Court rules Appeal Board was wrong not to sort out Witless Bay wrangle

By Mark Squibb

Gary and Ann-Marie Churchill have won another legal sparring match with the Town of Witless Bay over council’s decision to revoke a septic system permit it had initially approved for the couple’s Gallows Cove Road property.

Council approved an application for a well and septic system in August 2021, and Service NL gave its approval for installation of a sewage system and water supply that October.

Following the September election of 2021, which saw an entirely new slate of candidates elected to office, the newly minted council rescinded a list of motions approved by the previous council, including the approval of the Churchills’ septic system

Gary Churchill brought that decision to the Appeal Board. The board however, determined that it had no jurisdiction to hear the Appeal, and so in April of 2024, Churchill brought the matter to the Supreme Court, which determined the Board did in fact have jurisdiction to hear the appeal. Supreme Court Judge Alexander MacDonald revoked the board’s decision and ordered the Town to pay the couple $1,100 in legal fees.

Churchill took both the Town and the Appeal Board to court in 2025 in a bid to have the rescinding of the motion overturned. The Appeal Board allowed that the Town had the right to rescind the motion as it could be argued that council approved Churchill to seek permission from Service NL for a septic system and did not actually approve the septic system itself.

But once again, a Supreme Court judge has ruled in Churchill’s favour.

“The Recission Motion presumes that the Original Motion was not an application for a development permit, which is legally incorrect based upon the subsequent decision of Justice MacDonald,” reads the decision handed down by Justice David G. Conway on February 6, 2026.

Conway revoked the Appeal Board’s decision but noted it was not the role of the Court to revoke the motion of council.

Once again, the Town was ordered to pay Churchill $1,100 in legal fees.

“I feel wonderful (about the recent decision), but I’m not surprised,” said Churchill. “It was such an illogical thing that went on I couldn’t believe that it happened. We had a permit, we were given permission to proceed, and then they decided that that permit wasn’t good enough… There’s no glory in winning. This should have never happened in the first place.”

Churchill said despite his best efforts, he has not yet been able to set up a meeting with council.

“I don’t know how I could present it any more logically than I did in court,” said Churchill. “And whether I’ll ever get that opportunity to present it to the council, I doubt it.”

Moving forward, Churchill said the only two options left on the table are for the Town to either approve the septic tank or go back to the Appeal Board once again and begin the process anew.

“When does common sense prevail?” mused Churchill. “Property owners’ taxes are going to prevent me from putting a toilet on my land. It can’t get any more ridiculous than that.”

Town Manager Jennifer Aspell, meanwhile, said information on how much the Town has spent in legal fees trying to overthrow the permit would have to be obtained through an Access to Information and Protection of Privacy (ATIPP) request, which the Irish Loop Post has filed.

Mayor Jacob Hayden said the Town had no comment on the Supreme Court decision.

Renews residents preparing to celebrate 150-year-old place of faith and pride

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

After more than a decade of work restored a revered local church, a group of parishioners and residents in Renews are looking forward to celebrating the building’s 150th anniversary this summer.

Lois Berrigan, who helped spearhead efforts of the Renews-Cappahayden Church Property Preservation committee to restore the Holy Apostles Church, said there have been countless volunteer hours and an estimated $100,000 of materials and professional services put into the project.

She said the pivotal decision to keep the church was made in 2016 and it’s been a labour of love for many in the area since then.

“The church was in bad shape, and we took it upon ourselves to have a general meeting in the harbour. A lot of people came to it and the question was do we keep the church or do we let if go?” Berrigan said. “A lot of the priests here at the time wanted us to let it go and knock it down and build a memorial garden.”

A former resident, a member of the O’Dea family, said at the meeting that the group should own the church before it did anything to restore the building.

“And everyone agreed and within a year we owned our church for very little money,” she said.

The O’Deas took the lead on replacing the roof with new green asphalt shingles, as well as interior painting, adding speakers for music and installing a wifi system so that services could be live streamed, if necessary.

The facade was updated, old chairs were re-upholstered, stained-glass windows were reframed and an inclusion grant obtained in 2019 allowed for the addition of two new ramps for accessible entry to the building.

“The last time that church was touched was just a basic paint job on the walls inside, as high as you could reach anyway, and that must have been back in the 1980s,” Berrigan said, adding that people saw things that needed to be done and just did it. “People just stepped up, there was great interest in helping.”

Not that things are perfect now – Berrigan pointed out that a 150-year-old building will always need ongoing maintenance – but she said the transformation is a source of community pride.

“One staunch church goer came in and it caught her by surprise. She started crying when she came in … she said she never thought she would see this church so beautiful again,” said Berrigan.

There was a lot of fundraising over the past decade, including a Chase The Ace fundraiser that did really well, personal donations and a series of in-memoriam donations.

There will be a series of activities running from Aug. 11 - 16 to celebrate the 150th anniversary, though Berrigan said the focus will be as much about the community as it is about the church.

Events will include an art exhibit, a concert, a wine tasting, shows, a kitchen party and a fish stew and bonfire on the beach, including a Grotto mass on the Saturday.

“We have the only Grotto built on a Mass Rock,” Berrigan said.

The mass will be followed by a dinner and dance that night, and the next day will be a special mass to celebrate the 150th anniversary followed by a brunch and a garden party.

Jeanette Kenny, left, Gerard Hickey and Kathleen Fortin, in the background, were among the volunteers who helped clear away pieces of the old roof of Holy Apostles Church in Renews during a work bee in September 2017. Submitted photo

Holy Apostles Church in Renews as it looked in 2017 while it was undergoing renovations. Renews residents will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the church's construction this summer. The church is next to the Mass rock where in the early 1700s Roman Catholics in the area gathered to hold mass in secret because it was illegal to do publicly. A grotto, built in the late 1920s, is also nearby.

Goulds street getting speed cushions this spring

By Mark Squibb

The City of St. John’s has announced temporary speed cushions will be installed on a number of streets this spring, including on Heffernan’s Line from the Back Line to Main Road in the Goulds.

Other streets include Great Eastern Avenue, Middleton Street, Old Bay Bulls Road, and Parsons Road.

The speed cushions will be removed in the fall. Householders will then be surveyed to determine if the speed cushions ought to be installed permanently.

Following temporary installation in 2025, speed cushions will be installed along Empire Avene and Smithville Crescent at the recommendation of residents.

Temporary cushions were installed along Gleneyre Street, however only 52 percent of survey respondents supported permanent installation, below the required 60 precent support threshold, and so permanent cushions will not be installed.

Speed cushions are flatter, wider, and less abrupt than speed bumps, and easier for emergency vehicles to handle.

Bay Bulls outdoor rink could go high tech

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Bay Bulls council voted unanimously March 9 to approve an application to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Fund to help fund a feasibility study for its community ice rink project.

Council also approved an upfront cost of $5,000, plus HST, of an anticipated Town cost of $13,000 for the study. The total cost of the feasibility study is estimated at $65,000.

The Community Ice Rink Project includes a refrigerated outdoor ice rink, a renewable heat-recovery system to serve the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre (BBRLC), and upgrades to the Centre’s water supply to support full emergency-shelter capacity.

“I think everybody should realize that this is a big project as a link to a multitude of municipal initiatives,” said councillor Corey Ronayne in speaking to his motion.

Town Manager Ashley Wakeham said the project delivers multiple community benefits, including greenhouse-gas reduction, improved energy efficiency, enhanced emergency preparedness, and expanded access to low-carbon recreation infrastructure.

She said the Town must complete a feasibility study before submitting a final funding application.

“This study is required to validate technical design, heat-recovery potential, GHG reductions, capital costing, and operational savings, all elements directly tied to the project components outlined in the project overview,” Wakeham explained after the meeting.

Ronayne noted that if the Community Ice Rink Project moves forward it could cost $2 million to $3 million. However, he added, there could be up to 90 per cent funding by the federal government with the provincial government potentially contributing as well.

“So, we are looking at all funding opportunities for this,” he said.

Bay Bulls and Witless Bay councils endorse regional tourism plan

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Early work on a new collaborative approach to tourism around the Irish Loop was met with optimism during last week’s council meetings in Bay Bulls and Witless Bay.

The latter council unanimously approved and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to join the Irish Loop Tourism Project, which will look to ‘Link The Loop.’

In Bay Bulls, Deputy Mayor Ethan Williams said he was happy to support a similar motion after attending a recent stakeholder session involving residents and businesses.

“It seems like there’s a lot of opportunity, especially after a busy tourism season last year. It had been one of our busiest ever, and definitely our busiest coming out of the COVID years,” Williams said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do regionally to get some more people visiting here and share our part of the province with everyone.”

Bay Bulls Town Manager Ashley Wakeham said local tourism operators have been involved throughout the process through meetings, site visits, and regional engagement sessions held this past winter around the Irish Loop.

More than 150 participants attended the first three sessions, she noted. They represented tourism businesses, municipalities, volunteer groups, and residents from across the region.

“All the tour operators, you know, I think they’ve realized they can’t work independently,” Wakeham said. “They all got to work together and there’s a piece of the pie for everybody here, including residents, with new people moving here and all kinds of spinoffs… A great place to visit is a great place to live, is what we’ve been saying.”

Wakeham said feedback from businesses has been positive, with strong interest in increased regional collaboration, improved signage and wayfinding throughout the Irish Loop and stronger promotion of the region as a unified tourism destination.

“We’re really excited to get this Linking the Loop off the ground and see what other monies might be available,” she said.

Wakeham said the MOU formalizes collaboration but does not require any immediate financial commitment from the municipalities. The pilot project is being funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Province.

The MOU establishes a shared commitment to work together on tourism development, planning, and regional initiatives. Over time, the collaboration could lead to the development of a shared cost model for future regional projects, if municipalities choose to move forward with them.

Wakeham said work on the idea began in May 2023, and in 2024 a regional working group of approximately 20 representatives from communities and organizations across the Irish Loop was formed. The group met regularly to identify next steps for tourism development.

Back in Witless Bay, that Town’s CAO, Jennifer Aspell, said she was impressed with the turnout at the stakeholder meetings, noting there were upwards of 40 people at both the daytime and evening sessions held in Bay Bulls.

She said the project acts as a community building opportunity not just for big tourism operators and attractions, but also for residents in the communities as a way to recognize the importance of tourism.

“As the project goes on, we know it’s building momentum,” Aspell said.

She reported there were 1,900 visitors at the Witless Bay tourism chalet in August alone, adding the Town continues to seek funding to extend chalet staffing from April through to October.

Bay Bulls community food sharing pantry

Don’t let her sweatshirt fool, Leah Drover is no Grinch. The 12-year-old celebrated her birthday on December 7 by collecting donations for the Bay Bulls community food sharing pantry. Leah’s brother Max was only too happy to help out.

Trepassey mayor says town is ready to face the challenges

By Mark Squibb

Wanda Waddleton was named Mayor of Trepassey on October 15, and less than a month later, was baptized not by fire, but by hurricane force winds and heavy rains when Hurricane Melissa hit in early November.

The storm caused severe damage to the town’s breakwater and cut off the Lower Coast for several hours.

“It was a challenge believe me,” said Waddleton. “But the biggest challenge is getting the government to realize the residents in rural areas shouldn’t be forgotten.”

The breakwater had been damaged in successive years prior and was still in need of repairs when Hurricane Melissa hit, deteriorating the structure further.

Waddleton said residents were thrilled when the newly minted PC government announced it would tender repairs, and are excited to see work commence.

That contract, valued at $1.6 million, was recently awarded to Rock Construction Company Ltd., with work expected to begin in January.

Waddleton said the completion of the breakwater remains the town’s biggest project in the coming year, but council has other ideas on its agenda as well, including the implementation of a town plan, emergency plan, and a new set of by-laws.

“We’ve been talking about this since I went on council four years ago, but I have stated that we are going to complete these plans this year,” said Waddleton.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for council, Waddleton allowed, is to spend within its means, given the cost of services and the need for expensive infrastructure repairs, coupled with a limited tax base.

“We only have 420 residents, so our tax base is very limited, and most of our infrastructure, like our water lines and sewer, is in great need of repair,” said Waddleton. “Culverts are collapsing underneath roads. And all of this is costing the Town a lot of money. But our biggest ongoing challenge is our snow clearing, which is costing us upwards of $100,000 a year. Plus, garbage collection is up to $83,000 a year. With 420 people, most of whom are seniors, it’s very hard to face these challenges. We’ve been trying to get government to come on board and see if they can help with snow clearing. But it’s been an ongoing challenge. It’s a challenge that comes up every meeting. And we don’t want to increase taxes because we can’t really afford to do that.”

The Town’s budget, said Waddleton, is usually shy of $600,000.

Challenging as it may be, Waddleton, who had just completed a four-year term as councillor, and had previously served as mayor back in the early nineties, said she’s up to the task.

Longstanding, outgoing mayor Rita Pennell secured a council seat but opted to serve as a councillor this time around.

“I have big shoes to fill,” said Waddleton. “Rita has been a strong voice for the people of Trepassey. She’s in her 35th year of municipal politics this year, not always in the capacity of mayor, but as a member of council. But I feel like I’m capable of doing the job at hand, and I’ll do everything in my power for the people of Trepassey. As mayor, my main job is to run our town in an efficient and cost-effective way, but also to be there to obtain whatever funds are available for the betterment of our town. I’m working with an awesome council, and together, I feel we are up to the task we face in the next four years.”

Going the distance as father and son

Keith and Eric Hutchings at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon earlier this year.

By Mark Squibb

For many, having someone register you for a 42-kilometre run as a Christmas gift might seem like a cruel joke.

But when Eric Hutchings did just that back in 2023 and registered his dad, former Ferryland MHA Keith Hutchings, for the 2024 Toronto Waterfront Marathon, he did it with the best of intentions.

“He opened it and said, ‘Holy smokes, I have to run a marathon in 10 months,” laughed Eric.

The annual marathon is held in October. When Eric ran it in 2023, Keith, who in his youth had been a runner, flew to Toronto to cheer him on.

“I could see there was an itch, and that it was something he wanted to do,” said Eric. “He’d even say, ‘I always wanted to run a marathon.’ So, I did the marathon, and he was super happy that I did it and he was super proud of me. And I was thinking that it takes a lot for a person to commit and sign up for a marathon. That’s the hardest step. So, I thought that if I got him his (registration) for Christmas, the race wouldn’t be until the following October, and this would probably be all the motivation he needs.”

Father and son ran the marathon together in 2024, and again in 2025.

“That was pretty amazing to share that experience with him,” said Keith. “He was obviously in a different speed category. But I had gone up to watch him run his first marathon, so I was there to cheer him on his first marathon, and then he was there at the end, with my wife and my daughter. So, it was amazing to complete a feat like that with him and to have that experience. It was a memory we’ll share forever.”

Eric shared a similar sentiment.

“It was an awesome experience,” said Eric. “I remember growing up playing hockey, and even when he wasn’t coaching me anymore, I would look at the stands to see if he was there. Once I saw he was there I was like, ‘Alright, I’m good to go, let’s play the game.’ So, it felt like it was the reverse of that. I finished and I was tracking him along and I got to see him cross the finish line. That was a really cool experience, to give him a big hug and say congrats when he finished and tell him how proud I was of him for taking on that journey and at his age doing a marathon for the first time. It was cool to be able to coach him along the way and give him advice, and to see him do it and be happy with his time, it was an awesome, awesome time.”

Eric began running in 2022. He admits that growing up he always found running boring. Keith, meanwhile, was a competitive runner in his younger years who always dreamed of one day completing a full marathon.

“I’ve always wanted to complete a marathon, so last year was just about completing it,” said Keith. “So, after I did that, I said, well, maybe I should do it again and see what it would be like to do it a second time.”

This year, both men managed to improve upon their previous year’s time. Eric, 27, completed the marathon in 3:39:09. Keith, 58, completed it in 4:29:14.

“The big thing is to start small and just grow your distances,” advised Keith, who did much of his distance training along the Witless Bay Line. “Don’t get into a situation where you’re doing a lot of miles initially and you’re getting sore and uncomfortable. Pace yourself in terms of building up your pace and your distance. I’ve learned that doing a lot of miles is not always best. It’s more about quality than quantity. Give your body time to rest… A lot of it is mental. It’s about overcoming the barrier of thinking you can’t do it.”

The course itself is flat, and, as the name suggests, runs along the waterfront in downtown Toronto. The marathon doubles as a qualifier marathon for other world marathons.

Looking ahead, the pair are considering doing a marathon elsewhere in the coming year, but have yet to make a final decision.

Meanwhile, if you’re considering picking up running in the new year, Eric has a few tidbits of advice.

“Just get out there and get moving,” said Eric. “With each run that you do, you’ll slowly build your confidence in yourself. The hardest thing is putting the shoes on and getting out there and getting moving. You just have to trust in yourself that you can do it, and believe you can, and commit to it.”

The Colony of Avalon’s big year

By Craig Westcott

One of the many events, milestones, celebrations and other big fetes laid aside because of the Covid-19 outbreak was the marking of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Colony of Avalon.

It was in 1621 that George Calvert, better known to history as Lord Baltimore, sent a team of 12 men across the ocean to Newfoundland to build a colony that would not only capitalize on the island’s rich fishery, but also proposed to serve as a safe haven for Englishmen who wanted to continue their religious faith as Roman Catholics.

So, in the years leading up to the 400th anniversary of the founding, in 2021, there was considerable excitement and speculation in Ferryland as to how to best mark the occasion. Then came Covid with its social distancing and dampening of the world’s tourism industry.

Four years later, the Colony is on the verge of making up for that missed opportunity, thanks to several important events this past summer that the people who run the Colony hope will spur tourism to the archeological site for years to come.

The first was news that the Colony had made Trip Advisor’s list of the best places to visit on the planet.

“We were over the moon,” said Renee Houlihan, who took over as executive director of the Colony’s operation this past summer. “We were almost incredulous that we would receive such an award. Basically, Trip Advisor awarded us a Top 10 percent of places to visit in the world. And that put us up in the category of the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, or the Crystal Caves down in the Caymen Islands. These were the other top finishers. So, for us to get that up in Ferryland at the Colony of Avalon was absolutely mind blowing.”

Houlihan figures the Colony won the distinction in part because it’s small.

“You’re not going to Stonehenge in England where you have 500,000 tourists on top of you.,” she said. “One of the beautiful things about the Colony of Avalon is it’s so peaceful and quiet, so you have space to take it all in. We don’t have the throngs of people like these other tourist attractions have. So, for every single person who comes though it’s a very intimate connection from our tour guides. And our tour guides are local. So, they just don’t get the history of the past 400 years, they also get to meet the local people who live in Ferryland and who grew up in Ferryland adding another layer to the experience. They love the accent, the twang, they love hearing them talk, there’s just a lovely Irish lilt in Ferryland. So that’s a huge award for us.”

The second big thing that happened was the discovery of wampum beads at the dig site. Houlihan described it a once in a lifetime find.

“They’re little, tiny beads made out of Quahog (mollusk shells) and whelk,” she explained. “We know they weren’t made here, they were made on the mainland by an indigenous woodland tribe. We found seven, they are absolutely beautiful, they’re from the early 1600s, possibly the 1500s, and they’re the first ever find of wampum beads in all of Newfoundland and Labrador. They are so tiny and delicate and exquisite. To look at the craftsmanship of the beads that were made out of shell, I don’t think AI (artificial intelligence) could replicate how delicate and beautiful and intricate the artisan made these gorgeous beads. They came out of the earth like they hadn’t been down there a day. They shone.”

Wampum beads were used by many North American Indian tribes, especially in the 1600s and 1700s, often for important ceremonial purposes such as signifying treaties, trade deals and other important matters.

“We had coverage from the Smithsonian, we had coverage from Archaeology Magazine, which has a million subscribers, we had coverage from archaeology.ca, these are all down in the ‘States, and (CBC Radio’s) World Report covered it too,” said Houlihan. “So, it’s a big, big deal for the province.”

Houlihan said the wampum bead story got 200,000 views on the Colony’s webpage.

“We noticed immediately an upswell of inquiries as to when we open next year from people wanting to come to Newfoundland and see these beads,” she said. “We’re also working with an Indigenous tribe to come down and do a ceremony of blessing and to welcome them back. They believe the Creator gave those back to us, and they will come and do a blessing and that will be a beautiful story in itself.”

The third boon for the Colony was a visit by a Winnipeg-based television crew, who spent two days in Ferryland filming a segment for the show Fishing for History, which airs on Prime and Apple TV.

“And they found artefacts of their own, which they were thrilled, because sometimes on the show they don’t find anything,” said Houlihan. “But we have so many artefacts, we have more artefacts than any other archaeological site in North America. We have nearly three million right now. That’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Unlike many archaeological sites, the Colony of Avalon hasn’t been built over too much.

“Geographically speaking, the topography is almost identical to what it would have been back in the 1500s or 1600s,” said Houlihan. “So that’s exactly why it’s so well preserved. We haven’t poured concrete over it... It hasn’t changed (too much). The cobblestone streets are there, and you can walk exactly where Lady Baltimore walked.”

Houlihan and the crew of 17 who work at the Colony are pretty optimistic about next year’s tourism season. There are plans to make a Haunted Hike part of the regular fare, like the ‘Archaeologist for a Day’ program, which allows tourists to put on their Tilley hats and dig for artefacts.

“I think the award and the wampum beads gave us some street cred,” said Houlihan. “People believe Trip Advisor. I think we’re fantastic, but people believe in Trip Advisor.”

Calum Brydan was the archaeologist who unearthed at the wampum beads at the Colony of Avalon historic site in Ferryland this past summer. Photos courtesy of the Colony of Avalon

Wampum beads.

The Colony of Avalon's chief archaeologist, Barry Gaulton, left, addresses a camera crew from the Apple TV show Fishing for History.

Trepassey breakwater repairs expected to start next month

By Mark Squibb

The new year will bring a new breakwater to the people living on the Lower Coast of Trepassey.

“We’re ecstatic,” said Mayor Wanda Waddleton. “The residents of Lower Coast have been living in fear when we have storms, because the road gets blocked off, and it’s blocked off for five, six, or seven hours… When we have high waves and winds, what comes in over that breakwater would frighten you.”

Newly minted Minster of Transportation and Infrastructure Barry Petten, along with Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll, announced back in November that government would soon be tendering major repairs to the breakwater, with the intention of starting construction in the fall.

That tender has since been awarded to Rock Construction Company Ltd., in the amount of $1.6 million, and construction is expected to begin in January.

RJG Construction, Southern Construction Ltd., Farrell’s Excavating Ltd. and Coady Construction & Excavating Ltd., submitted bids in the amounts of $1.8 million, $2.2 million, $2.6 million, and $2.8 million, respectively.

Project estimates at the time of the announcement hovered around the million-dollar mark.

The announcement came on the heels of a major storm which caused significant damage to the breakwater, which was already awaiting repairs for damage incurred back in 2024.

Waddleton said residents felt ‘forgotten’ by the previous administration, and that she’s glad to finally see the project moving forward.

“They’re going to put in new armour stone, fix the seawall, and put in cribbing to support the seawall to help save the road and infrastructure going down to the Lower Coast,” said Waddleton. “This is what we wanted done in the first place.”