Witless Bay calls another byelection

By Craig Westcott / September 15, 2023

Witless Bay council will make a second attempt to fill a vacancy in the chamber, this time following the rules set out in the Municipalities Act.

Council voted Tuesday to hold nominations for the vacant seat on October 5 with the by-election, if enough candidates come forward to make it a contest, scheduled for Wednesday, November 1.

The previous call for nominations this past August, in which Alan Richards, the husband of Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard, was acclaimed to council, didn't meet the 10-day notice period for nominations, nor did council properly advertise the nomination call. However, a spokesperson for the provincial Department of Municipal Affairs said the department would only intervene if someone complained. Richards remains on council and voted on the resolutions for the latest byelection call.

It was Yard who made the motion this time to schedule a nomination call with a proper notification period. Council also agreed to appoint Linda Carter as the Alternate Returning Officer for the by-election.

In other council news:

• Council approved an application for a backlot development at 156 Harbour Road. The application was advertised for public comment and no objections were raised against it.

• Council also approved a Crown Land application at an address it did not disclose at the public meeting. Councillor Jacob Hayden made the motion to approve the application, but with a reduced size from what the applicant was originally seeking. The motion was seconded by councillor Ralph Carey.

"We kind of just reviewed this application and because of the area that the application is entailing we had a meeting with the resident that was applying for the land, and we came to an agreement that we would modify the map in order to provide potential access to land that would be behind this area," said Hayden.

• Council said no to a request from a seasonal business to change its tax status, but did agree to refund $1,284 of its taxes.

"If anytime the business operates beyond the six months of the year, the full amount of taxes owing for 2023 will be due," said Hayden. "This business is basically a winter only seasonal operation. The reason why we had to deny the request for business tax reclassification is basically because it's so far into the year we can't reclassify something that's before March 31, when our budget is finalized. We do understand that the resident is not making a lot of money off this operation and the amount of taxes we were going to take from them was substantial for the amount of money that they're taking in. So, we recognized that and that's why we brought in the remission of the taxes."

• Council approved a motion from Yard to pre-approve invoices from Advantage Personnel. It was seconded by Richards.

"This is just to set up a proper payment plan with the temp agency who is currently providing us some staff assistance until the end of our bargaining year with our union coming up," said Yard. "So, we're looking at how we're going to staff the office, and how that's going to look. But for now, we just need some extra help to speak to the public, take tax payments and keep the office running."

A check with the Town Hall after the meeting however, clarified that the staffing arrangement with Advantage Personnel has nothing to do with the Town’s collective agreement with the union, which expires this year. Rather, a temporary worker has been retained from the company to fill in for a Town employee who is on leave.

• Council also agreed to award a $21,390 plus HST contract to Pinnacle Solutions to upgrade the technology at the Town Hall and Fire Hall.

The motion was made by Richards and seconded by Yard.

"This is a sorely needed upgrade for us," said Richards. "We've been on antiquated technology that's just destined for the bin, essentially. This will give us some added security and will take some load off (chief administrative officer) Jennifer (Aspell) hopefully in searching for records."

That comment made Aspell chuckle.

"The important thing is that we will be able to back up everything that we're doing," said Aspell, "and centralize access through a server."

Richards noted he has worked with Pinnacle in the past "and they have a very good reputation."

• Council has agreed to delegate authority to Town staff to issue routine permits for home renovations and to extend the closing period for permits when necessary.

"We're hoping to streamline for anybody who is coming in for a basic permit (so that) it doesn't have to go through a public meeting," said Carey. “We're only meeting once a month so we're trying to be helpful to the residents."

• The Town has awarded a $4,441 + HST contract to GFL to clean out Witless Bay's catch basins.

"We have 32 catch basins in town, and they need to be cleaned out generally annually," said Hayden. "It's coming up now for storm season and it's a good idea to get those done now so that we don't end up with any flooding issues around town."

Youth Ventures award winner operates her business from home

Mark Squibb / September 15, 2023

Samantha Thorne, 29, of Witless Bay was named the recipient of Youth Venture’s Newfoundland and Labrador Excellence in Marketing Award at the group’s 26th annual award show this August.

Throne is both owner and principal designer of Heart + Home Design Co, and offers clients interior design and project manager services.

“It was very unexpected, but obviously very exciting and an honour,” said Thorne.

She launched the business in May of this year, but had been working as a designer for six years prior to branching out on her own.

Her interest in the field goes back even further.

“I’ve loved the residential construction industry ever since I was a little girl,” said Thorne. “My dad did a three-year renovation on our home, from when I was six until I was nine, and I was so interested every step of the way. I think it’s just really fascinating. I’m very creative, but I’m also a very technical person, and I feel that interior design really marries the two really well. And me, personally, I get so excited working with individual clients and really tailoring to their project needs and specific style.”

After giving birth to a daughter in 2022, Throne was unable to return to work because of a lack of available childcare.

“I thought about it a lot, and said, ‘You know, this is as good a time as any to start my own business,’” said Throne. “It’s something that I’ve always planned on doing. I thought maybe it was a little further in my future, but everything lined up for me to start it now and I’m so happy that I did.”

She encouraged those who have a dream of running their own business one day to chase that dream.

“It might sound cliché, but if it’s something you’re passionate about, if it’s something you want to do for the rest of your life, do it,” said Thorne. “It’s not going to be easy, its going to be difficult. Every path is different to getting to the point of where you’re content doing what you’re doing. But even the hard days are worth it, because I get to do what I love every single day. I’m not going to a job I don’t want to be at.”

Youth Ventures is a not-for-profit organization funded by Atlantic Canada’s Community Business Development Corporations, including the Celtic CBDC, that helps youth and adults ages 12-29 start their own businesses.

Samantha Thorne of Witless Bay was recently awarded Youth Venture’s Excellence in Marketing award. Thorne is owner and principal designer of Heart + Home Design Co., a company she founded earlier this year. Submitted photo.

Southern Shore U15 Girls soccer team proud silver medallists

The Southern Shore U15 Girls soccer team members are proud silver medallists after an intense weekend of competition in Conception Bay South. The girls went against the Burin Peninsula in the gold medal game of the Metro Championships. Neither team scored during regulation time, leading to a five-round shootout that saw the Burin Peninsula team earn the win. In the back row, from left to right are coach Jessica Power, Christa Power, Lily Stamp, Audrey Molloy, Leela Joyce, Emma Oates, Neela Mullowney, and Lucy Murphy. In the front row, from left to right are Rachael Randell, Kennedy Melvin, Ava Gibson, Erin O'Driscoll, Ava Collett, Peyton Chidley, Ella Hefferman, and Taylor Windsor. Missing from the photo is coach Rodney Joyce. Submitted photo

Witless Bay hands out money for local groups

By Mark Squibb / September 1, 2023

The Town of Witless Bay last week approved a number of different donations and payments to local community groups.

Council approved a donation of $500 to the local Kinsmen Club for their Community Pantry School Supply Drive.

“The Kinsmen recently issued a call for donations to assist with their back to school drive,” said Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard. “And the rising cost of living is certainly having an impact on many families with children going back to school. So, we had a discussion; should we go and buy supplies, or what would be the best thing? And in the end, we decided to donate a cheque because as they get supplies coming in, they’ll be able to fill in the gaps with some money.”

Council also voted to donate $50 to the Alzheimer’s Society for their Coffee Break fundraisers.

Yard explained the Alzheimer’s Society had originally asked the Town to host a Coffee Break fundraiser.

“But, given the fact that we only have a small complement of staff and all of us (who are on council) work during the day so none of us would be able to make it, it’s not really something that we can easily do, and we wouldn’t raise very much money, so instead we decided to give them a $50 cheque,” said Yard.

Council also voted to release a cheque in the amount of $10,000 to the Ken Williams Southern Shore Arena as its annual stabilization fund payment.

Yard noted that council had meant to issue the payment in 2022, but that the cheque had never been issued, hence the reason for this week’s motion.

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.