CBC Newfoundland Morning

Hockey fans on the Great Northern Peninsula are in for a treat in February. Some NHL legends are coming to play a roster of local players at the rink in Roddickton-Bide Arm. Darrell Randell is with the Cloud River Recreation Committee. Rich Sutter is a former NHLer who'll be playing with the NHL Legends tour. They spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

Deal or no deal? That's the big question for MHAs during an extraordinary sitting of the House of Assembly this week. They're debating one issue: a proposed new agreement between Hydro Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. If approved, the Memorandum of Understanding would replace the current deal, governing the Churchill Falls hydroelectric project in Labrador. Government officials say the deal is a good one that would mean billions for the provincial treasury. But MHAs on the other side of the House are skeptical... and want a formal review of the MOU before voting "yes." The CBC's Darrell Roberts has been at the House of Assembly for this week's debate.

People were eating cake in the Town of Fogo Island today, as they celebrated a sweet victory. The Atlantic Edge Credit Union has officially opened its new branch in the town. People on the island can get in-person financial services again after being without them for almost two-and-a-half years.. Scotiabank closed the island's only bank in August of 2022. Town of Fogo Island Mayor Andrew Shea is one of the community leaders who went looking for someone to pick up the business.

When Justin Trudeau announced this week that he'd be resigning as Prime Minister, he also said something else important: that Parliament would be 'prorogued' until the end of March. But what does that mean for the operations of government? Jamie Merrigan is a Corner Brook lawyer who is a former national chair of the Constitutional and Human Rights Section of the Canadian Bar Association. He spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

NL's House of Assembly is meeting this week to debate the memorandum of understanding with Quebec on a possible new hydroelectric development on the Churchill River. The deal promises to create five-thousand new jobs. But NL doesn't have five-thousand skilled workers available. Jessica McCormick, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

It's an extraordinary debate over a historic new agreement. MHAs are back in the House of Assembly for 36 hours this week. They'll be asking questions --- and getting answers --- about a new deal between this province and Quebec, on the Churchill Falls hydroelectric plant. The province says the new agreement will mean 225 BILLION dollars in revenue, for the provincial treasury, over the next 50 years. But not everyone is convinced that the new deal is the right one for Newfoundland and Labrador. Opposition MHAs say they want MORE eyes on the agreement... and MORE time for debate. The CBC's Darrell Roberts was at Confederation Building yesterday for Day One of the discussions..

On December 20, the Liberal MP for St. John's East was sworn in as the federal minister for seniors. Now, not even three weeks later, Joanne Thompson's boss - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - is quitting. Trudeau says he feels he wouldn't be the strongest candidate to lead the party into the next election. Joanne Thompson joined us to tell us what that means for the party,

The State of California recently declared a state of emergency over the spread of avian flu. The virus is deadly to birds and has been detected on hundreds of dairy farms in the U.S. as it spreads to mammals. Now, the Newfoundland and Labrador government is teaming up with Memorial University to test for the virus in wild, fur-bearing animals. Andrew Lang is a microbiologist at Memorial, and he spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

This past weekend's storm surge on Newfoundland's Northeast Coast did a lot of damage. Some communities saw washed-out roads, flooded sheds, and decks being washed away. In Pound Cove, New-Wes-Valley, horse owner Dana Blackmore and her neighbours had to make a dramatic rescue.

With the lobster fishery growing, some western Newfoundland harvesters are worried about safety, especially after a tragedy last year. A fisherman and his nephew died in a boating accident in Lark Harbour in the Bay of Islands. Rick Crane is a fisherman who owns a lobster holding tank in Cox's Cove. He spoke with the CBC's Leila Beaudoin.

The northeast coast of Newfoundland was battered by wind and rain on Sunday. There were warnings about the potential for storm surges and coastal flooding, and It appears that one of the areas most seriously affected was the town of Gambo. The Town is under a state of emergency. Wanda Pierce is one of the people whose property was affected by the storm. She had to be rescued from her home - twice.

The Town of Gambo declared a state of emergency on Sunday, as a wind and rain storm led to a storm surge and flooding. Darren Dyke is the mayor.

Yesterday was a very busy day for the fire.service in Gambo. Firefighters were called out to assist, after rising water levels in the community.. Keith Peckford is fire chief.

People who live on Fogo Island can't get anywhere without a ferry, so that makes them keenly interested in which vessels are assigned to the route, and any changes made. This winter, the Kamutik W. is once again making the run to Fogo Island. Jarrod Oglan is chair of the Fogo Island Ferry Users Committee. Fred Hutton is provincial Transportation Minister.

As the holidays draw to a close and we settle into 2025, maybe you'd like to spend part of this winter catching up on some reading. Emma Craig and Emily Blackmore, librarians with Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries, offer their recommendations.

Grief always hits a little harder during holidays. The gatherings, the food, and the presents make you feel even more like your missing loved ones are supposed to be there. Perry Dyson and Rory McNeil in Makkovik hope they've made it a little easier for community members this year. They decorated a tree with Christmas lights in the community graveyard. The CBC's Regan Burden spoke with Dyson.

Former Canadian Armed Forces member Clifford Samms has a motto: “Anything worth doing is worth doing right the first time.” You have to do that when you're an aircraft maintenance supervisor It's also a great policy when you're competing in sports. Samms is from the Codroy Valley, and he'll be taking part in his first-ever Invictus Games in Vancouver/Whistler, BC next month. He's headed there this weekend for training.

It's a new year, and people may be already asking you what your New Year's resolution is. But maybe New Years' Resolutions - at least in the traditional sense - are not quite as popular as they used to be. Dr. Janine Hubbard is a registered psychologist based in St. John's, She joined us to talk about setting - and keeping - resolutions.

It's not something we hear often in Newfoundland and Labrador, but Earthquakes Canada confirmed that one happened at 2:11 p.m., Newfoundland time on New Years Day. The magnitude was 2.8, large enough to be felt but too small to cause any damage. The earthquake happened in Notre Dame Bay, around 19 kilometres west of Twillingate. Danny Bath of that community felt it.

We're kicking off a new year that will be full of music and song across this province. 2025 promises to be as busy - and vibrant -.as ever. Tamara Kater is gearing up to support Newfoundland and Labrador musicians, and even champion more of our music on the world stage. She took over the reins as MusicNL's Executive Director last summer.