South River councillors tired of hearing the word, ‘No’

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of South River council say they are growing frustrated over the difficulty in acquiring municipal capital works funding from the Province.
At last month’s public council meeting, the members listed some of the projects in which the Town had sought financial help but was turned down.
The list included applications for water and sewer extensions on Neville’s Road and Neville’s Place, Manning Hill and Taylor’s Road East, Taylor’s Road West, and Butler Road. None of the applications have been approved. The town has not been approved for a water and sewer extension project since 2018.
In February 2024, the Town applied for Student Summer Employment Program (SSEP) funding to hire one student as a summer worker. The application was denied. It was only after the Town contacted PC MHA Helen Conway-Ottenheimer that it received $5,000 to hire a student. This year, South River’s application for SSEP was approved, and it received $4,800 to hire a student.
In May 2024, South River applied for a Well-Being Week grant. Council hoped to use the money to fund Well-Being Week events for residents. The application was denied. The town still celebrated Well-Being Week, offering events and activities related to health and well-being.
In May 2025, the Town applied for the grant once more but was again denied. Despite the lack of funding, council plans to celebrate Well-Being Week again anyway do what it can by way of activities for its residents.
Deputy Mayor Melissa Hierlihy suggested council contact MHA Conway-Ottenheimer to inform her that its application was denied for the second year in a row.
South River has also had applications for accessibility grants denied. In September 2024, it applied for two accessibility grants. One was for $5,750 to improve wheelchair access to the community room. The other was for $9,250 to pave the walkway at the waterfront park, making it wheelchair accessible. Both applications were denied.
In March, the Town applied for a Community Waste Diversion Fund grant from the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board (MMSB). The fund is meant to help communities find ways to reduce waste and be more eco-friendly. If approved, the Town would have received $11,000, to buy a woodchipper. That application was also denied.