Spaniard’s Bay town council was taken by surprise when Deputy Mayor Gerald Sheppard suddenly announced his resignation at the June 9th meeting.
Sheppard, who was elected last year, made the announcement towards the end of the meeting, during the time in which council members can share other business before adjournment. He then promptly gave his letter of resignation to Mayor Tammy Oliver.
“It has been a privilege to serve on council and advocate for the town’s residents,” said Sheppard. “Due to recent events and decisions of council, I feel I am no longer able to accomplish what this position requires. Thank you to the residents and voters of the Town of Spaniard’s Bay for the wonderful opportunity to represent them.”
While the deputy mayor did not specify what “recent events and decisions” he was referring to, the last several town council meetings have seen members butt heads over certain decisions, or the steps taken to arrive at a decision.
Most, if not all, of Sheppard’s fellow council members seemed taken aback by his resignation. Even Mayor Oliver had not been aware he would be resigning that night. She expressed regret that they had not been able to have a discussion about it beforehand.
Councillor Terry Sheppard, a relative of deputy mayor Sheppard and another council member elected in the 2025 municipal election, shared his grievances s well.
“I have also had to seriously reflect on the value I can bring to the current environment and how effective I can be given the way the council’s operating,” said councillor Sheppard. “While I continue to serve—and I’m going to serve for the time being—there’s got to be significant changes in the way we conduct business. Current approach is not working, it’s not acceptable if we expect to serve the community effectively. So, I just want to throw it out there. It’s getting frustrating at times. I hope we can work together better than what we have been doing.”

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The Town of Paradise will upgrade the St. Thomas Line wastewater treatment plant in phases as the project proved too costly to do all at once.

The town received $18.3 million in cost-shared funding to upgrade the plant to a secondary treatment plant to comply with municipal effluent regulations. That amount proved only enough to cover a portion of the upgrades.

“Owner-advisor services for this project was awarded to RV Andersen Associations Ltd. in 2022, however, through the design process, it was soon determined that the funding amount would not cover the full scope of the wastewater treatment plant upgrades,” explained councillor Erin Furlong. “A project amendment was submitted to the funding partners to split the project into three phases, with the current funding amount being dedicated to Phase 1 only. This is currently under review.”

Furlong added that funding has been extended to 2030, and that the town has authorization to operate the treatment plant as is until 2040.
Council approved a change order on June 2 to cover the cost of splitting the project into phases.

“Due to the project being divided into multiple design-build phases to be implemented over an extended time frame, rather than a single construction phase, there will be longer exposure periods for excavation, slopes, native soils, which were not contemplated in the original geo-technical investigative report,” said Furlong. “As a result, the existing geotechnical investigative report requires a revision and expansion to address conditions associated with phased construction and prolonged exposure.”

The change order, the fifth for the project, was approved in the amount of $2,875 HST included.
“So, in the grand scheme of things it’s not a huge amount of money,” noted Furlong.

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Roughly five months after the provincial government dissolved Victoria town council due to infighting, a new council was elected this May.

The newly minted council has since named Sharon Penney mayor, and Kelly Loch deputy mayor.
The May election was Penney’s first time running for municipal council, and not only was she successful in her bid for council member, but she also received the greatest number of votes of all the candidates.

“It was kind of a shock,” Penney said. “I did not think I would be anywhere near the top of the vote poll, but it was gratifying to see that so many people would place their faith in that I was able to do a good job.”
Penney said if there had been a separate ballot for mayor, her name would not have been on it as she did not think it was a job someone could do without prior experience. “But, given the breadth of the new council, just about everybody had no previous experience,” she said.

All of the new councillors encouraged Penney to seek the mayorship. Kelly Loch nominated her, and this nomination was seconded and voted on. “I’m happy that they think I’m going to be a good candidate to lead us all forward and be a voice for them as well as the town,” said Penney.

When asked what she can bring the Town of Victoria in her role as mayor, Penney said she is level-headed and can bring people together to talk through situations and arrive at a consensus. “It might not be the vote that everybody would have taken initially, but after discussion and give and take, we can come together as a council and do what’s best for Victoria,” she said.

Penney said council intends to implement the recommendations made to them by Chris Stamp, the provincial government administrator who oversaw town operations following the previous council’s dismissal.

“Mr. Stamp has also left some areas open for us to discuss and develop policy further,” said Penney. “And we intend to follow his example and put unambiguous plans in place and unambiguous policies so that there will be no contention as to if this is what is meant, or if this is what the intention was.”

As for how the new council is getting along, Penney said they are very excited, communicate well, and are working cohesively. “We have good discussions in our council meetings,” she said. “Everybody has a voice. Everybody gets to express their voice, and we continue from there. So far, our decisions have been unanimous, so I think that speaks well to A, the policies that Mr. Stamp has put in place, and B, to the fact that we are going to move ahead as a unit.”

Penney believes the new council will be able to avoid the issues and conflict the previous council experienced. “There are so many new voices on the council that there is no room for rehashing of old grievances,” she said. “We have an agenda that we have to move forward with, and nowhere on that agenda is bringing up the past. The past is in the past, and we as a council are committed to moving forward from that point.”

Penney has served on the executive of other organizations in the past. In these roles, she learned how to work collaboratively, a skill that she thinks she can bring to council as mayor and use to avoid conflict and dysfunction.

“Every organization I’ve ever been part of in an executive position has always been made up of individuals from diverse backgrounds,” said Penney. “This council is no different. And everywhere where you get diverse backgrounds and diverse interests, you get diverse opinions. But, because I’ve experienced being in leadership positions, I have had to develop the skills to bring people around, to bring people to a collective decision, and that is exactly what’s going to happen in this council.”

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Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove council has asked staff to research the cost and logistics of installing surveillance cameras around town ahead of the next municipal budget.
The motion was passed after a request from the recreation committee was brought forward at the May 19 regular meeting.
“There has been talk of some vandalism in our community,” said chief administrative officer Mandy Dinn, adding that residents, members of the recreation committee and town staff had all expressed concerns.
“Our own town foreman actually said he would like to have one around the town’s depot just to have it more secure when there’s salt, sand or stone … just different things they need to leave outside,” said Dinn.
She added that if council wanted to approach this request the proper way, she recommended it be considered for the next budget.
Deputy Mayor Irene Stack said there were also a number of things to still research, like technical issues, what locations would be prioritized and what privacy issues and liabilities are associated.
“We need to make sure all our t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted. But I think it’s definitely a good investment,” Stack said.
Mayor Ed Dyke said waiting until the next budget cycle would also allow time for administration to explore potential grant funding.
Locations like the town depot, the playground and recreation areas, the War Memorial were all mentioned, but council did not include specific locations in the motion.

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A public hearing last week on a proposed ATV bypass in the back country of CBS almost turned into a rally to take back the old railbed in town from walkers and allow trikes and side-by-sides on it again.
The idea was touted several times to wide applause during an hour and 20-minute session that saw some 150 people, mostly ATV enthusiasts in attendance.
However, that notion contrasted sharply with the tenor of most of the written submissions from CBS residents who appear to be growing increasingly frustrated by the prevalence of dirt bikes and ATVs on their roads.
The hearing was supposed to focus solely on proposed amendments to the development rules to allow ATVs on a future bypass route on the south side of Peacekeepers Way. Commissioner George Trainor has 30 days to report on the hearing to council, which will then vote to accept, amend or reject his recommendations, before sending the proposed changes back to the Province for its approval.
While a sizeable minority of people at the hearing shared worries about increased ATV use interfering with walking trails, they were overwhelmingly outnumbered by the ATV supporters whose demands seemed to increase the longer the hearing went on.
Fred Rose, who moved to CBS about two and half years ago, seemed to speak for many of the ATV advocates, though he was not in favour of taking back the walking trail which runs the length of CBS.
“I’ve got a lot of years of experience on ATVs,” said Rose. “I lived in Gander where I could hop from my house onto my ATV and go wherever I wanted… But I’m not surprised that people would come out against this, because that’s human nature, that’s the way things happen… I don’t disagree with the walking trail the way it is right now. I think it’s a great idea. I would not be in favor of changing anything along the waterfront that we have now. We’ve got all kinds of trails around here… There’s lots of ways that we could bypass it… Maybe we could connect up the trail with CBN. Maybe we can connect with the one to the Southern Shore… Let’s go up around the back, find ways to come down to the restaurants and things like that. Develop it, get some economic benefit for the town, and get some government money to help you do it.”
Walter Quinlan, who lives near the Kiwanis walking trail in Kelligrews, warned the crowd they wouldn’t give him as hearty a round of applause as they had given Rose.
Quinlan said he was initially very opposed to the ATV bypass until he talked with Mayor Darrin Bent and read in The Shoreline that the route will be separate from walking trails.
“So, I’ve kind of come around,” said Quinlan. “I don’t care that you guys want to have a trail. My concern was having interactions while walking or driving my car. I want no interactions with ATVs. I’ve had about 20 in my lifetime. They’ve all been negative. I’ve almost been knocked down, my dog has almost been knocked down, I’ve been cursed and sworn at, I’ve had to dive into snowbanks to avoid a head-on collision while I was cross-country skiing. I’m not saying any of you people here would do anything like that, it’s just that my experience with ATVs on trails has been very negative.”
Quinlan said ATVers represent about 2.5 per cent of the population but are responsible for about five per cent of deaths involving motorized vehicles every year.
“My hobby is golfing. It costs me $3,000 a year to golf,” said Quinlan. “Your hobby would be using the ATVs. I don’t think I should have to subsidize your trail. I don’t think the council here should spend any money on the trail. I think you should do what cross-country skiers do. They make their own trail. They put their own money in, and they maintain a trail themselves… With that, I wish you the best of luck. I hope you all stay safe.”
Born and bred CBS resident Joe Fagan came out hard in support of connecting CBS with the rest of the ATV trail across the island, which follows the line of the former Newfoundland railbed.
Fagan said CBS is the biggest municipality in the province, next to St. John’s, and would have no problem drawing volunteers to maintain the bypass.
“With regards to the current trail down there, the walkway, I understand people don’t want to take that for ATVs – the Town made their development policy many years ago, they did a great job getting that walkway up to use,” he said.
But Fagan said it’s unfortunate there is a break in the provincial ATV trail at CBS, arguing the government has made the trail a priority by designating it a provincial park for ATVs. ATV tourism is a growing industry, he added, and CBS is missing out. As for ATVers who are causing problems on town streets, Fagan said those things occur because the riders have nowhere else to go.
Retired teacher John Elkins, an ATV enthusiast who moved to CBS four years ago, said he is delighted with the walking trail along the coast, but added ATV users need a trail too.
Elkins said he would like to see his tax dollars used to build the bypass, but suggested young people should be drafted into volunteering to help build and maintain it. That would help defray the need to use Town funds, he allowed.
“Students need volunteer hours as part of their Career Education course,” said Elkins. “This might be something that young people here could be involved with in helping make the trail for themselves and for their future.”
Jerry Vey, who grew up in CBS, was the first of several speakers to call for the old railbed through town to be reopened to ATVs. Vey claimed the Town committed back in 2012 to building a bypass before banning the machines on the railbed.
“The T’Railway should be re-opened until the Town comes up with an alternate plan for the bypass route,” Vey demaned to hoots and applause from the crowd.
But lifelong CBS livyer and ATV user Roger Jefford counselled against that idea.
“We’ve got one of the most beautiful walking trails in any part of the world,” said the Kelligrews resident, who is old enough to recall navigating the woods with a pony, long before ATVs became common. “I understand why the people on the ATVs would like to take that over.”
But Jefford argued that’s not reasonable. He also countered the argument that CBS should follow Gander and other towns that allow ATVs, pointing out those areas have much smaller populations, are relatively isolated, and still have the luxury of the old railbed running through them intact.
“I’ve seen the development of ATVs in this community,” Jefford said. “It brings a lot of enjoyment to a lot of people, young and old.”
But they also cause problems, he argued.
“I live on Tilleys Road South and any time of the day or night you can see ATVs,” he said. “Some people respect the law, they travel at the proper speed, but there are others who just wing by and pay no attention to stop signs, or red lights. I’ve witnessed one accident where a young man on an ATV put a car off the road into the ditch because of his recklessness. A lot of you people have kids, but you very seldom see kids out on the streets anymore and one of the main reasons is the ATVs speeding back and forth the highways. It’s very dangerous. I’ve got two grandchildren, one is six and the other is eight, and they can’t ride their pedal bikes or their scooters on the streets.”
Jefford said allowing people in CBS to ride ATVs up public streets to get to a bypass road would cause total chaos.
“I’ve got nothing against ATVs,” said Jefford. “But you have to do it right… And for those who say we’ll take over the walking trail – I don’t think that’s to be recommended. I’ve walked on the old track when the ATVs were allowed there, and it just doesn’t work.”
Krista Webber, who sits on the ATV Advisory Committee working with council to build the bypass, also tried to dampen any prospect of ATVs returning to the T’Railway, though she admitted to having bought a home near the old rail line in CBS because she thought she could just hop on her machine and ride wherever she liked.
“It sucks,” Webber said of not being able to drive ATVs on the walking trail. “But the big importance of this meeting is not to open the railbed, unfortunately. I know, it sucks, it does, but I think that ship has sailed and we’ve just got to concentrate on doing it somewhere else. That’s all we can do. If there’s a way we can change people’s minds about the railbed, then wonderful, I’m all for it 100 per cent, but it’s not going to happen… And I’m saying that when we do get this trail, be respectful of it.”

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Although some councillors say they are concerned about the reckless use of scooters and e-bikes around Paradise, they’re not yet ready to regulate them.
Councillor Erin Furlong broached the subject last month during a committee of the whole meeting, noting several residents had brought concerns to her.
Furlong asked what authority the Town has to regulate the machines.
Councillor Glen Carew explained that under the Towns and Local Services Districts Act, the Town can adopt by-laws to manage its roadways. The challenge, he said, is with enforcement.
“The world is changing rapidly, in terms of these machines, how they’re governed, or in this particular case, the lack of governance,” said Carew, adding council has talked with the police about it.
The Act, said Carew, does prohibit the use of vehicles on sidewalks.
Furlong asked whether the Town has had legal advice on how a by-law could be enforced without conflicting with the provincial Highway Act, and what risk Paradise would run by adopting a by-law before the Province adopts its changes.
Carew said staff have yet to seek an opinion on the matter. Toronto has a by-law, he said, but enforcement is impossible.
“You even see some of these rental companies have e-scooters for rent right on the sidewalks there in downtown Toronto,” said Carew, arguing it’s the responsibility of the province to give municipalities the power to enforce such regulations.
The problem facing lawmakers and police, he added, is that technology is advancing so rapidly that classifying e-bikes and e-scooters could prove difficult. Some e-bikes can reach speeds of up to 80 kph.
“It’s like the wild west in regards to what is permitted and what is not permitted,” said Carew, who said he hears more complaints about e-bikes and e-scooters than ATVs and dirtbikes.
Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street expressed support for a by-law, but allowed enforcement must start at home.
“We have to teach our kids that they have to be safe, and they have to wear their equipment,” said Street, who expressed hope the Town will host a safety session. “I think everybody here in this room has had an experience or seen a close call.”
Furlong suggested the Town enact a by-law now as opposed to waiting for the Province to amend the Highway Act.
“Right now, you can get on an e-bike or an e-scooter at any age and go any speed you want through a school zone, or a trail,” said Furlong. “In the campground where I camp all summer long, no vehicle is allowed to go over 15 kilometres an hour, because there are so many kids and so many people and so many things going on. And that’s someone with a licence to drive a vehicle. But an eight-year-old or a 10-year-old can get on a scooter and go 30 kilometres an hour. And that’s concerning to me, because they’re young, and they may not understand the consequences to it. I was speaking to a health professional recently who had dealt with someone with a severe injury from a scooter, and a bike helmet will not suffice, if you’re going 30 kilometres or more on a scooter or an e-bike. A bicycle helmet is just not sufficient.”

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Not only did Admiral’s Academy host provincial government officials for a press conference May 1, but the Conception Bay South elementary school also had a book fair. Education Minister Paul Dinn made sure to pick out a book from the hundreds laid out for students to peruse later in the day and bring it to the podium with him. Dinn, along with Transportation Minister Barry Petten, were at the school to announce mandatory school bus registration and new school bus technology to enhance student safety. Mark Squibb photo

Parents will soon be able to track when their children get on and off the school bus.

It’s thanks to new school bus technology, as well as a mandatory registration program for school bus services, which the Province unveiled at Admiral’s Academy in Kelligrews on May 1.

The new technology and registration requirements will be tested at 17 schools before being implemented across the board over the next three years. Of those 17 schools, eight are located in Conception Bay South.

“Families will have access to real-time information on bus locations, service updates, and notifications when students board and leave the bus,” said Transportation Minister Barry Petten. “This added transparency not only improves convenience, it enhances safety and trust in the system.”

Petten said that K-12 students will receive registration cards, which will likely be tied to an app, that they will be able to either tap or swipe when they get on or off the bus.

“I have some concerns with the cards and with small children, but I guess that can be addressed,” allowed Petten. “There will have to be a way of making sure they don’t lose the cards. We’ll have to have a back up plan. But I think that will all be built into the system… Once they get into junior and senior high I’d say students will have the app on their phone.”

On the spot, Petten was unable to say if the new technology would make use of AI.

Education Minister Paul Dinn also spoke to the new technology.

“Parents want to know that their child is safe, they want to know that their child is taken care, and they want to know that their child is where they’re meant to be,” said Dinn. “And that’s an important part of this registration system we’re setting up. Families will gain access to enhanced technology, and they will get real-time bus information, notification, and updates. Most importantly, it gives parents piece of mind knowing that their child has arrived at school, or at their childcare centre, and that they’re on or off the bus.”

Under the new registration rule, all school bus routes, including secondary approved stops at childcare centres, will be finalized before the start of the school year.

“Instead of building capacity for every eligible student, whether they ride the bus or not, we will now be able to plan a service around actual need,” said Petten. “That means a system that is more efficient, more reliable, and better aligned with today’s reality. This change will deliver immediate benefits to families, especially working parents.”

Petten explained that previously, bus routes were tied to home addresses. The new system, said Petten, will allow for more flexibility.

“Parents can now say ‘Pick my child up at daycare and drop them off at home,’ or ‘Pick them up at their dad’s and drop them off at their mom’s,’” said Petten.

The system, however, will not allow for changes on a week-to-week basis.

For example, if a parent typically drives their child to school in the morning but cannot on a certain day due to a change of schedule or illness, the child cannot ride the bus— unless they are already registered.

“You cannot avail of one week in December you may need the bus,” said Petten. “If you’re not using the bus, you’ll lose it. And if you’re not using the bus, why are we making a spot that you’re not using.”

As to whether parents can register their children for a spot on the bus that they may not need as a “just in case,” Petten said the process would be governed by an honour system.

“That’s a fair point,” said Petten. “But it’s an honour system. You hope that people would be truthful. I would hope everyone would be forthright. If my child didn’t need the bus, I wouldn’t sign them up for the bus.”

The new system, including technology, will cost over $5 million, but Petten said it’s money well spent.

“If this doesn’t go good, my phone will not stop ringing,” quipped Petten. “I’m hoping it’s going to go really good because if it doesn’t, I’m going to get a lot of grief.”

The registration requirement will begin in September 2026 for the first 17 schools, which include Queen Elizabeth Regional High, Frank Roberts Junior High, Upper Gullies Elementary, Admiral’s Academy, St. Edwards School, Topsail Elementary, Villa Nova Junior High, and Holy Spirit High, all in Conception Bay South, as well as Family Elementary in Paradise, Mobile Central High in Mobile, St. Bernard’s Elementary in Witless Bay, St. Joseph’s Elementary and King’s Academy in Harbour Breton, St. James Elementary and St. James Regional High in Port aux Basques, and LeGallais Memorial Academy in Isle aux Morts.

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The Joint Council of Conception Bay North has some reservations about CorCare, the new health information system that NL Health Services will make public on April 25.

Joint Council members raised their concerns following a presentation by Fraser Fry and Steven Lockyer, two senior officials with NL Health Services.

The pair told the Joint Council that the health information system the Province has been using is outdated, having been implemented in 1982. CorCare will replace 150 legacy systems, integrating health information into one system. Fry and Lockyer said CorCare will enhance how healthcare is delivered, ease workflows for doctors and staff, and make personal health records more accessible.

“CorCare enables real-time, up-to-date health information across sites, geographics, and providers,” said Lockyer.

No matter where people live in the province, their health records will always be live and current.

“Our new system is patient-focused,” said Fry. “Anything we do within our healthcare system, we certainly have a patient-centred approach to delivering services.”

He added CorCare will have connections for family doctors and nurse practitioners.

CorCare has three parts, they explained: Hyperspace, the full version of the program that will be used in hospitals; CorCare Link, a web portal that allows clinicians to easily enter the system and track the progress of referrals in real time; and MyChart, the patient portal through which personal health records can be accessed.

Carbonear Deputy Mayor Fred Earle asked if the new system will require doctors who use physical records to switch to digital.

Lockyer said doctors will still be able to use physical records in their personal practices, but will be asked to use the CorCare Link web portal when interacting with NL Health Services.

As for the MyChart patient portal, Lockyer said, it will not just allow people to see their medical history and updates, but also that of their dependents.

“That’s what will transform and really enable patients to take charge of their own healthcare,” Lockyer said.

People will also be able to use MyChart to book appointments and compare the wait times at different hospitals.

Harbour Grace councillor Christina Hearn expressed worry that less tech-savvy people may have difficulty using CorCare.

Lockyer said they are doing a media campaign about the new system, and are looking to work with town councils and other groups to help people learn how to use it.

NL Health Services would also like to partner with libraries throughout the province as they offer computer access to the public and have staff who can help visitors go online.

There will also be a phoneline that people can call for help when using CorCare.

Spaniard’s Bay Mayor Tammy Oliver shared an anecdote about her daughter, who is a nurse. During a course on how to use CorCare, Oliver’s daughter witnessed an older nurse walk out in frustration and say she was done.

“We don’t want to lose any doctors or nurses over this for any reason whatsoever,” said Oliver.

“Sometimes change is difficult,” said Lockyer. “And we anticipate the road to be bumpy, we truly do. And that’s why we’ve got an enormous support.” He said that, in addition to the support phoneline, there is in-person and peer support

            Concerns were also raised about sensitive health information, such as cancer diagnoses, being delivered through the system rather than in-person. Through CorCare, patients will have access to any information their doctor chooses to make available. Lockyer says there is an option for doctor’s to hide information on the system until they can speak to their patient in person. It will be up to individual healthcare providers to decide to share information in person or online.

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Mount Pearl council has sent a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs calling attention to proposed changes to the membership of the Eastern Regional Service Board (ERSB) that will leave around 80,000 residents without a voice at the table.

Councillor Bill Antle, who has been an ERSB board member for the past five years, told council at the March 31 public meeting that Mount Pearl, Paradise and Conception Bay South would see their membership change to an ex-officio status under the proposed change, meaning they will not have the ability to speak or vote on matters before the board.

Mayor Dave Aker reported that a letter has been sent to Chris Tibbs, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, that argues continued representation on regional service boards for waste, fire protection, water and wastewater services is at stake.

“The board’s motion is not binding on the minister, the minister has discretion,” said Aker. “As good regional partners, constituents, we have carbon copied other mayors in the region, as well as the MHA, so hopefully Minister Tibbs will reach out and we can consult a bit more and see if we can enhance representation to ensure that the governance structure is responsible and representative and that the rural areas get the representation that they need a little bit more of.”

Antle said representatives from all three affected communities voted against the proposed change at a March 26 ERSB meeting. He pointed out that Mount Pearl paid around $633,000 last year to the City of St. John’s, which owns the Robin Hood Bay regional waste facility used by Mount Pearl.

“Despite that financial contribution we will have no say around the board when the budget comes up. We will have no say,” Antle told council. “How can an Eastern Region Service Board be called regional when three of the largest municipalities in that structure aren’t included? Mount Pearl, Paradise and CBS represent nearly 80,000 residents, so that’s 80,000 residents that don’t have a vote.”

Councillor Mark Rice, who has attended several past ERSB committee meetings, said the proposed change calls into question the nature of the relationship, especially considering there is a planned regional wastewater project where municipal contributions are being asked for up front.

“When I look at it, are we a partner or are we a customer? We’re a partner when they want us to be a partner, but now I look at it as being a customer, so why are we putting a share up front for wastewater – because it all goes together, it’s all connected,” Rice said, adding that he checked with the City’s legal department prior to the meeting and it was determined there are no signed memorandums of understanding for regional services except for fire services.

Another proposed change to the membership and structure adopted by the ERSB board includes a reduction from the current level of 20 directors down to 12, with St. John’s continuing to hold half the voting power with six appointed directors, and the remaining spots going to elected representatives from six other rural areas.

The proposed changes to the ERSB board structure would be effective upon receiving ministerial approval.

Antle said he first received notice of a desire to restructure the board via a September email.

The ERSB was created by the Province in 2012.

The Pearl News requested a copy of the letter sent to Minister Tibbs, but it was not made available prior to deadline.

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Recent headlines about the sale of a piece of land in Conception Bay South that was expropriated by the Province 14 years ago to pave the way for Peacekeeper’s Way has some residents wondering if government has given up on the idea of twinning the highway between Manuels and Seal Cove as was originally intended.

“I’ve always been told that it was intended to be four lanes, but funding started to dry up,” said Transportation Minister and Conception Bay South MHA Barry Petten, who was not in provincial politics when the highway was first announced. “That’s not official, but that appears to be what happened.”

That expropriated land has since been resold, and a home is being constructed on it, much to the surprise of the property’s original owner, the Stapleton family, who had to give up their cherished home because they were told the government needed it for the highway.

“My family is completely dumbfounded as to how something so traumatic and devastating was pushed upon us with no choice in 2012, and now suddenly it seems the land is in use once again,” said Hannah Stapleton, a medical student who was a child when the family was forced out of their home.

“There’s been a lot of interest, and we’ve gotten a lot of calls to the office about it,” admitted Petten when asked about the highway’s future. “It’s an important issue, and one that I’ve always spoken about, so it’s a fair question.”

Despite the land having recently been sold, Petten thinks the highway could still be twinned.

“It would be welcome here in CBS,” he said. “We’re a growing community. Those infrastructure needs are real. As MHA and also minister, I have the ability to try and push those things along, but they have to be done along with our government and budgetary measures.”

Four years ago, when he was an Opposition member, Petten asked the Province to conduct a safety review of Peacekeeper’s Highway, citing its high traffic volume and a number of fatal accidents. At the time, he noted, the highway had been designated for lane expansion.

Now that he is minister, Petten is hoping to bring his government colleagues onside to support a comprehensive traffic study for CBS, Mount Pearl, Paradise, and St. John’s.

As to whether the highway should be twinned, Petten said he is waiting for the results of that study before giving a definitive answer.

Should the Province ever go ahead with twinning the highway, Petten added, it wouldn’t happen overnight and would cost tens of millions of dollars. The Province would also look to avail of federal funding, he said.

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