Housing, tourism and regional economic development were just some of the topics covered by Mayor Danny Breen during his annual address to Rotary St. John’s today. NTV’s Bailey Howard reports.

Winter tourism in this province pales in comparison to the busy summer season, but statistics show more people are taking advantage of winter travel options.

As NTV’s Don Bradshaw tells us, one group on the west coast is making the most of it.

Calibre Mining acquired Marathon Gold and the Valentine Lake Gold Project last fall.

Today, the company is sharing tests results that indicate the mine’s life is likely to go beyond the current estimates.

NTV’s Colleen Lewis has more.

Should the police step in to investigate the province’s contract for private travel nurses? The leader of the opposition thinks so.

But Health Minister Tom Osborne says it’s too early for that, because the health authority is still reviewing the situation. NTV’s Beth Penney reports.

A fisheries advocate is speaking out against price-setting legislation in the province.

That’s after the FFAW lost an arbitration over last year’s crab fishery protest.

NTV’s David Salter has more.

Often when tourists come to St. John's, travelling the hilly and winding, road to Cape Spear is a must-see for its Atlantic ocean views, restored lighthouse and the first sunrise every day in Canada.

Convicted sex offender Stephen Hopkins, who is representing himself in a hearing that could see him imprisoned indefinitely, remained uncharacteristically quiet during final arguments on his sentence.

The Association for New Canadians in Newfoundland and Labrador hosted a summit Thursday to highlight what human trafficking looks like in the province.

Newfound Sushi, a popular restaurant in Corner Brook says it will no longer serve ocean-based farmed Atlantic salmon. The owner says the farmed fish is not safe or environmentally sustainable. The aquaculture industry disagrees.

A fishing boat that had been grounded near Fortune on Newfoundland's south coast is back in the water after a week of efforts to return it to safety.

The 2024 NL Games are proud to be in Gander this year!

You can follow along with complete, up-to-date results HERE.

Plus you can watch all the events live HERE.

The RCMP is warning residents in this province of a scam in which individuals are posing as officers.

Using email, the individuals claim to have a subpoena for the person they’re contacting. 

A victim recently reported receiving an email with an address ending in rcmp-grc.gc.outlook.com. The RCMP does not issue subpoenas via email and does not have an outlook.com email address.  

Scam emails may contain links that are troublesome to the user if activated and the RCMP is advising users not to click in the links in these types of emails.

If anyone receives an email they believe is a scam, contact https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm. 

The RCMP are also ask the public to discuss this type of scam with elders in their family and in the community.

The FFAW says the arbitrator has yet to determine whether or not the union will have to pay damages in relation to a recent grievance decision made.

The Association of Seafood Producers filed a grievance against the FFAW as a result of last year’s tie-up during the crab fishing season.

ASP Executive Director Jeff Loder says they felt the circumstances surrounding last year’s delay in the crab fishery warranted the grievance.

ASP Executive Director Jeff Loder

“We felt that was an inappropriate decision by the union given the obvious serious consequences, and negative economic implications of the season not starting on time. We used our rights under the statutory framework and the Fisheries Industry Collective Bargaining Act and the Master Collective Agreement to launch a grievance.”

FFAW President Greg Pretty says he doesn’t think they’re going to appeal the arbitrator’s decision on the cessation of business with ASP “because we have a right to represent workers and advocate on their behalf.”

However, the second step involves the arbitrator determining whether or not the union is responsible, whether or not there are causation or mitigation issues and whether money needs to be paid out.

That, says Pretty, is something the union is ready to challenge.

He says they have to determine whether a loss occurred. The union will subpoena records from the crab companies over a five-year period including production figures and sales. “So it’s not cut-and-dry,” says Pretty.

The beloved Newfoundland pine marten is showing  positive signs of recovery thanks to decades of efforts by the Newfoundland Marten Recovery Team and local residents to help build their numbers and protect their habitat.

The sub-species, genetically unique to the province, is https://www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/wildlife“>one of just 14 mammal species native to the island of Newfoundland and has been downlisted under the Endangered Species Act from Threatened to Vulnerable.

It was listed as Endangered in 2002, and recovery programs have been in place since the 1990s.

Newfoundland pine marten were downlisted from Endangered to Threatened in 2007.

Population estimates for mature marten are now in the 2500 to 2800 range.

In the meantime, a small plant that grows on cliffs and rock outcrops in on the Gaspe Peninsula and a small portion of Labrador near the Quebec border has been added to the Act as Vulnerable. Fewer than 3000 Dense Draba plants are known to exist.

RCMP NL is warning residents of a type of scam currently in circulation where the scammer is representing themselves as a police officer via email and is claiming to have a subpoena for the person they are contacting. Recently, a report was made from a victim who received an email from someone representing themselves as a police officer from an email address ending in ‘@rcmp-grc.gc.outlook.(com)’. The person claimed to have a subpoena for the victim.

The RCMP does NOT issue subpoenas via email. The RCMP also does NOT have an ‘outlook.com’ email address. Scam emails may contain links that are troublesome to the user if activated. We advise users NOT to click on links in these types of scam emails.

If you receive an email such as this, or any email that you think may be a scam, do not open it, click on links or respond to the email. Learn more about scams and how to protect yourself here: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm. RCMP NL asks the public to discuss this type of scam with elders in their family or community.

Three drivers received licence suspensions on Feb. 21, by RCMP NL for having blood alcohol concentrations that were above the provincial limit.

Shortly after 7:00 p.m., Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP received a request for assistance from a Municipal Enforcement Officer who had stopped a vehicle on Toulette Drive in Grand Falls-Windsor and smelled alcohol on the driver. A RCMP officer attended the traffic stop and administered a roadside breath test.  The driver, a 31-year-old man, provided a breath sample that was above the provincial limit but below the criminal threshold for impaired driving.  The vehicle was seized and impounded. 

At approximately 8:45 p.m., Bay Roberts RCMP received a report of a vehicle stuck in a snowbank on the Conception Bay Highway in Bay Roberts. Police attended, observed open alcohol inside the vehicle, and administered a roadside breath test. The driver, a 25-year-old man, provided a roadside breath sample that was above the provincial limit but below the criminal threshold for impaired driving.  The vehicle was seized and impounded and the man was ticketed for having open alcohol. 

Shortly after 10:30 p.m., Burin Peninsula RCMP stopped a speeding vehicle on Route 210 in Marystown.   Police suspected that the driver, a 37-year-old man, may be impaired by alcohol.  A roadside breath test was administered with a result that was above the provincial limit but below the criminal threshold for impaired driving.  The vehicle was seized and impounded.

Hockey NL has added eight new members to the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame.

The 2023 inductees include Andy Brake, Ivan Hapgood and Frazer Russell in the Builder Category, Tolson Chapman, Ray Dalton, Terry Ryan Junior and Tracy Sullivan in the Player Category, and the late Carl Lake in the Media Category.

The new inductees will be honoured at Hockey NL’s AGM in Gander on June 8 at the Albatross Hotel.

Congratulations to the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame inductees for 2023!
Andy Brake- Builder
Tolson Chapman- Player
Ray Dalton- Player
Ivan Hapgood- Builder
Carl Lake (posthumously)- Media
Frazer Russell- Builder
Terry Ryan Jr- Player
Tracy Sullivan- Player pic.twitter.com/M9SF0Rxe0y

— Hockey NL (@hockeynl1935) February 21, 2024

Air access is critical for the success of the province’s tourism industry.

That was the message Premier Andrew Furey gave to delegates at Hospitality NL’s conference in St. John’s yesterday.

He says at the peak of this year’s tourism season, the province will see a 21 per cent increase in inbound seat capacity over pre-pandemic levels.

He says St. John’s will see a 23 per cent increase in air traffic, while Deer Lake will experience a significant 32 per cent increase.

Gander had a “remarkable summer” thanks to Come From Away, says Furey, and the province is working with that town to improve air access as well as improve Wi-Fi and road connections across the province.

A serious crash has resulted in a significant backlog of traffic in the capital city’s east end.

Two vehicles, a car and SUV, are involved in the collision on Torbay Road near the Collision Clinic.

The road is closed between RCAF Road and the Pine Line.

That’s resulted in significant backlogs and delays.

VOCM News will have details as they become available.

ROAD CLOSURE
Torbay Rd, between RCAF Rd and Pine Line, in Torbay will be closed while the RNC investigate a serious traffic collision. No traffic through in both North and Southbound directions while the investigation is ongoing.

Please avoid the area. #nltraffic pic.twitter.com/rX3LBjztMU

— Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (@RNC_PoliceNL) February 22, 2024

Some of the biggest players in Newfoundland and Labrador's hospitality and tourism are gathering at the annual Hospitality N.L. conference and trade show, working to make sure the doors of the province are open to the world.

A St. John’s man charged with injuring his female passenger last summer by driving drunk and crashing his vehicle, has had his trial postponed.

Daniel Ozon appeared in provincial court today by telephone from Her Majesty’s Penitentiary. His five-day trial was supposed to begin next week. However, with a change of lawyers, more time will be needed to allow his new counsel time to review the almost 1,000 pages of disclosure.

The case will be called again next month to set new trial dates. Judge Lois Skanes recommended lawyers speak to court administration to find available time.

The 38-year-old Ozon was reportedly driving an SUV that crashed on the Trans-Canada Highway in the east end of the capital city. Police said he ran off, but was found nearby.

A 26-year-old woman, who was the passenger in the vehicle, was sent to hospital with serious injuries.

Ozon faces charges that include dangerous driving causing injury, failing to remain at the scene of an accident resulting in bodily harm, impaired driving causing injury, along with breaches of court orders.

Ozon apologized to the judge, noting he had been out of commission for a while because he was in the hospital. He said he had developed an infection while in prison and “almost died” because it turned septic.

“It’s only now I’m coming around,” he told the judge.

Ice will be the story tonight and overnight in some areas including the Avalon Peninsula.

Freezing rain warnings are out for the Avalon and the Burin Peninsulas although the southern Avalon could see more rain than ice.

The Clarenville and Gander regions will be heavier on the snow content than ice.

Meteorologist Mike Vandenburgh says there is still some uncertainty regarding the amount of rain and freezing rain.

He says if we do get the higher amounts of freezing rain, it will be slippery driving and he wouldn’t be surprised to see some power outages with ice on the lines.

On Saturday, February 24, the Ukrainian Cultural Organization of Newfoundland and Labrador will honour the memory of the lives lost by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine at the Basilica in St. John’s.

It marks 10 years of the Ukrainian-Russian war, and 2 years of a full-scale invasion.

The service will start at 2PM.

The Crown was blunt and vivid in making its case to have Stephen Hopkins jailed for an undefined prison sentence this morning.

They’re trying to have Hopkins declared a dangerous offender, following two recent convictions for sexual assault.

The onus is on the Crown to convince a judge that Hopkins is a constant risk to attack again.

Indeed, Hopkins’ own words during a psychiatric assessment are being used to make the case that he simply can’t control his sexual urges.

Whether that was on the Long Pond trail near Confederation Building, where he slapped a female jogger’s behind and lunged at another, at work where he came on to a teenage girl co-worker, or at a gas bar where he made advances toward a girl working there.

And that doesn’t include his most serious offence at the heart of the dangerous offender bid, where he forced his way into a girl’s Cowan Heights home and attacked her in her bedroom.

They all had sexual connotation, Crown prosecutor Richard Deveau told Supreme Court Justice Peter O’Flaherty, for either his gratification or believing that his victims were “beckoning” him and “wanted it.”

Court heard Hopkins sought out young women or girls late at night or early morning, in secluded areas, to feed his sexual urges, forcing the issue if they resisted.

Hopkins continues to represent himself in the case, with the assistance of lawyer John Brooks, appointed by the court to assist him solely with the law as opposed to his defence.

Hopkins will have a chance to dispute the Crown’s assertions this afternoon.

A man suspected of trying to  shoot and kill a man in Torbay last year will go to trial in the spring.

When David Reardon appeared in provincial court in St. John’s this morning via telephone from Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, lawyers agreed to have the five-day trial begin in May.

Reardon faces an attempted murder charge, along with several other counts, including aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm, pointing a firearm, carelessly using a firearm and breaching court orders that banned him from having or using a weapon.

The 50-year-old was arrested as a result of an incident that happened just before midnight on March 18 of last year at a house in Torbay, near the Foodland supermarket. The shooting victim was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. Police say the men know each other.

The fishing vessel that ran aground near Fortune during the treacherous winter storm on Wednesday morning has been moved today by Canadian Coast Guard after several days of trying.

All crew that were onboard the fishing vessel were safely brought to shore on Wednesday. However, the vessel was abandoned since then, due to weather conditions and the safety of first responders.

We will have more on this tonight on the NTV Evening Newshour.

Join host Adam Walsh as The Signal dives into climate change policy in Newfoundland and Labrador. For the lunchtime livestream, he will speak to the minister of environment and climate change, as well as representatives from the two opposition parties. They will talk about current policies, what needs to change and the future of oil and gas.

Braya, the company that converted the old Come By Chance oil refinery into a renewable fuel production facility, is now in commercial operation.

The company first outlined its plans to convert the refinery back in 2021.

Cresta Fund Management acquired majority ownership of the refinery from Silverpeak and re-branded as Braya Renewable Fuels.

Since then work has been underway to convert the facility from an oil refinery to a renewable diesel producer.

The company anticipates initial production capacity of 18,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel, with plans to expand production capacity including the exploration of green hydrogen production.

More repairs are needed on the Muskrat Falls transmission lines, with equipment failures due to “extreme weather” reported on eight towers in a remote area of Newfoundland.

Thrive, a community group that works to address community gaps, is currently in urgent need of men’s and women’s winter boots to support those in need during the cold months ahead.

Thrive says many individuals are facing the harsh realities of winter without proper footwear. Your donation of winter boots can make a world of difference for someone in need.

If you have any gently used or new winter boots to spare, the public is being asked to consider donating them to Thrive. Donations can be made at 807 Water Street, Monday – Friday 9:00a.m. to 4:30p.m.

The owners of the Come By Chance refinery in Newfoundland's Placentia Bay announced Thursday that commercial production of renewable diesel has started at the former oil refinery.

Just weeks after ArtsNL issued a statement on inappropriate and abusive behaviour directed at staff, the NL Folk Arts Society has taken to social media to do the same.

The Folk Arts Society has taken some heat in recent weeks regarding changes made to the upcoming Folk Festival in Bannerman Park.

Folk Arts Society executive director Julie Vogt.

Executive Director Julie Vogt says changes were necessary in part due to increased competition and the financial pressures that brings.

The Folk Fest will have family-friendly entertainment throughout the daytime hours, but in the evenings, they’ll be expanding the licensed area to include the very front of the main stage.

That’s resulted in a storm of negative reaction, but some of that reaction appears to have crossed the line.

The Folk Arts Society says it values passion and public feedback, but they’re asking for civil discourse rather than abuse. In a recent post the Folk Arts Society says any comments containing disrespectful or abusive language, defamation, slander or harassment will be removed.

Premier Andrew Furey says concerns surrounding the location of the replacement for St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital are pre-mature.

Last Friday, Minister John Abbott indicated that the old Grace Hospital site may not be big enough to house the new build. This prompted concern over the hospital leaving the downtown from many, including St. John’s City Council.

Now, however, Furey is clarifying they are nowhere near making that decision at this time.

He says they haven’t even set a process to determine where that site will be.

Furey clarifies that what Minister Abbott was referencing is that, if you were to simply overlay a hospital the size of the new Western Memorial Regional Hospital on the site, it would be too large.

An application submitted by a man accused of sexual assault to provide Newfoundland and Labrador's first ride-hailing operation was approved in just one day, according to emails obtained through access to information legislation.

Team Newfoundland and Labrador picked up their second win last night at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Calgary. After losing their first four games of the tournament, the rink, led by skip Stacie Curtis, defeated Prince Edward Island 11-6 to record their first victory. the St. John’s-based rink improved to 2-5 last night with an 8-7 victory over Alberta.

They are back in action today for their final round-robin game, facing off against Team Canada’s Kerri Einarson who is chasing at a fifth consecutive national title.

The CFUW St. John’s Club will be holding its annual Great Big Book Sale next month.

Donations of books will be accepted from February 24 to March 12 and the sale will run from March 21 to 23.

Over the years, scholarships for women attending post-secondary institutions have been the main focus.

The group has also supported other projects such as “New Beginnings Baskets” for women leaving a shelter, community meals to feed the needy, and food bank support for university students.

Year over year proceeds have been growing. This has led to CFUW St. John’s Club finding more funds for Community Outreach projects.

The Newfoundland Rogues beat the Reading Rebels last night by a score of 144 to 127 at the Mary Brown’s Centre.

The game was one of three against the Rebels. The next games take place on Friday, February 23 and Saturday, February 24.

After the series, the Rogues will be in London, Ontario.

Health officials provided a significant update on heart and stroke care in the province yesterday.

It’s estimated one in three of us will deal with one or the other in our lifetime.

To that end, the province is introducing a new surgical procedure and added use of stroke-related drugs—both designed to clear blood clots.

Health Minister Tom Osborne and Dr. Pat Parfrey

A third measure involves expanding the use of virtual appointments, with drug management, for those prone to heart failure.

Add to that the 16th so-called Heart Force One flight occurred this week, and there’s a new, renowned doctor from Belgium taking over as cardiac clinical chief.

Dr. Sean Connors, a cardiologist with the provincial Cardiovascular and Stroke Program, is over the moon with the work being done.

“I’ve been at this a long time, and this is transformative,” he said. “I’ve never felt this kind of input, focus and progress in the care of, I think, the most important disease process that we have affecting our patients here in Newfoundland and Labrador.”

Dr. Sean Connors

Connors says he’s already seeing the positive results and he’s excited about further improvements in the system.

“We’re looking at pre-hab and re-hab, if you’re waiting for heart surgery, well why not have a program where we talk to you, we make you healthier, we tell you that your surgeon wants you in the best possible health when you come in.”

To top it all off, the province announced one year ago that a new Cardiovascular and Stroke Institute would be built on the Health Sciences Centre site in St. John’s.

Osborne could not give an estimate yesterday as to when construction might start or when the facility could open.

A road closure is underway in downtown St. John’s to facilitate water main repairs.

Harbour Drive from Job’s Cove To Clift’s Baird’s Cove and Job’s Cove from Harbour Drive to Water Street will be closed.

Motorists are asked to use an alternate route and expect delays. During the closure, emergency vehicles and local traffic, including those visiting family, friends, and businesses in the area will have access, while all through traffic will be detoured.

The closure will be in effect until 4:00 p.m.

Scheduled repairs on a water main in Happy Valley-Goose Bay have forced the temporary shutdown of some schools and provincial government offices in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

The town has repairs scheduled today (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the water main in the Valley, affecting the Voisey Drive to Elizabeth Avenue area.

Peacock Primary, Queen of Peace Middle School, Mealy Mountain Collegiate, CNA and the Labrador campus of Memorial University are all closed today.

The work also means a number of government offices and services will be closed for the day including Justice and Public Safety, the Supreme Court, Elizabeth Goudie Building, the Bursey Building, and NL Housing.

Patients with appointments at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley Goose Bay affected by the water shutdown will be contacted to reschedule. All other services will proceed as usual.

A boil water advisory will be in effect once repairs are completed and water service restored.

Environment Canada is warning about ice build up because of freezing rain for the Avalon and Burin peninsulas, which meteorologist Mike Vandenberg says could lead to lights flickering.

It’s a good drive across the province this morning. Across the island, most roads are bare with a few icy sections. In Labrador, roads are partly snow-covered in some areas.

The MV Qajaq W is out of service due to high winds and heavy ice pressure. The CGS Henry Larsen will conduct an assessment of ice conditions this morning. The MV Marine Trader is in service but off schedule. Marine Atlantic anticipates changes to its schedule Friday night.

PAL Airlines flight 927 from St. John’s to Deer Lake is cancelled. There are a few other PAL Airlines flight delays at the Deer Lake Regional Airport. Flights are on time at the Gander Airport.

The Association for New Canadians is hosting an Anti-Human Trafficking Summit in the capital city today to mark Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

The ANC is bringing together survivors, service providers and representatives of support networks to discuss the issue.

The SEA Project, developed by the ANC, was created following an influx of newcomers who had experienced human trafficking before coming to the province.

Project Lead Geraldine Ankrah says they saw the need and decided to act.

“We thought why not put something together to support immigrants who have been through it and also to educate service providers as to how to provide services to immigrants in a culturally competent way.”

The summit is taking place at the Emera Innovation Centre from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 this afternoon.

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure John Abbott will attend a meeting of Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety.

The meeting will take place today and tomorrow in Montréal.

The ministers will discuss enhancing transportation safety, security and the resiliency and decarbonization of the transportation system, as well as addressing the widening transportation infrastructure gaps that exist in northern and rural regions of the country.

Irving will make a fuel delivery to Bell Island today amid growing concern about the availability of fuel in the community.

The operator of the island’s only gas station had to shut the business down last week for personal reasons leading to concerns about future access to gas and fuel.

Newly sworn-in MHA Fred Hutton says he’s been in contact with the family and with Irving and says the supplier will deliver fuel to the community today.

“It’s a relief” to the residents of Bell Island says Hutton “and it’s also a relief to Norman King and the King family who have run that business for 38 years and are very proud of it.”

Hutton says arrangements have also been made to ensure that emergency vehicles and town plows and equipment are all topped up.

Gasoline is up again this week, this time by 2.0 cents per litre.

The cost of diesel has dropped 4.6 cents.

Furnace oil has decreased by 4.19 cents.

Stove oil heating fuel on the Island decreased by 4.13 cents and has decreased by 3.95 cents in western Labrador.

Propane heating fuel saw no change.

The Board’s next regularly scheduled price adjustment is Thursday, February 29.

A series of winter storms over the last week has left much of Newfoundland and Labrador struggling with trying to keep on top of snow clearing.