The puck stops here

It’s April, what poet T.S. Eliot famously called “the cruellest month,” in the opening line of The Waste Land. The poem’s title never fails to conjure up images of the scummy landscapes of winter’s bitter end. The snow melts and all is revealed: a shock of beige, water-logged grass, muddy craters and displaced rocks, diluted dog turds, medical masks, coffee cups, and other detritus. Whether we’re ready or not, they’re illuminated under the ugly lights of early spring.  The fog draped itself over St. John’s this week, like a modest veil offering the soft, denuded terrain some privacy as it puts itself together for summer. 

It inevitably will, which is what made April so cruel for Eliot. Spring gives us the impression that life can be renewed; that resurrection is possible. But it’s a trick. Our lives are finite. But as much as he’s dwelling on the futility of existence, he still wrote a lengthy poem about it. “These fragments I have shored against my ruins,” reads one of his more memorable lines. And so they did. He’s been dead for 60 years, and here I am summoning his words in a column about municipal matters.

In anticipation of the upcoming eclipse I’m thinking about these juxtapositions of the big and small. Thousands of years ago, the Ancients started recording the dates of eclipses. The Babylonian, Chinese, and Mayan astronomers etched information into durable surfaces like animal bones, stones, and cuneiform tablets — small inscriptions that, over time, added up. Only in collecting that information were people able to notice patterns. Eventually, they were able to begin predicting these rare cosmic events. Celestial dramas are exciting, but so too are ordinary ones the city of St. John’s experienced this week.

Growlersgate

Mayor Danny Breen was absent at Tuesday’s meeting. If someone told me he was hiding under a desk somewhere waiting for the Growlers drama to blow over, I might believe them. The East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) announced on the same day that it was terminating its contract with the Newfoundland Growlers for failing to meet their obligations. Deacon Sports and Entertainment (DSE), who bought the team in 2018, had been trying, but ultimately failed, to sell the team before the deadline. 

The news of the team’s demise coincided with the city’s supreme court-mandated release of the information about the payouts issued during Growlersgate 2021. It renewed discussions about overspending by the city’s non-profit subsidiary, St. John’s Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and questions about how to solve a problem like the Mary Brown’s Centre arena. 

According to The Telegram, the city gave $847,007 to an undisclosed number of employees after they filed complaints about unsafe working conditions, which they alleged were created by the “disrespectful workplace conduct” of Growlers employees. In response, the city temporarily evicted the Growlers from the Mary Browns Centre. DSE claimed the eviction was wrongful, and the city ended up paying out $600,000 to them for breaching the lease. 

Dean MacDonald, chair of DSE, claims the city is ultimately to blame for the Growlers’ undoing. The city has denied this, shifting the blame back on DSE. Which one is telling the truth? It’s hard to say — the dispute seems to be less about being truthful and more about picking a role in “The Drama Triangle.” Psychologist Stephen Karpman used the term to describe the dynamics that emerge during conflict wherein people assume, assign, and shift between three roles: victim, villain, and hero.  

Bickering over who’s the villain and who’s the victim in a case like this is not as interesting as  doing the honest work required to cultivate insight, while resolving, repairing, and moving forward.

Every moment matters

Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary presided over the meeting, in Breen’s stead. She proclaimed April 14-20 Volunteer Week in St. John’s to recognize the contributions volunteers and community organizations make to the social, cultural, and economic development of the city and the province. 

Several representatives from the community were present, including Colin Corcoran from the Community Sector Council. At 46 per cent, he explained, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest rate of volunteerism in Canada. This translates to 161 donated hours per-person, he estimated, for a grand total of 33 million hours.

That’s a lot of hours — and their value shouldn’t be underestimated. This year’s theme, “Every Moment Matters,” is meant to emphasize the importance of time. Indeed, we could all use the reminder. 

So many of the trappings of modern life treat time like nothing more than stacks of cheap tokens we all have in limitless supply. Sitting in traffic, doom scrolling on our phones, catching up on email — it’s so easy not to notice what we’re losing, what we’re absently giving up. 

By encouraging people to be more intentional about how they spend their hours, volunteering strikes me as a practice that affirms the value of time, and cultivates gratitude for our precious interval on earth. 

If anyone has time to give, Lori Letto from the Canada Games announced that the organization is looking to fill 5,000 volunteer positions for the 2025 Summer Games. Applications are now open.

Neurodiversity is beautiful

O’Leary also proclaimed April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day in the city. Paul Walsh from the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (ASNL) was present for the occasion. Autism is one neurotype among many, he said, and part of a diverse range of natural variation in human neurological development.

Walsh also emphasized that the day is about more than just awareness, it’s about accepting and meaningfully including neurodiverse people in our communities. While a lot of progress has been made, he said, stigma and misunderstandings endure.

O’Leary alluded to a recent ASNL event where she heard a talk by Andreae Callanan. “It was one of the most inspiring speeches I’ve ever attended,” she said. Callanan is a poet who combines research with her own lived experience with autism to reframe neurodiversity as something to be embraced and celebrated. 

Callanan also happens to be Mark Callanan’s partner, the city’s Poet Laureate, which I’m pretty sure makes them St. John’s most poetic power couplet. 

Poetry before a motion

Mark Callanan was actually in attendance this week to kick-off national poetry month, which means there will be a dose of poetry at the next three council meetings, which makes me very happy. 

Callanan introduced Elias Langer, a young poet and founder of the Battery Cafe reading series. Langer read three of his original poems, Signs of Sight Loss in St. Johns, A Holy Moment, and The Entire Heart, which he said was brand new. 

“This is not the place you want to test new material,” he joked, “but I’m a thrill seeker.” 

I was especially struck by a line from A Holy Moment, which goes something like this: “Sometimes centrality is an empty theatre/on the premiere of each new day as we happen to it/ the projecting tale of heroism is how we fail.” 

While we might want to believe we’re the heroes of the story, it makes for a lonely life. It’s only in decentering ourselves that we can let the world in, and watch other dramas unfold — like the story of the sun and moon circling each other, until they finally meet each other face to face. 

Stay young at art

Council approved a number of development applications this week. The most interesting one was a discretionary use application for an arts-based children’s centre at 86 O’Leary Ave., which is zoned industrial-commercial. 

The building, which also hosts the international food hot spot, Andaluzia Market, will be the site for The Art Factory, where children and their families can paint, do crafts, and play music together. 

Keeping the mixed in mixed-use

Council rejected a discretionary use application to put a dwelling unit on the main floor of 75-81 Harvey Rd. The property, which was most recently the site of Levain Bakery — and before that, Stoggers Pizza — is currently zoned commercial mixed use. The building is located next to a bus stop, and there are already two other dwellings units in the building on the second floor.

City staff recommended that council reject the application to preserve the building’s commercial use. Based on feedback the city received, it was clear that area residents also wanted the space to remain commercial. Some worried that given the central location, the dwelling might become short-term housing. Parking was also listed as a concern.

Counc. Tom Davis and Counc. Ron Ellsworth voted against the staff recommendation to reject the application, Ellsworth citing the city’s urgent need for rental housing as a major factor in his decision. While the site has been previously leased for commercial purposes, he noted, the businesses that have been there simply haven’t lasted. 

“I wonder if it’s not a better use for the property to have it occupied and utilized for a need we see in our community through all our neighbourhoods,” he said. 

While it’s true that those commercial tenants haven’t endured, “that’s life in the city,” Counc. Sandy Hickman said, “commercial enterprises turnover,” ultimately concluding that the storefront remains an attractive commercial space. 

“I look very favourably on mixed use neighborhoods and this neighborhood in particular is going through a bit of a renaissance,” O’Leary added, referencing the new businesses that have set up in the area. 

She also referred to the recent application for dwelling units further down the block at 51 Harvey Rd., noting the neighborhood really is supporting mixed-use and livability. “I like the balance that is being recommended by staff.”

To have and to holder

Council approved the awarding of a number of contracts to various bidders. The industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp Elevator (Canada) Ltd. was awarded the contract for “inspecting and maintaining elevators and lifting devices” at city-owned properties for $135,579. At present, the city doesn’t employ anyone qualified to service elevators, apparently.

The company’s name—born of the merger between Thyssen AG and Krupp—was too hard for Counc. Jamie Korab to pronounce. “Anyone who seconds the motion has to say the name,” O’Leary joked.

Hickman chimed in, much to Korab’s delight. “Good job, Sandy, good job!” he exclaimed.    

Newfoundland-owned and operated S & S Supply Ltd. was awarded the contract for the supply and delivery as needed of “holder parts” for the city’s fleet division, for $84,723.

“Um…do we know what a holder part is?” Davis asked, looking expectantly around the room. His question dangled in the air for an awkward moment before Deputy City Manager Lynann Winsor interjected.  

“Well I certainly do!” she said. And she did: they’re special parts for the city’s sidewalk snow clearing equipment. Props to Davis for asking the tough questions.   

People added, lanes reduced, and properties subdivided

The Environment & Sustainability Experts Panel got some promising new members: Angela Antle, writer, erstwhile journalist, and current PhD candidate in Energy humanities, City Engineer Mark White, Sara Jafari from EcoNext, and Myles Russell, who recently ran with a very strong platform in the Ward 4 by-election. 

The St John’s Transportation Commission also got some new additions: Derrick Hutchens, and Joshua Smee, the CEO of Food First. Counc. Maggie Burton’s term on the commission was also extended. 

The Boston Pizza Flat Out 5K Road Race is happening on April 21. Council approved road closures and lane reductions in the Stavanger Drive area to accommodate the event.

Council approved the adoption of an amendment to its development regulations in the institutional zone. The purpose of the amendment is to make it easier for new owners of church properties to be able subdivide them for different uses. 

Ellsworth abstained from voting, citing a conflict of interest as he has helped the Catholic Church sell properties in his capacity as a real estate agent.

Quiet Korab, respectful Ridgely

“Coun. Korab is Leaving Quietly,” O’Leary joked as Korab, attempting to slip out discreetly, ended up doing the opposite. Brushing past the table on his way out, he inadvertently swiped City Manager Kevin Breen’s metal name plate right off the table after which, much to everyone’s amusement, landed on the floor with a loud clang. 

I really love these humanizing moments amidst all the pomp and circumstance.  

Counc. Carl Ridgeley shared that he was recently in the Goulds Arena for the start of the Hockey NL provincial tournaments. He wanted to wish the players well, he said, and offer them some advice.

“Respect everybody that’s in the rink. That includes your parents, your coaches, the other players, and especially the officials,” he said, “because without all that team working together it can get complicated.” He didn’t mention the Growlers, but it certainly seemed like a pointed comment.  

Davis was also in a hockey rink recently, he said, standing on the ice at D.F. Barnes ahead of the Celtics game. He had the pleasure of dropping the puck for the very first time. 

‘Development is on fire’  

Ellsworth, who seems to be on a mission to prove that the city really is a fan of development, directed everyone’s attention to the city’s growing building permits. 

The revenue from permits received in 2024, only four months in, is already at $56 million, he said, surpassing the $39 million the city generated in all of 2023. 

“For a city that has been characterized by some as being anti-development,” Ellsworth added, “I’m shocked at the numbers we’re seeing here in the permits that are going through.” 

To be sure, the numbers are impressive, but they don’t speak for themselves. It’s not clear from the table how many of these are for new builds, how many are for renovations, or what kinds of renovations. The city does provide more detailed monthly reports for the permits they receive — it’ll just require a little homework to crosscheck them.  

He also alluded to the washouts and flooding that hit the west coast of the island last week, and noted that it’s a reminder why infrastructure must be a priority. “I’m pro-development but not at residents’ costs,” he reiterated. 

Let’s get celestial

Burton shared her excitement about the upcoming total eclipse. “April 8 is going to be a big day in Newfoundland and Labrador,” she said. She intends to seek out a perfect spot to see the path of totality, which will be visible from certain parts of the province.  

“If you’re a space nerd like myself, have fun,” Burton said, “but don’t forget if you’re going to look at the eclipse you need to have the proper eyewear or make yourself a pinhole projector.” 

By protecting those precious eyes, they’ll be all the better to read with. O’Leary reminded everyone that they can donate books to the Friends of the St. John’s Public Library. They’re holding a book drive on April 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Gently used books (no encyclopedias, textbooks, or magazines) can be dropped off at the A.C. Hunter Children’s Library. 

The books will be sold at their annual book sale, which raises funds for the library’s services. Support your local libraries! They’re an underfunded but essential resource.