Council approves travel, professional development requests

By Tyler Waugh, The Pearl/Local Journalism Initiative

Mount Pearl council approved several items during the July 21 public meeting related to professional development and travel expenses for council members and senior staff.

Professional development requests for interim Deputy Mayor Jim Locke, CAO Cassie Rideout and councillors Isabelle Fry and Chelsea Lane to attend the Atlantic Mayors Congress taking place Sept. 11 - 13 in Truro, NS all got approval.

“This has to do with professional development and this is always important for us to move forward with our management and staff and council to go to other areas and learn more and bring it back to help our city,” said councillor Bill Antle.

Council also approved travel requests for Mayor Dave Aker and CAO Rideout to attend the Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador Urban Municipalities Committee (UMC) meeting taking place August 28-29 in Bay Roberts.

“There’s a lot of travel on the go this month, I guess,” said Antle in presenting the agenda items.

The last professional development request was for recreation and community safety director Jason Collins to attend the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA) Summit 2026 Conference that took place Aug. 8 – 12 in Toronto, ON.

“This conference has a strong focus on corporate event planning. The skills and strategies shared at this summit will directly support the efforts to attract, market, and deliver successful events that maximize the use of the facilities and enhance community impact,” read an administrative summary in the July 21 agenda. “These sessions will provide actionable insights into trends, audience development, sponsorship, and event experience design that can be adapted to the City’s municipal and community focused environment.”

Council voted unanimously to approve all the professional development and travel requests. The specific costs for each approval were not provided.

Knights, knaves and damsels ready to set siege to St. David's Park

By Tyler Waugh, The Pearl/Local Journalism Initiative

Mount Pearl will be resplendent with kings and queens, knights and squires, wizards and blacksmiths, maybe even a pirate or two, as the 5th Annual Renaissance Festival Newfoundland rolls out later this month.

It’s all the brainchild of Darren Hann, a longtime attendee of renaissance fairs on the mainland who wanted to bring some of that medieval magic back to the Rock.

“It’s a great atmosphere. I got started getting a bunch of different groups together like Epoch on the Rock, they are a live action role playing (LARP) group here, and we put the first festival together,” Hann said. “It’s been well received and we are looking forward to another great time this year.”

Attendees are encouraged to dress up for the occasion. “You don’t really have to, it’s not mandatory, but it’s part of the experience and you’ll see all sorts of people as knights, fairies, kings and queens,” said Hann. “It’s a welcoming, family-fun atmosphere.”

Epoch on the Rock will once again be featured as entertainers with their live action role playing on the mainstage and there will be a Queen’s Tea featuring tea and crumpets on both days.

There will also be several period-inspired competitions from a homemade catapult contest to a heavy hammer challenge, where participants attempt to hold it up for as long as they can. This year there is also a Pirate Keg Toss on both Saturday and Sunday where participants will toss a rum keg to a set point and then back to the start.

The festival king will be on hand to knight attendees willing to enter his service. For the first time ever, that honour will also be open to furry friends of all kinds.

“Yes, we’ve had requests the past two years to see if they could knight pets, so this year will be our first knighting of the beasts,” Hann said.

Back again is the ‘Shire,’ an artisans working village that will include a cooper who crafts barrels, a leather maker, carpenters, a butter churner as well as a booth with representatives from the Newfoundland Boat Building Museum. The historical artisans will be selling their wares while showing off their crafts.

“They are all handmade items, really authentic and true to the period,” Hann said.

The festival ran for its first three years out of Paradise Park but was forced to switch venues due to the 2025 Canada Summer Games needing that space, so it landed at St. David’s Park in Mount Pearl last year.

Hann said the new venue created such a great layout that it was decided to return to Mount Pearl again this year.

“Paradise was great, nothing against them,” he said.

The festival runs Aug. 23-24 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., with August 23 being Fairy Day.

Mount Pearl awards ‘atrocious’ tandem truck tender

By Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Tyler Waugh

The City of Mount Pearl is buying six new tandem trucks at a cost of nearly $2.5 million plus tax.

Council approved the purchase order at its July 21 public meeting.

The tender was awarded to Royal Freightliner Inc., the lowest qualified bidder in the amount of $409,574, plus tax, per truck. The tender met all requested specifications and will include mounted salt bodies, front snow blades, wings and 50-ton pintle hitches.

"The cost is atrocious, but it is what it is," said Mayor Dave Aker.

The City had five bids when the tender closed June 10, with the other cost per truck proposals weighing in at $423,000 from Harvey & Company Ltd., $468,410 from Western Star Trucks Newfoundland Limited, $475,000 from ENCO Inc., and $481,900 from Nova Enterprises Ltd.

No funding is currently allocated for the purchase, so the expenditure will be budgeted through future capital funding when the vehicles are delivered within the next couple of years.

"To order any large equipment now is 18-24 months (to deliver), so it’s good to get on this early,” said councillor Isabelle Fry in presenting the item to council.

Mount Pearl councillor glad province is working to address crime

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Mount Pearl councillor Isabelle Fry was encouraged to hear that the provincial government is working on legislative changes to better address community safety and rising concerns about ‘shake houses’ that attract criminal activity.
The update comes in the wake of increased incidents province wide, and just a couple weeks after a shelter-in-place incident June 2 in the Sauve Street neighbourhood of Mount Pearl that saw one man arrested on multiple weapons charges.
Mount Pearl council had reported it met with Justice and Public Safety Minister Helen Conway-Ottenheimer not long ago relaying community concerns and despite those mounting concerns, Fry believes the city remains one of the safer communiities in the region.
"I believe that is important to recognize. We are fortunate to have strong neighbourhoods, engaged residents, and many people who care deeply about their community," she told The Shoreline, adding there is complexity in the issues involved.
"My concern is that issues related to drugs and addiction are becoming a bigger problem than many people realize. Trap houses and drug activity are not unique to Mount Pearl - they exist in communities of all sizes throughout the province. The consequences can be far-reaching, contributing to property crime, violence, and other criminal activity as individuals struggle to feed addictions."
Minister Conway-Ottenheimer stated government has already taken measures to hire more officers and that the department is reviewing the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, adding that the review will examine different enforcement mechanisms.
"t’s encouraging to hear that the Province is reviewing the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, including concerns related to criminal activity and so-called trap houses. While there is still work to be done, I am confident the Minister understands the concerns being raised by residents and municipalities and is committed to moving this work forward," Fry said.
Fry said this is not about assigning blame and is, instead, about recognizing where action is needed and urging those with the authority to act with the urgency the situation demands.
Fry encouraged residents to continue to contact Minister of Justice and Public Safety Helen Conway Ottenheimer at justice@gov.nl.ca, MHA Paul Lane at MHAPaulLane@assembly.nl.ca, and MHA Lucy Stoyles at MHALucyStoyles@assembly.nl.ca.
“Respectful, constructive messages from residents can help reinforce the need for immediate action,” Fry said.
ry also said it is important to recognize the work that has been taking place in Mount Pearl, with creation of a Community Safety and Well-Being Committee that brings together representatives from the RNC, Municipal Enforcement, schools, Council, youth addictions services, social workers, the Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group, the Mount Pearl-Paradise Chamber of Commerce, faith groups, underrepresented groups and other community partners.
"The committee has invested a tremendous amount of time into understanding the needs of our community through surveys, research, engagement sessions, and in-depth analysis," she said.
A release by the RNC said its Criminal Investigation Division executed a search warrant at the Sauve Street residence in question, where two firearms, ammunition, a knife, and a crossbow were seized. The man was held in custody and faces charges of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm, Unauthorized Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, Carelessly Using a Firearm, Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose, Breaching Firearms Regulations, and Failure to Comply with a Release Order.
The RNC continues to encourage anyone who witnesses suspicious activity to report it directly to police by calling 709-729-8000. Crimes in progress should be reported by contacting 911.