Mount Pearl purchases new blower

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 3 (Feb 13. , 2019)

Mount Pearl is adding to it’s snow fleet.

During a Nov.26 meeting, council approved the purchase of municipal tractor from Saunders Equipment Ltd. for the bid amount of $172,421.25 (HST included).

Councillor Lucy Stoyles put forward a motion during a Feb. 4 council meeting to purchase a blower attachment for that tractor at a cost of $17,000 plus HST, in account of heavy snowfall seen this year.

Deputy Mayor Jim Locke explained that he planned to support the motion, but had reached out to Director of Infrastructure and Public Works Gerry Antle with a question earlier that day.

“My question for the Director was, given the volume of snow and the walls of snow that we have, this is sort of a smaller unit, and a smaller snowblower, so is it going to be effective in the environment we have with these six and eight foot walls. But Director Antle correctly pointed out, there are many areas in the City where snow is not the six- or eight-foot banks that we se along our thoroughfares, and this will be quite helpful in the residential areas where the banks are a little lower.”

The equipment will assist in widening the roads and clear sidewalks.

“This is a versatile piece of equipment,” explained Antle, of the tractor.

“This is used in the summer season as well. We use it for sweeping sidewalks and other areas of the City.”

‘I’m going to keep on this’

Canada Post still not in Stoyles’ good books

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 3 (Feb 13. , 2019)

Mount Pearl councillor Lucy Stoyles makes no bones about her dislike of the ‘super mailboxes’— the banks of mailboxes you see around the city.

She raised her concerns during the January 16 meeting, and again during the February 4 meeting of council. One of Stoyles’ main concerns is that it is difficult to clear the mailboxes of ice and snow during winter months, meaning that people may not be able to access their mail in a timely or safe fashion.

“I just wanted to state again that I received at least 12 or 15 phone calls from people,” she noted. “There’s a gentleman on St. Andrew’s Avenue who haven’t had his mail since the storm,” she added.

The storm Stoyles referred to took place on January 17, with record-breaking snow piling up across the province.

“This gentleman is waiting for a cheque. And he don’t know if it’s in the super mailbox or not. And he’s had to borrow money off family,” said Stoyles. “The mailboxes were blocked in, and they opened them up one day, and he couldn’t get out. He’s an older gentleman. He’s contacted Canada Post a dozen times, he’s contacted Seamus O’Regan’s office, I’ve contacted Minister’s O’Regan on his behalf, and it goes on and on and on.”

Canada Post workers were to deliver cheques following the storm to ensure that no one had to go without their money, but Stoyles noted that it was an insurance claim, so was likely not flagged as a cheque by Canada Post.

Stoyles said that the mailboxes just are not a good fit for the province.

 “It’s like I’ve said before, when you live in a climate like we live in in Newfoundland, especially for seniors trying to get their bit of mail, it’s unbelievable… it’s really disturbing to see. They got nowhere to put the snow, and besides that, they’re putting it out into the streets.”

She added that she pitied contractors hired to do the job.

Deputy Mayor Jim Locke asked if council had a record of which boxes had been cleared, as he was under the impression that of the 373 super mailboxes in the city, all but three to five had been cleared.

Director of Infrastructure and Public Works Gerry Antle noted that the City did not have a count as to how many had been cleared, or not cleared.

“Our issues have been, and continue to be, that once they are cleared, and some of the deficiencies associated with the clearing,” said Antle.

As the discussion was considered as business arising form the previous meting, there was no vote or decision made as to the super mailboxes.

“I’m going to keep on this,” promised Stoyles.

The best of the best

Chamber hosts annual award ceremony

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 3 (Feb 13. , 2019)

The Mount Pearl Paradise Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual Best in Business awards this past Thursday, January 30.

It’s possible that Mother Nature took the chamber’s message of ambition and business excellency to heart, sending a record-breaking blizzard that postponed the original event, which was slated to be held on Jan. 23.

Though it was blustery and snowy outside during the awards ceremony, inside were warm spirits and cheer.

The chamber handed out 10 awards to eligible businesses, recognizing innovation, community impact, employment equity, customer service, and the overall most outstanding.

Of those awards, the majority went to Mount Pearl-based businesses, including Compusult Ltd., Admiralty House Communications Museum, MGM National Safety and Training, Young Drivers of Canada, Coffee Matters, Rogue Penguin Creative, and Ooh La La Pet Spa.

The first award of the night, the Innovation award, went to Compusult Ltd.

“You probably know Compusult by it’s building. Everybody can place the Compusult building, it’s right next t the City Hall in Mount Pearl. But a lot of you might now know Compusult the company,” said Michael Picard, Director of Marketing, who went on to explain that Compusult deals in geospatial interoperability, or, the ability to access and share geospatial data - data that is anchored to a geographic location.

“There’s a saying in our industry, that everything happens somewhere. Compusult is a software solutions company for organizations that have location-based data. So, a lot of our clients you’ve heard of, like NATO, the US government, Environment Canada, and, we’ve even done work with the International Space Station. So, that’s not bad for Bannister Street.”

Compusult deals in assistive technology, creating devices to aid those with unique challenges.

“We have a service where quadriplegic clients can operate a mouse with mouth,” he explained, by way of example.

They also make robots, which are used to explore harsh environments.

The business is headquartered In Mount Pearl, with offices throughout Canada, USA, and the Netherlands.

“If we don’t innovate, we die,” he said by way of summary.

The other nominees were Flowers with Special Touch, MGM National Safety and Training, Kids Help Phone, Saucy Mouth Food Truck, and Medavie Food Truck.

Admiralty House Communications Museum was the next winner of the night, beating out Rogue Penguin Creative for the Communications and Marketing award.

Museum Manager Sarah Ryan was on hand to accept the award.

“On behalf of Admiralty House staff and the board, we’re so incredibly proud to be here tonight, and to be situated in Mount Pearl … The museum was once a top-secret wireless station, and we work everyday to ensure that the museum is not a top-secret museum in the community.”

The museum hosted a special ‘Field to Flight’ exhibit to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic.

Next up was the award for Best New Business. That award went to MGM National Safety and Training, a recent start-up which offers safety and training courses.

Accepting the award were owners Colleen and Scott Glynn.

“Owning your own business is definitely not for the faint of heart. It takes guts, determination— and alcohol,” Colleen joked.

“It has its many challenges, ups-and-downs, but our determination to succeed allows us to sink our heels in during the tough time, and celebrate every accomplishment, big or small. Every day we get up, we put one foot in front of the other, and tackle what we can that day. Eventually, through it all, success will follow,” said Colleen.

Scott expanded a bit more on business, and how the Glynns do things differently.

“Most training places you go to have instructor-based training. What we try to do is have student-based training. So, we involve everyone in the program. What it does is bring everyone to the same comfort level.”

He said it boils down to three steps: tell them, show them, and let them do it.

Next up, was the Community Impact Awards, with one for Mount Pearl and one for Paradise. The Paradise award went to Paradise Physiotherapy, while Young Drivers took home the Mount Pearl Award.

“In this room, in the company of so many, it’s truly an honour just to be nominated. In this room, it this company, its an even bigger honour to win this award. It’s truly humbling,” said Steve Kent. “Community impact isn’t something that you decide to do to enhance your brand. Community impact is what happens when you have a genuine commitment to supporting that community. A commitment to truly being a part of that community. Anyone who knows Janet and I, knows that we have a lifelong commitment to our community. Always have, always will.

“We support causes in our community because it’s the right thing to do. We believe that supporting our community is key to living and working in your community. We can all do better when we support each other. We all benefit from helping each other,” he summarized.

Coffee Matters took home the award for Employment Equity, an award recognizing businesses that strive to employ those who may face barriers in their search for employment.

Owner Scott Hillyer was on hand to accept the award.

“One of the mantras of our company is that we should support our community, and more importantly, support those individuals who lack the ability to have employment,” said Hillyer.

The café partners with the Vera Perlin Society, among others, to help find work for those who need it.

“One thing about owning a restaurant or owning café is that there are a lot of jobs that people don’t want to do. A lot of the jobs aren’t glorious, there’s dishes to be done, cheese to be portioned, turkey to be portioned, so we always find ways to give people meaningful employment.”

He encouraged other businesses to consider hiring more inclusively.

“They become an independent person. And when they can earn their own pay, that’s huge for them. Because they don’t want to be on government assistance. They don’t want to be given money. They want to be able to go out, work, and earn their paycheck.”

Other nominees included Ches’s Fish and Chips, Inclusion NL, and Tim Hortons.

Hillyer was back on stage just a short moment later, when Coffee Matters employee Megan Hounsell was awarded employee of the year.

Hounsell is approaching her 10-year anniversary with Coffee Matters. She got her start as a bakery assistant and dishwasher, and now meal delivery, morning baking, and salad bar set up.

“Megan is my success story,” said Hillyer, his voice breaking. Housell, who chose not to address the crowd, leaned in and gave him an appreciative hug.

“Megan came to us, and she needed a job. She had done some work experience with Vera Perlin, and she had identified that it was a restaurant that she wanted to work in. When she came to us, she was very, very shy.

“She worked with our baker, and learned how to make jam-jams,”— here the audience chuckles—“amongst other things, and soon afterwards we realized that she had a great, great, personality— always a smile on her face, and a very hard worker.”

For three years, Housell worked at the Military Road location. When Hillyer opened a Mount Pearl location, she transferred there, so as to work closer to home.

“As a dad, I can’t be any prouder of an employee than I am of her,”

It was noted that Housell is also an athlete, has also won many gold medals in Special Olympics over the years.

Next up was the Customer Service Award, with Rouge Penguin Creative taking it home.

Alisha Morrissey, Copy Director, accepted the ward.

“This is an incredible honour for a small business trying to make its way. We really pride ourselves on customer service, and going above-and-beyond, which is why this means so much. It’s a compliment to be in the same category as these other nominees,” said Morrissey.

The last two awards of the night went to Outstanding Business of more than or less than 15 employees.

The award for Outstanding Business (More Than 15 Employees) went to Pennecon Ltd. in Paradise, but the award for Outstanding Business (Less Than 15 Employees) went to Ooh La La Pet Spa, competing against Jacobean Chocolate and Young Drivers.

“The only speech we had prepared was ‘congratulations to the winner,’” joked Melanie Collins of Ohh La La Pet Spa.

Ohh La La Pet Spa took home the award for Outstanding Business (Less than 15 Employees). Form left to right are Colleen Glynn (of MGM National Safety Training and Services), Melaine Collins and Tricia Stuckless of Ohh La La Pet Spa, chamber president Dave Halliday, and Scott Glynn (of MGM National Safety Training and Services).

“This really is a surprise for us. We’ve been in business now in Mount Pearl for five years, and working in that community has been an incredible, incredible experience. Mount Pearl has always been there for us, and the Chamber of Commerce has always been there for us, and has been supportive of us. It has been a struggle at times— the economy is not the best— but to be in a supportive environment has made this an incredible experience. I’m so happy to be with the team I’m with, and a part of the business that Tricia owns.”

The ceremony closed for the night following the presentation of all awards.

Controversial application did not go before council

Council responds to ‘beer backlash’

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 3 (Feb 13. , 2019)

Many residents were surprised when news broke last week that Mount Pearl Cineplex had applied for a liquor licence.

Some members of council were also taken by surprise.

“I didn’t hear about it until I heard about it on the news,” summarized councillor Lucy Stoyles during the Feb. 4 council meeting.

She said that upon hearing the news, she contacted City Clerk Mona Lewis to confirm what she heard was true.

“I was a bit shocked. I couldn’t remember it, and I said, ‘Maybe I wasn’t there, but I didn’t think I had missed a meeting,’” she explained, adding that decisions that are likely to result in controversy ought to be brought to the council chambers.

Councillor Andrew Ledwell explained, because the application was not for a change of use, it was approved by the planning department, as many other applications are approved, without going as far as the council chambers.

 “If we had to have council meetings and had to review each and every application, we would be here for the duration of Frosty Festival,” said Ledwell. “This was not a situation where they were creating a lounge… this was simply an addition of a menu item. They were adding a beer, or whatever other drink you can purchase, the same as you can purchase popcorn or a soft drink.”

Ledwell, who noted that he had read articles and social media posts on the subject, as well as received emails regarding it, said that if residents are angry, that anger ought to be directed not at municipalities, but at the theatre company.

“If you enjoy going there, and they’ve done something that you don’t know if you’re going to enjoy going there in the same way, I would advise people to take it up with Cineplex rather than coming to the City of Mount Pearl, because quite frankly, that decision was easily made, and within our regulations.”

Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker noted that residents who disagree with the prospect of selling alcohol at the theatre could address their concerns to the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation, who have the final say in awarding or not awarding the licence.

Still, Stoyles felt that if an application may prove controversial, it ought to go before council.

 “When there are things like this, and there’s a chance that there’s going to be a controversy, people will think we made the decision, and we do, it’s our policy, so we did make the decision at the end of the day. But when there’s a controversial issue like this, I think it would be good for us to know about it. And I didn’t know about it until I heard about it in the media,” she said.

She further explained that she had a number of phone calls regarding the issue, with several other councillors noting that they had received calls and emails regarding the issue as well.

“I spent my weekend explaining it,” Aker joked.

Stoyles concluded by saying that, at the end of the day, council will be held accountable by residents for all decisions.

“I was disappointed that I didn’t know about it until after it was out in the media. Maybe we could have talked about it at this table. It’s good to have a heads-up and know what’s on the go,” she concluded.

Deputy Mayor Jim Locke, meanwhile, noted that sometimes it can be difficult to tell if a certain application will cause controversy or not.

“I polled my students today in school, and they said, ‘What’s the big deal? There’s no difference in going to a hockey game and buying beer. And one astute student said, ‘Listen, I don’t think the government should be micromanaging what a business does. If the patrons don’t like beer at the movie cinemas, don’t go to the movie cinemas. Let their money do the talking.’ They offered a new menu item; it was within our regulations, so I fully support what our staff did in this particular case. They couldn’t deem it to be controversial … This was within the policies we have.”

Locke noted that Cineplex offers alcohol in cinemas across the country, and reiterated the point that if people are against the proposal, the correct body to express concerns to would be the liquor corporation.

Mount Pearl man named to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 2 (Jan. 30, 2019)

Mount Pearl’s Gordon Slade, along with seven others were invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, the province’s highest honour, during a ceremony at Government House on Jan. 29.

“I was out walking on the trails here in Mount Pearl, when I got this call from the Lieutenant Governor, who I know because he used to live down the street from me,” said Slade, who received the call the first week of January.

“I was surprised, and pretty honoured, to be someone who would receive that kind of award.”

Hailing from North Harbour in Placentia Bay, Slade has always been interested in the fishery and ocean, which led to an appointment as provincial Deputy Minister of Fisheries with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1975.

As Slade watched over the years, he saw rural, coastal buildings that had stood for hundreds of years being torn down and replaced with metal buildings that had functionality but no architectural value.

“My view, was that we really have to save, for future generations, some representation of how we lived and worked,” said Slade.

“So I became really determined as an individual that we have to do something.”

In 1988, Slade established The Battle Harbour Historic Trust to preserve the historical fishing village.

Today, Battle Harbour is a registered National Historic Site, visited by tourists across the world.

Slade was awarded a Royal Canadian Geographical Society Gold Medal for his efforts.

He joked that one time in Battle Harbour, an elderly man approached him about his work.

“He said, ’I don’t know what you’re doing here. Old buildings, you tear them down, and you make something out of them if the wood is any good.”

“And I said to him, ‘If we do this right in Battle Harbour, it will be more important than the fish harbour in Mary’s Harbour.”

He has since been involved in heritage preservations in Red Bay and Bonavista.

 “You got a really good appreciation of the importance of keeping our history, as much of it as we can, because future generations need to know how the people that came over here from England and Ireland, how did they live for the first centuries, and what kind of buildings did they work in, and how did the houses look?” said Slade.

“If we didn’t have these places, you wouldn’t be able to tell the generations of today how their forefathers and their foremothers lived, how they survived.”

He said that his efforts were guided by a sense of necessity, an urgency and a need to act, not just talk.

Gordon Slade of Mount Pearl was one of eight to be invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador during a Jan. 29 ceremony at Government House.

“What can I do for Newfoundland and Labrador to preserve the unique culture and heritage? What can I do? I got to do more than talk about it. I got to be a part of it,” he said. “You’re actually involved. You’re in the buildings. You’re talking to the historians. You’re learning, and you get a sense that this is important.”

Slade explained that our heritage is unique in its construction. As a province settled by immigrants, there is no singular point of cultural origin.

 “So many of the Irish lived in this community, and so many of the English lived in that community, but they worked together out on the fishing grounds, and when they sold fish and so on,” explained

“So, these individual communities were a little different than other places in Canada. So, Newfoundland had a community heritage that was its own in a sense. So, Fogo Island … and say, Trepassey, they are different. And they were different. And the people came from different places. So, we have something really special here, that you would not have in Ontario, or in other places in the country.

“So, we built heritage on this community basis, and it enabled us to have this character, this ‘Newfoundland character’ I call it, that is distinctive in Canada.”

Currently, Slade is an active member of the Shorefast Foundation, committed to preserving the cultural and economical identity of Fogo Island.

One aspect of the foundation is the New Ocean Ethic, dedicated to ocean health.

Slade has introduced a number of initiatives that Fogo residents can do to improve the health of the ocean, including introducing reusable bags, cod pots, and more.

“If coastal communities around the world did the kind of things we’re doing in Fogo Island for the ocean, we would be doing something significant about the health of the ocean,” he said. “It’s communities that will make the difference.”

Slade has been awarded numerous esteemed awards over the year, including the Order of Canada, the Tourism Association of Canada Award of Excellence ‘Volunteer of the Year for Canada’, the Royal Canadian Geographical Association Gold Medal, and more.

Mount Pearl Blades honour alumni

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 2 (Jan. 30, 2019)

Mount Pearl Junior Blades took some time to honour their own Sunday, Jan. 26.

A short alumni ceremony was held before just before the Blade’s game against the Avalon Capitals to honour some young players who had worn the Blades jersey.

 “This is a special group. We’ve been together for a really long time. Most of us have been playing together since we were five and six years old. So, to be back in the Glacier here at Mount Pearl, it’s really nice to be recognised by the organization,” said Grant Thompson, a former assistant captain who wore the Blades uniform for 141 games (or four seasons.)

He plays for the senior St. John’s Caps now, but fondly remembers his time with the Blades.

“It was always great playing here in front of the home fans. And we were always a team focused group, and that’s why we’re all here tonight, having fun like we did throughout those four years.”

The alumni took in the game together from the lounge.

Meanwhile, on the ice, Blades dominated the Avalon Capitals 7-2.

From left to right are alumni Liam Kennedy, Stephen Predham, Daniel Toope, Colin O’Neil, Grant Thompson, Bobby Upshall, Jared Ostroski, Michal Broders, Michael Barnes, and Mitchell Rogers.

The ace was chased, and caught

By Chris Lewis | Vol 8 No. 2 (Jan. 30, 2019)

One Mount Pearl resident went home with over $8,000 this past week.

The Mount Pearl Sport Alliance (MPSA) has spent the last 27-weeks getting together with residents from around the city as they held their second Chase the Ace event.

The event was held in hopes of fundraising money to divvy up between the 13 different youth sports groups under the banner of the MPSA- among them being minor hockey, baseball, and even bowling. These sports organizations are known to hold individual fundraising efforts for their own purposes, but this particular event is an Alliance-wide operation.

The money raised, as Mike Bugden of the MPSA explained, would be used by each separate sport group to meet their own individual needs.

The event started in July of 2019, with weekly events hosted at the soccer hut for the following 27-weeks. Each week, Bugden says he saw more and more people coming to take part as the jackpot-winning Ace of Spades eluded those chosen to flip a card.

“It’s an interesting little project, because it brings people in from the community. It really turns into quite a social event at the soccer hut as well - we always have about 100 or more people sitting around. It’s not quite a kitchen party, but it’s a lot of fun,” Bugden said. “It’s a bit of entertainment for sure. People had to put up with my terrible jokes.”

However, that fun came to a close on Monday night, Jan. 27 when Valerie Pike was called to flip one of the remaining cards. Luck was in her favour as she turned over the coveted ace of spades, earning herself the jackpot prize and ultimately bringing the weekly event to a close.

Pike went home with $8,443.50.

This came at roughly half way through the deck of cards, and although that is the nature of these types of fundraisers, it is a far reach from the prize money claimed at the first chase the ace event, which came out to be approximately $159,000.

Bugden says that although the event did not reach the kind of numbers as the first year, he knew it boiled down to simple luck. He also knew that chase the ace events tend to really pick up steam once the deck gets much smaller than it was this past week, when the stakes are even higher.

“It starts to catch people’s interest when the jackpot reaches around $10,000. At least, that was our experience last time. Weather was also a bit of an issue this time around,” Bugden said. “I also think it’s entirely possible that the enthusiasm for chase the ace might be waning a little. So, it’s a little tougher to get as many people involved”

Just because this singular event did not reach the level of success that last year’s chase the ace saw does not mean bad news for the Alliance, as each of the 13 organizations are always out and about in the community with various other fundraisers.

“It’s pretty well non-stop,” Bugden said.

Still, Bugden said he and the Alliance were nothing short of pleased with the outcome, noting that any amount of money raised was worth the efforts - efforts that he described as being a ton of fun.

The exact amount of money that would be going out to the sports had yet to be calculated, but Bugden estimated it to be around $1,000 for each sport. He said that number is subject to change, however, as the final amounts are sorted out.

In the future, Bugden says that another chase the ace event may be in order, but it is something that he and the Alliance will have to mull over, and possibly look into a new type of fundraiser.

“We might just sit back and size it all up. We’ll look into other fundraising options that we can all collectively be a part of, and we’ll take it from there,” he said.

Mount Pearl approves change orders for road projects

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 2 (Jan. 30, 2019)

Mount Pearl council approved change orders for various projects during the Jan. 28 council meeting.

The first was for the Glendale Avenue and Bradley Place Reconstruction project.

That project is currently on hold until the snow melts and summer construction season sets in.

“The original contract for the project was valued at $3,925,996.51 HST included. However, there are some additional amounts that have had to be added to that,” said councillor Andrew Ledwell.

Councillor Andrew Ledwell, standing, brings a number of change orders before mount Pearl council. Seated on his left and right are councillors Bill Antle and Lucy Stoyles.

“When we got down into the road, we found out that the existing storm sewer line and existing manhole system were encased in fact in concrete. And of course, that was not know n at the time of the original design of the project. So that meant there was some additional work that had to be completed. There were some additional items that were required because of that additional work.”

The additional work added additional cost to the project; the change order totalled approximately $200,000. There was a previous change order of $20,000, bringing the new cost to $4,148,155.29.

“This is work that had to be done to make this project happen,” noted Ledwell.

Deputy Mayor Jim Locke noted that it was a lot of money, that theses costs could be expected when doing work in older parts of the City.

“With our new approach to asset management, and our new data tracking and data keeping, theses surprises, I think, will be less frequent in future years as we go to replace future infrastructure. It’s just that in the older parts of the city, in my experience, and I what I’ve found is, there’s the unknow, because we didn’t have the same sort fo record keeping that we have today, as to what’s under the ground. And while it is a lot of money, it doesn’t surprise me, given the area of the City that we’re in,” said Locke.

Next, council approved a change order to work done on Topsail Road and Blackmarsh Road, as the City had realigned traffic through the area over the last year or so.

That incorporated upgrades to Blackmarsh Road as well, which was listed as a separate project.

“The original value of the two projects combined together was $4,925,566.22, HST included,” said Ledwell.

He noted there were revisions to sanitary manholes, repairs to a catch basin, an adjustment made to quantities of materials required, a replacement fo a faulty fire hydrant, and additional hours of inspection.

The change order totalled $169,366.25, HST included.

Another, much smaller change order followed suite.

“There was some work that was done that caused some problems with the driveway at 753 Blackmarsh Road,” said Ledwell.

“There was an incline on that driveway that was made much, much worse by the additional work that was completed on Blackmarsh Road. So as good neighbours, and in the interest of looking after our residents, council stepped up and helped this particular property with realigning the grade on this particular driveway.”

The cost for that change order was $10,235.

The change orders bring the combined cost of the two projects to $5,162,756.83.

Council voted unanimously on all change orders.

Autism Society fundraising for gardening initiative

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 2 (Jan. 30, 2019)

The Autism Society Newfoundland and Labrador is holding a fundraiser concert on Feb. 8 at Spirit of Newfoundland to help raise funds for their Good Roots Gardening initiative.

“The whole goal of that operation is to provide employment for individuals with autism, and provide work experience and skills training,” explained Tess Hemeon, Chief Operating Officer.

One offshoot of the garden initiative is the Mobile Gardening Crew.

It gives those with autism a job tending office plants.

“They go in weekly, or bi-weekly, and water the plants. Which is an awesome experience because they get to see different workplaces, learn workplace etiquette, follow a schedule, and work as a team. So, we’re really trying to grow that,” said Hemeon. “It provides people who may otherwise have barriers to employment the opportunity to get out there, get into the community, and experience something new, and just really connect with workplaces that they might not otherwise be able to.”

Hemeon added that it’s good for clients as well, who learn more about autism.

The Society partners with many community groups and organization, and Hemeon said that one of the most long standing has been with the Mount Pearl Summit Centre.

“We have an amazing partnership with the Summit Centre, something totally different,” said Hemeon.

Over the last five years, over 300 people have learned to swim through special one-on-one swimming lessons offered in partnership with the Society and the Centre.

“For people with autism, water safety is a huge concern, so Mount Pearl does some pretty awesome work for us,” said Hemeon, noting that many may not be able to participate in a group swim class.

 “We have an individual here who goes into the Summit Centre to teach them about autism and to teach them about teaching strategies that might work for them in the pool.”

Bah Humbug

By Mark Squibb | Vol 7 No. 23 (Nov. 21, 2019)

When most folks think of Christmas, we often think of candy canes and nativity scenes, reindeer and gingerbread men, Santa Clause and snowmen.

But Scrooge, that old English curmudgeon from Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, seems as much as the warp and woof of the season as anything else.

Mount Pearl’s Jim Healey will be donning the garb of the cantankerous old miser for the St. John’s Players production of A Christmas Carol— A Live Radio Drama.

But it’s not the first time; Healy’s very first role was as Scrooge in a 1975 high school production of the classic tale.

A shot from the 2017 NL Drama Festival production The Good Doctor by Neil Simon. Jim Healy as the narrator/Anton Chekov and Sandra Mills as the Woman. For the performance for which he was awarded the Honorary Chairman's Award for the best performance by a man.

44 years later, he’s a little closer in age to the character, and although he himself isn’t a miserly crank, he says it sure is it fun to play one on stage.

“Playing villains is fun. Because you get to be something you’re not,” said Healy, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

But this production has a bit of a meta twist.

Healy will be playing real-life actor Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke, best known for his performances in theatrical productions of Shakespeare and Bernard Shaw, as well as his portrayal of the Pharaoh Sethi alongside Charles Heston’s Moses in The Ten Commandments, who in turn will be playing the crabby crackpot in a radio version of A Christmas Carol.

So, if you need to recap, Healy is playing an actor who is playing Scrooge.

“In this particular production I’m a famous British actor who has come to St. John’s and somehow, I’ve been has been roped into playing Scrooge on the radio,” said Healy, who described the Hardwicke character as “a stuffy old British actor” type.

“He actually mentions in the script that this is a step down for him, having to do radio, because he’s been performing on a London stage and doing films in Hollywood for years.”

Healy said that it’s common in theatre for actors to paly both roles.

Dicken’s tale, first published in 1843, tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, who learns to be a kinder, gentler person after being haunted by the spirit of his former business partners and time travelling ghosts.

The original story sold out within days of its publication, and the story (and its protagonists) have been cemented in pop culture and holiday lore.

“The thing about A Christmas Carol is that the message is uplifting at the end. That even a miserable, miserly, skinflint like Scrooge can somehow be reformed and become good. It gives hope to all of us,” said Healy.

“People never get tired of uplifting messages.

“People want to have hope and optimism and cheer and brightness. And of course, what’s the best time of year for that? It’s Christmas.

 “The message of hope is there, that even in the darkest of circumstances it is possible to turn things around.”

Healy meanwhile has been involved in over a hundred stage productions since first appearing on stage as Scrooge in 1975, as well as performing radio plays and commercials and with various choirs.

And while even the thought of performing on stage may turn some of us whiter than one of the ghosts in Dicken’s classic, for Healy it’s a thrill like none other.

“Whether the paly is serious, or a comedy, or it’s a combination of both, like we have here, there’s always that sense of joy and that sense of anticipation of being able to be able to perform in front of an audience.

“It still gives me a rush. And I’ve been doing theatre for 44 years.

“That why I keep coming back to theatre.”

If you are interested in theatre, but maybe a little nervous, Healy suggests maybe not auditioning for the lead role on your first shot.

“Start off with something small. Maybe you don’t want to be on stage right away. Maybe you should do something behind the scenes. Help out with costumes, or props or with set, or assistant the stage manager. Get a feel for it, get a feel for what its like.

“Come to rehearsals. See what the actors do. See that they enjoy it.”

He also added that line memorization isn’t quite as hard as people might think either.