The province is announcing the opening of nominations for the fifth annual Premier’s Award for Teaching Innovation and the Minister of Education’s Award for Compassion in Teaching. The Premier’s Award for Innovation in Teaching honours outstanding K-12 teachers in all disciplines who have demonstrated innovation in instruction and a commitment to preparing their students for future success.

The Minister’s Award for Compassion in Teaching recognizes inspirational and compassionate K-12 teachers who have gone above and beyond to support the social, emotional and mental well-being of their students, colleagues or school community as a whole.

These awards recognize teaching excellence in areas that are meaningful and impactful for K-12 students in Newfoundland and Labrador. Information on the awards is available here and the deadline for submissions is May 9.

“Our educators continuously step up for our students in bringing new and innovative ways to teach and engage our youth in the classroom while demonstrating compassion in their day-to-day teaching,” says Premier Andrew Furey. “It is always an honor to offer this opportunity for teachers to be recognized with these meaningful awards, and to celebrate them alongside their school community for their outstanding work to support students’ educational experience.”

Rise Awards were presented to 20 students in the province who excel in academics. 

The awards are presented to Level II high school students who demonstrate academic excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The winners will attend one of three enrichment programs offered at either the Research Science Institute located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Boston Leadership Institute located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, or the Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program at the University of Toronto.

The Department of Industry, Energy and Technology provides approximately $320,000 for tuition, accommodations and travel stipends for the students to participate in the enrichment programs.

The recipients are Kate Blanchard, Jack Hanlon, Sydney Hartle, Lily Hefford, Ava Hodder, Abigail Janes, Noshin Khan, Samuel Lane, William Lane, Aivin Siby Nilakkapallil, Grace Noseworthy, Alpita Patro, Emma Rogers, Katherine Rumbolt, Anastasia Saika-Voivod, Sahil Singh, Keagan Smith, Sarah Thomas-Mouland, Paige Whittle, and Sophia Zhang.

The City of St. John’s is seeking applications from individuals representing organizations or individuals that support persons facing barriers to participation in the community in the sectors of 2SLGBTQIA+, Physical and Neurological Disabilities, and Mental Health.

The Inclusion Advisory Committee provides information and advice to the Committee of the Whole on matters of inclusion and accessibility as they relate to City programs, policies, and services, as referred to it by committees of Council, or as initiated by the Advisory Committee itself.

There is an online application form to fill out. The deadline for submission of applications is May 25.

Hockey NL has announced eight new members into the Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of
Fame. Honored members were selected by the Hockey NL Hall of Fame Selection Committee. “The eight
new inductees to our Hall of Fame have all had exceptional careers as players and builders leaving a
lasting legacy and an outstanding impact on our game,” says Arnold Kelly, Chair of the Hockey NL Hall of
Fame Selection Committee. “The selection committee had many excellent nominations as is evident by
such a great group of hockey people entering the hall this year.”

The inductees are:

• Brian Brocklehurst in the Player Category
• Jason Churchill in the Player Category
• Brian Hurley in the Builder Category
• Jack Lee in the Builder Category
• Mark Lee in the Player Category
• Kevin Parsons (posthumously) in the Builder Category
• Murray Roberts in the Builder Category
• Rob Robinson in the Player Category
• 
  The Newfoundland and Labrador Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1994 to recognize, honor and pay tribute to all individuals based on playing ability, sportsmanship, and character and who have achieved extraordinary distinction in hockey whether that distinction be achieved in amateur or
  professional hockey. Hockey NL has a permanent home for all inductees at the Corner Brook Civic
  Centre in Corner Brook. The hall displays inductees, historical trophies and artifacts of the provincial
  association which was established in 1935. With the addition of the new members, the total number of inductees now stands at 222. Hockey NL will honor the new class of inductees at the Hockey NL Annual General Meeting Induction Ceremony on Saturday, June 7, at the Albatross Hotel in Gander.

The City of St. John’s has released a report outlining findings from engagement with both visitors and non-visitors, as well as the downtown business community regarding the Downtown Pedestrian Mall.

Some of the highlights include safety concerns such as panhandling, crime and general safety. Suggestions also included adjusting the season length or hours, adding more events and amenities, increasing public seating and improving promotion.

Both businesses and the public expressed concerns about cleanliness and the need for enhanced beautification downtown.

Many cited a lack of parking and accessible parking.

It was also noted that both visitors and downtown businesses support the Downtown Pedestrian Mall.

Engagement with visitors and non-visitors took place from August 14 to September 29, 2024. Engagement with the downtown business community and organizations took place from January 7 to February 9, 2025.

RCMP NL is warning drug users of the dangers in using cocaine. Recent seizures in this province have determined that current street-level quantities of cocaine are of an extremely high potency. Cocaine currently is the leading drug causing toxicity (overdose) deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador.

While fentanyl is a highly toxic and dangerous substance, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has confirmed that cocaine is the most prevalent drug responsible for toxicity deaths within Newfoundland and Labrador. The OCME is reporting a marked increase in both cocaine and fentanyl related toxicity deaths since 2023.

The OCME has reported a total of 158 toxicity deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador between 2023-2024, of which 87% were accidental deaths.  49% of these deaths involved cocaine alone while 18 % of these deaths involved fentanyl and/or analogs of fentanyl alone. In the remaining deaths, a number of other drugs were detected, including other stimulants such as methylphenidate, ecstasy (MDMA), and amphetamines, other opioids such as morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone, as well as various Benzodiazepines 

“Cocaine has caused significant harms in this province in recent years with respect to mortality and hospitalizations,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Nash Denic. 

The number of deaths where cocaine has been implicated has steadily risen since 2021 with sharp increases in 2023 and 2024.”

With drastic changes in the potency of street-level cocaine over the past couple of years, the province has seen drastic increases in the number of cocaine toxicity deaths. From 2018-2022, the province had an annual average of 14 toxicity deaths attributed solely to cocaine. Between 2023-2024, this average has more than doubled, with an annual average of 36 deaths attributed solely to cocaine.

RCMP Federal Policing Eastern Region has seen a dramatic increase in the purity of street-level cocaine seized in the province, noting recent purity levels between 94-96%. “Up until about 2-3 years ago, cocaine seized at the street-level in the province was on average 15%-20% pure,” said Inspector David Emberley of RCMP Federal Policing–Eastern Region. “In the last couple of years, this purity level has risen to an average of over 90% purity, which can easily result in overdose and death. Unfortunately, many people have a cavalier attitude towards cocaine use and are likely not aware of its fatal impacts.”