CBS outlines issues for developers of ‘towers’ to address in report

By Craig Westcott

CBS council has approved the list of issues that the developers behind two proposed apartment buildings in Long Pond will have to address as part of a Land Use Impact Assessment Report.

The proposed 6.7-acre development is located at 215 Conception Bay Highway, near the Dawe’s Plumbing building, and consists of two six-or-seven-storey towers containing a total of 300 apartments and commercial space. The developer is BGI Group of Toronto acting on behalf of Revive Church.

“Some of the things that the proponent will study in detail will be things like flood risk, impact on adjacent waterways… whether water and sewer capacity in that area can support that building, impact on traffic flow, shade and shadow impacts, noise generation, and they will also be responsible for holding their own public consultation,” said councillor-at-large Rex Hillier. “We've had this out in the community for some time, and we've had people come back to us, and some of the things that they've asked that probably won't need the same degree of analysis, but some of the things that they've asked and that we will be asking the proponents deal with things like impact on property values, assurance of target market, whether this will be all seniors, a proportion of seniors, the proportion of lower income (renters), and so on. There have been questions about landscaping. This property will be adjacent to the T’railway. There have been questions about the impact on the T’Railway and snow clearing and snow collection on property.”

Hillier said those matters won’t get the same degree of analysis as the issues required by Town of CBS staff, but will still get some attention in the study.

 “So, it'll be a significant piece of work, and we will look forward to seeing that sometime months down the road,” Hillier said.

Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley said the LUAR guidelines are among the most comprehensive that he’s been involved with.

“And contrary to sometimes what you see or hear on social media, the decision has not been made,” Tilley cautioned. “This is just part of the process. We encourage everyone to voice their opinion, whether it's positive or negative.”

Tilley said many people in CBS are looking for affordable housing options. “So, we're going along with the process as we've done with just about every other project. So, if you want to say (something), now is the time to say it, and we'll certainly take everything under consideration.”

Councillor-at-large Joshua Barrett agreed with Tilley on the strength of the terms of reference, adding some of the perspectives raised by the public were used in drafting the guidelines for the study.

“This is a big piece of work and I’m looking forward to seeing what that has to say to help guide these decisions that my colleagues have noted already,” Barrett said.

Like Tilley, Mayor Darrin Bent stressed council has not made up its collective mind on whether to approve the buildings.

“We go to the public first on these things, and then we gather all the information and all the required background and the land use impact assessment and all that,” Bent said. “Then we make a decision. That's how it works. So, no decision has been made… When we get all the information, that's when the decision will be made. I’m looking forward to that and looking forward to the land use impact assessment and seeing what it says and what it's guiding us to do.”

Aspell departs Town Hall for Construction Safety Association

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Witless Bay is in the process of securing new administrative leadership in the Town Hall with the departure of chief administrative officer Jennifer Aspell on May 12.

The curtain closed on her three years in the position at the conclusion of that evening’s regular meeting of council, but Mayor Jacob Hayden praised Aspell’s contribution to the community before the meeting adjourned.

“Jennifer has demonstrated exceptional professionalism, strength and deep understanding of municipal governance and needs of our community,” Hayden said. “She leads with clarity, confidence and integrity, setting a high standard for excellence, and she has helped guide council and staff through significant milestones. As she moves on to her exciting new role, we wish her every success and continued fulfilment.”

Aspell has extensive experience in municipal administration and occupational health and safety. She became CAO of Witless Bay in summer 2023 after a number of years as Town manager just down the road in Bay Bulls.

Mayor Hayden stated she played a pivotal role in advancing major community initiatives and securing around $1.8 million in grant funding over the years, citing her leadership on asset management, flood mitigation, and projects including creation of the community rink, Harbour Road upgrades and coastal erosion mitigation measures.

Resident Noel O'Dea, a regular council attendee, had praise for the job Aspell has done.

“She really organized a lot of chaos when she came on and now it’s a town where the trains are running on time, which is really hard to do,” he said.

Aspell was announced as the new chief executive officer of the Newfoundland & Labrador Construction Safety Association in an April 27 press release. She is scheduled to begin her new job on May 19.

The search for her replacement has already begun, with contractor Higher Talent hired to conduct an expedited search for a ‘motivated and community-oriented’ CAO, according to a posting found on Jump Recruitment.

Councillors said after the meeting that resume evaluation is currently under way and the hope was there would be a short list in place by May 15.

Town of Bay Roberts delays pickup purchase to afford new loader

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Bay Roberts is borrowing $344,836 from BMO at a five-year, fixed rate of 4.62 per cent to buy a single-axle dump truck with front end plow and a sand and salt spreader.

The total cost of the vehicle is $380,263, HST included. Some $40,000 of the purchase will be covered by GST and HST rebates. The monthly loan payment is $3,593.

The Town had been renting a truck at a cost of about $35,000 annually. That rental will no longer be required following acquisition of the new truck from lone bidder Havey and Company.

The truck will be for the first new vehicle purchase since the mid-2010’s.

The purchase will require some sacrifice on the part of the Town’s recreation department, as staff had only budgeted $250,000 for the truck – well below the final asking price.

The Town had also budgeted $125,000 for a crew cab 4x4 pick up for the recreation department. Council voted to cancel that tender and instead put the money towards the purchase of the loader.

“This is what we call prudent financial management – we made the decision to cancel the truck while the Director of Recreation was on vacation,” quipped chief administrative officer Dave Tibbo at last month’s public council meeting.

Mayor Geoff Seymour said the change was necessary.

“As stated in many budget speeches, the budget is a living document, and it can be changed and adapted when need be, and in this instance, it needed to be changed and adapted,” said Seymour.

Councillor Dean Franey was critical of the wide discrepancy between the budgeted cost and the actual cost.

“I will say, because there’s such a big discrepancy between what we budgeted and the actual cost, during budget times we may need to do a better job getting budgetary quotes when we’re putting something on a budget,” said Franey. “In my employment, I do budget quotes all the time for people. Usually, if anything, the budget quote is usually a little bit higher than the actual purchase quote. So, with such a big discrepancy in the opposite direction, maybe we need to do a better job getting budgetary quotes for budget time when we’re looking at large purchases.”

In defense of staff, Tibbo blamed the high cost on “a dictator in the United States,” noting the price of the truck had increased nearly 40 percent over what was originally projected. He added staff also decided to go with a higher end salt spreader than what was originally budgeted for, which added to the truck’s bottom line.

“I do agree with what council is saying,” said Tibbo. “I’d rather have a budget that’s a bit higher than lower.”

Council was unanimous both in the decision to borrow for the dump truck and cancel the tender for the pickup.

Due to manufacturing wait times, the Town may not actually receive the truck until 2027.

Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce looking to grow membership

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (CBAC) said membership growth will be a top priority for the coming year, citing it as a cornerstone of ongoing sustainability from both an operational and fiscal perspective.

The organization saw membership grow to 218 at year end - accounting for around $28,000 in revenue - but incoming chair Danny Reid outlined ambitious plans to grow that number to 300 in the coming year.

“The bigger we are, the stronger we are, and the louder we are and the more we can do speaking on your behalf. We want you and we need you and we want your input to find out what you want, so that we can help you achieve what you want,” Reid said to around 40 businesspeople assembled for the organization’s annual general meeting April 29 at Shenanigans.

“We're thankful for having all of you engaged and here with us tonight, but please help us understand how we can engage more and gain more membership,” said Reid.

Reid said there are plans to conduct a membership survey as part of that engagement process. The membership push comes as the organization comes out of what Reid called a transition period that he credits past-chair Thomas Williamson for working hard to navigate.

Reid believes his day job as business development officer at the Community Business Development Corporation can also prove a beneficial resource for members.

“Every day I work with entrepreneurs, so this really made a lot of sense. Hopefully I can help people within terms of helping you navigate the business finance world. That's something I'm involved with, for almost 20 years now,” he said.

The CBAC held 20 events this past year, including three major events for International Women's Day, the golf tournament and Christmas in the Harbour, all of which resulted in a net $11,000 of event revenue thanks to sponsorships. He credited the work of Kara Roberts for helping to facilitate that activity and says the board is looking to add one more major event to the calendar, though that is still in development.

“So those are all fantastic ways that we stay connected with you, and we engage with you and we learn what the business community wants and needs from us,” Reid said.

CBAC saw a net profit of a little less than $14,000 last year, reported Reid, adding that it is a strong number for a relatively small organization. The CBAC board also welcomed two new members at its AGM in Treena Nippard and Laura Nurse.

Roberts said members and non-members are all invited to CBAC’s summer kick-off social June 18 from 3 - 5 p.m. at the Manuels River Interpretation Centre Discovery Room.

Eric Taylor Limited gets Emma Hennessey Bridge contract

By Craig Westcott

Eric Taylor Limited has been awarded the contract to replace the Emma Hennessey Bridge at Sgt. Ned Nugent’s Park in Kelligrews.

The Foxtrap construction company will be paid some $340,150, including HST, for the job, with work expected to begin September 1.

Harbourside Engineering, which was hired by the Town of CBS to assess the state of the bridge, recommended its replacement.

The bridge, which is named after a well-known Kelligrews woman, serves as the main link between the rugby pitch and the rest of the park and is a picturesque place to take a break along Kelligrews River when visiting the park.

"The proposed work includes, but is not limited to, the replacement of the existing bridge superstructure, including the timber beams and timber deck, with a new reinforced concrete deck supported by steel girders," according to a briefing note prepared for council. "The project will also include partial reconstruction of the existing timber crib abutments with reinforced concrete beam seats and backwalls, the supply and installation of new steel handrails, and regrading of the trail near the bridge to tie into the new superstructure."

The work is scheduled to be completed by November 16.

Holyrood council says no health risks associated with new cell tower

By Mark Squibb 

The Town of Holyrood has approved construction of a new cell tower near the public library at 5 Liam Hickey Drive.

This comes after years of council petitioning the provincial government and service providers for better cellular phone coverage.

Mayor Laura Crawley allowed the tower had been “a long time coming.”

The mayor said that while council is excited about the application, there has been some murmuring around the community about potential health impacts caused by radio waves.

Crawley said there is no cause for concern, and the application had already undergone an environmental assessment.

Councillor Steve Winsor echoed the mayor’s thoughts.

“Just so everyone clearly understands, there is no scientific evidence around that at all, as per the Government of Canada,” said Winsor. “I think that’s really all that needs to be said on that. It has been studied to death by reputable agencies and scientists, and asked on all available scientific evidence there are no health risks associated with cell phone towers.”

Those present approved the motion unanimously. Councillor Mable Tilley was absent from the meeting.

City of Mount Pearl working ‘hand in hand’ with Masonic Park

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Mount Pearl City Council passed a motion at its April 28 public meeting to provide some upfront funding and waive permit fees for a proposed affordable seniors housing project.

Masonic Park is a non-profit, affordable seniors housing project that administration said would account for just under 50 per cent of the City’s affordable housing commitment when completed. The project’s completion is anticipated in early 2027.

“This is a great opportunity,” said councillor Bill Antle, who put forth the motion to waive associated permit fees for the project up to $50,000 and to provide $50,000 in up front funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF).

 “Masonic Park is looking for some funding and we are looking for some housing, so we are working hand in hand with Masonic Park,” said Antle.

Antle pointed out that the HAF money would usually be handed out upon receiving the occupancy permit, based on the program guidelines, but that the recommendation stems from the project’s strong alignment with HAF objectives, its focus on building affordable seniors housing and its projected significant contribution toward meeting the city’s affordable housing targets.

Administration highlights that this would mirror previous supports incentives provided under the program, specifically support for the Columbus Centre, a proposed 20-unit affordable housing project in Mount Pearl.

“There’s certainly a demand for seniors housing, certainly for affordable seniors housing,” Mayor Dave Aker said.

In 2024, the City of Mount Pearl, in partnership with the Government of Canada, entered into a HAF agreement to expedite the construction of 180 housing units, with a cumulative target of 386 units by 2027. The agreement is designed to remove barriers and accelerate housing delivery by modernizing policies, streamlining permitting processes, and providing targeted incentives to support new construction and redevelopment.  From the launch of the HAF program in 2024 through the end of the third reporting period, Mount Pearl has achieved 35 per cent of the housing supply growth target established through the agreement with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

The fund is a partnership initiative with the federal government designed to help address the ongoing housing crisis across Canada, according to the administrative report in the April 28 agenda. The program focuses on accelerating housing delivery, with a particular emphasis on higher-density developments that can be brought to market more quickly.

“As part of its participation in the HAF program, the City of Mount Pearl has announced a suite of incentives aimed at supporting both private developers and non-profit organizations undertaking housing projects within the city,” reads the agenda report.

Mount Pearl published the annual report for Year Two of the HAF initiative in April.

The report states that 134 net new housing units have been permitted toward the overall HAF commitment of 386 units.

“With 252 units remaining to reach the full target, the City is well positioned to continue building on this progress as additional projects advance through the development and permitting process over the remaining program period,” reads the report.

Paradise awards landscaping contract

By Mark Squib

The Town of Paradise has awarded a new two-year landscape maintenance contract to the lowest of three bidders.

Staff issued a limited request for quotes and received three bids, ranging from $28,000 to $41,000, and recommended council award the contract to lowest bidder, O’Neil’s Gardening Ltd.

Staff budgeted $30,000 for landscape maintenance in Budget 2026.

The contract includes spring, summer, and fall maintenance, as well as flowers for planter boxes at the town hall, Double Ice Complex, War Memorial, and St. Thomas Line Community Centre.

The contract will be for two years, with an option to extend the contract on the same terms and conditions for an additional two years. The extension must be agreed upon by both the Town and O’Neil’s.

Councillor Sheldon Antle noted that subdivisions such as Elizabeth Park, Karwood Drive, and Trail’s End Drive have defined entry and exit points, and he wondered whether there were any plans for landscaping services in those areas, and similar places.

Councillor Erin Furlong said there are no such plans at this time.

The Town’s last landscaping contract expired on May 11.

CBS council acknowledges concerns over proposed ‘towers’

By Craig Westcott

An application to build two six or seven storey apartment buildings in Long Pond between Bentley Place and the Don Hennessey Building is attracting the kind of public attention and questions that have in turn gained the attention of council.

Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley, who chairs the Town of CBS’s public works committee discussions, attempted to allay some of the concerns during the April 21 public council meeting.

Tilley pointed out the application to rezone the area to allow for the apartment buildings has not yet been approved and is the subject of a Land Use Impact Assessment Report. 

"A lot of people have got a lot of questions," Tilley said. "Infrastructure, water and sewer, traffic – folks, that's what a land use assessment is for. We're going to look at all those different angles and council is making no decisions (yet). At this stage it's just about identifying those potential impacts, including traffic, access, road capacity, so we kindly encourage everyone, even though you may put your points down on Facebook, we don't look at them on Facebook, so make sure you go to our website and put down your concerns, if you have any, and we'll certainly take them under consideration."

The towers, if approved, will contain some 300 apartments and room for commercial space on the ground floors. The developer, BGI Group of Toronto on behalf of Revive Church, will need to consolidate three or four parcels of land measuring a total of some 6.7 acres with some frontage on Route 60, but most of the property is located between the main road and the T'Railway.

Paradise ‘unicorn’ approved, but not without debate

By Mark Squibb

An application for an infill subdivision at 2-26 Carberry Place consisting of eight new homes was approved by Paradise council last month, but not without some debate.

Council first discussed the matter at length during its April 14 committee of the whole meeting and finally, after more to and fro, gave its approval at the public meeting of April 21.

Up for discussion was the character of the street, future development potential, lot sizes, and whether it should have a sidewalk.

Councillor Tommy Maher said he had met with the developer who suggested an additional asphalt shoulder in lieu of a sidewalk. Maher said the developer was in talks with his engineer and would be sending additional drawings to Town staff.

Councillor Glen Carew, meanwhile, said he had not spoken with the developer personally, but understood he was willing to work with council on the matter. He had, however, spoken with a resident on Carberry, who had a concern about the size of the roadway itself.

“The roadway on Carberry, and Duffs, I believe he said, is 20 feet wide,” said Carew. “Spracklin has a 32-foot-wide road surface. He was more concerned about cars parking on the roadway, especially when it came to busing, and kids going to and from the bus.”

Carew noted residents in the area indicated they would have appreciated more of a heads up about the development.

Carew added he was happy with the recommendation as it was, which included a clause that if there are sidewalks, a water management plan will need to be drafted.

Councillor Jennifer Hiscock said she drove through the neighbourhood to have a close look, and had a close encounter when two children jumped up out of the ditch onto the road.

“It is a super narrow road,” said Hiscock. “And of course I did notice that all the homes in that area are larger lots, and they do have ditches, so I can understand the thought process of how putting in the sidewalks would change the overall layout of that area. But with the park being there, and the connection to the active trails we have set up there, I do feel it would be beneficial to have some sidewalk there.”

Councillor Erin Furlong concurred with Hiscock.

“I also drove around up there and thankfully no kids jumped out and scared me from the ditches,” she quipped. “But it is a narrow road, and it’s a difficult one, because we do have that more rural area that’s inside of this newer area coming up on Carberry Place. We do have to think about the safety aspect of all this.”

Mayor Patrick Martin said the developer has done a lot of good work around town and has good intentions.

Before putting the matter to a vote, chief administrative officer Lisa Niblock took a moment to clarify what council would be voting on, as the potential for wide asphalt shoulders in lieu of sidewalks seemed to have changed the trajectory of the conversation.

Niblock explained that as the current motion stood, sidewalks were included as a condition. However, should the developer wish to increase the width of the pavement rather than install sidewalks, as Maher had suggested, new drawings would need to be submitted before council could make a decision.

“I think where the confusion might be is that during the committee of the whole meeting, we were pretty adamant about the sidewalk piece, but I believe that councillor Maher has had a discussion with the developer and now we’re not really sure where that just put us,” said Hiscock. “I would want the sidewalks, or some sort of sidewalks, that’s my opinion. I would just like clarification from councillor Maher as to where his head is at in regard to his conversation.”

Maher explained that he had spoken to the developer as only one councillor of seven.

“What I explained to the developer was that I thought council would be fine seeing that it was a hard surface – asphalt, concrete, no matter what it would be, but a hard surface – with no ditching, that was a pathway to get from A to B,” said Maher. “At that particular time, he said his engineer was working on something that he would present to staff.”

Hiscock said if the road shoulder is extended, drivers will park their vehicles along the shoulders and pedestrians will have no safe walkway.

Mayor Martin suggested deferring the matter until the confusion could be cleared up.

Niblock added that when the initial application came to council, there was no sidewalk in the plan. Council had requested sidewalk be added, and should council opt now to request extended shoulders instead of sidewalk, the matter would need to be deferred.

“If you’re voting on this, you’re voting on the application as it is right now,” said Niblock, who asked council to give staff clear direction on why they were deferring the matter should they choose to defer it.

Councillor Sheldon Antle moved to defer the vote to give the applicant time to draft a new proposal minus the sidewalk.

Carew, however, was not in favour of deferring the motion again.

“I think we have had more than enough time to suss out this application,” said Carew. “This has been discussed since April, and we have a motion in front of us, and I feel we should vote on it. I will say though, in defense of staff and the developer, that this area is a bit of a unicorn. We are having an in-depth discussion here because this is infill development in a mature area of town with a significant amount of lots. This isn’t something we deal with everyday, lest anybody be watching the council meeting and thinking that council might be floundering here.”

Put to a vote, Carew, Furlong and Hiscock voted against the motion to defer, while Martin, Antle and Maher supported it, resulting in an even vote split which meant a defeat for the motion.
That led to a vote on the original motion, to approve the development with a sidewalk, which was approved unanimously.