This year marks the 20th Annual Fun in the Sun Festival in Postville and it’s going to be Virtual Style theme.

We spoke with Brandy Jacque who is the new Recreation Director for Postville.

Jacque says that this is going to be different due to COVID-19 and will be going the festival virtually to follow the restrictions.

On August 6th, the festival starts with a Family Sand Sculpture Contest, families can submit their photos until 8pm that day.

In the evening, there will be a family scavenger hunt starting at 8pm.

On Friday, August 7th, there will be a Family Cake Decorating contest; people can submit their photos by 8pm.

In that evening, there will be a poker run at 8pm

Within those two days, there will be a fishing contest, to see who has the most fish and the biggest fish.

To end off the festival, there will be a community fire pit over to the sandpit at 6pm on August 8th.

Jacque would like to remind everyone to practise physical distancing and to stay within your bubble.

The regulated price of fuels is up across the board with the exception of propane.

Gas is up by 0.6 cents.

Diesel, furnace and stove oils have all increased by less than half a cent; 0.3, 0.27, and 0.27 cents respectively, but propane is down by 0.2 cents.

The Honourable Dwight Ball Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador announced yesterday the retention of former Provincial Court Judge James Igloliorte to provide input on the nature, scope, and mechanisms of the Inquiry into Ground Search and Rescue for Lost and Missing Persons of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Details on this inquiry process will be released in the fall once the inquiry is formally established.

The Inquiry into Ground Search and Rescue for Lost And Missing Persons in Newfoundland and Labrador is not expected to exceed six months.

“I am pleased Judge Igloliorte is commencing work so we can proceed with the inquiry into ground search and rescue in the province. This will examine the adequacy of the existing system, and identify the gaps that need to be addressed. I hope all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians take advantage of the opportunity to participate.” says Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Search and rescue continues to be an issue of provincial and national importance and one we take seriously. Which considerable strides have been made in the province with respect to search and rescue, there is always room to improvement. I thank Judge Igloliorte for taking on this new role and look forward to his final report, which will no doubt help save lives.” says Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General.

As of yesterday, July 30, there are no new confirmed cases with four active cases in Newfoundland and Labrador.

There have been a total of 266 cases with 259 people recovered.

To date, 24,672 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 char and scallop fishery is going well in Nain.

Deidi Kohlmeister is the Office Supervisor at Fish Plant.

She says to date a total of 11,658 pounds of char, and a total of 7,554 pounds of Green scallops plus 217 pounds of meats landed at the fish plant.

Kohlmeister says there are 5 commercial char licensed fishermen, and the scallop boat Torngat 1 has three crew members.

There are 28 employees working on one shift, and 5 of those are the shucking crew, with hours from 8am to 8pm.

The Nain Inuit Community Government is very busy with their projects this year.

We spoke with the AngajukKâk of Nain, Joe Dicker.

He says the Nain Husky Centre has started its renovations; adding to that, new sidings, new wirings, and the rink finally being situated.

Dicker would also like to remind the public that if there are any black bear sightings, you’re asked to call the RCMP.

Click here to find out more from AngajukKâk Dicker.

The Department of Finance and the Canadian Home Builders Association Newfoundland and Labrador (CBHANL) have received a significant response and large volume of applications for the Residential Construction Rebate program and are in the process of approving applications.

Both the department and the CHBANL have been receiving hundreds of calls and emails seeking status updates on applications and advise that this is causing delays in the review and processing of applications.

To speed up this process, resources are being temporarily redirected to aid with processing applications.

Patience is requested from those seeking information on their application status.

To date, the CHBANL has received over 3,500 individual applications.

The CHBANL has focused on the approval of contractors in the first phase, and over 800 contractors have been approved to date.

Program information, eligibility requirements, as well as application requirements can be found at the links below:
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Project Eligibility List
• Eligible Contractor List (as of July 21, 2020)
• Pre-approval Form
• Contractor Enrolment Form

OK Radio will have more information once it becomes available.

The polar bear guard training will be going ahead after postponing due to COVID-19.

The bear guard training course is the Friday and Saturday, and includes a workshop on Bear Safety on the first day.

On the Sunday, there is a harvester’s workshop, where Derrick Pottle will be teaching how to handle meat and prepare the hide.

You can register for all three days or just one or two. Registration is free.

The course and workshops will be in Goose Bay on September 11-13, in Nain October 23-25, and Postville October 30-November 1.

They are now taking names for people that would like to attend.

For more information, or to sign up, you can call Meredith Purcell at 896-8912.

The Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership is accepting applications for training for trades for the fall of 2020.

This funding support applies to Trades and other eligible training programs as per previous years, as well as underground mining training.

You can reach out to the LATP Counselors listed below for more details.

If the pandemic COVID-19 affected your training program, you can reach out to the counsellors of LATP for more details to complete your program.

All LATP offices still remain closed to the public, but you can contact the following councillors what you have to do to apply.

Nain: Janelle Barbour, email @ jbarbour@latp.ca, or call 922-1800
Other Nunatsiavut communities: Ocean Lane, her email is olane@latp.ca

There is a contract opportunity for Inuit sewers.

Indigenous Services Canada is seeking 200 face masks made by Inuit women for use by the department.

You must be Inuk or an Inuit-owned business to be eligible.

The order will be for 200 rectangular masks that are single layer cotton with elastic to go over the ears.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Natalie Ittinuar at nittinuar@pauktuutit.ca or Christine Lund at clund@pauktuutit.ca with the following information:

• Your name and your business name (if applicable)
• Contact information (email and phone number)
• How long it would take to provide the masks (days or weeks)
• Where you are located
• Your price either per mask or the total price for 200 masks
• If you can take payment by Mastercard. If not, please note how you would like to be paid
• If you are a registered or private business.

They will forward your information to Business Development, Indigenous Services Canada, for consideration and decision.

Please also let them know if you would be interested in future opportunities.