Council approves pavement contract with money to spare

By Mark Squibb

Members of the outgoing Mount Pearl council took a break from pounding the pavement to approve some new pavement during the municipal election.

Council called a special meeting for September 25 to award a new concrete and asphalt tender.

The City had issued a tender for phase two of it’s 2025 Asphalt and Concrete Services contract, which included the repair and replacement of deteriorated curbs, gutters, and sidewalks to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility. Two bids were submitted and staff recommended council award the contract to Clintar in the amount of $448,156, HST included.

The City had allocated $477,959, HST included, in gas tax funding for the project, leaving a surplus of $29,803.

Councillor Bill Antle noted that several locations needing curb, gutter, and sidewalk repairs were excluded from the original scope of work due to budget constraints, and that staff recommend the surplus be used to complete this work. Council was agreeable to the idea and unanimously approved the motion.

Council awarded a previous asphalt and concrete contract to Dexter Construction in the bid amount of $958,158, HST included this past August. A large chunk of that, about $749,770, was reallocated federal money left over from capital works projects that had come in under budget.

Rotary Club of Waterford Valley members claim Paul Harris Fellows recognition

Rotary Club of Waterford Valley members Douglas Manstan (left) and Robert Parsons (right) joined the likes of Mother Thresea, Nelson Mandela, King Charles, and Pope John Paul II last week when they were awarded Paul Harris Fellows recognition. The recognition is given to members in recognition of their service to the club and the community at large. The club currently boasts a number of Paul Harris Fellows, and President Rick Tiller (centre) said he is hopeful that by the club’s 50th anniversary in two years time, all 19 members will be able to claim the recognition. Mark Squibb photo

All 11 candidates shown to be good community leaders, says Aker

By Mark Squibb

Residents in Mount Pearl seem satisfied with the status quo at City Hall, as all seven incumbents will once again sit around the council table following the most recent municipal election.

“You could tell from the get-go, when the first results started coming in, that it was looking fairly promising for the incumbents,” said Mayor Dave Aker. “I think that it reflects the confidence the voters had in us. We had a good term. And I think the key is that we work well together. Our focus is on planning, and so at some point in time in 2026 we will be developing another strategic point for 2027 and beyond.”

Bill Antle, Isabelle Fry, Nicole Kieley, Chelsea Lane, Kim Locke and Mark Rice were all re-elected. Newcomers Don Kelly, Mike Peach, Susan Pearcey, Bailey Rempel, and Wanda Tiller put in strong showings, but not enough to overcome the incumbency factor.

“One of the criticisms that you may hear is that there are no new, fresh faces,” said Aker. “The reality is that we have three members of council (Chelsea Lane, Mark Rice, and Nicole Kieley) that have only been on council for four years and they cross three demographic age groups. So, I think we still have a bit of freshness, and I know we have a lot of energy.”

Aker himself was acclaimed as mayor prior to the election as no one stepped forward to challenge him for the chain of office.

“I think it was a vote of confidence,” said Aker of his acclamation. “If there were some serious reservations about my leadership or with the way the City is being run, I think you would have seen someone run against me.”

Aker spent some time at City Hall on election night, along with a handful of other council candidates and their supporters, watching the results come in together.

“It was a well-run election,” said Aker. “The only hitch we had was the Canada Post strike. In that particular case, we had some 80-odd ballots that were unaccounted for, in the sense that they were stuck in the system. So, we made arrangements with those 80-odd voters so that they could either come in and vote at City Hall with another mail-in ballot or vote at a polling station.”

The mayor congratulated each candidate on running a sincere campaign.

“All 11 candidates, six of whom were elected, carried themselves really, really well, and they’re all good community leaders in their own right,” said Aker.

City’s new MEO found ocean an irresistible draw

By Mark Squibb

The City of Mount Pearl’s newest municipal enforcement officer (MEO) Claire Wiseman was sworn in during a public meeting last month.

Wiseman and her husband hail from the United Kingdom and moved to Calgary in 2014. While in Calgary, Wiseman worked with the highway patrol for eight years.

“We really missed living by the ocean, because we had lived on the south coast of England, and my best friend lives in Paradise, so we took a week’s trip in 2022,” said Wiseman. “My friend showed us around, and we said, ‘Yes, we love Newfoundland, we want to move here,’ and we made the move right at the end of the year in 2022.”

Prior to moving, Wiseman secured a job as an MEO with the Town of Paradise, where she worked until accepting the position with Mount Pearl.

Members of council welcomed Wiseman, with councillor Mark Rice quipping he was glad that Wiseman decided to leave Paradise for Mount Pearl.

As already reported in The Pearl, Jordan Cole was sworn in as an MEO this past August.

While you might think the City was hiring additional MEO’s in response to violent incidents last year, which resulted in the drafting of a new soon-to-be released community safety plan, staff say that as yet there has been no change in the City’s approach to the hiring of MEOs, and that the two new officers were hired due to regular turnover of staff. No extra officers have been added to the City’s roster.

The City’s newest municipal enforcement officer, Claire Wiseman, was sworn in last month. From left are Mayor Dave Aker, and Claire Wiseman.

Funds moved to community centre

By Mark Squibb

A surplus of multi-year capital works funding earmarked for various projects across the city will be put towards ongoing construction of the new community centre.

During the September public meeting, Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley explained that staff were requesting that $232,190, HST included, of unused 2017–2020 monies be redirected to the construction of the new community centre, which itself is in receipt of 2023–2026 provincial funding.

The community centre is valued at about $15.5 million and is expected to open to the public by early 2026.

Council also voted to extend completion timelines for a number of capital works projects from June 24, 2025 to December 31, 2025, to obtain an updated agreement with the Province. The projects include Farrell Drive pumphouse upgrades, replacement of Wyatt Boulevard, and full replacement of Farrell Drive from Topsail Road to Evans Place.

Fire Prevention Week in council chambers

Fire Prevention Officer Cara Pardy of the St. John’s Regional Fire Department joined Mount Pearl council in chambers this fall as council declared the week of October 5th thru to the 11th as Fire Prevention Week. “We urge all the people of Mount Pearl to heed the important safety messages of Fire Prevention Week 2025,” said Mayor Dave Aker. From left are councillors Chelsea Lane, Isabelle Fry, Jim Locke, Mayor Dave Aker, Fire Prevention Officer Cara Pardy, and councillors Mark Rice and Bill Antle. Joining by video was Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley. The proclamation was made in September, prior to the October 2 municipal election. Mark Squibb photo

Stoyles says she will continue to fight for the individual

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Public worries about the deficit aside, Mount Pearl North Liberal candidate Lucy Stoyles says the government will always find money for what needs to be done.

The longtime Mount Pearl councillor, who made a successful transition to provincial politics in 2021, is defending her seat against the PC Party candidate she unseated at that time, farmer and businessman Jim Lester.

“It’s like when the fires hit,” said Stoyles. “We always find money for emergencies and when things happen and in crisis situations. If something needs to be done, we have to spend the money and do it.”

But Stoyles maintained the Liberal government acts conservatively by only spending what is necessary. “No government wants to waste any money,” she said. “We all want to do what’s better for the people.”

Stoyles said she has read the proposed new deal between Newfoundland and Hydro Quebec on Churchill Falls and Gull Island and allowed the province will not make the same mistakes of the past.

“We have experts,” Stoyles said. “I’m listening to the experts. Is it a good deal? I’m being told by the experts it’s a good deal, it’s the best deal for this province. We’ve been briefed. Before the deal was announced, (NL Hydro CEO) Jennifer Williams and her team came in and met with a bunch of us at the Confederation building.”

As for health care, Stoyles admitted it went downhill after the pandemic, but said it has improved in the past year or so. She cited an increase of doctors as a factor in the improvement.

“Every single doctor that went through university here in this province has been offered a job,” she said. “And every single nurse that has gone through the system here has been offered a job,” she added, referring to a promise the government made last year.

Stoyles said people don’t realize that bringing doctors into Newfoundland and Labrador costs more than doing so in any other province, but health care has to be looked after.

“I always say your health is your wealth,” Stoyles said. “And if you haven’t got your health, you don’t have anything. We need our people to be looked after.”

Stoyles said while some people do have to wait for medical care, those facing life or death health issues are seen promptly and well-cared for. New government clinics opening on Stavanger Drive and Topsail Road will help people whose issues can be addressed outside the emergency room, she added.

As for the federal and provincial government’s concerted campaign the last few years to bring in more immigrants, with the resulting effect in some people’s eyes that it has added to the unemployment rate for young Newfoundlanders, Stoyles noted Ottawa is trimming and re-evaluating some of those programs. She added that the fish plant in her hometown of Bay de Verde would not have workers without people coming from other countries to work there.

“No doubt we want our people, if they want a job, to have it first,” said Stoyles. “It’s like the Churchill Falls. When the jobs are going to happen if this deal goes through, we want the people in Newfoundland and Labrador to have the jobs first.”

Stoyles acknowledged the record immigration levels have impacted housing.

“Of course it has. How could it not?” she said. “We’ve had thousands of people in. That’s why they’ve (the two levels of government) been doing extra things. They’ve been putting extra money into it. We’ve put subsidies in place for people who were renting and that. So, we’ve been working on that.”

As for district specific issues, Stoyles said she has a strong record as MHA. “Even though I sit as a backbencher, I’ve been very proud of some of the stuff I’ve done,” she said.

Stoyles said she has helped many seniors get subsidies and helped delivered food hampers to people in need every month. She said she was responsible for changes to the Family Act, making it legal for common-law partners of a deceased person to apply for financial support from the deceased’s estate. Stoyles said she was also responsible for making changes to Bill 13, changing the Act for payday loans and lowering the borrowing rate from 28 per cent to 14 per cent. Stoyles added she was also active in ensuring the government moved forward with moose fencing.

“What’s important in my district is the people,” said Stoyles, describing herself as visible in the community and always available. “When people call me, I get back to them… I will fight for the individual… What’s important to people is what’s important to me.”

Lucy Stoyles

Health care, drug abuse, and homelessness need action, says Lester

By Mark Squibb

Jim Lester of Lester’s Farms is looking to reclaim the district of Mount Pearl North for the Progressive Conservatives.

“As a businessperson, and a generational business family, we know what it takes to adapt to a changing environment and enabling our business to survive and thrive, and I want to apply those characteristics to government,” said Lester.

Lester first ran provincially in 2015, in the neighbouring district of Mount Pearl – Southlands, but lost to then Liberal candidate, now Independent, Paul Lane. He made it into the House two years later though in Mount Pearl North by besting Liberal Jim Burton in a by-election to replace PC Steve Kent, who had resigned. Lester was re-elected in the general election of 2018, but fell two years later in the next general election to popular Mount Pearl councillor Lucy Stoyles of the Liberals. That race was so close – decided by a mere 109 votes – that Lester contested the result in court but was unsuccessful. All of which sets the stage for round two on October 14.

“One of the big focuses of our platform is healthcare,” said Lester. “And any investment that creates a positive impact on healthcare is a long-term savings in the government budget.”

The party has promised, amongst other things, to double MUN’s nurse practitioner program and hire locals rather than rely on travel nurses.

“Generally, it’s no reflection of individuals or facilities within healthcare but it’s more a reflection of management of healthcare,” said Lester of the state of healthcare.

As for the provincial deficit, the exact amount of which has become a subject of some debate, Lester said that it “appears to be approaching a billion dollars.”

Lester said the Liberal government’s decision to include decades worth of future revenue from a pending lawsuit against tobacco companies in this year’s budget was a dirty trick.

“In accounting matters, it was legit to do that, but it was not fair to present that to the public as part of the general revenue,” said Lester.

As for the Churchill Falls deal, Lester likened the memorandum of understanding to a sales brochure.

“It’s all about the sale of electricity, the sale of a resource, that we should be using to attract businesses here to Newfoudnland and Labrador,” said Lester. “So, in my opinion, the MOU is not about money, it’s about control. We are looking to provide Quebec with control over our economy through this deal by the control of our hydro development.”

Asked about immigration, Lester said the Province needs to “totally reevaluate” immigration policies.

“We’ve overloaded our infrastructure with an influx of people,” said Lester. “Our infrastructure was already pretty much to the max when it comes to housing and healthcare, even simple things like transportation… We need to realize that the lifestyle and our standard of living that we have is going to be eroded if we don’t maintain a firm hold of how our infrastructure is used and how our culture is preserved. I’m not against immigration, because most of us are immigrants, or are descendants of immigrants – I am – but we have to look at people coming to this country and to this province who bring economic value.”

Community safety, said Lester, is also top of mind for himself and for residents.

“I’ve lived here just about all my live, with the exception of a brief stay in PEI as a child, and I have never, ever seen the degradation of society as we know it now, with the amount of homelessness and presence of drugs in our streets and our parks and schools and public washrooms,” said Lester.

More investment needs to be made into rehabilitation programs, he argued.

“We need to do better as a society to help people get through rough patches in their life and return to being contributing members of society,” said Lester.

Jim Lester

Locke looking to stretch term as Mount Pearl’s longest serving incumbent

By Mark Squibb

Long serving Mount Pearl councillor Jim Locke is once again seeking re-election.

Locke was first elected during a 2007 by-election and has served four consecutive terms since, making him the city’s longest serving incumbent beating Mayor Dave Aker, who was acclaimed earlier this month, by two years for that distinction.

“When I was first approached about running, I had never given it any consideration, really,” said Locke. “But a friend reached out and said this was something I should consider. I spoke with my wife and family and some other friends and co-workers, and they gave me the budge and the support, and here I am. It’s amazing how quickly the time has passed. One term has rolled into another. But it’s been a huge and wonderful learning experience, and we’ve seen some great initiatives brought to the city. And that’s what motivates me. I grew up in Mount Pearl. I benefitted from the volunteerism in Mount Pearl, and from the services and programs and sports and kindness and mentorship of coaches and hockey moms and hockey dads. I just love living in Mount Pearl and giving back to the residents and the youth.”

Locke said it’s his passion for the community that has made him put his name forward time and time again.

“I want to make Mount Pearl inclusive and accessible and safe,” said Locke. “I want to make Mount Pearl a community that people are proud to call home.”

This campaign he is focusing on speeding complaints, traffic safety, lack of affordable housing, and community safety, adding council has implemented policies to address those issues.

“There are still a few projects I would like to see come to fruition,” added Locke. “One is the development of our Northland area – the new housing and business development area along Kenmount Road and Wyatt Boulevard. That’s one. And also, I’m a member of the Community Safety and Well Being Committee, and we just received notice during our last meeting for this term of the draft report of our Community Safety and Well Being Plan. So, I’m looking forward to that being implemented later in the fall.”

Locke and his wife Janice boast two sons, James and Jonathon, and three grandchildren, James, Addison, and Benjamin.

A retired teacher who spent much of his teaching career at Mount Pearl Senior High School, Locke was awarded the Newfoundland and Labrador Premier's Award for Teaching Innovation in 2022, and holds a number of other accolades and awards, including a King Charles III Coronation Medal, which he received this year. He has coached minor hockey teams in Mount Pearl for over 20 years and has won several Coach of the Year awards.

Outside council, Locke has served on both the Mount Pearl Junior Blades Board of Directors and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ Board of Directors.

“It’s a pleasure to work on council and sit around the table with other colleagues, residents of Mount Pearl who also have a passion for improving our city,” said Locke. “But I’d also like to mention the staff that we have in the City of Mount Pearl that are so dedicated.”

See thepearlnews.ca for more coverage of Mount Pearl candidates in this election.

Jim Locke

Rice selling can-do approach

By Mark Squibb

Mark Rice is hoping his down to earth, shirt sleeves up style of helping out has endeared him enough with voters to earn their support again when they head to the polls in Mount Pearl’s city election October 2.

Rice, who originally hails from Red Head Cove, has called Mount Pearl home for the last 40 years. He and his wife Carolyn have raised three children, Sydney, Victoria, and Mackenzie, in Mount Pearl.

Rice is a retired facilities infrastructure manager at St. Patrick’s Mery Home. He has volunteered with the Janeway Telethon for 25 years.

He plays rec hockey with the city’s men’s recreation league three times a week, and with that league helped organize the Toonie for Turkeys fundraiser. He is the Vice President of the First United Church Men’s Club, a member of the Waterford Valley Rotary Club and Mount Pearl Knights of Columbus. He has coached a number of volleyball and soccer teams over the years, and sat on a number of boards and committees.

“I’m a doer,” said Rice. “I’m not a person who sits back in the wings and waits for other people to do things. That’s why I’m involved in so many community groups, that’s why I volunteer… As a councillor, people rely on me. I get personal phone calls from residents, who have had an issue or problem for 10 or 20 years, and I’ll go and sit down and have a coffee or tea with them. I want to be a strong voice for those people. And the businesses in the city need to stay in the City of Mount Pearl, not leave and go to Paradise or another municipality. So, we need to work with businesses. I want to be a voice for the City of Mount Pearl, and not just for the residents, but the businesses. The bottom line for me is that Mount Pearl comes first.”

Rice would like Mount Pearl, Paradise, and Conception Bay South to petition government for a secondary source of water.

“It’s imperative that we work together,” said Rice. “If we have to rely on our tax base, our municipalities cannot do this alone.”

He also wants to see Mount Pearl expand its boundaries by purchasing land.

Rice said he would advocate for more noise reducing fences in areas of the city where commercial developments border on residential areas, a greater RNC presence in the community, more affordable housing, and lighting around Power’s Pond and Branscombe Pond.

“My record speaks for itself,” said Rice. “I’ve been involved in the community from day one. I’ve volunteered… I’m a leader in the community, not a follower. I’m heart and soul into everything I do. My wife is exactly like me, my kids are exactly like me… That’s the way I have been, and that’s the way I’m going to be going forward.”

Mark Rice