Members of the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department unveiled the new fire department logo earlier this month. It was designed by Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard with Fire Chief Jack Gatherall, Assistant Chief Shane Cole, and other department members. Left to right are Shane Cole, Sylvester Cahill, Adam Doyle, Chris Courtney, Steph Croft, Jeff Kelly, Chrystal Kelly, Wes Learning, McKenna Walsh, Jack Gatherall, Daniel Vickers, Nick Legge and Caitlin Yard. Missing from the photo are firefighters Dylan Whitty- Lundrigan, Connor O’ Driscoll, Jarrett Waddleton, Michael Clarke, Zack Clarke, Chris Hollett, Jeremy Legge, Andrew Gibbons, Rodney Norris, Danielle Dinn, Patrick Maloney, Brandon Clarke, Dave Ryan, Kenneth Penney, Daniel Coady, Cyril Dalton, and Lee Dunne. Submitted photo

Witless Bay, Holyrood to split Witless Bay Line fire coverage

By Mark Squibb/July 22, 2022

The Town of Witless Bay will work with NL 911 as well as provincial Fire and Emergency Services to extend the Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department’s service boundary approximately 10kms across the Witless Bay Line.

The request to amend the NL911 map and Witless Bay Volunteer Fire Department response district was discussed and unanimously approved during last week’s council meeting.

“So, what will happen is, if you’re halfway across the Witless Bay Line and you have an accident, and you call 911, all calls go to the RCMP to determine whether or not the fire department is needed,” explained Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard. “And you have to remember, that RCMP officer could be in Trepassey, he’s not on the scene, so it’s hard for him to make that call. By extending our coverage across the line, that will drastically improve safety, and faster response times. Because we have a lot of residents who travel for pleasure, for work, and right now there’s very little coverage on that line.”

Yard said the Holyrood Fire Department has agreed to cover the remainder of the Witless Bay Line.

“The Witless Bay Fire Department has a good working relationship with Holyrood, and Holyrood are going to take the other 50 percent of the line on the other side,” said Yard. “So, both departments will notify each other in the event of a call, to ensure that somebody responds and so that way we can ensure coverage for all of the line, which right now currently doesn’t exist.”

Bay Bulls defers Crown Land application over watershed concern

By Mark Squibb/July 22, 2022

Bay Bulls may see construction begin on a new subdivision — if it turns out the land is not inside a watershed.

Last week, council voted to defer a Crown Land application for a parcel of land that the Division of Water Resources, an arm of the provincial Department of Environment, says may exist in a potential watershed.

“There is an applicant that is seeking Crown Land, the property is in the area of Cemetery Lane West and also borders the Lower Path Road,” explained CAO Jennifer Aspell. “There is a potential watershed area that has been identified through mapping through the Water Resources Division and, so the decision is being made to refer the Crown Land application back to advise that the Town is deferring any approval until Water Resources reviews the potential watershed area and identifies if there are any concerns.”

The current proposal, said Aspell, is for a 36-lot subdivision.

 “It would be important to note that we don’t have engineering drawings, or anything detailed at this point,” said Aspell. “It’s a very high-level plan that’s accompanying the application – nothing beyond that.”

The motion to defer was approved unanimously.

Bay Bulls councillors told to take ATIPP training

By Mark Squibb/July 22, 2022

Members of Bay Bulls council and town staff will be undergoing mandatory ATIPP training later this summer following a recommendation from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commission.

“There was a privacy complaint filed, and following an investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the recommendation that has been sent is that council must complete ATIPP training,” explained Town CAO Jennifer Aspell during the last public meeting. She added the office had followed up with the Town looking for an update.

Aspell said based on scheduled availability, training will likely take place towards the end of August.

Councillor Jason Sullivan asked if the training is mandatory, and Aspell said that it will be.

Sullivan, who said he wouldn’t be in Bay Bulls for the end of August, argued that the Office recommended, not demanded, that all council members attend the training.

“But anyway, you can go ahead and do it,” said Sullivan.

Acting Mayor Jason O’Brien said the Town could look at other options, and Aspell agree they can look at rescheduling the training.

O’Brien called for a vote, and councillors Keith O’Driscoll and Shannon O’Driscoll both voted in favour of the recommendation. Neither Sullivan, nor the Acting Mayor could be heard to register their votes on the motion, though O’Brien deemed it had passed.

Two sections of the Southern Shore Highway between Cappahayden and Portugal Cove South are in the process of being rebuilt, with new culverts spanning brooks and streams as part of the work. Farrell’s Construction of CBS has the contract for the work, which includes about 10 kms of high way altogether.

O'Brien steps down

By Mark Squibb/July 15, 2022

Neil O’ Brien is no longer mayor of Bay Bulls.

“As of July 8, Mayor Neil O’Brien has put in his notice of resignation from his position on council,” said Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien at the beginning of this week’s public council meeting. “This is effective as of July 8 as per the Municipalities Act 1999. Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien will assume the duties of mayor until council decides on how to precede to fill that position.”

The announcement was made at the start of Wednesday’s meeting, and council then carried on with regular business without further discussion on the matter.

Former Mayor O’Brien was not present at the meeting. He, along with the four other current members of council, was elected this past October in the 2021 municipal election.

Residents voted out all previous members of council, including former mayor Harold Mullowney, who had held a seat on council for nearly three decades until losing out this past election, in favour in a new slate of council members.

Out of the five successful candidates, Neil O’Brien landed square in the middle, coming in third place according to the vote count.

Another shuffle at Witless Bay Town Hall

The Town of Witless Bay has appointed Town Clerk Geraldine Caul to the position of Acting Town Manager in light of Town Manager Shawn Kavanagh’s recent leave of absence.

Caul has been on leave since at least last summer, and as of July 14 was still listed on the town’s website as being ‘On leave.’

The Town had hired Katherine Doyle in May to fill the Town Clerk position in Caul’s absence.

Kavanagh, meanwhile, was hired in February of this year to replace former Town manager Kevin Kelley, who quit in October, just a month after he had been hired to replace chief administrative officer Pat Curran.

Kavanagh went on his leave of absence in June, and told the Irish Loop Post he wasn’t at liberty to discuss the matter further.

The Irish Loop Post tried to reach Doyle, Caul, Mayor Trevor Croft, and Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard inquiring as to whether Kavanagh was still being paid while on leave, but did not receive a response. A call to the Town Hall was not answered.

Doctor shortage dire, but not without hope: MHA

By Mark Squibb/July 15, 2022

Fast on the heels of a demonstration held in Trepassey two weeks ago, Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll says the doctor shortage is a worry in his district.

“It’s certainly a big concern,” said O’ Driscoll. “It puts a lot of stress on people. Along with the ambulance issue we’ve had for the last year, now there’s the doctor issue. And I think it could be resolved if they just sat down at the table, I think it could be figured out.”

O’Driscoll’s comment on ‘ambulance issue’ was a reference to the Department of Health and Community Services’ decision to pull one of the two ambulances out of Trepassey and relocate it to Ferryland Emergency Services based in Cape Broyle.

The demonstration was held outside the clinic June 30 to mark the departure of Dr. Heather Cuddy, who had served in the area for the last three years. Cuddy and Eastern Health could not reach an agreement over a position which would see Cuddy working out of Holyrood, but also serving Trepassey and Ferryland.

“It’s hard to get doctors in rural areas, but she was interested in the job, and they couldn’t figure out how to make that happen,” said O’ Driscoll. “I know, they can’t give away the world, but they could certainly sit down and figure this out. And that doesn’t seem to be what they’re doing… Being a doctor in rural Newfoundland is different than being a doctor in St. John’s or Corner Brook or Gander, and those big centres. In rural Newfoundland, the issues are different, but I think they can be rectified, I really do.”

A week after the demonstration, Premier Andrew Furey announced that Minister of Health John Haggie and Community Services Minister of Education Tom Osborne would be swapping seats. Haggie had served as Minister of Health nigh on seven years, being first appointed to the position in 2015, while Osbourne had served as Minister of Education for almost two years, being appointed in August 2020. Osbourne had served as Health Minister for about 10 months in the Danny Williams PC government in 2006-2007.

O’Driscoll welcomed the change so long as it means a call back from the Minister’s office.

“I’ve made calls to Minister Haggie’s office, I’ve sent a text and e-mails, and, well, I hope the new person that’s in there, Minister Osbourne, is going to get back to me quicker than Minister Haggie did,” said O’Driscoll. “He hasn’t responded to me. I’ve sent a text and probably three e-mails over the last three or four weeks, and no response whatsoever. I’m just asking him to call me... that’s disappointing to me. And hopefully this minister will get back to me, and I think he will, just based on dealing with him in Education, he would certainly answer your call or call you back. The previous minister seemed disinterested to me in the last three or four weeks, or month, or last couple of months.”

The next step, said O’ Driscoll, is to arrange a meeting with Osborne.

“I think these problems can be solved,” said O’Driscoll.

In regards to the Health Accord, the Liberal Government’s 10 year health plan (which reminds those interested in reading it that Newfoundland has the worst life expectancy, highest death rates for cancer, cardiac disease and stroke, and highest rate of chronic disease in Canada, along with both the highest per capita spending on health care and worst health system performance across Canada), O’ Driscoll said the PC caucus has met with the plan’s co-chairs Sister Elizabeth Davis and Dr. Pat Parfrey, and while he allows there are good parts to the plan, what is needed now in his district are solutions, not the statement of long-term goals.

“That’s a long-term plan, but we need some solutions now,” said the member.