Scale back tax still a controversary at City Hall

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 4 (March 3, 2020)

A tax break designed to encourage new businesses to call Mount Pearl home has once again caused some controversary in the council chambers.

Start-ups in the craft, technology, and retail sectors can apply for a four-year scaled tax break to a maximum of $5,000 annually.

New businesses receive an 80 percent tax break their first year in business, 60 percent the next year, a 40 per cent break in year three, petering down to a 20 per cent break in year four.  

The program was launched last May during the ‘Consider it Done’ business promotion campaign launch, with The Newfoundland Gold Company being the first business to successfully apply for the tax break.

That’s company’s tax break was unanimously approved by council in October, although councillor Lucy Stoyles expressed concerns such a policy is not fair to long established businesses.

She reiterated some of those concerns during the Feb. 4 meeting, when council discussed an application from Compounding Wellness Sterile Lab. That business paid $4,882 in commercial tax in 2019, but will pay only 20 per cent of that amount this year because it has been approved for status under the tax break program. Stoyles inquired if it would be a ‘one-time’ tax break, and if the same business could apply again next year.

Acting director of corporate services Cassie Pittman outlined the program’s phasing in of the tax rate, noting that by the fifth year, the business would be paying the full commercial rate.

Stoyles next asked how much exactly this particular application will cost the City, contending that it would be ‘a lot.’ “That’s a lot of money at the end of five years,” said Stoyles, reckoning the sum at about $20,000.

Pittman said the full amount wouldn’t be that much, and that she would work out the actual sum for her.

The actual value of the tax break comes to about $9,764 over four years.

“The idea is, and the rational was the fact that we did research on the length of time a business, once they (open) in a municipality how long they are projected to stay,” said Pittman. “And so, at the five-year mark, it’s very unlikely that a business, unless they experience exponential growth, will remove themselves from the municipality. It’s an investment upfront in the longevity of the tax. And that’s only on their commercial tax, they still pay their full property tax.”

Stoyles next asked if the business would have to pay any of the tax break back to the City if it relocates.

Pittman answered that it would not.

Councillor Andrew Ledwell reminded his colleagues about how the tax break program originated.

“Council will recall, about a year and a half ago, when we rolled out our ‘Consider it Done’ initiatives,” he said. “A lot of that was around eliminating red tape for businesses, trying to help businesses get started in the community, spur on some economic development, and this particular initiative, the scaled back tax program, along with the façade improvement program, were both initiatives that were very much a part of the ‘Consider it Done’ initiatives… We haven’t had the uptake, perhaps, that we expected, but I do want to remind council that this is something that we all agreed to, that we all expected would create some positive economic activity in the city. We can certainly revisit it at anytime, I suppose, as with any decision that we make, but it is something that we all sat around and thought would be a good idea. And, I guess, for a couple of companies at least, it has had a positive impact. But, I don’t know, perhaps it is worthy of another discussion. I just wanted to remind folks that we did put this forward as an initiative to spur on economic development in our city.”

To that Stoyles replied that she though the initiatives would only be for brand new types of businesses. She acknowledged the application did fit the bill as a new business, but argued such a tax break might provide an unfair advantage over existing businesses that provide the same type of service.

“I’d like to revisit it is all,” said Stoyles. “I will support it tonight, because you need a majority of council to support it. But I’d like to revisit it for sure.”

New arts group opens shop in Centennial Square

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 4 (March 3, 2020)

Mount Pearl native and dancer Stephanie Moyst hopes that a new, not-for-profit performance centre nestled in the heart of the city will help fill a void she sees in the art community.

Moyst is the creative mind behind Dragonfly Productions, an organization she said was largely born out of a lack of publicly available performance and practise space for budding and seasoned artists.

Moyst, who spent decades teaching dance in both Alberta and Newfoundland, now works full time in a different job, but likes to teach part-time. But she came across a stumbling block, she said.

“There was nowhere to teach,” said Moyst. “There was nowhere to rent, nowhere to go.”

That was a major problem, she said.

“I find that if the space is not available, and there’s no where to practise, rehearse, or mentor, then everything gets put on the backburner and it gets lost,” she added. “And there’s so much talent and so much communication to come from it, that if we don’t have this place, it’s going to be lost. There might be this 10-year-old kid who is amazing, but doesn’t have anywhere to paint, or dance, of can afford it.”

The centre, located at 16 Centennial Street, just across from City Hall, boasts a 500 square foot dance and performance area, a soundproof music room (“think Stevie Nicks bohemian,” Moyst jokes describing the décor), bean bag chairs, a chandelier, and an entrance hall that could double as a gallery.

Artists and teachers can rent the venue for lessons, workshops, or performances. Moyst hopes that having the space available will encourage the growth of arts in the community.

The third Saturday of every month, the centre will host ‘Las nuit bohemme.’

“It’s like an open mic night — but for all the arts,” said Moyst. “And for all ages.”

Moyst will also host a youth arts festival, Saltwater Pearls, at St. David’s Park in the summer. Dragonfly Productions hosted ‘Open’ last May, an exploration of the relationship between the arts and mental health. Moyst hopes to do that show again this spring.

“What happened at that show was something I never expected,” said Moyst. “The audience and the performers and the gallery all became one.”

Those in attendance opened up and discussed mental health issues that otherwise go undiscussed, she said.

Moyst’s not-for-profit also hopes to establish an annual scholarship, providing three students with scholarships in the amount of $500.

As of now, there is no government funding for the project.

Myost said that while the board (consisting of three other like-minded members) is hopeful for funding, they are choosing not to depend on it.

“There are a lot of us who have been doing this all our lives,” said Moyst. “We’re in different careers, but we still enjoy the arts. We teach painting, we teach music, we teach dancing, but we do it part-time, and we can’t keep sharing what we do. So, I thought, ‘We need somewhere to do this.’”

Moyst said the group is hoping that revenue from shows and rentals will cover the cost of operations.

“We don’t want to be relying on (government) funding,” she said.

She also noted her group is not in competition with the long-established Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl (AAMP).

“I think we easily can go hand in hand,” she said, adding that she has spoken with AAMP director Christine Hennebury about the new performance centre.

“Two non-profit art places in a city is pretty cool,” said Moyst.

The group is already using the space in Centennial Square, but hopes to host a grand opening in March.

Stoyles raises smoke over hotel ruins

By Mark Squibb | Vol 8 No. 4 (March 3, 2020)

When fire destroyed Hotel Mount Pearl on Dec. 28 (just days after a kitchen fire damaged the hotel on Christmas Day), it made headlines.

Now, two months later, councillor Lucy Stoyles is concerned the still-standing ruins of the hotel have been forgotten by most everyone — except nearby residents who have to look at it everyday.

“Many people have mentioned to me that Hotel Mount Pearl is still standing there, and it’s an eyesore, especially to the people on Avery Place who have to look out their windows everyday and see it,” said Stoyles.

She asked if the City knows when the demolition will take place.

Director of community development Jason Collins noted that staff have been working with the owner, and that a tender has gone out for demolition of the property, but there is no concrete date set yet as to when the work will be started.

“People are wondering, that’s all,” said Stoyles. “Because it’s been there such a long time now. It’s been a couple months since the fire, and people are saying, ‘My God, how much longer are we going to have to look at this.’”

Appreciating winter

Annual art exhibit is ode to unique beauty of the season

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

We now know why our winter has been so rough: we’ve upset the Cailleach, the bone mother, who guards the bones of animals that have died in the winter so that they may be reborn in the spring.

See, with all this talk of clearing snow, and getting the job done, we have forgotten that winter is a time of rest. That winter is a time to just not be so busy, a time to appreciate the beauty of the season.

And if we embrace the stillness of winter, we may yet be able to tame the bone mother’s wrath.

Christine Hennebury is with the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl (AAMP). She told of the bone mother, and of the natural beauty of winter during the opening night of the Wintery ReMix exhibit.

The exhibit being a collaboration between AAMP, and the Admiralty House Communications Museum.

It was housed in the Annex alongside the Mount Pearl museum.

Randy Blundon has been drawing and painting since he was young. Blundon is a familiar face in Mount Pearl, teaching out of his Mount Pearl studio on Topsail Road.

 “You get a lot of colour in winter,” Blundon said. His painting of a southside St. Johns landscape depicting icicles formed on a rocky cliff surface is on display at the exhibit.

 “In theses ice candles, you get greens, and blues, and purples, and the dogberries are left on the tree,” he said. “There’s always colour somewhere. And even when there’s a lot of snow, there are shadows and snow sculpted by the wind into different shapes. Everywhere you look there’s something different.”

Blundon, who has been drawing and painting since he was young, is a familiar face in Mount Pearl, teaching out of his Mount Pearl studio on Topsail Road.

E.B. Reid has displayed her photos at St. John’s exhibits, and it was her first time being displaying her work in Mount Pearl.

“I’ve never actually had a piece submitted outside of Downtown St. Johns, so to actually make it to the Pearl is amazing.”

E.B. Reid is used to displaying her work in St. Johns, and said it’s been a great experience, sharing her work in Mount Pearl.

Her black-and-white photo depicts a stroll through a wonderland of perfectly symmetrical trees and park benches, offset by a single, solitary lamppost.

It looks like it might just be the magical land of Narnia— it’s Bannerman Park on a Sunday afternoon.

“I was walking through Bannerman Park, and it was a beautiful day, and I was just struck by how beautiful it was.”

“When life gives you an image in front of you like this, you have to just capture it on your camera or your smartphone,” she said.” “A shot like this is a gift.”

Reid has been shooting photos since she was a young girl. She shot her first photos with a Kodiak while volunteering as a Girl Guide, and has recently begun displaying her photos.

Angela Hennebury is an artist born and raised in Mount Pearl.

Her work is a mixture of mediums. It depicts a snow-covered tree, inspired by a simple look into her out backyard.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” she said. “It’s on a pine panel, it has tissue paper over it to give it texture, and then an acrylic medium to bring it, and it’s covered in sparkle and beads.

“I like to make art that has as much texture as possible.”

She made the piece at the Annex over a period of a couple weeks.

Hennebury, who has been creating art for the last decade, said that winter has just a little extra sparkle than any other season— perfect for an artist that loves glitter.

And displaying that art in Mount Pearl is especially exciting.

“Whenever I go anywhere and my name is net to a piece of art, it’s exciting. But, also, because this is Mount Pearl, and this is where I grew up, and it’s people I know going through, and people I’ve grown up it, it’s pretty cool.”

The exhibit, launched in connection with the Mount Pearl Frosty Festival (Frosty himself dropped by to check out some of the artwork on display), will be on display until Feb. 21.

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.