of Mount Carson Avenue.

The city has also allocated $735,000 for Municipal Enforcement Operations, which they say will go towards enforcing city by-laws and engaging in public outreach.

That topic is one of significant concern given the attacks in the city several weeks ago that has caused many to be on high alert.

However, as Aker notes municipal enforcement officers are not police but they are good at liaising with the RNC. Aker says he had a meeting with the Justice Minister about more of an RNC presence in the city, and other community policing models that they will look at.

Other items in the budget include over $1-million for road maintenance, $700,000 for a culvert replacement on Glencoe Drive, $250,000 to install lighting on the T’Railway, and $140,000 for floor upgrades and equipment at The Glacier.

Advocate and 2SLGBTQIA+ community leader Charlie Murphy received the Human Rights Award at Government House on Tuesday.

In her first report on how seniors are doing on key issues, Newfoundland and Labrador Seniors’ Advocate Susan Walsh says money is scarce as people age, especially compared to other jurisdictions.

The City of St. John’s has tabled a balanced budget of $349,151,881, an increase of 1.5 per cent over 2024. 

The capital city will see no increases to mil rates which will remain at 9.1 for residential and 29.5 for commercial. While there are no increases to mil rates, the water tax will see an increase of $15 per unit and an increase of 2.22% for commercial. 

In 2025, the capital city will invest $25 million for capital project spending including fleets, road rehabilitation, sidewalk repairs and traffic safety. There will also be an increase of $2 million for sidewalk snow clearing and almost $600,000 to Metrobus for service enhancements and hybrid busses. Just over $700,000 will also be invested into Advantage St. John’s for shared services between St. John’s, Paradise and Conception Bay South.

Councillor Ron Ellsworth says while addressing the growing operating costs they were able to avoid mil rate increases by reducing costs in other areas, including to St. John’s Sports and Entertainment Ltd. Due to a rise in concerts, conferences and events, Ellsworth says they are reducing SJSEL’s budget by $727,000 in 2025. 

NTV’s Bailey Howard will have live coverage of the capital city’s budget during NTV News First Edition and the NTV Evening Newshour. 

The City of St. John's has tabled a balanced budget for 2025, with increased spending in areas like capital works and Metrobus. There's also a notable decrease in funding to St. John's Sports and Entertainment.

The City of St. John’s has released a nearly too-good-to-be true budget for 2025, with no cuts to programs or services and no increase in the mil rates.

The only significant cut is a good one – with the subsidy for St. John’s Sports and Entertainment reduced by more than $700,000. The city attributes that to an increase in the number of concerts, events, and meetings at both the Mary Brown’s Centre and convention centre.

That reduction compares to an injection of almost $600,000 last year, though the total subsidy remains over $6 million.

The city’s lead on Finance, Ron Ellsworth says the growth in event scheduling is projected to enhance revenue streams and offset operating costs.

The residential mil rate stays at 9.1 while the commercial rate remains 29.5. There is also a minimal $15 per unit increase in the water tax for homes, and 2.22 per cent rise for businesses, with the city noting all revenue from the water tax flows right back into providing the service.

Other highlights of the budget include:

• An investment of almost $25 million for capital project spending, which supports
important projects like fleet enhancement, road rehabilitation, sidewalk repairs,
traffic safety initiatives, information technology, repairs and enhancements to
facilities and capital grants to community groups.

• Investing over $2 million to enhance sidewalk snow clearing, including shared
use paths.

• A 10% increase in investment for the City’s Grant Program of $143,000.

• An investment of $703,000 to Advantage St. John’s, a regional economic
development agency that was formed this year. The agency will align resources
between the Town of Paradise, Town of Conception Bay South and St. John’s to
collectively elevate economic development opportunities and build stronger and
more resilient communities in the region.

• An additional $598,000 is allocated to Metrobus for service enhancements,
acquisition of hybrid busses and capital costs associated with the transition to
zero emission busses.

Nicholas Villeneuve has been sentenced to six years in prison and a 7-year driving ban for killing two people and seriously injuring two others while driving drunk on the TCH near Gander in July 2019.

Villeneuve, now 26, was convicted of impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm in the crash that killed John and Sandra Lush and seriously injured their daughter, Suzanne and her boyfriend, Josh Whiteway.

Judge Jacqueline Jenkins actually sentenced Villeneuve to six years for each of the four offences but ordered them to run concurrently, at the same time, instead of consecutively, one after the other.

Villeneuve appeared by telephone from the West Coast Correctional Centre for his sentencing this afternoon.

He was acquitted during his first trial after a judge ruled his Charter rights were violated.

That was overturned by the Court of Appeal, which ordered a new trial.

The province’s Seniors’ Advocate says seniors in Newfoundland and Labrador are doing very poorly according to data collected in her latest report into the well-being of seniors.

Susan Walsh collected data in a number of key areas, including nutrition, waitlists for hip and knee replacements, the use of restraints and antipsychotics in long-term care, and the number of seniors living alone.

Walsh’s report found that the percentage of NL seniors who consume the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables is 12 percentage points lower than the national average.

She also found that the percentage of hip and knee replacement and cataract surgeries that are meeting national benchmarks are well below the national average and significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The use of restraints and the potentially inappropriate use of antipsychotics in long-term care continues to be well above the national average.

The report also found that 12.9 per cent of senior homeowners who are living alone, and 31.6 per cent of senior renters who are living alone are in core housing need and cannot afford suitable and adequate housing in their community.

Most alarmingly, crimes against seniors has increased from 3 violations per 1000 seniors in 2019 to 4.4 per 1000 seniors in 2023.

Walsh says seniors in this province are not doing well compared to national stats.

“We now have the data that clearly supports on these six indicators, that in every situation seniors were falling behind the rest of the country.”

A trio appeared in court in a case involving the death of a St. John’s man. Forty-one-year-old Brad Morrell, 50-year-old Jason Wells, and 36-year-old Veronica Whalen each face a single count of second-degree murder in the death of 31-year-old Dylan Jordan.

All four lived in the same area at the bottom of Golf Avenue.

Police believe there was some kind of “physical altercation” with the victim before he was found dead in the street mid-morning on July 31st.

Officers surrounded a nearby home, where the three suspects were cornered, and they were arrested without incident.

In provincial court this morning, the preliminary inquiry was set for June of next year, with a deadline of April 25th to file documents, including a list of witnesses.

All three accused have agreed to remain in custody for now.

Eddie Scheerr — the well-known meteorologist — is leading a class-action lawsuit against Transport Canada. He alleges that the federal agency did not properly clean up property that was contaminated with chemicals and now his family’s tap water is tainted. The CBC’s Heather Gillis has the story.

A massive wind-powered hydrogen production project proposed for the Exploits Valley region has entered a new phase of the environmental assessment process.

Minister Lisa Dempster has ordered that the proponent, Exploits Valley Renewable Energy Corporation, prepare an environmental impact statement.

Additional required information includes the scope of the project, source water supply, water balance, water resources management, greenhouse gas emissions, and whether power supply is needed from the provincial grid.

Information is also needed regarding the location of turbines and their impact on local flora and fauna, including fish, bats, birds, and animals.

The provincial fisheries department has updated the Fish Processing Licensing Policy Manual.

The updates are part of what the province says is a 10-point plan to expand on free enterprise and allow more flexibility in the fish price-setting process.

It’s hoped the measures will increase competition through increased processing capacity and strengthened controls over corporate concentration – two key areas of contention in last season’s massive fish protests at Confederation Building.

A copy of the updated manual can be found online.

Artificial Intelligence is being touted as a tool to ease workloads and improve productivity, but it’s also being used in ways that are harmful and abusive, especially to women and girls.

Courtney Jones, a law student and researcher who specializes in AI-generated image-based sexual abuse, says its a pervasive problem.

Jones says many people may already be familiar with deepfakes that use known images and footage and superimpose another person’s face onto the image to lead someone to believe they’re doing something they never did.

AI nudification however, is different.

Jones says some apps and websites are using the technology and, the results are far-reaching and very harmful.

“There are these online apps and websites that allow somebody to offload a fully-clothed image of a woman – most of these apps have been trained on female bodies, so it only works on women,” says Jones. “You can upload a fully-clothed image of a woman, click a button and it will generate a nude, or sexual image of her.”

Jones says the most recent data she’s seen suggest that the top three to five websites are getting several million visits each month.

A woman accused of intentionally running down and killing a man with her car had her murder case called in provincial court this morning.

The 36-year-old, whose name is banned from publication to protect the identities of children involved in the case, was originally charged with attempted murder, dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a crash.

It occurred mid-afternoon near the intersection of Mount Royal Avenue and Golf Avenue on Friday, August 16th.

Police believe a grey Honda Civic struck a 41-year-old man and sped from the area before police arrived. The victim spent a week in hospital fighting for his life before succumbing to his injuries.

That led police to upgrade the charge to second-degree murder.

The woman, who has since been released on conditions, was not in the courtroom today, as a designation has been filed that allows a lawyer to appear on her behalf.

That lawyer said today that she has received the first round of disclosure from the Crown, with more expected before the next court date on January 22nd.

The accused and the victim were known to each other.

It appears as though the differences between the two sides in the Canada Post labour dispute are becoming more entrenched.

CUP-W local president Craig Dyer says the two sides can’t even agree on wording of health and safety regulations.

Canada Post says it’s received the latest offers from the union and says it is “extremely disappointed that their intent appears to be to widen the gap in negotiations, rather than close it.”

The employer says it is conducting a full review of the offers made by the urban and rural bargaining units, but says it does not want “to provide false hope to impacted employees, small businesses, charities and northern communities,” that are hoping for a speedy resolution.

The strike is dragging into its fourth week, with no end in sight, and Christmas only two weeks away.

PC Leader Tony Wakeham is blasting the Newfoundland and Labrador government over its handling of Memorial University’s financial problems. He says education is an investment and the university is an economic engine for the province.

The founder of Goulds Cat Rescue is stressing the importance of microchipping pets after a cat was found after nearly a year-and-a-half out on her own.

Jason Pardy was working nights at a part-time job when Luna the cat started coming around.

Pardy started leaving food out for her every night, and eventually trapped her and brought her inside.

He discovered that she was microchipped, and was then able to reunite her with her owners – 17 months after she went missing.

He says microchipping increases the chances of finding a pet if they go missing.

A Newfoundlander who is holding the Catholic Church accountable for years of abuse is calling on U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump to choose carefully when it comes to who is appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican.

Gemma Hickey says speculation as to who Trump might choose has already begun, but Hickey hopes it’s someone who has a “spotless record on issues of sexual violence, particularly child abuse, rape, and institutional cover-ups”

Hickey says Trump has an opportunity to protect survivors, children and vulnerable adults.

Hickey’s comments come on the heels of a recent trip to the Vatican, pleading for changes in Canon Law.

NL Health Services says it plans to cover the costs of people taking an emergency medical responder certification program in central Labrador.

The health authority says it will offer financial support to applicants, covering the cost of the program as well as travel, accommodation, and meals for in-person training.

The program, which starts next month, requires that applicants commit to working for the authority afterward.

Minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Gerry Byrne will launch a new, user-friendly online Crown Lands Application Portal and provide a demonstration today.

The portal will include the option to apply for a quitclaim deed under the Primary Residence Property Title Program. The event will take place in Corner Brook at noon.

The application portal is the final step in recently announced legislation and policy changes to the Lands Act that will remove barriers when applying for, or securing property title to, Crown lands.

For the 26th year the eastern Newfoundland town of Port de Grave lit up dozens of boats in its harbour, an event that draws people in from all over Newfoundland and Labrador. An organizer says it helps remember those lost at sea.

Syrians living in Newfoundland rallied outside the Colonial Building on the weekend after learning that Bashar al-Assad, whose family had ruled the country for decades under martial law, had been deposed by a rebel group.

Assad is believed to have fled to Russia after being deposed following a brutal 14-year civil war that is estimated to have killed thousands of Syrians.

Favil Shich Ali says the country now has work to do to rebuild, but he says that some Syrian refugees may go back to the country they left over the past decade and a half.

He calls the development a “beacon of light” for Syria.

Hamza Shbat and his wife Suha al-Sheikh attended this weekend’s rally and say while many Syrians may choose to go back home, Newfoundland is where they’ve built a life.

Al-Sheikh describes the feeling she had on learning the news as like taking a deep breath after not being able to breathe properly “for so long…I truly felt free.” Shbat says. “I wanted the war in Syria to end, so that maybe in the future we can go there, but for us right now at this point, we’ve built a life that we can’t just give up and leave.”

The Town of Gander released its budget on Monday.

The overall operating budget for 2025 has matching revenues and expenditures totalling $22,456,628.

In 2025, our total debt is projected to be $26.7 million, with the debt servicing ratio reduced to 16.1%, down from 18% in 2024. This improvement underscores the effectiveness of our fiscal sustainability strategy.

This upcoming year, the mil rates will remain unchanged at 7.6 mils for residential properties and 7.7 mils for commercial properties. There has been an average increase in property values of approximately three percent.

There will also be no increase in service fees or business tax.

The town benefited from additional revenue streams, including new construction taxation, and earned interest generating $250,000 beyond general taxation.

The Mayor of St. Mary’s hopes talk of an election won’t derail their plans to finally have an abandoned and smelly fish sauce plant cleaned up.

The town is reluctantly taking possession of the plant, which has been oozing toxic effluent and emitting foul vapours for years, so that it can access government funding and get the ball rolling on clean-up.

The plant, which contains huge vats of fermenting fish sauce, has been sitting in a jurisdictional limbo for years, with no-one taking responsibility for clean-up of the environmental and health hazard.

Mayor Steve Ryan says the town is now in the process of taking possession so that they can access various levels of government support, and expressions of interest can be issued to finally get it dealt with once and for all.

He has three companies interested in submitting bids for the work. In the meantime, Ryan says there’s been plenty of talk about an election in the near future, and he hopes that doesn’t derail their plans.

Central Newfoundland food banks are continuing to serve their communities, even with the rising price of groceries, say organizers.

Tomorrow at 11:15 a.m., the Bank of Canada will announce its decision on the target for the overnight rate.

Back in October, the Bank of Canada reduced the target for the overnight rate to 3¾%, continuing its policy of balance sheet normalization.

A 46-year-old man has been arrested and charged after a reported break-in at a store in the Marystown Mall.

Burin Peninsula RCMP received a call about a break and enter around 12:45 on Sunday.

A man reportedly reached inside the security gate of the store and stole a number of clothing items.

The incident was caught on surveillance camera and officers identified the suspect who was seen leaving the mall wearing a stolen jacket.

RCMP caught up with Kiley Foote later that same day and he was charged with break and enter with intent and theft under $5,000.

Roads on the Avalon, central, and south coast are bare and dry with good visibility and a few icy patches. Along the west coast, roads are snow-covered with icy patches and good visibility.

From western Labrador to Cartwright Junction, roads are snow-packed with icy patches and drifting snow. The road from Cartwright Junction to Red Bay is closed.

The MV Terra Nova will delay departure from Rencontre East until 9:00 a.m. The MV-Marine Coaster III will be running on Monday’s schedule and taking fuel this morning.

At the St. John’s International Airport, WestJet Flight 264 and PAL Flight 901 are delayed. In Deer Lake Provincial Airlines Flight 901 is delayed. Flights are on time in Gander.

It appears that the formal league-sanctioned transfer of an ailing major junior hockey league franchise to St. John’s will come down this week.

Hockey insider Jeff Marek says his sources tell him that the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Board of Governors will formally approve the transfer of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to St. John’s at their next meeting.

At the QMJHL BOG meeting this week expect a vote to pass on the sale and relocation of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan to a group in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) December 8, 2024

Long-time hockey executive Glenn Stanford is a part of the ownership group, but he won’t comment at this time.

The region’s only flirt with major junior hockey some 20 years ago did not turn out well as the St. John’s Fog Devils, owned by the Dobbins and operating out of Mile One, did not really catch on despite the presence of future NHLers including goaltender Jake Allen.

Two popular long-time businesses on Water Street in St. John’s are closing their doors.

Kim Paddon posted to social media this week that Whink! and the Newfoundland Weavery are shutting down.

She says she’s poured 15 years of her heart and soul into the businesses, but the last few years have been “incredibly challenging,” and due to circumstances beyond her control, business has forever changed.

She points to online shopping, soaring freight costs, consumer behavior and falling foot traffic.

As a result says Paddon, the current economic climate “does not offer a bright future” for her current business model.

“I mean, let’s be honest, it’s a very challenging time. The economic environment that we are in right now, you can’t pretend that everything is okay.”

In the meantime, she’s working through her inventory and promises to have it out and available over the coming days.

She’s been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support she and her team have received since issuing the post.

“I’m so passionate with the community of artisans as being a Newfoundland and Labrador business owner, and these stores meant so much to our community, and yes, they’re stores, but I’m an employer to lots of people…and I’m just….” she says trailing off with emotion.

Around 7:00 p.m. on Monday, the RNC responded to a residence in downtown St. John’s, to a report of unknown trouble in progress.

Officers spoke to the complainant and witnesses and learned that an assault had taken place.

A 62-year-old male was arrested and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of assault.

The accused was held for court.

Two of the province’s municipalities are bringing down their budgets today.

The City of St. John’s will release its budget this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. while the City of Mount Pearl will introduce its budget at 4:30.

VOCM News is watching both budget announcements and will have details as they become available.

The RCMP in Grand Falls-Windsor is looking for 16-year-old Logan Vineham who has been reported missing.

Vineham was last seen near Needs Convenience Store on Lincoln Road, Grand Falls-Windsor around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, December 9th.

He is described as 5 ’11” tall, with brown hair & blue eyes. He may be wearing camouflage clothing.  Anybody with information on his current location is asked to call the RCMP at 709-489-2121.

A man has been charged after an incident at a home in downtown St. John’s.

Police were called to a disturbance around 7:00 yesterday evening to find that someone had been assaulted.

A 62-year-old man was taken into custody on charges of assault and assault with a weapon.

A new $13-million transmission line, built to withstand severe weather and deliver 80 per cent more electricity, will soon be energizing homes and businesses in the Placentia area.

Safaa Tohme and her son, Sleiman, are part of the Syrian community in St. John’s that is celebrating the end of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s decades-long rule. But what does it mean for loved ones back in their home country? The CBC’s Jessica Singer reports.