St. John's Community News

In offices of the the St. John's Women's Centre, there are carefully kept archives of the history of the St. John's Status of Women Council and the St. John's Women's Centre, and of the women's movement in St. John's during the past decades.

“The St. John’s Status of Women Council is saddened by the loss of one if it’s founding members and long-time board director, Susan Shiner,” council chairwoman Mary Shortall said on the council's website. “Susan’s passion for life, art, music and above all social justice and equality has inspired every one of us. Her feminism, social and political action helped shape the women’s movement and had an enormous impact on our work at the Status of Women Council.”

The MP is planning to hand out 20 of the sesquicentennial pins to people nominated for their outstanding contributions to their respective communities. Hutchings has so far awarded 13 of the pins at two ceremonies in St. Anthony and Corner Brook. According to her office, she will likely name the remaining seven recipients some time in August.

A plaque honouring an important part of the province’s fishing history will be unveiled during a ceremony in Grand Bank next month. The plaque will commemorate the national historic significance of the Shore Crew of Newfoundland and Labrador, the women responsible for curing fish, often on beaches, once it arrived in the community. The Shore Crew of Newfoundland and Labrador is one of nearly 500 designated Events of National Historic Significance, achieving the status in 2011.

The story this week about a dog being driven through an automatic car wash in the back of a pickup in Labrador grabbed national attention. And it wasn't the only animal abuse story from this province to make the news. "That one is brand new to me," said St. John's SPCA chairperson Simone Browne, of the car wash incident in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

BAIE VERTE, NL — When Marion Fitzgerald attended Baie Verte’s Volunteer Appreciation Night last month, she had no idea she was the guest of honour. She was named the town’s 2017 Volunteer of the Year. “I was quite surprised,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s wonderful to be recognized, but everybody’s volunteer hours count. As a community, we all come together to do those things we do.”