The Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association is calling Hockey for Heart 2023 a success. About 450 minor hockey players representing 29 teams stationed at 13 different collection points across the city collected over $12,000 in donations and food for local food banks last weekend. Pictured in back, from left, are Ken Neil, Ashlene Doyle, Bobby Sullivan, and Cindy O'Brien. In front, from left, are Kieran Neil, Beck James, Connor Sullivan, Grant Sullivan, Eric Soper, and Quinn Ryder. If you would like to contribute, you can send an email transfer to mtpearlblades@gmail.com. The association extended its heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated in this year’s event. Submitted photo
City gets money for new community centre
By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 10, 2023 Edition
Mount Pearl City council has voted to accept some $3.6 million in capital works funding from the province towards construction of a new community centre.
Announced in July of 2021, the centre will be located at the Team Gushue Sports Complex on Arena Road and will include both indoor and outdoor facilities including a splash pad, ice rink, and a dedicated space for community groups.
The City consulted with community groups and the public in regards to the centre’s development.
In an e-mailed response, the City said a request-for-proposals will be issued in the coming weeks, and the final design, schedule, and budget will be dependent on the bids received, and will be subsequently evaluated.
The community centre will replace the current facility located on Park Place which is aging and lacking in certain amenities like air conditioning.
An additional $2,856,529 in capital works funding has been allocated towards developments on Holden Street.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Council pops the tab on new Pepsi deal
By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 10, 2023 Edition
The City of Mount Pearl has cut an exclusive deal with beverage producer Browning Harvey.
Until 2033, Browning Harvey, which bottles Pepsi and related products at its plant in St. John’s, will exclusively supply beverage products in all City-owned facilities and provide sponsorship for all City events.
The City clarified in an e-mailed response that all liquid refreshments sold and distributed by the company are included in the agreement including soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, energy drinks, and single serve juices and teas.
The company will pay the City $25,000 annually.
The motion to approve the agreement carried unanimously.
More legal fees rung up on Power and Ledwell case
By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 10, 2023 Edition
The City of Mount Pearl’s probe into Steve Kent’s conduct as Chief Administrative Officer concluded earlier this year, but the City’s payment register suggests the story isn’t fully over.
In an e-mailed response, the City clarified that $71,618 in legal fees slated for payment to law firm McInnes Cooper last week were in relation to an appeal filed by former councillors Andrea Power and Andrew Ledwell who were removed from council three years ago for allegedly communicating with Kent during his legal dispute with the City.
Kent had been dismissed – he maintains he quit – after a number of staff complained they were bullied.
McInnes Cooper represented the City against the legal action launched by Power and Ledwell. Last week’s bills cover a protracted period up to August 31, 2023.
The imbroglio between Kent and the City, and the associated actions involving Power and Ledwell, have cost Mount Pearl taxpayers some $500,000 in legal fees and professional services over the last four years.
Mount Pearl curlers happy to join the ‘family business’
By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 10, 2023 Edition
A pair of brothers from Mount Pearl competed in the Ottawa Valley Curling Association Junior Superspiel last weekend.
Parker and Spencer Tipple along with teammates Jack Kinsella, Isaac Manuel, and coach Andrew Manuel played five round-robin games before losing to Team MacDougall from Ontario in the quarterfinals.
The event marks a series of firsts for Team Tipple.
While they’re no strangers to away games, having competed in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, the event was the first time they’ve made a trip out of the Maritimes to curl.
It was also their first time competing against an American team, though they would go on to lose that match as well.
Despite the losses, team third Spencer Tipple values the relationships they made over the course of the weekend.
“We made friends with a ton of new people up there,” Spencer Tipple said.
Skip Parker Tipple would chat with the opposing team’s coaches after every game, where they would share various tips and offer feedback with the young curler.
“I’ll take any input from anybody that will help me improve as a curler,” Parker Tipple said.
Chiefly among this imparted wisdom is the suggestion to keep the game simple, avoiding the wild gambits taken in professional tournaments like the Briar and Tournament of Hearts.
“You look on TV and they make it look so easy,” he said. “It’s a little bit deceiving.”
The tournament took place in four different curling clubs, which resulted in the team having to switch to another ice right after getting used to the last one.
Before moving to Mount Pearl from Bay Roberts, the brothers would watch their uncle Brad Gushue curl during his many, widely spectated television appearances.
This inspired them to curl, but given the lack of opportunities for curling in Bay Roberts, their dreams had to wait until the big move.
“When we moved out here we wanted to play,” said Spencer Tipple.
Last month they made it to the finals at the Harvest Spiel in Nova Scotia before losing out to Team Robichaud from New Brunswick.
Early next year the team has the Under 20 Junior provincial tournament to look forward to, which could propel them to the nationals in Fort McMurray in 2024. Here they would have another chance at competing with some familiar teams from last week.
Even with their recent appearance in the Canada Games still visible in the rearview mirror, Parker Tipple feels a sense of accomplishment from their recent performance.
“If someone told me that we were going to go into the quarterfinals of this superspiel with 16 teams of some of the best teams in Canada, I would have been really surprised,” Parker Tipple said. “I'm really proud of how well all of us played and how we composed ourselves on the ice.”
Skip Parker Tipple aims a shot at the Ottawa Valley Curling Association Junior Superspiel last weekend. He says getting off the island was a great opportunity to learn new strategies from a wider pool of talented curlers. Submitted photo
Halloween 2023
Safety Skeleton crew patrol streets
Danielle Greavette of the City of Mount Pearl municipal enforcement poses with a gaggle of trick-or-treaters on the annual Safety Skeleton Halloween run. The Safety Skeleton crew patrolled the streets of Mount Pearl to ensure the safety of those roaming the streets, while giving out treats like glow sticks along the way. On hand are, from left: William Ash, Danielle Greavette, Thomas Hollett, Lily Hollett, Samantha Ash, Michelle Filonenko, and Nicole Filonenko. Photo by Chad Feehan
Two public service groups and Employers’ Council get tax breaks
By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 3, 2023 Edition
Three organizations will be exempt from 2023 business taxes in Mount Pearl after a unanimous vote at City council this week.
St. John Ambulance, the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council, and Alzheimer Society NL all operate within the city and will receive 100 per cent exemptions.
The exemptions total $22,882 for St. John Ambulance, $8,665 for the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council, and $3,099 for Alzheimer Society NL.
Mayor Dave Aker described the tax breaks as “routine” for organizations of this nature.
“These are three valuable organizations that help not only our city but with our region,” he said.
Full business tax exemptions have been approved multiple times over the past year and have included the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, Heart & Stroke Foundation, and Co-Operator Housing. Masonic Park, Masonic Lodge, and Columbus Center were given 60 percent exemptions.
This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony especially poignant, says Locke
By Chad Feehan
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
November 3, 2023 Edition
Mount Pearl’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony will run as usual next Saturday, November 11.
A parade will begin at Mount Pearl Intermediate School at 10:40 a.m. and will proceed down Ruth Avenue. Members of Branch 36 of the Royal Canadian Legion have organized a wreath laying ceremony at the cenotaph in St. David’s Park.
At a recent council meeting, councillor Jim Locke said that while every year is important, the role of service men and women will hit home for him personally, given the state of current world events.
“In light of what’s on the go in the world today in Gaza and Israel in Ukraine and other areas of strife, it certainly brings home when you watch every night the devastation,” he said.
Locke also noted the increased number of residents attending the ceremony in recent years.
Stride Running Club, meanwhile, is holding its own Remembrance Day event that morning.
The club’s annual Run to Remember trail race will begin by Sobey’s in Paradise at 8 a.m. and will reach the Great Canadian Dollar Store on Commonwealth Avenue by way of the T’Railway before returning to its point of origin.
Due to the race, there may be traffic disruptions in the Donovan Industrial Park and Corisande Drive area.
Registration is closed due to reaching its event cap.
City helping O’Neill Group pretty up its façade
By Chad Feehan
Local Initiative Reporter
November 3, 2023 Edition
City council has motioned to approve a grant to a new business under its facade improvement grant program.
The program aids businesses in improving the look and feel of the buildings they operate in.
O’Neill Group / Countryside Farms Butcher at 969 Topsail Road will receive $9,700 under the program.
Councillor Mark Rice said the application had been “reviewed, scored, and evaluated by the judging and selection committee” which deemed it within the criteria of the program.
The program offers up to 50 per cent of total project costs to a maximum of $10,000.
Some improvements included in the program include doors and windows, signage, exterior lighting, patio and outdoor seating, and cleaning and painting.
To be considered, businesses must have no outstanding debts to the City, the proposed improvement must improve the aesthetic appeal of the building, and the economic viability and benefits to the community must be identified, among other criteria.
Ever After Bridal Boutique was approved to receive a grant under the program earlier this year.
