Author

Justin Brake

Justin Brake (settler, he/him) is a reporter and editor at The Independent, a role in which he previously served from 2012 to 2017. In recent years, he has worked as a contributing editor at The Breach and as a reporter and executive producer with APTN News. Justin was born in Gander and raised in Saskatchewan and Ontario. He returned home in 2007 to study at Memorial University and now lives with his partner and children in Benoit’s Cove, Bay of Islands. In addition to the channels below, you can also follow Justin on BlueSky.

Justin's Latest Articles

Veteran journalist Kenny Sharpe joins Indy as a reporter/editor in St. John’s

With 20 years' experience, the Conception Bay North native will cover St. John's and the Avalon

Meet The Indy’s new Journalists for Human Rights fellow, Ana Maria Alcantara

Ana Maria has a wealth of experience in journalism and social justice work, which will inform a forthcoming podcast series

Access to Information Under Attack (Ep. 17)

Justin Brake speaks with N.L. Information and Privacy Commissioner Kerry Hatfield about the attacks on freedom of information laws in Canada, and why we must protect our province's unique legislation

WATCH: Full interview with Finance Minister Craig Pardy (May 2026)
PCs have no plan to meet ambitious housing targets

Finance minister pins housing hopes on federal funding, says his own portfolio of rental properties doesn’t put him in a conflict of interest

Can N.L. have oil and gas, and climate targets too?

Finance minister says yes, but ATI requests show there’s no plan for how to do both — and reveal significant unpublished emissions estimates 

Meet The Independent’s new research assistant, Anasophie Vallée
Proposed Canada-N.L. impact assessment agreement ‘something we should be worried about’, says MUNL prof.

A Memorial University professor says the draft ‘Co-operation Agreement between N.L. and Canada’ risks diminishing community involvement and environmental protection with resource development projects

Provincial government sitting on upward of 5,000 unpublished access-to-information requests

Just 71 per cent of all completed and eligible requests are publicly available, says ATIPP Office

Ready or not, AI is HERE (Ep. 16)