CBC Newfoundland Morning

Last week, CSIS - Canada's national intelligence agency - issued a warning for people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. The notice says extremists could "inspire and encourage" serious violence against the community, and will almost certainly continue to do that over the coming year. A CSIS spokesperson says "the ecosystem of violent rhetoric within the anti-gender movement, compounded with other extreme worldviews, can lead to serious violence." Gemma Hickey is a human rights and 2SLGBTQ+ advocate.

Starting today, Fogo Island will have its own Chamber of Commerce presence. There will be a chapter of the Gander and Area Chamber of Commerce, and it will work to build closer relationships with businesses in the area. Jonathan Dalton will be the chair of the Fogo Island Chapter.

A plan to restrict medical care for trans youth is unfolding in Alberta, but that policy direction is having an impact on people in this province. The Alberta government has said it will restrict access to gender-affirming care, for young people in particular. On Monday, we started a conversation with a medical doctor in THIS province who has hundreds of gender diverse patients. Dr. Mari Lynne Sinnott is a family physician who told us about the evidence to support gender-affirming care for trans youth. Here's part two of Bernice Hillier's interview with Dr. Sinnott.

Things are getting pretty exciting around Gander this week. In just a few days, 1,800 athletes and coaches will descend on the town for the Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games. Of course, with an event this size, it takes many hands to lighten the work load. Bettina Ford is the director of volunteers for the games.

People in Port aux Basques continue to rebuild their community, almost 17 months after post-tropical storm Fiona smashed into the town. On September 24th, 2022, it killed a woman and destroyed more than a hundred houses. Dozens of other homes were seriously damaged. Now, the Goverment of Canada's Housing Accelerator Fund will help speed up the rebuild. Gudie Hutchings is the MP for Long Range Mountains, and the federal minister of rural economic development.

It's one thing to take pictures of practically anything when you're out and about, but it's another when you do that week after week for 23 years simply because you want to put your community and its story on the map for all to see, enjoy, and hopefully visit. Folk artist Neal Tucker manages the Town of Elliston and Root Cellars website. The CBC's Nabila Qureshi called him up in Elliston to learn more about building community through photography.

Gander lost a very special resident last week. Dr. Peter Blackie was the first baby born in Gander when it was a brand new town in 1940. He grew up to be the first Gander native to graduate from medical school and contributed greatly to preserving the town's history. His son, Rob Blackie, shared memories of his dad with Host Martin Jones.

Former politician Ryan Cleary has been trying to improve the fishery for years now. First, it was FISH-NL, which attempted to replace the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union. After that, Cleary launched SEA-NL, which united individual harvesters in a single voice. He left that group in January, and now he's launching FPC - the Fisheries Protective Co-operative.

The topic of medical care for trans people has been in the news lately. That is, of course, because of a recent announcement from the provincial government in Alberta. The Alberta government plans to restrict access to gender-affirming care for young people in particular. If you don't know much about gender-affirming care, it may be hard to understand Alberta's policy direction and why some are critical of it. Dr. Mari Lynne Sinnott is a family physician in St. John's who has hundreds of gender-diverse patients, including some in Central Newfoundland.

Corner Brook Winter Carnival starts today, the fifty-first winter carnival in the city. Over the next ten days, people will take part in fun activities, and there will be no end to the the breakfast, lunch and supper meals you can eat. This Sunday, the Leifling gala will be taking place. Leif the Lucky himself, David Elms, joined us this morning.