Veteran thankful to be wrapped in a blanket of love

Members of the Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group recently gave Canadian Armed Forces veteran Wayne Conners a gift he will cherish forever, a Quilt of Valour to honour his service to Canada. From left to right are Agnes Murphy, Dee Lavandier, Wayne Connors, Sandra Seymour, Diane Power and Ruth Patten. Chad Feehan photo

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A quilt represents warmth, tenderness, and often the love imbued by its creator. But sometimes, somehow, it can mean even more.

Mount Pearl resident and military veteran Wayne Connors received a quilt earlier this month on behalf of the Quilts of Valour Foundation, as stitched by a group of women from the Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group.

The Quilts of Valour Canada Society was formed in 2006 by Edmonton quilter Lezley Swaal who wanted to give Canadian Armed Forces members a little bit of comfort after receiving injuries in Afghanistan.

Since then, over 20,000 veterans have received quilts of their own as a result of the foundation's volunteer work.

Connors spent 11 years with the Canadian Armed Forces from 1965 to 1976, first with the Black Watch Royal Highland Regiment, before serving the remainder of his time with the Royal Canadian Regiment of Canada after the former's disbandment. He completed two tours of peacekeeping missions in Cyprus, was stationed in Quebec during the October Crisis, and engaged in various training missions and other military responsibilities.

“It was an exciting time, every day was different,” Conners said. “Eleven years went pretty fast; I loved my time in the service.”

Upon receiving his quilt, Conners admitted to feeling a sense of pride for his service that he’d never really thought about before. Being honored in this way, he admitted, was one of the highlights of his life.

“That was really something special,” he said. “Those wonderful, beautiful ladies, to do that work.”

Although the quilt was stitched by members of the Mount Pearl Seniors Independence Group, it was presented to Conners by Maj. Lisa Compton, a retired military nurse who served in six deployments to Afghanistan.

“These quilts are packed up with so much feeling and love before it even gets to you,” Compton said during the ceremony. “It’s important for us at Quilts of Valour to recognize all of that service and sacrifice that you’ve given.”

Also a veteran, Conners’ father-in-law Joseph Lajoie lives in a veterans centre in Saint John, New Brunswick having served in the Ordnance Corps in the 1950’s.

Upon learning Conners has family ties to an aging veteran, Compton said she’d make sure he gets a quilt of his own too.

Compton recently gave quilts to 10 residents of the Caribou Memorial Veterans Pavilion, and will be giving out many more as veterans return home to pay respects to the Unknown Solider later this summer.

“We’re going to be busy as bees giving out quilts during that time,” she said.

Conners’ quilt is being stored in a special bag in his home in Mount Pearl. If it wasn’t for his mischievous cat, it may have been displayed across his bed. He plans to eventually bequeath the quilt to his daughter Anne Whitten or his son Martin Connors down the road. “These quilts are famous,” Connors said. “All quilts are famous because they’re made with love.”

The Mounties get their trash

The group of retired RCMP officers who helped Rotarians last week take a bite out of the garbage in and on the banks of the Waterford River included, starting from left: Supt. Trudy Power, Staff Sgt. Ed Lutz, Sgt. Major Dave Tipple, Staff Sgt. Brian Campbell, Supt. Leo O'Brien, and Staff Sgt. Randy Mercer. Missing from the photo is Sgt. Major Jim Skanes. The members represent a combined 240 years of police experience.

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Members of the RCMP Veterans Association are still talking about the amount of trash they found during a cleanup of the Waterford River last week with members of the Rotary Club of Waterford Valley.

But they were also impressed by the good stewardship the Rotarians are demonstrating for the river.

Rotary co-chair Bill Stoyles said he is always grateful for the help, support, and empathy his organization receives from members of the community, but he wishes such cleanups didn’t have to happen in the first place.

“Some of the stuff that's going along the river is just shocking,” Stoyles said.

A group of roughly 15 Rotarians and RCMP veterans spruced up an area both east and west of Corisande Drive, collecting 46 bags of trash between them, much of it general litter and fast food containers.

The crew spent about an hour clearing up one particularly messy section of tarp, Tyvek, and a silt dam.

“That goes flying off into the underbrush and then it gets down into the river wrapped around a bunch of trees,” Stoyles said.

The Rotarians pick up more Tim Hortons Cups than any other bit of trash, which is a consistent trend through all of their numerous cleanups.

Stoyles and his group maintain the introduction of a return on pop bottles at the recycling depots has drastically reduced the number of bottles left around the city, as their return can generate a source of income for people.

Stoyles suggested a similar program for Tim Hortons cups would encourage the same effect.

“It’s shocking that there’s no refund on those cups,” he said. “I know you can’t very well blame Tim Hortons because it’s the people throwing them out.”

Stoyles said the RCMP veterans were more than enthusiastic about helping with the cleanup.

Retired Staff Sgt. Randy Mercer, one of the veterans at the cleanup, decided to help after seeing a story about the Rotarians efforts in The Shoreline and The Pearl News.

" I said, 'I want to be a part of that.' I went to our group, and they said, ‘Yes, let's do it.' So I got in contact with Rotary."

Mercer said if what his team and the other volunteers pulled from the river and its banks is any indication, "we're a dirty society. We've lost our sensibilities when it comes to taking care of our environment. It's just disgusting."

The retired Mounties couldn’t get over the amount of garbage they collected, but were gratified by how much was accomplished.

"A funny thing happened; just as myself and a buddy started to clean up one part of the river there on the side, two ducks came by and it almost looked like they were saying, 'Jeepers boys, thanks!'" said Mercer, laughing. "We're looking forward to it again."

The retired Mounties help with numerous charitable causes, including the Salvation Army's Christmas gift campaign, food kitchens, and the homeless. But this cleanup turned out to be particularly special. For some years, the retired officers had adopted a stretch of the TransCanada Highway between Butterpot Park and the Witless Bay Line and would clean up trash on both sides of the road. But after a provincial government employee was killed and a City of St. John's worker was seriously injured by a vehicle while working along the Outer Ring Road, the Province banned highway cleanups and only allows them now when a whole stretch of road can be closed to traffic.

"And rightly so too," said Mercer. "They (the provincial Department of Transportation) used to pick up the garbage for us after we bagged it up and put it on the side of the highway... So, for us as a group, we saw this as a really nice opportunity to get back into what we once did and what we enjoyed doing for the community. And of course, being on the river and doing it the way we did it, we were away from traffic and all that stuff. It was a beautiful evening."

Mercer said it was also enjoyable because the values of the two groups, namely taking care of the environment and the community, match up so well. "It was a perfect fit for the evening, and every one of our crew are saying we just hope that they'll call us back again. We want to do whatever other project that they are doing, because we found them such a positive group to be around."

Stoyles would like to see more residents expressing such pride in their neighborhoods by getting out and cleaning up open, public spaces in addition to their own backyards.

“They need to take ownership of it all. That’s what Rotary is doing. We’re taking ownership of the valley and we’re not going to put up with this,” he said.

Residents interested in helping with a community cleanup can get involved by calling Stoyles at 709-682-9244.

World Maternal Mental Health Day

To commemorate World Maternal Mental Health Day which took place on May 1, the City of Mount Pearl invited perinatal psychologist Dr. Archana Vidyasankar of the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance to say a few words at last week’s council meeting. Vidyasankar said the prevalence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in the province is currently at 28 percent, which is eight percent higher than the national average. The organization's goals, she said, are to increase awareness, education, support and coordination for parents, and advocate for government and communities to increase supports. From left are councillors Jim Locke and Isabelle Fry, Dr. Archana Vidyasankar, Mayor Dave Aker and councillor Bill Antle. Chad Feehan photo

The Knights of Colombus hold lively game of bingo

The Knights of Colombus in Mount Pearl held a lively game of bingo at Our Lady, Queen of Families Parish last weekend. Parishioners and bingo enthusiasts like this trio of couples could be seen throughout the parish hall keeping a keen eye on the bingo sheets. Going clockwise around the table are Garry Etheridge, Harold Stapleton, Gerri Stapleton, Neal Hefford, Sandra Hefford, and Carol Etheridge. Chad Feehan photo

35th anniversary of Mount Pearl Public Library

A small group of regular patrons along with staff and some dignitaries marked the 35th anniversary of the Mount Pearl Public Library last week. The library opened its doors on Olympic Road on June 9, 1988. Original board member Ross King died in 2007, prompting the board to rename the building as the Ross King Memorial Public Library in his honor. In addition to celebrating its anniversary, the library also unveiled a new Makerspace program, which includes a hydroponics unit and 3D printer that are both available to the public. Acting Division Manager of NL Public Libraries Eastern Division Sarah Bartlett said she considers the Mount Pearl branch as the benchmark by which they measure success for all 28 locations on this side of the island. On hand for the ceremony were, from left: Mount Pearl North MHA Lucy Stoyles, Sarah Bartlett, Mount Pearl Public Library Board Chairman Pat Walsh, Mount Pearl – Southlands MHA Paul Lane, and Mount Pearl Councillor Mark Rice. Chad Feehan photo

Team Gushue baseball pitch to get new scoreboard

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Team Gushue Complex in Mount Pearl has been getting a slow drip of upgrades and improvements as the 2025 Canada Summer Games draws ever closer.

Coming on the heels of last month's approval of the installation of new trees and shrubbery for the site, city council this week announced the complex will also be getting a new outdoor scoreboard for its baseball field, courtesy of E.C. Boone Ltd.

Councillor Bill Antle explained that E.C. Boone’s bid amount of $80,489 won out over two other bids which were submitted before the request for quotations closed on March 27.

The motion to award the contract carried unanimously.

Council approves $1.2M for recycling trucks

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Recycling is good for the environment, but it isn’t always cheap.

On Tuesday, council approved the purchase of a pair of new recycling trucks to haul away residents’ bottles and cardboard. The price tag? Some $1,196,037.

Harvey & Company will supply the two dual streaming recycling trucks, which are capable of carrying two kinds of recyclable materials at once. The St. John’s based firm was the sole qualified bidder on the tender.

Mayor Dave Aker joked about the price of the new vehicles, giving them the titles of “very” and “expensive” respectively.

“Garbage trucks are costing a fortune,” he said. “But I think that’s the new reality since the pandemic and of course this went through a transparent tender process.”

The roads that support the massive machines, meanwhile, will soon get a little patch up. The City has hired Crown Contracting to seal cracks in the City’s asphalt for the price of $87,917.

Clean up after your dog, Lane urges

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

With spring officially underway in Mount Pearl, city councillors have both environmental concerns and city beautification on their minds.

Councillor Chelsea Lane urged residents on Tuesday to clean up garbage in their area and pick up after their animals when going for a walk.

Lane said she has been fielding complaints from residents about dog droppings on City trails. She suggested dog owners take advantage of the waste bags supplied on the trails, as well as garbage collection kits that residents can get from the City.

“Our staff do go around and they do clean up the trails, but it's important that residents take their part,” said Lane. “Please keep the trails (clean) because Mount Pearl is known for its beautiful trailways and we all want to take advantage of that without having to worry about stepping in dog feces on the trails.”

Councillor Jim Locke took the opportunity to promote International Compost Awareness Week, which runs from May 5th to May 11th.

As a long time composter himself, Locke encouraged residents to look into composting, which can greatly reduce the amount of waste trucked to the Robin Hood Bay Landfill and save both money and energy.

“It is doable in the city of Mount Pearl when done properly,” he said. “Composting is a good thing.”

City switches banks

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The City of Mount Pearl is changing banks, and re-establishing a $3 million dollar line of credit.

As the City recently chose to move to CIBC for banking services, its previous $3 million line of credit with TD Canada Trust will be closed.

Councillor Chelsea Lane said the City has not made use of the credit line for many years, but keeps it open as a contingency for cash flow purposes.

Lane said the City’s previous agreement with TD will close upon the opening of the new one.

“We’re just switching banks, basically,” said Mayor Dave Aker.

City revs up spring maintenance work

By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As the doldrums of the winter fade into the spring fog, the City of Mount Pearl’s public works department has switched into cleanup mode.

Councillor Jim Locke detailed the maintenance work for his colleagues during last week’s public council meeting.

Drivers will be glad to know pothole repair is underway, and pedestrians may notice litter being collected. Street widening has been replaced with sidewalk and street sweeping, and maintenance to City greenspaces, manholes, and catch basins is underway. While the outdoor skating rinks are being dismantled, plans to reopen the trailside kiosk are ongoing.

“Preparation for the upcoming 2024 summer season is underway,” Locke said citing work throughout the city’s parks network and trails, landscape preparation, and the removal of a playground structure on Pembury Close.

The City’s farm tractors, lawn mowers, street sweepers and vacuum trucks are also undergoing service and maintenance.

As far as public utilities go, the City is currently dealing with plugged sewers and other water and sewer repairs, leak detection, hydrant repair and replacement, and lift station inspection and maintenance.

Councilor Bill Antle noted too that the 2024 construction season in Mount Pearl has already begun.

Work on Birch Avenue, Farrell Drive, and Carroll Drive has resumed, while Olympic Drive will see some activity early this month.

The tender for asphalt and concrete repairs closed last month, as did a request for proposals for engineering and design for Holden Street upgrades, as well as the design for Jackman Drive upgrades.

The tender for the Wyatt Boulevard lift station upgrades is scheduled to close in the fall, as is a request for proposals for a water storage tank.

Prompted by an inquiry by Mayor Dave Aker, Director of Planning and Engineering Gerard Antle said line painting on city roads will start soon.

“We have a schedule within our contract,” Antle said. “Once we have that established and confirmed we’ll share that with council.”