By Mark Squibb/June 2, 2022
Of the four members of Bay Bulls council in attendance at the May public meeting, councillor Jason Sullivan was alone in speaking against a new development application process that he said may stall development along the town’s coastline.
The change would see development applications along the coastline be submitted to the Provincial Archaeological Office for further review due to the Memorial University archaeological assessment currently taking place within the community.
Sullivan made the motion to “not to have to check with those people unless it’s an actual, known area where there might be some archaeological things.”
No other member of council would second the motion, and after three calls for a seconder, the motion died.
Councillor Keith O’Driscoll motioned that council require that development application in areas along the coastline within 100 metres of the high-water mark be referred to the Provincial Archeology Office for review.
The requirement, said O’Driscoll, will then be reviewed following completion of the Memorial University Bay Bulls Archaeological Assessment which is currently underway.
Councillor Shannon O’Driscoll seconded the motion.
Just as Keith O’Driscoll was saying he felt the idea was a good one, councillor Jason Sullivan was saying he thought the idea was a horrible one.
“I think this is going to delay any potential development along the coastline,” said Sullivan, himself a developer, who wondered how comprehensive the review would be and worried that development would be stalled for years to come.
Town CAO Jennifer Aspell, at the request of Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien, explained the process a little further.
“The Provincial Archaeological Office has been asking municipalities to consider this for quite some time, and because we’re currently completing the assessment of the harbour and the coastline, it was recommended that we refer applications to them, but they have advised that they receive thousands of applications a year, and they turn them around quite quickly, within a one week period, and a really small percentage, I think it’s about two percent or less, are required to have any further work done, or an assessment of any sort,” said Aspell.
As an aside, Aspell said she was happy to note the archaeological work was underway, and folks may have noticed MUN students around town going about their work.
“At the end of this project next year, we will receive a GIS map that will note any item of significance that has been found and at that point and time council could certainly review this policy, or this motion, and say, ‘Look, we have a map, and we know in particular areas what is under the ground,’” she said. “So, we can look at individual applications, and not require them to go to the Provincial Archaeological Office.”
She added the new policy would be a precautionary measure until the Town received that map.
O’Driscoll said he thought the measure would be beneficial.
“We’re one of the oldest towns here in the province, and there’s a lot of historic recognition here,” said O’Driscoll, who added that Crown Land applications typically require such a referral anyway.
The motion passed 3 to 1, with Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien and councillors Keith and Shannon O’Driscoll voting in favour. Councillor Sullivan voted against the motion, while Mayor Neil O’Brien was not present at the meeting.
