Bay Bulls supports feasibility study for new fire hall

By Mark Squibb

Bay Bulls council has agreed to write a letter of support to the provincial government on behalf of the Town of Witless Bay requesting funding for a new fire hall, but the town, as of now, won’t be helping finance the project should it come to fruition.

Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien moved that council write a letter supporting the call for a feasibility study to better secure possible funding for a new fire hall.

Councillor Corey Ronayne said the request was essentially for an updated feasibility study.

“We’re not saying that we’re in support of a new fire hall or not,” said Ronayne. “But they want to do a new feasibility study, and that’s the basis for this.”

Deputy Mayor O’Brien added the fire hall is owned and operated by the Town of Witless Bay.

“We have no financial control over how they spend their funds,” said O’Brien. “We pay a fee for a service, that’s all.”

The motion carried unanimously.

Beginning in 2021, when Witless Bay first budgeted for construction of a new fire hall, the Town placed great emphasis on bolstering its fire protection services, including the hiring of a full time chief and the purchase of new equipment.

In 2022, Witless Bay council accepted $2 million in cost-shared funding from the provincial government for the construction of a new fire hall and agreed to pay its share of the project, which at that time was $815,640. However, work has not proceeded on the project to date.

Posted on June 21, 2024 .

Bay Bulls and Witless Bay councils waive fees for young entrepreneurs

By Mark Squibb

Bay Bulls and Witless Bay councils have both voted to waive permit fees for Youth Ventures participants for the remainder of 2024 in a bid to entice young people to submit business applications.

Youth Ventures is a program run by the Celtic Community Business Development Corporation that provides financial help and advice for young people interested in starting their own businesses, even just for the summer.

Witless Bay council voted unanimously last week to waive all fees for the program’s participants. Bay Bulls council did the same this week.

“The Youth Ventures Program is a great program offered by the CBDC throughout the province, that many young people avail of,” said Bay Bulls councillor Ethan Williams. “It’s a great opportunity for them to be introduced to the world of business and it provides them with lots of wonderful, real world, practical experience.”

According to its own numbers, Youth Ventures has helped nearly 8,000 young people across the province since its foundation in 1992.

Posted on June 21, 2024 .

Global Summit will let Petty Harbour businesswoman work on her second venture

Petty Harbour businesswoman Li-an Delos Reyes attended a global summit for young entrepreneurs held in Brazil this month.

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Petty Harbour businesswoman Li-an Delos Reyes is taking an extra month this summer to explore the area after attending the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance Summit in Brazil to explore the area and work on business ideas and research.

The summit was held June 12 to 14. Delos Reyes was one of two Newfoundland businesswomen invited to make the trip.

The 37-year-old, who moved from the Philippines to Canada in 2018, is already busy on her second business creation.

"I initially had another business which is also another very niche product, so I think I love niche businesses," she said.

That first business, Milksta, was featured on the Dragon's Den in 2020. It centered on beverages to aid milk production in breastfeeding mothers, an issue with which Delos Reyes herself struggled. Milksta now has investors, and Delos Reyes refers to herself as "just the face of it." She is more involved in and focused on her second business: Brother Sprout.

Delos Reyes said she got the idea while she was transitioning from vegetarianism to veganism. She noticed most vegan products are frozen or refrigerated. This gave her the notion of creating a vegan product that is shelf-stable, an aspect she had also prioritized with Milksta products, which have a shelf-life of about two years. She also wanted to make a product the average person could afford.

"What most vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians are looking for is something that's more affordable," said Delos Reyes.

She incorporated the business in late 2022, and in January of 2023 re-launched it with full branding. The business uses plant-based vegetable protein, which goes toward reducing the environmental impact of animal agriculture.

"I just thought, even with my little contribution, I hope some way we can also make a difference,” Delos Reyes said.

Brother Sprout sells dehydrated vegan-friendly snacks rich in the protein. Most of the products are made to resemble meat but are made of vegetables.

"When I interviewed my customers, I found out that there are moms who are buying it to incorporate in their children's meals," she said.

Campers are also interested in her product, she added, as it doesn’t need to be refrigerated and is high in protein.

Delos Reyes said she is the only vegan amongst her friends. There is often a negative connotation when it comes to veganism, she said, which is something she tries to counter with her products.

"If you look at my packaging, I try to make it look friendly."

Delos Reyes said her goal is to make veganism "less scary and more friendly."

The packaging itself is patterned and colourful. The symbol for the brand is also colourful and pleasant: two potted sprouts — one pot green, one pot blue — with faces, arms, and legs, high-fiving each other. The sprouts represent Delos Reyes' sons, hence the brand name Brother Sprout. Of her sons, Delos Reyes said, "One loves vegetables and the other hates it. And so, the other one who doesn't like vegetables is my tester. I told myself if my picky son likes it, I think other people would like it."

Delos Reyes said her first business gave her a head start with Brother Sprout and the saved her a lot of money. She has not spent anything on marketing or advertising for her second business. She got a Futurpreneur loan of $20,000, which she put towards her inventory. She describes herself as Brother Sprout's Chief Everything Officer. Her family members help with the business; her husband helps with shipping and logistics and her oldest son helps with marketing by taking photos and videos. "I would treat this like a family business, I would say, everyone's involved, although I'm the one really running it," she said.

Delos Reyes said she was excited to find out she was going to the G20 YEA Summit, which is taking place in Goiânia, Brazil.

"It's a coincidence,” she said. “It's where I gave birth to my second son. Like, of all the places in the world! Because that's where my husband is from."

The summit involved industry visits, and Delos Reyes said she tried to register for everything. "I like seeing what happens behind the scenes," she said. "That's where you would learn a lot."

Delos Reyes did not attend business school and said that with her first business, if there was something she was unsure of, she would ask another entrepreneur for their advice.

Her main goal for Brother Sprout is Canadian expansion. She would like it to remain a family business and is not planning to get any investors. An element she didn't like about getting investors for her first business was that every decision she wanted to make had to be run by them for approval first. With Brother Sprout, if she wants to do something, she can go ahead and do it.

"It's so easy,” said Delos Reyes. “I don't have to wait for days, sometimes weeks. And I love the freedom that I can do anything that I want. And of course, this is my personal vision and mission, and nobody's going to say no to whatever I want

Both Delos Reyes' first and second businesses focused on things that were necessities in her own life. "If I am going to work with something that I am passionate about, it doesn't feel like working," she said. "I'm more excited. Even though I'm so stressed, even though there's lots of things that are going on, I'm smiling… That's the most rewarding part. You're doing something that you love."

Posted on June 21, 2024 .

Colinet student recognized for always being ready to go above and beyond

Jordan O’Connell of Colinet was recently awarded a 2024 Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools Graduating Student Leadership Bursary, valued at $500. Submitted photo

By Mark Squibb

Jordan O’Connell, 18, of Colinet has been named a recipient of the provincial government’s 2024 Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools Graduating Student Leadership Bursary, valued at $500.

The bursary recognises students who work to make their school a better place.

“Jordan is an ideal student,” said St. Catherine’s Academy Principal Heather Hanlon. “He maintains honours status while completing a demanding course load. He also works a part-time job to earn money for postsecondary studies. As busy as he is, he still finds the time to volunteer countless hours to improve school life for our students.”

O’Connell led the Participation Nation Unplugged Program at his school, helping younger students ‘unplug’ from their devices and get physically active. He also led a Chef’s in Training program at his school, for which he received $3,500 in funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

“It was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed it,” said O’Connell of the cooking program. “The kids always listened, and it was fun to teach them how to cook some basic dishes — mac and cheese, meatballs, spaghetti, steak and potatoes, corn bread, muffins, sandwiches, and a few other things.”

Before the program could launch, O’Connell had to purchase cooking equipment, as the school had limited equipment available. He then had to carefully plan each lesson in advance and purchase all the necessary ingredients ahead of time.

“It is amazing to see children as young as five years old preparing and cooking their lunch,” said Hanlon. “Jordan's interaction with the younger students is phenomenal. They love the attention he gives them and hang on his every word. He is a true role model for them. Everyone is included and respected in his class, and they all enjoy a healthy lunch.”

O’Connell said helping others has special returns of its own.

“It feels good to help people, but it also teaches you a lot,” he said. “It teaches you leadership skills, patience, how to learn. So, it’s a good experience.”

O’Connell plans to attend Memorial University this fall to study engineering, either civil or mechanical, and said he’s grateful for the $500 prize that comes with being recognized.

“Every little bit helps,” he said.

Posted on June 21, 2024 .

Witless Bay mayor asks folks to keep it professional

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay Mayor Trevor Croft began this week’s public meeting with a reprimand for people who have been e-mailing and, in some cases, ringing the doorbells of council and staff after hours.

“Contacting staff on their personal Facebook pages for Town reasons is not a good idea,” said Croft, who said people have been messaging staff on personal social media accounts after hours about Town matters.

“The same goes for councillors,” said Croft. “I’ve had messages to my personal Facebook, I’ve had people show up at my house, sometimes at night. There’s no need… it’s a bit disrespectful to expect everybody to be on the clock 24/7, so keep that in mind and it would be greatly appreciated.”

Croft said to instead call staff at the Town Hall during business hours or reach staff and councillors at their Town of Witless Bay e-mail accounts, which can be found on the Town’s website.

The mayor did not give further details on any particular incidents.

Posted on June 14, 2024 .

Witless Bay approves new and improved free pantry

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay council this week approved an application to build a new community pantry, to be operated by the Witless Bay Kinsmen Club, at the Puffin Centre.

The pantry will be connected to the centre’s electrical system, and the Town will complete site preparation as a contribution to the project.

People will be able to take or leave food items as needed.

Councillor Jacob Hayden explained that the pantry, as it’s hooked into the centre’s electrical system, will include a fridge or freezer to store items that need to be refrigerated, and the current pantry will be converted for use as a free ‘little library,’ where patrons can take a book or leave a book at will.

In other development news:

  • Council approved building permits for new homes at 116 Gull Pond Road, 77 Country Path Drive, and 202-206 Deans Road.

  • Council also approved an application to subdivide land at 21-35 Tuff’s Road.

    Councillor Ralph Carey moved to approve the application in principle, pending further approval by applicable government agencies and noted further that no development applications will be considered for the property until the subdivision of land is completed.

  • Council approved an application to subdivide land at 41 The Avenue.

    Councillor Jacob Hayden asked whether he was in a conflict of interest as the land belongs to a family member. Council determined he was not.

    As with the earlier application to subdivide land, the approval is pending further approval by applicable government agencies, and no development applications will be considered for the property until the subdivision of land is completed.

  • Council also approved an extension to an accessory building for a Northside Track resident.

    Mayor Trevor Croft declared a conflict of interest as the applicant is a family member.

  • And finally, council approved construction of accessory buildings at 39 Country Path Drive and 1 Country Path Drive.

Posted on June 14, 2024 .

Forgotten no more

Members of the St. Mary’s Battery Restoration Committee were recently awarded The Historical Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Outstanding Heritage Project award. From left are David Fagan, Michelle Fagan and John Gibbons. Missing from photo is committee member Peter Buiteman. Submitted photo

Committee member Peter Buiteman.

By Mark Squibb

Within St. Mary’s, along the coast of St. Mary’s Harbour, is a park commemorating the historic St. Mary’s Battery, one of seven installed along the coast in the 18th century to ward off both American privateers and French marauders.

But not that many years ago, the now well groomed and cultivated park was nothing but a barren patch of land bearing a single plaque denoting its historical significance.

That changed with the formation of the St. Mary’s Battery Restoration Committee in 2018.

President Dave Fagan said the committee, through restoration of the historic site, set out to change the perception that St. Mary’s was an out of the way place where nothing ever happened.

“We used to say that St. Mary’s was the place that people drove through on their way to see the whales down in St. Vincent’s, or drove through on their way back from the Irish Loop,” said Fagan. “But we decided to make St. Mary’s a place that people will drive to, rather than through.”

The Historical Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador this May awarded the committee an Outstanding Heritage Project award for its work on restoring the historical site.

“It feels as if someone acknowledged that we were right all along,” said Fagan.

The battery, consisting of four large cannons, was erected in 1779 to protect the coast and fishing grounds from marauding privateers.

“The battery was built to keep American privateers at bay and keep them from messing with British access to the fishery,” said Fagan. “We also had trouble with the French, who would come over from Placentia and cause all kinds of havoc, and rob fishing gear and burn fishing stages, because the British in St. Mary’s were competing for the same fish in the same bay.”

Of the seven batteries established along the southern Avalon, it is believed the St. Mary’s Battery was the only one actively engaged during the American revolution. The battery also played a key role in the capture of an American privateer in 1782.

The battery was decommissioned in 1815, and in the following years little effort was made to preserve the site, and many of the cannons were lost.

The lone remaining cannon was at some point relocated to the town hall, and a single plaque was all that marked the land as historically significant. Few residents were even truly aware of the historical significance of the site, allowed Fagan. “Nobody really cared (about the battery) and fewer even knew what had been there,” he said.

In 2018, the committee was formed with the intent of restoring the site and bolstering community pride. The committee members dedicated hours upon hours, over 6,000 by Fagan’s reckoning, at The Rooms and the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, researching the history of the battery.

“We spent enough time at the Centre for Newfoundland Studies that the staff got to know us on a first name basis, and they were all really good to us,” said Fagan.

The members dug deep enough to find the actual handwritten log commanding that the cannons be installed way back in the 1700’s.

With financial support from both the federal and provincial governments, as well as local donations, the committee was able to acquire three cannons from other places and return the original cannon in St. Mary’s to its proper site. That cannon is cordoned off and marked with a plaque. The committee has also installed storyboards and picnic tables.

Much of the site work was completed using federal Job Creation Program (JCP) funding, and many of the picnic tables donated by local residents in memory of loved ones who have passed.

The committee also took care to ensure the park was made wheelchair accessible.

Since the restoration, the park has become a popular place for picnics and local events, such as the “The Invasion of St. Mary’s,” a day of pirates and family fun hosted by the committee last year.

Combined with reopening of the crab plant in 2022, the restoration of the park has been a boost to the community’s confidence and place on the Irish Loop.

Committee member Michelle Fagan said she’s especially excited to hear that young children have been enjoying the park and learning their local history.

“Hopefully, maybe next year, we would like to link up with the schools and be able to go in and have a talk and let them know the history of the St. Mary’s Battery, and all the other little folklores of the town,” said Fagan.


Posted on June 14, 2024 .

Mobile Central High School Career Fair

Mobile Central High School hosted a Career Fair last month after students had expressed an interest in learning more about different careers. Dozens of professionals, from childcare providers to engineers, nurses to lawyers, doctors to designers, and more, met with students over the two-day fair to answer questions and explain the in’s-and-outs of their work. From left to right are Erica Tee, Sarah Murphy, Abigail Courtney, Jessica Hodder of Bay Bull’s Arbour’s Restaurant and Lounge, Aiden O’Brien, Liam James, and Thomas O’Driscoll. Submitted photo

Posted on June 7, 2024 .

Witless Bay looking at second byelection call

Justina Nawaz, the newest member of Witless Bay council, was sworn in last week at the Town Hall by CAO Jennifer Aspell. Nawaz, who was acclaimed to council last month, was joined by members of her family for the occasion. Town of Witless Bay Photo

By Mark Squibb

Witless Bay council held a special meeting Monday night to request approval from the Province to delay this weeks by-election.

Councillor Jacob Hayden moved that council request ministerial approval to delay the by-election, which had been scheduled for June 5, until July 24, with a new nomination day to be held on July 3.

Council had held a nomination day on May 15 in the hopes of filling two of three vacant council seats.

Justina Nawaz was the lone candidate to step forward and was acclaimed to council, leaving one seat up for grabs but no more candidates to fight over it, thus nullifying the need for the June 5 by-election.

A third vacant seat, held formerly by Margaret Swain, can remain vacant until February 2025, the Department of Municipal Affairs has ruled, as Swain is appealing her dismissal from council earlier this year.

Nawaz, meanwhile, was sworn in at the Town Hall on Wednesday, May 29. Monday’s special meeting, which lasted just under two minutes, was her first public meeting since being acclaimed.

Council also has yet to name a new deputy mayor, following the resignation of former Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard back in March.

A date for the next public meeting has not yet been set.

Posted on June 7, 2024 .

Can’t rain on their parade

Members of St. Kevin’s High School’s Gay Straight Alliance/Social Justice Club are wearing their pride on their sleeves this month, as students and staff celebrate Pride Month. From left are teacher Tracy Nixon, teacher Donna Walsh, Hannah (Ace) Stanley, Autumn Clarke, Brianna Howlett, Leah Marsh, Em Putt, teacher Nicole Clake, teacher Matthew Judd, Melanie Lush, and Alex Fisk. Mark Squibb photo

By Mark Squibb

Rain, drizzle, fog, and some more rain, drizzle, and fog forced organizers to cancel the annual St. Kevin’s High School Pride Parade this week, but the sour weather did little to dampen the students’ spirits.

Instead, they celebrated inside, with decorations, a pride swag table, colourful outfits, and more.

Along the walls, words of affirmations attributed to gay icons from Audre Lorde to RuPaul encouraged students to be true to themselves, a major theme of Pride Month.

“Be who you are,” said student Brianna Howlett. “Be your authentic self. And it’s okay if you’re not ready to come out —just know there are people around for you.”

Howlett said Pride Month is a time for people to express themselves, a sentiment seconded by student Leah Marsh.

“I think Pride Month is a time when people in the LGBTQ community can come out and represent themselves and get the support they need, because they don’t usually get that support,” said Marsh.

Teacher Donna Walsh, a primary organizer of the school’s pride events, said it’s important for schools to recognise Pride Month and celebrate all students, gay, straight, or somewhere in between.

“These events show that we are inclusive, and that we are going to stand by our students,” said Walsh. “These events show students that school can be a safe space.”

Weather permitting, the students will raise the school’s Pride flag later this month.

Students will also repaint the rainbow crosswalk outside the school this month.

“Last year we were donated some paint and we got to put a crosswalk down for the first time in our history, but the foot traffic has just mangled it, so we’re going to repaint that and make sure that it’s fresh, not just for the end of the year, but for next year too,” said Walsh.

June is recognised as Pride Month in many westernized countries around the globe. Gay Pride events are banned in most Muslim countries where homosexuality is considered a crime under Muslim’s religious Sharia law, in some cases punishable by stoning to death, and not celebrated in some other traditional cultures. In China and Russia, the governments generally frown on public celebrations of homosexuality. Some 70 countries around the world have laws criminalizing gay sex.

In North America, Pride Month commemorates the Stonewall riots of 1969, when some people took to the streets to protest a police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a Manhattan gay bar, in June of that year.

The first Pride events were held the year following the riots and marked a watershed moment in the fight for LGBTQ rights.

Posted on June 7, 2024 .