Holyrood council last week voted to send recreation and community services director Kyle Hawco to the Atlantic Recreation & Facilities Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia from May 20-22.

“This event is the main Atlantic gathering for the recreation and facilities sector and focuses on professional development, best practices, networking, and partnership building,” said recreation lead councillor Sandra Crawley. “It includes keynote speakers, sector-specific sessions – aquatics, programming, facilities, trails, events, etcetera – an exhibitor trade show, and opportunities to collaborate with municipal and community recreation leaders from across Atlantic Canada.”

The cost of attendance, including all travel and expenses, is $2,135 and will be paid out of the recreation budget.

“These are very important opportunities, and we support our director attending,” said Mayor Laura Crawley.

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South River council wants to form a committee for a community garden, which it hopes to open this spring.

The garden will have a water source, a small storage shed, and garden beds. The beds will be built by Jonny Jessop, who is in charge of the Town’s water, sewer and general maintenance.

While council initially planned to build 10 garden beds, 15 residents have expressed interest in using the garden. At its April 8^th meeting, council decided it would build 15 beds to meet the demand.

Council went on to discuss the idea of forming a garden committee. Deputy Mayor Melissa Hierlihy and councillors Pat Curran and Maggie Snow said they would be willing to get involved.

“The first thing, I think, is get a meeting off the ground,” said Curran. “See how much interest we’ve got. They can give us ideas. We can let them know this is new to us, but we want to bring it on as a council.”

Town clerk Marjorie Dawson remarked that residents might offer suggestions that councillors can bring to their next meeting.

“I think the (initial) meeting is really key, and in that meeting we need to get some people on board with different roles,” said Dawson.

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The Town of Carbonear is the newest member of the Stewardship Association of Municipalities (SAM) and has established three new conservation areas.

SAM is a non-profit group created in the early nineties. Initially it focused on conserving wetlands and bird habitats. Since then, it has expanded its scope to include forests, salmon habitats, and the habitats of species at risk.

The group works directly with municipalities to establish conservation areas within their towns.

“Sometimes they’re well-known areas in the town,” said Karleena Squires, SAM’s outreach coordinator. “It might be a local walking trail, it might be a small pond or a watershed that’s within the area, and we approach them based on evidence of whether or not a lot of wildlife are using those areas, and then we map out and we designate those areas as conservation areas.”

After the area is designated, a municipal habitat conservation agreement is signed by the town and forwarded to the Department of Forestry, Agriculture and Lands. The department reviews the agreement, and if approved, it is signed by the minister.

Squires said a common misconception is that people are not allowed to do anything in conservation areas.

“You can still do everything that was legal to do there before,” she said. “You can go berry-picking, walking, birdwatching. ATV use, as long as it was legal there before, you can still do it there.”

Designating a conservation area is about protecting the location from development, said Squires. If someone wants to bulldoze a watershed to build housing in a conservation area, they must submit an application which goes through both the municipal and provincial governments. The Department of Forestry determines if it is safe to develop in the area, or if doing so would encroach on the habitat. The assessment is passed on to the municipality, which makes the final decision on whether to approve the application.

Some 53 municipalities are members of SAM. Carbonear contacted SAM after learning about its work in Bay Roberts and Harbour Grace.

Three conservation areas totalling some 2,200 acres were designated in Carbonear including the area around the town’s water supply, as well as Lond Pond, and Island Pond Brook. The Town has also designated a stewardship area, which differs from a standard conservation area in that prospective developers don’t have to go through the Province in order to get permission from the Town.

“The idea is that (the stewardship area) highlights the environmental value of the area to the community,” said Squires. “Carbonear has lots of wildlife populations. The area is known as The Ponds Stewardship Area, and it’s along Island Pond Brook which is where their main nature trail is located, and so they wanted to be able to highlight this area as an important wildlife area for the town, as well.”

Squires said becoming a member of SAM is not as much work as towns might expect. Some towns might already have most of the groundwork laid through their municipal plans. “It might just be a matter of creating the maps and doing the designation, and most of that work is done by us,” she said.

Membership in SAM has other benefits as well, said Squires, such as help with funding for environmental endeavours.

“We can assist with either the application itself or we can provide letters of support. Whatever the town needs for that is something we can assist with,” she said.

SAM can also help towns develop ecotourism plans, and assist with restoration and enhancement projects. The group also offers free educational programming, which can be availed of with or without a membership.

Over the past few years, SAM has been working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada on the Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECM) Project.

“The Canadian government is working to conserve 30 percent of lands by 2030, and they’re doing that by not only designating conservation areas themselves but also working with organizations like us and the Nature Conservancy of Canada where we already have designated conservation areas to have them recognized nationally,” explained Squires.

The post Carbonear maps off three new conservation zones appeared first on The Shoreline News.

CBS council has adopted amendments to its development regulations and municipal plan in the latest effort to eventually see the creation of an ATV trail through and to the town.

Adoption of the amendments come with a legislative requirement to appoint a commissioner to hold a public hearing on the changes. Consultant George Trainor has been appointed to serve as the commissioner. Trainor previously worked as an appraiser with Newfoundland Power and serves as the commissioner for the City of St. John’s Assessment Appeal Court. He will hold a public hearing on the CBS amendments at the Town Hall on May 12.

Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley moved the resolution to approve the amendments and appoint Trainor during last week’s public council meeting.

Tilley noted that in order to see the ATV trail come to fruition, the Town needs to acquire Crown Land. However, when CBS applied for Crown Land several years ago to link the central and western ends of town, the Province rejected the application. Part of the reason, Tilley said, was that the government felt the Town lacked policies and regulations to accommodate the trail.

Since then, Tilley said, Town staff have drafted amendments to the Town Plan that identified specific routes for the trail.

“And after consultation with the government officials, it was determined that the additional policies and regulations would provide more flexibility to allow future ATV trails and uses within the town,” Tilley added. “And I’ll stress ‘trails’ not being the railbed – (but) all other trails.”

Tilley said the proposed trails have been advertised in the local newspaper and outlined to residents at a public meeting. The Town submitted the proposed amendments to the Province in December for review, and last month Municipal Affairs released the proposals without making any comment or recommendations.

“This doesn’t actually change anything for ATV operations in the town right now,” Mayor Darrin Bent pointed out. “What it does is it allows us to pursue the ATV Bypass Trail that we’ve been working on with the ATV committee for some time now. This is something we have to do as per the Province, so it’s good to get it moving.”

Tilley said if no written submissions are made to the Town up to two days before the public hearing date, the session will be cancelled. 

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While spring may not yet be fully sprung, Carbonear councillors and staff are making plans to spruce up the town this summer.

Councillor Wendy Penney outlined some of the plans during her recreation committee report to council March 26.

Penney said Communities in Bloom, a non-profit organization that promotes friendly competition between communities to beautify their towns with flowers and landscaping projects, will be running again this summer. Carbonear has performed well in the program in the past; last year, it received a rating of five Blooms, and a special mention for Youth Involvement in Conserving Local History.

Penney said Scouts Canada has also come forward to partner with the Town on the Miracle-Gro Best Garden Selection Program. The program is presented by Scouts Canada in partnership with Communities in Bloom. Twelve winners will be awarded garden signs and gift packages of Miracle-Gro products.

“Our special events committee usually has a garden contest over the summer,” said Penney, “so they’ll provide the plan for that, and we’ll be able to award 12 beautiful gardens.”

Finally, Penney told council that NL Health Services, specifically Mental Health and Addiction Services, has inquired about getting space in Carbonear’s community garden.

“Staff have offered space and will work with that group,” Penney said, “which is very important in today’s society to provide any type of space that we can to alleviate some of the strain and stress with mental health and addictions.”

Later in the meeting, during his own report, Director of Recreation Rob Button was given approval to proceed with a limited call for suppliers of flowers for the Town’s parks and green spaces this spring.

The post Carbonear councillors turn their mind to spring projects appeared first on The Shoreline News.

By Olivia Bradbury, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

This past August, CBS couple Trevor Raymond and Vee Howard started a small business they hope will exert a magnetic pull on customers.
Nine Crows Holistic Healing offers yoga and reiki, but also something they call Magnetic Union, a communication tool for people in conflict, or having trouble sharing their feelings.
It consists of a magnetic whiteboard, with magnetic silhouettes representing the users, and magnetic tiles for words.
“Each set of Magnetic Union has 30 prompts cards with it that are also magnetic,” said Raymond. “There’re 24 magnetic emoji emotion tiles. There’re magnetic chakra tiles, and a magnetic logo for Magnetic Union.”
Howard said Magnetic Union is about mental health. The couple both have family members who have dealt with mental health issues. Howard’s father took his own life two years ago.
“Some of these things are really important to help teach people to communicate in a way that’s healthy for everyone in their lives, but mostly for themselves,” said Howard.
Raymond said Magnetic Union grew from what they have studied and learned over the years —from yoga, to reiki, to the divine masculine and feminine teachings. They created Magnetic Union when going through difficult times in their own relationship.
“We initially just created this as a way for us to communicate, but it also has kind of grown,” said Raymond. “It is a useful way for self-reflection, for reflection within couples, but we’ve also had it evolve into ways that people can kind of be playful, spontaneous, flirt, check in, create moments of closeness in different ways. So, it is more now than just a mental health tool. It’s kind of all-encompassing as far as emotions and connection goes.”
At the time of this writing, the couple had already received orders for 13 sets. They have sold copies locally and to customers in the United States. “We’re behind a little bit on production of it because it’s a little bit hard to keep up so far,” said Raymond.
The couple sells the sets out of their home.
“We’re still pretty new to the business part of it,” said Howard. “We can sit down and do yoga and meditate all day long, but figuring out the business side of it is where we’re learning.”
Raymond said the response to Magnetic Union so far has been amazing. “The last course we did, we presented Magnetic Union as part of our final presentation,” he said. A testimonial for Magnetic Union can be found on Nine Crows Holistic Healing’s Facebook page. “The response has been faster than what we were expecting, and people love it so far.”
Raymond and Howard have a vision of making expansion packs for use in psychology offices, schools, and other places. “Anywhere where people are communicating, we see this as a vehicle or tool to help people take the stress away from the stories that make things hard to communicate and break it down to the emotions,” said Raymond.
“I think this, what we’re trying to sell, is really important,” said Howard, “because a lot of people now in society, between COVID and years by themselves, we live in a world where we communicate through messenger apps and texting. A lot of people now, even kids growing up, don’t know how to voice what they want to say in a way that is healthy communication.”
Magnetic Union, she said, gives people a non-verbal way to learn how to communicate exactly what they are feeling inside without fear or judgement.
“It connects people in the real world again instead of just online or on the screens,” Raymond added.

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By Mark Squibb

From reporting for NTV to livestreaming her day-to-day life on a Kansas farm, Aamie Evans (formerly Gilliam) is used to having eyes on her, but a recent video of her unboxing a care package from home has attracted more eyes than usual.

Aamie and her husband Michael, whom she met online through one of her social media channels, purchased a farm in Kansas, her husband’s home state. That was in September 2023, and once Aamie was approved by the immigration department in March 2025, she made the move.

A content creator by profession – think blogs, videos, or livestreams – Evans decided to try her hand at creating videos about her life as a Newfoundlander navigating life on a Kansas farm.

One such video was of her opening a care package from home containing a number of local goodies, including a copy of The Shoreline newspaper, which was the first item to be taken out of the box.

“A lot of people really resonated with the video because it was just me setting up a camera and opening up a care package,” said Evans. “One comment was ‘Whenever I see The Shoreline at the grocery store, I’m going to think of you.’”

Like many a young person growing up in CBS, Evans herself was featured in the pages of The Shoreline many a time.

Other gifts included Purity candy and Jam Jams, Mt. Scio Farm savory, Pineapple Crush, and matching mother and daughter handmade egg collecting aprons for herself and daughter Evie.

The video, which was uploaded in August, has had over 30,000 views and almost 500 comments.

Evans, like many others, was drawn to farm life by rising food costs and food shortages.

“We really wanted to be able to grow our own food, have our own animals for whatever supply we could get from them, and be more dependent on ourselves and not grocery stores,” she said. “And the more amateur homesteaders I saw on YouTube, the more I realized. ‘Maybe we can do that too.’”

The 40 acres of farmland that Evans and her family call home is also home to about 60 animals, including 36 chickens, 15 ducklings, two horses, two guardian dogs, and two sheep.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, the weather is much warmer, although strangers don’t talk to each other quite as much.

Evans added that many folks she has met stateside have had nothing but positive things to say about the province.

“If they know where Newfoundland and Labrador is, they gush about it, whether they’ve been there or they know someone from there, they love it,” said Evans. “They only say beautiful things about the province.”
You can view the video, and others, at H’Evans Acres on YouTube or Tik Tok. The name is a play on the family name and the phrase ‘heaven on earth,’ and not, as some may suppose, Newfoundlanders and Englishmen’s habit of sticking H’s where they don’t belong.
You can also visit Aamie’s Acres on Twitch.

The post From CBS with love appeared first on The Shoreline News.

By Craig Westcott

As on many hot summer days, there was a long line of cars outside The Willows golf course in Holyrood last Monday, July 14. But this one was longer than usual. And while the grounds were crowded with sun wizened people in ball caps and polo shirts, nobody was swinging a club. They were there to celebrate the life of Jim Sceviour, the course’s head groundskeeper, who over a career of 29 years, helped sculpt the immaculate greens and fairways of what is arguably the prettiest golf course in Newfoundland. Sceviour died suddenly July 8 at the age of 56.

Like the funeral earlier, which attracted a long procession of police cars and fire trucks from volunteer departments throughout Conception Bay, the celebration of life for Sceviour by his employer Danny Williams was solemn but also appreciative for the memory of a fellow with quiet magnetism and who made friends seemingly effortlessly.

“We lost a great fellow here today,” said Williams, his voice clotted with emotion. “Twenty-nine years. This (course) was his pride and joy. He treated this like it was his own. The last conversation I had with him, he said, ‘I want to work here ’til I’m 75.’ I said (jokingly), ‘Jimmy, I’m surprised – you’ve got a lot more than that left in you.’ Little did I know… Oh boy.”

The Willows is Williams’ first golf course of the three he has owned. It was crafted a couple of holes at a time when his children were still young, and is draped around the hills and rivers running down from the high country that abuts the Holyrood Access Road.

“It was a labour of love,” said Williams. “This is a special place, and he was so special. You work with a lot of people over the years, but he was just different… He always wanted to find something else to do to improve the place. We designed it based on the rivers, but he improved it. He just kept improving it all the time, lifting up the trees, getting the different heights in the trees so you could see through them, clearing out areas making it easier – because it’s a hard course, the hardest course in the province, I think –for golfers to find their balls. He’s irreplaceable. He’s just a special, special person. The priest said he was humble, he was happy, he was hard working, and he was loving, and that’s Jimmy. My, he was a great fellow.”

Steve Power, the general manager of Glendenning and The Willows golf courses, said it’s unusual for golfers to be on a first name basis with a groundskeeper. Groundskeepers start early and usually fade out of sight when the golfers come out.

“But it didn’t matter who you were out here, they all knew Jimmy,” said Power, “whether they golfed at nine in the morning or four in the afternoon. It was like the priest said at the funeral home: it didn’t matter what walk of life you came from, whether you’re a doctor, lawyer, or a garbageman; he was on your level. Even the kids playing golf, and the seniors. You can’t describe the shock of losing him.”

Williams had Power close The Willows for the day as a sign of respect for Sceviour. The grounds crew from Glendenning came over, along with the chefs, who catered an elaborate buffet for the guests. “We wouldn’t have done this for everybody,” Power admitted. “But Jimmy was pretty special. Jimmy was the man.”

Sceviour was such a man, in fact, that he was one of those rare people who got to see a monument placed in his honour long before he died. It happened several years ago.

“That was put there after the last hurricane that we had,” said Power. “It had done a tonne of damage to the course and because of Jimmy’s work, he saved it. He saved a bunch of trees, and Danny wanted to erect that in honour of Jimmy’s work… And when I bought that, I tried to cheap out. It’s Danny’s money, it’s not my money and I try to be responsible with it. I remember buying a plastic, all weather thing. I gave it to Danny, and he said, ‘Not a chance.’ That’s why I went from spending $100 to $500 right quick. That’s Jimmy’s place, and it’s because of the work he done before. Now it’s going to be something else, I guess. It’s going to be a forever memoriam to him.”

After news percolated out that Sceviour had died, members started leaving signed golf balls around the monument as a tribute.

“Aside from Danny Williams, Jimmy probably loved this place the most,” said Power. “And Jimmy treated it so well.”

The members at The Willows tend to love the place too, which may explain why so many of them felt such a bond with Sceviour. At the tables laid out for guests to chat and mingle at his celebration of life, there were many memories traded of moments spent with the big, quiet-spoken groundskeeper.

“There’s no end of those kind of stories with me and him,” said Jeff Walsh, a longtime member from Mobile on the Southern Shore. “There were four years in a row where I had a job where I could play here everyday. I’d be the first one here and I’d have a coffee with him nearly every morning. He was one of the nicest fellows I ever met. I’m very much an introvert, but I found him really down to earth. And he’d remember stuff you didn’t even know you told him. Like the last time I was here he asked how my youngfellow was doing, whether he was done in school yet. I don’t even remember ever telling him about my youngfellow… I used to look forward to coming here in the morning to play golf and to run into him to have a chat. I’ll miss him.”

Walsh appreciated how Sceviour took such good care of the course. “With the weather this spot gets and the damage that it gets, you could come out three days later and it would all be done (perfectly),” said Walsh. “He worked like a dog. I mean just look around you, the pride in the work to get this the way it is and to keep it here. Yes, he’ll be missed.”

Sceviour’s immediate boss, Scott Sleep, the course superintendent at both Glendenning and The Willows the past 20 years, agreed.

“Jimmy was the most dependable, the most reliable, the most hardworking individual that I have worked with,” said Sleep. “He’s definitely the most dedicated person I could ever work with… I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to have alongside me to help me with what I was trying to accomplish here at The Willows… You won’t replace him. I don’t want to replace Jimmy. Jimmy was Jimmy. He had his characteristics and a work ethic that’s unmatched. I’m going to search for someone to fill a role, but it won’t be Jimmy’s role.”

Sceviour didn’t only sculp the landscape, he also helped fashion the characters of those around him.

“His personality and the way he handled himself spilled over to his crew,” said Sleep. “They respected him, they wanted to do their best job, whether it was family, because he’s had many family members come through here, or firefighters whom he has worked with, or just people from the local community, they’ve all tried their best to represent what Jimmy meant to this property… I’m going to miss him dearly. He meant a lot to everyone, and we’re all going to miss him. We’re going to carry on maintaining this property the way he tried to for all these years and hopefully make him proud when he looks down at us.”

Another group Sceviour inspired is the Colliers Volunteer Fire Department. Sceviour joined it in 2007 and within three years was promoted to fire chief, a position he held until his death.

“Jimmy was one of the best,” said Fire Captain Matthew Mahoney. “Anyone could call him anytime of the day, he didn’t need to know you, he would do anything for you. And anyone in the Conception Bay North area knew that. Every fire department around knew they could call Jim Sceviour if they needed anything. Jim Sceviour was one of the best men I ever knew.”

Mahoney said Sceviour never stopped encouraging his firefighters to get better through training. “He wanted us to succeed,” said Mahoney. “He wanted everyone in the community to feel protected. And that’s the legacy we’re looking to continue.”

Apart from his family, those who will miss Sceviour the most, are his workmates at The Willows. Kayla Warford, who often handles the early shift at the pro shop, made a collage of photos that were taken of Sceviour on the grounds over the years and ringed them around a poem she wrote in his memory. The framed memoriam hung outside the pro shop last Monday leaving everyone who read it walking away smothering tears.

“There’s a hole,” said Warford, “there’s something missing. And it’s not just for the golf course, it’s for the community, it’s for the fire department, it’s for his dart league, his friends and family… There were many mornings you’d just make the big roar on the radio, ‘Hello Jimmy, I’m on the way for a coffee.’ Every morning he was up for a coffee.”

Warford will miss his sense of humour. “You could say anything to him, and he would have something to say right back,” she said. “And he always had something nice to say about everybody.”

Joe Fahey, a longtime course marshal, met Sceviour on his own first day on the job.

“I mean, he was the salt of the earth,” said Fahey. “My God, he was the best, the best, the best, the best you could ever want to meet. He never had a bad word to say against anyone… He set the example for this place here, to look after everything out there.”

Sceviour would remind the marshals to encourage golfers to replace their divots and fix their ball marks. 

“But he’d say there’s no point in getting obstreperous with everybody, because it’s not going to sink in with everyone,” said Fahey.

Andy Borill, The Willows’ colourful and respected operations manager, uncharacteristically chokes up talking about his friend and colleague.

“He was humble,” said Borill. “He did a lot for everybody. I got so used to calling him first thing in the morning and saying, ‘Good morning, Jimmy,’ and he would answer me. And I did it on Wednesday, and he didn’t answer,” said Borill, his voice trembling. “This place will never be the same. It doesn’t matter who comes in, they won’t do what Jimmy did. Jimmy knew every tree, every blade of grass, he knew what had to be done, and we’re all going to miss him, we really are.”

It didn’t surprise Borill that so many club members, and even non-member golfers showed up to celebrate Sceviour’s life. “Everybody knew Jimmy, because he spoke to everybody,” said Borill. “I’m going to miss him, really… It’s going to be different without him now, it really is. I’m going to miss that guy.”

Sceviour leaves to mourn his wife Mariette, daughters Ashley and Kayley and their families, eight brothers and sisters, his father-in-law and fellow Willows colleague Wayne Holly and his wife Mary, and a wide circle of other family and friends.

The post Jimmy’s place appeared first on The Shoreline News.

Riley Furey, left, the golf pro at The Willows Golf Course in Holyrood, checks out the swing speed and other data on his brother Coady Furey’s cut using a FlightScope monitor. Craig Westcott photo

By Craig Westcott

Now that it has its own golf professional on staff, The Willows golf course in Holyrood is expanding into lessons and participation in Canada’s First Tee program, which encourages children to take up the gentleperson’s game.

Last month the course erected a hitting net to allow golfers to warm up before hitting their first ball on the number one tees. It helps make up for the lack of a driving range at what is arguably the prettiest 9-hole course in the province.

“It’s there for everybody’s use, but it’s also there for me to give lessons,” said Riley Furey, the club pro. “It’s something that The Willows has needed for years, because it’s pretty hard to go up to the first tee box and have that be your first swing of the day. It’s a difficult par 3, so this is a really big asset to have at The Willows.”

The practice area also has a hitting mat and a FlightScope Mevo+ launch monitor for Furey to give lessons. The monitor uses 3D Doppler radar and high-speed image processing to measure data about your golf swing.

“So, I can see your club speed, swing speed, I can see your angle of attack, your club pass,” said Furey. “There are over 20 different data categories that it shows me. It makes my job a lot easier.”

Furey has Sundays and Mondays booked for giving lessons. “But I’m available pretty much any morning, because I do mostly evening shifts (in the pro shop),” he added. 

Furey recently spent some time working with the head pro at Humber Valley Resort, PGA Atlantic Coach of the Year Wayne Allen, and three other instructors, helping train some of the young people trying out for Newfoundland and Labrador’s Canada Summer Games golf team. More than 20 young golfers aged 18 and younger attended, hoping to earn one of the spots on each of the two-person male and female teams.

“It’s a big race for the top two, and there was a lot of great players out there,” Furey said, adding that despite the competitive aspect, the three-day camp had a friendly environment. “They were all friends; they were all trying to help each other. It was a really fun camp.”

The other big development at the Holyrood course this year is its participation in the national First Tee program sponsored by RBC, which introduces the game to children. Only two other courses in this province offer the program; Glendenning in St. John’s and Humber Valley Resort.

“It doesn’t focus fully on golf, it’s more so using golf to teach life skills” said Furey. “It is for development, and they will gain a lot of skills from it, but it’s not competitive, the focus is not really on getting incredible at golf, it’s more so teaching you how to have fun through golf, and learning life skills through golf.”

Furey has two groups of 12 participating in the program at The Willows, including a group of seven to nine-year-olds, and a 10 to 12 age group. There is a registration fee, but for those who have trouble meeting it, RBC has a fund to help cover the cost.

“It’s a really, really fun program,” Furey said. “It’s going to be out on the golf course on the number one green and number five fairway. That’s close to the bathroom and pro shop and there is a nice long area to drive balls, with a green and bunkers.”

Each group plays for an hour every Wednesday for six weeks. The club also has a junior golf program on Wednesday mornings. 

“It takes a lot from the golf course, businesswise,” Furey admitted of those hours the course is devoted to teaching young people and not selling tee times to regular golfers. “But the juniors are the future, so it’s not too much to give it up for what it will return in the future.”

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Paradise council has approved a $12.6 million redesign of Paradise Park that will include a skating loop valued at roughly $4 million.

Mills & Wright Landscape Architecture was awarded the redesign back in 2023 and asked to create a plan through consultation with staff and residents that reflected what the community wants.

After Mills & Wright presented a draft concept plan to the recreation committee in September, it requested a redesign that would incorporate a skating loop.

The consultants recommended against the addition of the skating loop, citing the nearness of the Double Ice Complex and nearby skating loops in other communities. Nevertheless, on November 25, the designers presented the committee with two new concept plans, one without a skating loop and one with a skating loop, priced at $8.6 million and $12.6 million respectively.

Additionally, berms would have to be formed during construction of the skating loop, which would result in the loss of two of four temporary minor baseball fields.

The skating loop would also require an onsite maintenance shed and Zamboni staff.

Councillor Patrick Martin moved that council accept the more expensive design.

Councillor Glen Carew said the cheaper option had two major flaws — the lack of a of a skating loop, which was the number one request of residents who participated in consultation sessions and surveys; and a reconfigured layout that would, rather than address safety concerns raised by residents about the closeness of the parking lot and splash pad, exacerbate the problem.

“With community input the recreation committee has taken careful time and consideration and are recommending option two,” said Carew. “There was meaningful discussion about potentially displacing two of those minor baseball fields, which, outside the cost of the project, is the only detractor of option two.”

Carew said the plan will not be fully realized for another 10 to 15 years and is also dependent on input from future councils. He added this gives council plenty of time to find a new home for the temporary ballfields once the time comes.

“This concept plan reflects what our residents have asked for,” summarized Carew.

Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street, likewise, said she believed concept two to be more in line with what residents had been asking for, and was glad to support it.

“We have a large number of young families, who really enjoy outdoor activities,” said Street. “The amenities we have chosen certainly support this, and Mills & Wright did a great job identifying placement of all the amenities. There was a good discussion at committee regarding the skating loop. I felt the town has the population and enough future growth to support it. The Mills & Wright survey identified that a skating loop was at the top of amenities requested. I know this will mean that temporary ballfields will have to be relocated. I’m sure when this happens, the council of the day will make sure there is a home for these ballfields.”

Councillors Deborah Quilty and Tommy Maher echoed those sentiments, with Maher adding the skating loop could be used as a bike loop during the summer months.

Councillor Martin, who had previously expressed concern about the additional costs associated with the skating loop, reiterated those concerns.

Martin also expressed concerns about the removal of the two temporary fields.

“I know it’s not any time down the road, but I just want to acknowledge that we have 200 kids currently playing on those fields — Under 5, Under 7, and Under 9,” said Martin. “The temporary fields are used from June 20 until the end of September. And I would never want to see baseball displaced. So, I’m going to support plan number two, with a skating loop, but as long as I am on council I will not support a skating loop being built until we are sure that the kids from baseball are looked after.”

The plan also includes an updated dog park, new playground, picnic area, skate park and sensory trail. Sensory trails have proven especially beneficial and soothing to children and adults with autism. There is no funding allocated for the project as of yet.

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