There was a big turnout at Spaniard’s Bay council’s April meeting as dozens of New Harbour Road residents attended to express concern about their water supply.

Kim Welsh, a retired teacher, gave a presentation on behalf of the residents about the hardships they have endured due to a poor water supply.

“I think we all realize that, as a council and as a town, it’s incumbent on us to work together to do what we can to make our community a wonderful place to live,” said Welsh. “And I think our town has a lot of potential and I think that with all of us working together and supporting one another, we can certainly reach that potential.”

Welsh said since she moved to there some 20 years ago, the area has had very low water pressure and sometimes no water at all. A longtime resident, she added, told her the original lines went in 54 years ago.

During the recent fire at the Precision Taekwondo building in Spaniard’s Bay, Welsh said, she and some of her neighbours had no water at all.

“Given the situation that we all went through last summer with fires, I can’t tell you how frightening that was, how alarming and how disturbing it was,” Welsh said. “Low pressure can compromise fire hydrant effectiveness and emergency response capabilities, and that’s top priority for a lot of people.”

Welsh said the poor water supply negatively affects residents’ personal hygiene, with some people unable to take showers due to low water pressure. The lack of water has forced some seniors to retrieve water from other sources or clear dirt and rocks out of pipes. Businesses have also been affected; Welsh gave the example of a hairdresser who had to cancel appointments due to a lack of water.

Welsh said due to the low pressure, he cannot run her washing machine and dishwasher at the same times. Residents cannot always access drinking water when there are shutoffs, she added. Some residents in the audience said they don’t feel safe drinking the water due to its poor quality and that they must rely on bottled water, which is an additional cost.

Welsh asked whether New Harbour Road could tie into another water supply. She wondered if the Town had applied for all the grants and funding that is available and questioned the necessity some of the services the Town pays for, such as regional enforcement, animal control, and travel expenses for councillors.

“We understand that you don’t have excess funds,” said Welsh. “You got money coming in, and you got money going out. And we don’t want council in the red. We really don’t. I mean, nobody, whether you’re a household, a town, a province, a country, everybody likes to have a balanced budget. That’s without debate. But I want you to understand our frustration about where our tax dollars are being spent.”

Welsh said the fault for the poor water supply does not lie with anyone currently sitting on council. However, she told council it has to ensure future expenditures will not be made unless it is certain they will positively impact the town. “All agreements put in place must be given assurances that we will not be responsible for paying back debts that results in no positive benefit to our town,” Welsh warned.

She has posted a petition online calling for money to be spent on the road’s water line and presented a copy of it to Mayor Tammy Oliver prior to her presentation.

Oliver acknowledged the present and future councils have much to do when it comes to improving infrastructure.

“We have been working behind the scenes, and I will certainly apologize,” said Oliver. “Moving forward we hope to certainly increase that transparency between council to keep you all informed. Nobody on this council could agree with it more that, when you have those lines of communication open, it’s better for everyone. We get more feedback, you guys understand our next moves coming forward, what we did, the mistakes we made, how we move on from all that.”

Oliver said the Town has conducted some studies on its infrastructure.

“We do have an asset management (assessment) that was done on all the infrastructure, and encompasses where we should be putting our money,” the mayor said. She added Spaniard’s Bay is looking into trying something other towns have had success with, and is currently waiting on an engineering estimate, though she provided no further details on what that is.

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Residents of Monument Road were woken from their sleep during the wee hours of the morning Friday, April 17 after the Conception Bay South Fire Department were summoned to a house fire at the corner of Annie’s Place.

Fire Chief John Heffernan said the station received the call at 1:14 a.m. and the first unit arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. The home’s occupant was the one to call in the fire.

As the fire had already consumed much of the home, and as its lone occupant had already escaped, firefighters elected not to enter the burning structure. Had anyone been inside when firefighters arrived on scene, Heffernan said it is unlikely they would have still been alive.

“We had lots of firefighters on scene, but these fires can be tedious and time-consuming,” said the chief. “You can’t get actually get in and get at the root cause… But there was a great effort by the crew on scene to contain the fire to that particular structure. There were no injuries, and no other property damage, so from that perspective we’re quite pleased. Unfortunately, someone lost their home, but ultimately there was no loss of life and no injury.”

Crews remained on scene until 4:33 a.m.

The investigation into the cause of the fire was handed over to the police, as is protocol, Heffernan said.

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A lost e-mail detailing a request for garbage cans attracted a bit of debate at Carbonear’s most recent council meeting.

Carbonear Deputy Mayor Fred Earle told his colleagues at their April 14 meeting that a request had been passed on to him by residents who frequently pick up litter in the town for additional garbage containers to be placed in certain areas. He then passed the request on to the public works committee where it was deferred.

Earle asked councillor Malcolm Seymour, who chairs the public works committee, why the request had not been granted.

“There was nothing to let us know what was needed or where it was needed,” said Seymour, adding the committee needed a letter with details, or the name of a requester, to know what was being asked of them.

“So, from here on, if things need to be addressed, please address it in a proper manner by a letter or an e-mail, and that way we can look at where it needs to go and what can be done, and then we can make a better decision than what we did earlier,” Seymour said.

“Not to be argumentative,” Earle replied, “but I did write an e-mail on that issue, and the details were in it.”

Earle said he was sorry if the message had not been received by the committee, but the request was in the form of a letter with the necessary information. Earle found a copy of the email and said they would have to look into why the public works committee did not receive it.

Seymour said that with the information now in hand, the committee would address the request for more garbage cans.

Director of Public Works Ian Farrell said ideally residents would submit their requests in writing themselves, so the Town knows where they are coming from and who to reply to.

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RCMP officers in Conception Bay North plan to make an extra effort this year to check up on people who are out on bail.

That was one of the messages delivered by Sergeant Lynn Gaudet and Staff Sergeant Phillipe Christopher during the force’s regular update to the CBN Joint Council March 26.

Christopher acknowledged there are many concerns in the area, but there are three main areas police want to focus on.

The first one Christopher described as their “offender management initiative.”

Christopher said officers are actively trying to crack down on repeat offenders, which has been a concern raised by council members and the general public at past meetings.

“People who are charged but out on bail, if we go and check on them and find that they’re not complying with their conditions of their release, then they’ll be arrested and sent back to jail,” said Christopher. “Rather than wait for them to break in somewhere, cause an issue or get charged with something else.”

Christopher said the RCMP has no control over people once they are in jail or in court, but they are hoping their efforts to check on them in the community will help curve some of the crime.

The second priority is youth engagement. Christopher said they are hoping to assign one officer to each school in their coverage area. At least once a month, the officers will visit their respective schools and check in with staff, allowing school officials to report any problems they may have. School staff can request presentations and other activities from the officers. The officers can also help staff with safety plans and lockdown drills and familiarize themselves with the layout of their assigned buildings.

Another priority is traffic safety.

“I know there’s issues with impaired drivers and ATV use and speeding and loitering in cars,” said Christopher. “So, we’re going to try to focus some efforts on traffic safety and hopefully get people to be out and visible in the public.”

Christopher said that while some people simply avoid the RCMP if they see them, a more visible police presence may help keep some people honest.

Christopher said the force plans to keep statistics and review their progress on the priority areas every quarter.

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Folks in Bay Roberts not up to date on their tax bills might want to give the Town Hall a ring.

Council, on April 14, approved a recommendation from staff authorizing them to proceed with the continued and escalating collection of all outstanding tax accounts in arrears in strict accordance with the Town’s tax collection policy. Measures to be undertaken include continued issuance of notices, application of interest on overdue accounts, and disconnection of services when applicable following notice.

Chief Administrative Officer Dave Tibbo said that in the coming weeks, the Town will be reviewing delinquent accounts, and sending out water shut off notices effective May 1. Property owners will have 30 days to make arrangements to avoid having their water shut off.

“But certainly, as we always said and council always promotes, we’re certainly willing to have a look at payment plans or have a discussion to help people out as best we can,” said Tibbo. “However, we need to keep the Town running, and to do that, we need to collect the taxes, and a lot of these are payments that haven’t been paid in years.”

The recommendation passed unanimously.

“We’ve said this many times in the past, especially at budget time and in budget speeches, that the onus is on everyone to pay their taxes in a timely fashion,” said Mayor Geoff Seymour. “It’s tax revenue that allows the Town to deliver the services that residents need – snow clearing, road maintenance, water and sewer, fire protection, recreation facilities – all these things come at a cost, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to pay their taxes in the appropriate time and place. Just remember, if there are issues, we are willing to work with you 100 per cent. All it requires is a phone call. We’ll set up a meeting, and if there is a way to help a resident, we will help a resident 100 percent.”

The Town will also initiate tax sales of properties where appropriate, Tibbo said.

The post Bay Roberts to issue water shut off notices to delinquent property owners appeared first on The Shoreline News.

Canada is last in the ratings of countries with universal health care due to killer wait times. And wait times are all about having enough doctors.

We train half the doctors per year of other countries, and we now have a shortage of 23,000 family doctors. It is impossible to close that gap with Canadian trained doctors.

It is estimated that we have about 25,000 internationally trained doctors in Canada, which is more than the number we lack, but most will never be licensed and many will leave the country after a few years of futile attempts to qualify.

Only 10 per cent of internationally trained physicians qualify – why? Expensive, time consuming and impossible barriers have been set by provincial licensing bodies. These barriers include costly and time-consuming examinations and credential verification, limited residency spots, work requirements that are impossible to fulfill and systemic bias against internationally trained medical workers.

These medical workers are often coming from unstable or dangerous countries. They must sell all their belongings and move their families, with limited financial resources to a strange country that they do not understand. Many will struggle with the language and it will take time for them to understand our systems. It is a costly, difficult and frightening challenge based on hope for a better future.

But most developing countries have a few world class facilities and often those workers are the ones that immigrate. In these top tier hospitals, their experience, training and facilities are superior to that in our hospitals.  

Study after study has proven that only the brightest, the best and the most motivated people will risk a major international move. So, they come to our country very determined to meet all challenges. 

But often it turns out to be a great disappointment. Studies show that a number of the best educated immigrants leave Canada within five to seven years of immigrating. And they leave with a very negative impression of Canada. As a result, Canada now has a challenge in attracting medical workers because of our negative reputation for certification.

The fact is we need them much more than they need us.

The goal should be to bring workers into our system, rather than keep them out.  We need to develop systems that utilize as many of these workers as possible and provide an ongoing pathway to full certification. If a doctor cannot qualify immediately, certify them as a paramedic. Similarly, if a nurse cannot fully qualify, certify her as a nurse assistant, but provide employment and an ongoing pathway to certification. Ensuring employment in our facilities has many benefits. It will strengthen their English capability and allow them to become more familiar with our methods of treatment and practice standards.

This is the single most important change we can make to meet the needs of our health care program. There is no other source of medical workers as great as internationally trained staff.  Without this, we will never overcome killer wait times. By welcoming them into our system, we have a very real opportunity to double the number of available physicians each year, and you will finally be able to get a family doctor.

Please send your concerns or ideas to mardicollins7@gmail.com

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The crucible of creation is different things to different people. Democracy? Ancient Greece. Western civilization? Ancient Mesopotamia. Human beings? Africa. The beginning of life? Upper Island Cove?

I am big into science and especially paleontology – the scientific study of prehistoric life through the examination of fossils. We are very lucky here in Newfoundland that we have a paleontology unit at Memorial University full of (pun intended) rock stars, and I am one of their groupies.

In 2022 a local couple, Tammy and Justin Coombs, found what they suspected was a fossil on their land and posted it on Newfound Fossils on Facebook. A group of paleontologists including Dr. Duncan McIlroy, whose formal title is Research Professor at Memorial (I prefer what someone called him: a palaeontologist’s paleontologist) visited the site near Upper Island Cove and quickly realized some of the oldest fossilized evidence of animal life on our planet was lying there. They lifted some moss to uncover rock exposed by the last Ice Ace glaciers, and there they were, hundreds of them.

The discovery has upended what the world thought they knew about animal life back then. At a time when the term “world class” is used so much it has lost all meaning this discovery is truly world class.

Never mind the fossils date back 550 million years. Never mind what is now Upper Island Cove was then below the equator. Never mind that these animals lived in the bottom ooze of a very deep forgotten ocean, all life was in the sea, there was no life on land.

Understand these creatures were once alive and their fossilized remains now overlook Conception Bay. Scientists and students from our university immediately knew what they were and are now studying and protecting them. The work is hard and painstaking. They’re using wooden hand tools so as not to scrape the fossils. They work tirelessly for little or no pay. They don’t know how big a site they have.

They are dedicated. Want to know how dedicated? Dr. McIlroy bought the site with his own money. He and his students are protecting it. For now, the location is a secret to protect it from onlookers and skeets.

I’m not going too far into the science of all this. I think it’s fascinating, but many may not. Want the science? Dr. McIlroy has an excellent presentation on YouTube (Expanding the Kotlin Crisis: Extinction Across the Ediacaran Biota). Fill yer boots!

Basically, the discovery adds to our knowledge of the first major mass extinction of life on earth.  Most of us know about the Really Bad Day 66 million years ago when a massive asteroid struck the Earth and ended the age of dinosaurs, but there have been five major extinction events and the first one, called the Kotlin Crisis, now appears to have been the worst. And the proof lies on a hill near not too far from Harbour Grace. Pretty damn cool.

This discovery has raised more questions than answers, but such is the nature of science.

We should all care about the amazing work these dedicated folks are doing, expanding the knowledge of how life came about.

They are also helping the local communities they are working in. Most of us know of Mistaken Point, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This may be another.

I was over the moon when I went to Dr. McIlroy’s lecture at the Geo Centre several weeks ago (standing room only) to see local municipal politicians from the area were there. Like most municipal politicians, they are on the ground and know what’s on the go. They see the value of all this for their communities.

Dr. McIlroy has started a non-profit to finance the site (as everything to date has been coming out of his pocket) and the goal is to erect a building to cover and protect the site. Science aside, this means economic activity for an area that really needs it.

What bothers me is that the people currently in charge of our university don’t seem to see the value of this work. To even contemplate selling the Geo Centre is as tragic as it is offensive. The people doing this work, and others, make the Geo Centre what it is, a jewel in our academic crown, not a bargaining chip with a cash-strapped government over funding.

It’s hard when you see the energy, the enthusiasm, the dedication and passion of the people involved, and then see the nonsense the university administration is getting up to.

Makes me think of what was said about the soldiers who fought in World War One and their leaders: lions lead by donkeys.

Ivan Morgan can be reached at ivan.morgan@gmail.com

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The Town of Holyrood is in good financial standing, says Deputy Mayor Michele Woodford.

During council’s April meeting, Woodford said staff conducted a departmental budget review, and most departments reported first quarter spending below the 25 percent threshold. The one exception was the department of environment, which had spent 50 percent of its budget by the end of the first quarter. Woodford chalked up the overspending to an early payment of the annual garbage contract.

“That does not represent, of course, a budget overage, but rather, a proactive and efficient financial management practice,” she said.

All told, the Town is averaging 22.98 percent of its annual budget having been spent in the first quarter.

In terms of income, the Town has collected $970,941 in current year taxes and $83,796 in back taxes. That amounts to 23.44 percent of residential taxes, 18.58 percent of water and sewer, 15.43 percent of business tax, and 54.28 percent of fire taxes to be paid in 2026.

The Town was also advised recently that its gas tax funding allocation for 2026 had increased, and that Holyrood will receive an additional $15,376, resulting in a bump in the municipal budget to $5,220,745.

Woodford said gas tax funding is ‘project driven funding’ and will be allocated as fiscal services on the balance sheet.

The Town had initially budgeted $289,460 in gas tax income.

“Overall, we’re in a really good financial position,” concluded Woodford.

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Holy Spirit High student Rachel Acreman, right, said the school’s annual job fair is a good opportunity for students to meet with employers and hand out resumes. Gavin Day, left, and Yusuf Linthorne of Queen Elizabeth met with several perspective employers. Mark Squibb photos

You’ve heard it before (and have probably even said it yourself) – ‘No one wants to work any more.’

But that’s not the case for the hundreds of Holy Spirit High and Queen Elizabeth Regional High students who met with prospective employers at the fourth annual Holy Spirit High Job Fair earlier this month.

“I think this is a really good opportunity to get resumes out,” said Holy Spirit student Rachel Acreman. “It takes the pressure off students of having to go into a business and initiate.”

With Statistics Canada reporting record levels of unemployment for young Canadians, due to unprecedented levels of immigration and an uncertain economy caused by the Trump tariffs, finding a job is no easy task for a young person, despite any suspicions you may harbour that half the retail stores, supermarkets, and restaurants you visit nowadays are understaffed.

“I think the market is really full for teenagers trying to get jobs,” said Acreman. “So, it might be hard to find work.”

Yusuf Linthorne of Queen Elizabeth said he has been handing out resumes to fast food restaurants and retail stores over the last year but has yet to receive a call back. He was hoping the job fair might help change that.

“There’s a lot of cool jobs here – I’d work at them,” added fellow Queen Elizabeth student Gavin Day.

Some of the employers of those “cool jobs” included McDonalds, RBC, Get Messy, NL Health Services, and the towns of Paradise and Conception Bay South.

 The job fair is co-hosted by the Rotary Club of Avalon Northeast and the school’s Interact club.

“This is a chance to talk with employees face to face about upcoming summer employment opportunities, or post-graduate opportunities,” said Rotary chairman Rob Boychuk. “The underlying goal is to get students feeling more comfortable talking with employers, not only about jobs, but about academic career paths after high school, and reduce some of that anxiety that we all dealt with when we were at that age.”

The two clubs also co-host a career fair each winter.

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Peter Shapter was many things – a respected engineer, amateur historian and geologist, and former top notch hockey player, but the Topsail native was remembered at CBS council last week as an avid watcher of all things municipal in the town.

Shapter died April 11 at the age of 69 and his absence at the regular public council meeting did not go unremarked.

“I want to take a moment this evening to pass along condolences to the family of the late Peter Shapter,” said councillor-at-large Rex Hillier. “Peter wasn’t a person with a big personality and he probably wasn’t well known around town, but we knew him well. He was a regular visitor here to the council chambers. He was concerned, basically, with how our town was run. We could call him a critic, but too often calling someone a critic is meant to be negative. That wasn’t the case with Peter at all. Peter was a critic, but he was a critic in terms of offering suggestions and being positive and making sure that things were going well, particularly down in Topsail. We need people like that around town. They make us better councillors in the end, and I just want to pass along condolences to the Shapter family.”

Mayor Darrin Bent echoed those sentiments, recalling how he was a familiar figure bicycling to the Town Hall to attend the council meetings.

“Peter was one of the regulars who used to keep a close eye on council and offer all kinds of what I would consider friendly advice,” said the mayor. “And also a good history lesson every now and again. He was an amateur geologist, and he offered us a lot of information regarding the geology of Topsail Beach and we even have some storyboards down there based on some of the things that happened down there in the history of that area based on what Peter sent to us. So, I was very sad to learn of Peter’s passing… I’ll miss seeing him and I’ll miss hearing from him. The last e-mail I received from Peter was only seven or eight weeks ago. It was something to do with the town because he as so keenly interested and concerned about his town. So, condolences to his wife and stepdaughter and all the Shapter family on behalf of council.”

Shapter’s obituary on the Hickey’s Funeral Home website summarized his life well.

After graduating from Queen Elizabeth Regional High in 1973, Shapter received scholarships and went on to graduate second in his class in Memorial University’s engineering program. He rowed in the Royal St. John’s Regatta, played varsity hockey with the Memorial Beothucks, junior hockey with the Windsor Trojans and the St. John’s Junior Capitals, and in the CBS Senior League played for teams representing Upper Gullies, Chamberlains and Paradise. In addition to keeping tabs on council, researching the history of Topsail, and devouring books, Shapter spent the last couple of years boondocking with his wife in their 1987 campervan. 

Shapter is survived by his wife Jean Butler and her daughter Kate.

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