It was a year of up and down in the public eye for Eddie Joyce in 2018, but the MHA is still flat out being an active representative of the people in Humber-Bay of Islands.
Joyce started the year as the minister of municipal affairs and the environment but lost that position after accusations of harassment.
Joyce, who was reprimanded for violating the MHA Code of Conduct, has not rejoined the provincial Liberal caucus and has vowed to run in next fall’s general election as an independent.
Here are the biggest things Joyce felt happened in his district in the last year:
1. The start of construction of the long-term care portion of the new western regional hospital being built in Corner Brook was a moment Joyce and many others were glad to finally see. Joyce had been a longtime advocate of the project and said this component will go far towards addressing the long-term care needs of the region.
2. The start of an exploratory redfish quota could mean big things in the Bay of Islands. With three plants in the district, Joyce said the fishery remains an important part of the local economy and this quota will create more activity in the industry and jobs.
3. While the successful lobby against American tariffs was great news, Joyce said stabilizing the pensions of retired Corner Brook Pulp and Paper employees was just as important. He said, like the threat of the burdensome tariffs, finding a way to guarantee the viability of the pension fund was also crucial to helping the paper mill maintain its operations.
4. Seeing many of the communities in the Bay of Islands improving their infrastructure and the services to their residents was important to Joyce this past year. Those projects included water and sewer in Lark Harbour and Summerside, money for the outdoor rink in Meadows and hooking up Mount Moriah to Corner Brook’s new water treatment plant.
5. For Joyce the most impressive part of 2018 was seeing how people in his district came together during the heavy flooding incident of last January. He said first responders, volunteers, municipalities, the province and other agencies involved deserve a round of applause for dealing with situations, whether they were emergencies or mere inconveniences. He noted a lot of work has been done to fix damage from the widespread flooding, though there is still more to do.
(***This article was edited at 9:40 a.m. Dec. 31, 2018 to accurately reflect disciplinary action taken against Eddie Joyce.)