Former dance studio to become place of worship

By Craig Westcott

The CBS Minor Softball Association has been given the all clear towards building a new clubhouse.

The group's application for 1 - 19 All Saints Road, Foxtrap was approved at the CBS council meeting November 19.

Planning committee chairman Gerard Tilley said the approval is contingent on the association developing a parking area large enough to accommodate the traffic expected there.

Tilley said the Town received three submissions in response to the public notice about the application. “Some of those concerns dealt with parking, traffic, increased intensity of use, lighting and security," he added. "I believe we can address all those particular concerns, so the committee is recommending approval of the clubhouse."

Councillor-at-Large Rex Hillier complimented the club on the other work it has already done on the ballfield. "They started tearing down the old facility, upgrading the field, and it's nice to see them now taking this next step in putting a clubhouse there and making it a true neighbourhood facility," he said.

In other developments:

• The former dance studio at the corner of Ivimey Place and Topsail Road in Chamberlains will finally see some life again, this time in the form of a place of worship.

"This is an existing building and parking lot," Tilley said. "The proposal requires a minimum 28 parking spaces. While that particular area only has 11, they have an agreement with an adjoining property to utilize parking there as well, so council is recommending approval."

Mayor Bent noted the building has been sitting vacant for a number of years. "It's nice to see a building like that being repurposed and put back into life," he said. "I was talking with one of the proponents and they were happy to have an agreement with a local business for the extra parking to make this work for them. So, it's great to see that."

• An application for an in-ground swimming pool at 28-38 Steep Nap Road, Long Pond that council initially rejected back in April, has now been approved, thanks to recent changes in the regulations governing pools. In this case, the permit had been rejected because of the distance between the pool and the house.

Deputy Mayor Andrea Gosse said council felt the rules were outdated and it was time to revisit them. "And this just presented an opportunity," she said. "It will make it a little easier for people who want to have backyard pools."

• A long running debate on how to accommodate a long-standing heavy equipment garage operated by Eric Taylor Limited at 40A Foxtrap Access Road looks to have been resolved.

While the company's operations predate the Town's incorporation, the garage it used to repair its equipment remained in a Residential Zone. That prevented council from approving the company's bid earlier this year to open the facility to repair work for other customers. Several debates on the application split council down the middle.

Tilley explained that after further consideration by the planning committee, and the holding of a public hearing, council has agreed to amend its Development Regulations to accommodate the garage.

"We did have two individuals who attended the information session," Tilley said. "The basic comments were no objection to the proposal. There were some concerns about traffic and a lack of a privacy fence. We think we can work with the proponent on these."

Mayor Bent was also in favour. "I thank council for bearing this out," he said. "We tried to find a way forward so that the proponent would have a straight line to an application to get to the end and decide properly whether this was something we could accept or not accept. And they did that, went through the system, and came out the other end with an approval. And I thank council for working on that with the resident as we always like to do in these cases."

• A home-based nail salon business proposed for 1 Woodpath Road in Chamberlains has been given the go ahead.

"We did circulate notices to the neighbouring properties, and we received one submission in favour," said Tilley. "Off-street parking is available at the property to accommodate the proposed business with client visits, so the committee is recommending approval."

Council approved the use of a home office for a paving company at 25 Sylvia Place, Long Pond, but on condition that the shed on the property not be used for the storage of equipment or goods related to the business. Tilley said the Town will ask the owner to clean up any commercial equipment at the property prior to issuing the permit.

Council rejected an application to extend the dwelling at 5 Sparrow Drive, Chamberlains, because the proposal didn't meet the minimum rear setback requirement.

Council also rejected an application to build a house at 33-35 Thomston Avenue because it wouldn't front directly onto a street constructed to Town standards, and also because the driveway would be less than 10 metres from an intersection.

Paradise scores advertising deal at its twin rinks

By Mark Squibb

You’re likely to see more advertising at the Paradise Double Ice Complex in the near future.

The Town inked a deal with Score Group Canada for advertising rights at both rinks during the November 19 public council meeting.

Councillor Patrick Martin explained that staff have been working with Score Group on the chance to purchase the naming rights for Rink A and Rink B, and the company offered to pay $12,500, HST included, per year for three years for the naming rights for both rinks.

To date, said Martin, no other companies have expressed interest.

The contract would allow Score to advertise outside the arena entrance, along the rink boards, within the lobby, and on lobby monitors.

“This is a good news story,” said Martin, “We’ve been trying to do this for a while, and I know one of our staff was working very hard to get this done, she was at this for a year going back and forth with this company. This is a good commitment.”

Deputy Mayor Kim Street added the deal is an exciting one, and the motion was approved unanimously.

Petty Harbour brewery permit narrowly defeated

By Mark Squibb

An application for a brewery at the site of the former church property on Cribbies Road in Petty Harbour was narrowly defeated last week after three members of council voted in favour of the application and three members voted against it.

As per legislation, a tie-vote results in a defeated motion.

Deputy Mayor Richard Raymond, councillor Ed Dyke, and councillor Irene Stack voted against the application. Councillors Agatha Balsom, Kayla Parsons, and Dave Balsom voted in favour of the motion. Mayor Ron Doyle was unavoidably absent from the meeting.

“I’m pleased, but to be honest, it was a little too close for comfort,” said Nancy Hannaford, the resident who spearheaded a campaign against the application, which including distribution of a petition that was signed by over 100 residents.

Hannaford said that while the matter has been put to bed for now, she’s concerned about what the future holds for the property, given how close the vote was.

“Residents have made our stance pretty clear — we don’t want anything of this magnitude in that area, which is a residential area,” said Hannaford.

The application has been before council in one form or another since 2023, and to prepare for the potential brewery, council approved motions to accommodate commercial use at the address and add “Microbrewery” to a list of discretional uses. Those motions paved the way for more potential business applications for the building.

Concerns raised by residents included a lack of adequate parking, increased traffic, noise, and odours, and the potential environmental impact on the area.

Paradise to ask Province to pony up on lift station costs

By Mark Squibb

Paradise councillor Deborah Quilty said the Town will ask the Province for help covering the cost of the recent Lift Station 10 failure.

During a routine inspection on November 1, staff noticed the lift station was not operating at full capacity, and sewage pump trucks were contracted to pump the sewage.

The Town declared a state of emergency on November 4, which not only allowed the trucks to work around the clock, but also gave the Town the option to try leveraging money from the Province, which Quilty said council intends to do.

Council has extended the original state of emergency of November 4 on two more occasions — on November 8 and again on November 15.

“It is extremely unfortunate, however, due to the extreme wind and rain, the Marine Atlantic ferry crossing has been impacted, which in turn has caused delays to the repairs,” said Quilty, referring to a part that was due to be shipped in on the ferry.

Council ratified the two emergency extensions during last week’s public meeting.

The lift station experienced a similar, catastrophic failure in 2019, costing the Town well over a million dollars and prompting the construction of a new Lift Station 10 at a cost of over $23 million, about twice the initial $12.6 million price estimate.

The new lift station is expected to be commissioned in early 2025.

Newfoundland’s newest golf pro has an attitude of gratitude

Riley Furey tries a chip shot to the first hole at The Willows.

By Craig Westcott

He didn’t even start golfing until Covid closed the planet, but already Avondale’s Riley Furey is becoming a golf professional.

Last week, the 24-year-old, who hones his game at the picturesque Willows golf club in Holyrood, passed the first major hurdle towards gaining his status as a Class A Pro.

Becoming skilled in the game so quickly is not so surprising given Furey was an ace pitcher and second basemen with Newfoundland’s fastpitch softball team, but to achieve his level of skill in golf so quickly, is remarkable. He has already matched the course record at The Willows, which is 33 on the 9-hole course, finishing with an eagle on the challenging par 4 nine, which has two rivers bisecting the fairway between the tee and the green. In plainer English, he managed to put the ball in the hole from 410 yards away in just two shots. A very good golfer, on a good day, is lucky to do it in four shots.

“I didn’t even get to see it go in,” said Furey said. “I saw it go towards the flag over the bunker and then I heard the guys on the fourth green screaming, so I went up and there it was, in the hole.”

Furey had stopped playing sports when he entered university.

“But then when Covid hit, I was home and had nothing else to do,” Furey said. “My dad (Jeff Whelan) was always golfing and when Covid started they made it so that you could only golf with members of your household, when they did the social distancing. So, my dad had nobody to golf with and he asked me one day. And for some reason I had always put golf to the side, I didn’t really have much interest in it, but then I went out with him to the driving range and after the first good ball I hit I wanted to keep coming back and getting better.”

Furey, who is in the last year of a business degree at MUN, also works at The Willows, where he hones his skills after hours when the other golfers have gone for the day. He put his studies on temporary hold this summer when he decided to go for his pro card.

“I figured if I can break 40 at the (par 35) Willows, which I know is a pretty tight, hard course, I can probably go shoot an 80 at the courses up away,” Furey said. “So once I had that in my mind I started really putting in a lot of work, especially with my short game. After work, once everyone was off the course, I’d go out for a couple of hours until dark on the first green chipping and stuff. And I think that’s where I shaved the most strokes off my game.”

Furey, who is tall and, as the old fellows would say, as thin as a night’s frost, can carry the ball about 270 yards before it hits the ground and bounces even further. “That’s if I’m swinging it hard,” he said. “But I don’t really swing too hard, to be honest. I kind of focus on keeping the ball straight.”

The professional program he has entered is administered by the CPGA, the Canadian Pro Golf Association. The goal is to become a Class A Professional. To qualify for to try out, you have to be at least 18, have worked 400 hours in the golf industry, have a reference from a qualified golf professional, and a reference from a golf course.

“The next step after that is to do the thing I just did in Halifax, which is go do the playability test,” Furey said. “For that you’ve got to shoot an 80 or better from the second furthest back tees.”

Furey shot a 77.

“I had a practice round and on the practice round I shot a 77 as well,” he said. “I got out with three members, and I was asking them a million questions. I felt annoying, but it was for a good cause, because I was trying to figure out everything I could about the course. I was very nervous. My (older) brother Coady went with me. He goes everywhere with me. I’m after playing 70 rounds, just with my brother this year. And he was even nervous. He dropped me off to the course two hours before my tee time, just so I could warm up and get the nerves away. And I thought that would fix it, but I was nervous the whole six-hour round.”

By passing the playability test, Furey is now considered an apprentice professional.

“So, I can be an assistant pro at golf courses, I can play in pro tournaments, I can give lessons, I just can’t be a head pro (at a club) yet,” Furey said.

To qualify as a head pro, Furey will have to complete 35 online credit courses on everything from the rules of golf to how to instruct beginners. And he will have to compile 3,000 hours working in the golf industry.

“It’s kind of hard to get 3,000 hours in the golf industry here (in Newfoundland) where we have such a short season,” he allowed. “So, I guess that will take me a little bit of time.”

There are only two other CPGA registered golf pros on the Avalon that Furey is aware of, one at Bally Haly golf course, and one at The Willows’ sister course, the 18-hole Glendenning.

Furey is not thinking just yet about trying to make the professional tour, where the big money from tournaments and sponsorships lies. He would probably have to move to the United States for that and, like many other pros starting out, work his way up through a series of regional qualifying tournaments to hopefully, eventually, make it to the big league.

“I’m kind of more focused on giving back to the game a little,” he said. “I’m really interested in teaching the youth. That’s kind of what got me wanting to get my pro card. I’ve been helping a few members at The Willows lately with a few things, but technically I couldn’t give them lessons. But now I can. So that’s kind of what I’m more interested in now is just teaching and showing people the fundamentals and getting more people into the game.”

Furey said his business studies have helped him along the path towards the pro status.

In October, he will head to Ottawa for a three day clinic on a private course for one of the CPGA courses on instructing beginners. “That pretty much gives you the layout of how to plan out your teachings and the things you should focus on first,” he said.

In the meantime, Furey counts himself lucky to be able to work at one of the most beautiful places in the world.

“I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else,” he said. “If it wasn’t for (operations manager) Andy Borill and all the stuff he’s done for me through The Willows, I definitely wouldn’t have my pro card right now, that’s for sure…It doesn’t even feel like a job, to be honest. Most days when I go in it just feels like I’m going to my happy place, really. There’s no place I’d rather be than at The Willows. There’s something about that course that’s so peaceful.”

Furey is grateful for the support of other staff there as well, including his co-worker in the pro shop, Kayla Warford, who had a big congratulatory card signed by the club’s members waiting for him on the counter when he got back from Halifax. And he is mindful of the support of his family, including his dad Jeff who got him into the game, his mom Jillian Furey and his grandparents Agnes and Harold Furey.

“I’d definitely like to thank my brother,” Furey added, “because without him, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am with golf. I’d be golfing alone everyday, and that wouldn’t help me at all.”

Furey says onus on feds, companies to fix spotty cell coverage

By Mark Squibb

If you live on the Avalon, whether it’s CBS, CB Centre, or the Southern Shore, you don’t need to be told how bad the cell phone service is.

Premier Andrew Furey was in Holyrood the Friday before last to announce over $3 million in spending for equipment for volunteer firefighters across the province.

Members of Holyrood council, many of whom were present at the announcement, have long bemoaned the poor cell phone coverage in Holyrood and beyond, and many a councillor has posited potential scenarios around the council table of folks not being able to reach emergency services because of the poor cell phone coverage.

When asked how government can better improve cell phone coverage in the area, Furey pointed to the federal government.

“(Poor cell service) is certainly something that we recognise, and we’ve been discussing with the federal government,” said Furey. “They have different pockets of money that they have been investing in increasing cell phone service and connectivity in rural and remote areas.”

Furey said his government has also talked with the companies themselves, and that around this time last year government tested satellite cell phone service in Heart’s Delight.

“We’re hopeful that the companies can increase the coverage with that new piece of technology,” said the premier.

The problem, said Furey, is not limited to Conception Bay Centre and CBS.

“We spend a lot of time driving across the province and have noticed in different areas that there has been diminished service, and so I’ve asked officials to reach out to companies and see if anything has changed, because it feels like, even where I live (Portugal Cove-St. Phillips) that cell service has changed, and certainly that would not be considered a rural or remote area,” said Furey.

Equipment surcharges, inflation a worry for Antle

By Patrick Newhook/February 3, 2022

City council continues to grapple with surprise surcharges when trying to purchase new vehicles for its fleet.

The latest case came before council last week when councilor Isabelle Fry announced the City is in the process of purchasing a dual string recycling truck and a rear load garbage truck from Saunders Equipment Limited.

However just like the previous meeting, Fry said the trucks will be more expensive than previously thought.

“The public works department received a letter from Saunders Equipment Limited dated December 21 stating that due to the unprecedented cost increases and vigorous supply constraints over the past couple of years there would be a cost increase or commodity surcharge applied to each of the units,” said Fry.

“The recommendation from our committee is that the commodity surcharge of the dual stream recycling truck and the rear load garbage truck … to be supported in the amount of $10,925 dollars, HST included, which can be accommodated within the fleet budget,” she added.

Councilor Bill Antle asked how the increase will impact the fleet budget, noting that if they keep having to spend more than initially estimated, there’s going to be budget issues.

Infrastructure and public works director Gerry Antle responded by saying the extra charges can be accommodated in the fleet budget and that it won’t have any impact. He also estimated that new tender calls will eventually stabilize and they won’t have to keep having to pay more.

Councilor Antle then followed up by pointing out that two weeks ago it was an overage of $6,000 and now its $10,000 He asked director Antle about when he expects to see the end of this. “This is $16,000. Our budget is finite and we just did our budget,” said the councillor.

Director Antle reiterated that he thinks the situation will stabilize. “I don’t think we’re going to continue to see this with our new tenders… Throughout this spring and summer this will stabilize,” he said.

Councilor Mark Rice commented that the cost increases may need to be factored into new budgets.

“Once we get away from COVID and we get away from the times where a lot of countries and states are not supplying that raw product, I think we might see the trend go down, but right now I’m thinking that trend will stay the way it is because of the supply and demand of the raw product,” he allowed. “You cannot get certain items. This is something we might have to look at, revisiting sometime the fall when we go to look at our budget for next year.”

Fry said it’s not just the City that’s contending with the problem.

“This is something that is unavoidable,” she said. “If we want these vehicles we have to pay the surcharge and we do want these vehicles because on the other side is that we’ll be spending much more money in vehicle repair or maintenance for the trucks that we already have. If we don’t pay the surcharge and get these vehicles now it could be a couple of years down the road before we even get them… At this point this, in my opinion, is our only option.”

Councilor Jim Locke supported the action.

“These are sort of surprises now, these are ‘after the facts,’ these are things that we didn’t budget for, but going forward these surcharges, or any increased costs due to the supply chain issues that councilor Rice mentioned, they will be embedded into the bids, so they won’t be after the fact expenses,” Locke said. “So, I agree that this is probably the last we are going to see because we don’t have any large tender items to come forth. But when we bid on new equipment, if it’s still a supply chain issue, that will be contained in the tender prices.”

Councilor Antle asked how the city can spend more without losing something else in the process.

“We aren’t going to increase the fleet budget by any means, so at the end of the day we are going to lose something, right?” said Antle. “That’s my fear. Are we going to lose a small pickup truck, are we going to lose some equipment out of the fleet budget?”

Mayor Dave Aker assured Antle the city is doing fine financially and won’t need to do anything drastic.

“There’s no doubt this is COVID inflation and the purchasing power of the budget is going to be less,” said the mayor. “What are you suggesting that we do? We have an envelope that’s worth around $1.5 million for 2022. I can’t recall the budget right now for 2021, but I’m assuming we will continue to order the vehicles as we always have. But to your point councilor Antle, we aren’t going to run out of money. Based on $6,000, that’s actually a low inflation rate, but there’s no doubt that we’re either going to order less vehicles out of that budget or Director Antle, you’re going to have to cut back on the specs.”

After more discussion, council voted unanimously to proceed with the purchases.

Tourism Minister looking forward to summer rebound

By Mark Squibb/February 3, 2022

Carbonear-Trinity-Bay de Verde MHA Steve Crocker is hopeful that 2022 is the year the province moves from pandemic to endemic.

“I think Dr. (Janice) Fitzgerald herself has said that this is likely heading into an endemic,” said Crocker, who is also the provincial Minister of Tourism. “COVID is likely here to stay, and it will choose a path, and we’ll have to learn to just live with it. And I think we’ve done well as a province. You think about the fact that we have a 95 percent vaccination rate, the highest in Canada, and I think that’s why we’re seeing success right now. Any hospitalization is too much hospitalization, but our hospitalization numbers are, per capita, lower than anywhere else in the country.”

While Crocker says he understands folks’ frustration with the pandemic restrictions, now two years on from the original onset of COVID-19, there is reason for optimism, and the province is certainly not back to square one.

“It feels like that,” allowed Crocker. “It feels like that. It feels like Groundhog Day, March 2020, but this is not March 2020. We’re 95 percent plus vaccinated, and I’m not a scientist or a doctor, but the disease itself seems to be softening. Here in the province, and again I’m not a doctor, but we’re a few weeks behind everyone else. When Ontario peaks, our peak is just a little time past that. So, I think we’re headed into what should be the new normal. Dr. Fitzgerald has said herself that COVID is something that we can no longer fortify ourselves against. We’re all, I think, going to get COVID. We just have to protect ourselves against it and make sure we have the capacity to withstand it. But the idea that we can fortify ourselves against COVID I think, if you look around the world and around the country, is not one that’s possible, and its something that we’re going to have to learn to live with.”

Industries, particularly tourism and recreation, depend on restrictions being loosened to survive.

Those industries are of particular concern to Crocker, who was appointed Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation in April 2021.

“It’s a very exciting portfolio,” said Crocker. “It’s my fourth, and this one brings unique challenges. When you think about COVID, the industries that I work with have been most drastically impacted by COVID, directly. And if you think about our district – tourism, arts, hospitality, and recreation are very big components of the community.”

One of his tasks is to oversee Come Home 2022, a $4 million tourism initiative aimed largely at Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living away.

The Liberal MHA hopes the celebrations give the industry a much-needed shot in the arm.

“I’m very much looking forward to executing that program this year as we try and revitalize the sector,” said Crocker. “Make no mistake, there will be no full recovery in the Canadian, Newfoundland, or the world economy, until this sector recovers. So, we will not see a full recovery until the tourism, hospitality, and arts sector recovers. So, it’s very important that we continue to be there with supports for the industry, and continue to make sure that we come out of this stronger than ever.”

While Crocker admits that industry analysts believe a full sector recovery to be another 18 to 20 months away, he’s optimist the tourism, recreation, and arts sector will see a rebound this summer.

“When you think about tourism, we have a tremendous opportunity,” said Crocker. “Ovbiously, 2020 was a tourism disaster. But we did see a rebound in 2021. The third quarter of 2021, when you think about the hospitality sector and take a piece out, and I don’t want to cherry pick and make it sound like everything is hunky dory, but our restaurant industry in the third quarter of 2021 actually rebounded somewhere near 2019 numbers. So, we’ve seen that there’s a pent-up demand. Ovbiously, Omicron set us back, but I think we’re headed towards a reasonable recovery in 2022, but there’s still going to be work to do.”

He added the province, with its wide-open spaces, barren landscapes, and bevy of outdoor activities, will likely prove attractive to post-pandemic travellers.

“We’re a bucket list destination, and we need to heighten awareness of that to people throughout this country, and North America and around the world,” said Crocker.

As to what Come Home Year celebrations will look like, Crocker said many of the activities will be community-based.

“I think you’ll see a lot of community activity,” said Crocker. “I know the Department of Provincial and Municipal Affairs had a Come Home Year program and they’ve received over 200 applications for funding from communities across the province. And we have a number of programs running in my department for Come Home Year. For the Cultural Economic program we’ve allocated an additional $3.5 million dollars. We’re seeing applications from all over the province. I’m encouraging towns in my district to get involved and get those applications in, because we’ll have an opportunity with Come Home Year to amplify some of our events that we would normally see around our district and around the province. This is a way for communities to augment their events and attract our friends and relatives’ home, attract new people to Newfoundland and Labrador. I think you’re going to see a big focus on our cultural and arts industries.”

Apart from the Come Home Year campaign, the province is hosting a non-resident tourist campaign, ‘Leave No Song Unsung.’

“This is a bucket list destination, and people have had time to reflect on what they want to do coming out of COVID, so we want to make sure we’re front and centre in people’s minds,” said Crocker.

While the summer tourist season is still a ways’ off, one issue that does seem to be front and centre in many constituents’ minds is the question of staffing at Carbonear General Hospital, something that has been ongoing for several years.

“It’s not isolated to Carbonear Hospital, or the hospital in Old Perlican, or the Hospital in Whitbourne, or the Health Sciences Centre,” said Crocker. “It’s a provincial, national, and global challenge in a lot of ways. And it’s by far the number one issue. And as someone who lives in the district, and who plans on, hopefully, living in the district for a long time, it’s challenging. Its challenging for myself. Right now, in my own family, there are four of us, and the only one right now with a family doctor is my wife, and her family doctor is retiring in March, so we’ll become a family of four with no family physician.”

Crocker pointed out that the province has opened a new provincial recruitment office, and that the release of the Health Accord in the near future should provide some guidance moving forward.

“Our medical system here in the province is based on the 1960’s, and we haven’t really done a full refresh since the 1960’s,” said Crocker. “And I think this is what you’ll see coming out of the Health Accord, is a glimpse of what some of our options are.”

He said that while it’s the province’s job to create a pool of doctors, it is the responsibility of regions and communities to attract those doctors.

“And I’ve seen some pretty inventive things from towns around the province,” said Crocker. ‘A lot of towns are actually packaging themselves and going out and selling themselves. It’s about selling ourselves, and when I say ourselves, I mean our region, to prospective health care professionals.”

He said one area to look at is modernizing the health care field, including the use of virtual or phone appointments, as has become common during the pandemic.

“Throughout COVID, on two occasions, I had to avail of 811 for some care, and I did it virtually,” said Crocker. “Now, that being said, there is a lot of stuff that can’t be done virtually.”

He added that health care is everyone’s responsibility, as it affects everyone.

For Crocker, the year 2021 started off on a high note.

“If you think back to the beginning of 2021, we did go into an election, and that was affected by the pandemic, as has pretty much everything in the last, almost two years now, but one of the highlights that came out of that was that I was very fortunate that the people of Carbonear- Trinity-Bay de Verde gave me one of my largest victories to date,” said Crocker.

As the Liberal candidate, Crocker, who first came to office in a by-election in November 2014, and has held the riding ever since, earned almost 68 percent of the vote last year, handily defeating three other candidates.

“So, I was very pleased to see that vote of confidence from the constituents in the district. And with that comes the responsibility to work hard on their behalf,” said Crocker.

It's a go! Winterfest in CBS returns

By Mark Squibb/February 3, 2022

Mark your calendars because Conception Bay South’s Winterfest is just around the corner.

Ward 1 councillor and recreation committee chairperson Shelley Moores said planning for the event began before the Christmas holidays — and before a rising number of COVID cases pushed the province into a modified Alert Level 4.

“At that time, we were full steam ahead for an in-person Winterfest, because at that time we were at a good place with COVID,” said Moores. “We probably spoke too soon and jinxed it all, but anyway we were planning and coming up with all kinds of ideas, of things we could do differently, things that were really popular in the past, and then of course when we met after Christmas all of that had changed.”

As Covid cases rose and the province moved into the new alert, the question facing the Winterfest committee was whether to offer both in-person and online events, port the entire festival online, or cancel the festival outright.

The committee, which is comprised of about a dozen community volunteers, a handful of town staff, and Moores, the council representative, decided to move ahead with Winterfest and offer as many in-person events as possible.

“We feel that we needed this, and that in our community people are exhausted and tired of being inside,” said Moores. “We needed something to lift people’s spirits.”

Folks looking to attend the many in-person community events, such as family skates, snowshoe treks, and campfires, will have to pre-register and stick to their bubble. The town will also offer many virtual actives, such as cooking lessons and bingo.

“We all have done so much to prevent COVID from going through our communities, and we have been following all the guidelines, and I just think that everyone is really missing those community activities,” said Moores.

One event Moores is particularly excited about is a comedy night with John Sheehan.

“This is going to be an in-person event, so I think it’s going to be exciting to have that,” she said. “Everyone needs a good laugh right now after everything we’ve been through the last couple of years.”

Tickets for the 19+ event can be purchased for $25, plus HST, from the town.

There will also be a number of ongoing activities and initiatives held throughout the week, such as the business passport program. When folks show their passports at a participating local business, they in turn receive a sticker. Completed passports can be turned into the Town Hall for a chance to win a prize.

The festivities begin on February 12 and run through February 20. For a full schedule of events see pages 9 to 11 in this week’s Shoreline.

CBS hopes to become day trip capital of the Avalon

By Patrick Newhook/January 27, 2022

Conception Bay South is aiming to position itself as the east coast’s number one day trip destination.

The idea was discussed at a virtual tourism workshop, that was held as town’s ‘Tourism Development Plan.’ It was the fifth workshop since the start of the plan back in 2018.

Councilor Christine Butler, who chairs the town’s tourism committee, said the workshop was a success.

“The objective was to understand how visitor experiences, the featured cultural elements, are developed,” said Butler.

The objective is to make CBS the definitive place to go for a day trip on the Avalon.

“We have lots of different things, like businesses, that can attract people to come here for the day,” said Butler. “There are a lot of different one day trips that can easily be done in our town and by all the different people working together we could do this as an itinerary,”

A number of possible itineraries were discussed during the workshop.

Butler said the town’s geography and location near St. John’s makes it a good destination for tourists.

“When they come into Newfoundland, most of them are either coming in by ferry or plane or they’re driving,” said Butler. “We want to capture people. A lot of people think ‘Wel,l what can you do if you’re only in St. John’s for a day or two?’ And this is why we want to do this, because we want to let people know, we’re only 20 minutes away from downtown, a day trip destination for the town of Conception Bay South where you can do so many things.”

Butler said the goal is attract staycationers as well as tourists from outside the province.