There will be no provincial election before Christmas. That was just one of the messages from Premier Andrew Furey at his annual state of the province address. NTV’s Beth Penney reports.
NDP Leader Jim Dinn was cited in the House of Assembly for using unparliamentary language on Friday, namely by accusing a government minister of lying. Today, he explained why he refused to retract the comment.
The provincial government is introducing legislative changes in the House of Assembly to allow ride-sharing services like Uber to operate in the province.
The government says if the changes are passed, they will provide a clear and simple set of rules to enable ride sharing services to operate safely in Newfoundland and Labrador. They will also help to ensure consistency in regulation and enforcement.
Uber Canada is now reviewing the changes.
“It is great to see the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador take positive steps to introduce a modern province-wide legislative framework that will support safe, affordable and reliable rideshare trips,” Michael van Hemmen, general manager of mobility with Uber Canada, said in a statement. “If passed, this legislation will be a great step towards welcoming ridesharing to the province. As a next step, we look forward to reviewing the regulations and remain hopeful to launch in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
To assist ride sharing operators in expanding business into the province, legislative and policy changes will be introduced in the House of Assembly, including:
The governments says if passed in the House of Assembly, these changes will require the same safety standards for both taxis and ride sharing providers in Newfoundland and Labrador. They will also ease some of the administrative burden to help meet demand for affordable, reliable and safe transportation services in the province. The rules for both taxi and ride sharing drivers will be the same, supporting a competitive industry.
Finance Minister Siobhan Coady revealed Friday she will release the fall fiscal update Oct. 31. She made the comments during a taping of NTV’s Issues & Answers, airing Sunday at 12:30 NDT, noon ADT.
The Grand Chief and Deputy Grand Chief of Innu Nation and the Chiefs of Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation and Mushuau Innu First Nation today informed Premier Furey, the Nunatsiavut Government and Indigenous leaders on the island of Newfoundland that the Innu Nation will no longer participate in the Premier’s Indigenous Round Table.
The Innu leaders say they have concluded that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador under Premier Furey will not fairly address the concerns the Innu have repeatedly expressed about NCC, and about the conflict of interest and bias of Minister Lisa Dempster, the Minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
