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.

Busy Bay Bulls playground area may get extra speed hump

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Bay Bulls Town Council has approved the installation of speed humps as weather permits at the usual locations but is considering an additional hump for Sheldon Drive.

Speed humps are currently located in three park and recreational areas, with two near the playground at Island Cove Road, six along the road to the Bay Bulls Regional Lifestyle Centre and one near the Sheldon Drive playground.

Deputy Mayor Ethan Williams said that following last summer’s busy season, some residents questioned whether the hump on Sheldon Drive shouldn’t be on the straight section as opposed to the downhill portion of the road.

“I know that it’s sort of in the area where the road leads into the playground there on Sheldon Drive, but there was a little confusion about putting the speed bump in an area where you’re naturally coming down on an incline,” Williams said. “A lot of people noted that people were naturally yielding coming down that hill, but once they made that turn and got to the flat part of Sheldon Drive that they were instantly picking up speed for that straight shot.”

Chief Administrative Officer Ashley Wakeham said there used to be speed humps on the straight portion of the road until 2023. Other speed control measures have been put in place on Sheldon Drive since then, including a speed sign and new signage highlighting it as a traffic-calmed area.

“At the end of the day it comes down to enforcement through the RCMP, so my advice would be anybody seeing people picking up speed and speeding through that area it needs to be recorded for a couple of reasons,” Wakeham said.

One of those reasons, she explained, is so that the RCMP can maintain statistics for the area, which could eventually lead to enough numbers for more officers to be assigned to the Southern Shore.

“So, it’s very important this is logged through the proper channels,” Wakeham said.

Councillor Corey Ronayne suggested relocating one hump from another area to put at the straightaway on Sheldon Drive, possibly one from around the Lifestyle Centre.

Mayor Keith O’Driscoll indicated the six speed humps located near the Lifestyle Centre might be a little excessive. However, Wakeham disagreed, arguing it is a busy area.

“You have kids in soccer on the front field and back field, you got softball, you also got summer programming and other users of the site, and a daycare,” Wakeham said. “It’s very, very heavily trafficked and very busy.”

Wakeham said there are extra speed humps available, so there is no need to relocate any from the previously assigned areas.  “We can do both,” she said.

Mavericks fans kick in $25K for good causes

By Mark Squibb

Hockey fans in the Goulds raised $25,577 at this year’s 10th annual St. Kevin’s High Mavericks Hockey Alumni Charity Classic.

“Every year you set a goal and you wonder if your goal is achievable,” said organizer Jason Snelgrove. “I try to be realistic with it. We raised a little over $15,000 last year. I’ve said multiple times, ‘That’s as good as it’s going to get,’ and we ought to set an expectation of around $10,000, and anything above $10,000 would be a really good thing.”

Snelgrove said when he was handed the donation total, he about fell over on the ice.

“I’m kind of shocked,” said Snelgrove. “But at the end of the day it shows the amount of support the event has been getting… Any amount we raise is a good amount. But $25,000, I would never have dreamed of the possibility, but here we are.”

In addition to the main event on March 6, a separate female event was held, which helped increase the donation amount. The winner of the 50/50 draw also donated their winnings, which bolstered the donation total.

The female game, held March 3, saw the high school girls beat the alumni players 4-1, while the male alumni players bested the high school boys 6-3.

Snelgrove said seeing kids watch their moms play hockey for maybe the first time was a highlight, not just of this year’s event, but of the last decade of hosting the event.

Donations raised this year were split among the Curtis Hudson Memorial Fund, Vera Perlin Society, and a local family facing medical challenges.

All told, over $90,000 has been raised for local charities over the last decade.

“Next year we’ll break that $100,000 milestone,” said Snelgrove. “The hockey game is cool. The money raised is cool, but the smiles, the laughter, the connections, the community, the family, all of that is what’s really important.”

The St. Kevin’s High Mavericks Hockey Alumni Charity Classic brings together players of all ages. Pictured in top photo are cousins Michael Dier of the high school team and mini–Maverick Aiden Deir. Also pictured are cousins Stacey Power, left, and Katie Power. Stacey Birmingham Photos

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.