CBC Newfoundland Morning

Residents of Point Leamington and the surrounding area met last night to talk about wind. Their area is slated for the construction of a large number of wind turbines and an ammonia plant. Wind energy is widely touted as a greener alternative to fossil fuels, but not everyone is buying that. Robert Loder and Leanna Paul organized Wednesday night's meeting.

We've been hearing a lot this week about the high cost of bringing in travel nurses to work in this province. A recent Globe and Mail report revealed that the Newfoundland and Labrador government had spent more than thirty-five million dollars between April and August of 2023. Lela Evans is NDP Health Critic.

February is Psychology Month in Canada, as people highlight the contributions of Canadian psychologists and the crucial work they do. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT is a type of therapy that helps people learn NOT to avoid negative emotions, but rather live a good life in the face of them. Dr. Sarah Pegrum is a registered psychologist in this province and offers ACT.

We've been hearing a lot of fallout this week over a Globe and Mail report. It revealed that the provincial government spent more than 35 million dollars, from April to August last year, on travel nurses. Other expenses for those nurses - everything from cab rides to an air fryer - totaled millions more. Tony Wakeham is the member of the House of Assembly for Stephenville-Port au Port, and the Leader of the Official Opposition.

The world is constantly changing, but it seems that one thing stays the same: It is not easy to be a teenager. We've all been there, but for today's younger generations, growing up with technology and having access to social media have led to a whole slew of other issues. 16-year-old Amy Dwyer describes being a teenager as complex,... with social media driving unrealistic expectations. In part two of our series, Skin Deep, the CBC's Hillary Johnson spoke with Amy about how the diet culture and body trends reflected in social media are affecting teens.

The Provincial government is casting a wide net in search of nurses to work here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Efforts are underway o fill positions in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, St. Anthony and Gander, using trained nurses from India. There are also Come Home Incentives of up to 50-thousand dollars, being offered to nurses who have been living outside the province for six months. We' also heard this week about millions being paid to agencies providing travel nurses to this province. It's all an effort to fill about 700 vacant nursing positions. Chloe George and Hayley Cheeseman are fourth-year nursing students at the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John's. They say they're confused with the effort and money spent on recruiting nurses -

while the majority of their graduating class aren't even being offered full-time permanent positions.

If people in this province want to put an end to homelessness, they might want to look to Finland. A not-for-profit group in that country is -- with government support -- reducing homelessness by giving people a place to live. But the Y-Foundation ALSO gives people support to become more self-sufficient. Juha Kahila, head of international affairs, spoke with the CBC's Bernice Hillier.

If you love to fish, you don't have to hang up your hook and rod for winter. February is the start of the ice fishing season in Newfoundland and Labrador, and for our outdoor columnist, Charlie White, that means smelt fishing!

He has all the tips for us in the latest Chase the Seasons With Charlie feature.

The old saying, "Beauty is only skin-deep" means a person's intellectual, emotional, and spiritual qualities are more important than how they look. But the message probably doesn't get through to many young people because social media floods them with body images they can never live up to. Hillary Johnson's new, three-part series, "Skin Deep, " tells how the toxic influences of diet culture, body trends and more cause teens to struggle for impossible standards, In Part One, Hillary speaks with Chelsea Hudson, a registered psychologist in NL.

The province is spending millions and millions of dollars on travel nurses. An investigative story by the Globe and Mail is outlining just how some of that money is being spent......and it has outraged the nurses union, the opposition and others. The Globe and Mail says the province spent 35 million dollars on nurses from private agencies between April and August of 2023, and the provincial government paid more than 300 dollars an hour for some travel nurses.. The province paid out millions in other expenses, too... from travel, to meal allowances, furniture, cab rides - even cable bills. The report also says the private nursing firm the province hired charged nearly DOUBLE the rate of similar agencies in Canada. Jerry Earle is president of NAPE - which represents almost ten-thousand workers in the health care system.