Campaign questions and topics (no specific order...)
Can we reduce the cost of fire services?
The town is still looking for options with regards to the cost of fire and emergency services. The price we currently pay is for a 24/7 professional service through St. John's Regional Fire Department with response times around the 7-10 minute mark. The agreement requires us to pay St. John's Regional Fire Department a yearly service fee as well as a pay per call fee for each incident.
Last year Logy Bay-Middle Cove-Outer Cove entered into an agreement with other towns on the NE Avalon to hire Firewise Consulting, a specialist in the analysis, design, and evaluating fire protection services.
The report contained various options for each town involved with a theme of regionalization at the forefront. Multiple options were delivered but in the end they all led towards a regionalized service provided by the Town of Torbay and a path to get there.
What will you do about the PFAS issue on the west side of LBMCOC?
The main action that we can take is to constantly communicate with Transport Canada and the federal government that we demand additional testing on the boundries of our town. To date no occurences of PFAS has been found in our community but the fear still exists that over time it will show up. LBMCOC, especially Kennedys Brook catchment area, is downhill from YYT and the current instances of PFAS that have been identified.
So far the town has been attempting to communicate with Transport Canada and the federal government through our MP, Joanne Thompson. This has been a very slow and painful process as updates and return communications have been few and far between. We have also scheduled a talk with a hydrologist who may be able to give us additional information on what to expect over the next few years with PFAS migration. I can assure you that the town and council will continue to advocate on behalf of residents that additional testing is required.
What is my position on retirement housing and creating a space in our community?
I believe we need further public discussions on this one. Some I have chatted with believe we are talking about a Seniors home complex, such as North Pond Manor or Lanes Retirement Living. Others believe we need multiple small homes on a single one acre lot. Others think small footprint duplexes are the way to go. Some also believe that the option to build in-law suites or subsidiary apartments, which exists in our current development regulations, is enough.
Clarity and consistency on what developers or the town should pursue is required here. At the end of the day, we need a public forum to discuss and see what the actual need is for this type of housing. If our residents and community want it then we should pursue to the best of our ability by seeking proposals from developers, possible re-zoning of a certain area of town, and potentially collaborating with land owners to create an area for a development to happen. Residents should determine how council should proceed but we also need to determine what the towns responsibility will be in an endeavor like this.
I do not see the town designing, building or operating any retirement offering. Those aspects should be left to a developer with a proposal to do so. The town can facilitate discussions with land owners, hold open forums with residents, help with funding, and potentially re-zone or add zones to the development regulations if needed.
The need has been identified but I believe we still need to determine if there is enough of a need to move forward. This is a large undertaking and it should be discussed, analyzed, and have some initial planning completed before using public tax dollars to fund any project.
As I have said before, and I truly believe; the residents of our wonderful town should determine what happen because council and councillors work for you. Lets continue further meaningful discussions on this important topic.
Why did taxes increase?
There was a tax increase in 2024 by increasing the mil rate to 4.9 from 4.6. The reason was purely due to inflation. The town is not immune to inflation and was able to manage it successfully until 2024. Council discussed the increase many hours during consultations and budget meetings. The decision was not taken lightly as everyone feels the inflation pressure nowadays.
What can we do about all the speeders?
There is a lot to unpack with this one. To start, the town has installed radar signs in various locations but data on speed and traffic volume can not be attained on all roads due to the cost of the radar signs.
Do we have a speed problem in our town. Of course we do. All towns do. Council has been actively trying to work with the RNC as well as other working groups like the North East Avalon Joint Council to try and come up with a solution. To date the only proposed solutions have been education of drivers and enforcement by RNC.
To truly solve this issue, I believe we need better and more consistent enforcement. There are a few options that we should attempt. The first is to work directly with the RNC and report speeders on a daily basis. This will require everyone (all residents) to pitch in and be diligent in reporting any and all people speeding. The town has been trying to advertise reporting tools including the RNC website for a few years through social media posts, and word of mouth but to date it has not been effective. There will be an influx of reports initially but it fades out and people forget to continue reporting. The consistency is what will bring the RNC to our town to enforce any and all speeding infractions. This also goes for ATV usage as well. Together as a community we can make change.
The second option is a community enforcement officer. Council has already taken steps towards this in my opinion. Starting in 2025, the town has engaged Commissionaires for various reasons including delivery of official documentation such as stop work orders and for parking enforcement as well. There are many other services that Commissionaires can help us with including enforcement of by-laws, patrolling community school and recreation areas, crowd and traffic control, as well as others. There are potentially a few legislative, policy decisions and budget concerns for council to process for this to move forward but it is doable.
What are your plans for sustainable development and water resource management?
Maintaining the one acre building lot requirement and reducing the number of variances approved by council
One acre building lot is a given with me. Information presented in the Groundwater Study completed in 2019 by Stantec state that aquifer levels are not expected to drop below acceptable levels if the town keeps the current one acre policy.
Responsible development needs to be at the forefront of all council decisions and especially vital for the Planning and Development Committee to ensure that all recommendations brought to council take the time to analyze the merit and sustainability of the application. One acre lots are a must.
In the past few years the town has entered into agreements with organizations such as Stewardship Association of Municipalities(SAM) and Ducks Unlimited to bring information and recommendations to council to help with wet land delineation and identification. Using these organizations as resources to help council make better decisions, is a very important step in responsible development. Relying on Gov NL and the Department of Climate Change is another resource that the town and Planning and Development Committee rely on very heavily. As stewards of wet lands in our town it is up to us to ensure that they are protected. Once they are gone, they are gone.
As for variances, there is currently a rule that only a single variance is permitted per development. This rule has served us well so far. If there is something more specific to variances that you would like to discuss, please reach out and message me.
Vehicle access to Outer Cove beach
Vehicle access to Outer Cove beach is permitted. While it is a steep grade, and in previous years it has been maintained with layers of stone and leveling, the access is not as good as it should be. This has been brought to Council and we are currently looking into the actual ownership of the road.
Maintaining uniqueness of the community
The uniqueness of our community stems from its residents. Our history is that we are a rural, farming community on the outskirts of St. John’s. LBMCOC has always been well known as a rural area with fishing villages and farms dotting the town with a rich history in rowing at the Royal St. John’s Regatta, and fastpitch softball in the last number of decades. Times have changed.
Recreation facilities (Pickleball courts) and walking trails
Recreation is a topic that is near and dear to me. I have been a member of the Kelly Park Sports Association (KPSA) committee for a number of years. KPSA is a volunteer run association that is responsible for delivering sports programs to residents of LBMCOC. I am also a Councillor sitting on the current Recreation Committee. To answer your questions, Pickleball was a new program offered through KPSA last winter. It was a resounding success and very well received by all who joined and participated. There will be Pickleball again this Fall/Winter so stay tuned to KPSA for announcements. The Recreation Committee also purchased Pickleball court lines and nets for use in Kelly Park tennis court. They were not installed this summer for unknown reasons. I suspect that additional court maintenance, KPSA programming, hosting of Canada Games event and Killick Coast Games were all factors in the delay.
