Latest news with #Stoodley
CBC
15-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
PCs call for more accessible public housing, NDP calls NLHC a 'slum landlord' in wake of Livingstone fire
Members of Newfoundland and Labrador's opposition parties say the province's housing corporation needs to do better after a fire destroyed six public housing units in St. John's last month. On March 27, a fire burned through a row of six Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC) — a provincial Crown corporation — units on Livingstone Street in downtown St. John's. One person was displaced and has been transferred elsewhere. The five other units were vacant. NLHC announced it will demolish the units "in the interest of public safety," according to interim Housing Minister Sarah Stoodley. "Those properties were not salvageable in terms of repair," Stoodley said in a recent interview with CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. "From a public safety perspective, we thought it was important to demolish them as soon as possible." Since the units went up in flames, Stoodley says they've been subject to vandalism and break-ins. A metal fence now guards those six houses. Stoodley says NLHC currently has a vacancy rate of four per cent. She says most vacancies in public housing are because of renovations that need to take place before a new tenant can move in, and the NLHC does not yet have a plan for what will happen to the soon-to-be empty lot on Livingstone Street. Further, Stoodley says the the area is on a steep hill, and isn't "conducive to accessible units." WATCH | Fire department says the extensive fire spread to adjoining properties: 1 person displaced after fire destroys downtown homes 19 days ago Duration 0:56 Three fire stations responded to a call shortly before 1 a.m. NT Thursday after smoke was spotted coming from a vacant residence on Livingstone Street in downtown St. John's. Police say the unit was extensively damaged, along with adjoining units in the building. One resident has been offered support through the Canadian Red Cross. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Progressive Conservative housing critic Jodey Wall begs to differ. "I'm sure we have the ability to put in accessible housing in any area," he said. "[There's] a staggering number with respect to people waiting for housing." 'A state of disrepair' NDP Leader Jim Dinn wrote a letter to Stoodley. "The provincial government and NLHC seem to have written off the Tessier Park, Livingstone, centre city area neighbourhood, and the people who call the area home feel abandoned," Dinn wrote. He says the housing units in that area of St. John's have been "left in a state of disrepair," and wants a commitment from the government that the units will be repaired soon. "I want something within the next year," he said. "I also would like to see every other unit there brought up to standard." The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Dinn says he heard from nearby residents that unhoused people were staying in the vacant units to keep warm. "They knew that there was eventually going to be a fire here," said Dinn. "People were, I guess, squatting in the place because they had nowhere else to go." Walking through the downtown neighbourhood, Dinn says he's observed siding peeling off houses, smashed windows and exposed insulation. He says it's a sign of NLHC's neglect. "The NLHC has started to look like a slum landlord," Dinn wrote in his letter to Stoodley. He included an eight-point list of recommendations, including hiring staff to maintain public housing units, providing security to ensure fires don't break out in vacant units and to commit to a space for a community centre in the neighbourhood.
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."
CBC
31-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Ottawa makes about-face after slashing immigration spaces in N.L., minister says
In a partial reversal, the federal government is easing a previous decision to slash economic immigration numbers in Newfoundland and Labrador. Immigration, Population Growth, and Skills Minister Sarah Stoodley said her federal counterpart Marc Miller made the offer to increase spaces from 1,525 with an additional 1,000 spaces, for a total of 2,525 newcomer spots per year — though it 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 Friday morning. "While we're always hoping for more, I think this won't be too bad." The announcement comes two weeks after Miller announced he would halve their economic immigration numbers. Last year, Ottawa allocated Newfoundland and Labrador 3,050 immigration spaces under two immigration programs: the Provincial Nominee Program and Atlantic Immigration Program. As part of the federal government's offer of 1,000 spaces, Stoodley said the province has agreed to take in 290 humanitarian migrants over the next two years. Stoodley said these humanitarian migrants are in Ontario and Quebec, speak English, have open work permits and are in industries Newfoundland and Labrador needs to fill, like early childhood education and construction. Already, she said 100 people have reached out to the province to voice their interest in coming to Newfoundland and Labrador for work. Stoodley chalked up the change in Miller's policy to the province's willingness to take in more humanitarian migrant workers. "I think that the federal government has always told us ... if we played ball on asylum seekers or humanitarian migrants that we would get our number." Business opportunity Stoodley said she's asking business owners to reach out to the provincial government in order to be matched with available workers, adding that the federal government is taking on the cost of relocating the workers to Newfoundland and Labrador. She said businesses don't have to do any paperwork or administrative tasks to get matched with workers. "We think that this could be a really interesting opportunity for rural and local businesses," said Stoodley. "We're the first province to be there recruiting from this pool of individuals with a mixed background." She added the government put out a release a few weeks ago for a partner to help settle the newcomers, and that partner will be finalized soon. Stoodley said the province has also been under pressure to take the federal deal, noting businesses have told her they need workers. Her next challenge is deciding what skill sets to recruit. The minister said priorities are in fields like health care, early childhood education and residential construction. "Our team have been really looking at how they can be creative in terms of helping people come here. Obviously because we have a declining birth rate, this number will not be enough. We still need to do more."
