Latest news with #SarahStoodley
CBC
13-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Going down? About 65% of elevator inspections in N.L. didn't happen in 2024
The elevator business has its ups and downs, but the province heard in the House of Assembly on Monday that about 65 per cent of the inspections required in 2024 didn't happen. Gail Boland, assistant deputy minister for the Department of Government Modernization and Service Delivery, said that figure is not only because the government is running behind, but also because it's waiting for word from private contractors. The province requires all elevators to be inspected once a year, but there are only three government inspectors. Ferryland PC MHA Loyola O'Driscoll argued on Monday that the number of government-hired inspectors is low because of the salary. Boland responded, saying "We can't just hire people, whatever price we want to hire them," and added there are certain procedures for hiring. An amendment made to the Public Safety Act last year allows outside companies like Otis and TKE to carry out those inspections and report back to the province's chief inspector. "If everything looks good, then the certification on the device would be renewed," Boland said. "If not, then our people would go out and do an inspection." The government is still working on implementing that system, according to Service Delivery Minister Sarah Stoodley. The minister added that there is a priority list for inspections. Brand new devices, or those not working at all, would come first, Stoodley explained. The government also prioritizes elevators in health care and long-term care facilities. But out-of-service elevators and expired certificates have been an ongoing issue. In September 2024, Memorial University's students' union said many of the elevators on the St. John's campus were broken, making the school more inaccessible to students and staff who can't use the stairs. In November, O'Driscoll told the Service N.L. minister that over 500 elevators were overdue for an inspection — an issue he's still raising in the House this week. "Every single day, thousands of people are using hundreds of unsafe elevators," O'Driscoll said Monday. Stoodley said her department is "doing a great job" at carrying out inspections with a risk-based priority approach.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley blames N.L. population decline on federal government
Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley says Newfoundland and Labrador can't afford even a small drop in its population. (Ted Dillon/CBC) Newfoundland and Labrador's population dropped for the first time in 15 quarters in 2024 despite its record-high immigration numbers. Statistics Canada reports that as of Jan. 1, Newfoundland and Labrador's population had decreased by 0.1 per cent, a loss of 301 people. The province's population currently stands at 545,579, compared to 545,880 on Oct. 1, 2024. Immigration and Population Growth Minister Sarah Stoodley said Canada's changing immigration policies are the primary reason for the decline, despite 5,808 new immigrants moving into the province in 2024. "I think the confidence level of immigrating to Canada is changing," Stoodley said. In January, the federal government attempted to slash Newfoundland and Labrador's economic immigration allocations in half. The province was allocated 2,100 spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program and 950 spots under the Atlantic Immigration Program, totalling 3,050 economic immigration spaces. Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller told Stoodley they would cut that number, leaving the province with 1,525 spaces. "I'm just gobsmacked, and my team are devastated," Stoodley told Radio-Canada in January. Days later, the federal government partially reversed the decision. Miller offered to increase the number of newcomer spots with an additional 1,000 spaces, for a total of 2,525 newcomers per year — a number that still falls short of the previous 3,050 spaces. "We're not whole, but 83 per cent is certainly better than 50 per cent. So we are very pleased with this. I think this is the best we can do," Stoodley told reporters on Jan. 31. Canada is cutting the projected number of new permanent residents the country takes in, from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. WATCH | Sarah Stoodley believes immigrants feel less confident coming to Canada: In Newfoundland and Labrador, Stoodley says immigrants are necessary for the province's long-term economic sustainability. "Our economic prosperity relies on economic immigration," Stoodley said in January. "We need teachers, we need early childhood educators, we need residential construction workers. We don't have enough of them here. We need to go elsewhere looking for them, and we need them [for] the future of our province." With Prime Minister Mark Carney expected to call a federal election on Sunday, Stoodley said she looks forward to working with Canada's next immigration minister. "We can't afford a population decline.... We need to turn it around," she said. "Hopefully, after the next election and working with the new federal immigration minister or maybe the same one, we can get some more numbers up." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
21-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley blames N.L. population decline on federal government
Newfoundland and Labrador's population dropped for the first time in 15 quarters in 2024 despite its record-high immigration numbers. Statistics Canada reports that as of Jan. 1, Newfoundland and Labrador's population had decreased by 0.1 per cent, a loss of 301 people. The province's population currently stands at 545,579, compared to 545,880 on Oct. 1, 2024. Immigration and Population Growth Minister Sarah Stoodley said Canada's changing immigration policies are the primary reason for the decline, despite 5,808 new immigrants moving into the province in 2024. "I think the confidence level of immigrating to Canada is changing," Stoodley said. In January, the federal government attempted to slash Newfoundland and Labrador's economic immigration allocations in half. The province was allocated 2,100 spaces under the Provincial Nominee Program and 950 spots under the Atlantic Immigration Program, totalling 3,050 economic immigration spaces. Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller told Stoodley they would cut that number, leaving the province with 1,525 spaces. "I'm just gobsmacked, and my team are devastated," Stoodley told Radio-Canada in January. Days later, the federal government partially reversed the decision. Miller offered to increase the number of newcomer spots with an additional 1,000 spaces, for a total of 2,525 newcomers per year — a number that still falls short of the previous 3,050 spaces. "We're not whole, but 83 per cent is certainly better than 50 per cent. So we are very pleased with this. I think this is the best we can do," Stoodley told reporters on Jan. 31. Canada is cutting the projected number of new permanent residents the country takes in, from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. WATCH | Sarah Stoodley believes immigrants feel less confident coming to Canada: Despite record immigration, N.L.'s population is on the decline 32 minutes ago Duration 1:28 Minister of Immigration Sarah Stoodley says Newfoundland and Labrador can't afford a population decline. She believes the latest numbers from Statistics Canada are a direct result of Ottawa's change in federal immigration policies. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Stoodley says immigrants are necessary for the province's long-term economic sustainability. "Our economic prosperity relies on economic immigration," Stoodley said in January. "We need teachers, we need early childhood educators, we need residential construction workers. We don't have enough of them here. We need to go elsewhere looking for them, and we need them [for] the future of our province." With Prime Minister Mark Carney expected to call a federal election on Sunday, Stoodley said she looks forward to working with Canada's next immigration minister. "We can't afford a population decline.... We need to turn it around," she said. "Hopefully, after the next election and working with the new federal immigration minister or maybe the same one, we can get some more numbers up."
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Temporary visas begin expiring next month for 2,600 Ukrainians in N.L.
The province's immigration minister hopes Ottawa will extend those temporary residency visas. About 4,300 Ukrainians have arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador since the province established an overseas desk to encourage immigration. Roughly 1,700 of those Ukrainians have been nominated for economic immigration, which means visas for 2,600 more are set to expire on March 31. Sarah Stoodley wants them to stay.
CBC
20-02-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Temporary visas are expiring next month for 2,600 Ukrainians in N.L.
The province's immigration minister hopes Ottawa will extend those temporary residency visas. About 4,300 Ukrainians have arrived in Newfoundland and Labrador since the province established an overseas desk to encourage immigration. Roughly 1,700 of those Ukrainians have been nominated for economic immigration, which means visas for 2,600 more are set to expire on March 31. Sarah Stoodley wants them to stay.
