Citizens of New-Wes-Valley

[Previously published on April 23rd, 2025] We remain committed to respectful, peaceful dialogue with our municipal government.  Unfortunately, the Town Council has placed new restrictions on Concerned Citizens under their  Unreasonable Behavior By-Law : 1. We may only contact Town staff in writing, via the front desk. 2. Duplicate or non-actionable follow-ups will not receive a response. 3. Legal action may be considered if Town staff or officials feel harassed or defamed. We also regret to share that our request to meet with Council was declined. Despite these challenges, we will continue advocating for our community with integrity and transparency. Questions about this matter should be directed to the Town Office. #ConcernedCitizens #CommunityMatters #CivicEngagement For full disclosure, you can see the letter from our Mayor received last week below: [Updated May 10th, 2025] Now that the minutes of the Town Council Meeting held on April 15th are posted publicly o...

There has been some misinformation circulating about the letters Concerned Citizens of New-Wes-Valley sent to Council and Municipal Affairs following the suspension of Councillor Howell from a complaint by town staff. When complaints are sent to Council they are supposed to be confidential, so why are people outside of Council chatting about these letters? The CAO herself stated in an email to the NWV   concerned citizens that, “As noted in my previous email it is deemed necessary to know the complainants' names(s) who have filed this complaint. This is to ensure there is no breach of confidentiality. During the process of a complaint under the Municipal Conduct Act, the only parties who are given the complaint and response are myself, the complainant and the respondent”. Has there been a breach of privacy? We want to clarify the facts about the letters.  Please read them for yourselves here: Our letters were submitted to highlight broader concerns about potential conflicts of...

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 m...

Councillor Howell has been unjustly suspended from her position as Councillor with the Town Council of New-Wes-Valley, Newfoundland and Labrador. Her removal was the result of a misunderstanding regarding Council rules. Despite this lack of clear communication, she has received one of the most severe punishments - a 2 month suspension when other options for punishment were brought forward to Council by the investigator. (See the full story HERE ) Councillor Howell has always been a dedicated and hardworking representative for our community. She has shown unwavering commitment to addressing community issues, supporting local initiatives, and improving the quality of life for all residents. Her suspension not only undermines her efforts but deprives New-Wes-Valley of a valuable and passionate public servant. We believe that the decision to suspend her from council was both hasty and unjust. It is imperative that she be reinstated, allowing her to continue her vital work for our community...

The above message has been copied from Brenda Howell's personal Facebook page and shared with us through the 'have your say' posting directions found at the top of this blog. The Town of New-Wes-Valley has posted a message from Mayor Tiller (see link HERE ), as well as the findings by the third party investigation of this matter (see link HERE ). Concerned Citizens would like to hear your thoughts on this matter, and would like to start the conversation by asking: How often do Councillors get investigated by a third party on conflict-of-interest complaints? We have seen many instances of other Councillors voting on topics of personal interest in the past without any mention nor investigation- what have you noticed? Do you think that all Councillors are being treated equally and fairly with regard to conflict-of-interest inquiries? What is the cost to tax payers for the fees paid to third party investigators?  Is it worth the cost?  Or could this be solved without added ...