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CBC
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Clarenville has a new church, and it's made of Lego bricks
Rev. James Spencer spent almost a year building a replica of St. Mary's Anglican Church Image | Reverend James Spencer Caption: Rev. James Spencer has a passion for Legos, and he built an exact replica of his church from them. (St. Mary's Anglican Church - Clarenville/Facebook) Open Image in New Tab There are two Anglican churches in Clarenville: St. Mary's, and an identical one made of small plastic bricks. Rev. James Spencer has been a Lego fanatic since he was eight years old, and he says he still has his old building sets to prove it. He felt a burst of inspiration when he first started working at St. Mary's Anglican Church. "I thought, 'You know what, this is a beautiful building. I'd love to try and see if I could actually put it together,'" Spencer told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. That's exactly what he did. Spencer started by measuring every surface in the church so he could scale it all down. Even the windows and artwork are all the same — he says the trick was taking pictures of them and printing tiny stickers to put on the bricks. Lego St. Mary's is a true, one-to-one model of the real building, Spencer says. It took him the better part of a year to build and he says the parishioners appreciate the handiwork. "I was thoroughly impressed," said Paul Tilly, who heard Spencer talking about his project for the past several months. "He didn't only do this one, he did one for the church in Burgoyne's Cove, and I was amazed at how much of a replica of the real thing it was," said Tilly. "He's done a phenomenal job." Spencer says sourcing some of the Lego pieces was a difficult task and he used some of the stock from his personal collection, but had to head to some online shops for roof tiles and other scarce-types of bricks. The little Lego people inside the replica church aren't identical, but Spencer recognizes each and every one of them. "There's me, and there's a little girl in the congregation who always brings a little stuffed dog," he said. Spencer didn't stop creating when he finished the replica church. Downstairs at the real St. Mary's, he hosts the church's new Lego club on Thursday afternoons. Spencer says it's an activity for everyone, including young Parker Johnson who says instead of playing video games in his room, he can now do something new. "I've always wanted to build, but I never had the pieces," said Johnson, who was inspired by Spencer's work, too. "I really like the details, and if you just look, everything is the same," he said. "Even the little blue poster that's over there. It's super detailed and that's why I love Legos, 'cause you can just do, like, insane things with them." What's next on Spencer's Lego bucket list? He says he's going to take little St. Mary's to the Blocks on the Rock conference in St. John's set to take place in a few months. For now, it has a special place near the real church's altar.
CBC
27-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
This company is sweet on salt for storing clean energy on Newfoundland's west coast
Triple Point Resources hopes to develop a salt dome in Bay St. George by 2030 One company sees big potential for clean energy generation on Newfoundland's west coast, and its eye isn't to the wind, but what's underground. Triple Point Resources owns the mining rights to the Fischells Salt Dome, a massive underground cavern that can act as energy storage sites, in the Bay St. George area. "Some people have been driving on top [of it] for years, but you don't see it," CEO Julie Lemieux told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. She wants to use the underground geological structure to store clean energy generated across the province by proposed wind-hydrogen projects — even as many of the companies have scaled back plans. "What we are looking for is to build a compressor energy storage so we can help Newfoundland [and Labrador] Hydro to make sure that we harness all the energy we can from the wind in a very big salt cavern," said Lemieux. She says the compressor she hopes to build will be able to hold excess energy without wasting resources. "We make sure that there's no waste. We make sure we can use that energy for later use for the grid itself." Triple Point Resources' website says the Fischells Salt Dome is approximately 2 kilometres deep, massive, "with potential to store more than 35 million cubic meters, or the equivalent of 180,000 tonnes of hydrogen." Fischells could be the largest salt storage facility on North America's east coast, it adds. Lemieux says she's getting studies to evaluate the Fischells Salt Dome project before any work gets underway and the company can sell its services. The project will require environmental assessments and a regulatory framework from the provincial government, she says. Lemieux says about 600 jobs will be created for the project's construction and Triple Point Resources plans to employ about 20 specialized full-time employees to keep it running. "We believe we can be in operation in five years," said Lemieux.
CBC
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'Complicated' new post office box mandate has Burlington mayor shaking his head
Customers are now required to use P.O. Boxes A trip to the post office isn't as easy as it used to be for many residents on Newfoundland's Baie Verte Peninsula, says one mayor. Burlington Mayor Rudy Norman is frustrated at a new Canada Post policy that requires customers use a post office box for deliveries. Although some of the town's 300 residents already had a post office box, he says there was some flexibility that allowed residents to have packages delivered to a box or a house. He says the new mandate changed existing box numbers, causing even more confusion within the community. "Now, instead of Box 12, really you're Box 85, Site 3, Module 6. I mean, that sounds a little bit complicated," Norman told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. "All of a sudden, the address that you've used all your life, it's got to change. It's not good enough anymore." If an address is incorrect or incomplete, he says the mail is returned to the sender. In a social media post, Norman announced he plans on presenting a resolution to Canada Post to "reverse these restrictive practices so we can all receive our mail safely and reliably — whether that's by P.O. Box, street address, or general delivery." The resolution will be voted on at Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador's next annual general meeting, he wrote. The new mailing system was phased in over the past year, but Norman says people still aren't used to it and he's heard of many mishaps from residents since Canada Post introduced the change. "For instance, a single mother ordered birthday presents [for] her daughter and because their P.O. Box wasn't on it, it was sent back," said Norman. "An elderly gentleman missed a specialist appointment," he added. Changing an address can be stressful and hard for Burlington's senior population, says Norman. From insurance companies, cell phone providers, credit cards to utilities — there are many different entities residents have to inform in order to pay their bills with the correct address, says Norman. Limited options Norman is frustrated the Crown corporation isn't making mail delivery easier for his rural community. "Canada Post is the only shipper that we have here in a lot of situations," he said. In a statement to CBC News, Canada Post spokesperson Lisa Liu wrote Burlington customers' primary mode of mail delivery is through their P.O. Box, "which is assigned and managed solely by Canada Post, as per our mailing address database." "The resident's civic address is determined by their local municipality. As such, customers should ensure they use the correct address – which in this case includes the P.O. Box and civic address — when shipping an item through Canada Post, ordering an item online or receiving mail," Liu added. Liu also says a letter was sent to customers in February to notify them that items will continue to be returned to sender if an incorrect address is used. A proper mailing address follows this format: The addressee's name, Civic address, Postal Box number, and municipality name, province or territory, and postal code.
CBC
25-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Company needs to take action in tackling grounded vessel, says Qalipu chief
MSC Baltic III has been aground for over two months The chief of Qalipu First Nation says the owners of a cargo ship run aground in western Newfoundland need to take immediate action in advancing its cleanup — and make the Indigenous group part of the process. "We need to be included in this conversation," Jenny Brake told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning on Wednesday. "They need to understand that our traditional knowledge can guide a process like this in a good, meaningful way." The MSC Baltic III has been grounded near Lark Harbour for more than two months. It still holds nearly 1,600 tonnes of heavy fuel. The Canadian Coast Guard reported earlier this month that tar balls the size of tennis balls have been appearing on the shoreline near the grounded vessel. The vessel also sits in a hard to access area. Lark Harbour Mayor Wade Park had requested a nearby ATV road be fixed up to allow easier access, but the town has learned that the ship's owner, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), won't commit to helping build it. A request for proposals to build the road was issued over a month ago, Brake says, but no further movement has happened. "We're really confused as to why they're not doing that," she said. "There's boats coming and going and they're checking on it, but really it just feels like everyone's waiting for something really bad to happen and then respond to it." Image | Jenny Brake Caption: Jenny Brake, chief of the Qalipu First Nation, says MSC needs to take immediate action to further the clean up efforts of the run aground ship. (Jeremy Eaton/CBC) Open Image in New Tab Following a post on the Qalipu First Nation website on April 18 about the concerns of the negative environmental impact of the grounded MSC Baltic III, she says MSC contacted her earlier this week. In an email, she says MSC told her it saw her message and wanted her to know the company is doing what it can and would like to meet with her. "We're really hoping that they will put everyone's mind at ease, and they will do the right thing and allow us to be a part of this process. And they will do things, and get it done quickly. Because waiting is not an option," she said. CBC News has requested an interview with MSC but hasn't heard back. Speaking on behalf of Brake, on Thursday Caron Hawco told CBC News that MSC is going to call Brake soon to open up a dialogue with Qalipu First Nation and the company is considering a visit to the region in the near future. Calls for stricter guidelines Brake says Qalipu First Nation has been engaged in talks with the provincial Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Coast Guard since the ship ran aground — but feels the group can bring more to the table. "We have to have oversight of this as the First Nation… These are waters that my family have fished in for generations, and I want my children to fish in, for, you know, generations to come," she said. Brake says she also wants to see stricter federal guidelines in place for future incidents like the MSC Baltic III, adding any company who can't act responsibly on the water shouldn't be allowed on it.
CBC
29-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
N.L. professor named Canadian 'pharmacist of the year' for her work advancing HIV care
Debbie Kelly says pharmacists can do more on the front line of health care A pharmacist in Newfoundland and Labrador has received a high honour for her role in providing HIV care, improving health equity and advancing pharmacists' scope of practice. On Wednesday, pharmacist and Memorial University professor Debbie Kelly was named the 2025 Canadian Pharmacist of the Year by the Canadian Pharmacists Association. As a pharmacy student in the mid-1990s, she said she was drawn to HIV care. During her doctorate training, new drugs became available that revolutionized how HIV was managed. "It just lit me up. I loved working with the patients. I'm supported by an incredible community of HIV practitioners and researchers and community," Kelly told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. "It's been just the most rewarding area to work in." HIV patients used to have to take 20 pills a day to manage HIV infection, followed by additional pills for the side effects, she said. "We've now gotten to a point where HIV is managed by one pill once a day, which is incredible. And people live long, normal lives," said Kelly. Besides researching sexually transmitted diseases, Kelly also leads the medication therapy services clinic, a pharmacist clinic run by Memorial University. She said they recently studied how pharmacy consultation service impacts a patient's quality of life, with 200 patients meeting with pharmacists for an initial one-hour comprehensive medication assessment with additional follow-up meetings. They found pharmacists helped improve two-thirds of patients' experiences by removing unnecessary medications, she said. "Just being able to sit down with someone for this one-hour visit where they could ask all the questions that they have, really helped them understand their medications better and be a more active player in their health," said Kelly. Advocacy work Kelly also advocates for pharmacists to practice to the full scope of work that they're trained for, but says there are often roadblocks. "Even if they've got the ability to do it, a lot of times these services aren't covered. A lot of private insurances don't reimburse for a lot of the services that pharmacists can and and are doing for patients," Kelly said. Even government insurance doesn't always cover the work pharmacists can do, she said. "If we're talking about making the community pharmacy practice environment more ready and able to meet patients' needs that way, then we need to be able to remunerate them properly," said Kelly. If they are compensated for their work and supported — like through pharmacy assistants and technicians —she said pharmacists can be more active on health care's front line, helping patients. "I think that pharmacists are really underutilized at a time when our health-care system needs all hands on deck and every profession working to top of scope," said Kelly.
