Latest news with #NewfoundlandAndLabrador
CBC
3 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Canada Games - Women's Softball
Watch Prince Edward Island and Alberta face off in women's softball at the 2025 Canada Games in Newfoundland and Labrador.
CBC
a day ago
- Sport
- CBC
Canada Games - Women's Basketball
Watch Prince Edward Island and Northwest Territories face off in women's basketball at the 2025 Canada Games in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canada slips in mining rankings, but is still home to 2 of world's top 10 most attractive jurisdictions
Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are among the top 10 jurisdictions in the world for mining investments, according to an annual report released Tuesday by a Canadian think tank. Finland ranks as the most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment, followed by four states in the United States, according to the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute's Annual Survey of Mining Companies. 'Overall, we see there's significant room for improvement in the policy environment (in Canada),' said Elmira Aliakbari, director of natural resource studies at the Fraser Institute and one of the report's authors. About 350 mining professionals responded to the survey, which was conducted between August and December last year, and they were asked various questions about taxation regimes, environmental protections, labour availability and other topics. About 40 per cent of the respondents worked for exploration companies, 32 per cent for mining companies and the remainder identified as consultants or as other. Last year, four Canadian provinces ranked amongst the world's top 10 jurisdictions, compared to only two this year: Saskatchewan was seventh and Newfoundland and Labrador was eighth. Aliakbari said the decline is mainly due to policy uncertainty, particularly around environmental protections and disputed land claims with indigenous groups. For example, Saskatchewan dropped to seventh on the overall 'Investment Attractiveness Index' after ranking third in 2024 and second in 2023. The report said 'respondents expressed increased concerns over the province's taxation regime, regulatory duplication and inconsistencies, and uncertainty concerning environmental regulations. Ontario dropped in the rankings for the second year in a row, to 15th from 10th last year, because of increased concerns about its taxation regime, labour regulations and political stability. Quebec had an even bigger drop, to 22 from fifth last year, because of increased concerns over taxation, regulatory duplication and its legal system. Aliakbari said British Columbia has 'significant room for improvement' even though it moved up in ranking to 12th from 25th last year. That's because it has geological potential that it isn't fully realizing, she said. Similarly, she said Yukon scores well when assessing its geological potential, but that's not necessarily reflected in its overall investment ranking of 24th because there's a poor perception of its policy environment. 'It means these jurisdictions have failed to capitalize on their mineral potential,' she said. Canadian provinces aren't the only jurisdictions that moved down. Last year, Utah was tops, but it dropped to 11th, with respondents citing increased uncertainty over disputed land claims as well as trade barriers. The Republic of Ireland ranked highest in terms of how mining professionals perceive its policy environment, but a comparatively lower ranking on its geological potential put its overall investment ranking at No. 23. Canada has potential to be a global mining leader, says PwC Mark Carney's import curbs put Canadian steel first Finland ranked second on policy perception, which, when combined with a strong geological potential, placed it first in the overall investment ranking. Since the survey ended, Mark Carney has been elected Canada's prime minister, and the federal government as well as several provinces have passed legislation that could accelerate the timeline and regulatory requirements for major projects such as large mines. Aliakbari said those changes could be reflected in next year's report. For now, she said, respondents, broadly speaking, continued to cite policy uncertainty around environmental protections, disputed land claims and taxation as major barriers to making more mining investments in Canada. 'We see investors continue to cite policy uncertainty as a key deterrent,' Aliakbari said. • Email: gfriedman@
CBC
28-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Carney slashes Marine Atlantic ferry rates by half for travel between N.L. and mainland
Travelling to the mainland by ferry will be cheaper for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians starting on Friday. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Monday that he's cutting Marine Atlantic passenger and vehicle fares in half by increasing funding to the ferry service that operates between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Ottawa is also freezing commercial freight rates on that route. "If we are going to build a stronger, more united economy, and we are doing that, we are going to need to make it more affordable to travel around this country, for people and for businesses," Carney said. "Today's announcement will mean more Canadians can see more of Atlantic Canada." Marine Atlantic spokesperson Darrell Mercer said Monday's announcement will mean hundreds of dollars in savings for families looking to leave the island. "A customer who's traveling through Argentia, a family of four with a regular-sized vehicle, they're going to save between $300 and $400 per crossing. Through Port aux Basques, that's going to be about $100 to $200 for the same family of four," Mercer said. Marine Atlantic operates four ferries on two different routes. The year-round ferry service operates between Port aux Basques and North Sydney, N.S., with three vessels on its regular fleet: The Blue Puttees, Highlanders, and Leif Ericson. The second seasonal route operates between Argentia and North Sydney. It runs up to three times per week from June to September using the service's newest vessel, the Ala'suini. Mercer said Marine Atlantic is experiencing a spike in tourism this summer. The ferry service isn't sold out, he said, but capacity is strained. Summer bookings have increased by 9,000 compared to last year. "The thousands of additional passengers that are coming to Newfoundland this summer for whatever reason — could be the geopolitical situation in the United States, Canada Games ... we're seeing it on our vessels," Mercer said. For travellers with bookings past Aug. 1, Mercer said refunds will be issued. "We've got approximately 110,000 passengers that have bookings in our system, so it's going to take a little bit of time to work through those," Mercer said. "We ask for patience. Those refunds will be forthcoming. It's just going to take a little time." Passenger cabins are not included in Ottawa's fare reductions for Marine Atlantic vessels.
CBC
10-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Developers aim to create vibrant new communities in old buildings
Claire Taylor just moved to Saint John to get ready for her first year at the University of New Brunswick this fall, and she has the exuberance that comes with new experiences. It's her first time away from Newfoundland and Labrador, and she already loves Saint John. "Holy cow, I can see the sun," she said about a recent clear day. "It's beautiful here." She's good-humoured about the fog, which she encountered her first night in town. "All the cars are going slow, and I'm like guys, I'm a bayman. Follow me, and I got out in front of them all. I'm good at driving in fog." She also found a job right away. The one thing that slowed her down was finding an apartment. " Nothing was in the price range," she said. 'Nothing was a good fit." Then she and her boyfriend found a place near St. Joseph's Hospital, in a renovated, 25-unit building that's phase one of the Hospital Hill Development. The average rent is $1,600, including heat, lights and parking. It also has new appliances. "This is beautiful and the views are amazing," Taylor said. "It's like the best thing that's ever happened to me." WATCH | 'This is the perfect, perfect price': How these developers are resurrecting old buildings 4 hours ago Duration 4:13 Developers Michael Wowchuk and Deanna Adams see opportunities in converting former office buildings and churches into apartments for the 'missing middle' rental market in Saint John. All this in a three-storey building that until recently sat empty, beside a vacant site once home to the city's largest hospital. It used to be Red Cross offices, then administration offices for the Catholic church Diocese of Saint John. "I just kind of fell upon this place," developer Michael Wowchuk said. "I just noticed it was for sale and I'm like, 'Why isn't anyone buying this site?'" To address housing shortages, local developers are doing a lot of new builds in the city centre. Others, like Wowchuk, are repurposing and renovating existing buildings no longer occupied. "These are challenging times," he said. "The top end of the market is, I would say, saturated. For this area, we want to look at [what's] affordable, and we want to look at addressing the 'missing middle,' as I call it, people who are working but they can't afford a home, they can't afford $2,000-plus a month in rent." He said creating housing in unlikely spaces can be cheaper than building new, and the savings can mean lower rents. "Buying an existing building helped us because we already had the bones, we already had the structure," he said. "All we had to do was [demolish the inside] and then rebuild." Wowchuk originally thought his target market would be seniors because St. Joseph's was nearby. He still plans to set aside five subsidized units for seniors, with an office in the building for their support workers. But now that the units are for rent, it's mostly young people like Taylor showing interest. "One of the mainstay demands is 20-year-olds looking for a place to live, and it's close to uptown," he said. "That's how it works, right? You pivot with the market. There will still be seniors here and maybe it's going to be half-and-half, but that younger demographic really wanted it." In the north end, Ontario-based developer Deanna Adams recently received approval for a zoning change that would allow her to turn a former church into apartments. The three-storey wood structure operated as a church for more than 100 years. It was a hub of community activity, a spirit Adams wanted to honour. "Although that original purpose may no longer be true or valid in today's world, I'd like to find a way to bring them back to life and make them relevant again," Adams said. "The satisfaction that you get from seeing a building that looked like it was in despair come back to life and see people living in it and being happy and proud about where they're living … is very rewarding and addictive." Adams said the building will have up to 18 apartments — a mix of bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units — after renovations and a three-storey addition. "When I walked into the church, I saw an amazing structure, a clear-span structure. There's no support structure within. … What it means is that it was well built from the beginning. There are no sags in the floors, no creeks, no squeaks. It's solid." There are advantages to working with a wood structure over stone or brick, she said. It's easier to move windows, which you need to do when converting a building from a church to apartments. It's also easier to find local labourers with experience working on wood structures. Whether it's a new build or a renovated older building, renters like Bobola Adanikan appreciate the sense of "newness" about the places. Adanikin, who moved to Saint John from Nigeria two years ago to attend New Brunswick Community College, recently moved into Wowchuk's building and likes the renovations and the new appliances. He also likes the tech features. Wowchuk is going to enable facial recognition technology to gain entry to the building, for those who want that feature. In partnership with NBCC and the Université de Moncton, Wowchuk is developing a robot that will carry garbage from people's apartments for disposal and deliver packages to a tenant's door. "The security, the fresh paint, there's this feeling of peace in this building," Adanikin said. Like Adams, Wowchuk was partly inspired by the idea of reanimating what was once a hub of activity. The old Saint John General Hospital had a commanding presence on a hill overlooking the Mount Pleasant and Rockwood Park areas. "Frankly, I was not really pleased with what the landscape had turned into along the hill," he said. "There was no great building that replaced the old General." The Hospital Hill Development, will eventually include two more buildings and a landscaped pedestrian walkway and green space to connect all three.
