Bay Bulls revisiting playground for Sheldon Drive area

By Mark Squibb/September 16, 2021

Bay Bulls could use another playground, say members of the outgoing council.

Deputy Mayor Wendy O’ Driscoll brought the item forward towards the close of the September 13 meeting as a piece of new business.

“Sheldon Drive and the Dunne Drive area has a very high concentration of children,” said O’Driscoll, who noted the town has undergone a lot of community-minded projects in recent years, including the new community pavilion outside town hall constructed largely with Come Home Year funds. “And so, we are inquiring about getting some land up there to build a playground… There’s an enormous number of children up there, and we definitely need a playground there.”

Mayor Harold Mullowney concurred, and said he felt government ought to pitch in more for such projects in rural areas like Bay Bulls.

“As I keep telling various levels of government, this is one of the fastest growing areas of the province, and we need all sorts of resources,” said Mullowney. “Because the number of kindergarten students each years keeps growing. The daycare that we have is overflowing… We have been here working diligently for so many years, and have faced so many challenges, and have so many young people. And it’s like, maybe we’re so close to the city that we don’t get noticed. But I think finally we are getting noticed, because you look at the last few years, and we have been successful in receiving funds for quite a number of initiatives. And I keep telling people in all levels of government, that this is a fast-growing area, so it’s time to step up.”

Mullowney said that for many folks, a town like Bay Bulls is a sweet spot— outside the city, but not so far away you can’t make a day trip there.

O’Driscoll made the motion that staff research land acquisition for development of a playground, which Joan Luby seconded.

The motion carried unanimously.

Protest group appeals Witless Bay road again

By Mark Squibb/September 16, 2021

Less than 24 hours after the Town of Witless Bay voted to move ahead with plans to build an extension to Mullowney’s Lane after a judge quashed the original motion due to a conflict of interest, the Save Ragged Beach group submitted an appeal to the Eastern Regional Appeals Board shutting down construction again.

A stop work order is in place until the Board can hear the appeal.

at least that hearing can be scheduled.

Council voted to move ahead with the work during a special meeting Monday. That meeting was held because an earlier meeting, held on Tuesday, September 7, had to be scrapped and rescheduled when it was discovered the public conference call had been accidentally muted, so that members of the general public heard only dead silence during the meeting’s entirety.

“We went through the whole meeting, and we thought we were finished and that, but some people called back in and said,’ What about the meeting? What happened?’” explained Mayor Derm Moran.

Monday’s meeting was short and called largely to appoint Kevin Kelly as both chief administrative officer and acting town clerk, as well as pass the motion on continuing with the Mullowney’s Lane Extension tender.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t know that nobody could hear us,” said Moran. “Once we realized that, several councillors were gone, so we sent out notice that we would have another meeting…. It was a public meeting, but we didn’t have the public as such,” said Moran.

The original motion to extend Mullowney’s Lane passed in May of 2020, and Moran said the new motion is virtually similar.

“The motion itself is just sort of a copycat of the motion that was before the courts,” said Moran. “It just states to extend Mullowney’s Lane in regard to those 168 metres. And also included in that particular motion was to tender the original tender, which was $58,000 plus HST. We checked with the contractor, which was O’ Brien’s Contracting, in regard to the tender and they did up a note stating that they would honour the same amount that was tendered. So, we just included that in the motion too.”

Justice Glen L.C. Noel overthrew the May 2020 motion on the basis that Deputy Mayor Maureen Murphy ought not to have voted on the matter due to a conflict of interest, as her brother Ron Harte would benefit from the work.

Murphy herself had asked council whether she was in conflict, and council voted that she was not.

Moran said the town made an honest mistake.

“We did err,” said Moran. “There was no intention of doing that. And the judge somewhat said the same thing, ‘Look, it was just one of those things where you’re only volunteers and you’re only trying to do what you can, and sometimes these things happen.’ So, he squashed the motion, and because he squashed the motion, we will have to make a new motion with regards to extending Mullowney’ s Lane. The judge has signed off on stating the fact that the town has the authority to handle roads, lanes, and right of ways, and that right of way falls under that, and he said once you make that motion, you can proceed.”

Moran said the motion approved during last week’s ‘silent meeting’ did not pass unanimously.

“There was one individual, wondering with regards to whether the judge had signed off, and I explained to her that our lawyer had informed us that that would be looked after tomorrow.”

Moran said he didn’t want to identify the councillor, as it was not a legitimate vote, as it was not made public.

Councillor Colleen Hanrahan, however, did vote against the motion during the September 13 meeting.

Councillor David Ryan did not vote as he declared a conflict because he works with O’Brien’s. Councillor Vince swain made the motion, which was seconded by Fraser Paul.

Immediately following the vote, the Save Ragged Beach group made plans to protest Tuesday morning.

Moran said that in advance of the vote there was already protesters on site.

“They have a tent pitched down there,” said Moran. “They pitched that the other night, right in the middle of the right-of-way… I noticed it there, naturally you would, and I just took it for what it was and said, ‘Okay, they have a tent there.’”

The mayor added at this point, it’s all he expects, although he hopes that protesters will honour the judge’s decision.

“I’m a believer in the law, and you just can’t shun the law as such, and if necessary, the town will take the necessary steps,” said Moran.

Derm Moran bids farewell to Witless Bay council

By Mark Squibb/September 16, 2021

Witless Bay Mayor Derm Moran has not put his name forward for re-election in the upcoming municipal election, citing both his age and the difficulties of the position.

“The challenges are becoming somewhat more difficult,” said Moran, 71. “I hope that will change, but that’s all you can do… There has been character assassination, and I find that very difficult. I’m not a person to go that route.”

Moran who had served previously on council some years ago, including a stint as mayor, returned to municipal action in a 2019 by-election, following the resignations of then councillors Chris Brinston and Neil Stratton. When Mayor Rene Estrada retired later that year for health reasons, Moran was elected by the rest of council to the mayor’s seat.

“It’s my second time as mayor, and the reason I came back is pretty simple; to help the town if I could with whatever I might have to offer, and to be fair with everybody,” said Moran.

He regrets that construction of the new fire station did not begin under this term, though the hiring of the station’s first ever paid fire chief, Maria Churchill, was accomplished during his tenure.

Moran is also glad to see the town digitizing some of its files and switching some manual processes, such as payroll, to an online system.

There are 13 people running for a seat on council, and Moran warned each it is not an easy job, and often requires as many as 16 to 17 hours of work a week, which he said was a heavy load to carry, especially if you are also working another job.

Moran allowed that members of council ought to expect conflict from special interest groups in the community that are often at odds with decisions of council.

“It’s like other towns, you’re going to have a group or a person, that no matter what you do, you’re not going to satisfy them,” said Moran.

He reminded candidates to always keep in mind why they ought to run in the first place.

“No matter who you are, if you’re trying to return as councillor or if you’re new, the main thing, and this is why I went back on council, is to try and have everybody treated fairly and the same,” said Moran. “You’re there for the town, and the good of the town, and that’s the key, that should be at the forefront, the good of the town.”

Despite the challenges, Moran said he’s excited to see what the future has in store for Witless Bay.

That excitement was kindled Wednesday morning watching students return to St. Bernard’s Elementary.

“I’ve been here 47 years, and I remember looking down at the school and not seeing any youngsters out playing,” said Moran. “This morning, it was lined off from the top of the hill, and if there wasn’t over one hundred cars, it’s no man’s business. I could see them from the window here all last year out playing, like little lambs going around, and I thought how cool that is.”

As for Moran, he’s going to enjoy all the bustle and activity from the sidelines.

“The new council will have challenges,” said Moran. “We’ve had challenges, and it’s not something that’s going to go away. But that’s not for me now. I’m going to in go in and pick some berries and go hunting. I love to hunt rabbits, and moose, and please God, I’ll get a crack at trouting again.

Health minister has stopped returning calls, says O'Driscoll

By Staff/September 9, 2021

Ferryland MHA Loyola O’Driscoll says a recent moose vehicle accident near Trepassey highlights his constituents’ concerns about ambulance coverage throughout his district.

Last week, a family struck a moose on the barrens east of Trepassey. While injuries were not serious, cell coverage made it difficult to connect with emergency dispatchers. The family were hesitant to take an ambulance to the hospital, out of fear one would not be available to respond to the call.

“I’m thankful this situation did not end in tragedy, but the family found themselves debating whether to take the ambulance to St. John’s out of fear of taking an ambulance off the road for someone else who needed it,” said the PC member. “For anyone in our province to think twice about whether to use an ambulance service is shocking and represents a failure of our healthcare system. In the St. John’s region, ‘red alerts’ where no ambulances are immediately (available) are the norm – with another reported by NAPE on Friday. Ambulances are being called in from rural centres to serve the city. It’s not sustainable and it’s putting lives at risk.”

O’Driscoll noted Health Minister John Haggie recently decided to remove an ambulance from the Trepassey area, leaving the area with just a single ambulance available to respond to calls. O’Driscoll said he is worried the situation will go from bad to worse as a result.

“Minister Haggie informed me of this decision a few months ago and now has stopped responding to my calls on behalf of the hundreds of concerned residents in the area,” said O’Driscoll. “There is a large senior population in that part of the Ferryland district, so we know ambulance calls will be more likely. The healthcare system in our province – especially rural areas – is being pushed to its limits. Haggie’s solution in this case is to make less ambulances available. It’s backwards decision making that risks more lives than it saves. I call on the minister to address this situation and restore ambulance services in Trepassey.”

The Southern Shore United Girls Under 13 soccer team won the silver medal last month in the Provincial Mega Soccer Championship in a hard fought 2-1 Shootout loss to Paradise GU13. The SSU giels went on from that to claim the Girls U13 Tier 2 St. John's Metro League Championship with a 2-0 win over Mount Pearl after defeating the Burin Peninsula squad 2-0 in the semi-final. The team members include, starting in the front row, from left: Christa Power, Ella Hefferman, Erin O'Driscoll, Taylor Windsor, Ryley Williams, Gracie Dalton, and Kennedy Melvin; and in the back row, fromleft: Coach Kelly Joyce, Lucy Murphy, Jane O'Driscoll, Emily Carew, Audrey Molloy, Leela Joyce, Neela Mullowney, Ava Collett, Emma Oates, Coach Rodney Joyce, and SSU Technical Director and Coach Jim-Bob Hamlyn.

Longstanding Bay Bulls mayor gunning for another term

By Mark Squibb/September 9, 2021

Bay Bulls Mayor Harold Mullowney has put his name forward for council once more.

“There was a number of projects that we had underway the last few years, and not all of them have reached completion, so I’d like to see some of those through,” said Mullowney. “For example, there was road work that was started and planned. Some is done, some is yet to be done. So, I’m hopeful that will get completed this coming year. We’ve done a lot of work on our strategic plan, there are a number of initiatives there that need to be actioned, and we have a number of very significant projects that are in the wings that I would like to see through to completion.”

As to what those significant projects might be, Mullowney said that he could not discuss the details any further.

“I would love to give you some of that right now, but unfortunately, I can’t, because some of it is contingent on monies from various levels of government, and as you know we’re in the middle of an election cycle, so I can’t comment on what has or has not been approved at this point,” said Mullowney. “But suffice to say, there are a number of fairly big projects that I think we’re going to get off the ground in the next few months.”

Some of the roads that Mullowney wants to see completed include Irish Town Road, and Northside Road, amongst others.

Ten people, including Mullowney, have put their names forward for council, which means that come election day, Bay Bulls will have a full complement of councillors, something it has lacked for the last three or so years.

“It’s always good to have a full complement, because it gives you wiggle room when it comes to committee work, and it also gives you a better chance of achieving quorum, especially in a small town where everyone is related to somebody,” said Mullowney.

He said he fully anticipated that folks would put their names forward; his concern, however, is that folks might not stick around once they get elected.

“The unfortunate thing is that we’ve filled positions before, only to have people, before their term is up, walk away and say, ‘I never imagined this job was as intense as it is,’” said Mullowney. “So, it would be great to fill those positions, but hopefully those individuals who do fill them will have the commitment and dedication to last out the four years.”

Mullowney said that sometimes it is simply a matter of someone underestimating the amount of time and work required.

“As I say to anyone that’s running, this is a job that requires dedication and commitment and presence,” said Mullowney. “You can’t drop in and drop out. Many hours a week are often required to see this job through to the end.”

Mullowney himself has been around the block quite a few times. This year marks his thirty-first on council, and many of those years were spent as either deputy mayor or mayor.

“I have the time, the energy, the commitment, and the dedication to do the job,” said Mullowney. “I’ve been doing it for many years, and as long as the people want me to continue in that capacity and my health and strength remains, I will do so.”

Once the election concludes on September 28, council will select a mayor from amongst the seven people elected. Usually the position is awarded to the person drawing the most votes.

Members of the Gould’s Lions Club recently presented a monetary donation to Lisa Courtney for Nevaeh’s Pantry, located at 78 Keith Drive. Like other free little pantries, folks can donate or pick up food according to their need. The pantry is named for Nevaeh Denine, who raised thousands of dollars for cancer research through her lemonade stand before passing in 2018 at nine years old.

Ragged Beach protesters win skirmish with council

By Mark Squibb/September 2, 2021

A group of activists has scored a Supreme Court victory in their legal proceedings against the Town of Witless Bay.

The Save Ragged Beach group has butted heads with council over potential development in the area in and around the beach for years.

Melanie LaFosse, a member of the group, had appealed a decision of Witless Bay council made on May 19, 2020 to “tender roadwork to extend Mullowney’ s Lane from the turnaround for 168 meters, and to upgrade the ‘Right-of-Way’ to the existing standards of Mullowney’s Lane.”

The Eastern Regional Board decided it had no jurisdiction to hear the appeal.

LaFosse, in turn, appealed that decision, bringing the matter to the Supreme Court, which held that the Board did not err in law or jurisdiction and the appeal was dismissed. However, LaFosse also sought a judicial review of the decision, requesting that council’s decision be quashed on the grounds of five different arguments.

Only a part of one of those arguments, that council’s motion was passed in bad faith and for the ulterior purpose of benefiting the property of only one resident of the town, Deputy Mayor Maureen Murphy’s brother, passed muster with Justice Glen L.C. Noel.

But it was enough.

“I see no merit to any of LaFosse’s grounds for quashing Council’s Decision, except the ground relating to Council’s decision making-process and the Deputy Mayor’s involvement,” said Noel in his decision, dated June 30. “Council’s decision is not justified within the constraints of the legislation and guiding judicial authorities. Deputy Mayor Murphy was in a legal conflict of interest based on the language and interpretation of the statute.”

However, Noel did note that neither Murphy nor council acted in bad faith.

“I find no support in the record that Deputy Mayor Murphy or Council acted in bad faith,” Noel wrote. “They simply failed to apply a reasonable interpretation to the conflict-of-interest provisions in the act.”

Noel concluded that council’s decision be quashed because Murphy was indeed in a conflict of interest, and further, that Murphy not participate in any discussion of or vote on the matter should council introduce a new motion. 

Murphy, it should be noted, had declared she was in conflict on the matter prior to voting, but her colleagues on council disagreed and voted that she was not in conflict.

Goulds detectorist is on the prowl for prizes

By Craig Westcott/September 2, 2021

He hasn't found Peter Easton's gold, but Peter Pierce is turning up plenty of other stuff with the detectorist kit he bought at the beginning of the summer. The former Goulds Arena attendant, 65, bought two metal detectors earlier this year to take on a hobby in his retirement.

There's been no treasure unearthed, but he's discovered plenty of fun.

"I just saw it (a metal detector) online one day and said, 'Geeze, I might be interested in that, I'll have a look at that now.' So I went to Canadian Tire and I bought one and put it all together, and went out and got at it," Pierce said.

The cost was about $180 on sale, he reckoned. Pierce also bought a hand sized metal detector called a pinpointer.

"You can buy them at Canadian Tire or anywhere," he noted.

The Goulds resident spent 19 years working at the Goulds Arena and agreed you wouldn't need a metal detector to find objects left in dressing rooms after hockey games. When retirement came, he looked for something to occupy his newfound time.

"I just wanted a hobby," said Pierce. "I needed a hobby, something to do, something that's not too hard, because I've got back problems."

And what is he finding?

"I'm after finding some coins and things," said Pierce. "They're not old, old coins. And I've found a lot of garbage. But if you find anything, you take it with you. You don't put it back in the ground and bury it over. You take it with you and dispose of it, if it's no good. Anything valuable you keep for yourself."

The oldest coin Pierce has found has a date of 1912 on it. He located it in the ground at Pippy Park. "But there are people who are after finding them a lot older than that," he added. "In the 1800s and that."

Pierce spends time detectoring at Kent's Pond, Pippy Park ("but not in the campsites - you're not allowed in there”), behind Confederation Building, on Confederation Hill, which is the big parklike grounds across from the government building, Pleasantville, the White Hills, Cape Broyle and other spots. Sometimes his wife Rhonda joins him. "You're not allowed to go to Signal Hill or any provincial parks or historic sites, or graveyards, especially graveyards," he pointed out.

Pierce said there's a good many people detectoring in Newfoundland. Recently he took part in an event organized by Digging The Rock, a Newfoundland detectorists' club. Organizers buried "treasure" in spots throughout Confederation Hill and detectorists from all over the province gathered to find them and claim prizes. 

"It was a day really for people to meet each other," said Pierce. "I'd say there was 50 or more there. They say on the island there's about a thousand (detectorists). It's interesting, right?"

Six months into his new hobby, Pierce is happy with his choice and thinks it's something he's going to stick with.

"I won't be doing it in the winter though," he said, laughing.

Goulds detectorist Peter Pierce with his metal detector on Cape Broyle beach earlier this summer. All he found that day was some old screws and nails. He found a Newfoundland coin dated 1912 in the ground at Pippy Park.

Cape Broyle Clean Up

Alex Challinor, left, and Blake Duggan spent this past summer working for Cape Broyle council. Their duties included cleaning up part of the scenic beach in the picturesque Southern Shore community.