Locke adamant City won’t pay to maintain Team Gushue Highway

By Mark Squibb / June 16, 2023

Earlier this month, the provincial and federal governments announced a joint expenditure of $30 million to complete the Team Gushue Highway.

The highway, which currently ends abruptly at the Topsail Road and Dunns Road Intersection in Mount Pearl, will finally connect to the Pitts Memorial and Robert E. Howlett highways, although that won’t be at least until 2027.

While the move has been applauded by municipal leaders, some members of Mount Pearl council have taken exception to a comment allegedly made by St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen.

“I wanted to highlight here in public chambers that in a report on VOCM, Mayor (Danny) Breen with the City of St. John’s made a comment that ‘The capital city will agree to do the maintenance on this completed highway if Mount Pearl also agrees to do the same,’ and several have inquired and I said, ‘Well, that’s brand new to me,’” said Locke. “In the announcement, and in the discussions, it never came up that Mount Pearl was expected to commit to maintaining this provincial, regional road.”

Locke said he wanted to assure residents that council has not committed to maintaining the road, nor was the expectation to do so ever presented to him.

“I really have no idea where the comments from Mayor Breen originated, but I just wanted to speak here publicly because I did tell residents that I would speak to it in the public chamber,” said Locke.

Locke said that leaving the highway in an unfinished state (the last bit of construction was done in 2018) has been a detriment to the City of Mount Pearl.

“Since 2018, we have had an abundantly higher volume of traffic on Park Avenue and Smallwood Drive that wasn’t there until they connected the Team Gushue Highway and the offramp down there by Dodge City and Mount Pearl Square, so yes, it will benefit the city, but it will only rectify a traffic issue that was brought about by the incomplete condition of the Team Gushue Highway,” said Locke. “Had they completed that Team Gushue Highway at the time, as far as they’re proposing now, to the Robert E. Howlett, we would not have had to endure the high volume of traffic, the speeding, the noise, the premature deterioration of our asphalt on those roads — because they were never designed for that volume of traffic — and so I do acknowledge that the city of Mount Pearl will benefit from the completion of this highway, but so too will the Southern Shore, the Goulds, and the Southern Avalon.”

He went on to say residents of the Southern Shore are not expected to maintain the Robert E. Howlett Highway nor residents of Carbonear expected to maintain the Veterans Memorial Highway.

“Just because the Team Gushue Highway is adjacent doesn’t mean there’s an associated ownership,” agreed Mayor Dave Aker. “And the premier mentioned several times at that announcement bringing people in for government services, for provincial services. They’re being brought in on a provincial road. But frankly, if the City of St.John’s wants to operate a provincial road, that’s their purview at the end of the day. But I don’t see that this City has changed its position, nor would CBS, or Paradise, with regards to any of the other provincial roads in the region. So, the comment kind of came out of the blue and it was unannounced, and I wonder if a little bit more thought needs to go into it. But I do commend the Province for finishing the road, and fixing the Park Avenue, Smallwood Road problem that we have.”

Aker concluded he was looking forward to the Team Gushue cul-de-sac becoming the Team Gushue Highway.

Breen, meanwhile, said he believes his words were misunderstood.

“At the announcement I was asked by a reporter if St. Johns was going to maintain the road,” said Breen. “And I said, and he misquoted me a bit, but what I said to him was we would consider it, but we would only consider it if Mount Pearl is involved in it, because we wouldn’t maintain it ourselves, and clearly it’s a road that is very important to the City of Mount Pearl, so we wouldn’t do it ourselves, but if the Province wants us to consider it, we would consider it if Mount Pearl was involved. And that’s all I said.”

He allows that maintenance of the road has been a contentious issue over the years, but that no commitment has been made by St. John’s.

He added that St. John’s is actually in alignment with Mount Pearl in thinking that the Province should be responsible for maintaining the highway, but the capital would consider maintaining it so long as other municipalities, like Mount Pearl, also committed to maintaining it.

“If we were asked, we would consider it, but we wouldn’t do it just ourselves because it serves the whole region,” said Breen. “So, if we were asked to do it by the Province, we would expect that other municipalities would be asked to participate in that as well.”

Mount Pearl extends snow clearing deal with outside contractor

By Mark Squibb / June 9, 2023

Mount Pearl City council has voted to extend its snow clearing contract with Farrell’s Excavating Ltd.

In 2022, on the heels of an 11-week municipal strike, council awarded a snow clearing contract to Farrell’s Excavating for the bid amount of $531,875, HST included.

It was the first time the City had ever contracted snow clearing services to an external contractor.

City staff would remain the ‘go-to’ for snow clearing, but Farrells would be called upon to clear snow in special circumstances, such as a worker strike, severe snowfall, or another pandemic, God forbid.

The move also ensured the City would have to rely less on staff overtime hours, a condition of the strike bargain.

During this week’s meeting, councillor Jim Locke explained that as per the tender document, the duration of the contract was for the winter season, which spanned from December 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, and the city has the right at the end of each contract year to extend the contract by increments of one year for a period of up to no more than two years, upon the same terms and conditions, provided both parties agree.

The Corporate Services and Public Works Committee recommended the contract be extended for an additional year for the winter season of December 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, with the same terms and conditions.

“This contract will allow us to have a contingency in place,” said Locke. “It’s a form of insurance if you will, that, should some unforeseen occurrence take place, we’re protected, and we’re able to continue with the high level of services that our residents are used to.”

The bid amount of $531,875 was well over what the City actually paid, which was around $115,000.

“We arrived at that number ($531,875) in the event that there is a circumstance whereby we have to rely totally on this contractor to provide this level of service,” said Locke.

Also built into the price is a guaranteed amount of $100,000 plus HST for equipment standby costs, including a set number of hours of work if required, to be paid in two installments in January and March.

“That’s what we pay to maintain the workers and the equipment on standby, if you will, in the event that we need it,” said Locke.

The motion passed unanimously.

Paradise council sends Kieley its best

Mark Squibb / June 9, 2023

Members of Paradise council took a few moments during the close of Tuesday’s meeting to send Mount Pearl Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley their best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Kieley was hospitalized after being struck by a car and seriously injured on May 21.

“She is just an incredible person,” said councillor Elizabeth Laurie. “She was one of the first people to reach out to me after my second diagnosis of cancer. She’s an incredible friend to us all. And the last time I spoke with her in person, she was telling me and the CAO that she wanted to meet up with us to pick our brains and talk about all the wonderful things that we’re doing here in Paradise in regard to diversity, and what she was referring to was our diversity committee and our cultural awareness training that we offer here. And she’s just such a wonderful person, and I’m sure everyone here would wish her all the best, and we’re here for you.”

Laurie noted that Kieley made a post to social media recently, and that her spirits seem high, all things considered.

Other councillors sent their well wishes to Kieley, including Deborah Quilty, who is a distant family relation.

Councillors preoccupied with concern for stricken colleague

There was an empty seat at Mount Pearl council this week, but its usual occupant wasn’t forgotten. Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley was hospitalized after being struck by a car on May 21, and is in serious condition. During this week’s meeting, someone placed a package of licorice, her favourite snack, atop her desk to await her return. Mark Squibb photo.

By Mark Squibb / June 2, 2023

Members of Mount Pearl City council wore their hearts on their sleeves during this week’s public meeting, and those hearts were heavy.

The meeting was the first one to be held since Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley was hospitalized after being struck by a car and seriously injured on May 21.

“Our thoughts, prayers and unwavering support go out to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time,” said Mayor Dave Aker. “Nicole has been an invaluable member of council. She’s been dedicated to serving our city with passion, integrity, and genuine commitment. She’s always brought a positive approach to moving the city forward. This incident has undoubtedly left us very much lost, and we must continue to work together as a community to offer our support, our love, and our understanding. And while it’s natural for us to be concerned and seek updates, we do kindly request that we respect Nicole’s privacy and her health, and that of her family. They deserve space and time to process this incident and focus on healing. In the meantime, let us hold out hope, as we rally together and offer our steadfast support for Nicole and her family.”

Councillor Chelsea Lane also offered support for Kieley, whom she described as a friend as well as a colleague.

“I think that we’re all having a hard time being at this meeting tonight and looking across at her seat,” said Lane. “If you know Nicole, you know that she is a force to be reckoned with, she is resilient, she has a smile that lights up the room, and she’s always there for her friends, and for anyone who knows her, including the people who elected her. We certainly feel sad today, but we are here to support you in any way, shape, or form, and the whole city is thinking about you in this time.”

Aker admitted council still hasn’t processed the incident yet, and expects it will take time, adding that he hoped to see Kieley back at her council seat soon.

Councillors Jim Locke and Mark Rice both wished Kieley a speedy recovery, with Rice saying he hadn’t planned on addressing the matter but felt he had to.

“It’s been a difficult week for all of us,” admitted Rice, who, like Kieley, was elected for the first time during this last municipal election. “Once you start to feel out the team members, you start to get connected to people, and when this happened with Nicole, we were all distraught, and we couldn’t believe that it was Nicole. The more time you spend with people, you become friends, and you connect with people, and you get strong feelings for people, and if anything happens to the team, it feels like part of you is lost. And it’s no different here today. It was very difficult for all of us to come here today.”

Council went ahead with the remainder of the meeting’s agenda but cancelled the roundtable discussion in light of the difficult situation.

On Tuesday, the same day of the public council meeting, a friend of the Kieley family launched a GoFundMe page to help the family during Nicole’s recovery.

Within nine hours, people had donated $11,945.

Second hike in chlorine price has council’s eyes watering

By Mark Squibb / June 2, 2023

It’s a known fact everything costs more lately, and that includes chlorine as well.

On March 30, Bilroc Industries — the City’s chlorine supplier— said it could no longer supply chlorine at the previously agreed upon price.

“The new chlorine price quoted by Bilroc for 205 litres is $352.60 per unit, which will have an annual increase of $6,673, with a total increase for the remainder of the contract, April to July of 2023, of $2,200,” said councillor Bill Antle.

This is the second price increase since the City awarded Bilroc the contract in 2020, but the recreation and community safety committee recommended accepting it as there was no suitable alternative.

That contract is set to expire on July 31 with an option to extend to July 2024.

The Committee recommended that council go to tender for new pricing in August rather than extend the existing contract.

Councillor Jim Locke, who noted that he supported the motion to approve the price increase, suggested council also investigate an alternative cleaning method that he had heard about at the recent Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Convention.

“One of the communities made mention of a swimming pool, that was an outdoor pool, that was chemical free,” said Locke. “It was naturally filtrated, which I was fascinated with. The water went down through the rocks and the gravel, and they explained the process of how they were able to recycle the water. I just wanted to throw it out there as food for thought, and to maybe take it back to committee. Mount Pearl is known for trying new things and thinking outside the box, and given the annual expenditures for these chemicals, I would be interested in seeing the cost-benefit analysis of this technology that they’re using at this particular community.”

Locke said the option could benefit the City both from a financial and environmental standpoint.

The motion to approve the chlorine price increase passed unanimously.

VOAR gets $5,000 for energy efficient upgrades

By Mark Squibb \ May 26, 2023

The Seventh Day Adventists have received $5,000 from the City of Mount Pearl to help outfit their head office and radio station at 1041 Topsail Road.

The organization had applied to the City’s Energy Efficiency Grant Program.

“This is an incredible program that was just recently introduced in our last budget,” said Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley.

Through the program, businesses can apply for a grant equal to up to 50 percent of the total proposed project cost to a maximum of $5,000 per project.

“The property is currently owned and operated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the Lighthouse VOAR Radio, which is certainly an institution for many listeners throughout the years,” said Kieley. “They are a full non-profit and solely rely on donations and offerings to operate. The new renovations to the building will include full LED lighting which will replace the existing lighting throughout the entire building. All new electrical was also installed and the new equipment and LED lighting will reduce the demand on the power grid. The organization has demonstrated an alignment with the City’s vision to reduce its carbon footprint. This project meets the criteria outlined in the program guidelines.”

Council unanimously approved the grant.

The Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group celebrate 25 years

The Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group (MPSIG) celebrated 25 years with a dinner and dance on April 21 at the Reid Community Centre. City councillors and staff, government officials, members and staff of the group were present to celebrate 25 years of serving seniors from Mount Pearl and neighbouring communities. MPSIG is known as the biggest seniors group in Atlantic Canada with 500 members and activities five days a week including Low Impact Aerobics, guitar sessions, darts, Tuesday Friendship, cards, bingo and Rummoli, sewing, knitting, Nia, Crib and much more. The City of Mount Council is their biggest supporter of which the group is forever grateful, said coordinator Georgina Smith. On hand for the event were, starting in the back from left: Councillor Jim Locke, Director of Recreation and Community Safety Jason Collins, Mount Pearl – Southlands MHA Paul Lane, Children Seniors and Social Development Minister John Abbott, MPSIG member Herb Feaver, Councillors Bill Antle and Councillor Isabelle Fry; and in the middle row, from left: Seniors’ Advocate Susan Walsh, Manager of Community Services Programs Sean McKenna, Mount Pearl North MHA Lucy Stoyles, Mayor Dave Aker,  Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley, and MPSIG members Mildred Pretty, Ruth May, and Bill Thomson; and in the front, from left: MPSIG Coordinator Georgina Smith, and members Alice Burke, Agnes Murphy, Shirley Boone, and Mona Chipman.

Impressive cast of talented and altruistic students honoured at annual awards

Alexander Fahey and Grace Lee were named the male and female recipients of the 2023 John Rossiter Memorial Youth of the Year Award during the Focus on Youth banquet and awards ceremony held last week. The City of Mount Pearl hosts the award ceremony annually to honour outstanding young people. From left to right are Mayor Dave Aker, Grace Lee, Alexander Fahey, and Karen Rossiter, sister of the late John Rossiter, for whom the award is named. Mark Squibb photo

By Mark Squibb \ May 26, 2023

The City of Mount Pearl hosted it’s thirty-third annual Focus on Youth Awards show last Wednesday and recognised a number of the city’s accomplished young people.

All told, 14 awards were handed out, recognising the artistry, athleticism, creativity, ingenuity, and character of students.

“A lot of good things happen because of the youth of this city,” said Mayor Dave Aker. He also extended thanks to those who took time to nominate a youth or youth organizations, and those who organized and volunteered to make the awards show a reality.

The first award of the night was for Sport Team of the Year. That award went to the Mount Pearl Soccer Association (MPSA) Girls Under 15 (Tier 2) Soccer Team. It won silver at both the MPSA 50th Anniversary Kick Off Tournament and the Newfoundland and Labrador Soccer Association’s (NLSA) Girls Under 15 Tier 2 Mega provincial tournament and bronze in the Premiere Youth League (PYL) Girls Under 15 Tier 2 Final PYL Weekend. Many of the girls referee and coach younger teams, and others work with MPSA during the summer months.

The next award, Athlete of the Year, was broken down into a male and female division, and both accolades went to members of the Mount Pearl Marlins Swim Team — Chris Weeks and Kailey Murrin.

Weeks was a member of the national Canada Winter Games team where he won silver medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle and a gold medal in the 50m fly. He holds the record for the fastest 50m fly by any Canadian 18 years old and under. Weeks also won a silver medal at the Eastern Canadian Championships and finished fourth in the 100 m freestyle. He frequently volunteers with the Mini Marlins Swim group.

Murrin, meanwhile, holds three individual provincial records and 20 club records. She has competed in provincial, atlantic, and national competitions, and was one of four students selected to represent the province at the Hicken International Invitational Swim. She has also worked with the Special Olympics and Rainbow Riders.

The STEM Award recognises students proficient in sciences and mathematics. It went to Eric Goulding, a first-year engineering student at Memorial University who completed his first semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA. While a student at Mount Pearl Senior High, Goulding was lead designer for the Underwater Robotics Team “Husky Explorer,” spending 10 hours a week designing the many components for the team’s robot. Goulding has won many awards and accolades and has placed second in the Science Atlantic Mathematics Competition, first in the W.J. Blundon Mathematics Competition, first for MPSH in the University of Waterloo’s Euclid Math Contest and second in the province at the University of Waterloo’s Canadian Computing Competition.

Summer Bennett was awarded the Performing Arts Individual Award. Bennett, a level one student at Mount Pearl Senior High, was recently selected as one of 15 Canadians to attend Honey Jam, in Toronto. She has been awarded music development grants from Factor Canada and Music NL, won a Music NL Newfound Talent Contest, and in May of 2022 released a single, “Carsick,” that has enjoyed great success and earned plaudits. Bennett has recently signed a record deal and hopes to release her first album soon.

The Visual Arts Award went to Argeline Cabral, a level three student at Mount Pearl Senior High. Cabral excels in the school’s Excellence in Art program and was the recent recipient of the Mount Pearl Senior High Creativity Award. Cabral helps with many extracurricular programs at her school.

The Literary Arts Award went to O’Donel High’s Brianna Fleming, winner of the 2022 O’Donel Holiday Writing Contest. Fleming was noted to be meticulous, often writing multiple drafts prior to submission.

The final arts award to be presented, the Performing Arts Group Award, was accorded to both nominees — the O’Donel High Drama Club for its performance of “The World’s Nine Worst Break Ups of All Time,” and the Mount Pearl Senior High Production of “Into the Woods.”

Both groups performed selections from their productions during the banquet, complete with song and dance and costumes.

The Youth in Service Award was given to level three O’ Donel student Alexander Fahey. He volunteers with the St. Peter’s Primary Breakfast Club, the Students Commission of Canada, and presides over the O’Donel High Student Council.

The Youth Group of the Year Award went to the O’Donel High School First Responders.

O’Donel is one of only two high schools in the entire province with its own first responder group. All team members are trained and equipped by St. John Ambulance and provide basic and advanced care when called upon. Students attend weekly meetings and monthly training scenarios and are “on call” to provide help during school hours and at school and community events.

O’ Donel High student Alexander Corbett was named the Youth Volunteer of the Year.

Corbett volunteers on the school’s Student Council, runs the ODAthleticsNL social media page, helps with Spirit Days, is a member of the O’Donel First Responder’s group, and organized the O’Donel Relay for Life. Furthermore, he is involved in a number of other fundraisers within the school and community.

The final award of the night, Youth of the Year, was awarded to both a male and female recipient.

Alexander Fahey of O’Donel High was named the Male Youth of the Year. Fahey, the school’s student council president, maintains a 97 percent average and has received an early admission to Carleton University’s Aerospace Engineering Program and a $16,000 entrance scholarship. Outside the classroom, Fahey is a blackbelt in Kempo Karate and coaches young athletes at Rock Athletics. He volunteers with many organizations, was named a Duke of Edinburgh gold participant, and completed a community collection for a school in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

Grace Lee was named female Youth of the Year. Lee, a level 3 student at Mount Pearl Senior High, maintains a 97 percent academic average, presides over the student council, coaches the Mount Pearl Intermediate volleyball team, plays in the school band, competes on Team NL’s provincial volleyball team along with a host of other volleyball teams, and also plays basketball, soccer, badminton, and softball. She recently won the RISE Award to the Boston Leadership Institute for biomedical and surgical research. Lee placed in the top 25 percent in the national Waterloo math contest, received the McMaster Life Science Entrance Scholarship and UTM Principals Entrance Award for forensic science.

Alex Taylor, Summer Bennett, Amy Rowsell, and members of the Mount Pearl Senior High and the O’Donel High Drama Club kept the audience entertained throughput the night with musical and drama interludes.

St. Peter’s Junior High students participated in public speaking event hosted by Mount Pearl Lions Club

St. Peter’s Junior High students recently participated in a public speaking event hosted by the Mount Pearl Lions Club. From left to right are Emily Squires, who took second place, Lion Gerald Coombs, first place speaker Ava Decker, Liam Lethbridge, Ariana White, Judah Harding, and Mount Pearl Lions Club President John Oates. Submitted photo.

City may park unspent cash in GICs to earn interest

By Mark Squibb \ May 18, 2023

The City of Mount Pearl may invest up to $10 million in unused funds in the hope of some financial returns.

Council unanimously approved the motion this week during its regular public meeting.

“City staff conduct a continuous review of the City’s financial position that includes a review of forecasted expenditures and cash flow,” said Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley. “In the budget process, the City budgets the money required to fund all operations and planned capital. And so over the course of time, as budgets are allocated, not all expenditures occur in the year in which they are budgeted which results in allocated but unspent City funds. And so, in reviewing the City’s current financial position, additional consideration has been given to ensuring these funds are working harder for taxpayers. The City has a responsibility of course to its taxpayers to limit the risks taken with public dollars. Right now, legislation, of course, limits investment risk and guides investment toward high‐quality, secure investments that will contribute to the fundamental goal of preservation of capital. So, in considering investment vehicles, the City must balance investment risk against potential investment returns, while still meeting the daily cash flow demands of the City.”

Kieley then put forth a motion that the City invest up to $10 million in allocated but unspent funds in guaranteed investment certificates to “ensure that allocated but unspent cash is working harder to fund City expenditures on behalf of taxpayers.”

Mayor Dave Aker said the motion doesn’t mean necessarily that City will be investing $10 million, but only that it has the ability to do so.

“This is the cap, this is not the transaction,” said Aker. “This is just the policy that enables staff. This is council providing the authority to the CAO and to the Director of Corporate Services to provide for better returns on idle cash.”

Aker reiterated the money will be invested in risk free investments, and pointed the finger at high interest rates as a motivation for the motion. 

“Frankly, interest rates are not at an all time high, but they are perhaps the highest they’ve been in 20 years, and so it’s incumbent on us to capture any value there,” said Aker.