Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson
The Region of Queens is doubling the number of fire inspectors covering the county.
At the lone council meeting in August, council appointed Myles Harlow as the second fire inspector.
Harlow works as a building inspector for the Region along with Tim Clattenburg who is currently the sole fire inspector for the entire municipality.
Mayor Darlene Norman says an additional inspector will help manage the workload.
“When you think of all the commercial buildings that exist within any municipality, commercial meaning accommodations, eatery, they all have files and they are all subject to fire inspections, I believe, every three years. So, it is a considerable amount of work to do this,” said Norman.
While there are no set timelines for when an inspection must be completed from the time it is requested, Norman says inspectors work to get them done as soon as possible, and having building inspectors do double duty as fire inspectors will also provide efficiencies.
“You know, if you’re out in Hibernia area doing home inspections, then there’s commercial businesses out there that since you’re in the area, check those off in your file for fire inspection,” said Norman. “Those two staff members travel all over this county on a regular basis.”
Norman says Harlow will assume his new responsibilities immediately.
Minister of Public Works, Queens MLA Kim Masland. Photo Ed Halverson
Drivers in Nova Scotia will notice some new signals on the roads in the coming weeks.
Automated flagging machines will now be seen at road construction sites around the province.
Public Works Minister Kim Masland says the new machines will make those sites safer for workers.
“You do not have someone standing on the side of the road with a sign, you have a flagging device,” said Masland. “So, if something’s going to get hit, it’s going to be this device and not a human.”
The new machines are not permitted on 100-series highways and will be limited to roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or less travelled by fewer than 200 cars per hour.
The flagging device consists of a flag, one red light and one yellow light.
The signals used by the machine will be familiar to motorists. When the gate is raised, and the yellow light is flashing drivers should proceed with caution. When the gate is up and showing a solid yellow light prepare to stop and when the gate is down, and the light is red traffic must stop.
Masland says the devices are in use all over the country and have a proven safety record. The devices used here will be manufactured by Dartmouth based company Site 20/20.
The Public Works minister says it’s important to note these machines won’t be replacing existing workers.
“Especially with the amount of construction that we have in the province right now there certainly is a shortage of flaggers in our province. This is in no way to try to replace people or take jobs away from people. That is something that I would never support,” said Masland. “These automatic flagging devices so they still would need to be calibrated they need to be set up to the scene of which these flagging devices would look after.”
Masland says the new flagging devices will give contractors one more tool in their toolbox to keep people safe on the job.
Bob Robichaud, Meteorologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Screen capture from Communications Nova Scotia Zoom conference Aug 24, 2023
The province is warning Nova Scotians now is the time to prepare for an active hurricane season.
Officials from Environment Canada, Nova Scotia Power, the Red Cross and the province’s Emergency Management Office gathered together Thursday to announce an information campaign designed to inform Nova Scotians on how to ready themselves for the upcoming season.
Meteorologist Bob Robichaud says the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 14 to 21 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes before the end of the year.
Robichaud says those numbers are higher than initially predicted in May and include storm activity across the entire Atlantic Ocean.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that a lot of those storms will approach Atlantic Canada or have any kind of impact on Nova Scotia but we always have to be ready for that one or two storms that might impact us,” said Robichaud.
As an example, Robichaud pointed to Hurricane Fiona and the damage it caused in September of 2022.
Robichaud was asked about Hurricane Franklin and says it is currently about 1,200km southwest of Bermuda, tracking northeast. It’s expected to reach category 2 status as it moves north over the weekend.
As of Thursday, modelling shows the hurricane will track south of Nova Scotia but Robichaud says even if it does turn towards the province it won’t be anywhere close to the power of Fiona.
He encourages people to follow trusted weather forecasting sites to get information about impending storms.
Operations Manager with the Canadian Red Cross of Nova Scotia, Ancel Langille says it’s important for families to have an emergency plan and kit ready ahead of storm season.
“Your kit should include things that will make a stay away from home more comfortable for you and your family,” said Langille. “Things like clothing, medications, if you have children some toys and games, if you have pets prepare a kit for them as well with the leash, some food, water, medications for them, a pet carrier [is] something great to have on hand. If you have a vehicle, make sure it’s full of gas before the storm arrives and it’s always great to have some cash on hand.”
Langille added if there is time, it’s a good idea to take photos or videos of the rooms of your house before you need to evacuate so you have a record to provide to your insurance company.
John Lohr, the minister responsible for emergency management in Nova Scotia says the province works closely with municipalities through the provincial control centre in times of emergency.
Lohr says the province is preparing for the upcoming Hurricane Season.
“And I would like to encourage all Nova Scotians to take some time now before a storm or weather warning is issued to our region to do the same,” said Lohr. “Before an event happens is a good time to sit down with your family and talk things over, check to see what may need to be done around your house or cottage make a plan and prepare.”
The province will be running an information campaign across social and traditional media over the next four weeks.
Updates and tips from Nova Scotia’s emergency management office are available at their website: https://novascotia.ca/Alerts
Graffiti on Burgess Rd breakwater. Photo Darlene Norman
Region of Queens will spend $5,000 to clean graffiti in Port Mouton.
For the last year and a half residents have complained about offensive graffiti being posted on a breakwater and surrounding rocks at the end of Burgess Rd.
The complaint landed on the council floor at the last meeting where Mayor Darlene Norman shared photos she had taken with the rest of council.
Norman says council agreed with the representative for that area, Councillor Kevin Muise, who said that graffiti wouldn’t be tolerated in more populated parts of the Region and his residents should expect the same service.
“Even though that area may not receive as much traffic and eyeballs as land in around Liverpool, Milton, Brooklyn area, or any community, it is an area known by locals who like to go there and look out to sea and it’s our land,” said Norman. “So, we need to be responsible for our land and we need to keep unsavoury comments off our land.”
The abandoned breakwater at the end of Burgess Rd was transferred from the Federal Government to the Region of Queens about 20 years ago because it provides access to water.
At one point in the discussion council contemplated removing the breakwater but Norman says that idea was quickly dismissed as the structure is important in maintaining the integrity of the surrounding land.
“If you were to remove that then you are changing the dynamics of those ocean currents and you would, in effect, be causing significant change to the land on the other side, so, the breakwater stays,” said Norman.
Council has requested that either staff remove the graffiti, in-house, or hire a contractor to complete the work.
Organizers of the annual Hank Snow Tribute are calling this year’s event a rebuilding.
Aside from a mini tribute that was held in 2022 to mark the 30th anniversary of the show the COVID 19 pandemic kept the event off the schedule for the past three years.
That was bad news for the Hank Snow Hometown Museum which relies on the proceeds of the Tribute to fund its year-round operations.
Museum administrator and Chair of the Hank Snow Tribute Vina Moses says the Friends of Hank Snow Society are determined to get things back on track.
“COVID devastated us financially, it devastated us, of course, you know, we were down, our feelings were down but we all kept saying we are going to make it,” said Moses. “So, this particular tribute is a rebuild. And it’s a rebuilding for all of the things that we have to do. Rebuilding with the musicians, rebuilding of a new type of tribute.”
Organizers are shaking up the event this year by expanding from one headlining act for the festival to four days of headliners. Included in the list are Ruth Manning and the Prospectors, the Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Famers, Southern Breeze, the Rhinestone Romeos and Joyce Seamone.
Moses who is also a long-time host and former General Manager at QCCR says keeping the legacy of Hank Snow alive is important.
She says the Liverpool native opened the door to the Nashville Music scene for generations of Canadians to follow. The former train station that houses the Hank Snow Hometown Museum was significant to Snow during a rough childhood.
“Well, it’s very interesting that Hank Snow called this particular train station his safe place when he was a child. He was an abused child and whenever he thought he was going to be abused, he came in here and laid down and slept here,” said Moses. “So, when they called him and told him they were going to have the train station as a museum he was so excited.”
Moses says roughly 3,000 people from around the world, including some prominent Canadian country musicians make the pilgrimage to the museum each year. She is excited to see the RVs rolling in across from the museum to set up base camp for the four-day tribute.
Tickets for the event being held at Queens Place are still available at Ticketpro.ca. More information on the Hank Snow Tribute can be found on the museum website and Facebook page.
The Region of Queens has released more information about the event that caused the boil water advisory.
According to a release, lightning strikes from a passing electrical storm impacted the South Queens Water Treatment Facility on the morning of August 9th
Key infrastructure within the treatment facility was damaged causing disruptions to the treatment process which led to a lack of chlorine disinfection residual across the water distribution network.
Staff notified the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and a boil water advisory was issued.
The water treatment facility is operational, and Region of Queens Water Utility Staff are continuing to monitor water quality.
At the time of the incident, the municipality issued a directive for Region of Queens Water Utility Customers to conserve water. That directive was lifted on Aug 10.
Municipal officials say the boil water advisory will remain in effect until at least Aug 24. It won’t be lifted they can confirm enough disinfection residual is restored throughout the system and testing is completed as per the Department of Environment.
Consumers are advised to boil water for at least 1 minute before drinking, preparing infant formulas, preparing juices, and ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, cooking, dental hygiene, and any other activity of requiring human consumption.
Anyone on municipal water should monitor Region of Queens webpage and social media as well as local media for updates.
To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.
Future site of proposed Co-op housing along Trestle Trail. Photo Ed Halverson
Region of Queens Council voted in favour of rezoning for 26 units of affordable housing in Liverpool.
In November, Council approved selling four adjoining lots between Lawrence and Amherst streets and Trestle Trail and the Queens Street Extension to Queens Neighbourhood Cooperative Housing Ltd, an offshoot of the Queens Care Society group for one dollar.
The area is currently zoned for Lower Density Residential and needs to be redesignated for Multiple Unit Residential to accommodate the two proposed buildings.
The municipality’s Planning Advisory Committee approved the proposed development at their June 19 meeting. Council approved the rezoning at Tuesday’s council meeting following a public hearing where no one spoke for or against the proposed development.
If the rezoning is upheld a public notice will be issued Aug 16 and the four parcels will be rezoned Multiple Unit Residential effective Aug 31.
Mayor Darlene Norman says council wants to do everything it can to get this project of the ground as everyone is aware of the desperate need for more housing.
“We’re a year and a half in already from the time we first started talking about council selling the land,” said Norman. “Because then you have to go through the public hearing of selling it for a dollar and all other such things, and then the deeds, and then the rezoning, so we’re going through this as quickly as we can.”
At an expected cost of $6 million, the development will require funding from several sources and the cooperation of different levels of governments and other agencies.
The municipality has already committed $203,000 in the 2023-24 budget for the group to complete predevelopment work on the site including project management and engineering fees, architectural drawings costs and a landscape architect as well as initial site clearing, road access excavation and digging test pits.
Norman says the Region will continue to assist the Queens Neighbourhood Cooperative Housing Ltd.
“It’s their project so we’re not sticking our nose in it, but everything they need, every help they want, they come see us,” said Norman.
The new development will focus on seniors but aims to be inclusive and diverse.
As a co-op, the units will be owned by members who will form a democratically elected board of directors to make decisions about maintenance or improvements of their units. In the co-op model, members will not build equity in their unit like a private homeowner. Instead that equity will be used to build more units and pay off the development over a longer mortgage period, between 40 and 50 years, keeping the units affordable.
As one occupant leaves, the next occupant won’t be faced with a massive increase in housing costs.
The board of the Queens Neighbourhood Cooperative Housing Ltd. is working to break ground on the new development in early spring of 2024.
Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson
Rezoning of an area to accommodate to construction of co-op housing topped the latest meeting of Region of Queens council.
No one spoke in favour or against the proposed multi-unit co-op development at a public hearing ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting.
Council approved the rezoning to allow the construction in the Lawrence Street/Amherst Street part of Liverpool.
Also receiving council approval was a request from the Medway Head Lighthouse Society to allow liquor to be served at the opening night of their annual art show.
Council then approved the $314,700 + HST purchase of a front-end loader for the Queens solid waste facility. The purchase came in over $70,000 less than the budgeted amount of $385,000 + HST.
Next up was the appointment of Miles Harlow as Fire Inspector for the municipality. Harlow is a building inspector for the Region and will continue in that role as he takes on the responsibilities of fire inspector alongside the municipality’s current sole fire inspector Tim Clattenburg.
In the discussion portion of the meeting, a question was asked during the Council Implementation Report as to what progress is being made to sell off some the Region’s surplus properties.
Planning staff had been tasked with developing a policy for the equitable sale of surplus lands but say there hasn’t been time. They are processing a high number of permits which need to take priority over the policy development.
Next council tasked staff with cleaning up graffiti on municipally owned property in Port Mouton.
The first quarter financial review continues to show high deed transfer tax payments. The deed-transfer tax puts 1.5 percent from the sale of any property in Queens into municipal coffers. Staff had predicted $720,000 in tax revenue for the entire year but has taken in $321,905 in just the first three months of the year, almost half of what they were expecting for all of 2023/24.
Finally, council is looking at installing security cameras in the recreation areas at Queens Place after vandals have been leaving broken glass and graffiti throughout the campus. Staff will explore options and bring a report back to council at the next meeting that will outline possible solutions and costs.
The next council meeting will be held in council chambers on September 12 beginning at 9:00am.
Entrance to Trestle Trail from Bristol Ave. Photo Ed Halverson
Region of Queens council heard a proposal that would allow off-highway vehicles to drive through downtown Liverpool.
At the July council meeting, members of the Queens County ATV Association and the Queens Rails to Trails Association came together to present the idea of allowing OHVs to travel along Hwy 3, down Bristol Ave, across the bridge where they would turn onto Henry Hensey Drive, crossing Main Street and continuing up Brunswick until vehicles connected with the Trestle Trail.
The idea is possible because of a recently passed piece of provincial legislation called the Road Trails Act which is intended to allow OHVs to cross short stretches of road to move from one off road trail to another.
The Act is not yet law but President of the Queens County ATV Association David White says the groups wanted to present the plan to council so they could hear and address any concerns before it comes into effect.
“This is an early-step process because that’s still not actually enacted but we’re trying to get all of our ducks in a row so when it hits the ground, we’re one of the people out front,” said White.
The new act says all riders are required to have a valid driver’s licence, insurance, registration and a licence plate, and vehicles may not go faster than 25 km/h.
Councillor David Brown was concerned about OHVs traveling along Bristol Ave where they would have to move in traffic along with other vehicles.
“I see in other places that it’s been a real financial boon to people. But it almost seems to me like going across Bristol instead of going across the Trestle trail, finance is trumping safety..” said Brown. “To me, it looks like using the Trestle Trail, cutting off by the Irving and not going across Bristol would be much safer for pedestrian traffic, for bicycles for people driving, for the people on the ATVs but we’re trying to force them through the town just because it’s finance and I have a little problem with that.”
White acknowledged the vehicles could travel along the Trestle Trail and avoid downtown Liverpool, but the idea is to bring riders closer to local businesses. He says while there are financial motives, safety must always come first.
“As for Bristol economic trade trumping safety, we would never see safety compromised. Safety is at the foremost of what we want,” said White.
The Queens County ATV Association president noted that locals are aware traffic often slows on Bristol Ave due to bicycles, public works, and other reasons and OHVs would be no more inconvenient for drivers.
Council decided to work with the two groups to further explore the potential plan and may look to form a working committee in the future.
Residents of Liverpool and parts of the surrounding areas are under a boil water advisory.
The Region of Queens Municipality is advising anyone serviced by Region of Queens Water Utility to boil water for at least 1 minute before drinking, preparing infant formulas, preparing juices, and ice cubes, washing fruits and vegetables, cooking, dental hygiene, and any other activity requiring human consumption. This is to be done until further notice.
Mayor Darlene Norman says the utility was damaged during Tuesday night’s storm.
“As we all know thunder and lightning storms have been dancing all around us and lightning has been dancing around the water treatment plant and strikes have caused equipment not to be working at the levels it should,” said Norman. “So, we have no idea how long it will take to get our equipment back on the stream to which is required, so therefore a boil water advisory has been issued at this point in time.”
Norman says the storm damage has impacted capacity at the water treatment plant.Residents are asked to immediately conserve water until further notice and avoid activities that use unnecessary water, such as washing vehicles, as well as watering lawns and gardens.
The municipality is closing the Spray Pad at Etil Militam’mk Universally-Designed Play Park to conserve water until further notice.
Potable water is available from Cowie Well.
Residents are asked to follow the Region of Queens web page and social media as well as local media outlets for updates on the boil water advisory.
Nova Scotia is taking the first steps to making the industries that create much of the waste going into landfills responsible for disposal when people are finished with it.
On Wednesday August 2, government announced new extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs for batteries, lamps, and small household electric appliances, as well as packaging, paper products and other blue bag materials.
Government will make producers responsible for the waste they create in two ways. The first, will introduce a new set of EPR regulations covers packaging, paper products and materials in the residential blue bag recycling program.
Under the new program, producers are responsible to pay for, collect, and recycle the materials. The province will consider the producers as the manufacturer, distributer or retailer depending on which entity is based in Nova Scotia.
Producers will have to meet recycling targets that will encourage more eco-friendly packaging and reduce single-use plastics. Having producers cover the cost of recycling will save Nova Scotia municipalities around $25 million annually.
The second part involves changing the Solid Waste-Resource Management Regulations to include programs for batteries, lamps and small household electric appliances, such as irons, can openers and hair dryers.
Under the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act the Province aims to reduce waste disposal rates to 300 kilograms per person per year by 2030. EPR programs are a crucial step to achieve this milestone. Nova Scotia already has EPR programs for some electronics, paint, used oil and glycol.
The new programs will come into effect on various dates over the next 28 months.
Lesli Chandler in Astor Aug 1 2023. Photo Ed Halverson
The new executive director at the Astor Theatre says transitioning from the stage to the office is a welcome challenge.
Lesli Chandler says since taking over as Executive Director on July 5 she’s been reacquainting herself with Liverpool and learning what people want from their local theatre.
Born in Liverpool, Chandler’s history with the Astor Theatre goes back to the 1970s and some of the original productions of local theatre company, “Winds of Change.
“Now I was only very young, but I would accompany my mother who was involved in the shows, to many of the rehearsals on all the shows, sometimes sitting in a rehearsals that probably weren’t appropriate for a young child,” said Chandler. “But anytime I could come to the Astor or be in this magical space I would find a way and waiting to be old enough to be on stage.”
After finding that opportunity to step into the limelight with a production of Oliver, Chandler moved to Halifax as a child but returned to Liverpool in her teen years for a year of high school where she reconnected with the Astor Theatre.
“I got involved with the Winds of Change again, working backstage, doing makeup, ushering, volunteering anyway I could,” said Chandler. “And that led me to the Astor, sort of shaped my passion and desire to work in the arts, to be an actor and to be a singer, performer, so I went off to study theatre in Montreal.”
When she completed her education, Chandler spent time as coordinator for the Liverpool International Theatre Festival before enjoying a theatre career in Halifax.
Becoming the Astor’s executive director is a sort of homecoming for Chandler.
She’s grateful for the help she’s received from her predecessor, Jean Robinson-Dexter during her first month’s transition into the role.
Chandler says as she’s been familiarizing herself with the Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre, she’s enjoyed watching the students and instructors involved with the summer theatre program.
“I come from a background with working with a lot of youth so the work that Ashley [Rose Goodwyn] and Lincoln [Inglis] have done with the camps has been incredible. What these children, youth have done developing their own scripts, performing in five days, is really been quite impressive and I’m happy to see that,” said Chandler. “And I really am an advocate for youth experiencing the magic of this place because ultimately, we want them to be the ones that are going to have that same passion that I’ve grown up with.”
Chandler is settling in and is eager to showcase the productions, films and artists who will be on display this fall.
She looks forward to meeting the community face-to-face when the Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre’s complete line up is announced at a launch party September 9.
Close up of the Hybrid car electric charger station. Photo AdobeStock
The province’s electric utility wants to give drivers of electric vehicles another reason to stop in Liverpool.
Nova Scotia Power has approached the Region of Queens about installing a charging station on municipally owned property in downtown Liverpool.
The Nova Scotia Power website shows a single charging station at the Sobeys in Liverpool. The next nearest opportunities for EV drivers to charge up are locations in Bridgewater or Shelburne.
The utility would like to install the charging station around the Visitor Information Centre on Henry Hensey Drive along the Mersey River.
Mayor Darlene Norman says as any local resident will tell you, that parking lot is prone to flooding and staff are working with NS Power to find a more suitable location.
“Richard Lane, our Economic Director is taking the lead on this, and it’s somewhere around, somewhere on municipal property in the Liverpool, Main [Street] area,” said Norman.
The new service will come at no cost to Region of Queens taxpayers as NS Power plans to pick up the tab on the entire project.
Mayor Norman didn’t say when the proposed charging station could be operational.
A possible active transportation corridor on Liverpool’s Town Bridge will not go ahead.
Municipal staff had determined the railings and sidewalks on the 60-year-old structure needed to be replaced.
Council wanted repair work completed to make the sidewalks safe but asked staff for a more comprehensive solution that would widen the pedestrian walkways and allow for potential bicycle lanes.
CBCL Engineering was contracted to come up with ways to possibly reconfigure the bridge. They developed four options.
The first is to maintain existing bridge, replacing the deteriorated railing and rehabilitating the asphalt and concrete sidewalk surfaces at a cost of $325,000.
The second option is to modify the existing bridge, spending $700,000 to combine the two sidewalks on one side of the bridge and widening it to allow better access for cyclists.
The third option is to move the sidewalk and bicycle lane to the outside of the bridge structure. That comes with a price tag of $3,400,000.
At $4,400,00, the final and most expensive option is to build a separate pedestrian bridge across the Mersey River to create a Separate Active Transportation Structure.
The bridge is owned by the province but maintained through a cost sharing agreement with Queens.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman coming up with that kind of money just isn’t in the cards for the municipality at this time.
“To spend three, four million dollars on a structure that does not belong to us; we’re just going to look after what’s there,” said the mayor.
Norman says there could be other opportunities to upgrade the infrastructure down the road.
“So needless to say, we’re just going to maintain what we have for now and keep our eyes open to any federal monies that may be coming in the next two years.”
Council voted to address the current deficiencies to make the bridge safe and not go ahead with any new infrastructure.
Flood waters submerge cars up to their windows in the parking lot of a Bedford restaurant. Photo: Communications Nova Scotia
The Milton Centennial Pool appears to have been the greatest casualty for the Region of Queens in this weekend’s storm.
The storm washed out roads, and 100-series highways in neighbouring Hants and Lunenburg counties as well as Halifax with reports indicating between 250 and 300 mm of rain fell across Queens County on Friday.
Despite receiving a summer’s worth of rainfall in a single day, Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says Queens County got off relatively easy.“We were very, very fortunate here in Queens compared to Lunenburg,” said Norman. “There was no major damage to infrastructure. There was a road wash out on St. Catherine’s Rd in Port Joli.”
Norman says Port Medway and Liverpool fire departments were prepared to go in with their Zodiac boats to evacuate the 45 residents on that road.
The provincial public works department initially estimated the road would take four to five days to repair but after the water subsided, they discovered the major culvert was still intact and the road was repaired by Sunday morning.
Norman says a few driveways have been washed out but for the most part, Queens residents were spared the major damage experienced in other areas of the province.
She spoke with an official at Nova Scotia Public Works and in his words, “he said, Darlene, it ain’t pretty, but we got their driveways fixed. But he was just so impressed by the politeness and the patience that people had as they understood that this is serious, and they will get their driveways fixed.”
Unfortunately, the storm caused significant damage to the Milton Centennial Pool, and it will not reopen the rest of this summer as engineering and public works staff assess the extent of the damage.
The Region of Queens has been wrestling with how to replace the Milton Pool for over a year.
Council recently decided to move forward with a new outdoor pool to be located alongside Queens Place and are awaiting designs.
Anyone enrolled in swim lessons will be contacted and issued a refund.
Mayor Norman says staff will continue to monitor and assess damage across the county but if anyone sees damage that doesn’t look like it’s being addressed, they should contact the municipal office.
“If there are concerns and you see no one and it seems like you’ve been forgotten, then it’s probably because people are unaware. So, please always make a contact. Let people know when you are need of help,” said Norman. “And thank you to every volunteer fireman, neighbour, friend who helped each other and looked after one another because that’s what we’re all about.”
Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson
Discussions around changing the sidewalks on the Liverpool Town Bridge and updating the municipal phone answering service were a couple of items on the most recent Region of Queens Council meeting agenda.
The meeting started with a pair of presentations. The first was an update from Roswall, the company behind the Mersey River Wind Farm project.
The company has received several governmental approvals and held community information meetings. They are working towards completing development stage items and signing a lease for the Crown Land.
The second item was a joint presentation from the Queens County ATV Association and the Queens Rails to Trails Association. The two groups are looking for municipal support that would allow ATVs to travel along short sections of municipal roads as permitted by the recently announced Road Trails Act.
Council will discuss the request at a future meeting and will likely be bringing the idea forward to the public for feedback.
In the recommendations section council agreed to waive tipping fees for up to 10 metric tonnes or roughly $700 worth for a family who lost their home in a fire.
Council also agreed to spend $16,850 to install a new telephone answering service for the municipality. The Region has been unable to receive telephone messages for the past several weeks as the old system is no longer supported.
The parameters for a new seven-member police advisory board were also established. Councillors Brown and Hawkes along with Deputy Mayor Fancy will represent council. Community members will include Acadia First Nation Band Council member Andrew Francis and two others chosen from the public. The seventh member will be appointed by the province. Region of Queens is working towards having the new Police Advisory Board in place early in the fall.
Tenders for a new heating and ventilation system for the Liverpool Business Development Centre has come in $130,000 over budget. Council had approved spending $1.9 million in the 2023/24 budget. The only tender received came from Sea Coast HVAC at a total cost of $2.03 million. As it was the only bid, council approved spending the additional money to begin the work.
They also approved $446,200 to buy a new street sweeper from Saunders Equipment Ltd, of Fredericton NB.
A homeowner in Brooklyn requested municipal wastewater systems be extended to their property. Staff informed council it is not feasible at this time because of permitting issues from the province and the large number of projects they are already working on within the municipality.
Council also explored options for improving pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the Liverpool Town bridge. With four options ranging from $325,000 to refresh the existing layout to $4.4 million to move the lanes to the outside of the bridge, council opted to maintain what is in place now and keep an eye out for federal funding options in the future.
Finally, council went in-camera to discuss Nova Scotia Power’s request to install an EV charging station on municipal property in Liverpool, but no site was confirmed.
The next Region of Queens Council meeting will be held August 8 beginning at 9:00am in council chambers.
Lumberjacks president John Patterson, LCLC manager Kent Walsh and Lumberjacks owner Jim Bottomley reveal team name at LCLC. Photo Ed Halverson
The former Liverpool Privateers have a new name to go with their move to Bridgewater.
Team owner Jim Bottomley made the announcement at a public event in the Junior B hockey team’s new home at the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre.
They will take to the ice as the South Shore Junior B Lumberjacks, adopting the moniker used by the Maritime Hockey League team that played at the LCLC until this year.
Bottomley says he is working to ensure the Lumberjacks will be adopted as the entire South Shore’s team.
He recognizes Liverpool fans were disappointed with the transition from Liverpool to Bridgewater but says he has heard from many who wish to continue to support their team.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive stuff from them,” said Jim Bottomley. “A couple of them have said a few things but most of them are calling up and saying we still want to volunteer and we’re still going to come to your games, and things like that.”
Bottomley says one of the reasons for making the move from Liverpool was to bring the team closer to Halifax where many of the players are attending post-secondary education.
“Here, our guys, we’re going to be practicing in Halifax a lot. So, the players can go to school, come to the Metro Centre, go on the ice for practice and get right back home. Then we’ll just bus down here on Saturday night,” said Bottomley. “It’s important that, they’ve got to get their education. Play three or four years of junior and got nothing out of it at the end, is terrible.”
South Shore Junior B Lumberjacks players display new uniform design. Photo Ed Halverson
Team President John Patterson says they have a lot of work ahead to get ready for the September 15 start of the season.
Much of that has been held up as the team was finalizing the move from Liverpool.
Patterson says they will now focus on building the team’s identity, marketing, and awareness ahead of the fall launch.
“We’re really hamstrung a little bit on name and finalizing because all these decisions have been made just in the last couple of weeks, so, you know, we’re hitting the ground running.”
Patterson says people can expect to see a new website up in the next couple of weeks where they’ll post information about tickets, schedules and upcoming events.
Exterior of Queens General Hospital. Photo Ed Halverson
Queens General Hospital will be welcoming four new family medicine residents over the next two years.
One resident starting in August another in December and two more joining next year will each spend 5 months training alongside family medicine doctors in Queens.
The influx of student doctors is part of the Dalhousie Family Medicine Residency Satellite program being operated in partnership with Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia Health, and the Queens General Hospital Foundation.
Doctor Tarah Millen practices on the South Shore and helps mentor residents.
She says a residency in a rural area helps patients get access to medical care and provides residents with learning opportunities they may not get in a larger centre.
“Lots more hands-on because there’s many learners in the city and here there’s less amounts of learners and they can get lots of hand-on experience with wonderful physicians and preceptors.”
Millen says that hands on experience will extend to many corners of the hospital.
“They’ll be working with the family doctors who work at Queens General Hospital. They’ll be spending time with them doing a variety of things including clinic, emergency room, hospitalist, and long-term care facility.”
Dr Amy McMullin works at Queens General and says the partnerships between Nova Scotia Health and the Queens General Hospital Foundation have made it possible to accommodate these additional residents.
“The foundation has been a huge support for the past year or two. They’ve been developing call room space for residents as well they have helped renovate our procedure clinic on the second floor and they’ve been really supportive, hand in hand with Nova Scotia health,” said McMullin. “And they’ve also helped us find housing for the residents while they’re here. So, they’ve been immense support we couldn’t have done it without them.”
The goal of the satellite residency program is to provide a look at what life looks like in rural areas in the hopes some of today’s residents will choose to call Queens home when they begin their practice.
Rendering of new spray pad at Etli Milita’mk park. Photo Region of Queens
The spray pad in the long-awaited universally designed playpark at Queens Place opens Tuesday.
The water feature includes sprinklers, a fountain, filler buckets and jet spray units and is the first phase of the complete design
Community members raised over $450,000 with the goal of building a universal playpark that includes ramped decks, braille and audio elements as well as a Spray Pad to make it inclusive to everyone regardless of age or ability.
The park is the realization of a dream shared by several groups throughout Queens.
Local resident Debbie Wamboldt first approached the Region of Queens in 2015 about supporting the construction of a universally designed park. Since then, she was the driving force behind the fundraising effort. For their part, the Region provided the land next to the skate park at Queens Place and will own, operate, and maintain the park for residents. Autism Nova Scotia holds the money in trust and releases it as invoices are submitted by the municipality.
The name Etli Milita’mk (pronounced ed-a-lee milly-dumk) is a Mi’kmaq phrase which translates to “We are playing here” and was selected for the playpark after consultation with Acadia First Nation representatives.
Construction of the park has been delayed by supply and staff shortages brought on by the pandemic but if all goes as it should, the park will be fully opened and operational by the end of September.
In the meantime, the spray pad will be open from 9:00am to 8:00pm every day until September.
Owner Jim Bottomley says travel time for the coaches and players and the opportunity to increase the fanbase were the main reasons for moving the team from their home at Queens Place in Liverpool.
Bottomley encourages his hockey players to be student athletes which means most of the team lives in and around Halifax to be close to their universities. He says relocating to Bridgewater will make a big difference in the amount of time the players need to spend on the road, especially during the winter months.
For the past ten years the Liverpool Privateers have built a competitive team and a devoted fanbase and Bottomley hopes that support will follow the team a half an hour up Highway 103.
“That’s our biggest loss is the fans were so supportive down there and since they announced the move, I’ve heard from a number of fans that said you can still count on us coming up [to Bridgewater] so I’m looking forward to that,” said Bottomley. “But we had the best fans in the junior, Nova Scotia junior Hockey League over the last number of years and we’re just hoping that it will continue right there in Bridgewater. It’s going to be a South Shore team so hopefully everybody along the shore there will come and support us.”
Head coach Ryan Faulkenham and the rest of his staff will be staying on.
Bottomley says a few players from Bridgewater have suited up for the Privateers. He plans to expand those ranks by making his players and staff available to minor hockey organizations across the South Shore.
“If they want the players or coaches to come out anytime to work with their teams we’ll be there. We want to be involved in the community; we want the players out around the community.,” said Bottomley. “We want to basically a community team that’s well representitive throughout the whole South Shore, not just right in Bridgewater.”
One of the things that will remain constant in the move from Liverpool to Bridgewater is Bottomley’s desire to win.
“I think what Bridgewater lost in the last number of years was a quality hockey team that was competitive. You know I’m not in the business just to put a hockey team on the ice. I want to win every year I love winning and we’re going to try as the year goes on, we’ll continue to build our team,” said Bottomley.
The name of the new Bridgewater team is being kept under wraps until the official kick-off event at the LCLC on Thursday July 13 at 6:00pm.
Bottomley says there’s a great deal to organize and many plans to make before the hockey season opens September 15.
Future site of proposed Co-op housing along Trestle Trail. Photo Ed Halverson
A Liverpool co-op housing project is closer to becoming a reality as it makes its way through the development process.
Region of Queens sold the Queens Neighbourhood Cooperative Housing Ltd four parcels of land for a dollar in November 2022 to build 26 units of affordable housing.
The housing cooperative petitioned Region of Queens council to rezone the 2.6-acre property at the last council meeting.
Before any building permits can be issued, the land bordered by Amherst, Brunswick, and Lawrence Street on three sides and the Trestle Trail on the other needs to be rezoned.
The area is currently zoned for Lower Density Residential and needs to be redesignated for Multiple Unit Residential to accommodate the two proposed buildings.
The development has already been approved by the Planning Advisory Committee at their June 19 meeting.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the Co-op housing group is still busily working behind the scenes to move the project forward as they await the rezoning.
“When you’re building these multi-unit residences there’s things you need to consider. You need to have the engineers look at the ground and site suitability and all that,” said Norman. “So they’re getting all their background work done and I guess my answer would be no, they would not be given a building permit to start any of this until it was rezoned although it would not prevent them from doing site work.”
Council voted in favour of the rezoning and a public meeting will be held before the start of the August 8 Region of Queens Council meeting.
If the rezoning is upheld a public notice will be issued Aug 16 and the four parcels will be rezoned Multiple Unit Residential effective Aug 31.
The Region of Queens will join the majority of municipalities in Nova Scotia when they follow recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission and create a new Police Advisory Board.
Until earlier this spring, the Region of Queens was one of a small minority of municipalities who used council as the advisory board. That was when they received direction from the province that practice would no longer be acceptable, and they must strike a dedicated police board.
Mayor Darlene Norman explains how the new police board will operate.
“They’re to determine the objectives and goals respecting the policing services in our community which is Queens. They’re to ensure community needs and values are reflected and they’re [to]sort of act as a conduit between the community and the police,” said Norman.
After much discussion, council decided a seven-member advisory board chosen by council would best represent all of Queens. The board will be composed of three council members, three members from the community chosen by council, and one representative selected by Nova Scotia’s Minister of Justice.
Norman says trying to determine the eligibility requirements for board members is difficult as there are no qualifications set out in the Municipal Government Act.
“The question was asked; well do they have to be a year-round resident? Do they have to be a taxpayer? Do they have to even live in our municipality? When you look at what’s in the MGA there’s no reference to any of that,” said Norman. “They could be from anywhere; they could simply have an interest.”
Norman says it’s important to put together an impartial group of people to serve on the board.
“On one hand you really don’t want someone that’s anti RCMP. You know, you don’t want a down with government, down with the police, down with the establishment, that does not help,” said Norman. “On the flip side, you also don’t want someone that thinks that, oh isn’t everything wonderful and you know, you really need to find objective people who will come with no biases, nor will they come with any favouritisms that’s the main thing. Now trying to determine how you find that is challenging.”
Staff are working on a framework for the new police board which they will bring back for council’s consideration.
Council plans to select their three members in the next few weeks. The municipality will advertise for citizen volunteers in July with the goal of appointing them to the board in August.
If all goes to plan, the first Region of Queens Police Board meeting will be held in September.
The creation of a new police oversight board and rezoning for affordable housing topped the items at the recent Region of Queens Council meeting.
Council was on the road this Tuesday, June 27 at the Greenfield Fire Hall with a relatively light agenda.
Three recommendations came forward.
The first was a $5260 grant to the Privateer Days Commission from the Community Investment Fund. The money will help the Commission offset the $42,080 operational costs for this year’s event.
Next council put forth three names to be considered for the Provincial Volunteer Awards. Each year the Region selects two people for recognition.
In recent years the Region would select names from the Ripple Effect program, a municipal program for the public to recognize the volunteer efforts of others. Despite many requests, no nominations were received this year, so council had to submit names.
Beach Meadows resident Amy MacGowan will receive the award for her work to independently raise money for several community organizations. Notably, in the past year she has raised $35,000. Of that, $27,000 went to assist two local families dealing with cancer diagnoses and another $6,000 was raised to assist those impacted by the recent wildfires in Shelburne County.
The second recipient is Sylvia Hurley from Liverpool. Hurley is active in numerous groups throughout Liverpool including the Victorian Order of Nurses, the K-ettes, Ladies Auxiliary Milton Baptist Church, Hank Snow Tribute, and the Queens County PC Association.
Both women will be recognized at a provincial ceremony planned for September 25.
The final recommendation was to rezone a parcel of land in Liverpool from Lower Density Residential to Multiple Unit Residential. The rezoning is needed to allow the construction of the two proposed buildings along Lawrence Street.
In November 2022, Council sold four parcels of land for a dollar to the Queens Neighbourhood Cooperative Housing Ltd to build 26 units of affordable housing.
The Planning Advisory Committee approved the rezoning at their June 19 meeting.
Now that council has given their blessing, residents will have their say at a public meeting ahead of the August 8 Region of Queens Council meeting. Provided there are no objections, the rezoning will go into effect Aug 31.
Three items were up for discussion.
The first was a Council Implementation report from staff to indicate how several council initiatives are proceeding.
The second was a request to waive tipping fees for a family who recently lost their home in a fire and don’t have the means to pay for disposal of the burnt materials.
Interim CAO Dan McDougall said other municipalities have a compassionate fund to assist people in this situation and suggested Queens could do the same. After discussing the matter, council requested staff come back with a report on how the compassionate fund could work in Queens.
The final item up for discussion was the creation of a Police Advisory Board.
By law, each municipality must have Police Advisory Board.
According to the staff presentation, “…Council has been the governance body acting as the Police Advisory Board with the understanding that this approach had received approval from the Minister of Justice at the time when this practice started. However, written approval from the Minister of Justice (pursuant to section 57(8) of the Police Act) for this governance model has not been located.”
One of the recommendations that came out of the Mass Casualty Commission Report in March was that “Municipalities and the Province of Nova Scotia should ensure that police boards and police advisory boards are fully staffed and performing their governance function.”
The Region of Queens was notified by the Department of Justice in May that they will need to establish a stand-alone Police Advisory Board. Staff are now working to get a board in place by September.
The next Region of Queens Council meeting will be held July 11, beginning at 9:00am in council chambers.
The news comes as a surprise after the Privateers announced on May 30, they would be back in Liverpool to play another season.
Screenshot of Facebook announcement by Liverpool Privateers Hockey Club. The post was taken down shortly after the team announced they would not be returning to Liverpool.
The Junior B hockey club has called Queens Place home for the past eight years.
The Region received notice from team owner Jim Bottomley late Monday night indicating they would be terminating their ice rental agreement effective June 27. Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman was surprised by the decision as the Region had recently come to terms with the team for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Norman says there is plenty of demand for the weekly ice-rental time, but losing Junior B caliber hockey will be felt by the fans.
“It’s an unfortunate loss for the hockey fans that have supported that team. It was good hockey, certainly was well supported,” said Norman. “I think the players have always said they had the biggest fanbase they’ve ever had in this rink. So good luck to the team wherever they go.”
The Liverpool Junior B Hockey Association hosted the Don Johnson Cup in April, welcoming some of the best Junior hockey teams across the Atlantic provinces to Queens Place. By all accounts the event was a great success.
QCCR attempted to contact team officials for comment but did not receive a reply before publication.
Kids in Brooklyn no longer need to worry about losing their playground.
The Brooklyn Recreation Committee announced they are receiving funding from the province to help refurbish the Hank Snow Playground.
Funding through the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage will cover roughly a third of the approximately $20,000 it will cost to refurbish both swing sets, replace the maypole (spinning rings), and install a new merry-go-round.
The remainder will be paid through money raised by the local area rate.
The playground had been in danger of closing after community members raised concerns the equipment may no longer be safe.
Board member Wendy Vissers says the committee checked with their insurers and performed inspections on the equipment after reaching out to the Canadian Playground Safety Institute.
Vissers says through those conversations the board learned that playground doesn’t need to be shuttered just because equipment doesn’t meet the most up-to-date standards.
“The way it was described to me is OK if you build a house in the 40’s you build it to the code of the day which is the same as with the playground, and then as building codes change you don’t tear down your house and start fresh,” said Vissers. “You just, any work going forward is done to the new code.”
The board presented what they learned to the community at a public meeting.
A motion to close the playground was unsupported and died on the floor, keeping the playground open.
The only question now for Vissers and her team is when they can expect to see the new equipment on site.
“We’re in the queue so the equipment is officially, the order is in but it’s looking like some of the swing parts will be here in in August. So, hopefully you know, sort of as soon as that stuff arrives within a week or two, we could get that project done,” said Vissers. “The other larger pieces of equipment unfortunately, it’s looking like it’s probably going to be December by the time they arrive.”
Once it arrives, the Brooklyn Recreation Committee will be installing the new equipment themselves as the only certified installer in Nova Scotia is booked up.
The committee has confirmed they can perform the work without voiding the warranty or jeopardizing their insurance.
Vissers says when they are ready to install, they will be putting a call out to the community to lend a hand.
She’s confident there will be no shortage of volunteers.
“An announcement like this, yeah we’ve had nothing but positive feedback and suggestions from community members like, hey can we do any sort of fund-raising activities to help offset the cost and people coming forward to say yeah we’ll help, you know, donate some time to make it happen, and so you know it’s been very positive.”
