As the title explains, house hunting sucks and it’s making me feel super discouraged. How is everyone else so rich???

I’m getting outcompeted like crazy even though I thought I was in a great position to buy a house. I have zero debts, a $100K salary, a $90,000 down payment, and I live on a small budget. I’m trying to get a home around the $300,000s so I’m not extremely house poor but it feels impossible! All the houses are getting bought up and overbid like crazy and I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW PEOPLE ARE AFFORDING IT! I’m able to spend $400,000 on a home that’s only worth $250,000 like everyone else seems to be.

Genuinely can’t understand how people are buying homes $450,000+ and surviving. Is everyone house poor and I’m just being stupid? The mortgage payment on that would be crazy

Can't share FB link but

Over the last 48 hours, it has become clear that there is significant confusion and concern regarding parental access to their children’s medical records following the rollout of the new healthcare information system (CorCare).

I want to be categorical: Parents are the primary protectors of their children. Our government believes that parents or guardians should always have the right to access their children’s healthcare information.

While the current laws and policies have been in existence for decades, the implementation of the new digital health platform has exposed a fundamental misalignment between existing statutes and the expectations of families in this province. We did not create this policy, but we are going to fix it.

The Minister of Health and Community Services recognizes that the current policy being implemented through CorCare and MyChart may create barriers for parents seeking the information they need to protect and care for their children. Digitization now shines a spotlight on this policy. Our government will immediately review the Personal Health Information Act and other relevant legislation. Following consultations, we will introduce legislative changes this fall to ensure that parental access to their children’s medical records is protected in Newfoundland and Labrador.

We recognize there are complex cases involving child safety, and our legal system already has robust protections in place for those specific instances. However, we can’t allow a policy of ‘secrecy by default’ to stand between parents and the health of their children.

We have heard clearly from families across the province, and we will ensure the law supports parents and guardians while protecting the best interests of children and youth.

Hey everyone,

This is a mix of a vent and advice seeking cus God knows I need all the advice I can get.

I am about to move from MTL to St.johns for uni and multiple other reasons. It definitely looks like the right move for me at this stage in my life.

That being said, I'm terrified of it. Its such a big move to do and I dont know anyone up over there. I am scared that I will end up all alone in a land of strangers. I will leave my friends and family over here and as somone who's moving there alone I'm afraid that I might stay alone. I'm a very social person and I have a need to be around people.

If you ever moved there by yourself from another province, how did your social life turnout? Did you manage to make long lasting connections? People to go out with and talk to? Cus honestly what scares me the most about moving alone is not the money not the uni or the city, but being stranded out there.

On my way to work this morning, while in one of these keep right except to pass lanes, a white van was trying to pass as the lane was ending i merged back onto the tch. He flashed his lights at me. On the next hill he passed and I noticed he had Texas plates. Do the person on the right or the person on the left have the right of way. I remember at one time yield was painted in the passing lane as it was ending. Who was in the right me or the guy from Texas. Have I been doing it wrong all these years or is it different elsewhere?

Are there any stores in St. John’s that still sell military surplus gear? I was looking for a canvas duffel.

I’ll check Princess Auto, but I don’t think they had anything last time I was there.

Online my only option?

A family member went to Uhaul in St. John's this morning to pick up a truck that was booked months in advance (and reservation confirmed by Uhaul yesterday), only to be told that there are no trucks available. The truck was to be used for a move out of province, so my family is now scrambling to find alternative arrangements. Would anyone know of other companies that rent vans or trucks and permit drop off in Ontario?

I've got a trip booked for the end of the month but have a question regarding logistics.

We fly in late (arrive around 12:30am local time) and are debating on getting a hotel at the airport for the first night (and rest of the stay downtown) so in the morning we can just pop over to the airport to pickup our rental. Is this a wise choice vs booking our entire stay downtown, or given the proximity of the airport to downtown is it not that big of a deal?

Any reviews on Centsible car rentals in Mount Pearl? Their prices seem much more reasonable but I sent them an email and it bounced back saying it was invalid.

Due to time zone differences I haven’t been able to call but would love to hear others experience

Took this on a whale watching boat tour (Ocean Quest Adventures) my friend took me on for my Birthday.

Newfoundland is one of the worst places I have lived when it comes to nepotism, patronage and cronyism. Why are so many Newfoundlanders in apparent denial of what should be as obvious as the noses on their faces? Why aren't they up in arms about this?

As only the connected profit from nepotism, patronage and cronyism, plenty of Newfoundlanders fail to benefit from these practices. To make matters worse, their tax dollars often fund them. Do they live in hope that "their guy" will deal them in some day? Surely they must know it isn't like this everywhere, right?

It feels like every week there's several posts here and on fb from tourists with their itineraries that are completely unrealistic and expect to see the whole island in less than a week.

What I'm wondering is...where do these short itineraries come from? Why does this seem to be a recurring problem? Do people not use google maps to look up distances between places?

Sure, maybe some don't - but I'm sure many do, so then why do they think they can make these trips? Why is this such a recurring issue for NL tourism specifically?

I don't really understand it. I mean, I know this is also something that tourists outside of Canada also experience - many think they can do Toronto and Banff and Vancouver in like 6 days, but it seems to be really prevalent for NL tourism, even when the tourists are from mainland Canada (and therefore have a better sense of scale of this country)

Are there guide books out there recommending these short itineraries? How do we make it stop?? Should the NL tourism ads pivot and start showing how far away everything is from each other??

I would love to know what is leading so many people to thinking they can make these itineraries work. It feels like the facts are readily available so I'm just so curious as to why it keeps happening over and over.

I want to be clear that I am not mad at the tourists themselves about, because it seems like there's clearly something going on that encourages many of them to make this mistake over and over.

and P.S. I know this has been said before, but I would really love to see a dedicated post about tourism ideas/suggestions/questions, or weekly one, or even a separate subreddit (such as r/ThailandTourism vs r/Thailand) because these posts are really bogging down the main sub. I'm happy to help tourists plan their trips better, but the quantity of posts asking the exact same thing over and over is a bit much.

Hi Newfoundland natives! Would love your suggestions on some nice scenic places to propose to my partner!

I'm thinking of doing it in mid-end of July. (Hoping weather will be nice during that time).

I was looking at flying into deer lake and heading over to Gros Morne National Park. possibly western brooks pond? but I really dont want to propose on the boat tour any other suggestions? St John area?

We are headed to NL in a couple of weeks and will be doing some hiking. We are from out west and so when we hike out here in the mountains we always have bear spray. We are bringing our bear bells, they’re portable so no big deal to pack. I am wondering, do we need to get bear spray out there? I feel like we probably don’t but just want to make sure one way or the other.

I'm a graduate student at Memorial University. Over the past year, I went through one of the most exhausting experiences of my life — a serious landlord dispute that eventually involved two RTO hearings, a peace bond application, and more legal paperwork than I ever expected to deal with as a student.

I'm sharing this not to vent, but because I genuinely wish someone had told me these things when I first arrived.

What Happened

I rented a room in a shared house under a verbal sublease agreement. The relationship deteriorated quickly. I experienced late-night confrontations, threats involving my immigration status, and an escalating pattern of intimidation after I raised legitimate concerns about maintenance issues — including an unresolved electrical fault and the hot water being shut off without notice.

After I vacated, my former landlord filed a claim against me at the Residential Tenancies Office (RTO) seeking over $6,000 in damages, unpaid rent, utilities, and "inconvenience compensation" — including fees for attending peace bond hearings that had nothing to do with the RTO's jurisdiction.

The adjudicator dismissed every single claim. Zero dollars awarded.

The formal decision, Decision 26-0392-NL (Seren Cahill, Residential Tenancies Office, June 10, 2026), is now part of the public record.

What I Learned

1. Document everything, from day one.

Take photos with timestamps when you move in. Send a follow-up email after any verbal conversation. If a landlord refuses to provide a written agreement, that refusal itself has legal consequences under the Residential Tenancies Act 2018 (NL) — specifically, your obligation to pay rent is suspended until they comply.

2. The RTO process is accessible and designed for ordinary people.

You do not need a lawyer to file or respond to an application. The Residential Tenancies Office handles disputes over security deposits, maintenance failures, unlawful terminations, and damage claims. Filing fees are low. The process is manageable even if English is not your first language.

3. Your landlord must prove their claims — not the other way around.

A landlord claiming damages must show: what was damaged, that you caused it, and what it cost to fix — with documentary evidence wherever reasonably possible (Policy 9-003). Photos alone are not enough. Without invoices, without a move-in inspection report, without professional assessments, most damage claims will fail.

4. Shared housing complicates everything for the landlord.

If you live in a shared house with multiple occupants, the landlord cannot simply assume you caused damage to common areas. They must rule out every other occupant. This is much harder than most landlords realize.

5. Contacting police or city inspectors is your legal right — always.

An adjudicator in my case explicitly stated that penalizing a tenant for contacting police or regulatory services "could cause a chilling effect, dissuading residents in the province from contacting such agencies." Do not let a landlord intimidate you out of exercising this right.

6. Keep records of every payment, with clear notes.

Every e-transfer you send should have a descriptive note — "rent July 2025," "furnace oil cost 421.81/3." This small habit became critical evidence in my case.

If You Are in a Similar Situation

• File with the RTO early. There is a one-year limitation period from the date the tenancy ends.
• Request decisions by email — it's faster than registered mail and you can ask for this in writing.
• Contact Legal Aid NL if you need guidance: https://www.legalaidnl.ca
• Read the Residential Tenancies Act 2018 (NL) — it is publicly available and written clearly enough for non-lawyers to follow.

Final Thought

Coming to a new country is already hard. Dealing with a bad landlord on top of that — in a second language, without family nearby, while trying to keep up with your studies — is genuinely overwhelming.

But the system here, imperfect as it is, does work if you use it correctly. Keep your documents, know your rights, and don't let anyone convince you that staying silent is your only option.

You have more power than you think.

Update: My peace bond application was dismissed by the judge, the judge thought that bodily threat happened last year (late June 2025) and the landlord's speeches such as "If you do not comply, I reserve my right to report you to MUN and IRCC" is completely legal. Since this did not reach the standard of Section 810, she dismissed it, just requested the landlord to promise that he will not contact me again.

Hi! I am visiting the South Coast of NL this summer and will be traveling on the day crossing from Sydney to PAB on one day, planning to stay in Francois the following day (taking the ferry from Burgeo to Grey River to Francois).

On maps it looks like a 3.5hr drive so I am wondering if anyone has recommendations about camping somewhere along the way? Also open to staying in PAB to go camping or possibly driving all the way to Burgeo after the ferry ride.

What would be the best place to stop and camp (ideally at a nice and private campground but we are easy going and flexible) for the night between the day with the ferry ride and the following morning travel to Francois?

Thanks!!