Gavin WIll
Candidate for Avalon Director
Gavin Will has served as deputy mayor of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s from 2013-2017 and councillor from 2021 onwards. In that time he has provided leadership on numerous key issues, including:
- Promoting affordable housing;
- Building walking trails, sidewalks and recreation facilities;
- Improving transparency regarding decision-making;
- Expanding water and sewer infrastructure;
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the community level.
He has also protected taxpayers by taking a stand against wasteful spending, and focusing on providing top quality municipal services. His leadership on code of conduct legislation has resulted in court decisions that clarify the need for changes to the law by the provincial government.
Gavin is also an active volunteer in his community. He is a member of the Lions Club—currently serving as secretary—and delivers hampers to a local church-sponsored food bank in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s.
Professionally, he is owner of Boulder Books, a leading Newfoundland and Labrador book publishing company. He previously worked as a journalist for The Telegram, The Globe and Mail, Reuters, CBC Radio, and several oil industry publications.
In his personal life Gavin is married to Amanda and is parent to two grown children. He is also a life-long distance runner—he is proud to note that he and late father Ray are the only father and son combination to have both won the provincial marathon.
Campaign Message
Upon my election as a town councillor in Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, for a second time in 2021, I thought I knew what to expect over the following four years—working with colleagues and residents to build a better community.
How wrong I was. I had no inkling that my term would be defined by new municipal code of conduct legislation that came into force in 2022. What happened was that, for almost two years, I fought a determined effort by a special interest group and its supporters on council to intimidate me into silence. They weaponized the code of conduct legislation and, in doing so, forced me to either take a stand or quit.
I chose to fight and in July and September this year I was vindicated by two Supreme Court of Newfoundland & Labrador judgements.
Although I won, resorting to the courts should not have been necessary. Nor should it be necessary for any municipal councillor or mayor in this province to defend their reputation against malicious and vexatious complaints.
Of course I’m not the only municipal politician to feel the sharp end of this badly designed legislation. Changes are needed and if elected to the board of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador I will strongly advocate for changes to the law and administration governing code of conduct.
In addition, as Avalon director I shall impress upon MNL the need to address the priorities of our region. Communities on the Avalon Peninsula are the fastest growing in the province in terms of population and economic expansion. Infrastructure—including roads, access to reliable sources of water, transit, and recreation—has simply not kept up with this growth. Not enough support is provided by other levels of government to keep up with the needs of our region.
The Avalon also recently experienced the devastating effects of wildfires on homes and businesses. While communities came together in an unprecedented way this summer, the fires also exerted unprecedented pressure on volunteer fire departments. MNL must work with its members and the province to find ways of addressing fire threats without exhausting the volunteer firefighters who make up the backbone of our communities. Firefighters also require improved training and equipment to safely combat wildfires—MNL needs to be at the front lines in advocating for these resources.
Above all, my years of experience in municipal governance and participation in organizations at the provincial and federal levels have prepared me well for serving with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.
Thank you for considering my nomination and I ask for your support at the AGM in November.