A famous news celebrity visited Nain, and dropped into the OK Radio studio yesterday.

CBC Meteorologist for Newfoundland, Ryan Snodden, flew into Nain yesterday, along with CBC Reporter Jen White and Cameraman Bruce Tilley.

They were in town to do stories on online shopping and how weather affects travel on the North coast.

Snodden also had an opportunity to visit with children at Jens Haven Memorial School in Nain.

He said that the children enjoyed the visit, and had many questions for him.

While in the OK studios, Snodden did a brief interview with OK Radio, and even did the weather live on-air afterward.

To hear more details from Snodden on the purpose of his trip, what he thought of Nain, and to hear him do a little bit of our weather from yesterday, click HERE

NL NDP Leader Lorraine Michael says the government’s plan to index the province’s minimum wage to the national Consumer Price Index is a good start, but is insufficient.

On February 20, 2018 the government announced that the minimum wage will increase by 15 cents on April 1, resulting in a wage of $11.15 per hour.

Government says that future annual increases will be automatic and based on the percentage change in the national Consumer Price Index.

“Tying minimum wage increases to the national Consumer Price Index is inadequate for addressing the cost of living issues here in Newfoundland and Labrador, and annual increases of 15 cents won’t get workers a living wage because the starting wage is still too low,” Michael said.

“We must put a plan in place to get the wage to a level of $15 as soon as possible through increments in addition to indexing the minimum wage to inflation,” she said.

Michael says this indexing plan will not solve the problem of full-time minimum wage earners in this province still coming in below the poverty line, especially due to NL’s higher inflation.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the third lowest minimum wage in the country. The NDP has been calling for the minimum wage to increase to $15 an hour by 2021.

Nunatsiavut President Johannes Lampe is encouraging interested Beneficiaries of the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement to participate in hearings of the Truth Gathering Process being held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL March 7 to 8, 2018.

The hearings are part of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Inquiry commissioners are mandated to examine and report on the systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S people in Canada by looking at patterns and underlying factors.

“Elected officials will not be able to participate directly as the Nunatsiavut Assembly is sitting in Hopedale at this time, but the Nunatsiavut Government will be well represented,” notes President Lampe. “It is our hope that the concerns of Labrador Inuit will be heard loud and clear, and will be given full consideration in the Inquiry’s final report.”

Beneficiaries interested in testifying at the hearings can do so in public, privately or through a statement gathering process.

To register, please contact Jade Harper by calling 204-227-7559, or by e-mailing j.harper@mmiwg-ffada.ca.

Individuals or families requiring advance support, during or following the Happy Valley-Goose Bay hearings, can call toll-free 1-844-413-6649.

The Happy Valley-Goose Bay hearings will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Hotel North 2.

More information can be found on the Inquiry’s website at www.mmiwg-ffada.ca.

Torngat Secretariat of Nunatsiavut has hired Derrick Pottle of Rigolet to do a bear guard, bear safety training program in Hopedale tomorrow.

Pottle will be the instructor for the program.

He says he has done quite a few courses in Nunatsiavut and other places.

Pottle adds the course is open to Nunatsiavut beneficiaries who would like to take the training.

To hear more from Pottle on the Bear Safety program that will be held in Hopedale tomorrow, click HERE

According to a press release, in the spirit of reconciliation, the Government of Canada is committed to supporting and partnering with Indigenous and northern communities, territorial, provincial and Indigenous governments and other interested parties, as they take action on climate change.

Yvonne Jones, Member of Parliament for Labrador, and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern affairs, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, announced an investment of $977,975 to help increase the Nunatsiavut government capacity to respond to climate change challenges in the region, and to implement their climate change adaptation priorities.

OK Radio will have more information on the funding when it becomes available.

The 13th Annual Carl Sheppard Memorial Ball Hockey Tournament in B.L Morrison School in Postville, NL is expected to be held on March 9 and 10th, 2018.

Jennifer Jacque-Poole, the Recreation Director in Postville, says that teams have to be registered and submitted no later than March 7th at 12 noon.

Each team can have a maximum of four males, four females, and a goaltender.

The minimum age to play in the tournament is 14.

The registration is $10.00 per player, and has to be paid before the tournament starts.

To register your teams, you can contact James or Jennifer Jacque-Poole at 1-709-479-9775.

Jens Haven Memorial School photographs will be taken this year on March 1 and 2, 2018.

The school will be sending home the photography schedule for the different grades.

The photographer is Mr. Val Oliver of ValMedia.

He has had many years of experience taking school photographs.

Family photographs will be taken as well.

Passport, Photo ID, FAC, and VISA photographs will also be taken.

The cost for these is $25.00, and they can be printed that same evening.

Please call Ms. Wilma Hay-Jenkins at the 4 to 12 school to book a time for your family and other photographs.

To speed the process along, ValMedia is using an online method to view the proofs, and to indicate which proof you want for the final product.

You will need internet access for this purpose (ValMedia will provide a password), but please let the school know if you do not have internet access at home, and they will assist in this regard.

They will be using the Library at the 4 to 12 school building for this purpose.

Please enter through the door facing Joe Webb’s.

Please call the school with any questions at 709-922-2813 or 709-922-2886.

A Residential School Survivors meeting will go ahead this evening in Hopedale.

Retired Judge Jim Igloliorte will be collecting stories from residential school survivors.

He says the community feast will take place at the Nanuk Centre from 5 to 7 pm.

If anyone needs a ride, you can call the Amaguk Inn for transportation.

Igloliorte says Hulda Pijogge and the students will provide the food services.

He adds the choir will be performing, and everyone is welcome.

The Department of Health and Social Development (DHSD) in Nain, NL has programs on the go.

Rutie Lampe is the Mental Health worker for DHSD.

She says starting tomorrow, they will have a men’s wooding program once or twice a week to gather wood for Elders and families in need of wood.

Lampe says they also will have a men’s Kamutik-making project, men’s mitt-making, and a snow house-making event as well.

But the snow house-making has been postponed until later this month.

To hear more with Lampe on the DHSD programs, click HERE

The 17th Annual Bernard and Jeffrey Webb Memorial Ice Hockey Tournament finished up in Nain this weekend.

Congrats to the Harris Team on winning Gold, the Ice Bubbles on winning silver, and the Bantam /Midget Team for winning bronze.

Team Gracie was named the most sports-minded team, Kirsten Dicker received the Most Sport-Minded Female award, James Dicker was Top Scorer, and Allan Reid was named the MVP, and Most Sports-Minded Male.

The award for Overall Goaltender throughout the tournament went to Brian Flowers, and Stephen Denniston was the Top Goaltender throughout the playoffs.