berrygrounds

Freedom of Information laws are under attack across Canada, most notably in Ontario, where the Doug Ford government has stripped journalists' and the public's right to obtain records from the premier's office and some of the highest levels of government. In this episode, Justin Brake speaks with Newfoundland and Labrador Information and Privacy Commissioner Kerry Hatfield, who says what's happenin...

Tech journalist, author and podcast host Paris Marx joins Justin Brake for a wide-ranging discussion about Artificial Intelligence and the ways AI is impacting our lives and the environment. Recorded live April 25, 2026 at the Rotary Arts Centre in Corner Brook, with Paris Marx joining virtually from St. John’s. berrygrounds is a proud member of the Harbinger Media Network. Visit Harbinger for mor...

It's a fishery buzzword — a lifeline for many coastal communities and a luxurious menu item driving a global seafood craze. Lobster—one time once considered a poor man's food—now fuels a multi-billion-dollar machine. But investigative journalist Greg Mercer's book, The Lobster Trap: The Global Fight for a Seafood on the Brink , tells a different story—one unfolding both above and below the ocean’s...

Have you ever wondered why and how the pitcher plant became a symbol of Newfoundland and Labrador, and of our collective identity? “The pitcher plant is unique, creative and resilient. It is beautiful and tenacious, tough and adaptable. It has thrived throughout all regions of our province for centuries, just as our people have done," Premier Danny Williams said in 2006 at a launch for the provinc...

Did we learn anything from Muskrat Falls and the public inquiry that followed? Surely, a multi-billion dollar project with significant resistance from locals wouldn't be pushed through without a social license...again?  That's exactly what residents of the West Coast say is happening with World Energy GH2's Project Nujio'qonik, a proposed wind-to-hydrogen megaproject that would see hundreds of win...

Innu children have been taken from their families, communities and culture for decades. But now, after a years-long fight for change, Innu are sharing their stories and truths through the Inquiry Respecting the Treatment, Experiences and Outcomes of Innu in the Child Protection System. On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we speak with Simeon Tshakapesh and Anastasia Qupee, two of th...

In this episode of berrygrounds, we debut a short documentary from journalist Monica Kidd, who visited Channel-Port aux Basques on the eve of the one-year anniversary of post-tropical storm Fiona. In "Swept by the Sea," Monica speaks with residents and leaders from the community, as well as NTV Chief Meteorologist Eddie Sheerr, who made a phone call the night before Fiona hit that saved people's l...

With Bay du Nord on hold, Newfoundland & Labrador is at a critical juncture on energy policy and climate change. Despite the grim outlook for oil and gas, and amid climate breakdown, the Andrew Furey government continues to champion fossil fuel development. As an investigation by The Independent unearthed, the Liberals have also quietly adopted an energy transition policy developed by consulti...

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are two things without which we probably wouldn’t be here: the sea, and the fish. But how much do we really know about them? In an era of offshore oil, mega hydro dams, and now an impending wind energy industry — have we become indifferent to the fisheries?  What we do hear about them seems so unrelatable: quotas and metric tons, prices per pound, licensing regu...

On May 1, hundreds of workers marched in the streets of St. John’s and rallied at Harbourside Park. May Day hasn’t been a huge deal in Newfoundland and Labrador, or even in Canada, where we mark Labour Day in September. But the growing number of workers and allies joining the annual event in St. John’s tells us something important about this province’s labour movement, says journalist Rhea Rollman...

Women and gender diverse workers have been fighting for decades to be paid the same as men for equal work of equal value. In the face of mounting pressure, the Liberals finally brought in their version of pay equity legislation. But there's a problem. I\it doesn't apply to most workers in the province, and it's missing critical details. In this episode, we speak with Telegram reporter Juanita Merc...

Vianne Timmons may be gone, but the controversy around her claims of Indigeneity have brought two key issues at Memorial University to the fore. Race-shifting, as it's become known: the growing phenomenon of settlers seeking out Indigenous ancestry to claim an Indigenous identity today. And the crisis in governance at Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university. In the first half of Episode 6, a c...

Memorial University President Vianne Timmons says she has always been clear that she has Mi'kmaw ancestry, or heritage, and that she's not Mi'kmaw. But in a settler colonial society like Canada's, claiming Indigenous ancestry in professional biographies or on resumes is anything but clear, says Cree journalist Michelle Cyca. In a new article for The Walrus, Cyca argues that for settlers Indigenous...

Learning of his Mi’kmaw ancestry came as a surprise to Justin Brake, who always considered himself a Newfoundlander. What might it mean, he asks, to ethically explore the question of his identity? In this episode, Justin reads a personal essay published in Maisonneuve Magazine in summer 2021. The songs Yearning, Pagan Cross and Sailing Away are by Shane Ivers at sivermansound.com. The original ess...

A billionaire-owned company with ties to Premier Furey is first out of the gate in the province's wind-to-hydrogen industry. But residents on the Port au Port Peninsula—many of them Indigenous—are pushing back, saying the proposed megaproject threatens their land, water and way of life. After blocking road access to contractors doing preliminary work near the community of Mainland, land defenders...

Black Lives Matter brought anti-racism to the mainstream. In Newfoundland and Labrador, four cabinet ministers have been tasked with reviewing policies to address institutional and systemic racism in the province. But almost two years later, has anything actually changed? Something Martin Luther King Jr. wrote 60 years ago in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” offers us critical insight into today’...

The tuition freeze is over. Anger is growing over how the university is being managed. And now faculty members are on strike. The crisis at Memorial University cannot be understood without considering the institution's slide into corporatization. Former Provost and Vice President Academic Noreen Golfman gives us an inside look at how deeply entrenched is the idea that MUNL exists first and foremos...

Welcome to berrygrounds. With an eye to power, host Justin Brake takes a closer look at key issues facing Newfoundland and Labrador. Subscribe now and tune in to our first episode on February 6, 2023.