Labrador Morning
with Tony Dawson

It’s a multibillion dollar project….with the promise of economic spinoffs….and — of course — jobs. But some Labradorians are wonderingif they’ll ever be hired to help build it. Contractors must follow a certain hiring protocol — Innu first…. then Labradorians…. and then anyone from Newfoundland or the rest of Canada. At a meeting held by the Resource Development Trades Council in Happy Valley-Goose Bay…. union representatives stressed this obligation. But that didn’t stop people there from voicing their concerns. Labrador Morning reporter Matt McCann spoke to some of them after the meeting.

Link to Mp3: MUSKRAT JOBS

Labrador West is a booming area. With two mines, and another to be built in the near future, the health and safety of workers is of great importance. For that reason the President of the Steelworkers at IOC , Ron Thomas, is calling for occupational health and safety workers to be based in Labrador West , as they were in the Past. He explains to reporter Mike Power.

Link to Mp3: STEELWORKERS

You need surgery, but the hospital you go to is losing its three surgeons. It doesn’t sound good. And that’s what people in the St. Anthony area are saying these days. The three surgeons at Charles S. Curtis Memorial Hospital are leaving before the end of the year, two in the next few weeks. Tony Wakeham is chief executive officer with Labrador-Grenfell Health. …he spoke with the CBC’s Bernice Hillier

Link to Mp3: LG HEALTH

Anyone driving on the main stretch in Happy Valley-Goose Bay in the last few days likely noticed something new. There’s a billboard on Hamilton River Road advertising a new development. St. John’s based Proactive Development is putting up the building across the road from the site of the Goose Bay Town Centre. Wayne Sheppard is with RE/MAX. He spoke with Labrador Morning’s Matt McCann ..

Link to Mp3: DEVELOPMENT

It may be hard to believe on those chilly mornings in the Big Land… but Labrador is a hot-spot. A bio-diversity hot-spot, that is. A new report from “Boreal Songbird Initiative” and “Ducks Unlimited”, lists “Caribou House” as one of 10 Canadian Hotspots. Caribou House is the area that straddles Northern Quebec and Labrador. Jeff Wells is the Science and Policy Director at Boreal Songbird Initiative. He spoke with the Labrador Morning’s John Gaudi.

Link to Mp3: BIO-DIVERSE

It was a musical extravaganza at the O’Brien Arts Centre in Happy valley-Goose Bay last night. The Crucible Quartet based out of St. John’s performed a mixed repertoire to the audience’s delight. The talented musicians normally play with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. But the four man ensemble is touring Labrador for the first time…. They’re putting on student workshops and thrilling audiences with live music. Our John Gaudi caught up with the Crucible Quartet in Happy Valley-Goose Bay to get a taste.

Link to Mp3: CRUCIBLE QUARTET

Valerie Pardy-Rachwal Parents worry that tensions at Queen of Peace Middle School in Happy Valley-Goose Bay are negatively affecting students. The school’s workplace environment is being described as “toxic” That’s according to an NLTA Employee Assistance Program report produced in January of this year. Valerie Pardy-Rachwal’s is a concerned parent whose child goes to the school. She’s just created a Facebook group called “Concerned Parents of QPMS students.” This morning, Valerie Pardy-Rachwal is in our studio to tell us about her concerns.

Link to Mp3: CONCERNED PARENT

Todd Russell, NunatuKavut President - - - Gilbert Bennett, VP Nalcor The NunatuKavut Community Council is staging another protest against the Muskrat Falls project. The group says the transmission lines from Labrador to Newfoundland will cut through its territory….and it fought to be part of the environmental assessment. But now, the council is pulling out….saying it has no faith in the process. Todd Russell is president of NunatuKavut. He spoke with Labrador Morning reporter Matt McCann. Gilbert Bennett is Nalcor’s vice president for the Lower Churchill project. He’s on the phone with Tony Dawson.

A funeral for Abraham Kojack was held in Nain yesterday. 74-year-old Kojack died on Sunday. He was instrumental in forming the Labrador Inuit Association, and negotiating land claims. But living off the land was Kojacks real passion. Abraham Kojacks brother , William Anderson, spoke with Labrador Morning’s Bailey

Link to Mp3: Abraham Kojack

The popular Spring Dance recital has wrapped up in western Labrador. Now the region faces the reality of unpopular cuts. When the Provincial budget was brought down all full-time staff jobs at the perfomance art centre were changed to part-time. That leaves the centre without any full-time staff. People are worried the changes will force seasoned workers to leave the centre. Peter McCormack is an Actor and Directer with local theatre group Northern Lights. He spoke with the Labrador Morning’s Chris Ensing.

Link to Mp3: ARTS CENTRE CUTS