The Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers Association (NLTA) says further measures are needed for a safe return to school in September.

Union President, Dean Ingram says while the funding provided by the Federal Government, and recent announcements are “positive steps” more needs to be done.

Ingram says messaging needs to be more consistent with the public health mantra of “People, space, time and place.”

Where physical distancing is not possible, public health advises that masks need to be worn, but he questions why that’s not the case in the classroom.

Courtesy VOCM news.

The New Dairy Queen recently has opened up in Happy Valley- Goose Bay and since they opened their doors, the line-ups have been non-stop.

Andrew Colbourne is the General Manager.

He says that the employees are all practicing precautions.

In the lobby, there is a limit of 72 people, they have stickers stuck to the floor for physical distancing, mandatory masks and hand sanitizers are available, and there are some employees that will be watching the door, the drive thru and the cash at different hours.

There are seats available besides the restaurant with the limit of 25 people.

The lobby is open from 11am-8pm and the Drive-Thru is open from 10am-10pm from Monday-Friday every week.

The lobby is also being opening and closing depending on how much workload there is for the employees.

The restaurant is located on 1-3 Tenth Street, Happy Valley-Goose Bay,NL.

Yesterday, Sunday, August 30, Newfoundland and Labrador had no new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The province has one active case. Contact tracing by public health officials is complete. All results are negative.

The department is advising the public that there was a positive test result reported yesterday.

The positive test result was from an asymptomatic patient at Eastern Health. The individual had COVID-19 in the past and had recovered.

The test was done as part of a screening protocol, not because the individual reported symptoms of COVID-19.

The individuals close contacts are being notified and twenty Eastern Health staff are self-isolating.

Out of an abundance of caution, all close contacts will be tested. Local unions have been notified.

The public health evidence to date indicates that this is not a new case of COVID-19.

The reason for this is that the test is quite good at detecting any viral genetic material that may be present even if the virus is no longer capable of producing infection.

In people who have recovered from COVID-19, the presence of such material could produce a positive test result, but this does not mean there is an active infection.

This means the total number of confirmed cases in the province remains at 269 and there is no one in hospital due to COVID-19.

265 people have recovered from the virus and to date, 31,792 people have been tested.

In Alert Level 2, individuals should continue to practice good infection prevention and control practices.

Daily preventative actions can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.

There are now new dates for the upcoming training programs with the Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership (LATP).

Keith Jacque is the Executive Director with the LATP.

He says the dates for the Camp Attendant Training Program and the Mining Foundations Program.

Individuals can reach out to LATP Counsellors in the LATP Offices in Nain and Makkovik.

Stay tuned to AtjiKangitut today to hear more on what Jacque has to say about the upcoming training.

The OKâlaKatiget Society has a job opening for a Television Producer.

This position is a full time permanent position.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Identifying story ideas and conducting research
• Operating camera, lighting and audio equipment
• Planning and conducting interviews and sources
• Outlining and writing scripts for editing
• Transcribing
• Digitally editing film on Avid software

The closing date is Thursday, September 10th, and resumes should be forwarded before 4 pm.

Preferences will be given to Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement.

Applicants are preferred to be bilingual in Inuktitut and English as well.

You can send in your resumes to our Executive Director Arlene Ikkusek by email, arlene.ikkusek@oksociety.com.

For more information, you can contact the OKâlaKatiget Society office at 922-2955.

Yesterday, Newfoundland and Labrador had no new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The province has no active cases.

265 people have recovered from the virus and to date, 30,574 people have been tested.

In Alert Level 2, individuals should continue to practice good infection prevention and control practices.

Daily preventative actions can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

For the most up-to-date information related to COVID-19, please visit www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19.

The Nunatsiavut Government wishes to advise Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement that the assistance under the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement Program has been extended to the week ending September 26, 2020.

The Food Supplement Program is geared towards helping individuals and families impacted by COVID-19 and those most vulnerable to the virus.

Priority will be given to seniors (60 years and older and on fixed incomes), persons with disabilities, single parents, low-income families receiving income support, living on fixed-pension incomes or employment insurance, and individuals and families who have had their employment hours cut or have been laid off because of the pandemic.

The Happy Valley Goose Bay group called “clothmasks4labrador Sewing Group” is quite busy providing cloth face masks for Labrador.

This group is providing free materials to the north coast communities to make face masks.

We spoke with Cathy Jong who is the organizer for this project.

She says about 2 to 3 hundred face masks will be given out to the public today at the Nain Post office.

Face masks are available in adults and children sizes.

Stay tuned to today’s AtjiKangitut when Jong tells you more about the cloth mask volunteer group.

First Minister Tyler Edmunds is raising concerns over a recent decision of the Torngat Regional Housing Association (TRHA) to dispose of its existing and planned homes by transferring full title to those who are currently or waiting to occupy them.

“We were totally caught off guard by this decision,” says the First Minister, “especially since the Nunatsiavut Government had an understanding that negotiations leading to the possible acquisition of TRHA’s assets were ongoing.”

TRHA was established in 1983 to deliver social housing on behalf of Labrador Inuit to the communities of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik and Rigolet.

In March of 2019, the Nunatsiavut Assembly enacted legislation to govern all housing development and programs within the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area. The legislation also allows for the establishment of a Nunatsiavut Housing Commission, semi-independent of the Nunatsiavut Government, as the preferred institution for housing delivery.

A steering committee was established this past February in an effort to examine what potential impacts the proposed Nunatsiavut Housing Commission could have on the future of TRHA, notes the First Minister. At that time, discussions centered on extending TRHA’s interim eligibility to receive continued funding from the Nunatsiavut Government in order to ensure the effective delivery of social housing. Part of the committee’s mandate was to ensure informed decisions are made regarding TRHA’s assets in advance of the Nunatsiavut Housing Commission being established. In June, the Nunatsiavut Government extended TRHA’s eligibility to receive funds up to March 31, 2022.

“We are at a loss to understand the rationale behind TRHA’s recent decision,” says First Minister Edmunds. “We are deeply concerned about the potential negative implications this will have on the delivery of social housing in our communities.”

The First Minister is calling for an urgent meeting with the steering committee to discuss the matter.

All types of gasoline cost more today.

The Public Utilities Board has increased the maximum price by up to 2.4 cents per litre. There is little to no change in the price of diesel, furnace oil, stove oil, and propane.