Why NL Fishers are Protesting in a Pandemic: An Explainer
The fight over the 2020 fishing season has exposed many deeply rooted problems in a crucial but troubled industry in Newfoundland and Labrador.
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Thinking Outside the Crisis: Decarbonized or Destitute?
We can *heart* oil and gas all we want—it doesn’t *heart* us back.
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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…
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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.
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Milestone or Millstone?: Unpacking the Premier’s “Plan”
Several days after the premier’s “significant announcement,” neither the plan—or Dwight Ball’s political future—is clear.
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Unmasking Donny Dooley: Newfoundland’s Most Wanted Troll
For years, an anonymous Twitter account mocked accident victims, berated grieving parents, and terrorized women. Today the Independent removes his mask.
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A Glimpse Inside: A Day at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary
Advocates say a replacement for Her Majesty’s Penitentiary—dating to 1859—will improve safety for both inmates & officers. But how much longer can it wait?
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“Pulling on the Same Oar”: Meet Labrador’s Unlikely Alliance
Political shakeups in the Big Land sent Lela Evans & Jordan Brown to the House of Assembly. Now they’re working across party lines to shine light on Labrador.
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Living Well Amid Waste: Wealth, Wages, and Food Insecurity
Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of food insecurity in Canada. It also has the second lowest minimum wage. These two things are connected.
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“What is a Story For?”: Michelle Porter, Journalist-Poet
Michelle Porter talks with the Indy about her debut book of poems, writing with purpose, journalism’s place in her poetry, & her favourite Métis literature.
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Don’t Cross Newfoundland and Labrador’s Thick Blue Line
The circumstances surrounding Jenny Wright’s departure from her post as Executive Director of the St. John’s Status of Women Council (SJSWC) were mysterious from the outset. After five years at the helm of the feminist advocacy group, she abruptly announced her resignation on March 21, 2019. A month later on April 17, CBC published a story reporting on a leaked letter, signed by eight individuals, that was sent to Wright’s employer (the SJSWC Board of Directors) on November 9, 2018. It complained about “damaged relationships” and accused Wright of “creat[ing] a divide within the community sector.” The letter was signed by representatives of five local community groups, one private individual, Linda Ross on behalf of the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women (PACSW), and Chief Joe Boland on behalf of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC). The signatories demanded an in-camera meeting with Wright’s employer to discuss their concerns,…
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Berni Stapleton is Paving Her Own Path
Memorial University’s new writer-in-residence talks about inclusive theatre, the power of the province’s past, and her pathbreaking career in the arts.
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100 Debates for the Environment in Newfoundland & Labrador
What do NL candidates in the 2019 election think about the pressing environmental issues facing Canada? We asked eight questions. Here are their answers.
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No Match for Love: The Church & Suicide
The church has a bad track record dealing with mental illness, and those who have lost loved ones to suicide. I know because I saw it happen to my father.
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Creating Sacred Space in Labrador
Religion, she tells me, is about structure and the power to manipulate and control. Spirituality, she suggests, is about creating sacred space.
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Filling the Void: Churchill Square, Parking, & City Planning
Churchill Square was once St. John’s most visionary urban development. Now its future hinges on its value as a parking lot. How did the city get here?
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‘Des Solitudes’ Asks Us to Step Outside Ourselves
“It’s very difficult for some people to recognize that we all have a master, and we all have a slave. It’s something you cannot really talk about.”
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Lela Evans: From Muskrat Falls Protests to MHA
“I made a commitment to my people and I’m going to live and die with that commitment. I’m going to represent my people.”
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Dam Nation: Fortis in Belize, Part 2
Should we be surprised that the practices fine-tuned by marauding corporations in the developing world are finally coming home to roost?
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Dam Nation: Fortis in Belize, Part 1
To understand how problems at Muskrat Falls arose and what might yet become of them, there is a lot to learn from Fortis’ Chalillo dam in Belize.