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.

Debt a millstone around our neck, says Mount Pearl Southlands MHA

PC turned Liberal turned Independent MHA says biggest concern moving forward is province’s financial woes

By Mark Squibb | Vol 7 No. 25 (Dec. 19, 2019)

Like many of us, Mount Pearl Southlands MHA Paul Lane’s biggest concern for 2020 is our province’s financial debt.

There’s a lot of it. More than $13 billion worth of net debt.

“The biggest concern facing our province right now is staying afloat,” said Lane. “In the last budget we borrowed $1.2 billion. We now have a net debt — we were told in the fiscal update by Minister Tom Osbourne— our net debt now is almost $14 billion.”

That’s not counting the costs of rate mitigation either.

“If we’re going to mitigate rates to keep the bills where they are now — which government has committed to — then we, the government, have to come up with, I believe, somewhere in the neighbourhood of six-to-seven hundred million dollars a year. And while they are saying in the new year, there’s going to be some announcement with the federal government, we don’t know what that is, if it’s going to actually result in total mitigation, partial mitigation, or what it’s going to mean.”

Despite the massive debt load, Lane said that there is a some starlight shining in the night sky.

“With that challenge identified, and it is a huge one, I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom for the future,” said Lane, who noted he firmly believes in the potential of the province’s resources, particularly, oil.

“I do understand the challenges around climate change. However, I do agree with the premier that the world is not coming off fossil fuels overnight,” Lane said. “And we do have some of the cleanest oil in the world. So, think there’s a huge opportunity there that we need to capitalize on. I think that’s a bright spot.”

But Lane added government must diversify the economy, and not hang all our hopes on oil.

Some of that work, he said, has already begun.

“We’re seeing more development in terms of mining, and that’s a positive thing,” Lane said. “Aquaculture, if done properly, and I emphasize if done properly in terms of all the environmental assessments and putting in all the mitigation measures, and we’ve seen an issue where perhaps best practise wasn’t followed recently, but if it is done properly, there’s no doubt that that has a huge opportunity in terms of employment. Certainly we’ve seen the cannabis industry — albeit I’m not in favor of the approach, of giving big tax breaks to companies like Canopy, and I will always question when I see huge companies getting tax breaks or any kind of grants or subsidies… but with that said, there has been some movement there and apparently there’s more projects in the pipe, so there’s opportunity there. And I believe there’s opportunities in agriculture as well. Government has recognised it to some degree, but I think there’s a lot that could be done, particularly for smaller farmers and operators. And certainly in the tech industry, there is just the potential in terms of technology and even getting in on the green technology. From my perspective, I think there is no reason to believe that we cannot have a bright future given the tremendous amount of natural resources we have, and the skilled workforce.”

But a major diversification and weaning off oil dependence will not happen over night. Lane foresees many ‘bridging years’ ahead of us, years where we slowly build and diversify the economy

“And I just hope you can get through these bridging years, and get to the good times, while managing this huge millstone we have around our neck, which is of course the provincial debt,” he said. “Government has a role to play in encouraging and supporting growth and diversifying the economy, and there are things they can do to help that along. But it’s not just as simple as waving a magic wand… I don’t believe that in the year 2020 all of a sudden the economy is going to be diversified. That would be totally unrealistic to expect that. But I would expect for government to try and advance the agendas in a number of these areas and to see some meaningful movement towards that.”

As for the possibility of another provincial election in the coming year, Lane said that depends on what happens inside the Liberal government.

“I believe if there is an early election, it will be due to the internal politics of the Liberal Party. It will not be the Progressive Conservatives, it will not be the NDP, and it will not be the Independents who are going to likely cause an early election,” said Lane. “I believe, if it will be caused, it will be caused when the Liberal Party itself will decide at some point and time that they need a new leader, and that will trigger a series of events.”

But Lane said election years are not necessarily good ones for the province.

“What you see in an election year of course is quite often is government overspending,” he said. “They’re trying to buy votes. When you see increased spending leading up to an election, you have to question the motivation behind it… We also see a lot of promises. Unfortunately, not all the promises are kept.”

When Lane was removed from the Liberal caucus in 2016 for voting against the now notorious Budget 2016, he chose the road of independence.

It is a decision, he said, he has not regretted.

“Being an Independent is absolutely fantastic because you get to say what you what, when you want. You get to do what you want, when you want. You’re not beholden to any party, or anybody else. I can just represent the people of my district, and their interest, and I’m not constrained in any way by party policy, or what the leader wants,” said Lane. “Leading up to the provincial election in May, all three parties wanted me to run for them. In the end, I decided to run as an Independent. I’m glad that I did. Obviously, I’m pleased with the result, and the faith that the people of Mount Pearl Southlands have put it me.”

Getting back to business

Mount Pearl North MHA hopes for a less theatrical House of Assembly in 2020

By Mark Squibb | Vol 7 No. 25 (Dec. 19, 2019)

Near the top of Mount Pearl North MHA Jim Lester’s wish list for 2020 is a less theatrical government, both inside and outside the House of Assembly.

“The theatrics of politics are continually playing as a disfavour, and we just need to take practical approaches to the issues that are facing our people, and make some changes within how government delivers services so that it’s effective and it’s practical,” said Lester.

Over the last several months, government has chewed up its time debating members’ behaviour, from Environment Minister Perry Trimper’s accidental ‘race-card’ voice mail, to the censure of Christopher Mitchelmore.

Lester himself found himself on the receiving end when Fisheries and Agriculture Minister Jerry Byrne accused him of condoning moose poaching. Byrne withdrew the comment, along with an accusation hurled at NDP member Jim Dinn that he did not do enough to support Indigenous people. The discussion over whether Bryne should be censured chewed up two days of debate in the House .

Lester said it has been a common theme in 2019.

Mount Pearl North MHA said he hopes for a ‘less theatrical’ House of Assembly in 2020.

Mark Squibb photo

“This past sitting of the house, we had, I’m pretty sure, just as much debate on people’s decorum and code of conduct versus the real issues that affect people’s everyday lives,” he said. “The amount of legislation that we passed, I would consider more ‘housekeeping’ type legislation – changes in legislation to reflect the passing of a federal law, or changes in legislation to correct a grammatical error.”

One of the biggest disappointments of 2019 for Lester was the findings of the recent Citizen’s Representative’s Report (the ‘Mitchelmore Report’) which found the then Tourism and Business Minister had acted incorrectly in hiring Lieutenant Governor Judy Foote’s daughter Carla Foote for a position at the Rooms, skipping the interview process and increasing the salary of the position to match the salary Foote has been receiving when she worked in the Premier’s Office.

”I had a really, really big issue, and still do, that a politician grossly abused his authority, as was documented in the report,” said Lester. “He hired somebody outside the normal and acceptable course of protocol, and not only was that wrong, it’s going to cost the people of this province an additional $50,000 a year until that individual decides she wants to retire.

“The premier got up, several MHAs on their side got up, and said ‘Ms. Foote is the best person for the job.’ Well, maybe she is. But we don’t know that, because she was selected through a non-completive process. As a business owner, I know the advantages and the benefits of an interview process. That’s the best way to ensure that you’re going to get the best candidate for the job.”

Given such scandals, as well as the Liberals’ position as a minority government, holding only 19 seats, Lester thinks that Newfoundlanders may be heading to the polls again in the near future.

“Unless we see more of a leadership quality emerge within the governing party, yes I do foresee an election happening very soon,” said Lester. “Governments usually fall when the public loses confidence in their leader, or the party itself losses confidence in their leader.”

If the government does fall in 2020, it would be Lester’s fourth election in five years.

In 2015, he ran in the Mount Pearl – Southlands district, losing to Paul Lane by less than five percentage points (or, just over 200 votes). He ran again, this time in Mount Pearl North, in a 2017 by-election, following the resignation of Steve Kent, winning a significant 46.89 per cent. Just two years later, Lester ran in the 2019 provincial election, winning with 49.2 per cent of the vote.

“Maintaining the trust and faith of the people to be able to represent them in the House of Assembly is quite an honour,” Lester said. “It’s not one I take lightly… It’s pretty awesome. Every time you’re successful in a campaign, the feeling that night is exactly the same. But I know what it feels like to be on the opposite end of the scale. It’s just as strong an emotion.”

Of the 2019 election, Lester said the campaign offered the same old politics.

“We’ve seen much of the same old election promises, election propaganda, coming out, and that’s part of the political theatrics that have continually done us disfavor.” He argued. “People are not sold into that type of election talk anymore. They’re more skeptical of everything that comes form a politician’s direction. And I can understand that… They have every reason to be more skeptical. Especially under this administration. How things are done in the House of Assembly and how things are done in news releases are often two different things.”

Despite the spin and the scandals, Lester said people are still optimistic about the future — maybe just not in government.

“People’s optimism has increased, but it’s not due to government, it’s due to their own self-reliance,” he allowed. “People have realized that, ‘Hey listen, under this current situation that we have, it’s going to be up to the people of the province that are going to change this around’. Now we do need direction and we do need leadership from government, there’s no doubt… When I got involved in politics, I didn’t get involved to maintain the status quo. I got involved with aspirations to try and make a bit of a difference.”

Looking ahead to 2020, Lester adnitted he has some goals.

“I have to take a more aggressive stance in voicing what I feel needs to happen,” he said. “We need more fiscal responsibility. We have to stop living in this fantasy world. We have to put more policies in place to encourage business development, but sustainable business development. We don’t want to see what just happened up in Labrador with the data centre basically imploding. We want to see good, strong businesses. No more theatrics of big announcements and big spending, we need to make small financial changes in a lot of different places for us to really have a positive future. It is we the people who are going to change the destiny of our province.”

Lester said the future of the oil industry in the province will need to be a topic of conversation in the coming year.

“Oil will always be a big part of our province. But our province is such a small part of the oil industry globally, and you have a pressure to decrease the amount of oil being used. We have to look at getting more value for our oil. So, I would like to see government’s focus coming off the extraction of oil and more focus on the value of our natural resources, be they oil, be they minerals from the ground, be they forest products. This bulk export of our resources has not done well for us, and it has too change.”

Like many, Lester is concerned about the financial future of the province. The 2019 Fall Fiscal Update, released Dec. 11, found the province’s revenue had dropped by $392-million in the fiscal year.

Lester said that continually borrowing ‘just to keep the lights on’ and reliance on revenue streams, such as the 2019 Atlantic Accord Deal signed by premier Dwight Ball in April, are not good enough.

“Money does not solve economic woes. It’s working people with money. That’s what stimulates the economy, and gets a healthy economy moving again,” said Lester. “Royalties in lieu of work, or cash payments in lieu of work, doesn’t do us any favors. It basically covers up government inefficacies. “It actually creates a worse situation. Because all of a sudden, you’re dependent on this free flow of money coming into the provincial economy which is not sustainable.”

Lester said that many of the issues facing residents of Mount Pearl North are similar to problems facing the province at large.

“I don’t believe that government can act quick enough to address the need for long term care,” he said. “I believe that we may have to consider some sort of public — private partnerships to take away that backlog. In a perfect world, government would be able to take care of everybody to the full extent. But unfortunately, we are living in far less than a perfect world.”

Despite the challenges, Lester said that he has high hopes for a good 2020.

“I do believe that people have faith and hope in the ability of government and bureaucracy to deliver basic services,” said Lester. “I believe that people more or less believe in each other, and that is what is going to change the destiny of our province.”

Stoyles not onboard with right-turn only

By Mark Squibb | Vol 7 No. 25 (Dec. 19, 2019)

Some residents of Mount Pearl might need to adjust their route home in the near future.

The City will be installing a right-turn only sign at the intersection of Blossom Avenue exiting onto Park Avenue in response to a safety concern from a resident of Blossom Avenue.

“It’s a little bit difficult in terms of sightlines, because as you know, there is a retaining wall on the corner on the right-hand side that makes seeing up and down Park Avenue from Blossom a little bit difficult,” explained councillor Andrew Ledwell.

He noted the resident had requested that the City change the traffic flow on the avenue to a one-way street; instead, the Infrastructure and Public Works Committee recommended keeping it a two-way street, but will install a right-turn only sign.

Ledwell noted that accident data showed the collision numbers were low, but with the addition of the Team Gushue Highway, there would be more traffic in the area.

Councillor Lucy Stoyles was not on board with the idea.

“The reason why I’m not going to be supporting the change is that we haven’t done anything to let the residents know,” she said. “We’ve had one person contact us and ask us for a change.”

Stoyles said in her opinion, the retaining wall did not present much of a safety issue.

“Even today in the rain, I didn’t find it dangerous,” she said. “There is a spot to stop, this is where you have to stop, and you know you’ve got to edge out a bit further because the wall is a bit higher. But I don’t really believe the residents would want this change. And it’s not only the residents on Blossom, it’s the other streets off it, and the people who use it on a regular basis.”

She said that residents in the area should have been polled.

“I think we’ve got to be a lot more proactive when we make changes like this, because once we make the change, it’s done,” Stoyles said. “I would rather see us poll residents and do a bit more work on it before we make a major change like that, so I can’t support this motion.”

Councillor Bill Antle said residents in the area were, in fact. polled.

“I talked to 80 per cent of the residents – one of them even called me back afterwards— and they are all in agreement with no-left-hand turn on Blossom Avenue onto Park Avenue,” he said. “Right now, most of the residents refuse to go that way. They go the opposite way. Some of the residents told me they’re quite happy with this happening. They’re telling me that sometimes people are using Blossom Avenue as a thoroughfare, as a race track to go from Smallwood Drive to Park Avenue to get beat the traffic.”

Antle said the other 20 per cent of the residents were not at home.

Deputy Mayor Jim Locke clarified that the road would indeed remain a two-way street, and added that he believed there was a valid safety concern. The retaining wall was put in by the City some years back, he recalled, because there used to be a concrete wall up that was listing out, and that was even higher than what’s there now.

“So, we put in the retaining wall, and it’s still a sightline issue,” he said. “And the challenge that some of the residents have, that I spoke with, is that you have to be out fully into the land that’s heading east on Park Avenue before you can see around the wall.”

Locke allowed the change will be an adjustment, but explained that residents could use Pleasant Avenue (off of Blossom) to get onto Park, adding about, he suggested, 15 seconds to the commute.  

He reiterated that traffic data in the area hasn’t been updated since the opening of the team Gushue Highway.

Councillor Isabelle Fry said she has family on Blossom Avenue, so she is familiar with the area, and agreed it was a safety concern and that she herself never makes the left hand turn for that reason.

Councillor Andrea Power agreed, and said she hoped the decision would deter people from using side streets as thoroughfares.

Put to a vote, the motion to ban left hand turns passed with all but Stoyles voting in favour. Residents of Blossom Avenue will be notified before the sign is installed.