More trees for Mount Pearl

By Staff/August 19, 2021

Mount Pearl is starting to look a little greener this month and not just because of the great summer weather we’ve been having.

The City of Mount Pearl recently kickstarted a major part of its urban renewal plan: an urban forestry scheme to make the city’s urban zones a little more welcoming and refreshing with the presence of more trees.

The City got started with the first tree planting event on Thursday, June 3. Councillor Isabelle Fry reported back to council that she was happy to see the work get underway and had high hopes for its impact.

“We’ve developed a new urban forestry plan which will guide sustainable management and growth for the city’s treasured urban forests for today, and for generations to come,” Fry said.

The tree planting was the first of many planned this summer.

“I really enjoyed it,” Fry said. “It’s going to be an active summer, for sure.”

The trees planted that day were near the boathouse along Power’s Pond.

“I think they look really nice, especially the one furthest up … That’s the one I planted,” Fry said, smiling.

Realtor hoping to sell herself to voters

By Chris Lewis|August 5, 2021

After trying her hand a couple of times in provincial politics as the PC candidate in Fortune Bay – Cape La Hune, realtor Charlene Walsh is putting her bid in for a seat on Mount Pearl City council.

Walsh said she has lived in Mount Pearl for some 30-years and would like to be part of the city government, which sees as an agent for change.

“I thought this would be a good match for me, for sure,” Walsh said.

Walsh said one of the biggest things she has heard discussed by voters is the potential for tax increases. People are happy where their taxes are, she said, and are not interested in an increase of any kind.

“But, that probably goes without saying,” she said. “Mount Pearl is a wonderful place. We’ve got good infrastructure, and it’s a well-run city. I haven’t heard a lot of complaints.”

Walsh said the job of a councillor is to maintain that level of satisfaction people have with City services, and keep in mind a good plan for Mount Pearl’s future.

When she moved to Mount Pearl years ago, Walsh said, it was a City of young families. Noe the demographic is much older, like many places in the province.

Although she does not know how feasible it would be right now, Walsh said she has a vision for the City that entails infrastructure geared toward seniors.

“We’d have to build up, not out. There’s not as much land as there once was,” she said. “That way, seniors can still live here in Mount Pearl. It’s important to keep our population base. The seniors that I’ve spoken to have expressed interest in that kind of thing, so to have infrastructure like that would benefit everyone. That way, we’ll grow our population. Once the demographic changes, we’re looking at young families in the city once again. This way, we’re not losing seniors and we’re gaining families.”

One of her biggest strengths, Walsh said, is her ability to take people’s concerns and morph them into plausible ideas that can be taken into serious consideration at the council level.

“It’s all about finding solutions, and I’ve been doing that my entire life,” she said.

Fry wants to put learning curve of first term to use with another mandate

By Chris Lewis|August 5, 2021

With one hectic term under her belt, Mount Pearl councillor Isabelle Fry is hoping to see herself seated in the City’s council chambers once again this fall.

Fry said it was an easy decision to run for council the first time four years ago, fuelled by one thing: a hope of helping the people of her city.

That proved to be enough for voters, who provided her with her first four years of political experience. Since then, Fry said, she has learned more about municipal government than she could have ever hoped and is eager to put that knowledge to use with a second term.

She described her first term on council as a big learning curve, with something new added to her plate regularly.

“I thought I did, but I truly had no idea what (being a councillor) would be like. It’s a lot of work, but it is so incredibly rewarding, more so than I ever imagined,” Fry said. “That’s the biggest reason why I want to run again, because you really are in a position to help people and make a difference. You get to meet so many amazing people and do so many amazing things. For me, it’s been a gift.”

Fry laughed as she recalled the first time she met with the rest of council. They were each asked to compile a list of things they hoped to accomplish. When it was tallied,

they found their list had accumulated to a cost of $375-million.

The City’s annual budget is about $50-million.

That was a big eye opener, said Fry, and she realized the importance of prioritizing projects and ideas, and just how much planning has to go into things.

“It’s easy to sit back and say, ‘We need this, and that, and that, and that,’ but then to try and come up with the means for it? Suddenly you’re asking what things you’re willing to give up for that other thing. You have to mix and match, be creative, learn to lobby government … It’s an incredible process, but one that takes a lot of attention.”

As chairperson of the finance committee, Fry brought down the City’s budget this year. She is happy that council was able to lower taxes.

“In a year when people needed it the most, our council agreed that people come first,” she said. “People struggled a lot this year, people were laid off, and if there was ever a time to give back to the people, this was it. That, to me, is what municipal government is all about: taking care of the people.”

Fry said she is excited about the recently announced community centre: something the City badly needs, she added, especially for groups such as the Association for the Arts and the Mount Pearl Independent Seniors group.

“We’re so fortunate to have groups like this here in our City,” said Fry. “This community centre is, to me, the essence of what our community spirit invokes. It makes me very excited. Yes, at the end of the day you need to have things like sustainable infrastructure, and water and sewer services, and those are things that need to be invested in. But those are things that you can’t always see. People take them for granted. But equally as important is our people, and that’s what got me into municipal government in the first place: being able to make a difference for the people. I love it.”

Aker aims to hold line on taxes, strive for economic growth in second term

By Chris Lewis | July 29, 2021

With municipal elections set for Sept. 28, Mount Pearl Mayor Dave Aker is hoping to see himself reinstated for a fourth term on council and second as mayor.

With 12-years on council under his belt, Aker said he is pleased with the work he has seen accomplished in Mount Pearl, and eager to see it continue.

Aker said he does not see the City as having unfinished business, but is instead looking forward to Mount Pearl’s continued improvement.

Aker’s four years as mayor have been challenging at times. His term included the record-setting snowfall the province was faced with in 2019, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic that changed the way we live as a whole. Aker also inherited what became a challenging situation in the decision by a committee of the previous council to hire former MHA and councillor Steve Kent to the role of Chief Administrative Officer of the City. Kent and the City eventually parted ways in a messy firing-cum-resignation that also cost the chamber two councillors, who were accused of breaking conflict of interest rules in their communications with Kent.

Aker has spent the interim period managing a smaller council and working to show council business is still being done in the wake of the controversy involving Kent.

While not eager to revisit the turmoil of those months, Aker has no trouble talking about the city’s other challenges, such as Snowmageddon and Covid.

“Our residents were kept safe during those times, and we’ve had to work closely with our staff and employees throughout,” he said. “We’re coming out of it all now, and I do truly believe the future is bright in the City of Mount Pearl. We’re not tired or fatigued. When we look at what we’ve accomplished during the most challenging of times, we’re looking forward to what we’ll be able to do now once the pandemic and everything else is behind us. But if not, we’ll be ready in case it breaks out again.”

He is hopeful that residents will see a return to normalcy as early as late 2021 or early 2022.

“We’ll hopefully see things like the Frosty Festival return, along with City Days and other celebrations like that,” Aker noted. “For example, our Summit Centre. We’ll see restrictions lifted and more people will be able to go swimming. With that, day camps should also be back, as well.”

Meanwhile, maintaining a line on taxes will continue to be a priority. “There’s not a thirst in our city for an increase in taxes, certainly, so the best thing we can do is hold the line, especially coming out of the pandemic,” he said. “We want residents to have a chance for their incomes to rebound. We’ll do that by keeping a tight control over our expenditures.”

Aker said the time has come to focus on dealing with demographic challenges that come with an aging population.

“We intend to do that using some of the funding we can leverage from the provincial and federal governments, as well as some of the City’s money,” he said.

If re-elected, Aker also intends to maintain his support for development of the arts, and economic development.

“I’ve got to be honest, we’re really focused on making sure we keep our momentum on economic development. We’re focusing on attracting new businesses, and I think that’s a part of the key to our success in the long run,” he said.

Looking back over his past 12 years on council, Aker said there has been a development towards all municipalities in the region acting more cooperatively and cohesively. Still, his focus, he said, will always be on the people living in Mount Pearl.

“We love welcoming people from outside of the city, but we want to make sure we serve our residents first with the same high quality services that we’ve established here,” said Aker. “At the end of the day, growth in the Avalon is probably going to be low going forward, but Mount Pearl has plenty of opportunities for growth. I’ll continue to push for that in areas like Northlands and the Kenmount Road lands. You have to be true to your residents, and make sure they’re getting the value and services they deserve. That’s the experience I bring to the table.”

Antle hoping for re-election in Mount Pearl

By Chris Lewis | July 29, 2021

With one term on council under his belt, Bill Antle says he still has something to contribute and wants to see Mount Pearl continue on the right path.

“Four years ago, I thought I could give back to the city, and I still think I have a lot to offer,” Antle said. “Mount Pearl has done so much for me and my family, I thought this was a good way to give back.”

Antle, a former district sales manager for Heinz Canada, is retired and says he has plenty of time to dedicate himself to bettering the city.

On Antle’s to-do list are three major categories: economic growth, municipal services, and recreation. His priority, he said, is to keep taxes low, and services high.

Those are things he heard from residents as he went door to door back in 2017 and they haven’t changed.

“Mount Pearl is experiencing solid growth – even in these unprecedented times – in both Donovan's and the retail sector as a result of our continued efforts to attract and retain business,” he said. “This will strengthen our tax base, and allow us to improve municipal services and provide employment opportunities right here in our community.”

Antle acknowledged some people’s frustration with government processes and said if he’s re-elected he hopes to “cut through the red tape” as much as possible, and see things done quicker and more efficiently.

But most residents are generally be satisfied with the services provided by the City, he said. He added his job as a councillor is to ensure those services are always there, and that they continue to improve as time goes on.

“There’s not too many issues really,” he said. “Maintaining our snow clearing is important, our trails are second to none, our recreation services can always be improved. That’s all of what I hear, but most people just want to make sure our taxes remain low.”

Looking back at the past four years, Antle said he is proud of the work council has accomplished.

“It’s all about listening to what the people want,” he said. “Before I was a councillor, I was sometimes frustrated with these little things, but they’ve only improved. We take care of things, and make sure it all runs smoothly. That’s what I hope to keep doing here.”

Locke hopes to continue focusing his 'green lens'

By Chris Lewis | July 22, 2021

A familiar face will be back on the municipal ballot in Mount Pearl this September.

For the last 14-years, Jim Locke has served as a member of Mount Pearl City council, including most recently as Deputy Mayor, and when occasion warrants, as Acting Mayor.

Oddly enough, Locke first entered the political realm almost on a whim. He admits local politics was not on his radar at the time, but was told by a friend that he would make a good fit for council during a byelection back in 2007.

After mulling it over with his wife, Locke decided to it might be a worthwhile endeavour.

“It was very heart warming to see all the support that would come in, even back then,” Locke said.

Now, 14-years later, Locke is able to look back on many things the various incarnations of council have accomplished over the years. That, and his evergreen to-do list, are two of the main reasons he’s decided to run again, he says.

“My mantra is ‘thoughts become things,’ said Locke. “Anything that has been developed, someone had to think that up at one time. So, it’s just very rewarding to have seven people around the council table having such a great influence on the direction our city will take. The question is always, how do we better the City of Mount Pearl? I may come up with an idea first, suggest it, and at the end of the day with my council colleagues, the final idea that comes off the table is a modified version that stems from everyone’s perspective.”

Locke said one of the biggest lessons he’s learned on council is that in general no change is immediate. Some initiatives he likened to the planting of a seed, needing time and commitment to fully blossom.

And there are still plenty of projects in the hopper that he would like to see come to fruition.

Locke said there is a sense of pride and commitment to the place he lives.

“The heart of Mount Pearl is the sense of community living,” he said. “People look out for one another. Growing up, my parents did a wonderful job of raising us, but they didn’t do it alone. It was the community at large that did it. Growing up playing sports, being involved in the scouting program, all those things were possible because at the time they were run by volunteers. People in the community, out of the goodness of their heart, built the city from the ground up.”

Locke said his two sons, who now have children of their own, grew up in a similar environment and reaped the benefits of Mount Pearl’s community spirit. Now, he hopes to see his grandchildren afforded the same opportunities. He wants to use his position on council to ensure all families in the city have the same opportunities to enjoy life.

Locke says he is also happy to have provided council with “ a green lens” over the course of the last 14 years. When a decision is made regarding a project, he explained, there are usually three ways to look at the cost: the financial cost, the social cost, and the environmental cost.

“I feel like I’ve brought a little more emphasis on that environmental cost,” he said.

Locke is particularly proud that Mount Pearl residents now use far less water per capita than when he started on council. Back then, the City was often referred to as a ‘water hog’ due to the amount of water residents purchased from the regional water supply – some eight billion litres annually.

Thanks to the purchase of a water correlator, the City was able to discover a number of leaks in its water system. Mount Pearl has since managed to reduce its water consumption on a yearly basis by nearly half, and continues to make use of its correlator to address other water issues.

Although the correlator cost about $40,000 at the time, it has gone on to save the city much more than that in water consumption costs all while reducing Mount Pearl’s impact on the environment.

Locke said the City has had other accomplishments that people may not be fully aware of such as the purchases of electric and hybrid vehicles for city staff, the urban renewal and forestry initiative, and even the purchase of a wood chipper that helps rejuvenate the forests while reducing diesel fuel consumption by shipping less wood down to the Robin Hood Bay landfill.

“It’s really been an honour to serve, and I’ve loved it for these past 14 years,” Locke said. “I’m looking forward to the next council, and hopefully I’m able to work together with them to keep bringing these opportunities to the city.”