Family Physicians Frustrated with ‘Fee-for-Service’ Billing
Fee-for-Service means longer wait-times, physical and mental stress for patients, and higher costs to the healthcare system—not ideal in a pandemic. Keep Reading
OPINION: Covid-19 Will Transform Labour in NL
Covid-19 impacts will be lasting. It will transform labour markets. How that happens is absolutely up to us. Keep Reading
COMMENTARY: How and Why We Fish (Part 1)
Blinded By The Numbers? Implementing the Modernized Fisheries Act Goes Beyond Acting On What Stock Science Tells Us. Keep Reading
Indy Inks (3 April 2020)
[muffled] Indeed I is, me ol' cock, and long may your big jib draw. Keep Reading
Notes From the Rafters: ReduxPlagueTimes (RPT)
Let’s mentally splatter-paint our way through some kind of understanding of what is happening in our city’s bi-weekly teleconferences and see how we do! Keep Reading
Crunching the Numbers on COVID-19
Mathematical models are not crystal balls, but they can be useful tools for thinking about epidemics and for devising strategies to fight them. Keep Reading
COVID-19 Drives Increased Needs—and Help—for Homeless
The money from the federal government will mean “we’re going to see our capacity extended beyond what we’ve ever seen in St. John’s.” Keep Reading
Memorial Grad Students Evicted for Their Own Safety
GSU consulted with public health officials who warned them the Feild Hall residence could not be kept safe. Keep Reading
“Stay Away:” Northern Communities Brace for Covid-19
Last Wednesday, after a meeting with heads of government, health officials, police, and even the local fire department, Joe Dicker sat down and wrote a letter asking people to stay out of his town. The AngajukKak (or mayor) of Nain asked that anyone planning on coming to town—which sits on the north coast of Labrador in Nunatsiavut—to please consider the nature of their visit. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, he asked that they “stay away.” The next day, the Nunatsiavut government issued its own directive, asking that all non-essential travel to and between Labrador’s Inuit communities be cancelled. “Pandemics have had catastrophic impacts in Nunatsiavut in the past, and all efforts must be taken to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus to all Labrador Inuit communities,” the release said. Nunatsiavut is under the same public health emergency as the rest of Newfoundland and Labrador, as officials scramble to… Keep Reading
In a Pandemic, Local Journalism is More Valuable than Ever
Journalism is fundamental to keeping our society and democratic way of life alive as it too faces unprecedented stresses from the pandemic. Keep Reading
An Open Letter to Our Governments on COVID-19
In all responses to COVID-19 we must prioritize those who are most physiologically and socially vulnerable to this virus and the social response to it. Keep Reading
Indy Inks (23 March 2020)
Before Muskrat: Twin Falls & Our New, Difficult Heritage
The first (but forgotten) dam on Labrador's Grand River can tell us a lot about our province's past—and its future. Keep Reading
Four Entrepreneurial Ideas to Jump-start Our Economy
In this moment of financial calamity, Newfoundland and Labrador needs a new economic engine. We've got four suggestions just begging for a subsidy. Keep Reading
Land Protectors Occupy Natural Resource Minister’s Office
Though framed as anti-pipeline protests, Wet'suwet'en reveals deeper national conflicts—what Minister Carolyn Bennett called “150 years of broken promises.” Keep Reading
The SHOP Sex Worker Rights Reading List
Here are 17 of SHOP's favourite sex worker rights reads—in no particular order—that challenge, inspire, and inform our work in the movement. Keep Reading
Indy Inks (3 March 2020)
"Then again, maybe this hon. Member is not always on the side of the law himself. I don't know. What I can say is that he really needs to be more careful." Keep Reading
Constabulary and Critics Continue Tense Coexistence
As International Women’s Day approaches, it’s been nearly a year since Jenny Wright stepped down as Executive Director of the St. John’s Status of Women Council. In October, the Independent revealed RNC and provincial government involvement in the sequence of events leading to her departure. Since that time, there have been a range of responses from community organizations, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, and state officials. Five months after the story emerged, and nearly a year after Wright stepped down, the Independent takes a look at what’s transpired in the wake of the revelations. The provincial government has maintained clear support for key figures involved in the overreach, including Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Joe Boland and now-Deputy Minister for Status of Women Linda Ross. But many important relationships across the community remain strained. The St. John’s Status of Women Council, as well as the Provincial Action Network for the Status of Women… Keep Reading
There Will Be No Coalition Government
Opposition parties and independents can float forming a coalition government as much as they want. The precedent is clear that it would not happen. Keep Reading
Indy Inks (24 February 2020)
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED. NOT LIABLE FOR ANY CRUSHED SOULS AND/OR DESTROYED DREAMS RESULTING FROM BECOMING PREMIER. Keep Reading