RCMP NL says a number of various online and telephone scams remain in circulation, as well as local scams on buy and sell sites and reports of fraudulent credit card use.

What to watch out for:

• Police will never ask for money
• Courts may ask for money, but you need to pay in person
• You never have to pay to claim a prize
• Be suspicious of “winning” a prize in a contest you never entered
• Use reputable or first party websites when booking hotels or call the company directly
• Never send cash in the mail to people you don’t know

The provincial government has extended the Crown lands reserve to Aug. 31 and the overall wind energy land reserve has been reduced by 132,733 hectares to 381,676 hectares. It was anticipated that as the companies continued work on proposed projects, the amount of Crown lands required would likely change.

Two companies have had Crown lands reserves reduced, upon their request – EverWind NL Company (EverWind), and Toqlukuti’k Wind and Hydrogen Ltd. (TQK). Everwind has had its Crown land reserve reduced by 79,923 hectares to 188,396 hectares. TQK has had its Crown land reserve reduced by 52,810 hectares to 54,777 hectares.

Adjusting the Crown lands reserve allows the province and proponents to be more responsive to changing markets. Crown lands no longer being reserved for wind-hydrogen projects will be available for other potential land users.

Extending the Crown lands reserve also allows proponents more time to secure agreements with investors and continue with pre-development work.

Six companies are pursuing wind-hydrogen projects in the province: EverWind NL Company, Exploits Valley Renewable Energy Corporation, Toqlukuti’k Wind and Hydrogen, World Energy GH2 Ltd., Argentia Renewables LP, and North Atlantic Refining Limited

“We continue to work with companies as they finalize project plans and land area. Enabling a new provincial green hydrogen production industry has the potential to increase jobs and provide clean, renewable energy the world needs,” says Andrew Parsons, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology.

Adults 65 years of age and older, residents of long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors, and individuals six months of age and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to an underlying condition or treatment can now get COVID-19 vaccines.

From April 1 to June 1, the province is offering COVID-19 vaccine as a spring booster dose to specific populations.

Individuals are encouraged to contact their local pharmacy or primary care provider for vaccine availability. The vaccine is also available through local public health offices.

Police are investigating a robbery in downtown St. John’s.

It happened at a business last night, but the perpetrator had fled by the time police arrived.

No other information is available at this time.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh makes an announcement in St. John’s

A man spent the night at the lockup after a domestic incident in metro last night.

The 29-year-old has been charged with uttering threats and three counts of assault following the disturbance, which happened in Paradise.

He will appear in court today.

The capital city will not pursue the purchase of a right-of-way to allow Kenmount Terrace residents access to trails from Lady Anderson Street.

Local resident Stephen Hinchey raised concern when heavy equipment started excavating the existing gap between homes that neighbourhood residents use to access trails.

He called on the city to do something to maintain a right-of-way for pedestrians.

Google Earth image.

Ward 4 councilor Tom Davis says while the city will not purchase a right-of-way for legal and planning reasons, the conversation is not over.

Davis says city staff are available to meet with residents to discuss their concerns and explore potential alternatives.

Meanwhile, Davis says he will meet with residents at the corner of Tigress and Lady Anderson this morning at 10:00 a.m.

The Environment and Climate Change Canada Weather Office in Gander has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the following areas from midday Sunday until Sunday evening:

• Channel-Port aux Basques

Winter Storm Warnings are issued when multiple types of severe winter weather are expected to occur together.

Snow will arrive in the area around midday Sunday and will quickly become heavy at times. Snowfall rates up to 3 centimeters per hour are likely until Sunday evening when the snowfall tapers off. In addition, wind gusts of 60 to 80 km/h from the southeast will accompany the falling snow. The combination of strong winds and falling snow will reduce visibility in areas of blowing snow.

The weather alert states that 15 to 25 cm of snow will likely fall.

Due to accumulating snow, surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways, and parking lots will become challenging to navigate. Visibility will suddenly be reduced to near zero in heavy snow and blowing snow.

Postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve is something to be considered.

Monitor the latest weather alerts from ECCC NL here.

We’re looking back on a quarter century of local tunes, and this episode zooms in on the late noughties. Musicians Colleen Power, Ritche Perez and Liam Ryan rewind to the years 2005-2009 and play through the era’s biggest and best tracks.

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing will be tearing down a row of vacant homes on Livingstone Street in St. John’s that were damaged by fire last week.

The province says only one of the six units affected had a tenant, and that person has been put up in temporary accommodations before moving into another NL Housing unit next week.

Most of the units had been boarded up and vacant, and while repair work was underway, the units had been repeatedly targeted by vandals and had been broken into numerous times, causing extensive delays.

NDP leader Jim Dinn recently raised concerns about the number of vacant and boarded-up homes in the area and what he says is the government’s negligence in failing to get them back up and running.The province says more than 750 provincially-owned homes were vacated over a two-year period between April of 2023 and April of 2025. Repairs required ranged from typical sprucing-up to major and lengthy structural repairs.

The province says that, at that same time, more than 800 homes were refurbished and made available to families.

Work is now underway to construct 32 new units on Janeway Place in St. John’s, while work is expected to begin this year on a new 40-unit apartment building in the same area.

The Deer Lake Red Wings are on the verge of capturing the Herder.

They blanked the Clarenville Caribous 3-0 last night in Clarenville to go up 3-0 in the series.

Game 4 goes tonight at 7:40

One of the federal leaders is in the metro region today.

NDP Jagmeet Singh will be campaigning with candidate Mary Shortall in St. John’s East.

He and Shortall will be making an announcement today as part of the campaign stop.

He is scheduled to leave the province after making a few stops before heading to Halifax.

Metro police are dealing with a suspected incident of road rage.

The victim reported to the RNC that he had been assaulted by a man last night.

A 27-year-old has been arrested and was released with a future court date.

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey vows to keep U.S. alcohol off of liquor store shelves. Meanwhile, seafood entrepreneur Danny Dumaresque says he'll continue to look outside of the U.S. for new markets.

The family of Jacob Anstey is donating a wheelchair accessible van — originally given to them last year — to another family in need to honour the memory of the young boy on what would have been his 12th birthday.

Police continue to investigate what they believe to be an incident of shots fired.

Two separate collisions a short distance from each other caused significant damage, but resulted in no reported injuries.

Shortly after 7:00 p.m. emergency crews responded to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Topsail Road and Columbus Drive. Both vehicles involved sustained significant damage.

Roughly twenty minutes later a second collision occurred three kilometres away, at the intersection of Columbus Drive and Old Pennywell Road. Both vehicles involved, once again, sustained significant damage.

No injuries were reported following either collision.

Crews were kept busy attending to several traffic incidents on Friday evening, including crashes on Brier Avenue and Route 2 approaching Fowler’s Road. Weather is believed to have been a contributing factor, as roads quickly became slippery in snowfall and falling temperatures.

Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP are warning residents of an unknown man with a firearm last seen on Suvla Road. Shots were fired with no injuries. Residents are asked to shelter in place, do not answer your door and report any information to police 709-489-2121. Updates to follow.

RCMP are investigating an active shooter situation in Grand Falls-Windsor and are urging residents in the area to shelter in place.

The affected zone includes the area between Lincoln Road and Scott Avenue, as well as Goodyear Avenue and Riverview Road.

Police say there is no current description of the suspect or suspects involved, and details remain limited at this time.

Residents are asked to stay inside, lock their doors, and report any suspicious activity or information to 9-1-1 immediately.

The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.

The provincial government finally spoke out today about a scathing report on personal care homes that included two deaths and allegations of abuse.

Health Minister John Haggie says he has directed the health authority to work with the province to develop an action plan to improve conditions at personal care homes, but he’s not aware of any police investigations. NTV’s Ben Cleary reports.

A group fighting for stronger protection for victims of intimate partner violence says a recent government announcement falls short. As NTV’s Beth Penney tells us, the group says action on important issues has been lagging. 

High school students from this province are preparing for a trip to Europe where they’ll play in a hockey tournament representing their province and country, but they’ll also take in some education. NTV’s Marykate O’Neill is in Your Community. 

As the province celebrates the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, current and former women of the legislature share what can be done to get more women involved in politics. NTV’s Bailey Howard reports.

The NunatuKavut Community Council is applauding a Public Utilities Board decision denying Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro permission to construct a new diesel generating station in southern Labrador.

NunatuKavut says the PUB decision recognizes the need to consult with them on such projects.

The NCC says the PUB decision addresses many of the concerns they had with the project from the outset.

They’re calling on the Crown corporation to make sure that a safe power supply can be provided to the communities of Charlottetown and Pinsent’s Arm. The council says those communities have been without reliable power for over five years.

The NCC says it will work with Hydro on the development of a project-specific agreement which protects their lands and waters, and ensures energy security.

There have been some interesting visitors in the Labrador Straits area this week: a polar bear, and a parade of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the bear. Photos and even drone video of the bear have been captured from a safe distance and shared on social media.

The province announced its annual pot of money for highway construction Thursday.

More than $316 million is on the table for projects this year, and into the following season.

It’s part of the government’s larger $1.4 billion over five years to improve provincial roads and highways, first announced in 2023.

Such allotments of work for various areas are usually followed by allegations of favoritism along party lines.

But Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Fred Hutton would have none of it.

He notes the province sought input from the public late last year on areas of greatest need, and 200 submissions were received.

As well, Hutton said all MHAs were given an opportunity to weigh in and make their case for work.

“We sent out an email a couple of months back to every MHA in the province, asking them for their wishlist, if you will, their priorities for their district, what they thought was the most important and badly needed work in their districts, and we received word back from everybody and our team worked with them,” he said.

Interim Health Minister John Haggie says “there is no acceptable number” of serious incidents in Newfoundland and Labrador’s personal care homes.

A group of resistant Catholics in the tiny southern Avalon Peninsula community of Portugal Cove South have hired a lawyer and plan to take their fight into the courts in a bid a prevent their church from being sold.

The trial for a man accused of sexually exploiting and abusing vulnerable teens has been delayed once again.

Richard Simms, of Paradise, and his wife Elora have long dreamed of winning the lottery and what they would do with the prize money. Now, the couple can let their imaginations rest and make those plans a reality thanks to their recent Set for Life top-prize win.

“I was on my lunch break at work, sitting in my truck and I remembered I had a ticket in
my visor that I hadn’t scratched yet,” Simms said. “I scratched it and I was in total shock, I
couldn’t believe I actually won. I was too excited to go back to work that day.”

Atlantic Lottery’s Set for Life is a $4 Scratch’N Win ticket that offers two options for the
top prize. Winners can choose to receive $1,000 a week for 25 years, or a lump sum
payment of $675,000. Simms opted to receive the lump sum payment.
Once reality started to sink in, Simms was eager to share the news with his family.
“I told my wife and she was jumping up and down, screaming and freaking out,” Simms
said. “We’re overwhelmed excited. We’re to the moon we’re so excited.”

The couple has always said if they ever won the lottery, they would buy their first home
and take some family trips. Thanks to their big win, they now plan to do exactly that. The
search for their first family home is already underway and plans for a family vacation are
also in the works.

Simms is the second Set for Life top-prize winner from Newfoundland and Labrador so far
in 2025. Daniel Beason from Colinet also won the big prize worth $675,000 on a Set
for Life ticket that his granddaughter gave him for his birthday in February.
Simms purchased the winning Set for Life ticket at the Paradise North Atlantic in Paradise. The seller will receive a one per cent seller’s prize.

Fish companies and harvesters are puzzled as to why DFO scientists have concluded that the northern cod stock spawning biomass has remained stagnant for the past eight years or so.

This week’s stock assessment saw little or no growth since 2017.

But Alberto Wareham of Icewater Seafoods, a member of the Atlantic Groundfish Council, says an increase of 200,000 tonnes is not insignificant.

Last year saw the federal government allocate 84 per cent of the quota to the inshore sector, 10 per cent to Indigenous harvesters and six per cent to the offshore.

Alberto Wareham (Submitted)

Wareham says the growth in the stock this year should result in a greater total allowable catch than last year’s 18,000 tonnes. He says the offshore historically got 30-40 per cent of the total allowable catch.

Last year was the first year since the moratorium of 1992 that Icewater Seafoods in Arnold’s Cove was able to operate year-round on Canadian cod, not having to import any from Russia or Norway.

The FFAW is equally baffled. Secretary-treasurer Jason Spingle says the stock resembles pre-90s levels, yet DFO continues to underestimate its health, “costing our communities millions of dollars.”

They’re calling for a 115,000-tonne allocation for inshore and Indigenous fleets, and asking Ottawa to protect the spawning stock from factory-freezer trawlers.

Festival season has almost arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador, and for musicians across the province that means it's time to get to work. But there isn't a set wage, and that can spell trouble during the busy period.

Young hockey players and parents in Labrador are frustrated after learning that they will have to fly home on Sunday morning, before their provincial tournament is over.

Parents have taken to social media to express their anger that Hockey NL did not take their travel into account when scheduling tournaments on the island.

Hockey NL is working on making changes to the schedule, but some parents say that’s not good enough.

One parent says their kids worked hard all year and fundraised to cover the $1,422 cost of tickets per person to participate in the provincials only to learn that they will be shut out of any games scheduled after 1:00 p.m. on Sunday because the schedule doesn’t take flight times into account.

Lab City deputy mayor, and hockey parent, Mitchell Marsh echoed the dismay felt by many hockey families in Labrador on VOCM Open Line.

He says the kids had a travel day on Wednesday, a day before the tournament began. In this case, many didn’t arrive in St. John’s until 1:00 in the morning and they still had to travel across the island to start the tournament on Thursday.

He says they’re typically given a day after the tournament, but this year they have to leave on the last day of the tournament. He says in the end, it’s about the experience and the memories, but “what if one of our teams make the championship game? We’ve got to leave, we can’t play it, we can’t play the championship game.”

A man accused of shooting a snowmobiler on the west coast of the island has been denied bail.

Provincial Court Judge Karen Rehner was prepared today to release Wayne Hynes, who has been in custody since his arrest on March 16th.

But it came down to the supervision of him by relatives offering themselves as sureties, or those willing to put up cash that could be lost if he were to break conditions of his release.

And while a half dozen of his family members were willing to do that on a drop-in basis, none were able to act as “residential” or live-in sureties, providing constant supervision.

That proved to be a deal-breaker for the judge, who refused to release Hynes until he can satisfy that requirement.

The 66-year-old from Port au Port West is charged with attempted murder, pointing a firearm, discharging a firearm and aggravated assault in connection with the shocking incident near his house on February 21st.

Hynes is accused of shooting 26-year-old Chad Hickey as he another snowmobiler rode past his home. The victim reportedly continues to recover from serious head injuries.

While Hynes remains at the West Coast Correctional Centre for now, court heard efforts will continue to satisfy the outstanding condition of bail prior to his next court date on April 28th.

A Dalhousie University political scientist says the federal NDP is fighting for its political life and current polling numbers suggest leader Jagmeet Singh’s political future is in jeopardy.

Lori Turnbull says the repeated threats made against Canada’s economy and sovereignty made by U.S. President Donald Trump has galvanized voters, to the detriment of the NDP.

Lori Turnbull (Submitted)

“They’re below 10 per cent now” says Turnbull, “typically for the federal NDP over the last number of elections, they’re sitting at 18 or 19 per cent of the popular vote.” She says parties like the NDP don’t usually fare well in a first-past-the-post system. “And to see a number like 9 per cent, oh boy…this election is going to be really hard for those smaller parties.”

But, Turnbull says, Pierre Poilievre’s political future is also at stake if he can’t pull off a Conservative win this time around.

She believes the party is already “laying the groundwork to give him the heave-ho if he loses.” She says the Conservatives have a history of dropping the leader if they lose. “We saw it with Andrew Scheer, we saw it with Erin O’Toole…but he (Poilievre) was picked to win, and if he doesn’t, I see him going.”

The RCMP in Bonavista are looking for the public’s help in locating a missing man.

Forty-five-year-old Jamie Peters was last heard from just before 10 a.m. on Monday.

He’s described as being five feet, 10 inches tall, and 150 pounds with grey hair and brown eyes. He has a scar on his forehead and a tattoo on his chest.

Peters was last seen wearing a black ball cap, black coat, black sneakers, and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Four people are facing drug trafficking charges after a vehicle was pulled over on the west coast earlier this week.

The vehicle was stopped by the RCMP-RNC Joint Forces Operation West in Corner Brook on Wednesday.

They allege that the driver, identified as 45-year-old Sandra Callahan of Corner Brook, showed signs of impairment and did not comply with a breath test, while a passenger, 25-year-old Bobby Sheppard of Deer Lake, was in breach of his probation.

Police say when they searched the vehicle they located 1.5 ounces of cocaine, a large quantity of various pills, LSD, cash, and other items consistent with possession for the purpose of drug trafficking.

Both Callahan and Sheppard appeared in court today on charges possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Callahan is also facing a charge of refusal, while Sheppard is facing charges of resisting arrest and breaching probation.

Meanwhile, two other people have been released from custody and are also facing charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.

The investigation is continuing with more charges possible.

The Killers will perform as part of the Churchill Park Music Festival in St. John’s, on July 29.

The Killers are a Las Vegas-based four-piece that formed in 2002, featuring singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers, drummer Ronnie Vannucci, guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer.

The band has received multiple Grammy nominations, American Music Award nominations, MTV Video Music Awards, NME Awards and more.

Special guests are The Beaches and Matt Mays.

The general on-sale begins on April 2 at noon and is available online at ChurchillParkMusicFestival.com.

The latest addition to the Churchill Park Music Festival lineup will see The Killers take the stage in St. John’s on Tuesday, July 29.

The Las Vegas-based rock band, known for hits like Mr. Brightside and Somebody Told Me, will be joined by special guests The Beaches and Matt Mays.

Tickets for The Killers go on sale Wednesday, April 2, at noon through ChurchillParkMusicFestival.com.

Meanwhile, tickets are already on sale for the previously announced July 25 show featuring Def Leppard, Sam Roberts Band, and more.

The annual festival, held at Churchill Park, will feature additional acts to be announced in the coming weeks.

The Provincial Government is warning the public about passive investment immigration schemes that are currently being promoted by some entities.

This scheme is an agreement in which a foreign investor provides money for a business proposition in exchange for permanent residence to Canada, without the intention to reside in a jurisdiction or be directly involved in business operations. 

Passive investment immigration schemes may also include requests to hire specific international workers, in exchange for direct investment in a business or economic development project.

This practice is prohibited in the province and most other jurisdictions in Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador Housing has confirmed that a fire on Livingstone Street early Thursday morning has caused damage to four of their vacant homes.

The scene has been released to NLHC and they are in the process of assessing the damage and determining next steps.

They say the affected homes were barricaded while repair work was ongoing, as “there have been frequent break-ins and vandalism which (have) caused extensive delays to (the) work.”

Housing officials are in “continuous dialogue” with police about the issues with the properties.

Metro police were busy last night in the area of Beothuck Place.

A 26-year-old man, who was injured, bolted just as RNC officers arrived on the scene. They caught up with him after a short foot chase.

The man now faces charges of uttering threats, damaging property and breaching a court order.

He was taken to the lockup for court today.

Roads are bare and wet on the Avalon and Burin Peninsula and snow-covered elsewhere across the Island.

In Labrador, roads are bare and dry, with icy patches and good visibility.

Marine Atlantic and provincial ferries are on time.

At the St. John’s International Airport, Canadian North Flight 5T1584 and Sunwing Flight WG581 are delayed. Flights are on time in Gander and Deer Lake.

The RNC responded to a report of a disturbance on Beothuk Place in St. John’s.

When officers arrived on the scene, an injured male was running from police. After a short foot chase, officers apprehended the 26-year-old male who was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The accused was charged with uttering threats, mischief and one count of breach of a release order.

The man was held for a court appearance.

The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office says 2023 and 2024 were record-breaking years when it came to the number of drug toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador – with cocaine contributing to most deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The medical examiner’s office says the total number of drug toxicity deaths in the province is rising, driven primarily by accidental deaths.

The number of toxicity deaths that were undetermined or due to suicide have remained stable.

Seventy-four deaths were attributed to drug toxicity in 2023, only to be surpassed by 83 deaths in 2024, and that figure could climb higher as toxicology reports continue to come in.

Stats from CMEO, March 26 2025

Those numbers jumped in 2023 after ranging annually from 41 to 57 deaths per year between 2018 and 2022.

Deaths where stimulants, including cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA were contributing factors, surpassed the number of opioid-related deaths in 2024.

According to the latest figures provided by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, cocaine contributed to most deaths in the province, and those numbers are on the rise.

Meanwhile, fentanyl-related deaths also increased in 2023 and 2024. The number of cases involving both cocaine and fentanyl rose in 2023 and 2024, although those number are relatively low.

Stats from CMEO, March 26 2025

The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office says ethanol is often detected in toxicology reports where more than one drug has been used, and the use of Benzodiazepines or “Benzos” is also being seen more frequently in multi-substance drug toxicity deaths. Those numbers rose from two each in 2021 and 2022 to 15 cases in 2023 and 20 in 2024.