The Muse

TED is one of the most influential companies in the world and its main aim lies in its motto, “ Ideas worth Spreading.” Their primary focus lies in organising events through which various speakers discuss ideas and experiences to improve communication and connection, spark conversations and enlighten minds. TEDx, where the “ x” stands for independently organized TED events like the one that took place on 10^th May. 2019 at St John’s, Newfoundland. TEDx St John’s is the largest TEDx event in Atlantic Canada and the official license holder of TEDx of Newfoundland and Labrador.

This year’s TEDx St John’s went with the theme “ Newfound Latitude.”  The stellar lineup for this year consisted of the following six leaders:

Megan Forsey from Corner Brook, Newfoundland who is a personal trainer, a DJ and also an education co-ordinator at Yung Dumb.

Earle G. Hall is an entrepreneur and technological innovator from Placentia, N.L.

Paul David Power- writer, actor, director and owner of Power Productions.

Dr. Delores. V. Mullings, who is an associate professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland and also one of the 100 accomplished Black Women Honoree.

Boluwaji Ogunyemi is a man of diverse talents. Besides being an assistant professor of medicine at Memorial University, he is a published writer with articles printed by New York Times, Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun and Huffington Post.

Veronica Dymond is a heartwarming stand-up comedian and a writer who hails from St. John’s

Despite taking less than 20 minutes to deliver a TEDx speech, it takes over months to prepare for an  event that could only have been made possible by an amazing team of organizers and volunteers who toiled relentlessly to turn this platform into a wonderful success.

The U.S. Consulate General in Halifax is pleased to announce that a U.S. consular officer will be in St. John’s, Newfoundland on Thursday, June 13, 2019 and Friday, June 14, 2019 to provide consular services for U.S. citizens. This trip is organized to assist U.S. citizens residing in Newfoundland and Labrador, who under normal circumstances would need to travel to the U.S. Consulate General in Halifax for these services.

The U.S. Consul will be available to take applications for first time and children’s U.S. passports and birth registrations. Fees are required for these services and will only be taken in the form of U.S. dollar money orders.  Applicants for all services must bring original documents and one photocopy of each document for each service requested.

To make an appointment or to inquire about fees, contact “American Citizen Services” at the U.S. Consulate General-Halifax via e-mail at Halifax-ACS@state.gov. Please include your name, e-mail address, telephone number, and type of service you are requesting in St. John’s. We will confirm your appointment by telephone or e-mail as soon as possible. Services will be offered by advance appointment only—information on location of services will be provided when an appointment is scheduled.  General information on the U.S. Consulate General in Halifax can be found at https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/halifax/

On May 8th, MUN saw representatives from four political parties visit for a discussion about student and post-secondary education issues their parties would tackle, if elected.  Representatives included Paul Dinn standing in for Ches Crosbie from the Progressive Conservatives, Alison Coffin, the leader of the NDP of Newfoundland, Ryan Lane from the NL Alliance and Bernie Davis for the Liberal party. There was a large number of youth in attendance, hoping to attain more first hand knowledge of the standings of each political party on pressing matters such as post-secondary education and the action against climate change.

When asked about the change in millennial’s interest in politics, CFS-NL correspondent Baily Howard responded that there has been an increase in young people’s interest in this upcoming election as many realise that millennials make up a large voting block. She stated that it is unfortunate that the election has come so late, since many students have returned home around the island which affects their access to firsthand information from events such as these. When asked about the most pressing issues facing students, Bailey answered that tuition, fees, and debt are by far the biggest problems facing students who hope that parties will decrease tuition fees as well as reinstate needs-based grant programs. They hope that these measures would eventually reach a point where tuition fees are low enough that the grant program is not needed in order to decrease the financial burden on students.

Moderator Drew Brown inquired the representatives on several pressing issues involving post secondary education of the province along with the audience’s questions on many topics. Discussion subjects included how the parties would put post secondary education on secure financial footing, supporting local and international student debt, and how to best keep young people in the province.

NL Alliance representative Ryan Lane responded with plans to work with post secondary institutions like MUN and CNA to come up with long term solutions instead of just throwing money at the problems, a commitment to increasing funding to post secondary education, lowering tuition rates to attract local and international young people, assisting with small businesses, and providing life-long learning opportunities.

NDP leader Alison Coffin answered with plans to invest in researchers, putting post secondary education and students first in a budget, reinstating full needs-based grants and freezing tuition fees until free post secondary education can be provided, as well as student loan forgiveness. Expanding childcare services and lifelong learning and promoting a tolerant attitude towards immigration are also important factors to their plan for attracting and keeping people in an aging province.

Bernie Davis replied that the Liberal party would continue to invest in university research and tuition fees, as well as industries perceived to be highly integral, such as aerospace, mining, and aquaculture. Continuing tuition freeze, providing young people with more job opportunities, and investing in skilled-work training are also aspects the Liberal government are working towards for the benefit of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Paul Dinn of the PCs described how accessibility issues matter and that their party would work towards more accessible services to assist those with mental or physical challenges, and that when strategising with post-secondary education to drive growth, they would hire help from inside the province rather than assistance from outside. Dinn also described how immigration is vital to combat the aging population of Newfoundland, and the fact that many young people are looking outside the province to find work. Thus, they would work towards creating more inclusive communities to attract and keep immigrants in Newfoundland, as well as reducing taxes, creating meaningful jobs, and providing affordable health care to attract people to the province and prevent Newfoundlanders from having to look elsewhere.

Some jabs were thrown around between the parties, particularly between the PC and Liberal representatives. Paul Dinn described how the Liberal government doesn’t commit to funding youths, to which Bernie Davis responded that the Liberal government provided $80 million investment to tuition fees, while the PCs has cut immigration programs. Alison Coffin later declared that the Liberal government invested more to the cannabis industry than students, while the NDP will invest in people.

After the primary questions involving post secondary education were finished, the subjects of climate change and combating sexual violence arose. All parties supported the idea of phasing out wasteful electricity production and fossil fuels, as well as promoting the use of public transit, carpooling, and biking. Alison Coffin also went on about investing in renewables and green jobs, as well as creating more protected areas of marine habitat. All parties praised the NAPE “Don’t Be That Guy” ads, and that the most effective way to combat harassment is further education and promoting consent culture. Providing more resources and an openness of coming forth with sexual assault accusations is important, but many parties also state that dealing with the abusers and preventing the act from happening in the first place would be top priority.

Update: A prior version of the article mentioned Bailey Howard as a MUNSU rep. She is, in fact, currently a CFS-NL representative and a former executive member of MUNSU.