It’s the holidays and Christmas is here, so for this week’s pod we wanted to bring you something to warm the holiday spirit. So we have three local stories about kindness brought to you by three of our CBC Newfoundland and Labrador colleagues.

While Dr. Elise Thorburn spent a month working at Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital's emergency department in Gaza City, she recorded much of the experience on her phone — bombings, destruction and moments of joy. In this feature interview, she shares those audio recordings and her experiences in Gaza.

Ottawa has called it a generational investment in defence spending – billions of dollars pledged in the recent federal budget to rearm and rebuild the Canadian military. But what might that mean for Newfoundland and Labrador? Today on the podcast we speak with former vice-chief of the defence staff Mark Norman about his thoughts for the province. We also speak with a local voice on the frontlines of trying to land defence contracts.

In the coming years, a part of the east end of St. John’s will look very different if two planned housing projects are constructed. Today on the podcast we examine those plans and how they could impact the city in a good way — helping with the housing crisis and even generating revenue for the city.

A pet owner’s nightmare can turn even worse when there are no veterinarians available. After regular vet hours, some vets are on-call but that’s not a guarantee the pet will be seen, especially if they live in rural areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. In this episode you’ll hear from owners and vets on the reality of after-hour vet care in the province.

How the climate crisis is changing farming in N.L.

What do climate extremes mean for the future of our food? Barns in Newfoundland and Labrador weren’t built for the climate change induced summer heat and humidity the province now gets. So farmers are having to adapt. And it’s a lot more than barns. In this episode we take a look at how local farmers are doing in a time of climate change and what it means for food security.

Residents warned the RCMP about a serial arsonist weeks before the Kingston fire destroyed 200 homes and other structures. But as reporter Ryan Cooke explains, people say the RCMP didn’t act on their information.

From premier to opposition, and from opposition to premier

After 10 years of Liberal government, the N.L. Progressive Conservative party is now in power. That means big changes for the people who live there, but also in the lives of Premier Tony Wakeham and now-Opposition-Leader John Hogan.