St. Mary’s fish plant a ‘success story,’ says Mayor

By Alexandra Brothers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / September 1, 2023 Edition

The past year has been something of a roller-coaster ride for St. Mary’s residents with regard to the newly re-opened fish plant. After the initial excitement of receiving a crab processing license last year, the town has met some frustrating setbacks this season. However, things are finally looking up again for the town, said Mayor Steve Ryan.

Obtaining the processing license was a major and protracted ordeal for St. Mary’s last year. The Province has long had a moratorium on the creation of new licences because of the overcapacity created in the 1970s and 1980s, when politicians handed out processing licences like bingo cards, which contributed to the conditions that caused the cod moratorium. So, it was questionable whether St. Mary’s would even get a licence. In fact, the plant had had licences to process several species, but as the ownership of the facility changed hands over the years, the licences were eventually lost. With a new owner in place for the plant, Mayor Ryan and others lobbied hard to get a crab processing licence back for St. Mary’s because of the economic benefits that plant jobs would bring to the community.

This year, with the licence finally in place, came a new obstacle: the stalemate between the province’s harvesters and processors over the price to be paid for crab at the wharf.

“The price is less than half of what it was last year,” said Ryan. “That’s a big hit to the fishing enterprises and I guess to the processors too.”

The delayed harvest was challenging for St. Mary’s because without raw material, the plant could not operate. This lull caused a “cloud” to settle over the town, said Ryan who likened the previous enthusiasm in the community to the excitement a child feels on Christmas Day.

The delay was especially troublesome considering the amount of resources the new owner had put into the plant.

“This group is after investing a large sum of money into that facility,” said Ryan, describing the upgraded plant as one of the most “state-of-the-art buildings in Newfoundland.”

Fortunately for the town, the delay only lasted around four weeks. “Once it got going, and once they got the few bugs worked out of their system, it went pretty good,” said the mayor of operations at the plant. By the end of the season, the plant had met its initial expectations, he said.

“The spinoff from the plant is just hard to describe,” he added.

The crab industry has revived St. Mary’s and the surrounding communities, said Ryan. After having one of the highest demands in the province for employment from the Community Enhancement Employment Program (CEEP) last year, what in the old days used to be called ‘make-work,’ St. Mary’s had no need for it this year, reported the mayor.

“That’s a success story for our town, for the government… and for us as taxpayers,” he said.

Another boost to the community this year came from the influx of foreign workers who were hired to help staff the plant, said Ryan. Between 80 and 100 foreign workers, mainly from Mexico, were hired to complete the work force at the plant, which requires a couple hundred staff to operate. These temporary members of the community present “a win-win for everybody in the town,” said Ryan. They were welcomed into the community with open arms, “and it’s a sad day to see them all go back,” he said. Most of the temporary workers are returning home this week, but some of them are reluctant to leave, he said.

“Some are trying to stay in our community, actually,” said Ryan. “They’re going through different avenues to get permission to stay in the province and they want to live in our community.”

There is only one thing hindering the newfound success in St. Mary’s, said the mayor. The town’s sole issue is a government-imposed cap on the total volume of crab that can be processed there. He explained there are a lot of politics involved with licensing and although the licensing board did not impose any conditions on the license  for St. Mary’s, when it went through the government, the Minister capped the raw material the plant could process at 2.5 million pounds.

“That should not have happened,” said Ryan. “We’re going to have to start working now to get that cap lifted off our license. It’s not fair to the operator after investing so much money — not government money, their own money. It just kind of ties their hands in doing business.”

If the town succeeds in lifting the cap, said the mayor, “the future is very bright for St. Mary’s.”

Witless Bay to review its municipal plan

By Mark Squibb / September 7, 2023

Witless Bay council and staff will be taking a close look at the Town’s policies and procedures.

Councillor Ralph Carey, during the public meeting held on August 24, motioned that council proceed with a review and update of Town of Witless Bay Municipal Plan and Development Regulations 2013-2023.

Carey noted that the provincial government mandates that councils review their Municipal Plan every five years.

The motion passed unanimously.

A Municipal Plan is a comprehensive document, subject to change, that outlines the community’s development policies and objectives. Development regulations, meanwhile, govern everything from how high a building can be to how the Town handles appeals.

The current Plan replaced the Witless Bay Municipal Plan 2005-2015.

Whether council makes any changes to the current plan or not, a new plan will have to be adopted next year as the current plan expires.

Witless Bay awards tender for new dog park

By Mark Squibb / September 7, 2023

Witless Bay council has made good on its promise to construct a new dog park.

During a public meeting held on August 24th, council awarded site work and fence installation for the new dog park to the lower compliant bidder, Harbour Construction, at a cost of $12,840, plus HST.

“We promised earlier that we were going to relocate the dog park, so this is the part where we do that,” said councillor Ralph Carey.

Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard said she was surprised by the amount of feedback the Town received regarding the dog park.

“I didn’t realize how many people used the dog park, but one thing we heard was that people would like to see the park closer to the playground, and so that’s where we’re going to put it,” said Yard. “And once we get it sorted out, maybe next year, we’ll look at some doggy décor.”

The former dog park was located in the same general area but could only be accessed by trespassing over private property. It has been closed this summer while council worked behind-the-scenes to get construction of a new park off the ground.

Deadline for completion of the work is September 30.

Councillor Gerard Dunne declared a conflict of interest as his company bid on the work. The remaining five members of council voted in favour of awarding the tender.

In other tender news, council also approved a janitorial contract for the cleaning of town buildings such as the Town Hall, fire department, and Puffin Centre.

Council voted unanimously to approve lowest compliant bidder Royale Cleaning Services Inc., at a rate of $33.21, plus HST, per hour.

Council, back in May, 2022, had contracted House Cleaning St. John’s NL for a one-year period at a rate of $30 an hour.

Trepassey’s new Citizen of the Year is simply Golden

Long serving parish priest Fr. Peter Golden has been chosen as Trepassey’s Citizen of the Year.

Approximately 35 years ago Father Peter Golden came to our community to serve as parish priest from St. Shotts to Portugal Cove South. Father Peter is not just our parish priest, he is a community member who is always ready and willing to go above and beyond his clerical duties to help individuals, or to help at any community function or celebration.

Since his move to the parish, he has never failed to send out his praise, support, and commitment to us all.  He immediately became one of us and called this place his home, a home which he dearly loves, along with all the people in it.

During his time here and while under pay, he never once hired a housekeeper, and he always used his own money to buy his gas, meals, and so on. His reasoning for this was he did not want to have the parish to go into debt because of him. Father Peter’s heart represents his family name – “Golden.” 

When he was offered the Presentation Sisters convent as his new home, he refused to accept it. “This would cost my parishioners way too much money and I’m not about to put extra expenses on them,” he said. How thoughtful indeed! Many times, Father has donated much of his own money to help keep our heads above water, so to speak. Father Peter Golden is the salt of the earth, a very humble and honest individual. There’s no holding back, he tells it like it is!

When one is feeling down over the loss of a loved one, financial hurt, illness, or any other ailment, he is always there to give his encouraging words and support. This man will help you think of others who are less fortunate and will lift your spirits at any given time. It has been said in the past by many that it was Father Peter who helped them through their trying days, weeks and months during their down times. He has suffered bouts of illness himself, but his positive attitude brought him through it all. Nothing is ever too stressful or difficult for him to handle. 

Father has been a wonderful sport all these years, by taking part in our concerts, attending special functions, and more. He is such a great influence for so many, by always encouraging us to get out, enjoy our lives, take one day at a time and stop worrying about frivolous things that are not important. He has welcomed each and every new family or individual who ever came to our town to set up residency.   

Since our parish bank account was drained to almost zero dollars, he has never accepted a penny for his service and the work he does here. This speaks volumes of the honest, down to earth man whom we all love and respect. (Editor’s Note: the money in the parish’s coffers was taken by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation to pay debts related to child abuse cases committed by clergy and Christian Brothers in St. John’s and other communities).

I feel I can attest that there is probably not one house in our four communities of Holy Redeemer Parish that he has not visited during his time here. Father Peter will be 87 years of age on September 22 and please God we can keep him here for another few years. He epitomizes the gift of kindness and wears his heart on his sleeve for old and young alike. After approximately 35 years of being a true friend and inspiration to us all, and on behalf of the Parish, I congratulate him on being awarded the well-deserved title “Citizen of the Year” for Trepassey.    

Judy Brazil

Parish Secretary to Father Peter Golden

Trepassey

Witless Bay firefighters to get EPA support

By Mark Squibb / September 1, 2023

You could say that Witless Bay council is on fire for the fire department.

Council last week approved a number of different motions supporting volunteer firefighters in the community.

In the opening minutes of the meeting, council ratified an e-mail vote of council conducted on August 8 to enroll members of the volunteer fire department in the provincial government’s Employee Assistance Program (EPA) at a cost of $4.75 per month per member, of which there are about 30 members.

The EPA helps folks deal with stress and personal problems.

“With the increasing population and other complexities, our fire department is facing more traumatic calls, and they’re seeing a lot of stuff that’s very difficult,” said Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, who serves as council’s liaison with the fire department. “And they didn’t have anything in place for counselling or support, and so that’s what this is.”

Yard explained that all current members will be enrolled in the program, and new members will be enrolled once their membership has been approved by the fire chief.

Later in the meeting, council approved a motion to send two fire department delegates to the annual convention of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Fire Services. The convention will be held in Gander and will run from September 8-10.

“One thing we all talked about during budget preparations is that we really want to support all staff training,” said Yard. “And this is just another way to try and do that.”

The cost associated with attendance at the conference was not outlined.

Following that motion, council approved a motion to pay for vehicle extrication training from September 14 through to the 17th at a cost of $4,330.

“This is training that will take place on our training grounds here in Witless Bay, and it will be guided by a certified trainer,” said Yard.

Last but not least, council approved the purchase of a new, 40-foot Sea Can for the department’s training grounds at a cost of $3,750, plus HST. Council also approved the delivery of the Sea Can at a cost of $850, plus HST. Sea Cans are the big steel shipping containers you see on big cargo vessels such as those run by Oceanex or towed behind tractor trailers.

Yard said the fire department uses the Sea Cans to simulate entry into a smoke-filled home.

Town CAO Jennifer Aspell added the additional Sea Can will allow fire fighters to complete critical training exercises.

All motions were approved unanimously.

Witless Bay council first took a long, hard look at firefighting operations back in 2020, under former mayor Derm Moran.

In Budget 2021, council budgeted close to a million dollars over the next decade for construction of a new regional fire hall in Witless Bay.

Budget 2021 saw also the Town invest heavily in fire department operations, volunteer recruitment and training, new equipment, and new training grounds, investments over and above the $370,730 borrowed earlier in the year to purchase a new tanker truck. 2021 also marked the year that the Town hired its first paid fire chief. That role, originally held by Maria Churchill, is now held by Jack Gatherall.

The new slate of councillors elected in the municipal election held in September 2021 has continued the work of strengthening the fire department begun by the former council.

In May, 2022, council agreed to accept a cost-shared funding offer from the provincial government and move ahead with the construction of a new regional fire hall proposed by the former council.

The total project value comes in just shy of $3 million dollars, with the Town expected to pay $815,646 over the next decade.

Shortly after, in October of that year, council also borrowed $200,000 for the purchase of a new fire truck.

The department itself has become one of the region’s active community groups, participating in community days and meeting regularly for training purposes and social events.

New staff at Bay Bulls Town Hall

By Mark Squibb / August 25, 2023

Bay Bulls council last week voted to hire two new staff members at the town hall.

Council voted to hire Stella Sullivan as a part-time administrative assistant and Jennifer Blanchard as a full-time assistant town clerk.

Both will begin work on August 28.

The hirings come quickly on the heels of council naming former Town Clerk Ashley Wakeham as Town Manager following the departure of Jennifer Aspell, who quit Bay Bulls to take a job as the chief administrative officer in neighbouring Witless Bay earlier this summer.  

The members of council who were present for the meeting, including Mayor Keith O’Driscoll, Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien, and councillor Corey Ronayne, extended their welcomes to the new staff. Councillors Jason Sullivan and Shannon O’Driscoll were absent from the session.

Bay Bulls nixes federal money for Long Pond Trail

By Mark Squibb / August 25, 2023

Bay Balls council last week voted to rubber stamp an email vote it had conducted on August 4 to cancel funding from the federal government for improvements to the Long Pond walking trail. The vote to cancel the project passed unanimously.

Walking enthusiasts need not be alarmed though — council only cancelled the funding deal to take advantage of money available through a partnership with the provincial government.

Council will share in the cost of the Phase II improvements, which are estimated to total some $534,047. The Town will be on the hook for $193,717 of that with the Province borrowing to pay the rest.

“It’s great to see us get this approval,” said Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien. “We’ve been pushing hard and working hard to try and get this agreement… We’re moving froward on the remainder of the Long Pond trail. Phase 2 will complete the loop. Once we have the design a tender will be released in short order.”

The trail follows the contour of the pond as much as possible, with a bridge crossing the pond at one point.

The details of the cancelled deal with Ottawa were not specified in the meeting, although councillor Corey Ronanye noted that Bay Bulls would have had to take a long-term loan to make the payment.

Phase I of the project was cost shared by the federal, provincial, and municipal governments under a Municipal Capital Works program, with each government paying a third of the cost, which works out to $143,702 each for a total of $475,444, less HST.  

Eugene Ward Memorial Cornhole Throwing Tournament

Tammy Jones, left, and Francisco Bellens were the champs at the Eugene Ward Memorial Cornhole Throwing Tournament held in Portugal Cove South earlier this month as part of the town’s annual Cape Race Days summer festival. The first-place prize was presented by Ward’s daughter Dawn Ward, centre. Ward, a much-loved fisherman of Portugal Cove South who was noted for his dry sense of humour, passed away several years ago due to brain cancer. For years he had quietly spearheaded the organization of many of the community’s sporting events and dances. Submitted photo

Guiney out to loop the loop in aid of mental health causes

Bill Guiney of Renews is hitting the road again in aid of helping Newfoundland mental health organizations and raising awareness about the cause. He plans to walk a complete loop from Signal Hill down the Southern Shore to Trepassey and back around the loop on the Salmonier side. He is also in the process of writing a book about mental health in the province.

By Alexandra Brothers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / August 25, 2023 Edition

Renews resident Bill Guiney is carrying on his annual effort to raise awareness for mental health this September.

Guiney turned 61 this month and has been organizing mental health awareness campaigns and fundraisers in the community for eight years. Mental health awareness is a cause that has a deep personal significance to Guiney. In the fall of 2015, Guiney’s two daughters were hospitalized within a week of each other for mental health concerns. Later that year, Guiney decided to take action to open a dialogue about mental health. “I told (my daughters) that I was going to start supporting mental health and supporting them so they wouldn’t feel that they were alone,” he said.

His first initiative was a push-up challenge that he shared over social media. This event became an annual thing “and it’s been kind of growing ever since,” he said. In 2021, Guiney walked 1,000 km across the island from Port aux Basques to St. John’s, raising $30,000 for mental health organizations in the province in the process.

This year, he will be walking around the Irish Loop to collect funds for his upcoming self-published book on mental health, Push. Proceeds from this book will go towards supporting local mental health organizations. The “Loop the Loop” walk will be roughly 330 km, beginning and ending at Signal Hill. He will leave Signal Hill on August 31 at 6:30 and walk along the highway towards Salmonier Line with the hope of reaching the Edge of Avalon Hotel and Restaurant in Trepassey on September 3 between 2 and 4 p.m. There, he will host a halfway point celebration. After that, he will trek back to Signal Hill, returning on September 6.

It was his walk across the province in 2021 that sparked his idea to write a book about mental health.

“The walk across Newfoundland was amazing,” he said.

Although when he began his walk on the West Coast nobody knew who he was, he quickly gained recognition and by the second week of his month-long journey, people began to join him for portions of his walk.

“People were coming out and they were walking with me for five or 10 kilometres… then they started to tell me their stories,” said Guiney. People have continued to reach out to the Guiney family to share their own mental health stories over the past few years. Eventually, Bill and his wife Susan decided to compile these stories into a book to help raise awareness about mental health within the community.

Guiney’s goal for his walk this September is not only to raise money to put towards his book, but also to gather more stories to include in it. The promotion for his walk invites people “to keep him pushing by sending your stories, poems, songs, or letters. He looks forward to reading and sharing what helped you and your loved ones with your mental health in his book.” He asks for people to email their stories to wilguiney@gmail.com with the subject “Push.”

The title Push has a layered significance for Guiney. “It means a lot of things to me,” he said. Not only is it a nod to his push-up challenge, which started his mental health initiatives, but is also part of a personal mantra that Guiney applies to mental health. “It’s just about pushing forward,” he said. Pushing forward can be as simple as “just getting out there, going for a walk, doing something physical, because that helps (with mental health),” he said.

Two thirds of the proceeds from the book will be donated to The Gathering Place and Ruah Counselling, an organization that provides counselling to those who can’t afford it. The other third of the proceeds will cover the expenses of publishing the book.

Guiney said it’s important to start conversations about mental health. He said that since mental health has become more openly discussed in the past number of years, it seems the number of people who are affected by mental health problems has increased. His explanation for this is that “before, it was kind of hidden, but now that people are talking about it, it seems that there’s more out there, but I think there’s always been this much out there, but it just wasn’t being talked about.”

He said the more these issues are talked about, the better for everyone. He said it is crucial to hear “real stories from real people” about mental health because they are a lot easier to comprehend than impersonal statistics on the topic.

“A lot of people don’t understand the statistics, but if you have a person that’s telling their story, like how it affected their family or it affected them, then people, and probably the government, will understand it more,” Guiney said.

Gulch Beach Festival attracts biggest turnout to date

This year's Gulch Beach Festival held in the communities of St. Mary's and Point La Haye drew the largest crowd yet. A popular feature of the annual event, which was held August 5, is the antique car parade. Ken O'Brien photos

This year's Gulch Beach Festival held in the communities of St. Mary's and Point La Haye drew the largest crowd yet. A popular feature of the annual event, which was held August 5, is the antique car parade. Ken O'Brien photos

By Alexandra Brothers, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter / August 18, 2023 Edition

The Gulch Beach Festival is an event that residents of the Town of St. Mary’s have been celebrating for two decades. This year also happened to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Town’s incorporation, making the celebration even more special.

The Gulch Beach Festival started off as Gulch Days, which originated as an informal gathering between a few families who would get together for barbeques and live music. Over the past 20 years, however, it has evolved into a weekend-long festival that attracts visitors from all over the province. Many former residents plan their vacations around the festival so that they can return home for the celebration, said the president of the Gulch Beach Improvement Committee, Michael White. This year, the festivities spanned over 10 days as the Town of St. Mary’s put off a slew of events following the annual festival to celebrate the Town’s incorporation.

“It’s been a growing festival since day one and this was the biggest turnout that we’ve ever had,” said White.

This year, the festival drew approximately 1,000 people. White has been on the committee since the festival’s inception and has seen the event grow each year. One of the festival’s main attractions  — it’s antique car show—continues to be a major success. This year, there were 94 antique cars, making it “one of the biggest car shows on the Avalon,” according to White.

In addition to its celebrated car show, the festival offered a little of something for everyone, from games of chance to a variety of children’s activities. Festival goers got to enjoy food from a selection of stalls along with live music. The event’s seaside-locale is another attractive feature that helps to draw crowds. White said many guests come to explore the town’s ocean-side trails during the festival.

White described the event as “a win-win for the town,” since the influx of visitors during the event helps to promote businesses in St. Mary’s. For a community of only around 350 residents, the crowds that the festival draws offer a welcome boost for local stores and bed and breakfasts.

White said the committee is already in the planning stages for next year’s festival. He said the members are looking forward to bringing back all the events that made this year’s festival such a success and they hope to see the event continue to grow in years to come.