Petty Harbour council gives cautious approval to development on Motion Bay Road Extension

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Petty Harbour Council has approved in principle three separate applications to build houses on the Motion Bay Road Extension.

The decision was made at council’s April 6 regular meeting, but not without some reservations.

Council approved applications for 41-45 Motion Bay Road Extension, 51-59 Motion Bay Road Extension and 30 Motion Bay Road Extension – all with conditions that included signed legal agreements about the width, condition and standard of Motion Bay Road Extension, as well as acknowledgement of no Town commitment to any future upgrades, as well as limitations on services, among other caveats.

The council motions state the agreements are necessary to protect the Town’s interests, ensure public safety and manage impacts on public infrastructure.

Councillor Kayla Parsons, who made the motions, said she is pro-development and supports reduction of red tape and other barriers. However, she added council has a responsibility that goes beyond any single application or short-term decision.

“We have to carefully consider the financial impact on the Town, the economic sustainability of our decisions, the environmental implications and the long-term obligations that we place not only on ourselves, but on all residents,” Parsons said, adding that something as significant as a road is not a simple or inexpensive undertaking considering the level of planning, engineering, and financial analysis required.

“It would not be prudent for us to make commitments today that we may not be able to support tomorrow at the same time,” Parsons said. “I do believe it is fair that property owners should have the opportunity to develop their land. This motion is an attempt to strike that balance to allow reasonable development to proceed while being transparent about the current limitations and protecting the Town from obligations we are not yet in a position to take on.”

A public consultation meeting was held March 30 on two of the applications. The third application, for Lot 30, was submitted after the meeting was called and was not included in the public consultation.

The public consultation also centred around a 2018 amendment to the Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove Town Plan and Development Regulations, which removed restrictions for development on the Motion Bay Road Extension.

Mayor Ed Dyke said he doesn’t understand the rationale for council’s change at the time and believes the resulting regulations should have better protected the Town. He said replacement costs are not well defined in the regulations for future councils to go by.

“In my opinion it should not have been done without better descriptions and limitations. I think it was the wrong decision at that time,” Dyke said. “This council should, over the next few years, update this policy again. This is my opinion.”

Dyke outlined how the Town approached the provincial government in recent years for a cost-sharing grant that was obtained exclusively to protect the water main of Maddox Cove and not upgrade the Motion Bay Road Extension to Town standards.

“There’s nowhere in the provincial government grant that states, that I’m aware of, that Motion Bay Road Extension was to be brought up to Town standards, to the best of my knowledge,” said the mayor.

Dyke said the Town paid an additional $6,000 to get the road extension up to its current standard by adding crushed stone.

The motion also outlined how applicants must submit a drainage plan signed by a qualified engineer, receive approval from the appropriate provincial authority for all on-site sewage and disposal systems, and that any future upgrades or improvements to the Motion Bay Road Extension may be funded through a Local Improvement Fee and subject to the adoption of a formal council bylaw.

Council says no can do this year

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Witless Bay Council says an application to the Province for help funding a new fire truck isn’t in the cards for 2026, but instead wants the fire department to come up with a multi-year plan for the purchase.

Council made the recommendation at its March regular meeting in response to a request to support an application this year. Councillors cited the fact there is no money in the 2026 fire department budget to cover Town’s share of costs for the truck, which would replace an existing unit.

“We know that the truck is up in years, but it’s still useful and we are trying to be proactive, but I don’t think the fire department was aware that they didn’t allocate in their 2026 budget for us to apply for this,” said councillor Ralph Carey. “There’s no point in applying for this if we don’t have the finances. We want to apply when we’ve had the planning put in and put away a few dollars. And if we can get the Province to say yes then we say here you go, here’s our share. But right now we don’t have our share to contribute so there’s no point in making an application.”

CAO Jennifer Aspell said fire trucks are expensive and that cost sharing agreements generally involve an 80-20 provincial-municipal split that usually also includes a multi-year commitment on the part of the Town.

The truck the fire department is looking to replace is a pumper unit that was brought into service in 2006. Aspell said that, although the units generally remain in service past that date, it is also a milestone where replacement plans start to take shape.

Witless Bay’s new municipal plan is not a ‘cake already baked,’ says Aspell

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Witless Bay Town Council received 17 written submissions as part of the initial phase of public consultation in its Municipal Plan review process and formally adopted the public consultation report at its March 10 meeting.

Council reviewed all the submissions with the planning consultant contracted by the Town for the process and provided some direction.

However, the Town’s chief administrative officer, Jennifer Aspell, pointed out that the identities of everyone who made the submissions were redacted prior to bringing them to council. The redacted versions will be included in the public consultation report that will be posted on the Town’s website.

“Now the new (zoning) map and new draft plan is being developed based on all that and then we will go back to the public for the second round of consultation, which will be presenting the new draft report and the new zoning map,” Aspell said.

There is no timeline yet for when that work will be ready to bring back but the Town anticipates having the revised plan finished for submission to the Province sometime in 2026, she added.

One resident at the end of the public meeting asked if there would be any opportunities for residents to meet with the planner who is working with the Town to revise the plan. The resident was advised the Town is following a standard process for a municipal plan review, and direct consultations between residents and the planner are not something that is standard practice.

Deputy Mayor Justina Nawaz said the public call for written submissions in December 2025 was the first phase of that public engagement process and councillors act as a conduit for resident feedback. The Town promoted the written submission opportunity as much as possible, said Aspell, with general advertising in the newspaper, social media, the Town website and postings around Town, as well as direct communication with some community groups.

The resident suggested to council that it should go above and beyond to invite more public input earlier in the process, as opposed to waiting until the ‘cake was already baked’ and opportunities to affect the plan are limited.

Aspell disagreed, arguing that what will be presented to residents in the next phase of public consultation won’t be cake that is already baked.

“The hearing with the commissioner is an opportunity for residents and taxpayers and anybody else who has an interest in the municipal plan in town to attend and verbally make a contribution in front of council, and the planner will also be in attendance,” said Aspell.

She added that after that session, the commissioner provides a report to the Town with recommendations. Council then meets with the planner again and reviews the commissioner’s recommendations prior to coming up with a new plan.

“There’s still a fair bit of time for input, right?” said the CAO.

Aspell said the Town will promote upcoming public engagement opportunities once details are finalized.

Witless Bay’s last approved municipal plan spanned 2013 - 2023 and is posted on the Town website. Aspell said the process of reviewing the plan began around a year and a half ago and council has been meeting once a month for several hours to undertake a detailed review to understand the existing plan. New council members that just came on board in the fall have spent additional time to get caught up to their colleagues.

“This process is a lot of work,” Aspell said.

Goulds Scouts Make Recycling Blitz

Members of the 1st Goulds Scouts conducted a recycling drive on Saturday, March 21. Some of the participants included, from left: Brandon Duke Newell, Chester Wells, Dwayne and Blake Byrne, and Jacob Raymond and Owen Bennett . The Scouts also accepted donations at the St. Kevin’s church parking lot. As of last count, the donation tally was at $615 and counting. Monies raise will go towards the Scouting program. The Goulds Scouts group runs the gamut from pre-kindergarten children to grade 12 students.