Witless Bay settles on new location for dog park

Mark Squibb / June 29, 2023

After voting last July to move the dog park, members of Witless Bay council last week voted to prepare a tender to construct a fence at the soon-to-be new facility.

“We made a motion, last year I believe it was, to relocate our dog park and right now where we’re planning is close to Southside Track right by the changerooms, so it will be really handy for everybody,” said councillor Ralph Carey, who made the motion to prepare a tender.

Carey went on to explain the Town is looking to install about 130 feet of chain link fence from the existing chain link fence off the Puffin Centre parking lot to the corner of the change rooms.

The run of fencing, complimenting preexisting fencing, will box off an area to be designated as the dog park, which Carey said would be the most cost-effective way to go about the work.

Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard seconded the motion.

“Like councillor Carey said, we made a motion to do this last year so I’m really happy to see it move ahead,” said Yard. “We have had a lot of feedback from residents about the lack of an accessible dog park facility. I have looked into (it), not that we want to have a luxurious dog park, but I have looked into some designs that other jurisdictions have had, so that rather than just have a flat piece of land, we have some things there. It would be really great if we could get some kind of water source for the dogs. But, in the meantime, I am looking into some different things we could have in the dog park. Like, I’m trying to get some prices on doggie bags for picking up waste, so when I get that together, I will bring that to council for further consideration.”

The former dog park was located in the same general area but could only be accessed by trespassing over private property.

The park remained closed while council sought a solution.

St Kevin’s teacher uses common sense applying the meaning of a ten-dollar word

St. Kevin’s High School teacher Greg White (left) was one of nine teachers from across the province to be named a recipient of the 2023 Minister of Educations Award. Caitlin O'Brien, right, nominated White for the award, and three of his students wrote recommendations. Submitted photo.

By Mark Squibb / June 29, 2023

One day, a student approached Greg White and asked him what a pedagogy was.

White explained to the student that a pedagogy is essentially a teacher’s philosophy of teaching.

The student then turned it back on White and asked what his own personal pedagogy was.

“When I walk into a classroom, I concern myself with not making better students, but making better people,” said White. “That’s always been my philosophy — to walk in and influence these youth to try and be better people. And everything else falls into place — the curriculum falls into place; the lessons fall into place.”

White, who teaches English and Social Studies, and spearheads the school’s drama troupe, says he tries to influence his students for the better both by being a role model and also creating a space in his classroom where students can feel free to be themselves.

That approach to teaching has recently earned White a 2023 Minister of Education Award.

“I was a bit shocked actually, I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said White. “The kids really kept the nomination under wraps really well, so I had no idea I had been nominated. I received a phone call from the Department of Education, and at first, I thought. ‘Oh no, what did I do?’ but they congratulated me and said that I had been nominated and selected to receive one of the Minister’s awards. I was blown away by the news.”

White was nominated by colleague Caitlin O'Brien, and three students volunteered to write letters of recommendation.

“I was lucky enough, once I found out, to have a chance to read all of their letters, and it was really sweet,” said White. “To see their feelings written out was really nice to see.”

White was one of nine teachers from across the province to be named recipients of the award.

Premier Andrew Furey and Minister of Education Krista Lynn Howell will present the recipients with their awards at a ceremony this coming fall.

Subdivision applicant hits all the right notes for deputy mayor

By Mark Squibb / June 29, 2023

Witless Bay council last week gave a developer the greenlight to construct a temporary road to access the site of a potential subdivision off Dean’s Road.

“This is an application to construct temporary access to assess water availability in terms of a residential subdivision,” explained councillor Ralph Carey. “So, we wanted to place a few conditions on this in terms of safety, with kids out of school, and quads, mountain bikes, walkers, and everyone else on the go.”

Some of those conditions include the installation of culverts and stop signs.

Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard said there was care taken to ensure the protection of the railway bed and the safety of the public.

She applauded the developer’s approach. “We met with the developer of this development, and I was really heartened by what he said, because it’s always a bit worrying when we get development in town, and we don’t know what the vision is,” said Yard. “We need to sell ourselves as a premiere destination, not a budget destination. And so, when we meet with the developer, just to reassure residents in the area, it seems like he has a good vision. He’s talking about doing one acre lots, when he’s only required to do three-quarter acre lots, but he’s going to do one acre lots to help with water and well contamination and all that sort of thing. He said he’s not going to clear cut the land and flatten all the trees, he’s looking at maintaining rural characteristics of the area. And I’m really happy to hear that. And if he gets through this phase with his well testing, I do hope to have a conversation with him to see if there’s something we can talk to CPAWS (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) about for getting friendly lighting for migrating seabirds. I don’t know the cost or what’s involved with it, but if he gets through this phase, I’m hoping, with council’s approval, we can have a conversation about improving even more on his ideas for a subdivision.”

The motion was approved unanimously, excepting that councillor Jacob Hayden was absent from the meeting and thus did not vote.

Council also approved an application for new home-based plumbing business on Greenhill Drive.

“This is a residential plumbing company servicing the southern shore and surrounding area,” said Carey. “It’s just going to be an office, and he’ll park his vehicle on the driveway, so it’s not like he’ll have a large amount of traffic there, because he’ll be mostly working out of his home.”

The motion based unanimously.

“I think it’s great that we have more business in the community, and awesome that we have a plumber in the community,” said councillor Nancy Burke.

Council also approved sheds for homes on Dean’s Road, Dunn’s Lane, and Country Path Road, and approved construction of a new home on Dean’s Road.

The Irish Loop Quilt Guild

The Irish Loop Quilt Guild is celebrating a year of accomplishment. The group has participated in several 12-hour day retreats at Saltwater Country, done a local shop hop, made donations of denim pillows for the homeless to The Gathering Place in St. John’s, and have made a baby quilt to donate to One Plane Away – a charity that accepts baby care packages in Nunavut. Guild member Pennie Hancock said groups like the Quilt Guild add to the community. “It’s especially important now after the challenges of COVID, both socially and economically,” she said. The guild allows adults to gather together in a small, safe, group setting and enjoy the company of others. Joining a guild also provides the opportunity to share skills and techniques. “Donations of quilted items help fill a need in our community and lets those in need know that others are available to help,” said Hancock. “Working on projects to donate to the community also gives a sense of accomplishment and purpose to the guild.” In the upcoming year, the group has chosen to make and donate a quilt to the Quilts of Valor project for Canadian Forces veterans. “In addition, it’s been proven that a vehicle full of quilters going on a shop hop adds much needed funds into our economy with their planned purchases of fabric, gas and a meal stop along the way,” said Hancock. The guild meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Saltwater Country, in Bay Bulls. Pictured, from left to right, are members Pennie Hancock, Colleen Power, Justine Finlay, Deborah Maddox and Joanne Moss.

Bay Bulls approves bevy of construction permits

By Mark Squibb / June 23, 2023

Folks in Bay Bulls can expect to see some new homes and commercial developments pop up around town in the coming months, as council last week approved a number of new residential and commercial permits.

Council approved two applications to construct homes, one at 10 Dunn Drive and one at 22-24 Quay’s Road, both pending a receipt of approval from the provincial government for installation of septic and well systems. Also approved were two accessory buildings applications, one on Dunn Drive and one on the Southern Shore Highway, as well as a new tourist accommodations business at 80-82 Quay’s Road, and a new recreation development at 2-46 Cemetery Lane West.

Council, of which only three members were in attendance for the meeting, lost quorum on an application for a new commercial development at 79-87 Farm Road and an accessory building on Dunn Road due to potential conflicts of interest.

Bay Bulls declares town manager not in conflict

By Mark Squibb / June 23, 2023

Bay Bulls council has deemed Town Manager Jennifer Aspell not in conflict on matters related to O’Brien’s Trucking Ltd., though the decision was not unanimous.

Council ratified a vote that had been held at a privileged session on May 15 that stated that “Town Manager Jennifer Aspell is not in conflict of interest on any matters pertaining to public works, capital works, or procurement involving O’Briens Trucking Ltd., on a go forward basis so long as a family member does not hold a management position with the company.”

That motion passed 4-1, with Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien voting against it. The motion to rescind, held last week, also passed, though narrowly. Councillors Shannon O’Driscoll and Corey Ronayne both voted in favour, but O’Brien once again voted against the motion.

Mayor Keith O’Driscoll and councillor Jason Sullivan were not present at the meeting, and thus did not vote to rescind the motion.

The Irish Loop Post followed up with the Town, and Aspell explained the new Municipal Conduct Act requires all municipal officials to disclose any potential conflict of interest for council to decide if a conflict of interest exists.

Aspell has a family member who is an employee of O’Brien’s, which is why the matter came to a vote.

Proposed Lifestyle Centre alteration generates three votes

By Mark Squibb / June 23, 2023

The Town of Bay Bulls last week rubberstamped a decision of council made via an e-mail poll to rescind a previous motion of council to relocate the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre generator.

Council initially voted during the May 8 meeting to relocate the generator at the Lifestyle Centre at a cost of $6,735, plus HST.

Prior to last week’s meeting, council had voted via the e-mail poll to rescind that motion.

During last week’s public meeting, councillor Corey Ronayne moved to ratify the motion conducted via e-mail poll.

The motion to ratify the e-mail vote passed— though barely. Councillor Ronayne and Deputy Mayor Jason O’Brien voted in favour of the motion while councillor Shannon O’Driscoll voted against it.

Mayor Keith O’Driscoll and councillor Jason Sullivan were both absent from the meeting.

There was no explanation offered as to the reason for rescinding the motion, nor why it had gone to an e-mail poll ahead of the public meeting.

The Irish Loop Post followed up with the Town following the meeting, and Town Manager Jennifer Aspell explained that following the motion, council reconsidered whether it was necessary to relocate the generator and decided not to move it.

Dunne Academy student recognized for efforts to include everyone

Amy Bishop of Dunne Academy was one of 15 recipients of the provincial government’s 2023 Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools Leadership Bursary. Pictured is Bishop, along with Heather Squires, being recognised by 4H Canada for successful provincial demonstrations. From left to right is Summerside Rockets 4H Club coordinator Clifford Bursey, Amy Bishop, Heather Squires, and Nancy Murphy, who is chairperson of 4H Newfoundland and Labrador. Submitted photo

By Mark Squibb / June 23, 2023

Graduating Dunne Academy, St. Marys, student Amy Bishop was recently awarded a Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools Leadership Bursary from the provincial government.

“I was really honoured,” said Bishop. “When I put my application in, I didn’t think I would win. I’m from a small school and a small area, so it sometimes feels hard to make a difference. But when I found out I had won this award, I was overjoyed.”

Bishop is a member of a number of clubs within her school that plan events and activities for students, such as Participation Nation program.

“Inclusion is a really big part of this program because we all want kids to feel safe, especially at school,” said Bishop. “School should be a positive environment, and having these programs can help make our schools more positive.”

Bishop is also involved in the school’s leadership team, a group that plans school events, and an anti-bullying group.

“I’m so glad for the opportunity to have these programs in my school, so I can help make a change,” said Bishop.

Bishop said that it’s important to help all students feel included, especially younger students.

“What kid wants to go to a school where they feel left out or uncared for? I mean, I wouldn’t want to be in an environment like that,” said Bishop. “It’s really important to make a positive impact on kids, especially at such a young age. Maybe they’ll think, ‘I do like school, and when I get in high school, I want to be involved in all these activities.’ And so, I really strive to create change that is important to me.”

Bishop graduates this year and plans on attending dental school in the near future.

She is one of 15 graduating students being recognised from across the province, and for being named a recipient will receive a $500 scholarship.

Witless Bay delays public meeting

By Mark Squibb / June 16, 2023

Witless Bay council was scheduled to meet this Wednesday, June 14, but delayed the session as no one was available to take the minutes.

The meeting has been tentatively rescheduled for next Thursday evening, June 22.

Council of old would meet on the second Tuesday of each month, and though the newly elected council has not officially changed that schedule, meetings have been held more erratically, with council sometimes meeting as many as three times a month, and sometimes just once. There also seems to be no set day for the regularly scheduled meetings — meetings from January through to June have alternated between Tuesday and Thursday nights. Prior meetings have also been held on Monday, Wednesday, and even Friday nights.

The Town typically posts the meeting agenda to its Facebook page the day of the public meeting. The last public meeting was held on Tuesday, May 9.

Colony of Avalon shakes off social media hack

Meanwhile, history and fantasy collide in new Colony program

By Mark Squibb / June 23, 2023

The Colony of Avalon is not in the bitcoin business — despite a message you may have received from its Twitter account to the contrary last weekend.

“We actually don’t use Twitter as our main form of communication with the public, we are starting to get back into that, but it had been dormant for a little while, but we started getting messages from our followers saying, ‘Hey, I think you guys have been hacked,’” said Executive Director Kate Pitcher. “And so, we looked into it, and sure enough, some guy had gone into our Twitter, changed the password on us, and started messaging all of our followers with bitcoin information.”

Pitcher said the Colony has since been able to get back into the account and staff are updating security measures.

“Our followers are really great and reached out to us rather than assuming the worst,” said Pitcher.

And so, while the Colony is not in the business of peddling bitcoin, staff are certainly busy — the Colony opened for the tourism season this Tuesday, June 13.

“Our tours have been booming, we’ve had so many people come down already,” said Pitcher.

Last summer the Colony saw an uptake in visitors as pandemic hesitancy wound down, and Pitcher expects more of the same this summer, especially as the Colony introduces new programs.

One of those new programs is a weekly Dungeons and Dragons afternoon, in which folks can rent out the Colony’s 17th century kitchen to play the popular tabletop role-playing game.

“Once a week we book off the kitchen for those three hours for novices, pros, or anyone that wants to join in, to come play a game of Dungeons and Dragons,” said Pitcher. “But our twist on it is that we’re using historical figures and tying it back into history, and so it’s a bit more engaging. During that time, the hearth will be on, and so the fire will be crackling in the background, and chefs will be cooking some porridge for our hungry explorers.”