[0:17] Hi everybody and welcome to our council

[0:19] meeting. We're getting through. It's the

[0:21] middle of August. The weather is great

[0:23] and council you see before you

[0:26] an agenda and I don't see anything out

[0:28] of the kid. Although I do some see some

[0:29] messaging about e-bikes and e-scooters.

[0:31] Should be a good conversation hopefully

[0:32] tonight. So to adopt the agenda I need a

[0:35] motion and moved by Councillor Fry.

[0:36] Thank you and seconded by Councillor

[0:38] Deputy Mayor Lock. All in favor? Those

[0:40] opposed? And that's carried. Um

[0:44] in recognition of the city of Mount

[0:46] Pearl's commitment to foster respectful

[0:48] and collaborative relationships with

[0:49] indigenous peoples here in the city of

[0:51] Mount Pearl and beyond.

[0:53] We hereby acknowledge that the land on

[0:55] which we gather is the ancestral and

[0:57] unceded territory of the Beothuk and the

[0:59] Mi'kmaq. Mount Pearl and the broader

[1:01] metro region continue to be home to

[1:03] diverse indigenous peoples including

[1:07] First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

[1:12] Once said a minute's there an action

[1:13] report from July 26th before we discuss

[1:17] any business arising council need your

[1:19] approval for these minutes. So any

[1:22] errors or omissions?

[1:25] All good?

[1:26] Everybody good?

[1:28] All right. Calling for motion moved by

[1:30] Councillor Rice and seconded by

[1:31] Councillor Antle that we approve those

[1:33] minutes. All in favor?

[1:34] And opposed? And that's carried.

[1:36] Business arising please quote the number

[1:39] in the minutes or the action report.

[1:45] No business arising tonight. There is no

[1:47] proclamations. There's no presentations

[1:50] or correspondence but we do have

[1:52] corporate services

[1:54] and I believe taking the lead there will

[1:55] be Councillor Antle. You're yours.

[1:58] >> Thank you, Your Worship. And now we have

[2:00] to pay our bills. We have a lot of work

[2:01] to do in the city.

[2:03] And the first one is our payment

[2:04] register for August 18th,

[2:07] 2026. And for the payment register for

[2:10] July 1st to the 31st, 2026 for the for a

[2:14] total of 4,572,818.56.

[2:18] And the purchase card report from May

[2:20] 28th, 20 May 28th, 2026 to June 25th,

[2:25] 2026 for a total of 445,060.59.

[2:30] And if you look at your kit there on the

[2:33] uh

[2:35] items to pay, there's a few large ones

[2:38] there, one in particular for Dexter

[2:39] Construction for $797,000.

[2:42] That's up there on Jackman Drive.

[2:44] And there's three different to the city

[2:45] of St. John's for our regional services,

[2:47] and they total for $700,000 or

[2:49] thereabouts. And you can see in your

[2:51] kit, and they're all good, and I so

[2:53] move.

[2:54] >> It is moved by Councillor Antle and

[2:56] seconded by Deputy Mayor Lock. Any

[2:58] questions?

[3:01] Hearing none, I'll call for approval of

[3:03] the payment register and purchase card

[3:04] report. All in favor? Contra-minded?

[3:08] Thank you. Carried.

[3:09] >> And number two has to do with

[3:11] professional development. And you know,

[3:13] with professional development, I guess I

[3:14] stated there last uh 2 weeks ago, it's

[3:17] so good for us to be able to travel

[3:18] around to different parts of the country

[3:19] to see what other communities are doing,

[3:21] what other councilors are doing.

[3:23] And this one has to do with economic

[3:24] development, and that's for myself. And

[3:26] the Economic Development Association

[3:28] this year is going to be held in Moncton

[3:30] from September the 14th to the 7th from

[3:32] September 14th to 7th, 2026. And I so

[3:36] move.

[3:37] >> Thank you for the motions, Councillor

[3:39] Antle and Deputy Mayor Lock. This is in

[3:40] accordance with policy, and even though

[3:42] it's not routine, it does come It is

[3:44] routine, but it does come to this table

[3:45] for approval.

[3:46] All in favor?

[3:48] And those opposed? And that's carried,

[3:50] thanks.

[3:53] » And our next professional development,

[3:55] this is really good to see. It's for

[3:57] Deputy Mayor Locke for the Atlantic

[3:59] Planners Institute and this is held in

[4:01] PEI and it's really good to get together

[4:03] with other planners and I'm sure our

[4:05] planners will learn this is a great

[4:06] conference to take an effect and it

[4:08] starts from October 7th to the 9th, 2026

[4:11] and I so move.

[4:14] >> Again, moved by Councillor Antle,

[4:15] seconded by the Deputy Mayor. All in

[4:17] favor?

[4:18] Opposed? Nets carried as well.

[4:22] » And uh number four is a professional

[4:25] development request. This is for Mayor,

[4:27] Deputy Mayor and all counselors, I would

[4:29] think. Well, no, I'm sorry, it's for

[4:31] Counselors Fry and Antle and this is for

[4:33] MNL here in St. John's. All right, and

[4:35] this is a great conference on November

[4:37] 5th to the 7th and we're very lucky to

[4:39] have the uh Vice President of MNL here

[4:41] in our chambers as well as Councillor

[4:43] Fry. This is a great uh

[4:46] opportunity for us to chat with other counselors and this

[4:50] goes from November 5th to the 7th and I

[4:53] so move.

[4:55] >> Again, moved by Councillor Antle,

[4:56] seconded by Deputy Mayor for these four

[4:58] members of our council to go to MNL in

[5:01] the fall. All in favor?

[5:03] Opposed? Carried, thanks.

[5:10] » And another professional development

[5:12] request for our CAO, Cassie Rideout, to

[5:14] attend the same conference, MNL here in

[5:16] St. John's and I so move.

[5:19] >> Moved and seconded. All in favor?

[5:21] Opposed? Thank you, carried.

[5:25] >> And number six is another professional

[5:27] development training and again, it's a

[5:28] fabulous to see. It's for our Director,

[5:30] Jason Collins, to handle a

[5:33] recreation and community safety event at

[5:35] Sombra 2026

[5:37] in Shediac, New Brunswick from September

[5:40] the 8th to the 11th and I so move.

[5:43] >> Again, moved by Councillor Antle,

[5:45] seconded by Deputy Mayor Locke. All in

[5:46] favor?

[5:47] Opposed? Again, carried, thank you.

[5:50] That's everything for corporate

[5:51] services, your worship. Thank you.

[5:53] Going to move on to the public works

[5:55] report, and that is Councillor Fry,

[5:57] please.

[5:59] >> Thank you, your worship.

[6:01] Our report this evening is just for

[6:03] information purposes, just to give

[6:05] everybody an update on what our crews

[6:07] have been doing cuz they're very, very

[6:08] busy and they work very hard.

[6:10] Our roads division, the repairs on

[6:12] maintenance holes, catch basins, curbs,

[6:15] sidewalks, lawn, and and asphalt

[6:17] continues.

[6:19] And street sweeping is ongoing. For our

[6:22] parks division, there's of course

[6:24] maintenance on our our sports fields,

[6:25] that continues. Our flower plant

[6:28] planters and baskets have been installed

[6:30] and they look amazing, too, by the way.

[6:33] Uh our commemorative bench installations

[6:35] and required maintenance, providing

[6:37] ground maintenance for summer

[6:39] tournaments, and that's busy this

[6:41] summer.

[6:42] Grass cutting throughout the city is

[6:43] ongoing, providing support throughout

[6:45] the summer for community events, court

[6:48] resurfacing projects are underway and I

[6:50] think people have seen those on social

[6:52] media, they're doing a great job there.

[6:54] And playground structures for Farrell

[6:56] Drive and Branscombe Pond have arrived

[6:59] and the installation will start uh soon

[7:01] in late summer.

[7:03] Our fleet division is ongoing uh ongoing

[7:05] service and maintenance, and our UTM

[7:08] division of course have their general

[7:09] calls, their water and sewer repairs,

[7:12] leak detection, which is always

[7:13] important, fire hydrant inspection and

[7:16] maintenance are ongoing, the water main

[7:19] valve servicing and exercising, the lift

[7:21] station inspections and maintenance,

[7:23] catch basin and storm sewer cleaning,

[7:26] and as always, you can see in your kit

[7:28] here the water levels of Bable's Big

[7:30] Pond as of August the 10th, taken a

[7:33] little bit of a dip, but still quite

[7:35] healthy.

[7:36] And that's it for our report, your

[7:37] worship.

[7:39] Thank Thank very much. Now we're going

[7:40] to turn to recreation and in the absence

[7:44] of the Deputy Mayor Kylie, I should say,

[7:47] who is on a leave of absence and without

[7:49] Councillor Lane, I'm going to turn to

[7:51] Councillor Fry and Councillor Rice.

[7:56] » Always happy to talk about our

[7:57] recreation department.

[8:00] Okay, so we have a request for milestone

[8:03] funding for an event for Ladies

[8:05] Auxiliary Knights of Columbus for their

[8:07] 50th anniversary and they're planning on

[8:09] having an anniversary dinner.

[8:12] Be it resolved that the requested

[8:14] funding of $3,500 through milestone

[8:16] event funding be released to the Ladies

[8:19] Auxiliary Knights of Columbus once all

[8:21] receipts have been submitted for their

[8:23] 50th anniversary celebration dinner on

[8:25] October the 24th.

[8:28] So, the Ladies Auxiliary submitted a

[8:30] request advising that they will hold a

[8:32] dinner to celebrate the past and present

[8:35] of the Ladies Auxiliary,

[8:37] which was founded in 1976 as a church

[8:40] ministry.

[8:42] The ministry involved volunteering with

[8:44] church functions, supporting food banks,

[8:46] and providing assistance to the Knights

[8:47] of Columbus with all their events.

[8:50] The Ladies Auxiliary Knights of Columbus

[8:52] is a long-standing and valued community

[8:54] organization with a significant history

[8:57] of contributions within the City of

[8:59] Mount Pearl.

[9:01] So, therefore, the committee recommends

[9:03] approval to provide the Ladies Auxiliary

[9:05] Knights of Columbus with written

[9:07] confirmation

[9:09] of the requested $3,500 for their 50th

[9:12] anniversary celebration dinner on

[9:13] October the 24th, 2026.

[9:16] And furthermore, it is recommended that

[9:18] the funds approved by council, $3,500,

[9:21] be released once all receipts have been

[9:23] submitted, ensuring the cost of the

[9:25] event is or exceed the requested amount.

[9:29] And I so move.

[9:31] >> Thank you. Moved by Councillor Fry,

[9:32] seconded by Councillor Rice. Any

[9:34] comments?

[9:35] Coming out of policy overdue, Councillor

[9:37] Anstey.

[9:38] >> Just a quick question. I'm a member of

[9:40] Knights of Columbus. Am I in a conflict

[9:42] on this, Your Worship? Thank you.

[9:43] >> Only

[9:44] if you are on the executive of the

[9:45] ladies auxiliary.

[9:47] >> I'm not, so I guess I'm good. Thank you.

[9:51] » Further?

[9:52] Call the question then. All in favor?

[9:54] And those who are opposed?

[9:56] None? Thank you. Carried.

[9:58] >> Finally, for the recreation department,

[10:00] is just some information notes here.

[10:04] Information for the for the attention

[10:06] and consideration of council and the

[10:08] public.

[10:09] Registration for swim lessons, the Mount

[10:11] Pearl Seniors Independence Group fitness

[10:13] programs, general recreation programs,

[10:16] as well as the time and care programs

[10:18] will open on the following dates.

[10:20] The Mount Pearl Seniors Independence

[10:22] Group fitness programs for Mount Pearl

[10:24] residents is August 25th at 1:00 p.m.

[10:27] And for non-residents, August 27th at

[10:30] 1:00 p.m.

[10:32] The general fitness programs, now of

[10:34] course, proof of residency residency is

[10:36] required for resident registration.

[10:38] Mount Pearl residents will register for

[10:40] general fitness programs on August the

[10:42] 25th at 5:00 p.m. and non-residents,

[10:45] August 27th at 5:00 p.m.

[10:48] The time program, and this program

[10:50] requires a referral before participants

[10:53] can register. For Mount Pearl residents,

[10:55] it's August 25th at 5:00 p.m. and

[10:58] non-residents, August 27th at 5:00 p.m.

[11:02] And our care program, this program also

[11:05] requires a referral before participants

[11:07] can register.

[11:09] Again, Mount Pearl residents will

[11:10] register on August 25th at 5:00 p.m. and

[11:13] non-residents, August 27th at 5:00 p.m.

[11:16] And swim lessons registration, of

[11:19] course, this one's always popular.

[11:21] And proof of residency is required for

[11:24] resident registration here as well.

[11:27] Mount Pearl residents will register for

[11:29] this one on August the 31st at 5:00 p.m.

[11:32] and non-residents September the 2nd at

[11:35] 5:00 p.m.

[11:36] As I mentioned, residents are required

[11:38] to provide a valid proof of residency

[11:40] prior to the registration date and

[11:43] participants are encouraged to register

[11:44] early as programs program spaces are

[11:47] limited and may fill up quickly.

[11:49] So, for more information, please visit

[11:51] the city of Mount Pearl website. And

[11:53] that's it for this report, Your Worship.

[11:56] Thank you.

[11:58] >> Thank you very much. Nothing for

[11:59] community safety, this meeting,

[12:01] engineering, Councillor Rice.

[12:05] >> Thank you, Your Worship. Our first one

[12:06] in our kit here tonight is a uh

[12:10] is a contract award for electrical

[12:12] maintenance services, which is our

[12:13] TP-26-017.

[12:17] So, uh the council uh approval is

[12:20] requested to award the contract for

[12:22] electrical services. This approval will

[12:24] allow the city to engage in preferred

[12:26] proponent

[12:27] to complete electrical maintenance and

[12:29] services throughout the city.

[12:30] The tender for the electrical

[12:32] maintenance services TP-26-017

[12:35] closed on July the 27th, 2026

[12:38] and four bids were received. The lowest

[12:40] qualified bidder was Pro Circuit

[12:42] Electrical Incorporated for the bid

[12:44] amount of $129,375

[12:47] HST included.

[12:49] So, this contract is for an initial

[12:51] period of 3 years from September the

[12:53] 1st, 2026

[12:55] until August the 31st, 2029.

[12:58] The city reserves the right to extend

[13:00] the contract by increments of 1 year for

[13:02] a period of up to

[13:04] not more than 2 years upon the same

[13:06] terms and conditions provided both

[13:08] parties agree.

[13:09] So, planning, engineering, and

[13:10] development recommends that the contract

[13:12] for electrical maintenance services

[13:14] TP-26-017

[13:16] be awarded to the lowest qualified

[13:17] bidder

[13:18] Pro Circuit Electrical Incorporated for

[13:20] the bid amount of $129,375

[13:23] HST included for the period of September

[13:26] the 1st, 2026 to August the 31st, 2029

[13:30] with the right to extend the contract by

[13:32] increments of 1 year period for the

[13:33] period of the not more than 2 years, and

[13:36] I so move.

[13:37] >> Move by Councillor Rice and seconded by

[13:39] Councillor Antle. Any questions?

[13:42] 3 to 5 years. It's like a sentence.

[13:45] But it's a tender.

[13:46] All in favor.

[13:47] Those opposed.

[13:49] Thank you, sir. It's carried. Over to

[13:50] you for plumbing.

[13:52] >> Thank you. Our second one is our

[13:54] contract award for a plum plumbing

[13:56] maintenance services TP-26-018.

[14:00] So, this one council approval is also a

[14:03] contract

[14:04] required or requested for the plumbing

[14:06] maintenance services. This approval will

[14:08] allow the city to engage in preferred

[14:10] performance to complete the plumbing maintenance and services

[14:14] throughout the city.

[14:16] Uh so, the background this one is the

[14:18] tender for plumbing maintenance services

[14:20] TP-26-018

[14:23] closed on July the 28th, 2026, and one

[14:26] bid was received. The lowest qualified

[14:28] bidder was King's Plumbing and Heating

[14:30] Limited

[14:31] for a bid amount of $60,375,

[14:34] HST included.

[14:36] Uh this contract is for initial period

[14:38] of 3 years from September the 1st, 2026

[14:42] to August 31st, 2029. The city reserved

[14:45] the right to extend the contract by

[14:47] increments of 1 year for period of up to

[14:49] not more

[14:51] to no more than 2 years upon the same

[14:52] terms and conditions provided both

[14:55] parties agree.

[14:56] So, the planning engineering development

[14:59] recommends

[15:00] that the contract for plumbing

[15:01] maintenance services TB-26-018

[15:05] be awarded to the lowest qualified

[15:06] bidder

[15:07] King's Plumbing and Heating Limited for

[15:09] the bid amount of $60,375,

[15:13] HST included for the period of September

[15:15] the 1st, 2026 until August the 31st,

[15:18] 2029 with the right to extend the

[15:21] contract by increments of 1 year for a

[15:23] period of not more than 2 years and I

[15:26] shall move.

[15:27] >> Moved again by Council Rice, seconded.

[15:29] Thank you by Council Antle. All in

[15:31] favor?

[15:31] >> Aye.

[15:32] >> Those opposed?

[15:33] Seeing no cut hands up and that's

[15:36] approved.

[15:42] » Our third one is our adoption of the

[15:45] National Building Code 2025 part nine,

[15:48] the energy efficient requirements.

[15:51] Just a little background on this one.

[15:53] The province of Newfoundland and

[15:54] Labrador has adopted the 2025 National

[15:56] Building Code. However, municipalities

[15:59] retain authority to adopt part nine

[16:01] residential energy efficiency

[16:03] requirements

[16:05] and determine the applicant energy

[16:07] performance tier one

[16:09] tier for one and two

[16:12] family dwelling units. Council must

[16:15] therefore determine whether the adoption

[16:17] section 9.36, which is the energy

[16:19] efficiency and establish an

[16:22] implementation approach for the city of

[16:24] Mount Pearl.

[16:25] So background on this one. The 2025

[16:28] Building Code and National Fire Code

[16:30] came into

[16:31] force in Newfoundland and Labrador on

[16:33] July the 12th, 2026.

[16:35] While the province adopts most

[16:38] provisions of the National Building Code

[16:39] part nine residential require

[16:42] part nine residential requirements

[16:44] related to one and two family dwellings

[16:47] remain subject to municipality

[16:49] adoptions. As a result, municipalities

[16:52] must independently determine whether the

[16:54] adoption section 9.36

[16:57] energy efficiency efficiency and

[17:00] establish the applicant applicable

[17:04] minimum

[17:05] compliance tier. So section 9.36

[17:09] introduced a five-tier residential

[17:12] energy efficiency framework ranging from

[17:14] tier one, which is the base compliance,

[17:17] to tier five, which is the net zero

[17:20] energy ready.

[17:21] Uh so, the city of Mount Pearl, just a

[17:24] second, I'll just get down to the bottom

[17:25] here. The committee recommends that the

[17:28] council adopt National Building Code

[17:30] 2025 part nine, including section 3.3

[17:34] 9.36,

[17:36] and the energy efficiency for one and

[17:38] two family dwellings within city of

[17:40] Mount Pearl, and establish tier two as

[17:43] the initial mandatory compliance

[17:45] standard.

[17:46] Staff further further recommended

[17:49] uh that council consider a future review

[17:53] of tier tier three

[17:55] implementation once municipal processes,

[17:58] industry readiness, and staff capacity

[18:01] have been established. Tier four and

[18:03] tier five are not recommended at this

[18:05] time, and I so move.

[18:07] >> Again, moved by Councillor Rice,

[18:09] seconded by Councillor Antle.

[18:11] Come to you, Councillor Deputy Mayor

[18:13] Lock.

[18:14] >> Uh thank you, Mayor.

[18:15] >> Thank you, Councillor Rice.

[18:16] >> You know, just just for clarity here, I

[18:18] know Councillor Rice indicated that

[18:19] there's up to tier five tiers in this

[18:22] particular uh part nine of the National

[18:24] Building Code, and it seems that we're

[18:26] only achieving

[18:28] tier two of a possible five. And the

[18:31] rationale for that, of course, is um I

[18:33] mean, this will be mandatory

[18:34] requirements if if and council discussed

[18:36] this at large with with staff and based

[18:38] on staff recommendations.

[18:40] If we were to adopt mandatory tier five,

[18:43] that would that would increase the cost

[18:45] of housing tremendously. That it

[18:47] wouldn't be it wouldn't be viable. So,

[18:51] um we figured the most prudent thing to

[18:52] do was tier up to tier two, which is

[18:54] still energy efficient. I don't want to

[18:56] get the I don't want the message out

[18:57] there that Mount Pearl is sort of

[18:59] reneging on energy efficiency and

[19:00] climate initiatives, because we are not.

[19:03] Uh so, we recognize, in consultation,

[19:05] you know, with the the builders, that uh

[19:08] most of the tier two requirements are

[19:11] already being undertaken. So, by making

[19:14] that mandatory in the city of Mount

[19:15] Pearl, we're not causing any undue

[19:17] hardship or any increased costs on

[19:19] potential home buyers. With that said,

[19:21] we have committed to review the

[19:23] requirements for tier three in

[19:25] consultation with the builders and the

[19:28] experts in the field and our staff and

[19:30] maybe we can move to adopt that in the

[19:31] years to come. So, I just want to make

[19:32] that point of a clarification there,

[19:34] Mayor. Thank you.

[19:35] >> Yeah, what's the staff? Director Bett,

[19:37] are we one of the first to do this and

[19:40] uh

[19:41] how far ahead of everybody else are we?

[19:43] Um I think it's a good thing as

[19:44] Councillor Deputy Mayor Locke is saying,

[19:46] but uh

[19:47] um I'm glad to see the initiative being

[19:49] undertaken by you and your department.

[19:54] » Yeah, I'm not sure if we're one of the

[19:55] first, but there's conversation around

[19:56] municipalities on Northeast Avalon.

[19:59] Um what approaches are being taken. Um

[20:02] at a staff level, we've been

[20:04] coordinating back and forth on where we

[20:06] believe is the appropriate path. Uh

[20:09] that's been communicated to the other

[20:10] municipalities as well. But, as

[20:13] Councillor Locke said, uh tier two is

[20:16] uh

[20:17] not far off from what we're already

[20:19] achieving with most modern homes. So,

[20:22] that's a good place to start with, you

[20:24] know, ambition to move forward uh as we

[20:27] understand the process more.

[20:29] >> Would this apply to uh renovations or is

[20:32] it just new builds? How does that

[20:35] carry itself through the processes?

[20:38] >> It is primarily new builds. Renovation

[20:40] would have to classify for a certain

[20:42] area to be renovated in order to comply.

[20:45] Otherwise, it would be I'd say

[20:47] grandfathered under prior building

[20:49] codes.

[20:51] >> Uh no, Councillor Angel, and then you,

[20:53] Deputy Mayor. Sorry about that. No

[20:54] worries.

[20:56] >> Uh just a quick question. I know this

[20:58] comes in effect in the province July the

[21:00] 12th. When is it effective for the city

[21:02] of Mount Pearl and does the builders get

[21:04] some

[21:05] a notification? Thank you.

[21:09] » Yeah.

[21:10] >> so after it's been adopted tonight, it

[21:12] would be into effect. However, we

[21:13] wouldn't we would give a grace period

[21:15] and a notification period to developers

[21:18] and contractors before we roll it out

[21:20] officially. Um I'm expecting probably

[21:22] late fall to make it uh a mandatory

[21:25] compliance criteria. It'll give us some

[21:27] time to get our forms and policies in

[21:29] order uh to check to make sure this is

[21:32] being achieved.

[21:35] » Uh thank you, Director. Uh just for the

[21:37] question, Mayor, based on on your

[21:39] question earlier, I know we we give out

[21:42] grants for people to upgrade, put in

[21:43] subsidiary basement apartments. And I

[21:46] I'm just thinking back to past years, if

[21:48] people wanted to if they had their

[21:51] apartment deregistered and then wanted

[21:53] to register it again, they'd have to

[21:55] upgrade it to existing standards.

[21:58] So, would that apply to the funding that

[22:00] we're giving, the grants that we've been

[22:01] giving out

[22:03] under the Housing Accelerator Fund, they

[22:05] would have to meet this new building code or this this

[22:09] national building standard here?

[22:10] >> Or is that just egress?

[22:15] » I believe they would have to meet that

[22:17] as well, but it's not an onerous

[22:19] standard to meet. Tier two is is fairly

[22:21] basic with most modern homes.

[22:26] » Further thoughts, anybody or everybody?

[22:28] Hearing none, I'll call the question.

[22:30] Then, all in favor?

[22:32] Opposed? And we've adopted it. Thank

[22:34] you.

[22:37] » Thank you. Our next one is I want to

[22:38] give an update on our capital work projects that's happening

[22:42] around the city.

[22:44] Uh so, this is just for information

[22:45] purposes only. So, Farrell Drive

[22:47] pumphouse upgrades construction is

[22:49] ongoing on that project is around 80%

[22:51] complete.

[22:52] Our 2025 concrete works

[22:55] uh construction is around 99% complete.

[22:58] Uh work is ongoing. Our White Boulevard

[23:00] upgrades construction is 85% complete on

[23:03] that project and work is ongoing up on

[23:05] that project. Our sewage lift station,

[23:07] which is on Mount Carson Avenue,

[23:09] construction is ongoing on that one.

[23:11] is around 99% complete. Jackman

[23:14] Drive upgrades, if you've been over in

[23:16] that area, you can certainly see that

[23:17] they're moving along with that project

[23:18] and that one is around 80% complete. Uh

[23:21] work is ongoing. Uh our water tower

[23:24] access road construction is 85% complete

[23:28] and work is ongoing on that project. Our

[23:30] water storage tank, which is our design

[23:32] build construction, is 64% complete.

[23:35] Work is ongoing on that project as we

[23:37] speak. Our Trailway Crossing

[23:39] Commonwealth Avenue construction is 85%

[23:41] complete. Work ongoing and hopefully

[23:43] have that open up in the next couple of

[23:44] weeks. Our 2026 our 2028 street markings

[23:49] is 85% complete. Work is ongoing on that

[23:52] project as well. And our 2026 asphalt

[23:55] services uh work is expected to start in

[23:58] August of 20 26. That's it for that one

[24:02] project. That's the end of the report.

[24:03] >> a question.

[24:05] Councilor Rice, yeah.

[24:06] >> Just a quick question. I'm sorry because

[24:08] I get this I I get this question almost

[24:10] daily and you know what I'm going to

[24:11] ask. I think Councilor Rice said it

[24:13] though. The Trailway Crossing, is it 85%

[24:16] complete? You said in a couple of weeks,

[24:19] so we we think we'll have it done before

[24:21] September 1st. All right. I know it's

[24:23] almost there. I I stopped doing some

[24:25] electrical work the other day, so I'm

[24:27] looking forward to see that done. But

[24:29] people do ask cuz one or two people

[24:30] watch.

[24:32] I want to know what to ask that

[24:33] question. Thank you.

[24:34] >> Is that a question or just commentary?

[24:39] » I have a question, but go you go first,

[24:40] Councilor Rice, unless you're continuing

[24:42] your report.

[24:46] » I can go back to you. Does it matter?

[24:47] No, I I just wanted to add to that one

[24:48] that we had some work there that Lake

[24:50] and Power had to do down in that area

[24:52] for uh

[24:53] because there are two uh poles that are

[24:55] going to go

[24:56] that's going to carry the uh I guess the

[24:58] sign is out over the street there. We're

[25:00] too close to the wires, but those wires

[25:01] have been moved. Moved up and uh so

[25:04] hopefully now over the next couple of

[25:05] weeks we'll get the uh pole bases down

[25:08] and everything will move along there and

[25:09] get the crosswalk put in. So, that's the

[25:10] next plan.

[25:11] >> Sounds good. No, I'm good. Thank you

[25:13] very much. Anybody else?

[25:16] Um let's move on, sir, to I guess you're

[25:18] going to occupancy. Are you?

[25:20] >> Yeah, okay.

[25:22] >> So, these are already pre-approved by

[25:24] our director of engineering. Uh so, I

[25:25] just want to uh

[25:27] just read that anyway. Occupancy permit

[25:29] listing from uh June the 1st to July uh

[25:32] 31st, 2026.

[25:34] You'll see four there in your kit.

[25:36] And that's that just for information

[25:38] purposes only.

[25:40] And our next one is our building

[25:43] I got to open up here.

[25:46] Next one is our building

[25:48] uh permit listing, which is also

[25:50] pre-approved. This one runs from June

[25:52] the 1st to July the 31st.

[25:54] And you see uh quite the substantial

[25:56] amount there. There's 85 listed off in

[25:58] our kit there.

[26:00] And they range in uh from accessory

[26:02] buildings

[26:03] to patio, decks, verandas, uh basically

[26:07] uh

[26:07] you know, home round Most of these are

[26:09] actually uh that are renovations or

[26:12] I guess they're uh putting new decks on,

[26:14] verandas, exterior renovations around

[26:16] their homes. As you know, Mount Pearl is

[26:18] an aging uh city. So, we got uh

[26:21] retaining walls and fences being

[26:23] repaired. It's nice to see actually uh

[26:25] residents keeping up their properties in

[26:26] the city. We got a certain standard here

[26:28] in the city and uh it's nice to see

[26:30] these 85. And I'm encouraging every time

[26:32] I uh

[26:33] you know, you're always got residents

[26:34] asking, you know, so you got to put in a

[26:36] permit for that, right? And you know,

[26:37] you got to put in a permit and get a

[26:39] permit and get it approved before you do

[26:41] it. If that's If that's a new shed,

[26:43] extension to a house, or fence,

[26:45] retaining wall, or anything that's to do

[26:47] with your property, you need to uh get a

[26:49] permit. And that's it for our report.

[26:51] Thank you, Your

[26:52] >> Okay, thank you very much. We're going

[26:54] to go to planning and development,

[26:55] Deputy Mayor Lock.

[26:56] >> Thank you, Mayor. Three items here. The

[26:59] first is stop development order

[27:01] confirmation.

[27:02] A council decision is required here

[27:05] to confirm an order to cease commercial

[27:07] activity at a residential property.

[27:10] Pursuant to the Mount Pearl development

[27:12] regulations, council has the delegated

[27:14] authority.

[27:15] Has the authority to delegate authority

[27:17] to an employee of council to issue an

[27:19] order in accordance with our

[27:21] regulations. And this order is required

[27:23] to be confirmed by a majority of council

[27:25] at the next public meeting on July 23rd.

[27:28] Our director of planning and engineering

[27:29] development issued the attached stop

[27:32] development order pursuant to a

[27:34] delegated authority resolution of

[27:35] council. So, here we're just

[27:38] recommending that council confirm the

[27:40] order to cease an unpermitted automated

[27:43] automotive-related business. And this

[27:45] activity is taking place at 20 Gadwall

[27:48] Place, and I so move.

[27:54] » Is there a motion required to confirm

[27:57] this order? I'm going to ask the

[27:58] legislative officer just to make sure,

[28:00] right?

[28:01] >> I think so.

[28:01] >> Because if we delegated the authority to

[28:03] the director,

[28:05] it still has to come here. Okay, just

[28:07] making sure.

[28:08] I'm going to need Councillor Fry, I

[28:10] think, to second that. And thank you for

[28:13] to both of you. Any further questions?

[28:16] Councillor Rice.

[28:18] » No, I'm glad this one is coming. This is

[28:20] happening happening quite frequently in

[28:22] the city now, and I know we got other

[28:25] areas in the city that that, you know,

[28:27] residents think they're sticking up

[28:29] right in a commercial or business out of

[28:31] their property, but that's not the case.

[28:32] I mean, we have several other areas as

[28:34] well in the city that that this is

[28:36] happening, and it's not allowed in a

[28:37] residential area. I'm glad this is

[28:39] coming through, and I drove over there

[28:41] this afternoon, and I just want to have

[28:42] a quick look, and there was five or six

[28:44] cars in the driveway in that area. So,

[28:47] something happening there and I'm I'm

[28:48] glad, you know, our inspectors and our

[28:50] municipal enforcement, whoever's doing

[28:51] the inspection on those are are

[28:53] traveling there and uh and reporting

[28:55] that back. Uh this stuff is not you

[28:57] know, if you want to operate a garage or

[28:58] something like that, you go to a proper

[29:01] location and set it up. So, uh that's

[29:03] just my view on that one.

[29:04] And I'm glad this happening. Thanks.

[29:06] >> Yep, well said. You uh live in a

[29:08] residential area, you should be able to

[29:10] enjoy living in a residential area, not

[29:12] living in a commercial area or have

[29:13] commercial activity.

[29:15] I'm going to call the question. All in

[29:16] favor? And those opposed? And that's

[29:18] carried. Thank you.

[29:22] » Uh thank you, Mayor. Uh the next item is

[29:24] the St. John's urban regional urban

[29:27] region regional plan amendment number

[29:28] 110 2025. This is an update here.

[29:31] And it's again it's for the attention

[29:33] and consideration of my members of

[29:35] council as well as the public. Um it's a

[29:37] public consultation summary regarding uh

[29:40] the St. John's urban regional plan

[29:42] amendment. No objections were received

[29:45] during the referral and consultation

[29:46] process

[29:48] of this urban regional plan uh which

[29:50] closed on August 10th of 2026. In

[29:53] summary, the city received four

[29:54] responses

[29:55] from our neighboring municipalities,

[29:57] CBS, St. John's, Bay Bulls, Portugal

[29:59] Cove, St. Philip's, and none of the

[30:00] responses raised any concerns nor

[30:03] objections regarding the proposed

[30:05] provincial amendment.

[30:07] We did, however, receive one email from

[30:08] a resident and they were seeking

[30:10] clarification

[30:12] as to how this might impact their

[30:14] individual residential property, but

[30:16] after discussing this with our staff, uh

[30:18] the resident did not express any

[30:20] objection again to this proposed

[30:22] provincial amendment.

[30:23] Now, next steps. It's a very thorough

[30:25] process as we know here trying to get

[30:27] our municipal plan uh Mount Pearl's city

[30:30] municipal plan updated. So, these are

[30:33] the required upcoming steps.

[30:36] Um we await confirmation from the

[30:38] province regarding this proposed St.

[30:40] John's urban region regional plan

[30:42] amendment. We're expecting that late

[30:44] August.

[30:45] Then we're going to resubmit a revised

[30:47] draft municipal plan and development

[30:49] regulations

[30:50] spanning 2026 to 2036. This of course is

[30:53] based on internal revisions, the outcome

[30:56] of the amendment that we just

[30:57] referenced, and response to general

[30:59] commentary and review comments from the

[31:01] province. Um so we're expecting this by

[31:04] mid-September.

[31:05] Then we're going to await section 15

[31:07] release

[31:09] for the um municipal plan development

[31:11] regulations 2026 to 2036 from the

[31:13] province. We're expecting that late

[31:15] September.

[31:17] Then we'll proceed with the adoption of

[31:19] our municipal plan development

[31:20] regulations by the by our public

[31:22] council. Again, late September, early

[31:24] October.

[31:25] Then we have to schedule and hold a

[31:27] joint public hearing. We're expecting

[31:29] that in mid-October. Then we'll await

[31:31] the public commissioner's report,

[31:33] council approval of our municipal plan

[31:35] development regulations, submit the plan

[31:38] and regulations to the province for

[31:39] ministerial register registration. We're

[31:42] expecting that in early November. Then

[31:44] we'll um

[31:45] await uh ministerial registration letter

[31:48] from the province. Again, late November,

[31:50] early December. And finally, publish the

[31:53] notice of registration in the

[31:54] Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette. And

[31:56] that's estimated at the end of December.

[31:58] This will then conclude the required

[32:00] process. And the Mount Pearl uh the new

[32:03] Mount Pearl municipal plan and

[32:04] development regulations for 2026 to 2036

[32:07] will officially come into effect on the

[32:10] date that the notice of registration is

[32:11] published in the Newfoundland and

[32:13] Labrador Gazette. So this is a very a

[32:16] fullsome and and thorough process here.

[32:19] And we are following due process. So I

[32:21] just wanted to provide that update

[32:22] there, Mayor.

[32:26] And the last uh for our report

[32:28] is the um development permit listing

[32:30] from uh June 1st to July 31st of 2026.

[32:35] And you can see that there are 11 listed

[32:37] there.

[32:38] And um we're open any questions should

[32:40] council have any questions on this.

[32:42] >> I think Councillor Antle does.

[32:45] >> Just a question and maybe uh

[32:47] we can answer this. I noticed this is

[32:48] just for our FYI,

[32:50] right? But it stated June the 1st uh to

[32:53] running through to July 20th. Is there

[32:55] any way we can have that earlier like

[32:56] instead of having

[32:58] already happened? What's going to

[32:59] happen? Is that a possibility?

[33:04] Well, no. Well, this is uh this is uh

[33:07] development permit listings that are

[33:09] happening like you know what? Open air

[33:11] assembly that happened on June the 16th.

[33:13] There were hockey tournament that

[33:14] happened over top the road. I didn't

[33:15] know that was happening. But if we had a

[33:17] known it if we have it beforehand. Is

[33:19] there any way you can have it beforehand

[33:20] like it's going to happen in September?

[33:23] No, I think things don't I'm asking

[33:25] instead of having it now as an FYI that

[33:27] already happened.

[33:28] Like is an FYI that already happened.

[33:30] I'd like to know what's going to happen.

[33:33] >> Well, I guess the only thing we could do

[33:34] is if is show permits have been approved

[33:36] right up to today I'll say to exaggerate

[33:39] the case perhaps.

[33:41] But we can't really forecast into the

[33:44] future unless you're talking about an

[33:46] activity that was approved

[33:49] that may happen in the future. But

[33:50] they're all future oriented, right?

[33:52] Because when the permit's issued it's

[33:53] about to you're about to do something.

[33:56] So, help me out here either director or

[33:59] CAO. I'm trying to answer Councillor

[34:01] Antle it would in a practical way, but

[34:04] uh

[34:05] could we get them earlier?

[34:07] Um or more up to date for lack of a

[34:09] better word. I don't mean that to be

[34:11] critical. Just asking the question.

[34:14] >> No, I mean listen. I we can certainly

[34:16] take it away. I I don't see um

[34:20] a procedural way to provide guaranteed

[34:23] advance notice of all permits issued

[34:25] because our permits are processed based

[34:27] on event date. So, or activity date. So,

[34:32] I I can't guarantee you that cuz we may

[34:34] not even be in receipt of the permit

[34:35] application 2 months out from an event

[34:38] happening. We may only be able to issue

[34:39] the permit in that appropriate time

[34:41] period. So, unfortunately, I think we

[34:43] have to take that away and give it more

[34:45] consideration as to how we can achieve

[34:46] and I know what you're asking for,

[34:48] but I I, you know, the it's a manual

[34:51] process to deliver that and so we have

[34:53] to give that more consideration.

[34:56] » Yeah, just to go back on that one. Like

[34:57] for the ball hockey tournament, that's

[34:59] one I was just noticed that was

[34:59] happening on July the 9th. You know, and

[35:02] this is a it was an FYI. Like I didn't I

[35:05] walked over it. I didn't know what was

[35:06] happening. Is there any way that we know

[35:08] if something's happening in September?

[35:10] It was going to be an FYI or October.

[35:12] Maybe it doesn't happen, but that'd be

[35:13] nice to know

[35:15] if it's going to happen. Something like

[35:17] >> That's the takeaway, I think. That's the

[35:19] one you've got to

[35:20] But I would ask this,

[35:22] um not for decision tonight, but to

[35:24] Councillor Angel's point, if the if the

[35:26] report is being prepared the Friday

[35:28] before the Tuesday, maybe the cut-off

[35:29] could be the Thursday before the council

[35:31] meeting. And the spreadsheet, which I'm

[35:33] assuming this is what this is, could be

[35:36] uh tabulated. The other issue, I think

[35:38] we're going to leave that in your hands

[35:39] until next meeting. Uh Councillor Angel,

[35:42] that work for you?

[35:46] Okay. Um that report was from Deputy

[35:48] Mayor Locker. You finished, sir?

[35:50] >> sir. Thank you.

[35:50] >> I'm going to move to round table.

[35:52] Councillor uh Rice, please.

[35:57] » No, just a couple things for me there.

[35:59] Uh I just wanted to uh

[36:01] just wanted to add about the city

[36:02] website. Uh also, there's a couple

[36:05] things I wanted to highlight actually,

[36:07] uh because a couple of people uh

[36:09] residents called me about a couple of

[36:10] things happening in the city and one of

[36:11] them was a citizen's alert about signing

[36:13] up for the citizen alert. Anything

[36:15] that's happening in the city, you get it

[36:17] through that uh

[36:19] through that, you know, process there

[36:21] because you you once you sign up and

[36:22] give your email, you'll get notification

[36:23] of it cuz a couple people mentioned to

[36:25] me that they didn't know what was

[36:26] something was happening, but if you sign

[36:27] up for that, you will get it. Also, the

[36:29] construction is notices are all up there

[36:31] as well on the city site. Very important

[36:34] because I know we got lots of

[36:35] construction happening now around the

[36:37] city. Uh you know, uh you over on uh

[36:40] you know,

[36:42] up around Farrell Drive area is a lot of

[36:44] stuff happening up in that area, so you

[36:45] know, uh same thing as well. And uh the

[36:48] other the other one I want to mention is

[36:50] the Hey Mayor Pearl uh

[36:52] Your Voice. So, you can go down that app

[36:53] and you can put actually on the Hey

[36:55] Mayor Pearl, you can actually click on

[36:57] the on the link there

[36:59] and you can go in and give your opinion

[37:00] on stuff, upcoming stuff in the city.

[37:01] So, I just want to That's it for me.

[37:03] Thank you.

[37:04] >> Yeah, citizen alerts really valuable,

[37:05] especially for service notifications or

[37:08] uh or emergencies.

[37:10] Um okay, so thank you, Councillor Race.

[37:13] Over to you, Councillor Fry.

[37:17] » Thank you, Mayor.

[37:19] There are two things I want to speak

[37:20] about tonight. The first one is

[37:22] something I think we'll all be

[37:23] interested in and that's of course,

[37:25] e-bikes and uh scooter regulations.

[37:29] As um

[37:30] as part of Municipalities Newfoundland

[37:32] and Labrador, I've been involved with

[37:34] meeting with the province and the team,

[37:37] Minister Goosney and his team there

[37:40] in terms of what how to go forward in

[37:42] terms of regulating this. Of course,

[37:44] this is all so new. It's new technology

[37:47] and we're still trying to trying to

[37:49] catch up with it.

[37:50] But, everyone agrees that regulations

[37:52] are needed for for a number of reasons.

[37:55] I mean, first of all, you've got a lot

[37:57] of young people using these. They don't

[37:59] know the rules of the road. They haven't

[38:02] applied for a permit and did a test and

[38:04] then did their driver's training and

[38:07] then had to do another test. Like, it is

[38:10] kids are kids and of course, as kids, do things that they probably

[38:14] shouldn't do. They don't have the fear,

[38:15] so we need regulations first of all to

[38:19] keep them safe.

[38:21] But, also, I know after talking to a lot

[38:23] of people over the last couple of weeks,

[38:25] especially, there are a lot of people

[38:27] who have had near misses with people on

[38:29] e-bikes and e-scooters. I know I have.

[38:32] And uh

[38:33] I can't imagine if I had hit somebody. I

[38:37] mean, I would never be the same again.

[38:39] It would You know, that's something that

[38:40] stays with you. So, we also, of course,

[38:42] need to protect the drivers as well. So,

[38:46] I think we're moving in the right

[38:47] direction. I I I'm so impressed with uh

[38:50] with Minister Goosney and his team. I

[38:52] believe they've taken this very

[38:53] seriously, and

[38:55] they've done a lot of consultations and

[38:57] a lot of research, and and that's

[38:59] including with e-bike manufacturers, and I've learned a few things about

[39:02] that, too.

[39:04] So,

[39:05] the province has now launched a public

[39:08] engagement survey, and this is focused

[39:10] on strengthening road safety, including

[39:12] the regulation and safe operations of

[39:14] e-bikes and e-scooters.

[39:16] So, I encourage people to go into that

[39:19] site

[39:20] and participate in the survey and share

[39:22] their views on how road safety can be

[39:24] improved for all users. And I do believe

[39:26] that we're going to get a lot of similar

[39:29] things, you know, like a lot of repeat

[39:31] things, but there's probably going to be

[39:33] one or two those little gems in there

[39:35] that's going to make a difference. So,

[39:37] everybody's Everybody's views are

[39:38] important there.

[39:40] And the survey can be found at

[39:41] engageNL.ca.

[39:43] And uh this stems from growing public

[39:45] discussions across the province

[39:47] regarding e-bike and e-scooter safety.

[39:49] And it includes concerns raised by

[39:51] municipalities, residents, and law

[39:53] enforcement. So, of course, the city of

[39:55] Mount Pearl will also complete a survey

[39:57] as it's open to municipalities as well

[39:59] as the general public.

[40:01] And uh I I'd strongly encourage people

[40:03] to uh to have their say. And this is new. It's kind of like when

[40:08] seatbelt regulations first came in. You

[40:11] know, nobody wanted it, but now it's

[40:13] just

[40:14] now it just keeps us all safe and it's

[40:15] just um

[40:17] a habit. So, we're at a place now where

[40:19] this is coming into play and it's

[40:22] something that people should should have

[40:24] their have their voices heard.

[40:27] So, that's one thing I wanted to talk

[40:29] about there. I don't know if anybody

[40:30] else wanted to comment.

[40:37] The other thing I wanted to talk about

[40:39] is um

[40:41] I've

[40:42] as you guys all know, I'm an animal

[40:44] lover.

[40:45] And I've had a number of residents reach

[40:46] out to me over the summer with concerns

[40:49] that our animal when when they call in,

[40:52] if they if they've captured a stray

[40:54] animal, when they call in, they're told

[40:57] that we don't collect stray animals

[41:00] if they're in custody.

[41:02] So, this got some people shaking their heads

[41:05] because I mean, if you see a stray cat,

[41:08] you're going to

[41:09] entice them somewhere,

[41:11] enclose them, and then call animal

[41:13] regulations and say, "Please come get

[41:15] this."

[41:16] But, they're being told now, "If you

[41:17] have If you have the animal,

[41:20] we're not coming to take it." So, this

[41:22] is something of concern. I just bring it

[41:24] forward because I've had a number of

[41:25] residents reach out to me on this.

[41:27] is the season when the you know,

[41:30] you've got a lot of animals roaming and

[41:34] they're we're coming into kitten season,

[41:36] and you don't want an excess of animals

[41:39] on the streets.

[41:40] Plus, you also don't want, you know, for

[41:42] the safety of the animals as well. So,

[41:44] this is something I just wanted to bring

[41:45] forward for future discussion. I just

[41:48] wanted to table it here today and and

[41:50] let residents know that this is

[41:51] something on our radar and we're going

[41:52] to revisit it.

[41:55] And that's it for me, Your Worship.

[41:56] Thank you.

[41:57] >> Yeah, I guess part of your plea is is it

[41:59] something new we're doing or not doing,

[42:01] whatever the case may be, but

[42:04] yeah, it's nice to be able to

[42:05] communicate that to residents.

[42:07] >> We used to We used to collect animals.

[42:11] Um and I believe it changed in 2019. So,

[42:14] I'm just asking that it be revisited

[42:16] because this is something, you know,

[42:17] like I said, we don't want we don't want

[42:19] animals on on the street and you've got

[42:22] all these good Samaritans who are

[42:24] collecting and are trying to save

[42:26] animals and trying to get them off the

[42:28] street. And if people won't come and if

[42:31] our if our

[42:34] bylaws say that we won't go collect

[42:36] them, what are they going to do with

[42:37] them? Put them back out on the street.

[42:39] And we don't want that. So, um I just

[42:41] wanted to bring it forward and have it

[42:43] revisited.

[42:44] Thank you.

[42:45] >> So, the direction is will staff take it

[42:47] away? I think that's what I'm sensing,

[42:49] right? That's your plea? Yeah, good

[42:50] stuff. Okay, thanks so much. Over to

[42:52] Deputy Mayor.

[42:55] >> Uh thank you, Mayor. Two quick things.

[42:56] Well, the first about the e-bikes, I

[42:57] won't go on at length because I'm uh

[43:00] Councillor Fry summarized it uh

[43:02] nicely there. I'm just delighted to see

[43:04] the province uh

[43:05] you know, taking an initiative and and reaching out seeking feedback, but

[43:10] as Councillor Fry said, I think there's going to be significant

[43:13] overlap um

[43:16] in the responses. So, I I await that. Um

[43:18] I also want to just extend the

[43:20] congratulations to the event Sunday, the

[43:22] uh

[43:23] the Sunset Market out here out front. I

[43:25] mean, people were just they were

[43:26] charmed. I got to say. Um so many people

[43:29] came and said, "What a lovely event." It

[43:30] was pop-up. Some people said, "I didn't

[43:32] know about it. I heard the music. I was

[43:33] over the tennis courts. I decided to

[43:35] drop down." The music was great.

[43:37] The um the food was great. The uh you

[43:40] know, all the vendors. So, I just want

[43:42] to extend congratulations Director

[43:44] Collins and others who were involved in

[43:45] that

[43:46] uh making that such a success. That's it

[43:48] for me, Mayor. Thank you.

[43:51] >> Thank you.

[43:52] And over to you, Councillor Antle, and

[43:54] uh let's talk about e-bikes. Go ahead.

[43:56] >> I I have a

[43:58] two things to talk about. One, I'll talk

[43:59] about e-bikes, believe it or not. I just

[44:01] filled out Engage NL.

[44:03] I have a call in to the minister. and to

[44:05] chat with the minister because I I am on

[44:07] a knee bike.

[44:09] And I'm I'm on the bike and trail every

[44:11] week every day.

[44:13] And I stopped talking to people most

[44:14] times to ask them about how they feel

[44:16] about e-bikes.

[44:17] And a lot of people do we have to

[44:18] there's distinguish between e-bikes.

[44:20] are pedal assisted e-bikes and

[44:23] e-bikes without pedals.

[44:24] And we got to make sure that we're not

[44:26] going to ban e-bikes that pedal

[44:28] assisted. I think I know minister even

[44:30] said we're not looking for a banning

[44:31] e-bikes with pedals. Pedal assisted

[44:33] bikes I mean we got to there's car what

[44:35] is two there's a big difference.

[44:37] And I won't go on about that too much.

[44:39] But you know Sunday when I went up from

[44:41] my house to CBS 90% of the bikers were

[44:44] e-bikers on the trails and they were

[44:46] following rules of the road.

[44:48] Now I'll get to my topic and I'll just

[44:50] get into that. I was up on uh

[44:52] Saint David's and I contacted a

[44:54] counselor Wednesday or Thursday last

[44:56] week with my grandchildren.

[44:58] And when I went there there was six

[45:00] youngsters and they were they were

[45:02] electric dirt bikes or whatever these

[45:04] called pedal they never had no pedals.

[45:06] And they were going across Saint David's

[45:08] field

[45:09] in the parkway and I'd say they were

[45:10] doing 40 or 50 km an hour. They were

[45:12] flying. I mean there was youngsters all

[45:14] over the field. My youngsters were

[45:15] there. My grandchildren were there.

[45:17] was other children there playing.

[45:19] We our parks and rec were playing with

[45:21] their kids. I contacted our CEO and I

[45:24] said this is terrible. I mean this is we

[45:26] have to do something. So I stopped I

[45:28] chatted with other parents while I was

[45:30] there.

[45:31] And a lot of people don't realize that

[45:33] these motor these e-bikes without motors

[45:36] are not legal here in the city of Mount

[45:38] Pearl. They can be confiscated.

[45:41] So one of our MEOs came by and I chatted

[45:43] with one of our MEOs and we talked about

[45:45] this like they can confiscate these

[45:47] bikes. I think what we have to do is let

[45:50] parents know like right up front they're

[45:52] illegal in the city of Mount Pearl and

[45:53] we can confiscate them. They're in our

[45:55] bylaws. We had them sent out today that

[45:58] our bylaw states that we can confiscate

[46:00] motorized vehicles within city of Mount

[46:02] Pearl. And e-bikes without pedals can be

[46:06] confiscated. I think what we need to do

[46:08] is put a on our website, on our

[46:10] Facebook, that we're going to start

[46:12] confiscating these bikes. Parents need

[46:14] to know they're illegal in the city of

[46:15] Mount Pearl. Somebody's going to get

[46:17] hurt. The bylaws, like Counselor Friel

[46:18] just said, the minister's working on

[46:20] something.

[46:21] But our bylaws are already in the city.

[46:23] Our MEOs can pick up a bike and

[46:26] confiscate that bike. Now, as regards to

[46:29] scooters, I don't know how the scooters

[46:30] work. But the scooters are just as

[46:32] dangerous as If they don't have pedals,

[46:34] someone's going to get hurt on these

[46:36] bikes. But right now, we already have

[46:37] the bylaws in our city that we can

[46:39] confiscate the bikes. I think what we

[46:41] need to do is put out a some kind of

[46:43] notification within the next 30 days or

[46:45] next 2 weeks, we're going to start

[46:46] confiscating. And I think that will stop

[46:48] people from using Parents don't know

[46:50] that they're illegal.

[46:52] Yeah. I was up in Costco

[46:54] a couple of days ago. They're selling

[46:56] scooters now for I won't say the price,

[46:58] but they're selling People are buying

[46:59] them all over the place. Parents need to

[47:01] know they're illegal in the city of

[47:02] Mount Pearl. And however we do that, we

[47:04] can put a sign on the beginning of We

[47:06] have signs all the times.

[47:08] Yeah.

[47:09] And And you know, that's uh

[47:11] me on e-bikes. So, anybody else?

[47:12] >> passionate. You're a bit of a cyclist

[47:14] from what I understand.

[47:14] >> I'm on the e-bike. I talked to lots of

[47:16] people in the city, right? You know, my

[47:18] age around the e-bikes, and I contacted

[47:20] I put on the Engage NL, and I put a sign

[47:22] my name, and I said you can give me a

[47:23] call. I talked to e-bikes. You can go

[47:25] down on the trail, and I just rode my

[47:27] bike across the walk, and I talked to

[47:29] people on the e-bikes.

[47:30] And I stress that. I think any of us are

[47:32] looking We don't want to ban e-bikes.

[47:35] Pedal-assisted e-bikes are what are

[47:36] safe. It's the speed and these motorized

[47:40] dirt bikes have to be banned. And we

[47:42] have the laws in place to confiscate

[47:43] them.

[47:45] And that's my rant on that one.

[47:46] >> Unfortunately, we don't Well, it depends

[47:48] on the classification. Electric dirt

[47:50] bikes, these little guys that go, you

[47:52] know what I mean? Like like the old

[47:53] Yammie, remember the old Yammies? They

[47:55] are classified as off-road vehicles in

[47:57] the city of Mount Pearl and they are

[47:59] enforceable. Right now e-bikes with

[48:01] pedals and e-scooters are permitted

[48:03] within the city because to see a sign

[48:06] doesn't always define what the

[48:07] regulation is and the regulations don't

[48:09] necessarily back that up and we're

[48:11] trying to coordinate with the province

[48:14] and

[48:15] I got the CAO and I saw the corner of my

[48:17] eye Deputy Mayor Lock. Can you expand on

[48:19] that as I know we had some notes done up

[48:22] and but Councillor is right, speed is

[48:24] the issue. I'm not sure I agree with him

[48:26] on the pedal assist bikes but e-scooters

[48:28] and e-bikes it's free range

[48:30] unfortunately. Is that a fair statement

[48:33] unless we ban them specifically just

[48:34] from our infrastructure?

[48:39] » Um listen, no doubt that this is a topic

[48:42] of interest particularly with the news

[48:44] as of late. So the city is working on a

[48:47] submission

[48:49] outlining many of the concerns raised

[48:51] here today but Mayor is right. It's very

[48:53] clear legislatively in our own

[48:54] regulations around e-bikes without

[48:57] pedals because they don't have to propel

[48:59] they cannot operate on a propel assist.

[49:02] So we do have regulations support that

[49:04] we do not have the support of

[49:05] regulations for e-scooters or e-bikes

[49:08] and so at this point in time

[49:11] any enforcement is limited in terms of

[49:14] what we can do as a municipality so we

[49:17] have to work with the province. We have

[49:18] to govern

[49:20] we have to work from a governance and

[49:21] advocacy perspective to find a path

[49:24] forward on that. So we're doing what we

[49:27] can. We are enforcing the regulations

[49:29] that are within our control. So for

[49:31] example helmets helmets are required

[49:34] under our current regulations and our

[49:36] municipal enforcement team have been

[49:38] enforcing helmet

[49:41] regulations and requirements more so and Director Collins has given this

[49:46] direction to his team

[49:47] to ensure that we are stopping we are

[49:49] working with youth

[49:51] for e-bikes e-dirt bikes, sorry. and It

[49:55] is all very complicated, but for e-dirt

[49:57] bikes, we are

[49:59] we have given the direction to our

[50:00] enforcement team to confiscate where

[50:02] appropriate, and if you're operating

[50:04] outside of that to call a parent and

[50:06] ensure the parent comes to collect the

[50:07] bike in those times. So, the challenge,

[50:11] you know, the challenge is around

[50:12] enforcement of e-scooters and and

[50:14] e-bikes that have

[50:16] um

[50:17] pedal pedals with them because our

[50:20] ability to enforce is limited. However,

[50:22] we are working more on an awareness

[50:24] angle right now, and we're we're going

[50:25] to work with the province to support

[50:28] better legislation that we can better

[50:30] enforce.

[50:32] >> I'm going to save you for last,

[50:33] Councillor Rental, because you started a

[50:34] great conversation, but I think we've

[50:36] got two colleagues that want to speak,

[50:37] and maybe more for all I know, but I'm

[50:39] going to go to Deputy Mayor Lock and

[50:40] then Councillor Fry.

[50:42] >> Uh thank you, Mayor. I just further to

[50:43] what Councillor Rental was saying, I I

[50:45] mean, he's dead on the money here,

[50:47] but I think we got to get into the

[50:48] semantics because we're using the term

[50:51] e-bikes, but and I think that's where

[50:53] the confusion comes, Councillor Rental.

[50:55] It's it's the e-motorcycle

[50:58] that we're we're concerned about because

[50:59] I know

[51:00] I mean, I was reading here today some

[51:02] information that was sent to us about

[51:04] micro-mobility devices.

[51:06] And then the examples that were given

[51:08] here, e-bikes, pedal-assist bikes,

[51:12] e-scooters, electric skateboards, and

[51:13] Segways.

[51:15] But to me, what distinguishes an e-bike

[51:17] from a pedal-assist bike? In my mind,

[51:19] they're the same. It's the e-motorcycles

[51:22] is what we're

[51:23] I think what what you're referring to

[51:25] here, right? But

[51:27] or electric dirt bike, right? But, you

[51:29] know, a bicycle a

[51:31] The pedal-assist is what we permit. As

[51:33] long as you got pedals that you can

[51:34] propel with your feet,

[51:36] that's what's permissible.

[51:39] Of course, and I said that a couple of

[51:41] weeks ago, that I'm on the trail

[51:43] sometimes, and people on

[51:45] you know, you know, mountain bikes that

[51:47] aren't e electric, they're exceeding the

[51:50] speeds on our trails. So, you know, but

[51:53] we need to we and I'm sure the province

[51:54] is going to do this, they need to

[51:56] clarify to your point, Councillor

[51:58] Randell, so that parents know what's

[52:00] legal, what's not.

[52:02] legal in the city of Mount

[52:03] Pearl. Thank you, Mayor.

[52:05] Councillor Fry. And Councillor Racey,

[52:07] are you next in the queue or you want to

[52:08] wait? You going to You're going to pass

[52:10] for now. I think it's all being

[52:11] discussed. Councillor Fry and then

[52:13] Councillor Randell.

[52:16] >> I just wanted to add because there was

[52:17] one thing that I I learned this week.

[52:20] These uh scooters, you know, the ones

[52:22] that kids have, they come in factory uh

[52:25] from the factory at set at 30 km/h.

[52:28] That's what is recommended, 30 km/h.

[52:30] But apparently, there's a way you can, I

[52:33] don't know, YouTube it or something and

[52:35] this is what kids are doing. There's a

[52:36] way to override that 30 km/h. So, now

[52:40] you've got these scooters that should be

[52:43] going 30 km/h and they're going much, faster. So, that's one of the

[52:48] things that we need to

[52:50] keep in mind, too, when you're talking

[52:52] about speeds and and e-scooters. Like,

[52:54] there's You've got the ones from the

[52:55] factory that are 30 km and then others

[52:59] that can go much faster.

[53:01] Uh I also wanted just to to I think

[53:04] uh CAO Rideout hit the ball hit the nail

[53:06] right on the head because in terms of

[53:09] regulation, we need provincial

[53:11] regulation. We need to keep it

[53:12] consistent across across the province

[53:14] across municipal boundaries. And by

[53:17] having provincial regulation, that will

[53:19] help in terms of enforcement and giving

[53:22] more more clout to enforcement. And uh

[53:25] that's all I just wanted to say. I just

[53:26] I was fascinated about the I was down at

[53:28] the e-bike shop and they have what they

[53:31] call moto bikes or something and they

[53:34] look really amazing. There was one there

[53:36] like $20,000.

[53:38] But it is I mean, there's the technology

[53:39] is there and one of something else that

[53:41] he said that I found was interesting,

[53:43] too. He said, "This is new here, but

[53:46] people tourist come and they want to

[53:48] rent these bikes because they've they're

[53:50] so used to having them in other parts of

[53:52] Canada that when they come, they know

[53:54] how to use them and that's that's their

[53:56] mode of transportation. So, we're just a

[53:59] little bit uh I guess a little bit later

[54:02] getting it here, but it's like the

[54:03] Cabbage Patch effect, you know, one kid

[54:05] gets it, everybody else wants one,

[54:06] right?

[54:07] >> Now, you're dating yourself.

[54:08] >> Yeah.

[54:10] >> Coun. Tilley,

[54:11] you stared at this.

[54:12] >> How do you want to finish, sir?

[54:13] >> Just on a high note. I talked to some

[54:16] kids that use scooters and I thought

[54:18] this was fabulous. Couple of scooters,

[54:20] like you can leave my house for any

[54:21] Mount Pearl now and you can take these

[54:23] scooters and that's what they're

[54:24] planning to do, go right to university,

[54:27] 10 km from Mount Pearl, 10 km on our

[54:29] trails and it's nice trails and they can

[54:31] take the scooters, put them in their

[54:32] backpack and put them in the locker. So,

[54:34] it's ideal for university students.

[54:36] There is a way we can keep these

[54:37] scooters and work with these. Like the

[54:39] mayor said, speed is the key. 20 km on

[54:42] our trails, that's it. If you do 20 km,

[54:44] with something director Collins, we both

[54:46] have e-bikes and you know, we do speed

[54:47] them at 20 km. It's no problem. I have

[54:50] an e-bike, my son has a regular bike, I

[54:52] cannot keep up with him. I have an

[54:54] e-bike, my bike tops out at 28 km, it

[54:56] won't go any faster in life.

[54:58] I can't keep up with Ryan. This is just

[55:00] impossible. It's just So, it's it's

[55:02] speed. Any other I'll go on and that's

[55:03] it. So, we can go on that. My last one

[55:05] is really uh it's good news.

[55:07] And I think we need to send out a letter

[55:09] congratulations to Read Music.

[55:11] Junior and Junior Reed are celebrating

[55:13] 35 years of successful business here in

[55:16] the city of Mount Pearl.

[55:17] Junior and Junior started our business

[55:19] off here on number three Commonwealth

[55:21] Avenue, all right? And one they had one

[55:23] little

[55:24] office there off Amulree Electric.

[55:26] That's where he started, a little tiny

[55:27] office. It was just They had a couple of

[55:29] guitars and a piano and they started off

[55:31] 35 years ago.

[55:33] And now you look at them, they're over

[55:34] on Topsail Road, they have the I think

[55:35] the top floor, they have classes. They

[55:38] have

[55:40] I've taught so many people how to play

[55:41] music here in City Mount Pearl.

[55:44] If any time we want any kind of

[55:45] donation, you call Junior and Janior and

[55:48] they're there right away. So, for 35

[55:50] years successful business here in City

[55:51] Mount Pearl, congratulations from

[55:53] almost, I'm sure, and a nice letter from

[55:54] the City Mount Pearl would be nice.

[55:56] And uh maybe we can drop over and uh

[55:59] drop it off to him. And that's

[56:00] everything from me, Your Worship. Thank

[56:01] you.

[56:02] >> Consider it done. I'm going to finish

[56:03] with a few thank yous. Thank you to

[56:05] Carrie Hotter in our community city

[56:07] communications for putting together all

[56:08] these great e-bike and e-scooter and

[56:11] e-messaging

[56:14] uh for the city. Thank you very much uh

[56:15] Carrie. Uh thank you to council and

[56:17] staff for um Mount Pearl putting the

[56:19] initiative in through MNL to uh put a

[56:22] resolution on the table so that

[56:24] Councillor Fry, who's the vice president

[56:26] of MNL and is also, I think, head of

[56:28] advocacy,

[56:29] uh could meet with Minister Goosney

[56:31] along with her colleagues at MNL. Um but

[56:33] I can also give you an update. I think

[56:35] the minister is very confident in the

[56:38] process and it's going to be very

[56:39] thorough, but there are timelines. And

[56:42] he, I believe, mentioned to me yesterday

[56:44] that they're hoping to bring in some

[56:46] legislation the fall. They're they're

[56:48] not dithering cuz he's not just hearing

[56:50] it, say, from the City of Mount Pearl. I

[56:53] think all quarters are are speaking to

[56:55] it.

[56:56] Um

[56:56] and I think CAO, we talked about

[56:59] setting up a meeting with Minister

[57:00] Goosney just to follow up our

[57:01] engagement. I believe we would have no

[57:04] trouble getting Councillor Antle to go.

[57:06] Yeah. So.

[57:07] With that in mind, uh

[57:09] thank you everybody for your attention,

[57:11] your discussion of the issues, and

[57:13] giving up um the evening of your Tuesday, which is

[57:16] a quite evening outdoors, and I'm going

[57:17] to now call for a motion, please, to

[57:20] adjourn the meeting. Moved by Councillor

[57:21] Fry, seconded by Councillor Rice.

Regular Public Council Meeting

Transcript