[0:17] Hi everybody and welcome to our council
meeting. We're getting through. It's the
[0:21] middle of August. The weather is great
and council you see before you
[0:26] an agenda and I don't see anything out
of the kid. Although I do some see some
[0:29] messaging about e-bikes and e-scooters.
Should be a good conversation hopefully
[0:32] tonight. So to adopt the agenda I need a
motion and moved by Councillor Fry.
[0:36] Thank you and seconded by Councillor
Deputy Mayor Lock. All in favor? Those
[0:40] opposed? And that's carried. Um
in recognition of the city of Mount
[0:46] Pearl's commitment to foster respectful
and collaborative relationships with
[0:49] indigenous peoples here in the city of
Mount Pearl and beyond.
[0:53] We hereby acknowledge that the land on
which we gather is the ancestral and
[0:57] unceded territory of the Beothuk and the
Mi'kmaq. Mount Pearl and the broader
[1:01] metro region continue to be home to
diverse indigenous peoples including
[1:07] First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
[1:12] Once said a minute's there an action
report from July 26th before we discuss
[1:17] any business arising council need your
approval for these minutes. So any
[1:22] errors or omissions?
[1:25] All good?
Everybody good?
[1:28] All right. Calling for motion moved by
Councillor Rice and seconded by
[1:31] Councillor Antle that we approve those
minutes. All in favor?
[1:34] And opposed? And that's carried.
Business arising please quote the number
[1:39] in the minutes or the action report.
[1:45] No business arising tonight. There is no
proclamations. There's no presentations
[1:50] or correspondence but we do have
corporate services
[1:54] and I believe taking the lead there will
be Councillor Antle. You're yours.
[1:58] » Thank you, Your Worship. And now we have
to pay our bills. We have a lot of work
[2:01] to do in the city.
And the first one is our payment
[2:04] register for August 18th,
2026. And for the payment register for
[2:10] July 1st to the 31st, 2026 for the for a
total of 4,572,818.56.
[2:18] And the purchase card report from May
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
the
[2:33] uh
items to pay, there's a few large ones
[2:38] there, one in particular for Dexter
Construction for $797,000.
[2:42] That's up there on Jackman Drive.
And there's three different to the city
[2:45] of St. John's for our regional services,
and they total for $700,000 or
[2:49] thereabouts. And you can see in your
kit, and they're all good, and I so
[2:53] move.
>> It is moved by Councillor Antle and
[2:56] seconded by Deputy Mayor Lock. Any
questions?
[3:01] Hearing none, I'll call for approval of
the payment register and purchase card
[3:04] report. All in favor? Contra-minded?
Thank you. Carried.
[3:09] » And number two has to do with
professional development. And you know,
[3:13] with professional development, I guess I
stated there last uh 2 weeks ago, it's
[3:17] so good for us to be able to travel
around to different parts of the country
[3:19] to see what other communities are doing,
what other councilors are doing.
[3:23] And this one has to do with economic
development, and that's for myself. And
[3:26] the Economic Development Association
this year is going to be held in Moncton
[3:30] from September the 14th to the 7th from
September 14th to 7th, 2026. And I so
[3:36] move.
>> Thank you for the motions, Councillor
[3:39] Antle and Deputy Mayor Lock. This is in
accordance with policy, and even though
[3:42] it's not routine, it does come It is
routine, but it does come to this table
[3:45] for approval.
All in favor?
[3:48] And those opposed? And that's carried,
thanks.
[3:53] » And our next professional development,
this is really good to see. It's for
[3:57] Deputy Mayor Locke for the Atlantic
Planners Institute and this is held in
[4:01] PEI and it's really good to get together
with other planners and I'm sure our
[4:05] planners will learn this is a great
conference to take an effect and it
[4:08] starts from October 7th to the 9th, 2026
and I so move.
[4:14] » Again, moved by Councillor Antle,
seconded by the Deputy Mayor. All in
[4:17] favor?
Opposed? Nets carried as well.
[4:22] » And uh number four is a professional
development request. This is for Mayor,
[4:27] Deputy Mayor and all counselors, I would
think. Well, no, I'm sorry, it's for
[4:31] Counselors Fry and Antle and this is for
MNL here in St. John's. All right, and
[4:35] this is a great conference on November
5th to the 7th and we're very lucky to
[4:39] have the uh Vice President of MNL here
in our chambers as well as Councillor
[4:43] Fry. This is a great uh
opportunity for us to
[4:48] to chat with other counselors and this
goes from November 5th to the 7th and I
[4:53] so move.
>> Again, moved by Councillor Antle,
[4:56] seconded by Deputy Mayor for these four
members of our council to go to MNL in
[5:01] the fall. All in favor?
Opposed? Carried, thanks.
[5:10] » And another professional development
request for our CAO, Cassie Rideout, to
[5:14] attend the same conference, MNL here in
St. John's and I so move.
[5:19] » Moved and seconded. All in favor?
Opposed? Thank you, carried.
[5:25] » And number six is another professional
development training and again, it's a
[5:28] fabulous to see. It's for our Director,
Jason Collins, to handle a
[5:33] recreation and community safety event at
Sombra 2026
[5:37] in Shediac, New Brunswick from September
the 8th to the 11th and I so move.
[5:43] » Again, moved by Councillor Antle,
seconded by Deputy Mayor Locke. All in
[5:46] favor?
Opposed? Again, carried, thank you.
[5:50] That's everything for corporate
services, your worship. Thank you.
[5:53] Going to move on to the public works
report, and that is Councillor Fry,
[5:57] please.
>> Thank you, your worship.
[6:01] Our report this evening is just for
information purposes, just to give
[6:05] everybody an update on what our crews
have been doing cuz they're very, very
[6:08] busy and they work very hard.
Our roads division, the repairs on
[6:12] maintenance holes, catch basins, curbs,
sidewalks, lawn, and and asphalt
[6:17] continues.
And street sweeping is ongoing. For our
[6:22] parks division, there's of course
maintenance on our our sports fields,
[6:25] that continues. Our flower plant
planters and baskets have been installed
[6:30] and they look amazing, too, by the way.
Uh our commemorative bench installations
[6:35] and required maintenance, providing
ground maintenance for summer
[6:39] tournaments, and that's busy this
summer.
[6:42] Grass cutting throughout the city is
ongoing, providing support throughout
[6:45] the summer for community events, court
resurfacing projects are underway and I
[6:50] think people have seen those on social
media, they're doing a great job there.
[6:54] And playground structures for Farrell
Drive and Branscombe Pond have arrived
[6:59] and the installation will start uh soon
in late summer.
[7:03] Our fleet division is ongoing uh ongoing
service and maintenance, and our UTM
[7:08] division of course have their general
calls, their water and sewer repairs,
[7:12] leak detection, which is always
important, fire hydrant inspection and
[7:16] maintenance are ongoing, the water main
valve servicing and exercising, the lift
[7:21] station inspections and maintenance,
catch basin and storm sewer cleaning,
[7:26] and as always, you can see in your kit
here the water levels of Bable's Big
[7:30] Pond as of August the 10th, taken a
little bit of a dip, but still quite
[7:35] healthy.
And that's it for our report, your
[7:37] worship.
Thank Thank very much. Now we're going
[7:40] to turn to recreation and in the absence
of the Deputy Mayor Kylie, I should say,
[7:47] who is on a leave of absence and without
Councillor Lane, I'm going to turn to
[7:51] Councillor Fry and Councillor Rice.
[7:56] » Always happy to talk about our
recreation department.
[8:00] Okay, so we have a request for milestone
funding for an event for Ladies
[8:05] Auxiliary Knights of Columbus for their
50th anniversary and they're planning on
[8:09] having an anniversary dinner.
Be it resolved that the requested
[8:14] funding of $3,500 through milestone
event funding be released to the Ladies
[8:19] Auxiliary Knights of Columbus once all
receipts have been submitted for their
[8:23] 50th anniversary celebration dinner on
October the 24th.
[8:28] So, the Ladies Auxiliary submitted a
request advising that they will hold a
[8:32] dinner to celebrate the past and present
of the Ladies Auxiliary,
[8:37] which was founded in 1976 as a church
ministry.
[8:42] The ministry involved volunteering with
church functions, supporting food banks,
[8:46] and providing assistance to the Knights
of Columbus with all their events.
[8:50] The Ladies Auxiliary Knights of Columbus
is a long-standing and valued community
[8:54] organization with a significant history
of contributions within the City of
[8:59] Mount Pearl.
So, therefore, the committee recommends
[9:03] approval to provide the Ladies Auxiliary
Knights of Columbus with written
[9:07] confirmation
of the requested $3,500 for their 50th
[9:12] anniversary celebration dinner on
October the 24th, 2026.
[9:16] And furthermore, it is recommended that
the funds approved by council, $3,500,
[9:21] be released once all receipts have been
submitted, ensuring the cost of the
[9:25] event is or exceed the requested amount.
And I so move.
[9:31] » Thank you. Moved by Councillor Fry,
seconded by Councillor Rice. Any
[9:34] comments?
Coming out of policy overdue, Councillor
[9:37] Anstey.
>> Just a quick question. I'm a member of
[9:40] Knights of Columbus. Am I in a conflict
on this, Your Worship? Thank you.
[9:43] » Only
if you are on the executive of the
[9:45] ladies auxiliary.
>> I'm not, so I guess I'm good. Thank you.
[9:51] » Further?
Call the question then. All in favor?
[9:54] And those who are opposed?
None? Thank you. Carried.
[9:58] » Finally, for the recreation department,
is just some information notes here.
[10:04] Information for the for the attention
and consideration of council and the
[10:08] public.
Registration for swim lessons, the Mount
[10:11] Pearl Seniors Independence Group fitness
programs, general recreation programs,
[10:16] as well as the time and care programs
will open on the following dates.
[10:20] The Mount Pearl Seniors Independence
Group fitness programs for Mount Pearl
[10:24] residents is August 25th at 1:00 p.m.
And for non-residents, August 27th at
[10:30] 1:00 p.m.
The general fitness programs, now of
[10:34] course, proof of residency residency is
required for resident registration.
[10:38] Mount Pearl residents will register for
general fitness programs on August the
[10:42] 25th at 5:00 p.m. and non-residents,
August 27th at 5:00 p.m.
[10:48] The time program, and this program
requires a referral before participants
[10:53] can register. For Mount Pearl residents,
it's August 25th at 5:00 p.m. and
[10:58] non-residents, August 27th at 5:00 p.m.
And our care program, this program also
[11:05] requires a referral before participants
can register.
[11:09] Again, Mount Pearl residents will
register on August 25th at 5:00 p.m. and
[11:13] non-residents, August 27th at 5:00 p.m.
And swim lessons registration, of
[11:19] course, this one's always popular.
And proof of residency is required for
[11:24] resident registration here as well.
Mount Pearl residents will register for
[11:29] this one on August the 31st at 5:00 p.m.
and non-residents September the 2nd at
[11:35] 5:00 p.m.
As I mentioned, residents are required
[11:38] to provide a valid proof of residency
prior to the registration date and
[11:43] participants are encouraged to register
early as programs program spaces are
[11:47] limited and may fill up quickly.
So, for more information, please visit
[11:51] the city of Mount Pearl website. And
that's it for this report, Your Worship.
[11:56] Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. Nothing for
[11:59] community safety, this meeting,
engineering, Councillor Rice.
[12:05] » Thank you, Your Worship. Our first one
in our
[12:07] our kit here tonight is a uh
is a contract award for electrical
[12:12] maintenance services, which is our
TP-26-017.
[12:17] So, uh the council uh approval is
requested to award the contract for
[12:22] electrical services. This approval will
allow the city to engage in preferred
[12:26] proponent
to complete electrical maintenance and
[12:29] services throughout the city.
The tender for the electrical
[12:32] maintenance services TP-26-017
closed on July the 27th, 2026
[12:38] and four bids were received. The lowest
qualified bidder was Pro Circuit
[12:42] Electrical Incorporated for the bid
amount of $129,375
[12:47] HST included.
So, this contract is for an initial
[12:51] period of 3 years from September the
1st, 2026
[12:55] until August the 31st, 2029.
The city reserves the right to extend
[13:00] the contract by increments of 1 year for
a period of up to
[13:04] not more than 2 years upon the same
terms and conditions provided both
[13:08] parties agree.
So, planning, engineering, and
[13:10] development recommends that the contract
for electrical maintenance services
[13:14] TP-26-017
be awarded to the lowest qualified
[13:17] bidder
Pro Circuit Electrical Incorporated for
[13:20] the bid amount of $129,375
HST included for the period of September
[13:26] the 1st, 2026 to August the 31st, 2029
with the right to extend the contract by
[13:32] increments of 1 year period for the
period of the not more than 2 years, and
[13:36] I so move.
>> Move by Councillor Rice and seconded by
[13:39] Councillor Antle. Any questions?
3 to 5 years. It's like a sentence.
[13:45] But it's a tender.
All in favor.
[13:47] Those opposed.
Thank you, sir. It's carried. Over to
[13:50] you for plumbing.
>> Thank you. Our second one is our
[13:54] contract award for a plum plumbing
maintenance services TP-26-018.
[14:00] So, this one council approval is also a
contract
[14:04] required or requested for the plumbing
maintenance services. This approval will
[14:08] allow the city to engage in preferred
performance to complete the plumbing
[14:12] plumbing maintenance and services
throughout the city.
[14:16] Uh so, the background this one is the
tender for plumbing maintenance services
[14:20] TP-26-018
[14:23] closed on July the 28th, 2026, and one
bid was received. The lowest qualified
[14:28] bidder was King's Plumbing and Heating
Limited
[14:31] for a bid amount of $60,375,
HST included.
[14:36] Uh this contract is for initial period
of 3 years from September the 1st, 2026
[14:42] to August 31st, 2029. The city reserved
the right to extend the contract by
[14:47] increments of 1 year for period of up to
not more
[14:51] to no more than 2 years upon the same
terms and conditions provided both
[14:55] parties agree.
So, the planning engineering development
[14:59] recommends
that the contract for plumbing
[15:01] maintenance services TB-26-018
be awarded to the lowest qualified
[15:06] bidder
King's Plumbing and Heating Limited for
[15:09] the bid amount of $60,375,
HST included for the period of September
[15:15] the 1st, 2026 until August the 31st,
2029 with the right to extend the
[15:21] contract by increments of 1 year for a
period of not more than 2 years and I
[15:26] shall move.
>> Moved again by Council Rice, seconded.
[15:29] Thank you by Council Antle. All in
favor?
[15:31] » Aye.
>> Those opposed?
[15:33] Seeing no cut hands up and that's
approved.
[15:42] » Our third one is our adoption of the
National Building Code 2025 part nine,
[15:48] the energy efficient requirements.
Just a little background on this one.
[15:53] The province of Newfoundland and
Labrador has adopted the 2025 National
[15:56] Building Code. However, municipalities
retain authority to adopt part nine
[16:01] residential energy efficiency
requirements
[16:05] and determine the applicant energy
performance tier one
[16:09] tier for one and two
family dwelling units. Council must
[16:15] therefore determine whether the adoption
section 9.36, which is the energy
[16:19] efficiency and establish an
implementation approach for the city of
[16:24] Mount Pearl.
So background on this one. The 2025
[16:28] Building Code and National Fire Code
came into
[16:31] force in Newfoundland and Labrador on
July the 12th, 2026.
[16:35] While the province adopts most
provisions of the National Building Code
[16:39] part nine residential require
part nine residential requirements
[16:44] related to one and two family dwellings
remain subject to municipality
[16:49] adoptions. As a result, municipalities
must independently determine whether the
[16:54] adoption section 9.36
energy efficiency efficiency and
[17:00] establish the applicant applicable
minimum
[17:05] compliance tier. So section 9.36
introduced a five-tier residential
[17:12] energy efficiency framework ranging from
tier one, which is the base compliance,
[17:17] to tier five, which is the net zero
energy ready.
[17:21] Uh so, the city of Mount Pearl, just a
second, I'll just get down to the bottom
[17:25] here. The committee recommends that the
council adopt National Building Code
[17:30] 2025 part nine, including section 3.3
9.36,
[17:36] and the energy efficiency for one and
two family dwellings within city of
[17:40] Mount Pearl, and establish tier two as
the initial mandatory compliance
[17:45] standard.
Staff further further recommended
[17:49] uh that council consider a future review
of tier tier three
[17:55] implementation once municipal processes,
industry readiness, and staff capacity
[18:01] have been established. Tier four and
tier five are not recommended at this
[18:05] time, and I so move.
>> Again, moved by Councillor Rice,
[18:09] seconded by Councillor Antle.
Come to you, Councillor Deputy Mayor
[18:13] Lock.
>> Uh thank you, Mayor.
[18:15] » Thank you, Councillor Rice.
>> You know, just just for clarity here, I
[18:18] know Councillor Rice indicated that
there's up to tier five tiers in this
[18:22] particular uh part nine of the National
Building Code, and it seems that we're
[18:26] only achieving
tier two of a possible five. And the
[18:31] rationale for that, of course, is um I
mean, this will be mandatory
[18:34] requirements if if and council discussed
this at large with with staff and based
[18:38] on staff recommendations.
If we were to adopt mandatory tier five,
[18:43] that would that would increase the cost
of housing tremendously. That it
[18:47] wouldn't be it wouldn't be viable. So,
um we figured the most prudent thing to
[18:52] do was tier up to tier two, which is
still energy efficient. I don't want to
[18:56] get the I don't want the message out
there that Mount Pearl is sort of
[18:59] reneging on energy efficiency and
climate initiatives, because we are not.
[19:03] Uh so, we recognize, in consultation,
you know, with the the builders, that uh
[19:08] most of the tier two requirements are
already being undertaken. So, by making
[19:14] that mandatory in the city of Mount
Pearl, we're not causing any undue
[19:17] hardship or any increased costs on
potential home buyers. With that said,
[19:21] we have committed to review the
requirements for tier three in
[19:25] consultation with the builders and the
experts in the field and our staff and
[19:30] maybe we can move to adopt that in the
years to come. So, I just want to make
[19:32] that point of a clarification there,
Mayor. Thank you.
[19:35] » Yeah, what's the staff? Director Bett,
are we one of the first to do this and
[19:40] uh
how far ahead of everybody else are we?
[19:43] Um I think it's a good thing as
Councillor Deputy Mayor Locke is saying,
[19:46] but uh
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
first, but there's conversation around
[19:56] municipalities on Northeast Avalon.
Um what approaches are being taken. Um
[20:02] at a staff level, we've been
coordinating back and forth on where we
[20:06] believe is the appropriate path. Uh
that's been communicated to the other
[20:10] municipalities as well. But, as
Councillor Locke said, uh tier two is
[20:16] uh
not far off from what we're already
[20:19] achieving with most modern homes. So,
that's a good place to start with, you
[20:24] know, ambition to move forward uh as we
understand the process more.
[20:29] » Would this apply to uh renovations or is
it just new builds? How does that
[20:35] carry itself through the processes?
>> It is primarily new builds. Renovation
[20:40] would have to classify for a certain
area to be renovated in order to comply.
[20:45] Otherwise, it would be I'd say
grandfathered under prior building
[20:49] codes.
>> Uh no, Councillor Angel, and then you,
[20:53] Deputy Mayor. Sorry about that. No
worries.
[20:56] » Uh just a quick question. I know this
comes in effect in the province July the
[21:00] 12th. When is it effective for the city
of Mount Pearl and does the builders get
[21:04] some
a notification? Thank you.
[21:09] » Yeah.
>> so after it's been adopted tonight, it
[21:12] would be into effect. However, we
wouldn't we would give a grace period
[21:15] and a notification period to developers
and contractors before we roll it out
[21:20] officially. Um I'm expecting probably
late fall to make it uh a mandatory
[21:25] compliance criteria. It'll give us some
time to get our forms and policies in
[21:29] order uh to check to make sure this is
being achieved.
[21:35] » Uh thank you, Director. Uh just for the
question, Mayor, based on on your
[21:39] question earlier, I know we we give out
grants for people to upgrade, put in
[21:43] subsidiary basement apartments. And I
I'm just thinking back to past years, if
[21:48] people wanted to if they had their
apartment deregistered and then wanted
[21:53] to register it again, they'd have to
upgrade it to existing standards.
[21:58] So, would that apply to the funding that
we're giving, the grants that we've been
[22:01] giving out
under the Housing Accelerator Fund, they
[22:05] would have to meet this
this new building code or this this
[22:09] national building standard here?
>> Or is that just egress?
[22:15] » I believe they would have to meet that
as well, but it's not an onerous
[22:19] standard to meet. Tier two is is fairly
basic with most modern homes.
[22:26] » Further thoughts, anybody or everybody?
Hearing none, I'll call the question.
[22:30] Then, all in favor?
Opposed? And we've adopted it. Thank
[22:34] you.
[22:37] » Thank you. Our next one is I want to
give an update on our capital work
[22:41] capital work projects that's happening
around the city.
[22:44] Uh so, this is just for information
purposes only. So, Farrell Drive
[22:47] pumphouse upgrades construction is
ongoing on that project is around 80%
[22:51] complete.
Our 2025 concrete works
[22:55] uh construction is around 99% complete.
Uh work is ongoing. Our White Boulevard
[23:00] upgrades construction is 85% complete on
that project and work is ongoing up on
[23:05] that project. Our sewage lift station,
which is on Mount Carson Avenue,
[23:09] construction is ongoing on that one.
That one is around 99% complete. Jackman
[23:14] Drive upgrades, if you've been over in
that area, you can certainly see that
[23:17] they're moving along with that project
and that one is around 80% complete. Uh
[23:21] work is ongoing. Uh our water tower
access road construction is 85% complete
[23:28] and work is ongoing on that project. Our
water storage tank, which is our design
[23:32] build construction, is 64% complete.
Work is ongoing on that project as we
[23:37] speak. Our Trailway Crossing
Commonwealth Avenue construction is 85%
[23:41] complete. Work ongoing and hopefully
have that open up in the next couple of
[23:44] weeks. Our 2026 our 2028 street markings
is 85% complete. Work is ongoing on that
[23:52] project as well. And our 2026 asphalt
services uh work is expected to start in
[23:58] August of 20 26. That's it for that one
project. That's the end of the report.
[24:03] » a question.
Councilor Rice, yeah.
[24:06] » Just a quick question. I'm sorry because
I get this I I get this question almost
[24:10] daily and you know what I'm going to
ask. I think Councilor Rice said it
[24:13] though. The Trailway Crossing, is it 85%
complete? You said in a couple of weeks,
[24:19] so we we think we'll have it done before
September 1st. All right. I know it's
[24:23] almost there. I I stopped doing some
electrical work the other day, so I'm
[24:27] looking forward to see that done. But
people do ask cuz one or two people
[24:30] watch.
I want to know what to ask that
[24:33] question. Thank you.
>> Is that a question or just commentary?
[24:39] » I have a question, but go you go first,
Councilor Rice, unless you're continuing
[24:42] your report.
[24:46] » I can go back to you. Does it matter?
No, I I just wanted to add to that one
[24:48] that we had some work there that Lake
and Power had to do down in that area
[24:52] for uh
because there are two uh poles that are
[24:55] going to go
that's going to carry the uh I guess the
[24:58] sign is out over the street there. We're
too close to the wires, but those wires
[25:01] have been moved. Moved up and uh so
hopefully now over the next couple of
[25:05] weeks we'll get the uh pole bases down
and everything will move along there and
[25:09] get the crosswalk put in. So, that's the
next plan.
[25:11] » Sounds good. No, I'm good. Thank you
very much. Anybody else?
[25:16] Um let's move on, sir, to I guess you're
going to occupancy. Are you?
[25:20] » Yeah, okay.
>> So, these are already pre-approved by
[25:24] our director of engineering. Uh so, I
just want to uh
[25:27] just read that anyway. Occupancy permit
listing from uh June the 1st to July uh
[25:32] 31st, 2026.
You'll see four there in your kit.
[25:36] And that's that just for information
purposes only.
[25:40] And our next one is our building
I got to open up here.
[25:46] Next one is our building
uh permit listing, which is also
[25:50] pre-approved. This one runs from June
the 1st to July the 31st.
[25:54] And you see uh quite the substantial
amount there. There's 85 listed off in
[25:58] our kit there.
And they range in uh from accessory
[26:02] buildings
to patio, decks, verandas, uh basically
[26:07] uh
you know, home round Most of these are
[26:09] actually uh that are renovations or
I guess they're uh putting new decks on,
[26:14] verandas, exterior renovations around
their homes. As you know, Mount Pearl is
[26:18] an aging uh city. So, we got uh
retaining walls and fences being
[26:23] repaired. It's nice to see actually uh
residents keeping up their properties in
[26:26] the city. We got a certain standard here
in the city and uh it's nice to see
[26:30] these 85. And I'm encouraging every time
I uh
[26:33] you know, you're always got residents
asking, you know, so you got to put in a
[26:36] permit for that, right? And you know,
you got to put in a permit and get a
[26:39] permit and get it approved before you do
it. If that's If that's a new shed,
[26:43] extension to a house, or fence,
retaining wall, or anything that's to do
[26:47] with your property, you need to uh get a
permit. And that's it for our report.
[26:51] Thank you, Your
>> Okay, thank you very much. We're going
[26:54] to go to planning and development,
Deputy Mayor Lock.
[26:56] » Thank you, Mayor. Three items here. The
first is stop development order
[27:01] confirmation.
A council decision is required here
[27:05] to confirm an order to cease commercial
activity at a residential property.
[27:10] Pursuant to the Mount Pearl development
regulations, council has the delegated
[27:14] authority.
Has the authority to delegate authority
[27:17] to an employee of council to issue an
order in accordance with our
[27:21] regulations. And this order is required
to be confirmed by a majority of council
[27:25] at the next public meeting on July 23rd.
Our director of planning and engineering
[27:29] development issued the attached stop
development order pursuant to a
[27:34] delegated authority resolution of
council. So, here we're just
[27:38] recommending that council confirm the
order to cease an unpermitted automated
[27:43] automotive-related business. And this
activity is taking place at 20 Gadwall
[27:48] Place, and I so move.
[27:54] » Is there a motion required to confirm
this order? I'm going to ask the
[27:58] legislative officer just to make sure,
right?
[28:01] » I think so.
>> Because if we delegated the authority to
[28:03] the director,
it still has to come here. Okay, just
[28:07] making sure.
I'm going to need Councillor Fry, I
[28:10] think, to second that. And thank you for
to both of you. Any further questions?
[28:16] Councillor Rice.
[28:18] » No, I'm glad this one is coming. This is
happening happening quite frequently in
[28:22] the city now, and I know we got other
areas in the city that that, you know,
[28:27] residents think they're sticking up
right in a commercial or business out of
[28:31] their property, but that's not the case.
I mean, we have several other areas as
[28:34] well in the city that that this is
happening, and it's not allowed in a
[28:37] residential area. I'm glad this is
coming through, and I drove over there
[28:41] this afternoon, and I just want to have
a quick look, and there was five or six
[28:44] cars in the driveway in that area. So,
something happening there and I'm I'm
[28:48] glad, you know, our inspectors and our
municipal enforcement, whoever's doing
[28:51] the inspection on those are are
traveling there and uh and reporting
[28:55] that back. Uh this stuff is not you
know, if you want to operate a garage or
[28:58] something like that, you go to a proper
location and set it up. So, uh that's
[29:03] just my view on that one.
And I'm glad this happening. Thanks.
[29:06] » Yep, well said. You uh live in a
residential area, you should be able to
[29:10] enjoy living in a residential area, not
living in a commercial area or have
[29:13] commercial activity.
I'm going to call the question. All in
[29:16] favor? And those opposed? And that's
carried. Thank you.
[29:22] » Uh thank you, Mayor. Uh the next item is
the St. John's urban regional urban
[29:27] region regional plan amendment number
110 2025. This is an update here.
[29:31] And it's again it's for the attention
and consideration of my members of
[29:35] council as well as the public. Um it's a
public consultation summary regarding uh
[29:40] the St. John's urban regional plan
amendment. No objections were received
[29:45] during the referral and consultation
process
[29:48] of this urban regional plan uh which
closed on August 10th of 2026. In
[29:53] summary, the city received four
responses
[29:55] from our neighboring municipalities,
CBS, St. John's, Bay Bulls, Portugal
[29:59] Cove, St. Philip's, and none of the
responses raised any concerns nor
[30:03] objections regarding the proposed
provincial amendment.
[30:07] We did, however, receive one email from
a resident and they were seeking
[30:10] clarification
as to how this might impact their
[30:14] individual residential property, but
after discussing this with our staff, uh
[30:18] the resident did not express any
objection again to this proposed
[30:22] provincial amendment.
Now, next steps. It's a very thorough
[30:25] process as we know here trying to get
our municipal plan uh Mount Pearl's city
[30:30] municipal plan updated. So, these are
the required upcoming steps.
[30:36] Um we await confirmation from the
province regarding this proposed St.
[30:40] John's urban region regional plan
amendment. We're expecting that late
[30:44] August.
Then we're going to resubmit a revised
[30:47] draft municipal plan and development
regulations
[30:50] spanning 2026 to 2036. This of course is
based on internal revisions, the outcome
[30:56] of the amendment that we just
referenced, and response to general
[30:59] commentary and review comments from the
province. Um so we're expecting this by
[31:04] mid-September.
Then we're going to await section 15
[31:07] release
for the um municipal plan development
[31:11] regulations 2026 to 2036 from the
province. We're expecting that late
[31:15] September.
Then we'll proceed with the adoption of
[31:19] our municipal plan development
regulations by the by our public
[31:22] council. Again, late September, early
October.
[31:25] Then we have to schedule and hold a
joint public hearing. We're expecting
[31:29] that in mid-October. Then we'll await
the public commissioner's report,
[31:33] council approval of our municipal plan
development regulations, submit the plan
[31:38] and regulations to the province for
ministerial register registration. We're
[31:42] expecting that in early November. Then
we'll um
[31:45] await uh ministerial registration letter
from the province. Again, late November,
[31:50] early December. And finally, publish the
notice of registration in the
[31:54] Newfoundland and Labrador Gazette. And
that's estimated at the end of December.
[31:58] This will then conclude the required
process. And the Mount Pearl uh the new
[32:03] Mount Pearl municipal plan and
development regulations for 2026 to 2036
[32:07] will officially come into effect on the
date that the notice of registration is
[32:11] published in the Newfoundland and
Labrador Gazette. So this is a very a
[32:16] fullsome and and thorough process here.
And we are following due process. So I
[32:21] just wanted to provide that update
there, Mayor.
[32:26] And the last uh for our report
is the um development permit listing
[32:30] from uh June 1st to July 31st of 2026.
And you can see that there are 11 listed
[32:37] there.
And um we're open any questions should
[32:40] council have any questions on this.
>> I think Councillor Antle does.
[32:45] » Just a question and maybe uh
we can answer this. I noticed this is
[32:48] just for our FYI,
right? But it stated June the 1st uh to
[32:53] running through to July 20th. Is there
any way we can have that earlier like
[32:56] instead of having
already happened? What's going to
[32:59] happen? Is that a possibility?
[33:04] Well, no. Well, this is uh this is uh
development permit listings that are
[33:09] happening like you know what? Open air
assembly that happened on June the 16th.
[33:13] There were hockey tournament that
happened over top the road. I didn't
[33:15] know that was happening. But if we had a
known it if we have it beforehand. Is
[33:19] there any way you can have it beforehand
like it's going to happen in September?
[33:23] No, I think things don't I'm asking
instead of having it now as an FYI that
[33:27] already happened.
Like is an FYI that already happened.
[33:30] I'd like to know what's going to happen.
>> Well, I guess the only thing we could do
[33:34] is if is show permits have been approved
right up to today I'll say to exaggerate
[33:39] the case perhaps.
But we can't really forecast into the
[33:44] future unless you're talking about an
activity that was approved
[33:49] that may happen in the future. But
they're all future oriented, right?
[33:52] Because when the permit's issued it's
about to you're about to do something.
[33:56] So, help me out here either director or
CAO. I'm trying to answer Councillor
[34:01] Antle it would in a practical way, but
uh
[34:05] could we get them earlier?
Um or more up to date for lack of a
[34:09] better word. I don't mean that to be
critical. Just asking the question.
[34:14] » No, I mean listen. I we can certainly
take it away. I I don't see um
[34:20] a procedural way to provide guaranteed
advance notice of all permits issued
[34:25] because our permits are processed based
on event date. So, or activity date. So,
[34:32] I I can't guarantee you that cuz we may
not even be in receipt of the permit
[34:35] application 2 months out from an event
happening. We may only be able to issue
[34:39] the permit in that appropriate time
period. So, unfortunately, I think we
[34:43] have to take that away and give it more
consideration as to how we can achieve
[34:46] and I know what you're asking for,
but I I, you know, the it's a manual
[34:51] process to deliver that and so we have
to give that more consideration.
[34:56] » Yeah, just to go back on that one. Like
for the ball hockey tournament, that's
[34:59] one I was just noticed that was
happening on July the 9th. You know, and
[35:02] this is a it was an FYI. Like I didn't I
walked over it. I didn't know what was
[35:06] happening. Is there any way that we know
if something's happening in September?
[35:10] It was going to be an FYI or October.
Maybe it doesn't happen, but that'd be
[35:13] nice to know
if it's going to happen. Something like
[35:17] » That's the takeaway, I think. That's the
one you've got to
[35:20] But I would ask this,
um not for decision tonight, but to
[35:24] Councillor Angel's point, if the if the
report is being prepared the Friday
[35:28] before the Tuesday, maybe the cut-off
could be the Thursday before the council
[35:31] meeting. And the spreadsheet, which I'm
assuming this is what this is, could be
[35:36] uh tabulated. The other issue, I think
we're going to leave that in your hands
[35:39] until next meeting. Uh Councillor Angel,
that work for you?
[35:46] Okay. Um that report was from Deputy
Mayor Locker. You finished, sir?
[35:50] » sir. Thank you.
>> I'm going to move to round table.
[35:52] Councillor uh Rice, please.
[35:57] » No, just a couple things for me there.
Uh I just wanted to uh
[36:01] just wanted to add about the city
website. Uh also, there's a couple
[36:05] things I wanted to highlight actually,
uh because a couple of people uh
[36:09] residents called me about a couple of
things happening in the city and one of
[36:11] them was a citizen's alert about signing
up for the citizen alert. Anything
[36:15] that's happening in the city, you get it
through that uh
[36:19] through that, you know, process there
because you you once you sign up and
[36:22] give your email, you'll get notification
of it cuz a couple people mentioned to
[36:25] me that they didn't know what was
something was happening, but if you sign
[36:27] up for that, you will get it. Also, the
construction is notices are all up there
[36:31] as well on the city site. Very important
because I know we got lots of
[36:35] construction happening now around the
city. Uh you know, uh you over on uh
[36:40] you know,
up around Farrell Drive area is a lot of
[36:44] stuff happening up in that area, so you
know, uh same thing as well. And uh the
[36:48] other the other one I want to mention is
the Hey Mayor Pearl uh
[36:52] Your Voice. So, you can go down that app
and you can put actually on the Hey
[36:55] Mayor Pearl, you can actually click on
the on the link there
[36:59] and you can go in and give your opinion
on stuff, upcoming stuff in the city.
[37:01] So, I just want to That's it for me.
Thank you.
[37:04] » Yeah, citizen alerts really valuable,
especially for service notifications or
[37:08] uh or emergencies.
Um okay, so thank you, Councillor Race.
[37:13] Over to you, Councillor Fry.
[37:17] » Thank you, Mayor.
There are two things I want to speak
[37:20] about tonight. The first one is
something I think we'll all be
[37:23] interested in and that's of course,
e-bikes and uh scooter regulations.
[37:29] As um
as part of Municipalities Newfoundland
[37:32] and Labrador, I've been involved with
meeting with the province and the team,
[37:37] Minister Goosney and his team there
in terms of what how to go forward in
[37:42] terms of regulating this. Of course,
this is all so new. It's new technology
[37:47] and we're still trying to trying to
catch up with it.
[37:50] But, everyone agrees that regulations
are needed for for a number of reasons.
[37:55] I mean, first of all, you've got a lot
of young people using these. They don't
[37:59] know the rules of the road. They haven't
applied for a permit and did a test and
[38:04] then did their driver's training and
then had to do another test. Like, it is
[38:10] kids are kids and of course, as kids,
kids do things that they probably
[38:14] shouldn't do. They don't have the fear,
so we need regulations first of all to
[38:19] keep them safe.
But, also, I know after talking to a lot
[38:23] of people over the last couple of weeks,
especially, there are a lot of people
[38:27] who have had near misses with people on
e-bikes and e-scooters. I know I have.
[38:32] And uh
I can't imagine if I had hit somebody. I
[38:37] mean, I would never be the same again.
It would You know, that's something that
[38:40] stays with you. So, we also, of course,
need to protect the drivers as well. So,
[38:46] I think we're moving in the right
direction. I I I'm so impressed with uh
[38:50] with Minister Goosney and his team. I
believe they've taken this very
[38:53] seriously, and
they've done a lot of consultations and
[38:57] a lot of research, and and that's
including with e-bike manufacturers, and
[39:01] and I've learned a few things about
that, too.
[39:04] So,
the province has now launched a public
[39:08] engagement survey, and this is focused
on strengthening road safety, including
[39:12] the regulation and safe operations of
e-bikes and e-scooters.
[39:16] So, I encourage people to go into that
site
[39:20] and participate in the survey and share
their views on how road safety can be
[39:24] improved for all users. And I do believe
that we're going to get a lot of similar
[39:29] things, you know, like a lot of repeat
things, but there's probably going to be
[39:33] one or two those little gems in there
that's going to make a difference. So,
[39:37] everybody's Everybody's views are
important there.
[39:40] And the survey can be found at
engageNL.ca.
[39:43] And uh this stems from growing public
discussions across the province
[39:47] regarding e-bike and e-scooter safety.
And it includes concerns raised by
[39:51] municipalities, residents, and law
enforcement. So, of course, the city of
[39:55] Mount Pearl will also complete a survey
as it's open to municipalities as well
[39:59] as the general public.
And uh I I'd strongly encourage people
[40:03] to uh to have their say. And this is
this is new. It's kind of like when
[40:08] seatbelt regulations first came in. You
know, nobody wanted it, but now it's
[40:13] just
now it just keeps us all safe and it's
[40:15] just um
a habit. So, we're at a place now where
[40:19] this is coming into play and it's
something that people should should have
[40:24] their have their voices heard.
So, that's one thing I wanted to talk
[40:29] about there. I don't know if anybody
else wanted to comment.
[40:37] The other thing I wanted to talk about
is um
[40:41] I've
as you guys all know, I'm an animal
[40:44] lover.
And I've had a number of residents reach
[40:46] out to me over the summer with concerns
that our animal when when they call in,
[40:52] if they if they've captured a stray
animal, when they call in, they're told
[40:57] that we don't collect stray animals
if they're in custody.
[41:02] So, this
this got some people shaking their heads
[41:05] because I mean, if you see a stray cat,
you're going to
[41:09] entice them somewhere,
enclose them, and then call animal
[41:13] regulations and say, "Please come get
this."
[41:16] But, they're being told now, "If you
have If you have the animal,
[41:20] we're not coming to take it." So, this
is something of concern. I just bring it
[41:24] forward because I've had a number of
residents reach out to me on this.
[41:27] This is the season when the you know,
you've got a lot of animals roaming and
[41:34] they're we're coming into kitten season,
and you don't want an excess of animals
[41:39] on the streets.
Plus, you also don't want, you know, for
[41:42] the safety of the animals as well. So,
this is something I just wanted to bring
[41:45] forward for future discussion. I just
wanted to table it here today and and
[41:50] let residents know that this is
something on our radar and we're going
[41:52] to revisit it.
And that's it for me, Your Worship.
[41:56] Thank you.
>> Yeah, I guess part of your plea is is it
[41:59] something new we're doing or not doing,
whatever the case may be, but
[42:04] yeah, it's nice to be able to
communicate that to residents.
[42:07] » We used to We used to collect animals.
Um and I believe it changed in 2019. So,
[42:14] I'm just asking that it be revisited
because this is something, you know,
[42:17] like I said, we don't want we don't want
animals on on the street and you've got
[42:22] all these good Samaritans who are
collecting and are trying to save
[42:26] animals and trying to get them off the
street. And if people won't come and if
[42:31] our if our
if our
[42:34] bylaws say that we won't go collect
them, what are they going to do with
[42:37] them? Put them back out on the street.
And we don't want that. So, um I just
[42:41] wanted to bring it forward and have it
revisited.
[42:44] Thank you.
>> So, the direction is will staff take it
[42:47] away? I think that's what I'm sensing,
right? That's your plea? Yeah, good
[42:50] stuff. Okay, thanks so much. Over to
Deputy Mayor.
[42:55] » Uh thank you, Mayor. Two quick things.
Well, the first about the e-bikes, I
[42:57] won't go on at length because I'm uh
Councillor Fry summarized it uh
[43:02] nicely there. I'm just delighted to see
the province uh
[43:05] you know, taking an initiative and and
and reaching out seeking feedback, but
[43:10] as Councillor Fry said, I think
I think there's going to be significant
[43:13] overlap um
in the responses. So, I I await that. Um
[43:18] I also want to just extend the
congratulations to the event Sunday, the
[43:22] uh
the Sunset Market out here out front. I
[43:25] mean, people were just they were
charmed. I got to say. Um so many people
[43:29] came and said, "What a lovely event." It
was pop-up. Some people said, "I didn't
[43:32] know about it. I heard the music. I was
over the tennis courts. I decided to
[43:35] drop down." The music was great.
The um the food was great. The uh you
[43:40] know, all the vendors. So, I just want
to extend congratulations Director
[43:44] Collins and others who were involved in
that
[43:46] uh making that such a success. That's it
for me, Mayor. Thank you.
[43:51] » Thank you.
And over to you, Councillor Antle, and
[43:54] uh let's talk about e-bikes. Go ahead.
>> I I have a
[43:58] two things to talk about. One, I'll talk
about e-bikes, believe it or not. I just
[44:01] filled out Engage NL.
I have a call in to the minister. and to
[44:05] chat with the minister because I I am on
a knee bike.
[44:09] And I'm I'm on the bike and trail every
week every day.
[44:13] And I stopped talking to people most
times to ask them about how they feel
[44:16] about e-bikes.
And a lot of people do we have to
[44:18] there's distinguish between e-bikes.
E-bikes are pedal assisted e-bikes and
[44:23] e-bikes without pedals.
And we got to make sure that we're not
[44:26] going to ban e-bikes that pedal
assisted. I think I know minister even
[44:30] said we're not looking for a banning
e-bikes with pedals. Pedal assisted
[44:33] bikes I mean we got to there's car what
is two there's a big difference.
[44:37] And I won't go on about that too much.
But you know Sunday when I went up from
[44:41] my house to CBS 90% of the bikers were
e-bikers on the trails and they were
[44:46] following rules of the road.
Now I'll get to my topic and I'll just
[44:50] get into that. I was up on uh
Saint David's and I contacted a
[44:54] counselor Wednesday or Thursday last
week with my grandchildren.
[44:58] And when I went there there was six
youngsters and they were they were
[45:02] electric dirt bikes or whatever these
called pedal they never had no pedals.
[45:06] And they were going across Saint David's
field
[45:09] in the parkway and I'd say they were
doing 40 or 50 km an hour. They were
[45:12] flying. I mean there was youngsters all
over the field. My youngsters were
[45:15] there. My grandchildren were there.
There was other children there playing.
[45:19] We our parks
our parks and rec were playing with
[45:21] their kids. I contacted our CEO and I
said this is terrible. I mean this is we
[45:26] have to do something. So I stopped I
chatted with other parents while I was
[45:30] there.
And a lot of people don't realize that
[45:33] these motor these e-bikes without motors
are not legal here in the city of Mount
[45:38] Pearl. They can be confiscated.
So one of our MEOs came by and I chatted
[45:43] with one of our MEOs and we talked about
this like they can confiscate these
[45:47] bikes. I think what we have to do is let
parents know like right up front they're
[45:52] illegal in the city of Mount Pearl and
we can confiscate them. They're in our
[45:55] bylaws. We had them sent out today that
our bylaw states that we can confiscate
[46:00] motorized vehicles within city of Mount
Pearl. And e-bikes without pedals can be
[46:06] confiscated. I think what we need to do
is put a on our website, on our
[46:10] Facebook, that we're going to start
confiscating these bikes. Parents need
[46:14] to know they're illegal in the city of
Mount Pearl. Somebody's going to get
[46:17] hurt. The bylaws, like Counselor Friel
just said, the minister's working on
[46:20] something.
But our bylaws are already in the city.
[46:23] Our MEOs can pick up a bike and
confiscate that bike. Now, as regards to
[46:29] scooters, I don't know how the scooters
work. But the scooters are just as
[46:32] dangerous as If they don't have pedals,
someone's going to get hurt on these
[46:36] bikes. But right now, we already have
the bylaws in our city that we can
[46:39] confiscate the bikes. I think what we
need to do is put out a some kind of
[46:43] notification within the next 30 days or
next 2 weeks, we're going to start
[46:46] confiscating. And I think that will stop
people from using Parents don't know
[46:50] that they're illegal.
Yeah. I was up in Costco
[46:54] a couple of days ago. They're selling
scooters now for I won't say the price,
[46:58] but they're selling People are buying
them all over the place. Parents need to
[47:01] know they're illegal in the city of
Mount Pearl. And however we do that, we
[47:04] can put a sign on the beginning of We
have signs all the times.
[47:08] Yeah.
And And you know, that's uh
[47:11] me on e-bikes. So, anybody else?
>> passionate. You're a bit of a cyclist
[47:14] from what I understand.
>> I'm on the e-bike. I talked to lots of
[47:16] people in the city, right? You know, my
age around the e-bikes, and I contacted
[47:20] I put on the Engage NL, and I put a sign
my name, and I said you can give me a
[47:23] call. I talked to e-bikes. You can go
down on the trail, and I just rode my
[47:27] bike across the walk, and I talked to
people on the e-bikes.
[47:30] And I stress that. I think any of us are
looking We don't want to ban e-bikes.
[47:35] Pedal-assisted e-bikes are what are
safe. It's the speed and these motorized
[47:40] dirt bikes have to be banned. And we
have the laws in place to confiscate
[47:43] them.
And that's my rant on that one.
[47:46] » Unfortunately, we don't Well, it depends
on the classification. Electric dirt
[47:50] bikes, these little guys that go, you
know what I mean? Like like the old
[47:53] Yammie, remember the old Yammies? They
are classified as off-road vehicles in
[47:57] the city of Mount Pearl and they are
enforceable. Right now e-bikes with
[48:01] pedals and e-scooters are permitted
within the city because to see a sign
[48:06] doesn't always define what the
regulation is and the regulations don't
[48:09] necessarily back that up and we're
trying to coordinate with the province
[48:14] and
I got the CAO and I saw the corner of my
[48:17] eye Deputy Mayor Lock. Can you expand on
that as I know we had some notes done up
[48:22] and but Councillor is right, speed is
the issue. I'm not sure I agree with him
[48:26] on the pedal assist bikes but e-scooters
and e-bikes it's free range
[48:30] unfortunately. Is that a fair statement
unless we ban them specifically just
[48:34] from our infrastructure?
[48:39] » Um listen, no doubt that this is a topic
of interest particularly with the news
[48:44] as of late. So the city is working on a
submission
[48:49] outlining many of the concerns raised
here today but Mayor is right. It's very
[48:53] clear legislatively in our own
regulations around e-bikes without
[48:57] pedals because they don't have to propel
they cannot operate on a propel assist.
[49:02] So we do have regulations support that
we do not have the support of
[49:05] regulations for e-scooters or e-bikes
and so at this point in time
[49:11] any enforcement is limited in terms of
what we can do as a municipality so we
[49:17] have to work with the province. We have
to govern
[49:20] we have to work from a governance and
advocacy perspective to find a path
[49:24] forward on that. So we're doing what we
can. We are enforcing the regulations
[49:29] that are within our control. So for
example helmets helmets are required
[49:34] under our current regulations and our
municipal enforcement team have been
[49:38] enforcing helmet
regulations and requirements more so and
[49:44] and Director Collins has given this
direction to his team
[49:47] to ensure that we are stopping we are
working with youth
[49:51] for e-bikes e-dirt bikes, sorry. and It
is all very complicated, but for e-dirt
[49:57] bikes, we are
we have given the direction to our
[50:00] enforcement team to confiscate where
appropriate, and if you're operating
[50:04] outside of that to call a parent and
ensure the parent comes to collect the
[50:07] bike in those times. So, the challenge,
you know, the challenge is around
[50:12] enforcement of e-scooters and and
e-bikes that have
[50:16] um
pedal pedals with them because our
[50:20] ability to enforce is limited. However,
we are working more on an awareness
[50:24] angle right now, and we're we're going
to work with the province to support
[50:28] better legislation that we can better
enforce.
[50:32] » I'm going to save you for last,
Councillor Rental, because you started a
[50:34] great conversation, but I think we've
got two colleagues that want to speak,
[50:37] and maybe more for all I know, but I'm
going to go to Deputy Mayor Lock and
[50:40] then Councillor Fry.
>> Uh thank you, Mayor. I just further to
[50:43] what Councillor Rental was saying, I I
mean, he's dead on the money here,
[50:47] but I think we got to get into the
semantics because we're using the term
[50:51] e-bikes, but and I think that's where
the confusion comes, Councillor Rental.
[50:55] It's it's the e-motorcycle
that we're we're concerned about because
[50:59] I know
I mean, I was reading here today some
[51:02] information that was sent to us about
micro-mobility devices.
[51:06] And then the examples that were given
here, e-bikes, pedal-assist bikes,
[51:12] e-scooters, electric skateboards, and
Segways.
[51:15] But to me, what distinguishes an e-bike
from a pedal-assist bike? In my mind,
[51:19] they're the same. It's the e-motorcycles
is what we're
[51:23] I think what what you're referring to
here, right? But
[51:27] or electric dirt bike, right? But, you
know, a bicycle a
[51:31] The pedal-assist is what we permit. As
long as you got pedals that you can
[51:34] propel with your feet,
that's what's permissible.
[51:39] Of course, and I said that a couple of
weeks ago, that I'm on the trail
[51:43] sometimes, and people on
you know, you know, mountain bikes that
[51:47] aren't e electric, they're exceeding the
speeds on our trails. So, you know, but
[51:53] we need to we and I'm sure the province
is going to do this, they need to
[51:56] clarify to your point, Councillor
Randell, so that parents know what's
[52:00] legal, what's not.
What's not legal in the city of Mount
[52:03] Pearl. Thank you, Mayor.
Councillor Fry. And Councillor Racey,
[52:07] are you next in the queue or you want to
wait? You going to You're going to pass
[52:10] for now. I think it's all being
discussed. Councillor Fry and then
[52:13] Councillor Randell.
>> I just wanted to add because there was
[52:17] one thing that I I learned this week.
These uh scooters, you know, the ones
[52:22] that kids have, they come in factory uh
from the factory at set at 30 km/h.
[52:28] That's what is recommended, 30 km/h.
But apparently, there's a way you can, I
[52:33] don't know, YouTube it or something and
this is what kids are doing. There's a
[52:36] way to override that 30 km/h. So, now
you've got these scooters that should be
[52:43] going 30 km/h and they're going much,
much faster. So, that's one of the
[52:48] things that we need to
keep in mind, too, when you're talking
[52:52] about speeds and and e-scooters. Like,
there's You've got the ones from the
[52:55] factory that are 30 km and then others
that can go much faster.
[53:01] Uh I also wanted just to to I think
uh CAO Rideout hit the ball hit the nail
[53:06] right on the head because in terms of
regulation, we need provincial
[53:11] regulation. We need to keep it
consistent across across the province
[53:14] across municipal boundaries. And by
having provincial regulation, that will
[53:19] help in terms of enforcement and giving
more more clout to enforcement. And uh
[53:25] that's all I just wanted to say. I just
I was fascinated about the I was down at
[53:28] the e-bike shop and they have what they
call moto bikes or something and they
[53:34] look really amazing. There was one there
like $20,000.
[53:38] But it is I mean, there's the technology
is there and one of something else that
[53:41] he said that I found was interesting,
too. He said, "This is new here, but
[53:46] people tourist come and they want to
rent these bikes because they've they're
[53:50] so used to having them in other parts of
Canada that when they come, they know
[53:54] how to use them and that's that's their
mode of transportation. So, we're just a
[53:59] little bit uh I guess a little bit later
getting it here, but it's like the
[54:03] Cabbage Patch effect, you know, one kid
gets it, everybody else wants one,
[54:06] right?
>> Now, you're dating yourself.
[54:08] » Yeah.
>> Coun. Tilley,
[54:11] you stared at this.
>> How do you want to finish, sir?
[54:13] » Just on a high note. I talked to some
kids that use scooters and I thought
[54:18] this was fabulous. Couple of scooters,
like you can leave my house for any
[54:21] Mount Pearl now and you can take these
scooters and that's what they're
[54:24] planning to do, go right to university,
10 km from Mount Pearl, 10 km on our
[54:29] trails and it's nice trails and they can
take the scooters, put them in their
[54:32] backpack and put them in the locker. So,
it's ideal for university students.
[54:36] There is a way we can keep these
scooters and work with these. Like the
[54:39] mayor said, speed is the key. 20 km on
our trails, that's it. If you do 20 km,
[54:44] with something director Collins, we both
have e-bikes and you know, we do speed
[54:47] them at 20 km. It's no problem. I have
an e-bike, my son has a regular bike, I
[54:52] cannot keep up with him. I have an
e-bike, my bike tops out at 28 km, it
[54:56] won't go any faster in life.
I can't keep up with Ryan. This is just
[55:00] impossible. It's just So, it's it's
speed. Any other I'll go on and that's
[55:03] it. So, we can go on that. My last one
is really uh it's good news.
[55:07] And I think we need to send out a letter
congratulations to Read Music.
[55:11] Junior and Junior Reed are celebrating
35 years of successful business here in
[55:16] the city of Mount Pearl.
Junior and Junior started our business
[55:19] off here on number three Commonwealth
Avenue, all right? And one they had one
[55:23] little
office there off Amulree Electric.
[55:26] That's where he started, a little tiny
office. It was just They had a couple of
[55:29] guitars and a piano and they started off
35 years ago.
[55:33] And now you look at them, they're over
on Topsail Road, they have the I think
[55:35] the top floor, they have classes. They
have
[55:40] I've taught so many people how to play
music here in City Mount Pearl.
[55:44] If any time we want any kind of
donation, you call Junior and Janior and
[55:48] they're there right away. So, for 35
years successful business here in City
[55:51] Mount Pearl, congratulations from
almost, I'm sure, and a nice letter from
[55:54] the City Mount Pearl would be nice.
And uh maybe we can drop over and uh
[55:59] drop it off to him. And that's
everything from me, Your Worship. Thank
[56:01] you.
>> Consider it done. I'm going to finish
[56:03] with a few thank yous. Thank you to
Carrie Hotter in our community city
[56:07] communications for putting together all
these great e-bike and e-scooter and
[56:11] e-messaging
uh for the city. Thank you very much uh
[56:15] Carrie. Uh thank you to council and
staff for um Mount Pearl putting the
[56:19] initiative in through MNL to uh put a
resolution on the table so that
[56:24] Councillor Fry, who's the vice president
of MNL and is also, I think, head of
[56:28] advocacy,
uh could meet with Minister Goosney
[56:31] along with her colleagues at MNL. Um but
I can also give you an update. I think
[56:35] the minister is very confident in the
process and it's going to be very
[56:39] thorough, but there are timelines. And
he, I believe, mentioned to me yesterday
[56:44] that they're hoping to bring in some
legislation the fall. They're they're
[56:48] not dithering cuz he's not just hearing
it, say, from the City of Mount Pearl. I
[56:53] think all quarters are are speaking to
it.
[56:56] Um
and I think CAO, we talked about
[56:59] setting up a meeting with Minister
Goosney just to follow up our
[57:01] engagement. I believe we would have no
trouble getting Councillor Antle to go.
[57:06] Yeah. So.
With that in mind, uh
[57:09] thank you everybody for your attention,
your discussion of the issues, and
[57:13] giving up um
um the evening of your Tuesday, which is
[57:16] a quite evening outdoors, and I'm going
to now call for a motion, please, to
[57:20] adjourn the meeting. Moved by Councillor
Fry, seconded by Councillor Rice.