Prime Minister (Audio)

It is an Historic Day for the Town of Nain, Labrador, Nunatsiavut!!

We had the privilege this morning to tune into the opening of the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau’s welcoming to Nain, Nunatsiavut.

He is the first Canadian Prime Minister to visit this region.

Click here to hear more from the Prime Minister.

NHL Playoffs

National Hockey League playoffs continued again last night. It was a very trying game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won that game by a of 2-1 against Florida Panthers. And Edmonton Oilers were defeated by a score of 4-1 by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Tonight’s game will go ahead with New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes and the Seattle Kraken vs Dallas Stars.

NL Report Cases

Newfoundland and Labrador has recorded 4 new deaths due to COVID-19 revealed yesterday Wednesday, May 10 update of the provincial government’s online pandemic dashboard.

The update covering from April 23 to May 6 says there were 17 hospitalizations during those 2 weeks, including 3 people in critical care.

The update says that there was just 1 death, but data in it’s regional and age breakdowns reveals 3 other deaths, which would have happened before April 23 but not attributed to COVID-19 before the last update, two weeks ago.

Three of the deaths were in the Eastern Health Region and 1 in the Western Health Region. Three of the people who died were 80 or older, while the fourth one was in their 70’s.

The new deaths raise the province’s total to 344 since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

On Friday the World Health Organization said COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency, it also noted the pandemic has come to an end, with recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle east.

Child-Care in NL

Newfoundland and Labrador has half the national average rate for regulated child-care spaces in the Province, scoring only at 14% for children ages 12 and under.

In Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador ranks among the lowest in the province. The national average is 29%, but when measuring the precent of children who have access to regulated child-care spaces, Newfoundland, and Labrador hits at 14% lower than only Nunavut and Saskatchewan.

This data was collected in 2021, as the report is still new.

Executive Director of the child-care resource unit based out of Toronto, Martha Friendly, said-

“Now that we have this opportunity with the fees having dropped and the commitment to long-term federal funding, the question is how are we going to build this system in a province that’s always had low child-care coverage?”

John Haggie, Minister of Education said that the Provincial Government is working on improving this situation, and has plans to add 700 seats for the College Of The North Atlantic’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) Program.

Inuit Community Council

The council of the Nain Inuit Community Government wishes to amend the development regulations for 2016-2026.

Interested people and associations are invited to submit comments on a proposed amendment to the development regulations concerning the way council would give notice of its intention to consider applications for a change in non-confronting use for discretionary approvals.

The existing requirement is that such notices would be given by way newspapers advertising in a local newspaper, at the expense of the application.

Council now gives most of its public notices by posting them on its website, at a number of stores and offices in the community, and through social media.
Council thinks that giving notices on that way is sufficient public notice of these matters.
The amendment would make that the manner in which such notices would be given.

The proposed amendment, including background information, is available for viewing. Please contact the council office at (709) 922-2842 or by email at nainicg@nf.aibn.com to receive a copy by email, or come to the ICG office at 2 Anaktalâk Street, Nain, NL. Comments can be submitted by email or mail to the council at nainicg@nf.aibn.com or by post office mail to Nain ICG at Nain Inuit Community Government, PO Box 400, Nain, NL A0P 1L0.

Please submit any comments by May 30, 2023.

Kinderstart Registrations Available

Registrations for Kinderstart are now available for this upcoming school year, and Kindergarten the following September.

Children must be five years of age on or before December 31, 2024 in order to register.

When registration starts, the visual at right is how the initial registration page will appear. This is NOT the actual form to fill out, it is only a sample of the actual form for your convenience). If you are registering twins, there will be an option on the second page for you to continue to register a second child.

You will need the following in order to complete an online application:

• MCP number including expiration date
• An email address in order to receive confirmation of receipt of your application;
• What school you are zoned for
• Contact phone number and an emergency contact phone number; and,
• An Internet-ready device

To complete the registration process, proof of address and confirmation of MCP number must be provided to the school on or before May 31, 2023.

This registration process is for children who will attend KinderStart in the upcoming school year and Kindergarten in the following school year.

Children registered in KinderStart will automatically be registered to attend Kindergarten.

Additionally, for further information on the Provincial Government/Department of Education Pre-Kindergarten Pilot Program, which is being managed by the YMCA, can be found by visiting their dedicated PreKindergarten Program website.

Tusaalanga Program (Audio)

There was a Tusaalanga program that was launched here in Nain on the 9th of this month that took place at the Illusuak Cultural Centre.

We spoke with Shirley Jararuse who is the Language Program Coordinator.

It was a big day for our beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement. They have launched their Nunatsiavut dialect on the Tusaalanga website and its open to anyone who would like to learn their own language.

Click here to hear more from Jararuse.

NHL Playoffs

The National Hockey League continued their playoffs again last night.

The Dallas Stars beat Seattle Kraken 6-3. And the Carolina Hurricanes beat New Jersey Devils 6-1.

Tonights game will Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers.

We will have more for you again tomorrow.

SmartIce Recruiting

SmartIce is recruiting for the 2023 employment readiness and technology development program starting on May 23rd.

This is the first women and gender-diverse persons only cohort at the Northern Production Centre in Nain, Nunatsiavut.

The program is open to youth ages 18-30 and will run from May 23 – June 22, 2023. Taking place Monday – Thursday from 9:00a.m – 3:00p.m. With the wage of $17.50.

Women face many barriers to successful employment. Wrap around supports are available for program participants to help reduce the everyday stresses which often inhibit employment success.

The youth participants learn skills such as digital and financial literacy, resume building, skill building (Lean, WHMIS) and STEM skills such as how to assemble the Smart Buoy ice monitoring sensor, which are then shipped to communities across the Arctic.

The goal of the program is to prepare participants to success in the current labor market. Ongoing career support will be provided by WRDC following completion of the training program.

This program is in partnership with Smart Ice, Pinnguaq and the women in resource development corporation.

To apply, please contact Rex Holwell by May 22nd, at rex@smartice.org or by phone at 709-922-2074. No resume required.

No Ode to Labrador

There will no Ode to Newfoundland at this year’s Memorial University’s convocation this year, while university officials consult with a variety of of interest groups on the way forward.

The Ode was discontinued last fall because, according to Memorial, it did not reflect the many communities within the university.

An ad hoc committee of Senate, will work with Indigenous students, Labradorians, international students and other key groups about how to ensure convocation ceremonies are inclusive and “appropriately reflect students and celebrate students achievements.”

Dr. Neil Bose apologies for the approach taken in making the initial decision last year. He says the decision to remove the Ode from convocation was intended to create safe and made more welcoming spaces for all students. He says they’ve heard the different reactions from many in the community and say they are committed to working together with representatives from different communities and groups, both internal and external, in considering continued evolution of their convocation ceremonies.