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The Honourable John Hogan, Minister of Justice and Public Safety, the Honourable Sarah Stoodley, Minister of Digital Government and Service NL, and the Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology, today announced a review of the Public Utilities legislation. The review will include legislation under a number of departments, as outlined in the backgrounder below.

The ministers will be available today to media in-person at the Media Centre, East Block, Confederation Building, at 12:30 p.m. The availability will be live-streamed on the Government of Newfoundland and Labradors Facebook page. Masks and physical distancing will be required for attendees.

The review will be led by a project team consisting of officials from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, with participation and support from the departments of Digital Government and Service NL, Industry, Energy and Technology and Transportation and Infrastructure.

In addition to a review of the relevant legislation, the work will also include engagement with stakeholders, including meetings and written submissions from, but not limited to, the Public Utilities Board, the Consumer Advocate, NL Hydro and Newfoundland Power. If necessary, the project team may retain external resources to support their work including legal, consultants, as well as experts to advise on specialized issues. Information gathered during the review will help determine the policy direction for any potential legislative amendments.

The Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities, established by the Public Utilities Act, is an independent, quasi-judicial regulatory body appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, and operates primarily under the authority of the Public Utilities Act, which establishes the Board, how it functions, conducts hearings and recovers costs.

Since 2004, the Public Utilities Board has been responsible for the regulation of maximum prices for petroleum products in the province in accordance with thePetroleum Products Act.Notice has been given for amendments to this Act to be introduced into the House of Assembly.

Proposed Amendments would aim to improve transparency of the Public Utilities Boards process to set petroleum product prices and to build a greater understanding of what informs the fuel pricing process. As this legislation has already been reviewed, it will not be included in the work being done by the project team. The review will also exclude the Automobile Insurance Act, as a comprehensive review of this Act concluded in 2019.

The review of the Public Utilities legislation is anticipated to conclude by early fall. Any legislative amendments will be considered through the normal legislative process.

QuoteThe review of Public Utilities Board legislation is important to ensure the applicable legislation is up to date, reflects best practices, and achieves its objectives in the best interests of the people of the province, particularly in relation to gas prices and electrical utilities regulation. Legislation that relates to the Public Utilities Board affects many residents of the province so it is only prudent that we conduct a review to ensure all applicable pieces of legislation are working as intended.Honourable John Hogan, QC

Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General

I completely understand how frustrating it is when fuel prices rise and fall, and how frustrating it is, not to be able to access a transparent breakdown of what makes up fuel prices. If passed, the changes we are introducing to the Petroleum Products Act will lead to better information for consumers.Honourable Sarah StoodleyMinister of Digital Government and Service NL

The review of the Public Utilities legislation will include a review of the Electrical Power Control Act. Minister Hogan and I have met with the consumer advocate and have heard his concerns about the existing legislation. A thorough review of this legislation, as part of the overall review of the Public Utilities legislation, will help ensure that it is current and responsive to consumers, while ensuring transparency and accountability.Honourable Andrew ParsonsMinister of Industry, Energy and Technology

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Learn moreProvincial Government to Initiate Review of the Public Utilities Act

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Media contactsEmily-Jane GillinghamJustice and Public Safety709-729-2634, 730-4607EmilyGillingham@gov.nl.ca

Krista DaltonDigital Government and Service NL709-729-4748, 685-6492kristadalton@gov.nl.ca

Kelly-Anne RobertsIndustry, Energy and Technology709-725-5248, 327-7005kelly-anneroberts@gov.nl.ca

Backgrounder

The PUB is responsible for the regulation of the electric utilities in the province to ensure that the rates charged are just and reasonable, and that the service provided is safe and reliable. The PUB is also responsible for the supervision of rates charged by automobile insurers for the various automobile insurance coverages under the Automobile Insurance Act; limited regulation of the motor carrier industry in relation to certain passenger and ambulance operations under the Motor Carrier Act, as well as conducting hearings and other required activities under the Expropriation Act.

The Public Utilities legislation includes:

2022 05 1011:45 am

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Provincial Government to Review Public Utilities Legislation; Ministers Available to Media - News Releases - Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

EDMONTON These are the moments when everything a hockey team believes in gets laid out right there on the dressing-room table. Or the video screen, as a coaching staff drills down on how we got here, how we get out of here, and what has to happen to never be here again in Round 1, at least.

The Edmonton Oilers lost control of their Round 1 series with the Los Angeles Kings in Game 4, taking their collective foot off the throat of the Kings after 6-0 and 8-2 wins had presented Edmonton with the golden opportunity of bringing this series back home with a 3-1 stranglehold.

The Kings stomped Edmonton, winning in every facet of the game. They wanted it more; they executed better; they battled harder; they got what they deserved:a 4-0 win.

An Oilers fan would say that their teamletthe Kings take this series back. The Kings would remind us that they are trying too, and theyre not at a fantasy camp here.

Either way, its all just semantics.

This we know for sure: The series is tied at two games apiece as we return to frigid Edmonton for Game 5. Wrestling back home-ice advantage favours the Oilers, but being even at two wins each favours the Kings, a team that wasnt supposed to have much of a chance in this series, in the eyes of many.

So, here we are. One team with fresh, new belief, another whose belief is being tested.

Now, coach Jay Woodcroft believes, its up to him and his staff to dig into that Game 4 loss and unearth the elements that can be altered in Game 5. So the final score line can be altered as well.

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You want to make sure youre not just sweeping things under the rug. That youre seeing things the way they occurred, Woodcroft said. You do your work, and you give your players something they can sink their teeth into, in order to improve.

We werent anywhere near where we needed to be in some areas. Were going to address them, were going to improve, and well be ready for Game 5.

So, what are the building blocks that Woodcroft already has in place? Here are a few:

As good as Jonathan Quick was on Sunday, Mike Smiths .942 playoff save percentage was second among all NHL goaltenders heading into play Monday night. Of the three goals he allowed in Game 4, one left him chanceless, another was tipped home by Duncan Keith and the other he stopped before Carl Grundstrom plowed the puck into the net with his body. The goaltending battle is even, or perhaps even advantage Smith something that was in question when this series began.

The Oilers have scored 17 goals. Connor McDavid (1) and Leon Draisaitl (3) have combined for less than a quarter of those. On nine of those 17 goals, neither McDavid nor Draisaitl were involved so the support scoring that sewered this team a year ago is alive and well. Sure, Derek Ryan is hurt. But Drew Doughty isnt playing for L.A., so we wont hear of any injury woes in Edmonton.

When the Oilers got the puck behind L.A.s defence, then pounded them on the forecheck, that L.A. D-corps eroded. The Oilers played that game to a T in Games 2 and 3, and they won both handily. The Oilers didnt have the puck enough in Game 4 to ply that trade, and they lost. So, win your battles, get your share of possession time in Game 5, and there is a proven formula to beating L.A.

In hindsight, the Kings looked like a desperate, last-chance team in Game 4 and rightfully so while Edmonton tiptoed into the game like a team hoping their opponent would give up after back to back 6-0 and 8-2 shellackings. It was a rudimentary lesson for a team that has not led a playoffseries in a long, long time, that an opponent gets harder to beat the closer they are to extinction.

Is there another level for the Kings to raise their game to after that flawless Game 4 performance?

Theyd tell you, Yes, but we would have to see that to believe it. That game was just this side of perfect, for the Kings.

Can Edmonton play better than it did on Sunday, in front of a home crowd in a massive swing game in this series?

Unquestionably, the Oilers can. Even the most objective observer would agree with that.

Youre going to see an Edmonton Oilers team that is going to come out prepared, come hard, and play like a team that realizes there are no shortcuts to playoff success, promised Woodcroft. There have been moments in this series for both teams.

In the end, the team that continues to evolve and improve is going to move on.

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After losing control of the series, Oilers belief will be tested - Sportsnet

The government has today (11 May 2022) introduced plans to transform struggling towns and cities, supporting local leaders to take back control of regeneration, ending the blight of empty shops on their high streets and delivering the quality homes that communities need.

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will enshrine in law the governments commitment to long-term missions to spread opportunity, drive productivity and boost local pride in every corner of the country.

Levelling Up Secretary Rt Hon Michael Gove MP said:

As a country, we need to be firing on all cylinders. That is why we must level up the UK; spread prosperity and opportunity, and make sure everyone can share in our nations success.

This Bill puts in place the reforms we need to level up. It enshrines our levelling up missions in law, which will shift resources and focus throughout this decade to the parts and people of the country who need it most. It enables every part of England which wants a London-style mayor to have one. It empowers local people, not the big developers, to take back control of regeneration in their community.

It shifts power out of Whitehall by giving local leaders the powers they need to tackle the blight of empty shops on high streets and to regenerate their communities. This is underpinned by a firm belief that by far the best placed people to level up communities are the people who live there.

We want everyone to be given the opportunity to stay local but go far.

The governments defining mission is to level up the UK; to increase and spread prosperity and opportunity across the UK, and break the link between geography and destiny. The Bill puts the legal foundations needed to deliver this mission in place, so that all parts of the country will be able to share equally in our nations success.

Measures include:

The Bill will also directly give local leaders the powers they need to regenerate their communities, and transform their high streets and town centres. A new infrastructure levy will see the big developers contribute more towards better local roads, schools, hospitals, and genuinely affordable housing. Communities will also receive a share of the Levy revenue raised - as long as they have a parish or town council and we are exploring how this could be expanded.

Measures include:

The Bill will also deliver new reforms to the planning system, ensuring new development is more beautiful, produces more local Infrastructure, is shaped by local peoples democratic wishes, improves environmental outcomes, and occurs with neighbourhoods very much in mind.

Measures include:

The government has today also outlined a new deal for millions of renters in private and social housing.

By ending Section 21 evictions and extending the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, all renters can expect a decent, safe, and secure home. At the same time, these measures deliver a fairer system for good landlords who can struggle to recover their properties when faced with anti-social behaviour or wilful non-payment of rent.

Details on further support for tenants in social housing will be unveiled later this year which will include a review of the Decent Homes Standard, new consumer regulation and regular inspections of the largest landlords.

The planning measures have been informed by over 40,000 responses made to the governments 2020 Planning for the Future White Paper, and inquiry by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.

In order to continue to support the hospitality sector, we will also extend the temporary pavement licence process for one further year while we seek to make permanent these provisions through the Bill, subject to Parliamentary approval.

See more here:
New Bill to level up the nation - GOV.UK

As much as the National Republican Senatorial Committeewould like Republicans to stay away from the abortion issueexcept to insist they are compassionate and caring about life, it isn't really working. That line is hardly a natural fit for a party that had a collective hysterical tantrum against Barack Obama's Affordable Health Care Act and proposes taxing the poor anyway. They are the"Fuck Your Feelings"party, after all, not the empathy and mercy crowd.

There is little hope of eliding the consequences of their decades-long crusade to send women back to back-alley butchers. Nonetheless, they are haplessly trying to pretend that they are truly committed to helping all the people who will be forced to give birth against their will once the right to abortion is overturned. It's not credible:

According to the National Women's Law Center, Mississippi has the highest poverty rate for women in the nation, one of the highest uninsurance rates for women in the nation and ranks last in the country for women's and children's health outcomes. If they revere life so much, why have they been punishing the poor women and children in their state who chosenotto get abortions for the past 50 years?

And as much as they insist that they aren't coming for contraception they're coming for contraception.

Mississippi's Gov. Tate Reeves wasn't the only Republican governor to make this disingenuous claim. So-called moderate Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas also said he thinks they should increase services for women who are in "difficult circumstances" with their pregnancies.

RELATED:Mitch McConnell warns of federal abortion ban

Hutchinson signed that bill willingly and he's not the only one. In fact, as StephanieKirchgaessner ofthe Guardian reportedlast week, since 2019, when Republican House leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said that removing exemptions for rape and incestsimply went too far, "at least 11 US states including Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas have passed legislation that bans abortion without any such exceptions." The idea has taken off like wildfire:

Where Republicans once believed that absolute bans were unpalatable and "toxic" with voters, the party's legislators have now adopted the language once promoted by the most extreme anti-abortion activists in the country who say any such exceptions are "prejudice against children conceived in rape and incest".

According to the Guardian, this rapid change in attitude is attributed to the work of an anti-abortion group called Students for Life of America (SFLA), another astroturf production sponsored by big money GOP donors and co-chaired by Leonard Leo,the far right Federalist Society leaderwho shepherded Donald Trump's three arch-conservative, anti-abortion justices on to the Supreme Court. They seem to be very serious about their work and very good at getting it done.

And as much as they insist that they aren't coming for contraception they're coming for contraception.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

SFLA's executive director, Kristan Hawkins,has saidthat in her ideal world the pill and IUDs would be "illegal." She's certainly not the only conservative with those views although according to the official talking points they are supposed to lie about it and insist they have no intention of banning contraception.

Here's Mississippi's Reeves again, clearly uncomfortable with the topic:

Others are not so reticent:

Here'sa somewhat chilling videowith a very calm and almost robotic Idaho State Rep. Brent Crane, a Republican, discussing state interference in women's most intimate decisions and bodily functions as if he's talking about a bond issue for the local water district. He blandly admits that his caucus would certainly consider banning Plan B and IUDs. The good news is that he says the caucus isn't currently talking about prosecuting women for crossing state lines to obtain abortions or trying women who get abortions for murder yet.

These aren't hypothetical ideas anymore.

And for those suggesting that any talk of criminalizing miscarriage is just more left wing hysteria, they would do well to inform themselves of the incidents that have already happened around the country.Mother Jones reported a horrific storyabout one Oklahoma woman who was convicted of manslaughter for having a miscarriage. In fact, there have been more than 70 cases of women being prosecuted for pregnancy related "crimes" in the state since 2007. If various "personhood" laws recognizing equal rights of the fetus are passed, you can expect to see more of this.

They are talking about this stuff and more all over the country.

RELATED:In Georgia, Republicans running for governor are racing to the extreme on abortion

Governors and statehouses are already passing draconian laws, testing novel new legal theories and pushing the boundaries of what was acceptableeven two years ago.Yet Republicans have been all over social media and cable news over the last week insisting that Democrats are being overwrought in their reaction, that they aren't going to see much change in the status quo and everyone just needs to calm down. But as you can see, the status quo is changing very, very quickly.

Even before the leak we knew that anti-abortion activists and members of congress were working together on anationwide ban on abortion. How that would work legally is anyone's guess, but let's just say these anti-abortion crusaders aren't going to rest on their laurels. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.,told USA Todaythat it's possible a national ban will be proposed but he insisted that there will be no carve out of the filibuster "on any subject." (That's a joke he carved out the filibusterto put three ultra-orthodox wingnuts on the Supreme Court so his word isn't exactly gold on that subject. If McConnell thinks it will shore up his power he will do it without blinking an eye.) For right now he's having it both ways. As usual.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer, D-N.Y.,will be putting up a showvote this week on the Women's Health Protection Act which would codifyRoe v Wade. It has been passed by the House but was shot down in the Senate last February, 46-48 with six senators not voting. It is unlikely to pass this time and is subject to the filibuster anyway. Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin have already said they would not vote to lift the filibuster to pass it, so that's that.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Schumer says this will illustrate for the American people where the Republicans stand. The thing is, everyone already knows where these Republicans stand onRoe.They haven't been keeping that a secret. But do we know where they stand on the prosecution of women for their pregnancy losses? On banning Plan B and IUDs? On exemptions for rape and incest? On spending the kind of money it would take to ensure that poor women and their children have the support some of them are promising? Where are the Republicans on religious exemptions such as those claimed bysome Jewish organizationswho say that banning abortion violates their first amendment rights? How about proposals such as the one by GOP Pennsylvaniacandidate for Governor Doug Mastriano, who would not only deny exemptions for rape and incest but also thehealthof the woman. Are they for that?

If you want show votes to really expose what the right is proposing, then make these members of Congress vote on the specifics of what's at stake. If nothing else it will divide the Republicans, many of whom, even in the Senate, are anti-abortion fanatics who will vote for some of these things and it will tie the others up in knots.

These aren't hypothetical ideas anymore.

They are actually happening all over the country and as soon as Roe is overturned they will expand at a record pace. The problem is, the country doesn't know about it. The Democrats need to tell them and one way to do that is to have a big debate on all these fiendish proposals and phony promises in the House and Senate.

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Republicans aren't even bothering to lie about it anymore. They are now coming for birth control - Salon

CTDOT Press Releases

05/09/2022

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is developing plans to upgrade existing traffic control signal equipment or install new traffic control signal equipment to meet current standards at 15 locations in the cities and/or towns of Colchester, East Lyme, Groton, Montville, New London, Norwich, Salem, Stonington, Windham, and Woodstock.

At applicable locations, pedestrian control features, such as countdown pedestrian indications, accessible pushbuttons, and sidewalk ramps), will be upgraded to improve accessibility and pedestrian safety.

CTDOT will coordinate with the local municipality during the design phase.

The following intersections are included:

The intersections below consist of new signal equipment being installed at existing signalized locations:

The intersection below consists of new signal equipment being installed at an existing unsignalized location:

It is CTDOT policy to keep the public informed and involved when such projects are undertaken. It is important that the community share its concerns with us to assist in the projects development. At this time, it is anticipated that an informational meeting or formal public hearing will not be necessary.

The design plans for this project are expected to be completed in May 2023 with a tentative advertising date of July 2023.

Anyone interested in requesting information on these projects may do so by contacting Gregory R. Palmer, Project Manager at (860) 594-2748 or via email at Gregory.Palmer@ct.gov. Please refer to Project No. 0172-0501.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS860-594-3062CTDOTMedia@ct.gov

Twitter: @CTDOTOfficialFacebook: Connecticut Department of Transportation

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Installations and Revisions of Traffic Control Signals in various Connecticut Towns - CT.gov