Council Meeting of May 6th 2025
Your blog master, and 7 or 8 other citizens of New-Wes-Valley, attended tonight's regularly scheduled meeting to stay informed of the latest developments with our town.
Mayor Tiller graciously welcomed us, and the meeting got underway in a timely fashion ~6:30pm, as usual.
The usual business was read through with unanimous motions on topics ranging from hiring a magician to perform at our annual Crab Festival, to listing employment opportunities coming up with Public Works. There was mention of things with very little to no discussion, such as a "salt water sanctuary", over $76,000.00 in accounts payable listed as a lump sum, plans for cleaning the water tank at Newtown which will cause a water interruption for a day, possible purchase of a skate sharpener at ~$1,800.00, a possible "quilt showcase at the REACH", and a 3 year contract to be issued for Happy Snacks at Beothic Arena's canteen to be reviewed annually.
The conversation was quiet and rather mundane (I couldn't actually hear what they were talking about sometimes) while our small audience was present.
After little more than half an hour, we were asked to leave the council chambers while they held a privileged session. I asked "what is the reason for the privileged session", to which CAO Browne told me that a reason was not required to be given. I do not believe that is correct.
While they were in privileged session, knowing that they are to exit privileged session before making motions on the topics discussed in private, I waited in the hall.
Sitting in the hallway, I could not hear what they were saying. That's a good thing- privacy is being maintained when it needs to be. But the baffled sound of their voices was louder, more relaxed, with lots of happy laughing sounds. Once there were some almost shouty sounds. Even a woot-woot! They obviously weren't having the same toned conversation- they were taking their time and really discussing things, sharing opinions, and arguing their points.
Gentle readers, I can tell you with first hand experience that the bench in the hall is not meant to be sat upon for more than an hour. And yet I continued to sit, until at exactly 8:30pm, when the door to the council chambers reopened and I was welcomed back in.
The final resolutions/motions made upon exiting the privileged session are:
- to dismiss conflict of interest complaints against clerk
- to dismiss conflict of interest complaint against Councillor Stagg
- to rescind something or other as a clerical error having to do with Councillor Smith (Councillor Hoyles really needs a mic- he keeps his voice very low and comes across as a mumble in that room- I couldn't make out what he said for sure)
- something under the same or similar as number 3 item that I couldn't understand but heard the word training involved.
- to dismiss a conflict of interest complaint against Councillor Best
- to dismiss a conflict of interest complaint against Mayor Tiller
- to proceed with a pension plan option for office staff
- "to proceed with strategic steps up to $10,000.00" (with no mention of what those steps would be taken towards or what action this may involve)
The meeting was adjourned at 8:36pm.
I'd love to hear your comments!
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Very interesting…. They all discussed conflict of interest complaints regarding the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillor Best and Councillor Smith while these folks were present? Wouldn’t that be a conflict in itself? Did they have the respective parties leave the room for the motions at least?
ReplyDeleteWow! No accountability to anyone as long as they all agree. What a joke
Each person left the room while the motion concerning them was passed. Being a priviledged session, I don't know if they left the chambers while it was being discussed. If they did, they could use a door into the offices from the chambers without the public seeing.
DeleteThe Towns and Local service districts act states that a reason for privileged session is required to be recorded.
DeleteActually it specifically states:
41(c) A record shall be made containing only the following information:
(i) the type of matter under subsection (1) that was discussed in the meeting
Seems pretty clear to me.
Does the CAO know that?
DeleteMaybe time for residents to withhold tax fees
ReplyDeleteWho's going to be running for council this fall?
ReplyDeleteWas there any discussion around drinking water?
ReplyDeleteThe only mention of water was the Newtown water tank cleaning plan. Still no warnings, advice, or discussion on whether our new water treatment plant will tackle the issues at hand as pointed out delegate Mr. Sturge.
DeleteI am also wondering if there was any discussion about our town water. Seems to me that is the most important issue to be addressed right now. Just my opinion
ReplyDeleteThe water issue have been going on in this community for years. The council has made this known about 10 years ago or more, this is nothing new. With a big project like this, things move slower than faster, with many steps in the climb. Are you people so naïve to think the water issue can be resolved in a week? I’ve spoken to so many community members and “ most “ have the same reaction. This group has cause nothing but negativity and stress and only looking for pity stuff now to keep your group alive.
ReplyDeleteSo what you are saying is that the council has made this public 10+ years ago, ... I call bs !
DeleteWhen asked about the health and safety of our water, the town advised in 2016, that there wasn't any issue nor complaints and my concerns were never addressed & ultimately dismissed.
Most residents would like the basic fundamental right to have safe clean drinking/bathing water, perhaps you should afford yourself the same privilege !
Might I suggest instead of building beaches they should work a little harder for the whole population of NWV verses a handful of campers or maybe we should all go there for a clean bath !! For a municipal owned park which wasn't suppose to be a burden on taxpayers there seems to be a whole lot of tax dollars being spent at SWPP.
Part 1;I agree with you that the town water is an issue, but this has been in the works for years now with a water treatment plant well under way. I have an extensive background in construction and I can attest that these projects take years to develope. Especially the stature of this project and dealing with so many environmental issues. A privately funded project like this would take years of development, let alone a government funded one that has to deal with so many agencies and levels of government. We all know how fast government moves, especially when at provincial and federal levels.To assume the original environmental professionals never tested for high levels of THM and TAA contamination would be disingenuous. High levels like these are a common issue with town water supplies sadly right across the island and if anyone read the detailed and well written report posted by Mr.Sturge they would easily see that NWV isn’t the only town at these levels. It list of communities literally go into the hundreds above recommended and safe levels of THM and HAA’s in their drinking water.
ReplyDeleteRegards to the meeting being “mundane”……were you expecting a smoke show with strobe lighting and every counsel member entering with their own theme song? It’s a small town counsel meeting, they’re supposed to be mundane, boring, and routine. These are not meetings dealing with the issues of a city with the population of Toronto.
As for the privileged secession comments. These meetings are meant to discuss private issues concerning the town that shouldn’t be talked about with the open public. They can be about internal issues between workers pay, union grievance talks and discussion, or legal matters dealing with town members as an example, so they don’t have to announce what they will be discussing to the general public. Would any member of this group feel comfortable if counsel had to announce they were about to discuss legal action being taken against oneself because you failed to adhere to building regulations, personal land issues, you owed absorbent amounts of back taxes or other such issues as example? It’s meant to provide protection to the people these topics are being discussed.
As far as I know with admittedly doing very little research into this particular issue, but I do not believe there is a time limit on privileged secessions. That’s secessions can be as short as 5 minutes or takes hours depending on the severity of the topics being discussed. They may have several issues to discuss which will again lead to different time lines.
I think you may be reading things into my words that aren't there. Saying that something is mundane is not an insult or meant to be seen as a bad thing. I was describing the scene for those who were not there. I have been attending council meetings on and off for the past 27 years, and I am quite happy with mundane.
DeleteWe all know a water treatment facility is in the works. But what has our council warned us about publicly with the water that is currently coming from our taps? Don't you see that they have a responsibility to warn us that we can be doing harm to ourselves by taking longer showers/baths, inefficient ventilation, etc. That is what they need to do; Make public warnings about what our water contains while they get ready for the big changes that hopefully a water treatment plant will make.
I understand privileged sessions are sometimes necessary. I did not say otherwise. I was not complaining about the length of time I spent waiting, either. Just making the writing not so stuffy as it could be.
Part 2;While having to wait outside during a privileged secession for almost an hour can be frustrating, it is nothing to complain about as you chose to stay and wait by your own free will, you were not forced to stay. As for the the upbeat in tone from the counsel you over heard while waiting during the privileged secession(I’m personally picturing you sat with your ear on the door just to amuse myself), anyone with any social awareness would understand why. If you were sat in front of a group of people solely there to scrutinize every word you say, every action you make, even the decibel level an old man speaks at(hint hint). All the while you know they’ll turn around and post everything to their Facebook page or internet blog (while leaving out important and key points) to further push their agenda of painting the town as the enemy and incompetent. Would you not loosen your shoulder a little and lighten your mood and tone once behind closed doors away from such judging eyes? I know I would, as would so many other people, including yourself reading this I would wager. But if you really feel the counsel is doing such a poor job, put your name in the hat next election and run for counsel. I’ve never been a member but will look into it one day in the future, life is just too busy to commit at the moment. I have to say as someone who’s been on the outside and complaining about how things operate and took a role where I thought I could make changes in my workplace, it’s not as easy as you think. There’s so many rules, regulations and red tape that keeps your hands tied. If you think your can go in, clean house and completely change how things operate with the town and counsel, I’m just letting you know the same restriction are likely going to be in place, then you’ll have the same view as other groups formed against you looking to undermine every move you make.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Someone more annoyed at this point than concerned
Once again, I will point out that concerned citizens have a right to question their representatives- that's just plain old democracy. We vote councillors in to represent us. When concerned citizens show up to hear what's happening with our town, it should be seen as a sign of an active and engaged citizenship, not a group set up to scrutinize or bully. And again, any Facebook page has nothing to do with this blog, as this is a public forum. Facebook is not. I don't know what they're saying on Facebook, and I don't want to know. You can't hold a blogmaster accountable for Facebook posts.
DeleteWe do want to push our agenda. Our agenda is to encourage our town council to make decisions that are well-informed and keep the well-being of our residents uppermost in their minds. We are also here to remind them that their actions matter; when they decided to be offended by our interest, they made us into a public enemy instead of a trusted group of supporters. There is no attack on council that I am aware of. As for suggesting that Councillor Hoyles use a mic', I think you'll find that most municipalities have mics and even publicly broadcast their meetings. If I sat on council, I would also need a microphone, as my voice doesn't carry very far. It wasn't an insult- it was just a fact.
I completely understand how hard it is to be a councillor- I have had lots of experience with boards and businesses that include lots of waiting and working through red tape. It's a big deal to put yourself out there like they do, and I appreciate that fully.
There is always room for improvement. And there's nothing wrong with asking questions.
Huge difference in asking questions to help understand and asking questions just to be a public menace. Also there is a difference in asking questions and attacking people personally. At all cost, as a concerned citizen, I really hope this Colourful, strange, no heart of a group folds faster than Superman on laundry day
DeleteMy hope you are wrong and all indications are you are very wrong. This group seems to only get stronger with the more they are attacked by someone like you. If you are a citizen of NWV why would you not want a group like this asking questions? In a democracy it is always good to have people who are willing to ask questions. If you look closely at democracy it is not only our right to ask questions but our responsibility.
DeleteYou keep thinking that
DeleteI hope this group stays around long after I’m dead and gone. If you haven’t noticed there have been some changes they may not be that big but things are happening.
DeleteIt’s caused people stress that we can all agree on have boiled over into their home and personal life. I’ll stick out and say it like most of the community members, this faceless, nameless group is a cancer. That’s just the way it is
DeleteIt surprises me that someone is more concerned about a concerned citizens group that the drinking water
DeleteEven more interesting that they use the word “ cancer”.
DeleteEven if the council did mention the serious issue of Disinfectant By-Products (DBP) in the water ~10 years ago, it is something which needs to be constantly updated and talked about so that residents can make informed decisions on how to use their tap water.
ReplyDeleteWe have all been led to believe that our tap water is safe for bathing and consumption. It is not, without steps taken by each household. The town council has a responsibility to give their residents the facts about their water, and lead them to information to protect themselves while we wait for the new water treatment facility.
The water treatment plant plans have not been released by the town council publicly. We do not know yet if the plan includes filtering the water from the source before it is chlorinated, to prevent the occurrence of DPBs.
https://www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/waterres/regulations/policies/water-quality/ tells us that our water should be tested often and reported on. There is no sign of a water quality report ever publicly shown on the townofnewwesvalley.ca. The latest document that mentions water treatment is 16 years old.
Making an announcement 10 years ago does nothing for anyone who moved here within the last 10 years like myself. I myself have been told the water is safe to drink. However I find it very disturbing to find out not only is the water not safe to drink it is also dangerous to my health while I am bathing, showering, washing dishes or simply washing my hands.
ReplyDeleteAs pointed out by Mr Sturge it is the responsibility of the town to notify the public of such health hazards. I feel the complacency of this council failing to notify me unacceptable.
Who told you the water was safe to drink? Nobody from the town office for sure.
DeleteI won’t say a name on here however I will say it was a town employee.
DeleteYeh. I don’t believe that.
DeleteThe council always warns us of a boil-water order, gives us instructions on how to handle our water to be safe, and tells us when the order has been lifted. Thay take that situation seriously.
DeleteBy not mentioning Disinfection By-Products (DBP) in our water, it gives the impression that they don't know about it, don't understand it, nor think that it's a problem.
That makes me think that they haven't considered this issue at all. I haven't seen the plans for the proposed water treatment plant, and wonder if that will fix the DBP issue.
Certainly some public information is due to us as the citizens paying for all this through our taxes.
Half the people or more in town freaking out over the dangers of our water are smokers/Vapers, drug users and alcohol drinkers. But that stuff is all ok because you can’t blame it on the town
ReplyDeleteI can’t speak for everyone, however I have never smoked ,vaped or used drugs other than those prescribed by a doctor however I do enjoy a drink occasionally. It seems insulting people is what you have chosen to do, I wish you all the best. Have a great evening.
DeleteIt still doesn’t make it right!
DeleteSo they were able to dismiss the claims of conflict for all the other councillors in house? But councillor Howells had to go to a third party consultant.... Interesting!
ReplyDeleteYes a chamber full of TRUMPS
DeleteIt appears as if no stone was left unturned when a complaint was put forward about councillor Howel! However, no real thought or consideration was given to complaints regarding other council members. Why is this? Could it be because the complaint regarding councillor Howell was from inside council office? Is that what made it seem more important, requiring a third party investigation? Would it not be a conflict of interest in itself to dismiss several complaints, regarding several council members, by the council themselves?
DeleteThings appear to be very one sided! Very biased!
Blogs are so dated. Who calls themselves “ The Blog Master “ anyways? Sounds like a final boss on a video game. It was also great to see Mr.Ken Hoyles back in action. He may be a sook when he loses in sports, but has contributed 50 plus years of volunteer hours in this community. Do any of you faceless members volunteer to help your town? Or do you just whine and complain?
ReplyDeleteBlogmaster:
DeleteManages the technical aspects of a blog, including:
*Setting up and configuring the blog platform.
*Managing users and permissions.
*Ensuring the blog runs smoothly and is free from technical issues.
*May also be involved in content creation or editing, depending on the blog's structure.
*Absolutely nothing like a final boss in a video game, which is considered an enemy.
Blogs may be dated, but are still useful tools to reach anyone with access to the internet. It's okay to appreciate things that are old.
I think everyone who has attended concerned citizens meetings has been a volunteer for as long as they have lived here. As you whine and complain about this blog, me, Councillor Hoyles, blogging platforms, and the English language, can you name a single politician who is never questioned or reported in the news? Our councillors are municipal politicians. They are going to get questioned when they have citizens who care about what happens.
Could those who are commenting negatively towards this group trying to deflect the attention away from more serious issues? I wonder????
DeleteLove the post calling out the faceless and nameless signed anonymous. Glass house much?
ReplyDeleteNew Wes Valley Concerned Citizens Group - please don’t allow the occasional negativity discourage you …
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job and positive things are happening already
Every Town needs a concerned citizens group 👏👏👏
Thank you! We won't.
Delete