Drag performers Rhett Torical and Rouge Fatale read to kids and adults as part of Reading with Royalty at the Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool on Thursday. (Rick Conrad photo)
Drag queen story hour made its fabulous debut in Liverpool on Thursday as part of Pride celebrations on the South Shore.
The event, dubbed Reading with Royalty, featured Rouge Fatale, one of Nova Scotia’s best known drag performers, and drag king Rhett Torical.
They were at the Thomas H. Raddall Library to read to and sing along with kids and their parents, grandparents and others.
Two hecklers stood outside the library and yelled insults at Rouge and Rhett as they entered the building. The women later came into the library to watch. Staff had to ask one of them to leave after she appeared to be taking photos of the crowd.
Still, about 20 people showed up to listen to Rouge and Rhett read from such books as My Shadow is Purple, Bathe the Cat, Julian is a Mermaid and The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish, which was also one of the singalongs.
Here are some sounds from the afternoon and reaction from those who were there.
Bob Chouinard, Valerie Wilcox, Carolyn Campbell, Janet Perry, Tony Flint and Roger Wilcox, all residents of Bristol Avenue in Liverpool, were among a group of people who told Region of Queens councillors on Tuesday that they oppose a 24-unit apartment building proposed for their street. (Rick Conrad photo)
Residents on a busy street in Liverpool are concerned it will only get more hectic if a 24-unit apartment building is built in their neighbourhood.
About a dozen people presented a petition to regional council on Tuesday and spoke against the development planned for 48 Bristol Ave., during the meeting’s regular time for public comments or questions.
They say they have 35 signatures of residents upset that the proposed four-storey building is too big for the area. They are worried about increased traffic, motorist and pedestrian safety and increased noise.
They say the design doesn’t fit with the character of the many historical homes in the area. And they’re also concerned that existing water and sewer services can’t handle up to 100 new residents.
Tony Flint, who lives right across from the proposed development, organized the petition. He told councillors on Tuesday that it would be a mistake to allow the development to go ahead.
“I think a 24-unit, four-storey building with the potential of housing as many as 100 people and 50 vehicles is way too much for the footprint of the real estate,” Flint said in an interview after the meeting. “It’s just an inadequate property to handle a building of this nature.”
Bristol Avenue is a busy thoroughfare into and out of Liverpool. The two-lane road is the main access to and from downtown Liverpool. If you live in downtown Liverpool, Western Head or Mersey Point, it’s the most direct route to get to many services like the town’s two grocery stores, Queens Place Emera Centre and gas stations, or to get onto Highway 103.
There is no sidewalk on the side of the road where the development is proposed. It’s currently undeveloped green space with mature chestnut trees. The 6,720 square-foot building would be set back 10 feet from the street, with 24 parking spots behind and on the side of the building. The lot is about 36,000 square feet.
As part of the site plan approval process, residents within 100 feet of the development were notified by the municipality in a letter dated June 19. According to a letter from development officer Mike MacLeod, they had 14 days to appeal.
Mayor Darlene Norman said Wednesday that councillors found out about the development last week when they received their meeting package.
“There’s a process for appealing. They write a letter to the planner stating that they wish to appeal and then they give their reasons of which they’re appealing. And it has to be based on the criteria that the site plan was approved on.
“Unless there are appellants, unless people within the 100 feet of the subject property make application to be an appellant and to appeal the site plan approval then there is nothing council can do at this time.”
Norman said the proposed building meets the zoning requirements. She added that staff take a serious look at new developments to ensure they follow the municipality’s land use bylaws.
“People don’t understand that council do not have the ability to simply shut down stuff just because people don’t like it. We have to live within the rules that we’ve established.”
Flint said he wrote a letter to MacLeod objecting to the proposal. He said that he and his neighbours believed they were getting their appeal on Tuesday, with the petition and speaking to council.
“But we presented the petition and what they do about it, yeah, I would consider that’s a written appeal,” Flint said Wednesday.
“We would like to proceed and continue further if necessary. Whether we’re beating our head against a brick wall, we don’t know. We all feel like we accomplished something by bringing it to the council’s attention. And there were several people that were completely unaware of it.”
Carolyn Campbell is another Bristol Avenue resident who also expressed her opposition Tuesday about the new building.
“I’m concerned that it could possibly be a death trap. As far as I know, there’s only one entrance off of Bristol and they all have to come out the same way. … If there’s a fire or if there’s an emergency vehicle needing to get in there, it could be bad.”
She and others worry about increased congestion caused by this development and a 45-unit building under construction behind Bristol Avenue on Mersey Avenue.
Janet Perry said residents agree with the need for more housing in Liverpool, just not in that location.
“We all live in close proximity to each other and we’re all going to be facing that building. The traffic is horrendous on that street, the noise is horrendous. There’ll be so many other things happening. … Garbage pickup in the mornings, can you imagine how long there are going to be trucks parked on the street? It’s just going to be a nightmare. I’m sure there’s another site (where) it can be built. We’re not opposed to housing, we’re just opposed to that location.”
Norman said that if the development goes ahead, a new council may decide to address any traffic issues that arise.
“It always has been and it always will be a busy street. If these apartments are built and it’s deemed that there’s a need to put a crosswalk, there’s a need to put streetlights to improve traffic flow … then I’m certain that council at the time will do those things. But at this point in time, we are going through the process as it is.”
Liverpool resident Terry Doucette declared his bid on Tuesday for mayor of the Region of Queens. (Rick Conrad)
A former teacher wants to be the next mayor of the Region of Queens.
Terry Doucette retired in 2015 after 37 years as a teacher and school and school board administrator. He declared his intention at a council meeting on Tuesday during the public comments portion.
In an interview afterward, Doucette, who lives in Liverpool, said he’s running because he wants to see a number of concerns and priorities addressed in the next four years.
He said some of those are housing, senior care and the environment.
“In addition to that, we have a new mill being proposed through the province of Nova Scotia. And I’m excited about the potential for that. That will create the need for environmental sensitivity as well as labour-related benefits for our community. I watched Bowater Mersey over my time. … I know people who worked there with good wages. And I think if it comes this way … if they can assure us it’s going to be an environmental plus, I think the community would support that.
“And I realize that housing is the No. 1 concern for our residents. Seniors, young people, the demand for more apartments, the increase in rents has created a crisis.”
So far, the only other person running for mayor is Scott Christian. He announced in November that he was vying for the top elected spot in Queens County.
Christian is a business consultant who is also the former chairman of the Queens Daycare Association.
Another candidate had declared his intention to run, but has since thrown his support behind Christian. James Grant, a former business owner from Milton, said he would drop out of the race if somebody else ran that he could support.
Queens Mayor Darlene Norman has not said whether she will seek re-election.
For his part, Doucette said Tuesday that there wasn’t one single issue that made him decide to run. And he declined to assess the job of the current council.
“I know there are always dissensions when people are in the position to govern locally or provincially or federally. As a mature person, I believe in communication, I believe in moderation, I believe in conflict resolution. I have a lot of leadership skills from my past. People have to come together and share their views and this is a place on the council to share those views. At the end of the day, we’re all here and running for the same reasons, which is to respect what the people want.”
In his time as an educator, Doucette says he’s lived and worked all over Queens County. He’s also volunteered with the board of Queens Manor and run a property management company.
“I’m not running against anybody, I’m running for something,” he said. “I’m running for the people in North Queens, I’m running for the people in South Queens, I’m running because I’ve been into all the communities. I’ve worked with the people, people know me and I’m asking for a chance and some support.”
There’s still lots of time for others to join the race for mayor and the rest of council. The election is on Oct. 19, with the second Tuesday in September, or Sept. 10, set for candidates to file their nomination papers.
This year, for the first time, people will be able to vote in person, online or by phone.
The board that operates Region of Queens Home Support in Liverpool has given notice that it will terminate its contract with the Nova Scotia government to provide home-care services. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED 2:30 p.m. Tuesday
A non-profit group that delivers home-care services in Queens County has decided to terminate its contract with the provincial government partly because of a “substantial” deficit.
Region of Queens Home Support has been providing services like personal care, respite care and meal preparation for people in their homes for more than 40 years.
The Queens Home for Special Care Society operates the agency. The board gave six months’ notice recently to the province that it would no longer run it. That means a new provider needs to take over by January.
But Christopher Clarke, the society’s chairman, says its 174 clients in Queens and Lunenburg counties won’t see an interruption in service, and employees will keep their jobs.
“For the clients, it will mean they will continue to get service,” Clarke said Monday in an interview.
“We have a strong commitment from government that they will continue to get service. For the employees, they will be working for another employer, but they will be providing service to the same clients as we currently have.”
A Facebook post from someone who said they have worked with Queens Home Support for more than 20 years was widely shared on Monday. She said she is a continuing care assistant and that staff were told on July 4 that Queens Home Support would be closing.
“Let me be clear before I say what’s on my mind – to any clients or family with clients under Queens Home Support – the transition is supposed to be smooth without much upset to the (clients’) routines, themselves or their daily care,” the post said in part. “They will continue to receive care as usual.”
The post also claimed that Queens Home Support’s deficit is $1.5 million.
Clarke confirmed that the agency has run a deficit the past two years. But he said that it isn’t as high as $1.5 million.
“We have a deficit, yes. The number is incorrect, but we have a deficit. I’m not going to go into that. It’s substantial, so we have to work through that with government.”
He said the deficit is one of many reasons why the board decided to end its contract with the province.
“There were a number of other problems too, but that’s the main issue that caused us to make the decision,” he said.
“I’m not prepared to go into them in any sort of detail.”
Much of the funding for Region of Queens Home Support comes from the province. Based on clients’ income and the kind of care they need, other costs may be paid by the client.
Clarke said the agency’s income dropped because their service hours decreased, but its expenses didn’t.
“We got compensated on the basis of service hours, those are hours that we actually service our clients. But there are a lot of overheads in addition to that, and those overheads don’t change even though your service hours diminish.”
Clarke emphasized that clients will continue to get care. And he said the approximately 60 employees will retain their jobs.
“Government has assured us that they will continue to provide the services we provide under another agency. … And the employees will all be virtually employed by whatever the new agency is.”
Kim Silver, director of home and community care with the provincial Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, said Monday that when an agency notifies the province it’s winding down, officials immediately start looking for options to ensure services are maintained.
“Obviously, it’s concerning for clients and staff. For clients, they should know that there will be no impact to their care. The acting administrator has been in there for a little while now. She knows the organization well and she’ll continue to operate that organization until there’s a solid plan in place where we can seamlessly transition clients. In terms of staff, the plan certainly includes considerations for staff. We want to make sure everyone is treated fairly.”
Annette Hartlen, the agency’s executive director, is on leave. Kerry Hobbs, executive director of Lunenburg Home Support, is the interim director in Queens.
“We have options thankfully,” Silver said. “We’ve got a number of agencies in the province. Typically, we would have conversations with ones that make sense to see if they would be interested in taking over geographies. … We’re looking at other agencies in the area to support the clients.”
Silver said various factors could contribute to a reduction in service hours.
“Agencies are funded based on the number of service hours that they deliver on an hourly basis. So if service hours are lower, the funds the agency’s paid are lower. It could be a drop in clients, it could be that some clients have different care needs that might take a different amount of time. It could be that there’s more travel time involved. There are a whole lot of factors that can play into it.”
As for Queens Home Support’s deficit, Silver said that will be worked out between the province and the organization.
“It’s really about the sustainability of the organization. It’s a deficit that’s built up over time and would continue to be added to if the agency kept going.”
Queens MLA Kim Masland posted to her Facebook page on Tuesday morning and said that she’s working to make sure there’s no interruption in service.
“I commit to updating the community frequently as plans become finalized,” she said. “I want to be very clear that government did not cut funding!”
Clarke said that cancelling the home-care agreement was a tough decision for the board to make.
“Obviously, it’s not a decision that the board made lightly and obviously none of us feel good about it, but it’s something we had to do.”
Silver said they should have more information for clients and staff in the next few weeks.
“We’re working with the board to put a plan in place, to make sure people continue to get care, and that employees are treated fairly. Our primary focus obviously is our commitment to client care, so we’re working on solutions to make sure that we can continue that and have a smooth transition.”
Most of the agency’s clients live in Queens County, but a few live in neighbouring Lunenburg County. Clarke said that’s left over from when the agency had too many employees for its Queens County clients, so it took on some from the county next door.
Sarah Mitton was tops in the shot put at the Canadian Athletics trials in Montreal last week. The four-time Canadian champion is headed to the Summer Olympics in Paris. (Mundo Sport Image via Athletics Canada Facebook)
Queens County Olympian Sarah Mitton is on her way to Paris.
The 28-year-old world champion shot putter from Brooklyn qualified recently for the Canadian track and field team that will be going to the Summer Olympics July 26 to Aug. 11.
Her throw of 19.62 metres at the Canadian Olympic trials secured her fourth straight Canadian title.
She owns the world’s longest throw this year and a Canadian record at 20.68 m.
Mitton set that mark in March when she captured gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championship in Glasgow. She is also a Commonwealth Games champion, a Pan American Games champion and a silver medallist at the world championships.
In early June, she also captured top spot at the World Athletics Continental Tour in New York City, with a top throw of 20.15 m, beating her closest competitor by more than a metre.
“This time, it just feels totally different,” Mitton said in a Canadian Olympic team news release. “We’re preparing more for a medal, and that’s just a totally different feeling going into the Games.
“I feel very confident. A lot has changed since I went to the Olympics last time during COVID. I’m excited to have a crowd. I’m excited to have my family there. I’m just excited about taking the whole thing in.”
Mitton made her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020. She told QCCR in March just after winning the world indoor gold medal that she’s matured as a competitor since her first Olympics, and that she’s ready for Paris.
“I think shot put is really this unique sport where as you get older you can still get better,” she said.
“So I think I’m kind of coming into my prime as a thrower. It’s a very technical, very strength-based event. So the stronger you get the better, which takes time. The technical aspect is just so fine-tuned that I’ve got so many throws under my belt and then so many throws in these major competitions now, that I think being able to take away from everything is just building that consistency and then building that confidence amongst the higher-level comps. Being able to handle myself more as a professional as opposed to a rookie thrower who perhaps gets nervous prior to the competition. And I’m able to keep my composure.”
The women’s Olympic shot put qualification round is on Aug. 8, with the final the next day.
Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia’s health and wellness minister, announces at a news conference on Wednesday that the YourHealthNS app will be expanded to all Nova Scotians over 16. (Communications Nova Scotia via Zoom)
The Nova Scotia government is expanding access to a $15-million smartphone app that lets patients see their own medical records.
The government gave early access to 13,824 patients in six clinics around the province from January to April to the YourHealthNS app. One of those clinics was Queens Family Health in Liverpool.
After gathering feedback from users in the pilot, it announced Wednesday that anyone over 16 with a valid Nova Scotia health card can now download the app and access its features.
The biggest draw of the app is the ability for people to access their own medical records, prescriptions, lab and test results and immunizations. It also allows you to see your hospital, clinic or other medical appointments.
Patients can also schedule some appointments through the app.
Michelle Thompson is Nova Scotia’s health and wellness minister. She said the app helps give Nova Scotians control over their own health care.
“We started small with a test-and-try approach, but the results were huge,” Thompson said at a Wednesday news conference. “Those who used it liked it. It improved their health care experience, gave them more control over their care, but most importantly, it put health care back in their hands.
“You can now carry your medical history in your pocket wherever you go.”
Officials with Nova Scotia Health told reporters at a technical briefing that more than 300,000 Nova Scotians have already downloaded the app.
Of the pilot project participants, 98 per cent said they would continue to use the app, while 30 per cent said they felt they didn’t need to see their primary care provider because they had access to their records.
Officials could not say how many people actually used the app. They said that because of privacy concerns, they did not track individual users and how they used the app. The information came from a voluntary feedback survey in the app. Officials did not know how many people responded to the survey.
“We know from our evaluation here but also from other jurisdictions around the world, this empowers patients,” said Dr. Aaron Smith, medical executive director, Northern Zone, and provincial medical executive director.
“This allows patients to manage their own health. And the impact on providers is also profound. We know folks feel more engaged in their health, they better understand their health. It allows a significant numbers of folks to avoid unnecessary visits to both emergency department and primary care facilities. It allows physicians to really focus on what they need to do, which is care of acutely ill people.”
The YourHealthNS app has cost the government $15 million in total, with $2 million of that spent on the pilot project and another $3 million for the rollout to all of Nova Scotia.
Officials said Wednesday that protecting people’s privacy was one of their primary concerns.
“We are ensuring that people’s information is safe and citizens can see their own information and other than a few folks who will do audit functions to ensure everything is fine, there will be nobody else that can see that information,” Thompson said.
During the pilot phase, some participants in Queens County said that they either had no information available or the information they saw changed from day to day. Others said they could see all their records.
Scott McKenna, chief information officer for Nova Scotia Health, said that everybody should be able to see their health records now.
“Those are the lessons we’ve learned from the pilot. Now we’ve matched records a little bit differently, put some new algorithms in place to make sure we’re matching records based with a high level of confidence on health card number and date of birth. … Those individuals would see their health records now.”
Thompson said she’s confident that people will see information that’s reliable and up to date.
“The point of a test and try is that we bring individuals into the pilot. We understand the technology, we understand the interface with the people who are using the technology and we build on their feedback and their experience.
“We’re very grateful to those initial pilot participants. It really gave us the opportunity to understand the app, build the app, get their feedback, see what the experience was and move on from there. And so I feel very confident in the team and their ability to continue to deliver the iterations of this app. And I do believe the app will be of huge benefit to Nova Scotians.”
More records like primary care visits with doctors, nurse practitioners or through pharmacy clinics will be added over the coming months, Thompson said, with the goal of having all of that information available by the end of September.
A float from the Mersey Rose Theatre Company promoting the youth musical Alice in Wonderland, Jr., was one of the top floats in the Privateer Days parade on Saturday. (Rick Conrad)
Hundreds of people from around Nova Scotia lined the streets of downtown Liverpool on Saturday for the Privateer Days Parade.
It was part of the 39th annual Privateer Days celebration which began Friday.
The two-day festival featured the parade as well as a food and vendor market, amusement park rides and lots of other activities around town.
Float winners were:
1st place: Funky Witches of the Mist
2nd place: Mersey Rose Theatre Company
3rd place: Mersey Seafoods
Listen below for some of the sounds and reaction from the parade on Saturday
Kristopher Snarby, president of the Seaside Centre in Beach Meadows, says volunteers and the community have helped revitalize the community centre. (Rick Conrad)
Volunteers in the Beach Meadows area have revitalized their local community centre, bringing it back from the brink just two and a half years ago.
When a new board of directors took over the Seaside Centre in Beach Meadows in November 2021, many in the community feared it would close.
But in the time since, the centre has reclaimed its integral place in the community.
Kristopher Snarby is president of the Seaside Centre. He was one of those new board members.
“We came into a situation where people were tired and they just couldn’t keep going with the way things were. And we had a group of energetic people step in. The community made it clear they wanted to keep the building. We had a huge turnout at that meeting. It was evident from that that people wanted to make sure that we kept this facility in the community.”
Over the past couple of years, board members and other volunteers have raised thousands of dollars to renovate the centre. It’s now holding more regular community events and even has a couple of regular tenants renting space to help pay the bills.
They have installed new insulation and heat pumps throughout the facility to make it more energy efficient. And they plan this year to install a new metal roof and metal siding to help it withstand the harsher weather conditions on the coast.
They also invested $80,000 in a new generator to make the building a comfort centre during periods like hurricanes or power outages.
“These projects are huge capital projects that in theory should take a long time to achieve and we’ve done a lot in the short term. … That’s almost $300,000 in capital improvements to the centre in two or three years. So it’s been busy and we’re investing in the centre to ensure it keeps on going for a long time and it’s really positive.”
The centre held its annual general meeting this week, where the board highlighted some of the successes of the past year. The facility recorded a $28,842 surplus last year.
Snarby says the Seaside Centre wouldn’t have been able to do it without its group of about 100 volunteers and the community’s support. More than half of its revenue comes from fundraising and individual donations.
“We’ve had huge amounts of support both in terms of volunteer hours but also donations. We’ve gotten donations anywhere from $20 to $1,000 or $5,000. So we’ve had big donations, small donations. It all goes into the pot to make that happen. Without that, none of this would have been achievable. All of our grants have required 20 to 25 per cent contribution from the community. Every event we’ve had people are super generous with donations and coming out to support the centre.”
“The community support it’s allowing to push through and really get this done.”
He said after the work on the exterior of the building this year, the next long-term project may be to update their kitchen facilities.
“And then also just continuing to put on events and to be a place where people can come and gather. We have weekly groups that get together for yoga, for crafting, quilting. We’d like to expand that into some other weekly groups that attend here and just have more events for the community.”
Snarby says they’re always looking for more volunteers or for people to put on more events at the centre. You can find more information at their website at seasidecentre.ca or by joining their Facebook group.
Queens District RCMP have charged two people with multiple charges after a break and enter in East Berlin that led to a drug seizure.
Officers responded to a call in progress on April 23 at 6:40 p.m. at a cottage on East Berlin Road. Initially, police were told the owner had gone to the cabin and found an unknown car in the driveway and at least one person inside the building.
RCMP arrested two people in the cottage: a 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, both from Brooklyn.
They seized the pair’s vehicle, an Audi S4, and released the suspects while they investigated.
Officers executed a search warrant on the vehicle on June 4 and found bear mace, a knife, a machete, and drugs believe to be cocaine and crack cocaine, as well as drug paraphernalia.
James Mathew Stewart is charged with:
break and enter with intent
mischief under $5,000
possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking
three counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
Angel Dawn Patterson is charged with:
break and enter with intent
mischief under $5,000
possession of a controlled substance
Both Stewart and Patterson are due to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on Aug. 28, at 9:30 a.m.
David Trueman, branch supervisor of Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool, speaks to a group this week at a public consultation session on the design of the temporary location of the library. Elise Johnston, accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator with the Region of Queens, is leading the sessions. (Rick Conrad)
It may not be the location that many Liverpool library users want, but they say they’re going to make the best of it.
The Region of Queens has been holding public consultations this week on the design of the temporary location for the Thomas H. Raddall Library.
Region of Queens councillors voted in February to move the library to the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road by the end of the year.
The current lease at the Rossignol Centre in downtown Liverpool expires Dec. 31. Sherman Hines, who owns the building, also has it up for sale.
The municipality owns the business development centre. It currently houses the Global Empire call centre and Belliveau Veinotte accountants.
It’s supposed to be a temporary location, while the municipality works on a long-term plan.
Councillors set aside $1,050,000 for renovations to the 6,500 square-foot space, though staff said it could cost as much as $1.26 million.
Municipalities look after buildings and furniture for libraries, while the provincial government provides about 70 per cent of overall funding.
Finding a new home for the library has been fraught with delays and controversy since 2022, when the region allocated $3 million from an unexpected budget surplus to its construction.
The library steering committee twice recommended a site near Queens Place Emera Centre, with councillors ultimately nixing that plan both times.
Many residents at a December meeting told councillors they did not want the library at the call centre site, which is outside of town in an area with no sidewalks and very little lighting.
But with a deadline to vacate the current space looming, the region decided the call centre was the best option for now.
This week, about 40 people have attended public consultations so far. The last one is on Saturday at the library at 12:30.
The proposed design includes two large program rooms that can be combined into one, a teen room with soundproofing for a miniature recording studio. That room could also be used as a smaller meeting area. The new space also features an open area for kids, as well as a large kitchen and expanded washroom facilities.
That’s in addition to the large area set aside for the library’s current collection of books and other materials.
Elise Johnston, the region’s accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator, is leading the consultations with David Trueman, the library’s branch supervisor.
Cathie Pearl-Wentzell was at one of the sessions on Thursday. The Brooklyn resident says her family have been library users since she moved to the area in 1977.
“I think it was very informative, I learned a lot, it’s good to have the opportunity to have input,” she said.
She said she’s disappointed in the location, but there are benefits to the new space.
“I’ve come to accept that, vehemently opposed (to the location), let my councillor know, let the mayor know. My question is can they tear this building down and build the library on this site? I don’t know.
“I think it’s going to have a lot of opportunities. Parking being one, it’s going to be much more accessible, much more comfortable climate-control-wise. And everybody has the best interest at heart, so you can’t go wrong with somebody with their hearts in the right places.”
Melissa Swatsenbarg of Liverpool uses the library at least once a twice a week. She said she likes being able to give her input on the design.
“It kind of culminates all the things I’ve been listening to over the past year and a half because I’ve been talking to a lot of people over the past year and a half about it.
“I like the final idea of having a fairly large kitchen and a designated teen space. I like the plans to have a more open children’s section.”
She said she likes the more modern amenities of the new space, even though the location isn’t ideal.
“None of us are really thrilled we have to go all the way through town to get back out of town to go to it,” Swatsenbarg said.
“It’s kind of out of the way. And there are no sidewalks. My kids will bike into the library here. (Out there), it’s a very busy road and it’s not a very safe road trying to get up and around there. So in that aspect, it’s going to change how many kids I allow to take themselves to the library.”
Even though councillors decided to move the library to the call centre space, they also acknowledged that a newly elected council in October could tackle the issue of a new library. But that could still take at least three to five years to happen.
In the meantime, some at the consultations suggested keeping up the pressure on council candidates for a new library in a more central location.
The last public consultation session is at the library on Old Bridge Street on Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30. People can also email accessibility@regionofqueens.com with their suggestions.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at various times this weekend. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at 1:30 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. Sat., June 29
It will close again at 1:30 p.m. on Sun., June 30 and reopen Mon., July 1 at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Nova Scotia Health advises people experiencing a medical emergency to call 911. For general health advice, people can contact 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call the same-day clinic through the week for new and emerging conditions at 902-354-3322. Hours are based on provider availability.
More than 70 people turned out for the Astor Theatre Society’s annual general meeting on Monday evening in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
After years of discussing the need for it, the board of the Astor Theatre says that 2024 will be the year that they get serious about securing funding for a modern HVAC system.
The 122-year-old building has only ceiling fans in its performance space, making it pretty steamy in the middle of the summer.
The Astor Theatre Society board announced at their annual general meeting on Monday night that it plans to go after federal and provincial funding this year to make the whole building more energy-efficient and to install a state-of-the-art heat pump system.
That system would keep the Astor cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They also plan to replace windows, reinsulate the roof and change all lighting to energy-efficient LEDs.
Board member Lynn Cochrane told about 70 people gathered for the AGM that the board will work with the Region of Queens, which owns the building, to ensure they maintain the structural integrity and acoustics of the Astor.
She said it’s part of a major capital campaign that the Astor will launch this year.
They also plan to create an endowment fund, supported by corporate and individual donations, to ensure the Astor’s financial security.
“It is our Astor,” Cochrane said. “So this endowment will protect it for many years, and hopefully save us from having to go hand to mouth with our finances every year.”
The Astor also got a $100,000 donation from the Greenfield-based sawmill Harry Freeman and Son Limited.
Board chairman John Simmonds told members that the Astor is in good financial shape, even though it reported a $40,393 deficit for the nine months ending Dec. 31.
The theatre’s total audience last year from April 1 to Dec. 31 was about 12,000, with 60 per cent of that coming from Queens County and 40 per cent from outside the region.
“So we’ve had a lot of people through these doors,” Simmonds said.
The first four months of 2024, however, were stronger, with 18 events bringing almost 3,750 people to the theatre, and a net gain of $27,900.
The Astor hosted many popular concerts and events from January to April, including the late February/early March production of Follies, its first adult musical production since 2018.
“The last few months have been very important to the Astor, we’ve been so successful, we’ve had so much going on,” Simmonds said.
He said the board plans to sign a 10-year lease with the region, which will help the Astor in its fundraising goals.
“It also gives us an opportunity to go after grants that require a 10-year lease so that we can establish to the grantors that we are going to stay around for a long time. So that could bring in some fairly big numbers to allow us to do some of the things we want to do.”
The Astor’s net assets as of Monday’s AGM are $232,000, according to treasurer Loris Azzano.
The Astor Theatre Society’s members also voted to add three new people to the board of directors, bringing the total to 11.
They are Melanie Atkinson, who also volunteers at QCCR, Terri Faber and Cynthia Walker.
They join Simmonds, Azzano, Cochrane, Anne Espenant, Willo Treschow, Dan Williams, Heather White Brittain and Colleen Wolfe.
Kim Jackson, president of the Nova Scotia Native Council Zone 9, organized the National Indigenous Peoples Day event in Liverpool on Friday. (Rick Conrad)
People from indigenous communities across Canada celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day on Friday.
In Liverpool, the Nova Scotia Native Council Zone 9 organized an event at Great Oak Park near the Hank Snow Home Town Museum on Friday afternoon and evening.
People from around Queens County turned out for the cultural celebration featuring dancing, drumming, a vendors market with Mi’kmaw artisans and some traditional foods.
QCCR spoke to Kim Jackson of Milton, president of the Nova Scotia Native Council Zone 9, and other people at the event.
Lincoln Inglis and his father Bruce will be at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Friday night cheering on the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final. (Rick Conrad)
As the Edmonton Oilers try to extend the Stanley Cup final to seven games on Friday night, a small but committed group from Liverpool will be in the stands cheering them on.
Bruce Inglis, his son Lincoln and three friends will be at Rogers Place in Edmonton for Game 6 as the Oilers try to tie their series with the Florida Panthers.
“This year, people kept asking me, ‘Are you and Lincoln going to a game from the start of the playoffs?’ And I said, ‘No we’re saving ourselves for the finals,’ which actually came to pass this time for the first time in 18 years.”
Bruce, who works as a financial planner in Liverpool, says he’s been an Oilers fan since he was 10 years old – when they upset the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 1981 NHL playoffs.
His team has won five Stanley Cups, beginning in 1984 during the Gretzky-Messier glory years. But it’s been 34 years since the Oilers last won the cup. And Inglis told his wife that he had to be there to see it.
“I had said many years ago to Melanie that if the Oilers were ever to win another Stanley Cup I was going to be in the building when they win it. So that’s our goal this year.”
The father and son were in the crowd at the Panthers’ rink in Sunrise, Florida, when the Oilers won Game 5. And if the Oilers win on Friday night, they plan to be back in Florida for Game 7.
“We were in the very back row in Florida at the very top, but it was actually a great place to watch from. The view was fantastic.
“It was unreal. There was lots of energy of course, especially at the start of the game. The Florida folks were hoping to see the Stanley Cup brought out on the ice. So there was a lot of energy in the rink. … At the end of the game there were some pretty good Oilers chants as well. There were probably 2,000 Oilers fans in the rink. Lots of great energy, great food, it was a fun night.”
Lincoln, who’s 22 and is a masters student at Western University in London, Ont., says the playoff run has been pretty special.
“It’s very surreal because it’s the first time I can remember them being in the finals. Even just being in the away rink, the energy was pretty high. So I’m really looking forward to going to Edmonton because it’s going to be insane.”
Bruce says he made sure to pass on his love of the Oilers to Lincoln and his sister Lauren early on.
“When the kids turned 10, I took them each to an Oilers game because you want to make sure your kids get a proper education. Lincoln and I went to a playoff game in 2017 that they lost and then in 2022 and 2023 we saw a game in each versus Los Angeles. So we got to see them win those ones. So they’re on a hot streak with us in the crowd now. We have to hope that continues.”
Lincoln says it’s a chance he couldn’t pass up.
“You can’t not see the Oilers hoist a Stanley Cup. It’s one of those things that hasn’t happened in 34 years, so you don’t want to miss that kind of opportunity.”
Bruce says he loves sharing this Stanley Cup experience with Lincoln.
“It’s fantastic. It’s pretty neat. Lauren and I do concerts. That’s our thing together. But for hockey, it is neat when you grew up liking something and your son adopts that and ends up liking it as much as you do. But we have a lot of laughs when we go on these little trips and there are memories that you’ll always have.”
And they’re also happy to bring friends along, like Claudine MacDiarmid, her son Teed and Inglis family friend Rauri Whynot.
“It’s the small town hits the big city for a Friday night. It’s going to be a lot of fun. And for me to be going, especially to have three younger guys, … to see that experience for those guys, because if you’ve watched on TV, you’ve seen how loud Rogers Place in Edmonton is. It’s quite phenomenal.”
They’ll be wearing their Oilers jerseys on Friday night — Kelly Buchberger’s No. 16 for Bruce and Mattias Ekholm’s No. 14 for Lincoln.
“My jersey’s on a lucky streak right now,” Bruce says, “and so I think if I didn’t wear it, it could be bad news.”
So, do the Inglises have any predictions for Game 6?
“We expect an Oilers win,” Lincoln says.
“I really hope we see them win,” says Bruce. “If we don’t, the five of us will see a Stanley Cup awarded. And that’s a pretty neat and privileged thing to do.”
And if the Oilers tie it up on Friday night, father and son will be booking last-minute flights back to Florida for Game 7 on Monday.
“This is our favorite pastime,” Bruce says. “Some people have boats and some people go on parties but we’ll be a while paying this one off, Lincoln and I, but again (we) realize it’s a pretty special occurrence if it happens and who knows if we’ll ever see that again?”
Canadian shot put thrower Sarah Mitton throws during the group A qualification round during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in July 2021. (Photo by Mark Blinch/COC)
With the Summer Olympics just over a month away, anticipation is building for fans of Queens County Olympian and world champion Sarah Mitton.
And to show support for Brooklyn’s best-known athlete, the Region of Queens is organizing a video tribute to send to Mitton to cheer her on as she goes for shotput gold in Paris.
The municipality is calling on people to record a video that’s 10 seconds or less. They’ll edit all the videos into one and send it to Mitton as she prepares for the Olympics.
The region’s mayor Darlene Norman is organizing her own video tribute on Saturday morning near her home in Port Medway.
“I’m hopeful that many people will show up from Port, neighbouring communities and perhaps some other places,” Norman said Thursday.
Norman’s video will be recorded at the village’s lighthouse park near the wharf at 9 a.m..
“I’d encourage people if they have any of the Sarah signs left from the last Olympics to bring them along. If they want to bring a big poster, if they want to wear bright clothing, just bring your happy spirit to send Sarah some great words.”
She won Canada’s first-ever world medal in women’s shot put with her silver at the Budapest games in 2023. And she is a Commonwealth Games champion and Pan American Games champion.
She recently won gold at the USATF New York City Grand Prix.
Mitton, who turned 28 on Thursday, is getting ready for the Canadian track and field trials coming up at the end of June in Montreal.
“I’ve had my eye on Paris for two years at least,” Mitton said. “And everything we’ve been doing in the last two years is a part of our preparation.”
Norman says Mitton is an inspiration to many people.
“I’ve always admired her. She’s so well spoken and she’s such a good representative for Queens County and Nova Scotia and Canada. And she’s from Brooklyn. Think about it. We had no fancy track facilities, we just had volunteer teachers who coached, and Sarah stood out and shone, found what she loves and pursued it. And I think that’s such an excellent role model for anyone in any walk of life.”
Even if they can’t make it to Port Medway on Saturday morning, Norman encourages people to make their own videos.
“Get together in your own community, get together with your family, your friends, send a solo video. Just take part and send Sarah Mitton a cheer, a hello, a good luck, a ‘we’re so proud of you’, whatever message people like to make.”
The region is accepting videos by email until July 2. You can send them to cheersfromhome@regionofqueens.com. All videos must be no longer than 10 seconds.
Garbage piled up at one of the ‘greybox’ sites in Queens County. (Submitted)
Region of Queens officials plan to take action to curb the ongoing garbage problem in the county’s increasingly popular cottage country.
Councillors will vote on several recommendations at their June 25 meeting that they hope will mitigate chronic trash pileups and overflows at so-called “greybox” sites in areas such as Labelle and Molega.
There are about 40 greybox sites on or near private roads throughout the municipality. They consume half of the region’s garbage collection budget.
The private roads do not have the regular garbage pickup service of most property owners who live on public roads. So the municipality has dropoff sites throughout the region where residents can deposit their waste, recyclables and compostables.
The region picks up the garbage once a week in spring, fall and winter and either two or three times a week in summer months.
District 6 Coun. David Brown has a lot of recreational or cottage properties in his area. In January, he asked the region’s staff to come up with possible solutions to the refuse abuse.
Brown said that especially in the busier summer months, people regularly just toss their trash on the ground around the greyboxes, instead of putting it inside. They’ll also leave big household items like furniture at the sites, even though the municipal landfill is nearby.
Even non-residents regularly leave their garbage, compounding the problem. Some bring their trash in on Fridays and dump them at the sites when they visit their properties on the weekends.
“The bylaw says that those grey bins are for the residents of private roads only for bagged garbage, created on site,” Brown said. “And people who are spending the weekend and dumping everything on Sunday night as they leave, a lot of that stuff can be taken to the landfill.”
Region of Queens officials want to crack down on how people on private roads use greyboxes for their garbage. (Rick Conrad)
CAO Cody Joudry said he and other staff members have had many discussions about why the problem persists and how to fix it.
“At some of our worst sites, it starts to reach a threshold … at which it seems to overflow,” Joudry said. “And once one person does something, then all of a sudden everyone does it, sort of disrespect the whole thing.”
Joudry said staff suggest trying a few different things to see what works. He made five recommendations:
install cameras to record when and how often the sites begin to overflow
capture license plates of offenders and send notices to vehicle owners warning that further offences will result in fines
add more greyboxes to see if it reduces the amount or frequency of overflows
look for other locations where the boxes are less visible to non-residents
increase the collection frequency at some locations from Dec. 1 to March 31.
Joudry said the region tried to install surveillance cameras at some sites years ago, but people stole them. He said staff have ideas about how to limit or prevent that from happening again.
Joudry said staff would report to council in mid-winter 2025 on the effectiveness of their efforts.
District 5 Coun. Jack Fancy said the areas have unreliable internet and cell service, so real-time surveillance may be difficult.
He said he’d also like to see an area for people to leave large items so they don’t get in the way of the greyboxes. He suggested a semi-annual “dump day” for people to drop large items, and to hold a roadside giveaway once a year.
“If we don’t get that big stuff moved out from in front of the bins, people are … going to throw their garbage down there and then somebody else throws the garbage there and then you’ve got the bins that aren’t even full, you can’t get at them becasue of the big items in front of them,” Fancy said.
Brown said that he hopes the situation will improve with some education and enforcement.
“We as a region allow people to take four loads to the landfill every month without charge. … So if somebody has taken the effort to load a chesterfield on the back of a truck and drive it out to the grey bin and throw it on the ground in front of the bins, it’s an extra 15 minutes to go to the landfill and dispose of it properly. … We need education and a little bit of enforcement and I think the problem will go away on its own.
“And I really applaud staff for coming through and trying an approach because for the past 10 years we have suffered from analysis paralysis. … This starts us on the approach to getting something done. And I think as word gets around that there’s some enforcment happening, people will not want to pay that $682.50 fine.”
The municipality says the extra measures could cost up to $40,000, with the majority of that going to increased weekly garbage collection in winter.
North Queens Community School in Caledonia is one of the recipients of the new School Advisory Council Innovation Fund. (NQCS Facebook page)
North Queens Community School in Caledonia is one of 26 schools across Nova Scotia awarded funding through the new School Advisory Council Innovation Fund.
The fund is sponsored by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. It provides grants of up to $10,000 to test an idea that could be expanded to other schools. The province announced the program in December to encourage new and innovative projects to support student achievement and well-being.
“I am so impressed with the creativity and commitment to bettering schools that SACs showed in their applications to the innovation fund,” said Becky Druhan, minister of education and early childhood development.
“The councils really demonstrated their deep understanding of their school communities and the things that get students engaged in their learning experience.”
The North Queens Community School’s project is a W’koum (wigwam). Led by a community elder, students will sustainably collect materials to build the structure.
The Primary to Grade 12 school plans a community celebration when the W’koum is finished and it will be incorporated into the school’s outdoor learning environment.
School advisory councils are volunteer-driven and usually include parents and guardians, school staff, students and other community members.
The province received 128 applications for funding. More than $250,000 was awarded to recipients.
Projects will be featured at the first provincewide SAC conference in September.
Some of the other successful projects include: hydroponics to expand school gardens; a model apartment for students with special needs; and a “right to bike” program, which supplies students in grades 3, 4 and 5 with larger bicycles and safety equipment.
Kids play this week at the splash pad at Etli Milita’mk, the universally designed play park in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED JULY 20 at 10:30 a.m.
Region of Queens councillors will vote next week on whether to write off almost $51,000 in cost overruns and funding shortfalls at the universally designed play park in Liverpool.
Councillors voted last week to move the issue forward to their June 25 meeting for a final vote. Most of them appeared to support absorbing the cost.
District 2 Coun. Ralph Gidney was the only one against the motion to vote on the matter at their next meeting.
The provincial organization recently asked the municipality to cover $50,962 in unpaid bills on the $630,000 playground. Some $5,988.79 of that is interest on the overdue account.
Joanne Veinotte, director of corporate services, told councillors last week that Autism Nova Scotia told the municipality they believed that the region would cover any shortfalls.
“Fundraising was less than forecasted. The ACOA contribution was less than budgeted and there were cost overruns such as short-term security for surfacing materials, rescheduling of a rubber surface contract and extension of a rubber surface area. This all contributed to the overage.”
Beyond that, however, details about the overdue account were sparse. It was unclear what the outstanding bill is for or to whom, or when Autism Nova Scotia realized that there wasn’t enough money on hand to cover all the expenses of the project.
The playground is named Etli Milita’mk (pronounced ed-a-lee milly-dumk), which is Mi’kmaw for “we are playing here”. It opened last October, after years of community fundraising led by Queens County resident Debbie Wamboldt and others. It’s designed to be inclusive and accessible for everybody, regardless of ability or age.
The community group raised about $100,000 on their own, with the region donating the land near Queens Place Emera Centre and committing $111,773 from its community investment fund. ACOA and the provincial government also contributed to the project.
Autism Nova Scotia issued charitable tax receipts and held the money in trust to pay the region for construction as invoices were submitted. The region also agreed to own, operate and maintain the playground.
QCCR tried numerous times for an interview with officials from Autism Nova Scotia. Last week, a spokeswoman said in an email that they were “unable to provide an interview at this time”.
QCCR asked the municipality this week for clarification on the account. In an email, Heather Cook, the region’s communications and engagement co-ordinator, explained that the municipality has paid all bills related to the park and no suppliers are owed money.
Because of cost overruns and funding shortfalls, she said, Autism Nova Scotia contacted the region in April to say that it would not be paying the full amount of the final invoice, which the municipality issued in January. The group did not pay any interest on overdue invoices during the term of the project, resulting in interest charges which contributed to the shortfall.
Councillors will vote on June 25 “to fund the outstanding interest charges and project overrun that (are) owed to the municipality due to the funding shortfall.”
The money would come from the municipality’s accumulated budget surplus.
District 1 Coun. Kevin Muise said last week that councillors had voted to donate the land and approve funding from the community investment fund. But he said they didn’t vote to cover any overruns.
District 3 Coun. Maddie Charlton asked if there was any additional information that staff could share with councillors before their next meeting.
CAO Cody Joudry, who took over in November, said there wasn’t.
“I don’t believe there is any other documentation to provide council. … From Autism Nova Scotia’s perspective, they’re like, ‘Well, it’s not really fair to make us cover the difference because we were just the pass-through and really the region was the one who was managing the project.’
“I think if we were doing this over again, we would have brought this to council a lot sooner, like in the construction phase and talked about these issues. But I can’t do anything about that now. So, unfortunately, Coun. Charlton, I do not believe there is any more information I can bring you.”
Councillors did not want to ask Autism Nova Scotia or the local fundraising group to cover the extra costs.
Mayor Darlene Norman said that it was nobody’s fault. Construction delays and weather last summer contributed to the extra expenses.
She said in an interview Monday that it didn’t help that the region was without a full-time CAO for much of last year. Former CAO Chris McNeill left the job in May.
“Remember, this was a time when we had no CAO last year, directors were shifting and taking those roles. And then we had the boil water situation happening, we had no permanent CAO. I’m not saying that’s any reason why this may have occurred, but obviously there was lack of communication between Autism Nova Scotia and Region of Queens staff.”
Norman said that in future, the region would likely approach projects like this differently.
“It was a lesson that if a project like this should ever be undertaken again there needs to be very firm rules respecting who manages what and conversations and communication between the two partners.”
The June 25 council meeting will be held at the Westfield Community Hall in North Queens.
Scot Slessor at his stained glass studio SAS Glass, just off Main Street in Liverpool. Slessor is one of the organizers of the Queens Coast Art Tour on June 22 and 23. (Rick Conrad)
Liverpool stained glass artist Scot Slessor wants the Queens Coast Art Tour to be memorable.
But he also wants the map for the tour to be just as unforgettable, and useful. Last year, he recruited Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman to help him with a video explaining how to make a paper airplane out of the map.
Obviously making a paper airplane isn’t the map’s most important function. In fact, Slessor wants people to unfold it to reveal the many Queens County artisans listed there and pay them a visit during the Queens Coast Art Tour.
The map plots all participating artisans and businesses, with QR codes that link to their websites or social media accounts.
Slessor owns SAS Glass in downtown Liverpool. He and some other local artisans got together last year to form the Queens County Arts and Crafts Society, taking over from the Queens Arts Council.
One of their first projects was to create an art map and studio tour. That happened last October, and it included almost 25 artisans from Liverpool to Western Head to Port Medway.
This year, it’s expanded to more than 40 artists, shops and popups all over Queens County. And there will be two chances to participate, in June and October.
The first one is coming up on June 22 and 23. The tour runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
Slessor says it’s all about promoting Queens County as an arts destination, and about artisans opening up their studios or demonstrating their craft to local residents and visitors.
“I’ve been on a ton of these studio tours,” Slessor said in a recent interview.
“What I’ve told everybody, you’re just not another sale. Just don’t put stuff on a table. If you’re painting, paint. I’m glass, I’ll be doing something with glass those days. People can come in, I can show them what I do, what the materials are, how I play with them. That has to be there, because people do find that interesting. … We need to be different. Everybody does craft sales up and down the shore. So what’s the difference? I think the difference should be come on down, we’re throwing some pottery, we’re making some jewelry, you can see what we’re doing.”
Slessor says last October’s art tour was a success for many of the artists, some of whom were surprised by how many people dropped by to see them in action.
“I had 30 people each day in here. All I did was gab all day to people. And then I talked to other people who never really opened their studio and they said, ‘I can’t believe all these people showed up to my studio.’ So, it was kind of cool.
“You might show one person your studio and have a cup of coffee, but when you have 20 people rolling through in a day, it is kind of neat.”
In addition to visiting artisans at their studios or work spaces, art lovers can also meet them at three popup locations: the Astor Theatre, White Point Beach Resort and Coastal Queens Place in Port Mouton.
“Some artists are very quiet and unassuming. And suddenly you find there’s a guy on the street here who’s a fantastic portrait painter. You didn’t even know he was there. And locally, I think it’s important. Last October, when we did this, a lot of folks who came around were local.
“One of the wider goals of something like this is you feel like you have a sense of community and that you’re not working totally in isolation. Doing art can be a very isolating thing. To let them know that they have a community to be part of.”
Aside from the obvious goal of giving artisans more chances to sell their work, another objective of the tour is to bring art lovers to the area from all over the province and beyond.
“In the perfect world, I’d love to see artisans selling stuff and making some money,” Slessor says.
“I think if we bring people to the county, whether they buy from one of us or just spend some time in a restaurant or going to the Astor or doing whatever, that’s all positive. So we (hope to) increase the number of people coming into the county.”
Slessor says the Queens County Arts and Crafts Society has also applied for provincial funding to help them work on their online marketing and promotion.
And he says he’d like to see international artists come to Liverpool for four-week residencies.
The former diplomat has reached out to some of his contacts overseas.
“It would be great to have, I don’t know, a Taiwanese artist here for four or five weeks. They’d be at the Astor. We would introduce them to other artisans. It would be fun and informative and something totally different.”
People can pick up a Queens Coast art tour map in Liverpool at the Visitor Information Centre, the Astor Theatre, Main and Mersey coffee bar, Shore Thing Studio and Emporium or at SAS Glass just across from the Astor.
The house at 89 Main St. in Liverpool before fire destroyed it on May 13. RCMP say the fire was suspicious. (Top photo: Google Streetview; bottom photo: Rick Conrad)
Queens District RCMP are asking for the public’s help in investigating a ‘suspicious’ fire at 89 Main St. in Liverpool in May.
“In this case, because the investigation is ongoing, I can’t provide additional comments without jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation,” RCMP spokesman Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay told QCCR on Wednesday.
“But I can tell you from the information gathered, it does indicate it is suspicious in nature. And we are looking for tips from the public to advance the investigation.”
Fire services from around Queens County and RCMP officers responded to the fire at 4:40 a.m. on May 13. The historic house, known as the Hendry House, was abandoned at the time. Nobody was injured.
The Liverpool Fire Department referred it to the RCMP for investigation.
The blaze destroyed the house, which local historian Tim MacDonald said was built around 1893 and was owned by former Liverpool mayor, ship owner and businessman A.W. Hendry.
Firefighters tore down the remaining structure. The Region of Queens erected a fence around the property.
And on Tuesday, regional councillors voted to declare the site dangerous and unsightly. They gave the property owner seven days to clean it up.
According to Nova Scotia property records, 89 Main St. is owned by Rosemarie Jacob. It’s one of 14 properties she owns in Liverpool, Brooklyn, Italy Cross, Lunenburg Co., and East Baccaro, Shelburne Co.
If Jacob does not appeal the municipal cleanup order by June 18, the municipality will do it and charge the cost to her as a lien on the property.
There are two mailing addresses listed for Jacob in property records. One is a post office box in Brooklyn. The other is a PO box in Liverpool.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman said Tuesday that Jacob is hard to find.
“Staff have used every avenue they have to contact the owner. However, unfortunately, that owner leaves very little contact information. We have simply been unable to contact the owner.”
RCMP are asking anyone with information about the fire to contact Queens District RCMP at 902-354-5721. If you want to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.
This is all that’s left of the historic Hendry House at 89 Main St. in Liverpool after a fire in May. (Rick Conrad)
The owner of an abandoned house on Main Street in Liverpool that burned down in May has seven days to clean up the site.
If she doesn’t clean it up or appeal the order within seven days, the Region of Queens will do it for her and charge her for the cost of the cleanup.
Councillors voted on Tuesday to declare the property dangerous and unsightly and to clean it up.
According to Nova Scotia property records, 89 Main St. is owned by Rosemarie Jacob, who owns 13 other properties in Liverpool, Brooklyn, Italy Cross, Lunenburg Co., and East Baccaro, Shelburne Co.
Only two addresses are listed for Jacob in property records. One is a post office box in Brooklyn. The other is a PO box in Liverpool.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman said Tuesday the owner is hard to find.
“Staff have used every avenue they have to contact the owner. However, unfortunately, that owner leaves very little contact information. We have simply been unable to contact the owner.”
The house at 89 Main St. caught fire overnight on May 13. The Liverpool Fire Department eventually got it under control, but the structure had to be torn down.
It was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Since then, the municipality has fenced off the property. But none of the debris from the fire has been cleaned up.
There’s still a slight acrid, charred smell around the property from the fire.
A screenshot from Google Streetview from 2014 of 89 Main St. in Liverpool.
According to local historian Tim MacDonald, the historic house was built in 1893 and was once owned by former Liverpool mayor, ship owner and businessman A.W. Hendry.
Liverpool Fire Chief Trevor Munroe told QCCR on Tuesday that they’ve finished their initial investigation and passed it on to Queens District RCMP.
He said there was no power at the property, so it’s unclear how the fire started. That’s why the RCMP are investigating.
“It could be suspicious, it could not be suspicious,” he said in an interview. “But it could be something as simple as a cigarette if someone was moving the grass or something like that.”
An RCMP spokesman said Tuesday the investigation is still ongoing.
Mike MacLeod, the director of planning and development for the region, told councillors on Tuesday that the municipality has received a number of complaints about cleaning up the site.
QCCR is trying to find the owner for comment. If we are able to reach her, we will update this story.
According to property records, Rosemarie Jacob bought the house in 2002 from Erwin Keller of A & I Keller Investments Limited.
Before that, it was owned by the McConnell family from 1973 to 1999.
Council voted on Tuesday to give Jacob seven days to clean it up. Unless she appeals the order by June 18, the municipality will do it and charge the cost as a lien against the property.
Norman says it’s an issue of public safety.
“In the absence of an owner, we are moving ahead with the motion made today. Seven days to file an appeal and if we do not hear from the owner by June 18, then we will be moving ahead and cleaning up the property.”
Another property owned by Jacob that appears to have been abandoned is on Court Street. That’s just off Main Street and behind the former Mersey Hotel, which is itself in bad shape but is currently occupied by various residential tenants.
Jacob also bought the Court Street house in 2002 from A & I Keller Investments.
Norman said she couldn’t comment on the Court Street property or any other Queens County properties owned by Jacob.
“Our bylaw officer has many files that she is presently working on. I cannot comment on the one you’ve made, however, there are various properties that are going to be coming forward to council.”
If Jacob appeals the order, the municipality will schedule a public hearing.
Region of Queens councillors plan to cover cost overruns and funding shortfalls for the Queens universally designed play park in Brooklyn. (Rick Conrad)
The Region of Queens plans to pick up the tab for almost $51,000 that’s still owed on the universally designed play park in Brooklyn.
The $630,000 playground opened in October 2023. Named Etli Milita’mk (pronounced ed-a-lee milly-dumk), it was the initiative of Queens County resident Debbie Wamboldt, who led private fundraising for the park and who first approached the region in 2015 about supporting it.
It’s designed to be accessible and inclusive of everyone, regardless of age or ability.
The park includes ramped decks, braille and audio elements as well as a spray pad with sprinklers, a fountain, filler buckets and jet spray units.
Wamboldt and other volunteers raised about $100,000 toward the park’s construction. Autism Nova Scotia issued charitable tax receipts and held the money in trust to pay the region for construction as invoices were submitted.
The region initially contributed $111,773 from its community investment fund and it donated the land near Queens Place Emera Centre.
ACOA and the Nova Scotia government topped up funding.
The region also agreed to own, operate and maintain the playground.
On Tuesday, however, councillors were told that project costs exceeded revenue. Autism Nova Scotia said fundraising was lower than expected and the ACOA contribution was less than budgeted.
And there were construction cost overruns with the project such as the material and installation for the rubber surfacing in the park.
Because of that, Autism Nova Scotia asked the region to absorb that extra cost of $50,962. Just under $6,000 of that is the accumulated interest on the unpaid bill.
Mayor Darlene Norman said she and the rest of council were aware of the shortfall only last week.
“It was a dream to have this universal play park,” Norman said in an interview.
“Autism Nova Scotia agreed to be the body that would look after the accounting and the monies as they were collected with the agreement that it becomes the property of the region. It was at that point or sometime later, I’m not certain, that it was evident there may be a shortfall.”
Autism Nova Scotia told the region’s staff that it believed that the municipality agreed to cover any cost overruns or funding shortages.
District 1 Coun. Kevin Muise said he was involved in those negotiations and he doesn’t recall any such agreement. He said he wasn’t opposed to picking up the tab, but that council hadn’t agreed in advance to do that.
Other councillors said they were conflicted about the issue. They said the local fundraising group went “above and beyond” in their efforts to get the park built and councillors didn’t want to ask them to raise more money.
“The majority of council felt it was very unfair … understanding the valuable work that Autsim NS does, it would be very unfair to ask them for another $51,000 because of all they’ve done, and also felt it very unfair to ask the local fundraising committee to raise another $51,000.”
Norman said it’s money well spent.
“I can’t imagine why anyone would question why the municipality should pay the remainder of the cost on something that we own. It’s a lovely play park that as region taxpayers, we paid $161,000 for. And there will always be the dissenters and the naysayers who will say it’s the region’s fault. It’s a beautiful play park, and it’s a lot of money to construct it, however it belongs to the region and the region is paying that outstanding amount.”
The issue will come back to council’s June 25 meeting, where they will vote on taking the money from their accumulated budget surplus.
