Third time not the charm as Witless Bay once again defers BBBAA decision

By Mark Squibb/February 24, 2023

Witless Bay council has once again delayed making a decision on whether or not it will fund the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association moving forward.

“Basically, council is still ironing out the details of this MOU,” said Councillor Nancy Burke, who serves as council’s BBBAA liaison. “It’s an important item for the town which has required much discussion and decision making,” said Burke. “It is not something that we are entering into lightly. We want to ensure that we get it right, so that all parties involved are satisfied. We expect to have a decision to present in the very near future.”

For the last number of years, the Town has contributed $37,000 annually to the organization, as dictated by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Witless Bay and the organization. The Town of Bay Bulls pays an equal amount and the BBBAA effectively acts as a recreation department for both communities and the region generally.

That MOU expired at the close of 2022, and Witless Bay council has yet to decide whether it will renew it, despite the item appearing on three public meeting agendas since December.

In early December, Burke had noted a decision would need to be reached soon, as the Town was budgeting for 2023.

Councillor Alex Troake, responding to an e-mail inquiry from the Irish Loop Post earlier this winter, said that $37,000 has been earmarked for the BBBAA in the budget should council once again enter an MOU. If the Town chooses not to enter into an agreement, that money will be used for other recreational purposes.

Council denied a request from the BBBAA for an additional $13,000 back in 2022; at the time, finance chairperson Councillor Troake accused the BBBAA of “sitting on their hands” during the pandemic, a statement BBBAA president Scott Penney vehemently denied.

Bay Bulls has already approved its funding to the BBBAA for this year.

Ottawa moving to bring high-speed internet to more of the Irish Loop

By Mark Squibb/February 24, 2023

A handful of politicians representing the federal and provincial governments braved a blizzard to travel to Ferryland Wednesday morning to announce up to $94 million in joint funding for Bell and Xplore Net to bring high-speed internet to another 36,000 homes in over 350 rural, remote and Indigenous communities throughout the province.

Avalon MP Ken McDonald began the session with a playful shot at federal Minister of Rural Economic Development and the MP for Long Range Mountains, Gudie Hutchings.
“Every time Gudie speaks, she says she’s from the best coast, the west coast,” said McDonald. “And I’ll say, ‘You can think that all you like, but I have the Irish Loop in my riding, so mine is the best.’ So, I’m going to challenge her a little bit today, and ask her which community in her riding has got an international stamp?”

McDonald was of course referring to a stamp released in 2019 showing a giant iceberg that floated past Ferryland in 2017.

Hutchings had no comeback for McDonald.

“I noticed that Minister Hutchings is not jumping up or singling out any communities in her riding, so what is it in wrestling, the tap out? I got the shoulders pinned to the mat and now I’m wearing the belt.”

McDonald went on to relay the importance of internet to rural communities.

“I don’t think I need to tell anybody here how important high-speed internet is to communities like Ferryland, and all the other rural communities across our province,” said the Avalon MP. “Our government is working hard to give Canadians who live in rural and remote areas all the advantages and connectivity that come with high-speed internet access. Since day one, our government has been dedicated to building high-capacity infrastructure to connect Canadians, no matter where they live. Today’s announcement is another step towards our goal, and I’m proud to say it’s a big step for rural Newfoundland and Labrador.”

He relayed how during COVID lockdowns, the House of Commons met over Zoom and “didn’t miss a beat.”

“We can all vote on now, as members of Parliament, on our phones,” said McDonald by way of example. “We have an app on our phones, that if we’re at home, and not in Ottawa for some reason when a vote takes place, you take out your phone, and click on the voting app, and vote. There’s facial ID to make sure it’s not some phony person voting in your place who might not vote the way you would. It gives us the ability to be in our ridings more, and not in Ottawa. Because I always tell people, there’s nobody voting for you in Ottawa, unless you’re an Ottawa MP. So, the more you can be in your riding, the better off you are as a politician.”

Hutchings also spoke about Ottawa’s commitment to bringing high-speed internet to rural communities.

“Internet is not just a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Hutchings. “It’s not just Netflix.”

She went on to detail how folks use the internet to work, play, further their education, and stay connected.

“But the big thing that it is, is that it’s an equalizer,” said Hutchings. “It’s an equalizer from every part of Canada, from coast to coast to coast. That makes it a level playing field, no matter where you business is, no matter where your farm is, no matter where your fishing operation is, if you have reliable, high speed internet, the country is equal.”

She said the federal government is working to provide high speed internet access to 98 precent of Canadians by 2026, and the entirety of Canada by 2030.

According to Hutchings, 93.5 precent of Canadians are connected to high-speed internet. She later said that 79 percent of this province has access to high-speed internet.

“I know, for some communities it’s been a long time coming,” said Hutchings. “But we are getting the job done… so get ready, because your world is about to change, in a good way.”

MHA Brian Warr then reiterated that access to the internet is not a luxury, but a necessity.

Also in attendance were MHA Loyola O’Driscoll, Ferryland councillor Keith Mooney, and MP Seamus O ‘Regan, and representatives of Bell and Xplore Net.

Bell’s portion of the project is expected to be completed by December 2025, and Xplorenet’s by March 2026.

A list of communities to receive services was provided by Ken McDonald’s office, but that list does not include the number of households to be serviced in each community.

Communities along the Irish Loop to receive additional service include Admiral’s Beach, Admiral’s Cove, Aquaforte, Biscay Bay, Brigus South, Cape Broyle, Cappahayden, Fermeuse, Ferryland, Gaskiers-Point la Haye, La Manche, Mall Bay, Port Kirwan, Portugal Cove South, Renews, St. Catherine’s, St. Shotts, St. Vincent’s, and Trepassey.

Those communities are being serviced by Bell.

BBBAA closes after school program as it still awaits word from Witless Bay

By Mark Squibb/February 17, 2023

The Bay Bulls Bauline Athletics Association (BBBAA) has closed its afterschool program, citing loss of revenue amongst other issues.

“We were losing money, and we tired to carry it as best we could, but unfortunately, the last two or three years, we haven’t been able to have our annual auction every year that we typically have at the Lifestyle Centre,” said chairperson Scott Penney.

Furthermore, Penney said, enrollment numbers have dropped over the years, and the program had also sponsored certain children, which ate further into the revenues.

“Ten years ago, there was definitely a need, and we saw a real opportunity to provide an afterschool program,” said Penney. “But a lot of things changed in our area to make it more cost prohibitive to do that.”

Penney said one major factor has been an increase in competing after school programs, including a private childcare business and an afterschool program operating out of St. Bernard’s Elementary.

He said the regional market simply cannot sustain three afterschool programs.

“We will continue to focus on recreation, on our summer camps and day programs,” said Penney. “And unfortunately, at this point in time, the afterschool program wasn’t sustainable.”

Penney praised those other programs and said he hopes they can absorb the children who had availed of the BBBAA’s program.

“We’ve seen more private operators open up now with expanded spaces,” said Penney. “That’s a good fit and hopefully those kids can transition to some of those private operators.”

Penney added that reductions in busing routes over the last number of years has also increased the difficulty in getting students to and from the program.

The BBBAA issued notice of a closure on January 6, citing a closure date of February 3 (the BBBAA actually postponed closure of the program by about a week.)

That closure notice also cited a projected revenue deficit of $12,937 from November 1, 2022 till February 3, 2023 — a loss the association says it cannot continue to absorb.

Penney said roughly 20 to 25 kids would attend the program each day.

He added he was glad the organisation could provide employment for so many young adults over the last decade, and he believes the private market is very capable of meeting the demand.

Penney said he’s glad the program has never turned a child away.

Meanwhile, Penney sids the association is still unsure as to whether the Town of Witless Bay will continue to financially support the organization or not.

“We have no idea what the Town intends to do,” said Penney.

For years, the Town has contributed $37,000 annually to the organization. Bay Bulls also paid the same amount.

In 2021, both towns provided a boost of $13,000 each on top of those funds to help the organization deal with increased costs due to the pandemic.

Bay Bulls provided that same boost of cash in 2022, but Witless Bay denied the increase, though not unanimously. Councillors Gerard Dunne, Alex Troake, Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, and Mayor Trevor Croft voted down the funding increase, while councillors Nancy Burke and Jacob Hayden voted in favour of it.

Troake noted at the time that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Town and the organization was set to expire in 2022, and that council would have to discuss whether they would renew it in the new year.

A motion to either approve or deny a new MOU with the organization first appeared on a public meeting agenda in early December, but it has been delayed several times since then.

The MOU was on the agenda for this most recent meeting of council, which was scheduled to be held on February 14, but that meeting was postponed until next Tuesday due to this past week’s snowstorm.

“As regards to moving forward, I don’t know what the plan is,” said Penney. “In today’s job market, a one-year or two-year option, we’re not going to be able to accept that. We appreciate it, but we are unable to accept that, because it doesn’t provide a sense of security for our employees. We have very dedicated staff, we have done tremendous work in this region, and we do recreation tasks that council now does not need to worry about… What they are getting from a $50,000 commitment is basically two full time employees to run all recreation programming, manage the winter carnival, manage Canada Day, manage hikes.”

He said that if Witless Bay chooses not to fund the organization, the BBBAA may fold operations entirely.

“The rubber will hit the road, and at the end of the day, if that’s the way they want to do it, Witless Bay will have their own recreation program and they’ll have to go out and hire their own recreation director and pay $60,000 or $70,000 and manage recreation,” said Penney. “So, it’s totally, totally their call.”

The Town of Bay Bulls has come onboard with $50,000 in annual funding.

Penney said the organization has continued to ask for $50,000 annually, noting the cost of living has increased greatly since the initial approval of $37,000 annually back in 2013.

Penney will have to wait until next Tuesday to see whether  the Town approves, denies, or delays.

“We’re pretty hopeful,” said Penny. “But as I’ve said many, many times, if the Witless Bay council decides not to approve the funding allocation for the BBBAA, then the very next morning they’re in the recreation business.”

Jack and Liam

Jack O’Reilly (left) and Liam Carter may cheer for different teams, but the pair of Mobile Monarchs still have fun on the ice together. The two enjoyed a skating party with their classmates just before the start of Christmas break. Submitted photo

St. Kevin's High School Boys Earn Bronze

St. Kevin’s High School boys earned bronze in the Carbonear Winter Classic basketball tournament earlier this January. From left to right are Aaron Hennessey, Brendan Ryan, Noah Anderchyk, Coach Pearce Penton, Carter Hynes, Evan St. Croix and Ben Winsor.

Bay Bulls supports banquet

The Town of Bay Bulls has approved funding for the annual senior’s outreach dinner at Mobile Central High School.

During January’s meeting, council voted to split the cost of the dinner with the school 50/50, but not without some discussion first.

Councillor Corey Ronayne asked how much the cost associated with the dinner usually amounted to in years past.

Councillor Shannon O’Driscoll explained that the last time the school hosted the event was in 2020, and the cost ran somewhere around $1,250.

“But we’ve budgeted $2,500 in this current budget, due to grocery costs,” said O’Driscoll. “And it depends too on the attendance numbers. They’re trying to get the support now, and then they’ll plan the dinner. So, I can’t really give a firm answer because it depends on the amount that attend.”

The motion passed unanimously.

Witless Bay helping fund trail clean up

By Mark Squires/February 3, 2023

Witless Bay council unanimously voted to approve a request from the ATV Association for $2,000 to support efforts to repair the railway trestle and washout between Dane’s Road and Bear’s Cove Road during a meeting held earlier this month.

Councillor Jacob Hayden declared a conflict of interest as he is the chairperson of the ATV Association.

The association recently completed phase one of a multi phase cleanup and repair to the rail bed.

“As most of you are aware, the association just completed phase one of repairs to the railway bed between Dean’s Road and Bear’s Cove Road, creating a safe and successful area for all drivers,” said councillor Ralph Carey. “This funding will be used to help the association procure cost-sharing grants to go towards further upgrades.”

Carey reminded council the Town has committed to saving the railbed, and said that donating the money now will save Witless Bay money in the long run.

“Our next phase is to complete repairs to a washout between Dean’s Road and Bear’s Cove Road,” said Carey. “This will complete the connection of the railbed between Witless Bay and Bay Bulls, allowing the association to continue it’s efforts to make it a more multi-use trail that will benefit all residents of Witless Bay.”

Carey concluded the association, made up of volunteers, is doing good work, and recommended council approve the request. Councillor Nancy Burke seconded the motion.

Later in the meeting, Hayden gave a short ATV Association Committee report, highlighting the upgrades, include trail-widening and ditching, that the group has undertaken.

Back in February, the Association received $5,000 in Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB) Come Home Year funding for clean up along the trails.

Mobile Central High Grade 5 girls placed first in the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association (NLAA) Cross Country Series late this past year. In the back, from left to right, are team members Rhea Doyle, Jenna Keough, Kayleigh Dalton, Bree Joyce, Abbi Sullivan and Ivy Brothers. In the front, from left to right, are Callie Coombs, Lauren Johnson, Emilee Martin and Olivia O’Driscoll. submitted photo

Stricken from the record

By Mark Squibb/January 20, 2023

Bay Bulls council has condemned some old records to the shredder.

Council approved destruction of all records that had met or exceeded their retention period as outlined in the retention schedule specified in the Town’s retention and disposal policy during this week’s public meeting.

That motion was unanimously approved by council.

The policy was not to be found on the Town’s website, and an inquiry to Town staff went unanswered.

During that same meeting, council voted to strike two businesses from the Town’s tax roll because of closures – Building Blocks Preschool and Healing Hands Massage Clinic.

Those motions were also approved unanimously.

Wait a minute - there's no minutes

By Mark Squibb/January 20, 2023

The opening moments of a Witless Bay council meeting are usually pretty unremarkable, as council, like all town councils everywhere, begins each meeting by adopting the minutes of previous meetings. The minutes are an official written record of the previous meeting’s proceedings and decisions and a staple of municipal recordkeeping and administration.

During last week’s public meeting, however, when council came to the part of the agenda where it was supposed to review and vote on the previous meeting’s minutes of December 22 it hit a roadblock; the minutes were not to be found.

“Because those are not in our package, I recommend we adopt them at the next meeting,” suggested councillor Ralph Carey. 

That suggestion was agreeable with the rest of council, who unanimously approved the delay.

During that December 22 meeting, council adopted the 2023 budget and tax structure, deferred making a decision on whether the Town will help fund the Bay Bulls Bauline Athletic Association, and approved closure of the Town Hall over the holidays.

Witless Bay moves to fire Town Manager for a record fourth time

By Mark Squibb/January 20, 2023

They say the third time’s the charm, but that wasn’t the case for Witless Bay council, which last week moved to fire former Town Manager Shawn Kavanagh a fourth time.

There was no explanation from anyone on council as to why they were firing Kavanagh again.

The Irish Loop Post reached out to Mayor Trevor Croft afterwards, who said he was unable to comment on the matter.

He suggested Town Manager Geraldine Caul would be able to respond.

Caul replied to the inquiry with the same response she has offered on previous occasions — “The Town does not comment on matters pertaining to Human Resources,” she said.

Kavanagh could not be reached by deadline, but in times past has claimed the Town has not followed proper provincial legislation for laying off town staff.

The Town appointed Shawn Kavanagh as new Town Manager and acting Town Clerk back in February 2022, with Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard and councillor Alex Troake boasting at the time that council was able to make the hiring without the use of an outside consultant or hiring firm, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Kavanagh was hired to replace former Town Manager Kevin Kelley, who had been hired in September and then tendered his resignation in early October of 2021. Prior to Kelly’s hiring, the position of chief administrative officer had been filled for about a year by Pat Curran, an experienced municipal and business consultant. Previous to that, the top administrative position in the Town was the position of Town Clerk, which was filled by current Town Manager Geraldine Caul.

The motion to fire Kavanagh a fourth time passed unanimously.

Witless Bay once again delays BBBAA funding decision

By Mark Squibb/January 13, 2023

Witless Bay town council has once again delayed making a decision on how much — if any —funding it will commit to the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association (BBBAA) in 2023.

The issue was on this week’s agenda, but councillor Nancy Burke, council’s BBBAA representative, moved that council defer the matter once again to “give us a chance to make a decision and communicate with the parties invovled.”

Councillor Jacob Hayden said the Town has yet to review documents submitted by the BBBAA prior to the December 22 council meeting, noting that folks were busy over the holiday season and away from their offices.

“We just haven’t had the time to meet back-and-forth with the BBBAA and discuss what was going to be laid out, so hopefully we’ll have all that laid out and figured out in time for the next meeting,” said Hayden.

The item was on the agenda for a special meeting held December 22, and was deferred during that meeting, with Burke noting that more discussions were required.

Though council has not made a firm decision either way, it has budgeted $37,000 for recreation administration this year, money normally earmarked for the BBBAA.

Under the former agreement, which expired at the close of 2022, the Town gave the organization a $37,000 annual operating grant.

Council was divided earlier this year on whether to give the BBBAA a boost of $13,000 on top of the $37,000 to match the previous years funding, which had been boosted because of Covid measures.

Councillors Hayden, Nancy Burke, and Ralph Carey voted in favour of granting the increase, while councillors Gerard Dunne, Alex Troake, Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, and Mayor Trevor Croft had voted against it.

At the time, Troake had noted the MOU between the Town and the BBBAA was set to expire in 2022 and that it may be time to reconsider how the town funds recreation in the region.

Fermeuse marine base gets clearance for construction phase

The Province has approved an environmental protection plan for a longstanding proposal to develop a marine base catering to the offshore oil industry in Fermeuse, but with conditions.

Fermeuse Enterprises Limited (FEL) initially registered its application in November 2014.

The president of the company is Steinar Engeset, who is based in Nova Scotia. He’s a former Honorary Consul for Norway with large interests in the international seafood industry and is currently president of Labrador Sea (2004) Ltd., which has a majority interest in Harbour Grace Shrimp Company, which is the main shareholder in Fermeuse Enterprises Ltd.

According to the company’s original filing with the Environment Department, FEL intended to construct a facility with 12 berths, a semi-submersible rig servicing quay, multiple laydown areas with crane and heavy lift capabilities and various site buildings for maintenance, administration and other purposes related to providing services to the province’s oil sector.

The total land area of the base was to be approximately 15.3 hectares mostly around Lumley Cove and Lawe’s Point in Fermeuse. The proponents had hoped to start construction as early as the summer of 2015 and be in operation late 2016 or early 2017. The property released the project from environmental assessment in 2017, but required submission of an environmental protection plan. Environment Minister Bernard Davis signed off on that plan just before Christmas.

According to the conditions set by the department, FEL must uphold all commitments made in its environmental assessment submissions to mitigate the effects of the project on the environment. The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture also requires that FEL maintain a 30-metre undisturbed buffer around bird nests in the area during their nesting season from April 15 to July 31.

FEL must also submit an environmental protection plan for the operations phase of the project prior to commencement of any actual operations related to servicing the oil industry. An environmental protection plan is also required before the company eventually decommissions the base, assuming it goes ahead with the project.

Bay Bulls to stick with complement of five, Mayor says in 2023 outlook

By Mark Squibb/January 6, 2023

Keith O’Driscoll was the clear favourite in the 2021 municipal election, earning more votes than any of the other nine candidates, which included all five members of the former council.

O’Driscoll, who works full time at the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture, previously served on council in 2013, but had to step aside for personal reasons.

“It was always in the back of my mind to run again,” said O’Driscoll. “So, when the time came around in 2021, I actually had a lot of residents come to me and ask me if I was going to run, and I had it in my head to run anyway.”

O’Driscoll put his name forward for mayor following the election, but council favoured Neil O’Brien for the role.

But O’Driscoll would get a second shot at the mayor’s seat not many months later, when O’Brien resigned in August, 2022.

O’Driscoll said he had mixed feelings putting his name forward for the mayor’s chair following O’Brien’s resignation, but felt it was something that residents wanted.

Evidently, it was something that other members of council wanted as well, as O’Driscoll was acclaimed as mayor.

The council that O’Driscoll chairs boasts only five members, not the typical seven.

The former council sought ministerial approval to reduce the council complement following the resignation of councillor Evelyn Tucker. With a seat already vacant, Tucker’s resignation brought council down to five members. Prior to Tucker’s resignation, the Town had put forth no less than half-a-dozen calls for nomination over the previous two years, but the calls went unanswered.

In a strange twist, 10 residents actually put their names forward for nomination in the October 2021 municipal election, meaning the Town could have filled a full roster of seven seats. But the complement having already been changed to five members, the new council opted to stay with that number.

Back in February, O’Driscoll supported a motion put forward by his wife, councillor Shannon O’Driscoll, to request ministerial approval to increase council’s complement to seven seats. Both O’ Driscolls voted in favor of the motion, while then Mayor Neil O’Brien, Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien, and councillor Jason Sullivan voted against it.

O’ Driscoll said it’s not likely council will pursue the matter this year, given the lack of interest shown in the seat that O’Brien vacated.

That seat was filled by Corey Ronayne during a recent by-election.

“I’m fine with sticking at a complement of five, and the main reason is that there doesn’t appear to be that much interest out there in the community to be on council,” said O’Driscoll. “And the proof of that was in the previous by-election. We put out the call for anybody interested, and councillor Ronayne was the only one who put his name forward. So, that was the writing on the wall for me. Had there been a large interest at the time, I think we would definitely pursue filling those two positions.”

O’Driscoll said he was surprised by the turnout — the lack of.

“I was anticipating a good list of candidates, and it ended up being just the one,” said O’Driscoll. “So, for that reason alone, I think it would be a lot of work for nothing if we were to look at filling those other two seats and end up with possibly no one putting their names forward.”

Council would have to seek permission from the provincial government to increase their complement back to seven once again before putting a call out for candidates to fill those two seats.

“We have a great group,” said O’Driscoll. “The five us are a very dynamic group. We have different expertise in various areas, and we’re working well together. So, I think our five is doing well. It means a little bit of extra work being involved in external committees, outside of council, but other than that, it’s good going.”

He contributed the lack of interest in running for council to the fact that a number of folks who live in Bay Bulls work elsewhere, including offshore, and so spend very little time actually in Bay Bulls, and also to the number of young families who are still working and raising small children and may not have the time to commit to council.

“I wanted to bring our resident’s questions, concerns, and ideas to the table,” said O’Driscoll, when asked why he himself decided to put his name forward for council. “I’m very active in recreation in our area, and I want to see our recreation strive and get better, and that was one of the reasons I ran. And we’ve done a lot of improvements with regards to our recreation program.”

He said that while on council back in 2013, he had brought forward the idea of putting a trail around Long Pond.

“At the time there was no appetite amongst council and staff, and it just didn’t work at that time,” said O’Driscoll. “But I applaud the previous council for initiating this. When we came on board, we took it over from the previous council, and it has become a great asset for, not only our town, but the region. The walking trail is completed at about two-and-a-half kilometres, with about another kilometre-and-a half to go. So, that’s one of one the big developments that have taken place over the last year that I’m quite happy with. And you can tell on your daily commute back and forth to work, there’s always a car, or two, or a dozen, hauled in on the side of Winnonish Drive. And that’s what we want to see.”

O’Driscoll said that council hopes to complete the trail in 2023.

“It’s been such a great asset to the town, and so we want to get it completed,” he said. “The Town has submitted a municipal capital works application for funding to hopefully close that loop. So, that would be done through a 60/40 split if we get the funding approved.”

In addition, he hopes the Town may offer new events in the coming year.

He noted council in 2022 approved two new subdivisions, approved three new business permits, worked with the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association to upgrade soccer and softball fields, and, with funding from the federal government, invested in upgrades to the Regional Lifestyle Centre.

Despite residential tax increases, which O’Driscoll says were forced on council by the provincial government’s Own Source Revenue requirements, he’s pleased with the budget council passed for 2023.

“We all want the best for our residents, tax-wise, and trying to achieve that with the cost of everything increasing is definitely a challenge for us,” said O’Driscoll. “But what we brought forward in our most recent budget is good for our residents, given the circumstances we have before us.”

Council had requested, twice, an exemption from, or reduction to, the ‘Own Source Revenue’ requirement, once in November, 2021, and again in October, 2022. Both requests were denied.

O’Driscoll said the Town will also continue to work with Witless Bay on regional fire services, despite a motion this past November to delay payment of $38,000 to the Regional Fire Department.

“We’re working with the town to iron out the details,” said O’Driscoll. “But the taxes our residents pay, we are accountable for those. Witless Bay Fire Department did increase fees, and all we’re looking for is to get clarification on the increase. So, we’re working with the Town of Witless Bay right now to iron out what those fees entail, what those increases entail. By no means are we looking to withhold any operating costs. We just want to be accountable to our residents for the increases.”

The next public meeting of council, the first of the new year, is scheduled to take place on Monday January 16.