In July, things got hot, hot, hot.

A record-shattering heat wave on the island, coupled with a lack of precipitation, creating the perfect conditions for a series of fires that left a number of central Newfoundland communities on tenterhooks.

Only 16 mm of rain was recorded at YYT as of July 14, well below the average of 91 mm, with heat records broken across the island.

On July 24, came lighting that ignited tinder dry forests, sparking forest fires in several areas.

The fires spread rapidly, consuming the forested land along Route 360, closing the highway and cutting the Bay d’Espoir region off from the rest of the province.

As July came to a close, things would only get worse.

A Bitter Affair

On July 6, municipal workers with the City of Mount Pearl, represented by CUPE Local 2099 would take strike action.

City services and programs were disrupted, as the rhetoric from both sides heated up. What followed was a bitter back-and-forth between the two groups, with CUPE holding large rallies joined by other unions in the province, amid condemnation from Mayor Dave Aker about secondary picketing by the union.

A deal was not reached until September.

Switching Positions

July brought with it a small cabinet shuffle involving two key ministerial positions.

Health Minister John Haggie, who had guided Newfoundland and Labrador through two-and-half years of pandemic response, and Education Minister Tom Osborne swapped portfolios.

Haggie’s role as Health Minister was one of the longest stints in a single portfolios in the province’s history. Meanwhile Osborne would later claim the title of longest-serving MHA ever in provincial history later in the year.