Brian Muldoon protests the proposed fish farm expansion. QCCR file photo

A local environmental group is gearing up to fight a proposed fish farm expansion in Liverpool.

Protect Liverpool Bay was recently granted intervenor status to appear at the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board hearing into Kelly Cove Salmon’s proposed plan to expand their operation in Liverpool Bay.

Representatives from Acadia First Nations, Brooklyn Marina, 23 Fishermen of Liverpool Bay and the Region of Queens Municipality were also granted intervenor status in the hearing set to begin Feb 05, 2024.

The aquaculture board denied requests to intervene from several residents along with the South Queens Chamber of Commerce and the Ecology Action Centre.

President of the Protect Liverpool Bay Association Brian Muldoon argues the pens are too large and the water too shallow to safely operate a fish farm in this location. He says it’s not a question of if but when the farmed salmon will escape into the wild.

“I witnessed from Hurricane Lee three weeks ago, four weeks ago, whatever, that the nets were ripped apart here,” said Muldoon. “The actual feeding barge got ripped right off all the feeding lines and moved. Those fish weren’t even being fed for days.”

Muldoon says there is overwhelming opposition to the existing fish farm and the community has made it clear they do not want to see it expanded.

“You get the lobster fishermen, you get the Acadia First Nations who are saying no, you get Queens County who say no, we don’t want you, you get the Marina for navigational and recreational boating no, you say all of the members of PLB from beachgoers to homeowners all the ones that live in the area say no, so why are we even having this discussion?” asked Muldoon.

Protect Liverpool Bay is being represented at the board hearing by lawyers from Ecojustice. Muldoon says the board will not listen to repetitious arguments, so Ecojustice is working with other intervenors to ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak and present evidence.

“You want to have expert witnesses to come forward and you want to be able to make sure that they have all the, you know you may hire an oceanographer, or you can hire someone from the wild salmon,” said Muldoon. “You know, as PLB, we don’t have to talk about the eight deciding factors. You could pick two or three and focus on them.”

In their application, Kelly Cove Salmon explains the change is being requested to “fully encompass existing cages, mooring lines, and anchors within lease boundaries. The lease boundaries will incorporate six (6) additional cages resulting in a 2 x 10 configuration in addition to an increase in production to ensure the long term environmental and financial stability of this site.” 

Hearings into the application will be held February 5 through 9 at the Liverpool Best Western Hotel.

Follow these links to the Aquaculture Review Board Application Hearing and the Protect Liverpool Bay pages to learn more.

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Laricobius Beetle. Photo courtesy Natural Resources Canada

Scientists are hopeful a beetle from BC will stop a pest threatening Hemlock trees across the province.

The Hemlock Wolly Adelgid or HWA, is a small aphid-like insect that kills Hemlock trees by eating the food and water the tree stores at the base of its needles.

Kejimkujik has banned bringing firewood into the park to keep the pest out but efforts to eradicate the adelgid have so far, not been successful.

Dr. Lucas Roscoe is part of a Canadian Forest Service team that is bringing a beetle from British Columbia to Nova Scotia in hopes it will be effective in eradicating HWA.

Roscoe says scientists are always cautious about introducing a non-native species into a new environment.

He says the Laricobius is a species of beetle, indigenous to BC which feeds on only one thing, the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.

“It’s similar to, like a ladybug, not as big as a ladybug and actually about the size of a pinhead,” said Roscoe. “It’s about you know, two maybe three millimeters long. They’re small, they’re black, they’re pretty nondescript but they’re a really important predator of hemlock woolly adelgids.”

Dr Lucas Roscoe releases the laricobius beetle in Kejimkujik. Photo courtesy Natural Resources Canada

The beetle has kept the adelgid in check in that province.

Roscoe says 3,000 of them have been collected and brought to Nova Scotia this fall to determine if they can survive this province’s colder climate over winter.

“We know the insect can find HWA in the field and we know it can eat can it. We know it can develop on it but the one thing we don’t know is whether or not it can actually survive the winters that can sometimes be quite harsh in Nova Scotia,” said Roscoe. “And the goal of what we were doing this fall and into this winter is to kind of put populations out there and see if we can actually recover them in the spring.”

The Laricobius beetles have been released in several locations across Queens and Shelburne counties and just outside Bridgewater.

Roscoe says the work to protect the hemlocks is being taken seriously and has spurred a collaborative effort between several federal and provincial agencies including the Canadian Forest Service, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Parks Canada as well as Nova Scotia’s Departments of Natural Resources and Renewables, and Environment and Climate Change.

Roscoe says this is a long-term project and the work will be carefully monitored to ensure the hemlocks are protected for future generations.

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Proposed South Brookfield Cottage Development. Photo – Google Maps

A new eight-unit rental development proposed for South Brookfield cleared the first hurdle to construction at Region of Queens Council.

Developers Jasmine and Matthew Mallay are planning to build eight fixed roof accommodations and an accessory building on First Christopher Lake on 19 acres of land along Highway 8. The property is less than a kilometre from Cameron’s Brook Provincial Park.

The new development is not permitted under the current Lakeshore Residential zoning unless council enters into a development agreement with the owners.

In their submission to the municipality the Mallays say if their request is approved construction will go ahead in three phases.

The first phase would build four 400 square foot buildings with hot tubs and covered porches.

Phase two will erect a larger 1800-2500 square foot three-bedroom lakefront cottage and 1080 square foot garage.

The third phase will complete the development with three more, two-bedroom cottages approximately 900-1200 square feet in size.

The Mallays says the intent of the project is to create an experience where people could enjoy nature, kayaking, swimming, and other activities with the added comfort of luxury overnight accommodations. They place a high priority on maintaining the natural look of the property and continuing to provide strong habitat for the existing ecosystem.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the development seems like a good thing for the area.

“I do not see where this is going to have any direct effect on anyone,” said Norman. “It’s remote, it’s removed, so hopefully by the end of the year the permission will be granted and the couple that own the land will be able to move ahead on their construction.”

Council voted to approve the motion to enter into a Development Agreement.

A public hearing is scheduled for November 28 and any residents who wish to speak for or against the project will be heard at that time.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens council packed a light agenda as they took their meeting on the road this week.

Residents took the opportunity to ask questions of council during the public comment and question portion of the meeting held in the Seaside Centre. The first was a request to repave or repair a section of School St. in Milton prior to the winter of 2023. The second was to ask if council were aware of a home being built on eagle head placing large rocks to prevent the ocean overflowing their property.

Mayor Darlene Norman says School St. is maintained jointly by the province and the municipality and any work would have to go out to tender. She says the province has already allocated their shared road repair budget for this year and it would be unlikely a tender would come back in time to complete the work before this winter.

Regarding the large rocks being placed on the eagle head property Norman says that responsibility also falls to the province.

The lone recommendation was a request to approve fixed roof overnight accommodation in south Brookfield. The petitioners Jasmine and Matthew Mallay want to build a collection of cottage rentals on 19 acres of property which requires a development agreement between the owners and the municipality.

The property is close to Cameron’s Brook provincial day park and Norman expects a development like this in a remote area would be welcome.

“People need to get out in nature,” said Norman. “Everybody’s not camper, everybody doesn’t go to provincial parks or national parks. Some people just like to get out in nature and have the comfort of a fixed roof and a bed.”

Council approved the development agreement and schedule a public hearing for November 28th in council chambers for residents to weigh in.

Next council discussed appointments to the planning advisory committee. Three member’s terms expired and all three wished to remain on PAC. Council reappointed the committee members but directed staff to examine the policy to determine if longer terms or term limits would be appropriate.

Finally, council discussed sending a letter of support to Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr for a bill currently working its way through the legislature which updates interactions between the province and municipalities across Nova Scotia.

Norman says the new deal would put $400,000 back in the Region of Queens coffers representing four cents on the tax rate.

The next Region of Queens council meeting is scheduled for November 14th at 9:00 AM in council chambers.

To hear the full interview with Mayor Norman click play below.

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Family of David Rudderham at his induction on Queens Olympic Wall. Photo Ed Halverson

Two more distinguished athletes were honoured with spots on the Queens County Olympic Wall.

Portraits of Wheelchair Basketball athlete David Rudderham and Para Archery competitor Brian Ward were raised alongside the previous seven inductees in a ceremony held at Queens Place on Tuesday.

According to the municipality, the Queens Olympic Wall was created to recognize the accomplishments of high-performance athletes, coaches and officials from Queens County who have participated in World Olympic, World Special Olympic and World Paralympic Games.

The two latest additions were recognized posthumously and were represented by their families.

Rudderham, a Port Mouton native, was honoured for his participation on the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team at the 1976 Olympiad for the Disabled in Toronto.

Family of Brian Ward at his induction in the Queens Olympic Wall. Photo Ed Halverson

Ward competed as a member of the Canadian Para Archery team at the 1980 Arnhem Netherlands, 1988 Seoul, South Korea and 1992 Barcelona, Spain Paralympic Games.

Master of ceremonies for the event was retired veteran CBC Sports broadcaster, Steve Armitage.

Armitage said recognition on an Olympic Wall is important not just to acknowledge success, but to inspire others to achieve as well.

“But I think one of the key reasons and maybe the biggest reason is to inspire the next generation to someday be included on that wall,” said Armitage. “In the not too distance future, hopefully, some athlete will walk or wheel through that door, glance at that wall and say, I want to be on that wall. And will then dedicate themselves to weeks, months, years of preparation and competition to get to the elite level that you have to be to join that group on the wall.”

With the addition of Rudderham and Ward the total number of inductees on the Queens Olympic Wall is up to nine.

The wall is featured prominently when you walk into the main entrance at Queens Place and can be viewed during regular hours of operation.

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Minister Kim Masland announces funding for new athletic facilities at Liverpool Regional High. Photo Ed Halverson

New athletic facilities and a walking trail are coming to Liverpool Regional High School.

Public Works Minister and MLA for Queens Kim Masland announced a combined $2.75 million from three levels of government to replace the school’s existing soccer field with artificial turf and build a 400-metre-long gravel running track.

The new artificial turf field will resolve long-standing issues with drainage.

At Friday’s announcement Masland said Queens has a history of producing world-class athletes and construction of the new field will support future athletes by allowing them to train closer to home.

“The big thing for us is we want to make sure that we’re providing a facility that people can use in our community. We have amazing athletes. We talked a little bit today about Sarah Mitton and [in] the announcement we talk about our special Olympians,” said Masland. “Many of our athletes have to travel to Bridgewater to be able to adequately train, so this will be able to keep people home and also bring people here for events.”

LRHS Principal Todd Symes says the effort to replace the school field began about six or seven years ago.

“Students always went to other schools and were kind of jealous or envious of facilities in other schools had and then logistically, a lot of our students had to travel to participate, to have the same advantages that a lot of other areas already had,” said Symes. “So, the students themselves came up with an idea. They came up with the design to come up with a plan and they were adamant that they wanted something done. So, we had students that were with us for 3-4 years. They worked the whole time they were here to engage community members, to draw designs, to work with staff members, to initiate development of a non-profit society and they were the ones who started the dream.”

Symes says the current funding will build the track and field and students will be approaching the community to help raise another $200,000 to realize the entire vision, including a Mi’kmaw learning trail.

Masland says the tender to replace the track and field will be released later this fall and the new field is expected to be completed in 2024.

Damaged retaining wall on Shore Rd in Western Head. Photo Ed Halverson

Also announced Friday was $1 million in funding from the federal and provincial governments to protect two stretches of Shore Rd in Western Head which are dealing with erosion and flooding.

Work will include reinforcing an existing retaining wall and excavating existing rock and gravel to provide more protection against the effects of climate change.

Masland says work on that project will be performed by local Public Works staff beginning this fall and finishing in spring of 2024.

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Queens Daycare extension under construction, September 2023. Photo Scott Christian

The South Shore chapter of the YMCA will take over operations of Queens Daycare.

President of the Queens Day Care Association Scott Christian says putting the centre in the hands of the YMCA will ensure the sustainability and long-term solvency of the daycare, while offering improved programming by providing more opportunities to professionalize and better support staff.

“It has become so incredibly arduous and challenging to stay apprised of, and responsive to the shifting landscape around early childhood development,” said Christian.

He says the provincial and federal governments have recognized the importance of providing childcare and have really thrown their support into the sector.

Christian says initiatives like $10 a day daycare, better training and increased wages for workers are all very welcome but all those measures come with a level of oversight that is difficult, if not impossible for a volunteer board to meet.

“When you have that type of corporate infrastructure you can just leave the day-to-day of, the on-site director really has to worry about relationships with the families and supporting the staffing compliment right?” said Christian. “Like, the actual day-to-day stuff and not having to worry about maintaining the building, managing the building, you know, and then reporting for funding and budgeting and you know, and then the list goes on and on and on.”

According to CEO South Shore YMCA Yvonne Smith, that is where they come in.

“There’s a lot happening with the, with the changes within the childcare environment and so we were really one of the first if not the first to transition a for-profit childcare to a license not-for-profit and that was the Greenwood transition which we did, and since then we’ve been working on some others,” said Smith.

Christian believes the YMCA is the right organization to lead the daycare in the years ahead.

“They’re really well suited. They are engaged and involved in provision of licensed childcare throughout Southwest Nova Scotia and this just is kind of, for me, it’s the next chapter, the next chapter of Queens daycare,” said Christian. “[It] makes a lot of sense I think that I applaud what we as a volunteer community group have been able to do, but it’s just time to recognize that the best decision for the operation is to allow an organization who’s better suited to be able to take it to the next level.”

Christian says the Queens Daycare Association and YMCA have been working on the deal for months.

They agreed they would wait to make the announcement until the association had an opportunity to inform staff and families of the change.

Now that the details have been worked out and those groups have been notified, Christian anticipates the YMCA will take over the day-to-day operations in early November.

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Debbie J Wamboldt, ASL interpreter and Mayor Darlene Norman at the official opening of Etli Milita’mk play park. Photo Courtesy Region of Queens, Councillor David Brown.

The Region of Queens officially opened the universally designed playpark on Friday, Oct 13.

Executive Director of Autism Nova Scotia Cynthia Carrol joined Region of Queens staff and council members as well as Debbie Wamboldt, the woman who led the effort to put together the $600,000 to build the park in officially opening the doors to the playground.

Wamboldt first approached the Region of Queens about supporting the construction of a universally designed park in 2015. The Region since   provided the land at Queens Place next to the skate park and will own, operate, and maintain the park for residents.

In addition to the land contribution, the municipality kicked in $112,000 from the community fund with the province topping off the rest of the funding.

But it was the efforts of Wamboldt and her team who raised approximately $100,000 which spurred the rest of the agencies to follow suit.

Autism Nova Scotia issued charitable tax receipts to donors and held the money in trust to pay the Region for construction as invoices were submitted.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the generosity of residents came in all forms.

“You see pictures of children who, all they wanted for their birthday presents was money so they could give it to the play park. I knew of children that with the help of their mother, they set up a little bakery and they kept a set of books, all the profit went to the play park,” said Norman. “There were many, many things.”

A universally designed playpark is built to be 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.

The name Etli Milita’mk (pronounced ed-a-lee milly-dumk) was selected for the playpark after consultation with Acadia First Nation representatives. The Mi’kmaq phrase means, “We are playing here”.

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Entrance to Region of Queens council chambers. Photo Ed Halverson

A relatively light agenda at the Oct 12 Region of Queens council meeting started out with preparations for winter.

Council awarded the tender to truck bulk road salt to the lone submission, VanDyk Excavation & Truckin’ for $78.76 per metric tonne.

Visitors to Queens Place will see a new ice resurfacer in the summer of 2024 as council agreed to purchase a new electric Zamboni at a cost of $179,975.  Funding is coming from the province through a Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage grant valued at $205,000. The balance of the funds will be used to install the charging unit and make any necessary modifications.

The region will also partner with the province to pave a 200-metre-long section of Oliver Street. Queens will pay $50,000, half the cost of the total $100,000 project with the province picking up the balance.

Council next agreed to make an application to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to provide a one-time reduction of the consumption rate for residents affected by the two-months-long boil water advisory. If approved, residents will see the 70 percent reduction on their January bill.

Council then issued a dangerous and unsightly order for a property at 9777 Highway 8 in Caledonia near the fire station. The owner now has 30 days to clean up the site or they will be responsible to pay costs to the municipality to complete the work which includes demolishing a makeshift outbuilding, removing debris, and levelling the property.

In the discussion portion of the meeting councillors asked staff to report back with solutions for illegal dumping at Grey Boxes in private roads in Labelle.

Staff were also asked to provide council with options for reducing homelessness in Queens.

The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday October 24 at 6:00pm in the Seaside Recreation Centre in Eagle Head.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens has lifted the boil water advisory for users of the water utility.

The boil-water advisory has been in place around the Liverpool area since the treatment station was struck by lightning Aug 9.

The municipality is now exploring how to compensate the affected users for the inconvenience.

A resident asked if the Region would be issuing a refund to help people offset the increased power costs of boiling water as well as account for money spent on bottled water during the public comment period of the September 12 council meeting,

Initially, Mayor Darlene Norman said the Region of Queens wouldn’t be providing a refund because the utility is its own legal entity and rates are set by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. However, that stance seems to have softened at the Sep 26 council meeting.

Norman says the Region can’t simply give money back to users, they need permission from the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board, the body responsible for regulating the water utility.

“Of course, there’s not going to be a perfect solution to any of this,” said Norman. “However, council decided that we are going to have staff request from the UARB a 70 percent reduction on the consumption rate.”

Norman says if the ask is approved then the reduction will be applied to the next bill.

“May not really indicate how much water people consumed during this period because this period crossed over two bills,” said Norman. “There’s, I believe, 23 days on the last bill that was just issued and the upcoming bill which goes out in late December, payable January, would have like, another 20 odd days on it.”

Throughout the boil-water advisory Cowie well was available to supply fresh, potable water to residents.

The boil water order was lifted just after 11:00am Thursday Oct 5 once the municipality confirmed that water quality production issues have been resolved, and the Water Utility is again meeting regulatory requirements.

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Dr. Robert Strang speaks at COVID briefing February 23, 2022. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia has announced the availability of new COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang provided details about the rollout at a press conference Tuesday.

Nova Scotians aged 65 and older can get the high-dose influenza vaccine now. All Nova Scotians will have access to Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine during the week of October 16. The standard-dose influenza vaccine is arriving in the province the week of October 23 and Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 vaccine will be available sometime in late October or early November.

The high-dose flu vaccine will be available at local pharmacies and medical clinics across the province starting this week.

Strang emphasized the importance of vaccination, stating, “This fall, we encourage everyone to roll up their sleeves and get both recommended vaccines to protect their health. It’s the best way to limit the spread of both influenza and COVID-19.”

The province is advising Nova Scotians that they can receive both flu and COVID vaccines at the same time. Anyone wishing to receive a vaccine can do so at a nearby pharmacy or outreach clinic by signing up online at Nova Scotia Immunization. Alternatively, people can book their shots through their family doctors or nurse practitioners.

Nova Scotia Health is reminding people that vaccines do not cause influenza or COVID-19 and that symptoms for both illnesses can overlap, including fever, headache, and fatigue.

Anyone who has already received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines are eligible for an updated dose if six months have passed since their last vaccination or known COVID-19 infection. And officials are recommending children aged six months to nine years should receive two doses of the influenza vaccine four weeks apart this fall if they have never been vaccinated before.

Health authorities are urging all Nova Scotians to prioritize their health by getting vaccinated against both influenza and COVID-19 to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens Municipality’s Council has hired a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

During the September 26 regular council meeting, councillors voted unanimously to appoint Cody Joudry.

Joudry has over 16 years of municipal experience with previous leadership positions in Development and Tourism and Economic Development in Ontario, and management experience in Annapolis County. His diverse expertise spans community engagement, strategic planning, economic development, and customer relations.

Joudry’s family originates in Caledonia and he is a proud member of the L’sitkuk First Nation.

In a statement released by the municipality Joudry is quoted as saying, “I am honored to serve Region of Queens Municipality and look forward to leveraging my experience and passion in the service and for the prosperity of the residents.”

The Region of Queens has been without a full time CAO since Chris McNeill resigned in May.

Interim CAO Dan MacDougall, who held the position since May 2023, will work alongside Joudry during a brief overlap period to ensure a smooth transition. Mayor Darlene Norman expressed her gratitude to MacDougall, who came out of retirement to assist the municipality, as well as the Department Directors who served as acting CAOs during the summer months.

Cody Joudry becomes the fifth CAO for the Region of Queens Municipality since amalgamation in 1996 and promises to build positive and collaborative relationships with staff, Council, community members, and stakeholders in his new leadership role.

Joudry will start his tenure as CAO in mid-November.

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Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr, left, and Halifax MP Andy Fillmore announce $83 million to create 222 new public housing units at One Government Place, Halifax, September 27. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is building the first public housing in the province in decades.

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr and Member of Parliament for Halifax, Andy Fillmore, announced Wednesday, $83 million will be used to build 222 new public housing units, 80 of which will be fully barrier-free.

These developments are expected to benefit 522 families, individuals, and low-income seniors across both rural and urban communities in Nova Scotia.

The new housing will be built on provincially owned land close to existing public housing developments in several locations, including Bridgewater, Kentville, Truro, Cape Breton (multiple locations), and the Halifax Regional Municipality (multiple locations).

The buildings will be designed to be energy-efficient, sustainable, and affordable for residents. Importantly, rents for these units will be tied to the resident’s ability to pay. Gearing the rent towards income, will make the units accessible to individuals and families with varying financial means. The new units will be operated and managed by the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency.

The funding breakdown for the project includes $58.8 million from the provincial government and an additional $24.4 million from the federal government.

The PC government has long held government shouldn’t be involved in public housing, instead they should provide the means for private developers to create affordable units.

Minister John Lohr said government began shifting their thinking over the summer.“If you look back to my more recent quotes I was softening that position because I realized that this was something that we had been working on as a department over the summer to look at this possibility. And I can tell you that the, what did change, was we do have an agreement and the money from CMHC, the federal partner, $24 million to build 80 accessible barrier free units,” said Lohr. “The way that we were doing that was we were going into 40-year-old buildings and renovating them and my staff pointed out that this was a pretty inefficient way of doing it”

Lohr says the renovated older unit would be tied up for a year during construction and in the end didn’t always result in the best accessible living space.

It was at that point the department decided to build 80 new accessible units and fund the creation of the 222 affordable spaces.

Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of federal-provincial collaboration. He says the solution to the housing crisis won’t come from one level of government or from one organization.

“It has to come from every single person who is involved in every single organization and order of government who is involved in in housing. We all own a piece of it and we all have our own jurisdictional boundaries we need to observe,” said Fillmore. “We are working hard to play within our lines, work with provinces to change some of those lines where we need to, to provide more capital and get more units built”

Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender was in Bridgewater discussing affordable housing prior to this announcement.

She was direct when asked what she hoped to hear from the province and federal government.

“I would expect to see the creation of a significant number of truly affordable housing units across Nova Scotia. That’s what I’m looking for,” said Chender. “And I would further expect that the province comes to the table with significant investment of their own to make that happen because so far the vast majority of the affordable housing units that have been built in Nova Scotia in the past five years have been built with federal dollars and I think it’s time for the province to also take the role that really, they have by legislation and in our constitution”

Chender says the new units are a start but fall far short of meeting the demand for affordable housing across Nova Scotia.

Minister Lohr says construction of the first new units is set to begin in spring 2024 with a goal to have people moving in during fiscal 2024/25.

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Photo Ed Halverson

A new youth drop-in centre has opened in Liverpool.

The YMCA celebrated the grand opening of their Liverpool location at 40 Water Street on Monday.

The centre will be a place for youth to enjoy activities, access the internet, play video games, or talk with an outreach worker.

CEO of the Southwest chapter of the YMCA Yvonne Smith says they’ve just opened the doors and will begin a process to tailor the centre’s offerings to those of the community.

“Whenever we enter into a community, we absolutely want to engage with those who we’ll be serving. So, our first goal will be to work with youth to find out what their needs are, so we definitely want to ensure that they are part of the process, part of the planning, and you know, involved in all of it and they have been,” said Smith. “So, even to the design of how you know centre will look we make sure that the youth have their input into that.”

Along with recreational activities the centre will also cooking programs and food to attendees.

Smith says the YMCA’s mandate is to provide services to the community, free of charge.

“One of the, you know, the commitments that we’ve made to youth programming in our communities is that they’ll be barrier free. So, we ensure that there’s not a fee to access,” said Smith. “And so to do so, we do, we turn over every stone and make sure that we access all the grants that are available, so it might be through community health boards and foundations, through United Way, through the province, through various grants, and we honestly probably have at any given time, you know, dozens and dozens of grants underway to make sure that we can financially support the work that we do.”

The drop-in was temporarily being run from the Liverpool Curling Club but Smith says they wanted a location of their own to provide more programming. The Water Street location was important to ensure students could walk from school and to other parts of town.

Smith says now that the YMCA has established themselves in Liverpool, they’ll be working with youth and other organizations to learn what service gaps they may be able to fill.

For information on programs and hours of operation head to the YMCA website.

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Lesli Chandler in Astor Aug 1 2023. Photo Ed Halverson

The Astor Theatre Society is once again on the hunt for a new Executive Director.

Just over two months into the job, Lesli Chandler has resigned from her position as the Executive Director of The Astor Theatre citing the need to prioritize her family.

Chandler says The Astor Theatre is one of the best live venue spaces she has known.

The Board of Directors of the Astor Theatre Society published a statement announcing Chandler’s departure on Thursday and acknowledged her contributions and dedication wishing her success in her future endeavors.

Chandler’s resignation is effective immediately.

Former Executive Director Jean Robinson Dexter announced her decision to resign in March of this year and a replacement was found shortly afterwards. However, the Astor Theatre Society posted to social media in May that the newly hired Executive Director decided not to take the job and the search was back on.

Chandler was announced as the new Executive Director in June and began her tenure July 5.

Robinson Dexter has agreed to step in as the acting, part-time Executive Director while the board searches for Chandler’s replacement.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens is attributing a $1,669,497 budget surplus to unexpected income from investments, taxes on home sales and unfilled staff positions.

At the September 12 meeting, council received the Region’s audited financial statement for fiscal 2022/23.

Mayor Darlene Norman says municipal staff worked hard to ensure a balanced budget and the excess is not a result of poor planning.

The Region took in $505,560 more in deed transfer taxes than expected. The deed transfer tax is a 1.5 percent tax charged by the municipality on the sale of every property in Queens.

Investments also paid off for the Region as they saw an extra $139,000 more than expected due to the Bank of Canada continually increasing their prime rate.

The audit report shows the number of municipal employee positions going unfilled is hurting the Region’s ability to complete some projects.

Transportation wages were under budget by $52,417 because of an employee shortage. Another $112,863 remained in municipal coffers because of vacancies at the regional recycling facility. The inability to fill the building inspector position resulted in another $24,000 in unpaid wages. Staffing shortages in planning and law enforcement left $86,000 and $36,000, respectively, unspent. As well, repairs to the Astor Theatre did not go ahead do to staffing issues and the Milton and North Queens pools were under budget due to staffing shortages.

Mayor Norman says other municipalities and private sector operators are having difficulty recruiting and keeping employees and the Region of Queens is no different.

Available job openings are routinely posted, and the Region is actively pursuing people to assume some positions, most notably a Chief Administrative Officer. The position is the top employee in the municipality and has been vacant since former CAO Chris McNeill resigned in May.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Photo Ed Halverson

Over a month after the Region of Queens issued a boil water advisory people are beginning to wonder if they’ll be compensated for the inconvenience.

Water utility customers around the Liverpool area haven’t had drinkable water since the treatment station was struck by lightning Aug 9.

Throughout the boil-water advisory Cowie well continues to be available to supply fresh, potable water to residents.

During the public comment period of the September 12 council meeting, a resident asked council if a refund would be coming to help people offset the increased power costs of boiling water as well as the money put out to buy water.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the Region of Queens won’t be providing a refund as the utility is its own legal entity and rates are set by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Norman went on to explain the utility gets all its operating income from customers and is not part of the Region of Queens finances.

“Crediting is simply taking money out of your pocket and then hauling it back out the next month,” said Norman. “The utility must support itself from the customers within it. It’s not part of our Region of Queens bookwork. It has its own bookwork, and the utility must be supported from the users of the utility.”

Norman says the ongoing repairs are costing the utility a great deal and it is highly unlikely customers will see any rebate on their bills.

“Bills are based on water consumption, and it does not have to be potable water, it’s based on water consumption. And although many people understand and realize that this is an inconvenience,” said Norman, “it is, it is hardship for people who are boiling water, who have to travel to the well, which is free water and that is perfectly safe and potable, but it’s highly unlikely that there will be any change reflected on the bill in relation to consumption.”

The latest report from Mayor Norman indicated the utility is waiting to stabilize the power going into the plant before making the repairs to avoid any damage to the replacement equipment.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens Council was back with a jam-packed agenda in the first meeting after summer.

Council meets just once a month during July and August and have now returned to their regular twice monthly schedule.

Council heard from the public to start the meeting. A question was raised whether water utility customers would receive a refund from the municipality considering they haven’t had drinkable water in over a month since the treatment station was struck by lightning.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the Region of Queens won’t be providing a refund as the utility is its own legal entity and rates are set by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Next council awarded the South Shore Multicultural Association $3,000 from the Community Investment Fund to assist with National Day of Truth and Reconciliation events being held at the Hank Snow Museum at the end of the month.

Council then heard from finance staff who reported the municipality had a $1.6 million operating surplus last year. Mayor Norman says the surplus can be attributed to a number of factors including: $1.2 million in unexpected income from deed transfer tax and investment returns, as well as $400,000 that went unspent on staff positions the Region has been unable to fill.

Two contracts were then awarded following request for proposals involving an evaluation of the Region’s Information Technology systems as well as a staff and council compensation review.

Mayor Norman says it’s been many years since either was properly assessed and the municipality needs to know which IT systems work and why.

The compensation review will be undertaken to determine if staff and council pay are in line with what other municipalities and the private sector are offering.

Council went on to discuss Queens County Rails to Trails and the Queens County ATV Associations’ request to redesignate the trail corridor from West Street, behind the municipal offices building to Silver Rock Road to multi-use. Currently that trail only permits pedestrians, and the organizations would like it opened for off-highway vehicles and bicycles.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities will be hosting their fall convention and Region of Queens decided to send five members of council.

Finally, the Region will be applying for intervenor status at an upcoming hearing at the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Board regarding a site expansion at the salmon farm in Liverpool Bay.

The next council meeting will be held September 26 in council chambers beginning at 6:00pm.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Hurricane Lee Tracking from Environment Canada Sep 15 2023

Utility officials say they have learned lessons over the past year and are better prepared to deal with the impacts of Hurricane Lee.

At a news conference Friday, representatives of Nova Scotia Power, Bell and Eastlink joined emergency management officials, Environment Canada meteorologists and Minister John Lohr to describe how they have anticipated the needs ahead of the storm as well as their plans for recovery.

Following Hurricane Fiona in 2022, several parts of the province were without cell service for an extended period of time.

Representatives from both Eastlink and Bell say their respective companies have taken several steps to prevent outages and keep any down time to a minimum.

Those include spending tens of millions of dollars to ensure they have generators in key places, securing fuel to keep their emergency fleets on the roads, and ensuring personnel from out of province are ready to provide support should they be called upon.

Geoff Moore with Bell Canada says Nova Scotians can expect to see improvements in the aspects of their service that can be predicted and controlled, but there are situations that will arise for which they can’t plan.

“We can control the cell site, we can control fuel, we can control having batteries on sites, we can control our response, what we can’t control is this damage, excuse me, the damage the storm does. So if there’s fiber cables broken, if there’s you know, poles down that are impacting that connection, or that fiber connection, excuse me, to the cell site, those are things that I can’t plan for,” said Moore.

“I can plan to respond, make sure I’ve got the right resources, the right equipment, the right material, but I don’t know where that’s going to happen so we’re very much dependent, if you wish, on what the storm does and where it does it.”

Nova Scotia Power says over 10,000 trees were trimmed following Fiona. The utility says it spent $32 million in 2023 on tree trimming and plans to increase that amount to $40 million in 2024.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Bob Robichaud says the hurricane is expected to become a post tropical storm by the time it makes landfall in Nova Scotia.

Robichaud says some people may have the mistaken idea that the change in designation to post tropical storm may mean a less powerful event.

“What we mean by post tropical is essentially the structure of the storm is different. It says nothing about the intensity,” said Robichaud. “So, we expect this storm, as it approaches and as it gets close to the coastline, to be very close to hurricane strength. We’re thinking just below, but it will still be a large storm that’s very near hurricane strength at the time.”

The winds are forecast to reach speeds up to 120km/h by the time Hurricane Lee reaches Nova Scotia Saturday morning. The region could see up to 150mm of rain beginning Friday and continuing throughout Saturday.

Rain, wind and storm surge warnings have been issued for the South Shore, including Queens County.

Emergency officials are asking residents to be prepared with supplies, food and fresh water to last 72 hours.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Environment Canada satellite image of Hurricane Lee tracking towards Nova Scotia

Nova Scotians are once again preparing to weather the storm as Hurricane Lee bares down on the province.

Officials at Environment Canada are predicting Lee will make landfall somewhere between Southwest Nova Scotia and Southern New Brunswick on Saturday.

Lee will enter the region as a category 1 hurricane, diminishing to a tropical storm then a post tropical low as it makes landfall somewhere between Shelburne, NS and Grand Manan Island in NB.

Queens County is included in the hurricane watch which could see the slow-moving storm dump heavy rains up to 100mm and blow gusts of wind up to 120km/h.

Gale Storm warnings have been issued for southwestern marine areas beginning Friday bringing waves 15 to 20 feet (4-6 metres) high.

Closure announcements began Thursday morning.

Nova Scotia Provincial Parks are being closed at 1pm Friday, day use parks will close at 7pm.

Kejimkujik National Park is closing beginning Friday at noon. All reservations between the nights of Sep 15-19 are cancelled and campers will receive a refund. Park officials say an update on reopening will be provided Monday.

Many local events are also being postponed. Anyone with plans for Saturday in to Sunday should contact organizers to find out if the event is being rescheduled.

The Regional Emergency Management Organization advises everyone to be prepared to shelter in place for 72 hours.

That includes ensuring there’s enough food and water on hand to last three days for the entire household, including pets. People should gather batteries, flashlights and radios and charge electronics. Keep a list of all medications, gather irreplaceable items such as photo albums and make copies of important documents like insurance policies, deeds and titles.

An emergency preparedness checklist and many other helpful tips are available on the Region of Queens web page. Head to regionofqueens.com and click on the emergency measures tab at the top.

Environment Canada is continuing to track the path of Hurricane Lee and will be providing regular updates as it edges closer to the Maritimes.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Queens Daycare extension under construction, September 2023. Photo Scott Christian

Queens Daycare Association has set spring of 2024 to open their expanded childcare centre.

The facility currently provides care for 42 children and 8 infants. Once renovations are complete another 65 childcare spaces will be opened.

President of the Queens Daycare Association Scott Christian says some reconfiguration of classes will be necessary during construction.

“The new side is expected to be complete this winter. We’re aiming for December or January to have the new building portion complete and then we’ll just migrate all the kiddos over there onto the new side so that there’s no sort of disruption to the operation,” said Christian. “Migrate everybody over there and then we’ll be getting the upstairs of the old Mount Pleasant school which the program is currently taking place in and that will be completely renovated.”

The renovations will involve the creation of 13 new toilets and sinks to meet provincial guidelines that dictate the ratio of children to washroom facilities.

Christian says finding qualified Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) has been challenging in the past and he appreciates the work being done by the provincial government to open new spaces to train more childcare professionals.

“It’s really challenging to get the infrastructure and the labour force pieces to kind of move in tandem with one another and so sort of, delays to the construction project have meant that now we’re further along in terms of the province investing and creating more and developing more ECEs.,” said Christian. “So, we’re hopeful that when we do get to a point where we’re able to open up both sides of the new and newly renovated daycare that we will be able to hire and have the type of team that we will be able to pretty quickly ratchet up our program to accept new families into the program because we still are maintaining a waitlist that fluctuates between 40 and 50 kids.”

Christian says the childcare landscape has changed drastically over the past few years as different levels of government try to find a path forward that works for children, parents, and care providers.

“The move to sort of, $10 a day average childcare across the province and across the country has been challenging,” said Christian. “It’s just structurally, is very complex but I have to applaud the government has been, well it’s been challenging and while there’s lots of difficult decisions and what they’ve been very supportive, I would say they’ve been very supportive to the community-based organisations who are trying to navigate it.”

Christian sees more young families in Queens and says the renovations will be key to the Queens Daycare meeting the demands of the community.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Hank Snow Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

Organizers are calling this year’s Hank Snow Tribute a resounding success.

More than 1,600 people showed up for the annual event which returned to Queens Place after a four-year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over $25,000 was raised at this year’s tribute which will go directly to supporting operations at the Hank Snow Museum.

Administrator with the Friends of Hank Snow Society (and longtime QCCR announcer) Vina Moses says the organizing committee knew after a four-year break they would need to change tactics to raise as much as they could to support the museum.

This year the group got the community to sponsor the names of performers, past and present who have appeared on the Hank Snow Tribute stage and included them in the program.

That sponsorship drive along with some government grants allowed organizers to cover all the concert expenses, leaving the money raised at the event to go directly to the Hank Snow Museum.

Moses says the Friends of Hank Snow Society had to be creative in finding ways to cover their costs through the pandemic. She says they hit upon the idea of hosting weekly barbeques at the museum site to help keep the doors of the museum open.

“That was money that we were able to use to keep the museum going for the last few months. That’s because of those diligent people who worked so hard on the Wednesday shows and the wonderful people who came to the Wednesday shows,” said Moses. “We had folks who came every week and we really appreciate them.”

Moses says the community has come to enjoy the barbeques and the society decided they will continue.

Even though the tribute has just ended, organizers are forging ahead to provide more music.

The group is now preparing for their annual Gavin Whynot memorial event Saturday Sep 9 from noon until 6pm at the Gaven Whynot Gazebo Park. Then they’ll set their sights on another event in December to recognize the many volunteers who help keep the memory of Hank Snow and his influence alive.

To hear the full interview with Vina Moses click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Photo Ed Halverson

Supply issues and power problems at the Region of Queens water treatment plant are responsible for the ongoing boil water advisory that has affected municipal water users in the Liverpool area for over a month.

Residents relying on municipal services have been unable to consume the water coming out of their pipes since the Region issued the advisory on Aug 9.

A lightning strike at the water treatment plant damaged several essential components.

Mayor Darlene Norman says it took time to acquire replacements for the specialized components, but they are now in hand. However, crews won’t be installing the new parts until they can be sure the power entering the plant is stable and won’t cause further damage.

“At this present time, we are stabilizing energy to the plant. So, Nova Scotia power is working to do that,” said Norman. “We have hired consultants, we’ve been working with various agencies, we’ve been working with water utility specialists, we have been working with everyone in the water utility field to solve this problem.”

Norman expects Nova Scotia Power will continue to work at the site into next week.

She says the water quality at the plant is inconsistent and won’t pass tests required by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment to permit lifting the boil water advisory.

The mayor couldn’t offer a timeline but is confident once the power to the plant is stabilized, and the new parts are installed those tests can be met in short order and the boil water advisory will be lifted.

For now, residents are advised to continue boiling water for at least a minute before drinking or any other activity requiring human consumption.

To hear the full interview with Mayor Norman click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Horse pull at Queens County Fair. Photo Doreen Holdright

Organizers of the Queens County Fair are hopeful the event won’t be blown away again this year.

The fair was ready to reopen after the pandemic in 2022 but Hurricane Fiona forced the cancellation of most of the week-long activities.

The agricultural fair held each year in Caledonia features livestock competitions, oxen and horse pulls, as well as an arts and crafts fair and vegetable displays.

Secretary/Manager of the fair Doreen Holdright says visitors will enjoy some new activities this year along with some old favourites.

“For the adults we’ve added a tug-of-war competitions, which we haven’t had there for years,” said Holdright. “And oh yes, we will still be having our ladies frying pan toss, and the gentlemen’s toilet seat toss and Saturday we will be having a woodsman competition again. We’ve got a jam-packed schedule.”

The Queens County Fair will run from Sep 19 – 23 this year, and another change people will want to note is the parade which would normally take place on Wednesday has been moved to Tuesday to avoid conflicts with other events.

Holdright says anyone wishing to be part of the parade can do so up until the day of, by contacting the organizing committee.

She says the organizing team of 50 or so dedicated volunteers worked hard this year to make the fair more kid friendly.

Children under 12 will get in for free Tuesday and in addition to including a midway for the first time in many years an area will be dedicated to keeping them entertained.

“We have a committee that’s set up just to work with the kids for a couple of hours early in the evening, that they can watch movies or play games or do activities,” said Holdright.

Returning visitors will also notice the kitchen and dining room facilities at the fairgrounds have just been completely renovated to improve the dining experience.

The five-day-long event usually attracts over 5,000 people and Holdright hopes the added events and changes to the facility will help that number grow.

Ticket information and an event schedule for the 2023 edition is available on the Queens County Fair Facebook page.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Public Works Minister and MLA for Queens Kim Masland calls the scope of the damage from the July 21 rainfall unprecedented.

In an interview with QCCR, Masland says the storm closed 114 roads across the province, 27 of those in the Western District.

As a result, over 200 public works staff and 40 private contracting crews were mobilized to begin rebuilding that crucial infrastructure.

Masland said, “I will tell you I as the minister of public works I have never been more impressed and more proud of the people that work for this department and the contractors who worked so hard to do what they had to do.”

Masland says the crews are working long hours to get the province’s road system back in order as quickly as they can.

She says the day after the storm she was out with the province’s chief engineer at 7:30 in the morning to survey the extent of the impact.

“When we came down through the [Highway] 103, I just could not believe what I was seeing. It was, I mean I’ve seen the damage of flooding in Cape Breton when we had that storm, hurricane, I’ve seen, I’ve seen a lot in this department,” said Masland. “Actually my Deputy tells me that as a minister I have seen more in this department in two years than they have experienced in 20.”

Masland says as new construction projects are undertaken in Nova Scotia, roads are being built stronger, culverts are bigger, and bridges are built higher to contend with the increasing severity of the storms.

While she can’t provide an exact timeline when all roads and structures will be repaired Masland says everyone in the department is working diligently.

“We’re doing the best we can as quickly as we can.”

To hear the full interview with Minister Masland, click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com