It was the beginning of the end for 2023, and possibly the beginning of the end of a seven-year missing person’s case.
Half-way through the month, police announced a “significant update” in the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Jennifer Hillier-Penney. The 38-year-old vanished after last being seen at the Husky Drive home of her estranged husband, Dean Penney, in St. Anthony on November 30th, 2016.
On December 16, the RCMP confirmed they had arrested Dean Penney on charges of first-degree murder after an extensive search was carried out in the area of Northwest Arm, where his cabin is located.
The matter is before the courts and Penney remains in custody.
Incarcerated
On December 2, 35-year-old Seamus Flynn, an inmate at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary, died after being transported to hospital from the prison.
The man’s death would reignite a decades-long conversation about conditions at the jail for both inmates and corrections officers. On December 20, an investigation would be launched into Flynn’s death—one that is still underway.
The conversation around the facility would not end there, with government hitting another snag in its plan to replace HMP. Due to a 200 to 300 per cent increase in construction costs, the province would reissue a Request for Qualifications for the replacement, with the aim of procuring a fiscally responsible facility.
Government pledged to have shovels in the ground on a new prison by 2025.
On Christmas Day, another man who had been transferred to HMP custody was found dead in his cell in Corner Brook. SIRT-NL would launch an investigation into that case.
Private Flies
Photo Credit Chad Hickey
In December, the province continued with the integration of the ambulance service, issuing an RFP for a single service including the privatization of the aircraft and their operators. The health care professionals on board would be public employees.
NAPE, the union representing air ambulance workers, raised the alarm over the RFP, with their members now facing uncertainty. The Association of Allied Health Professionals would join the discourse, saying the move puts the safety of patients and employees at risk.
Health Minister Tom Osborne defended the RFP, but offered to sit down with NAPE to work through the issues.
