CBC Newfoundland Morning

That's one way to get some "new blood" to serve on council. As part of Municipal Awareness Week, Corner Brook City Council recently organized a Mayor-For-A-Day essay contest for grade six students. Several of them were selected to serve on council in part of Monday's meeting. The CBC's Alex Kennedy spoke with some of the participants and Mayor Jim Parsons.

Once again, people from this province have done what it takes to support their own. Our Lady of Mercy Church in Port au Port West has won the Next Great Save competition. The contest involved online voting, and Newfoundlanders and Labradorians did not disappoint. That means the 50-thousand dollar grand prize will go to help repair and restore the historic building. Joanne Rose is treasurer of Our Lady of Mercy Complex Committee.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the most expensive milk among all provinces in Canada - and most of our cheese, yogurt and cream come from elsewhere. Now, a new dairy farmers cooperative hopes to change that The provincial government has just given the co-op ten million dollars to buy Central Dairies from its Quebec parent company. Scott Antle is the new group's president, and he spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

Four of the Mi'kmaw bands in the Port au Port - -Bay St. George area are working together with the goal of making things better. There's a lot of interest in that part of the province now, with wind energy and salt mining just two of the industries on the horizon. The new Four Directions Mi'kmaw Development Group wants to ensure that Indigenous communities are consulted and get the maximum benefit. The consortium includes the Three Rivers, Flat Bay, St. George's, and Benoit First Nations bands. Chief Jasen Benwah is the chief of the Benoit First Nation.

Samantha Hicks has been working as a substitute teacher in this province for ten years. She says that because of NL Schools' hiring practices, she and other part-time teachers have struggled to find permanent employment. So, Hicks has decided to go to the North West Territories, where she'll have a classroom to call her own. She spoke with the CBC's Amy Feehan about her frustrations with the NL school system.

When you hear someone mention "opera," you might not immediately think about an audience full of children, or that it's even something a child would enjoy. But over the past twenty years, the Opera Roadshow has taken the genre out of the concert hall and into schools all over this province. Caroline Schiller is the director of the Opera Roadshow.

There are thousands of shipwrecks off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, including many sunk in the two world wars. Eighty years ago today, the Canadian warship HMCS Valleyfield was torpedoed and sunk by a U-Boat. Today, the Valleyfield lies about 80 kilometres off Cape Race on the Grand Banks, along with the vast majority of its crew whose bodies were never recovered. The CBC's Leigh Anne Power examined Valleyfield's history.

Marble Mountain will get some repairs and upgrades in the coming months. The provincial government set aside another one million dollars in the spring budget for capital improvements at the ski facility in Steady Brook. Steve Crocker is the province's Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. He spoke with the CBC's Colleen Connors.

When Linda Earl of Stephenville needs help with groceries, snow removal, or even just some company, she turns to the Guardian Angels for support. She’s one of many seniors in Stephenville who live alone. The Guardian Angels is a non-profit volunteer group that helps them with their everyday needs. But, as any senior will tell you, their visits mean so much more. CBC’s Amy Feehan met up with the group on a recent Sunday outing.

The Port au Port West group that's restoring the Our Lady of Mercy Church building wants you to help them win 50-thousand dollars to fix up the nearly 100-year-old structure. But hurry! You have until 9:30pm, Newfoundland time tonight to vote in the "Next Great Save" competition! (nextgreatsave.nationaltrustcanada.ca/2024) The church was, as of Monday morning, in first place in online voting, but it still needs your help. Joanne Rose is treasurer of the Our Lady of Mercy Complex Committee.

It's been a few years since the provincial government made some changes that require all short-term accommodation providers to register with the tourism department. The new law, passed in 2020, is the Tourism Accommodations Act. Four years later, about 22-hundred rentals are registered, with a final deadline set for June 30. Industry leaders have been asking for the changes for years. Deborah Bourden is chair of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador,

A group in the Labrador Straits is tackling some big issues facing many rural towns: an aging population and the challenge of finding workers. This Sunday, the Southern Labrador Development Association is highlighting what the region has to offer, in a Spring Information Expo. John Groves is program officer for the Labrador Straits Welcoming Communities Strategy.

Delegates to The Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador Symposium Gander have been discussing the Municipal Conduct Act and the standard Municipal Code of Conduct. A listener wanted to know who investigates when municipal officials or staff are accused of breaching the codes. We put the question to Deatra Walsh, director of advocacy and communications with MNL.

A Grand Falls-Windsor shop that sells Indigenous-designed gifts will hold a collection drive in honour of Red Dress Day on Sunday. The special day of remembrance pays tribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people. Sisters Gifts Newfoundland is holding a "Stuff The Truck" event to collect donations for Status of Women Central. CBC's Hillary Johnson spoke with Sisters Gifts Newfoundland co-owner Jennifer Kelly.

ICYMI from our Thursday show: An area of Central Newfoundland known as Charlie's Place is a step closer to getting the kind of protection some believe it should have. It's between the Northwest and Southwest Gander Rivers and has special significance to Indigenous people in the Glenwood and Gander Bay areas. Qalipu First Nation and the Nature Conservancy of Canada signed a memorandum of understanding to preserve Charlie's Place from industries such as mining and forestry. The CBC's Troy Turner spoke with Qalipu acting chief Jenny Brake and with Piers Evans, program director with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.is holding its annual Symposium in Gander. One of the presentations on this year's agenda looks at the money available to municipalities and the best ways for them to find it. Deatra Walsh is the director of advocacy and communications with MN

Housing, economic development, climate resilience and more. Municipalities have a LOT to talk about and to do. Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is holding its annual symposium in Gander. Amy Coady is the president of MNL

Prices seem to have gone up every time we go to a grocery store. In fact, recent analysis of household spending in Canada shows that, except for the Territories, people n this province pay more for food than anyone else in the country. The CBC's Leigh Anne Power compared four stores in Gander to see how prices differ from place to place. Then, she tried to figure out why there are differences in the first place.

Two years ago, the town of Gander bought an abandoned Pentecostal Church building, planning to use it to benefit the community. A local group has made a proposal to convert it to affordable and transitional housing, with space to run assistance programs. Gander Mayor Percy Farwell says the project is ready to go, but the town is waiting for money from the province to pay for it. Fred Hutton, the provincial minister of housing spoke with the CBC's Leigh Anne Power.

Sub-C Imaging of Clarenville has received nearly a half-million dollars in provincial money to help develop a new underwater inspection system. The company develops advanced underwater technology for the offshore and underwater markets, for remote vehicle operations in deep sea mining and marine research. Chad Collett is the CEO.