Snowstorm with significant snowfall and wet conditions. Photo Ed Halverson

Drivers in Liverpool are being put on notice, don’t park on streets during a snowstorm.

At the most recent Region of Queens council meeting councillors discussed who would be responsible for winter parking enforcement.

RCMP say they don’t have the capacity to be involved but told municipal staff the Region has the legal authority to have offending vehicles towed.

Under the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act it is illegal to leave parked cars where they will interfere with road clearing.

The car can be towed leaving the owner responsible for the costs.

Parked cars not only make snow clearing more difficult but can also be dangerous for plow drivers, pedestrians, and other drivers when snowbanks are left in place.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the safety of everyone on the roads must be the priority, but no one wants to tow a vehicle.

“In the past we have had our bylaw officer, who’s very diligent, has at times, on her own initiative, tried to track down who owns these vehicles, knocked on doors,” said Norman,

She says staff can use their discretion when to remove a vehicle, but it was not determined if it will be the plow truck driver or a supervisor who will make that call.

The Region is responsible for snow clearing around the former town of Liverpool while the province plows the remainder of roads in the county.

The mayor says regardless of where people live, for everyone’s safety council wants to beef up communication with the public about the importance of not parking on the streets during snowstorms.

Norman said, “Our message to the public will be, please do not park on the streets during periods of snow when we have to have snow removal.”

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Photo courtesy Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association. Credit: David Corkum

The Region of Queens will hold on to the South Shore Regional Airport after all.

Council voted 5-3 to retain ownership of the airport following a public meeting where supporters of both the South Shore Flying Club and the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association made an argument for council to accept their purchase offer.

At $50,000 from the racers and $100,000 from the flyers, both offers came in under current market value of $565,000, which requires approval from six of eight councillors to be accepted.

For almost three hours supporters on both sides talked about the importance of the respective organizations and the value each brings to the community.

Director of the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association Scott Sprague says it would have been great for his organization to have control of the airport so they could leave some of their infrastructure in place.

Sprague says 2022 has been a rollercoaster ride as the group moved from the need to negotiate a lease with a new owner in the spring to potentially becoming the new owner themselves.

While he is pleased both groups will still have use of the facility, he says the process has been frustrating.

“Certainly, to end up right back where we normally are, or were, after all this is hard to believe,” said Sprague.

As the process unfolded he said it was important for council to realize what each group contributed to the airport.

“Everyone was a little bit beaten and bruised from this and probably unnecessarily,” said Sprague. “I mean, the relationship was fine. We quite honestly didn’t really cross paths. In the sense that, we set up, we’re a temporary set up. That’s how it’s got to be if you’re going to have an airport too. So, we came and went.”

During the council meeting several of the councillors to the opportunity to apologize to both sides for stirring up bad feelings in a relationship that had worked so well for so many years.

President of the South Shore Flying Club Peter Gow appreciated the gesture.

“I think that speaks highly of anybody in a pretty stressful situation,’ said Gow. “And to acknowledge that maybe there were some things that could have been done differently.”

Many aviation group members spoke of the strategic importance of the South Shore Regional Airport and its location halfway between Halifax and Yarmouth.

The airport is used for pilot training, as landing for private aircraft, during emergency situations like forest fires, EHS air ambulance and search and rescue efforts, to name a few.

Mayor Darlene Norman acknowledged the essential uses of the airfield but expressed concern that all the aviation groups use the airport for free.

“There needs to be a way for the South Shore Fly Club [sic] to find a way to get revenue from all those people that claim the importance of the airport,” said Norman. “We heard from dozens today.”

Gow is hoping to see an expansion of hangars and services at the airport as it’s challenging for the flying club to raise funds from users.

“To try and come up with some ways to see if we can’t grow the facility at the same time maybe try and contribute financially. It’s tough, it’s really tough to do,” said Gow.

The drag racers and flying club will now look to sign new leases with the Region of Queens.

At the end of the day, both men said they are pleased to return to the status quo and look forward to finding their way back to the working relationship they enjoyed before this episode began.

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Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson

The hot real estate market apparently extends to airstrips as region of Queens looks to offload the South Shore Regional Airport.

The region is holding a public meeting Tuesday proposing to sell the airport to the Nova Scotia Drag Racing Association for $50,000.

Some are concerned that amount is too far below market value after a deal to sell the airport to a private developer for $565,000 fell through in October.

The municipal government act does allow the Region to sell the property to a non-profit organization for less than fair-market value.

The South Shore flying club has offered the region $100,000 to purchase the property and there are reports at least two other parties are interested and are offering to pay more.

The drag racers and the flying club have shared use of the airport for years and each say if their offer is accepted would continue that arrangement through a long-term lease.

In an open letter published to social media the drag racers say since they began in 2004, they’ve paid over $161,000 in lease fees to the region and invested $190,000 in improvements to the property.

The NSDRA says they’ve made other contributions to North Queens including $60,000 to local Volunteer Fire departments for their services, donating $13,000 to Christmas Daddies, and supporting dozens of local businesses buying supplies for their events.

The association says by the Region’s own estimates the NSDRA’s activities have contributed more than $4 million in tourism to the area.

The flying club says they too, have made several upgrades at no cost to the municipality.

Club president Peter Gow made a presentation to council at the November 8 meeting where he says the club was shocked to learn council had decided to sell the airport to the NSDRA without giving them an opportunity to bid.

Gow told council he’s concerned that despite assurances if the club is sold to the drag racers it will no longer operate as an airport due to the high cost of insuring the airplane fueling system and the NSDRA’s intention to increase the number of racers, cutting down on the time available for the flying club to use the airstrip.

Council will hear from the public before voting on whether to sell to the NSDRA during the regular council meeting.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The province has just released a climate action plan with lofty goals but notable gaps as to how they will be met.

A new 68-point plan is one of 28 directives contained in legislation to address climate change adopted in 2021.

The plan relies heavily on phasing-out Nova Scotia’s dependence on coal to generate electricity by 2030 and to reach a 90 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 but puts forth no map on how or when to decommission the provinces coal-fired generating stations.

It also calls for a ban on the installation of any oil-fired heating systems in new construction after 2025.

Nova Scotia will need to find alternate sources to generate power and heat in the coming years.

The government has already introduced legislation to pave the way for green hydrogen projects in Nova Scotia, using existing light natural gas pipelines to transport the fuel and offshore wind turbines to power the burners.

The province has also made strides to work with neighbouring provinces to transfer more electricity across Atlantic Canada and Québec through projects like the Atlantic Loop, Muskrat Falls, and by forming stronger connections with New Brunswick.

Annual progress and impact reports of the actions in the climate change plan will be filed and the plan will be reviewed and renewed within five years of its release.

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Photo Ed Halverson

Nova Scotians got a look at how climate change will impact the province into the year 2100 as government released the latest projections and risk assessment Tuesday.

The report, titled Weathering What’s Ahead: Climate Change Risk and Nova Scotia’s Well-being, shows that Nova Scotia is getting warmer and precipitation patterns are changing and if further action is not taken Nova Scotians will experience more frequent and intense storms, sea level rise and changing oceans.

It says if global greenhouse gas emissions are not cut significantly projections indicate by 2100 Nova Scotia can expect:
— an increase of 4.8 degrees Celsius in the average annual temperature
— many more nights that are warmer than 18 C – in the range of 45, compared with about three currently
— a 10 per cent increase in annual precipitation
— higher peak wind speeds by 3.7 to seven kilometres per hour
— sea level rise by up to one metre
— an increase in the sea surface temperature by 5.1 degrees.

In a release, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Timothy Halman says “It’s important to understand where and how we are vulnerable so we can all take action.”

In addition to identifying areas of concern, the climate change risk assessment established priorities for action in Nova Scotia including:
— building capacity to prepare for multiple hazards that interact and evolve over time
— acting on flooding and increased heat-related hazards
— protecting people’s well-being and recognizing the links between people and the environment
— regularly updating the risk to the province.

The climate change risk assessment helped inform the province’s climate plan, which will be released Wednesday, December 7.

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Carters Beach public information meeting November 26, 2022. Photo Susan MacLeod

A new plan is in the works that walks the line between protecting the environment and enjoying the shore at Carter’s Beach.

The once hidden gem has become exceedingly popular over the years causing a range of issues for locals.

Parked cars line country roadways making it difficult for emergency vehicles to get through, and the fragile ecosystem is being strained as litter piles up and beach-goers head into the fragile dunes to answer nature’s call due to a lack of washroom facilities.

In recent years, temporary garbage receptacles and port-a-potties have been put in place by the Region of Queens to alleviate stress.

Carter’s Beach is a provincial responsibility and was originally included in the parks and protected areas plan as a nature reserve but is now designated to become a provincial park.

Parks promotion and development officer Sandra Fraser says changing the designation is key moving to forward.

“Having it under the provincial parks program allows for the Department of Natural Resources to support operations there,” said Fraser. “Future plans include providing some basic infrastructure at some key access points so we can manage the usage there and allow for some recreational use while also protecting the ecological values.”

In 2021 the province went through an online consultation process to hear from the public and received over 150 responses.

Officials with Nova Scotia Parks held an open house in late November to present a broad overview of the plan to make Carter’s Beach a provincial park and to answer questions from the community.

Several priorities were identified including conserving sensitive habitats, addressing traffic concerns, providing washroom and waste disposal facilities, installing wayfinding and interpretive signs, and maintaining community partnership.

It was noted that management of the beach should also include establishing sustainable visitation levels.

One of the objectives presented at the meeting was to have vehicle and pedestrian counting equipment installed to track usage at Carter’s Beach.

Fraser says the concept plan also proposed alleviating congestion on Carter’s Beach Road by adding more parking on Port Mouton Rd across from Lake Drive.

“We may keep the small lot that’s there and then add to that and then have a defined path from that parking lot down to the beach.”

Fraser says funding has not yet been secured and plans still need to be finalized before the Carter’s Beach project can go forward.

She says anyone wishing to provide additional feedback can do so by e-mailing the department at: parkinfo@novascotia.ca

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Courtesy Hockey Nova Scotia

A new initiative by Hockey Nova Scotia aims to eliminate abuse of their officials while keeping more referees involved in the sport.

Beginning in November, every minor hockey association across the province received green arm bands.

The bands will be distributed to all officials under the age of 18 to indicate they are a young person learning their craft.

Referee in Chief for Hockey Nova Scotia Rick Hill says studies show the number of officials leaving the sport because of the abuse they receive on and off the ice is alarming.

“Thirty percent or more of officials quit after the first year, 50 percent are gone after year two and over 65 percent are gone in year three and the main reason, when we talk to these people is it’s the abuse,” said Hill. “The abuse from the fans, the parents, the coaches on the ice.”

Hill says the hope is people will begin to understand the person making the call on the ice is developing their skills, just like the players.

The initiative was started in Quebec and has been up and running there and in Eastern Ontario for a couple of years.

The Quebec minor hockey associations borrowed the idea from soccer and baseball leagues who were experiencing similar problems with abuse of their officials.

Hill says he’s been hearing stories of fans working to educate other fans when the green armbands are in place.

“We’ve been told stories where another fan will come up to them and say, do you not see the green armband, do you know what that means? And a conversation will take place and now somebody else has been educated on what it is,” said Hill. “It’s just something we’re hoping is going twig their personality and the way they act and maybe they’ll just cut back. They’ll realize, holy cow, what am I doing? This person is new to the job and here I am treating him like he’s an adult and been officiating for years.”

Hockey Nova Scotia is fully embracing the initiative, going as far as to double the suspension for any team or coach found to be abusing on-ice officials.

Last year around 900 officials were registered with Hockey Nova Scotia and Hill is hoping to see all of them and more return.

He says the message that everyone involved with hockey needs to hear is to respect one another.

“Green armband or not, remember that the officials out there are trying to do a job, they’ve stayed in the game, they’re giving back to the game so that hockey players can play the game because you can’t play without officials. So, remember that when you look out there that they’re just like the players, they’re going to make mistakes. If nobody on the ice made a mistake, we’d have a 0-0 hockey game. So, there will be mistakes made but just curb it down a bit and let them do their job,” said Hill.

He says respecting all officials will ensure games will continue to be played in rinks from one end of Nova Scotia to the other.

“Remember that that official out there is somebody’s son or somebody’s father and if you heap any abuse on them, that’s just not something we need in the game and we need to get rid of it.”

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Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson

The sale of municipal properties to create affordable housing highlighted the recent Region of Queens council meeting.

Following a public hearing ahead of the meeting, council agreed to sell four parcels of land off Lawrence and Amherst Streets in Liverpool to the Queens Neighbourhood Cooperative Housing Ltd for one dollar.

Fair market value of the properties is estimated around $15,000 but council is permitted to dispose of properties to non-profit organizations for less if there is a community benefit.

Given the lack of affordable housing across the county, Mayor Darlene Norman says council was unanimous in their support of the sale.

“When they’ll break ground, that is uncertain. They’ll have to determine what exactly they want to build and then make a request to council because there may need to be some water/sewer work done in to site that land,” said Norman. “Council is excited about this.”

Council also voted to support the Queens County Track Society up to a quarter million dollars for the construction of new track facilities on the sports field adjacent to Liverpool Regional High School.

The project is eligible for 25 percent of the cost from the Region’s Community Investment Fund.

The final tally on the build is expected to be north of a million dollars and it’s expected the track will pursue funding from the provincial and federal governments.

Norman says the municipal funds won’t be released from the reserve until the society can show they have raised all the money needed to complete construction.

Council then moved into the discussion phase of the meeting.

After a couple of attempts, the committee working to realize the construction of a new pool in Queens now has terms of reference agreed upon by the majority of councillors.

The latest revision puts the committee members’ skills to work but doesn’t require municipal staff time.

The pool committee will also provide updates on their progress to council at regular intervals.

Several policy items were also up for discussion.

First, they reviewed a new policy to establish parameters around the selection, purchase, maintenance, and official removal of public art.

Second, council confirmed their meeting schedule would remain the same as the past year.

Lastly, an updated social media policy was presented and discussed.

All discussion items will return to council at future meetings to be voted upon before being adopted.

The next Region of Queens Council meeting will be in Chambers December 13 beginning at 9:00am.

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Festival of Trees and Dickensville courtesy of Queens County Museum

The Queens County Museum is celebrating Christmas like it’s 1999, or thereabouts.

For the past couple of decades, the museum has marked the holiday season with the Festival of Trees and Dickensville displays.

The Festival of Trees showcases over 35 trees, each with different decorations or themes and placed around the museum while Dickensville features scale model recreations of the people and places from Charles Dickens’ novels.

Director Linda Rafuse says after being unable to welcome visitors in during the pandemic they’re excited to continue the tradition once again.

“We’ve been doing this exhibit for so long now, with our two learning trees that we’re now having some of the children that we told this story to many years ago are now bringing their children in to hear the story of the Legend of the Christmas Spider,” said Rafuse. “That’s just so heartwarming.”

Rafuse says the local elementary school classes will be filing in over the course of a week in December to experience the stories and displays for themselves.

The displays are open to the public seven days a week for no charge, but the museum gladly accepts donations.

In fact, for the first time the Queens County Museum is hosting a Christmas wreath auction as a fundraiser.

Wreaths are posted online at the Queens Museum Christmas Wreath Auction Facebook page and people can bid in the comments.

Winners can pick up their wreaths after bidding closes at 4pm on December 4.

The Festival of Trees and Dickensville will be on display until 5pm everyday until the museum closes for Christmas on December 23.

Rafuse says anyone looking to jumpstart their Christmas joy should make a point to drop by.

“If you’re not in the spirit of Christmas yet, come into the Queens County Museum because when you leave, you will be.”

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Queens MLA Kim Masland with members and users of Queens County Transit. Photo Ed Halverson

Queens County Transit will not increase their fares despite rising inflation thanks to a one-time funding bump from the federal and provincial governments.

The organization received $46,617 as part of $10.9 million being distributed to transit operators in Nova Scotia.

Chairperson of Queens County Transit Tara Smith says the money couldn’t come at a better time as they’ve just added a sixth vehicle to their fleet.

“We do have a little bit of money there to hold us through during tough times because gas is probably going to go up and down and we have to be ready for that, and we have to still be able to provide our service,” said Smith. “We do have six vehicles now on the road so we’ve had an increase in insurance, increase in tires, our vehicles are on the road constantly so, we were really happy to be able to provide that service but we don’t want it to cost the people of Queens county anymore, so really good news.”

Queens MLA and Public Works Minister Kim Masland made the announcement outside the Queens County Transit office.

As the former Seniors Safety Coordinator with the RCMP, Masland remembers speaking with organizers as they were developing Queens County Transit about how so many people need reliable and affordable transportation .

“I hear daily from constituents within Queens that are sharing their stories with me that they’ve used Queens County transit to take them to their dialysis employments weekly, that they’ve used Queens County transit to take them to medical appointments in Halifax. I’ve heard stories about needing to use Queens County transit to get to the airport to go visit gravely ill relatives,” said Masland. “It just plays such an important role in our community and it’s so valuable and I’m just so proud of where we are with our transit system here in Queens County.”

The federal government is investing $750 million to help municipalities across the country maintain transit service levels as ridership declines due to the pandemic.

To access the funding, provinces had to match the federal contribution in transit investments and support improvements in housing supply.

Of the $10.9 million, the largest operator in the province Halifax Transit received $8.65 million with the remainder divided among 20 community transit operators and seven other fixed-route operators.

The funding was distributed based on overall transit ridership, but the province was permitted some discretion so that all operators received a nominal amount.

Smith says during the height of the pandemic they had to reduce the number of people travelling in a vehicle but since people have become more comfortable living with COVID-19 Queens County Transit has seen their ridership increase dramatically.

“In March of this year, we were pleased to see that our ridership reached 5,000 people, 5,000 rides within our last year, so that’s great,” said Smith. “When we had talked about our projection over the course of our future in Queens County, we had looked at 10 years we would have a ridership of 5,000 people and you know, we did that in one year.”

From humble beginnings around a table as an idea in 2018 Queens County Transit now has six vehicles including what Smith believes to be the first hybrid gas/electric wheelchair accessible vehicle in a transit fleet in Nova Scotia.

Smith is pleased that in such a short span of time, Queens has gone from the last county in Nova Scotia without transit to one with a reliable and supported transit organization that will continue to grow to meet the needs of its residents.

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SSODA Housing info poster courtesy Krista Miller

An organization helping people find and keep housing has opened its doors in Queens.

South Shore Open Doors Association launched in Lunenburg County in 2021 and expanded to Queens in October with the hiring of housing support worker Krista Miller.

Miller has lived in Queens all her life and says people can come to SSODA to learn what supports are available to them and how to get that help.

“We would help access all of the local, provincial, federal resources that are around that can help out with housing insecurity. We reach out to some churches, Lions Club, Salvation Army, just other organisations to see if they’d be willing to partner with us to help folks,” said Miller. “We also are able to help ourselves in times of need so people would just have to call and do an intake with us. Once we can see what their needs are we can go from there and see if we are able to help them”

South Shore Open Doors Association is part of network of organizations using the online Homeless Individuals and Families Information System, or HIFIS.

HIFIS allows member organizations to quickly find resources for their clients that are offered from within the group.

Since starting in October, Miller has been working to gain a clearer picture of the housing needs in Queens.

Early results of an online survey she is conducting show 31 percent of respondents are between 45-54 years of age and come from across Queens County. Most people are renting their home, 85.7 percent consider themselves at risk of homelessness and 63 percent live in energy poverty.

Miller will continue running the survey until the new year and you can link to the survey here.

She is also hosting a series of housing clinics with the next two sessions set for Nov 29 at Queens Place and Nov 30 at the North Queens Hub.

Miller plans to continue to offer the workshops on a regular basis, alternating between the two locations.

She says it’s a great opportunity for people to start the process of getting the support they need.

“There will be lots of information on low-income housing options. I have subsidy forms to fill out if anyone would like to fill out for rent subsidy. We can do an intake for SSODA while they’re there so they can have a housing support worker, look for apartments for them and just sort of system with the process of finding or keeping their housing,” said Miller. “Lots of resources like property tax exemption forms for Queens, just lots of forms, the heat rebate all that kind of stuff I have on file that I take copies of with me. And then, again, the B and L funding list and the HIFIS referrals as soon as I do an intake with somebody I put their information right into that”

More information on the Queens branch of SSODA can be found on their Facebook page.

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Brooklyn Marina. Photo Loris Azzano

Some in the community are upset with the board of the Queens Recreational Boating Association for giving notice to canteen operator Sharon Westlake they would not be leasing the Brooklyn Marina kitchen to her next year.

Westlake had been serving hot food out of the marina kitchen for the past several years but was informed she would not be offered the space to continue next summer.

A photo of the letter was shared on social media sparking an outcry of support for Westlake.

Association president Loris Azzano says the decision is no reflection on Westlake, her staff or the food, the marina simply needed the kitchen back to be able to provide more events for their members.

“Once you lease out that space you shut that door and inside that door is her space. Some of the comments were saying, you could use it when she’s not around and work around her hours. Well, that’s not how it works,” said Azzano. “We gave up the space. She’s got her own equipment, her own food in the fridge. You can’t go in and say okay, for Saturday I’m going to have a function and I’m going to start using your kitchen.”

Azzano says the 63 boating slips at the Brooklyn Marina have been booked solid for the past  two years and they have a waiting list.

He understands some people may complain about losing access to the canteen but at $450 a year, the slip fees are very inexpensive, and for $20 per year, anyone can have a social membership to the marina, they don’t need to own a boat.

Azzano says the Queens Recreational Boating Association board have made several upgrades to the Marina including new docks, installing a roof over the veranda and fresh paint.

He says now that they’ve taken care over the physical needs, they need to make long-term plans for the club, and they can’t do that without have full control over their own building.

“I’m disappointed that it went this far. And yet, on the one level, how do you let people know that we weren’t doing anything to discredit what Sharon has done and we weren’t doing anything against the community at large,” said Azzano. “It’s just from an operating marina facility, we really do need to control our own space. We need to be able to at least control it and then decide what we can offer, within the limitations of what we have as a facility.”

Azzano says the board will take the winter to determine how many volunteers and staff they will have next year before making plans for how the canteen will operate and what they can offer.

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Stained glass fly. Photo contributed by Scot Slessor

After a career spent travelling around the world, Scot Slessor is bringing his passion for teaching glass art, home to Liverpool.

The former Canadian diplomat served in China, Cambodia, Brunei, India, Jordan, Afghanistan and Thailand and has opened a studio across from the Astor Theatre.

Slessor works in warm glass slumping, painting, kiln carving, casting among other methods but doesn’t blow glass.

He says moving his equipment to far flung locations throughout his career has sparked some interesting discussions.

“You can just imagine it was already weird enough when I was showing up to one of our embassies and I tell them I’m bringing a kiln,” said Slessor. “They would inevitably write back and say, sir, I think there’s a problem, there’s a typo in the list. It says you’re bringing a kiln and I would say that’s right, I am. But you should be thankful I’m not bringing a furnace. And they go, oh, yeah, you’re right, we’ll make this work.”

Just as he has done around the world, Slessor wants to share his knowledge of glass art with budding and aspiring artists in Queens.

He’s not in it for the money and has offered the opportunity to learn and create pieces at cost for many non-profit organizations.

All funds raised through SAS Glass are used to make more creations, support NGOs and train artists in locations where glass art is undeveloped or non-existent.

Slessor’s passion for glass art is contagious and he hopes to inspire more people to try their hand at it.

“Every kid likes to melt stuff, and this is like the next level of, ooh, let’s melt that and see what it looks like,” said Slessor.

Residents of Liverpool may see Slessor coming and going as he establishes his studio located in the space formally occupied by Primrose Computers.

The first real opportunity the public will have to view his work will be when he puts it on display during Christmas on the Mersey on December 3.

In the meantime, a quick trip to his website sasglass.ca will provide a look at his art as well as information about his process and how to sign up for lessons.

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Milton Pool. Photo Ed Halverson

The committee charged with planning a new pool in Queens still has no direction on how to go about that task.

Formed at the request of Region of Queens council the pool committee was never given a formal Terms of Reference to indicate what they should be doing.

The committee wrote Terms of Reference based on those used for the library committee and presented them for approval at the last Region of Queens council meeting.

Mayor Darlene Norman says council voted not to approve the terms because the pool committee was told when it was created municipal staff did not have time to participate.

“When this committee was formed it was mid-way through our year,” said Norman. “This was never part of any budgeting and budgeting is more than just budgeting money, budgeting also budgets staff time.”

Some councillors felt a new pool should be given a higher priority after a private donor came forward with funding towards its construction.

It was revealed during the last council meeting that contribution was in the neighbourhood of $3 million.

CAO Chris McNeill said it will likely be spring of 2023 before staff will be freed up to assist the pool committee.

In the meantime, Mayor Norman says the committee has a great deal of expertise and experience to offer.

“I am optimistic that when we get these things ironed out that that committee can be very helpful in some research. If they want to find more money for extra add-ons, if they want to deal with the biggest problem, which is staffing,” said Norman. “That truly is our largest problem when it comes to pools is the staffing component.”

Norman hopes using the clearer direction from council, the pool committee will come back to a future meeting with terms of reference that will allow them to get underway without involving municipal staff.

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Carters Beach. Photo from Nova Scotia Provincial Parks Facebook page

Nova Scotia Provincial Parks has scheduled a public meeting to address concerns and discuss management plans for the pending transition of Carters Beach to a provincial park.

Each year, the white sand and clear blue water attracts thousands of visitors, and each year issues arise due to the insufficient parking and amenities.

The Region of Queens has made efforts in the past to provide garbage pick-up and washrooms, but the beach is a provincial responsibility.

Some have proposed closing Carter’s Beach to the public and designating it as a nature reserve to protect the fragile ecosystem.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says shutting down the beach is almost impossible.

“Yes, there are people who just want Carters Beach to never be developed as a day park. And realistically, unless you put a big electric fence around that place, you’re never keeping people out of there,” said Norman. “It has to have supporting infrastructure, it has to have better parking, and it has to have some type of washrooms.”

Norman says there are several levels of day park in Nova Scotia and Carter’s Beach will be developed to be ecologically sensitive.

“There will be a walk-in to get there. You’re not going to park on the doorstep, and it will be promoted as a quiet area,” said Norman.

Organizers are hoping to attract a wider variety of opinions by holding the meeting to correspond with the monthly community breakfast.

The information meeting will take place November 26 from 9:00am until noon at the West Queens Recreation Centre.

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Concept drawing for development on Dauphinee Farm land from November 8 Region of Queens Council agenda

A local developer is asking the Region of Queens to foot the bill to extend water and sewer services for the construction of 87 new homes in Liverpool.

Larry Cochrane wants to develop on the former Dauphinee farmlands across from the RCMP station on Shore Road.

A presentation to municipal council anticipates over 11 years, 87 new homes will be built and $1.6 million will be raised in municipal taxes.

Mayor Darlene Norman understands from the request that without the Region putting in the 150 metres of water and 200 meters of sewer lines the project will not proceed.

“If there is not sanitary municipal water and sewer then the lot sizes on his property would have to be much larger and he does not see that as financially feasible to push ahead on that,” said Norman.

Phase one, projected to be completed in seven years, would create 57 units including 30 semi-detached homes, three single family houses and a 24-unit apartment building.

The proposal presented to council suggests the $750,000 the Region would receive in taxes from the development over the next seven years would offset the estimated $725,000 cost of extending the services.

The second phase would begin in 2030 and proposes to build another 30 semi-detached homes and deliver $820,000 to the municipal coffers.

Norman says while it is unusual for the Region to entertain a request from a private developer to provide municipal services, in this case, the action would just speed up a process that was already planned.

“On our future land use zoning and documents, this does show the land in question is part of future designated land for municipal services,” said Norman.

The mayor says this is the initial ask from the developer and she expects more information to come forward to council in a reasonable time before they decide if they will support the project.

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South Shore Regional Airport in Greenfield. Image from Google Maps

After an initial sale fell through another buyer has been found for the South Shore Regional Airport.

The Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association is one of two groups currently using the airport.

The NSDRA hosts drag racing events on site five weekends each summer.

As a non-profit organization the group is looking to buy the airport for less than fair market value.

The proposed sale price was not disclosed in the Region of Queens Council agenda package.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the group has contributed a great deal to the area over its 20-year history and would be a good fit.

“Sometimes it isn’t about who’s got the biggest pockets. Sometimes it’s about who can bring the best value to people.,” said Norman. “When you think this is located in the northern part of our municipality, 1,000 people on a weekend is a nice boost to that economy and several local businesses are supported by the activity of the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association.”

The drag racers have agreed that should they buy the property they will work to provide the other current user, the South Shore Flying Club with a lease so they can continue their activities on the site.

Council had voted to sell the airport property to Liemke Ventures for $565,000 at their April 12 meeting but the sale was never finalized.

A public hearing on the sale to the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association will be held at 9:00 AM on December 13 in council chambers.

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Queens County Food Bank. Photo Ed Halverson

Christmas came early to the Queens County Food Bank as the organization received just over $45,000 to buy a new walk-in freezer.

Queens was one of five banks across Canada to receive grants from Loblaw Companies Limited, the parent company of local Real Atlantic Superstore, No Frills and Independent stores.

The new freezer will increase the food bank’s frozen food capacity by 25 percent when it arrives sometime in the spring.

Chair of the Queens County Food Bank Shelly Panczyk says that extra space couldn’t come at a better time.

“We’re going into an economic slump or recession or whatever. Everything is starting to escalate,” said Panczyk. “Even two people in a family that are working sometimes have to use a food bank.”

Panczyk says she is seeing a 20 percent increase in the number of people using the Food Bank over last year.

On average 120 families or 450 people use the food bank every month, a third of those are children.

She expects those numbers will go even higher after Christmas.

“I feel in January February, you know, the winter months when reality sets in, because we’ve only had a taste of it increase in heating,” said Panczyk.

She says the Food Bank is anticipating the usual uptick in donations as people get into the spirit during the holiday season.

Panczyk looks forward to launching several of their regular donation drive efforts once Remembrance Day passes.

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Photo courtesy Stephanie Sereda

An entrepreneur is moving their idea to support local artisans from Liverpool to Hunt’s Point in time for the Christmas season.

Stephanie Sereda had intended to open an artist’s collective shop as part of her plan to buy the United Church in Liverpool.

When that sale fell through, she began looking for a new location and landed in Hunt’s Point.

Sereda says the spot she’s found is ideal to capture the attention of shoppers during the holidays.

“Picture a holiday, like a Hallmark holiday shop downtown on those little whimsical downtowns, that’s what it looks like. It’s all beautifully festive and then we’re also going to have coffee, tea or mulled cider and we have Queens Coast trading company doing our beautiful teas,” said Sereda. “Also, we’re going to have desserts, so cupcakes and cakes and rum balls and sugar cookies and so they can sip and stroll and just get caught up in the spirit of Christmas.”

Sereda wants to support artists by giving them another venue to sell their work without needing to be present which is why she opened Hunt’s Point for the Holidays.

After putting out the call on social media offering space to artisans the pop-up shop features the talents of 26 artists from the region and across the Atlantic provinces.

“Part of me thinks I’m a little bit crazy and the other part of me thinks, well, we’ll just throw it out there and see. It’s unbelievable because I’ve sold out of vendors,” said Sereda. “That was my biggest fear, opening up a shop and not having anything in it.”

Sereda says she still gets calls from people wishing she had opened the Liverpool location.

While she is disappointed she couldn’t make it work, the pop-up shop is a version of what she had in mind for the United church.

“It was quite crushing because I felt we were so welcomed. The committee that was in charge of the decommissioning process and getting the right person in there, they were so embracing of the idea, and I think it was a perfect alignment with what they had envisioned,” said Sereda. “But you know, in a perfect world at the end of the day, because I have such a high bar of what I want to deliver if I couldn’t financially pull it off it was just best to not, you know? And I would hate to have started it and not have been able to follow through and then had to sell it or something.”

Sereda says the Hunt’s Point for the Holidays pop-up shop will be a good pilot and a fresh opportunity to see if there is an appetite for a venue like this in Queens.

“My hope and dream is to be able to ultimately land on a venue where I can do multipurpose things like this but also have, like I’m a foodie too, so to have really nice cultivated food and connectivity and engagement and experiential things for people in the community.”

Hunt’s Point for the Holiday will be open every Saturday and Sunday leading into Christmas beginning this weekend.

More information can be found on their Facebook page.

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SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

School support workers in the South Shore will vote today on a deal to end their nearly two- week long strike.

The tentative agreement was reached between South Shore Regional Centre of Education and Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union bargaining teams Tuesday with the help of a conciliator.

The union’s bargaining committee is recommending members accept the agreement when they vote on the deal later today.

If the agreement is ratified the workers could be off the picket lines and back into schools Thursday.

The proposed deal comes the same day union members from the Annapolis Valley voted by 92.3 per cent to accept their new tentative agreement.

According to a release from the NSGEU, Annapolis Valley School Support workers will be leveled up to the highest rates of pay for their positions in Nova Scotia during the life of this collective agreement, which extends from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2024.

Getting wage parity for workers in the same jobs across Nova Scotia was the goal of walkouts held in the Valley and South Shore in the past two weeks.

NSGEU President Sandra Mullen was pleased the provincial government let the bargaining process play out.

“After more than a decade of living with the austerity legacy of past-Premier Stephen McNeil, we are finally able to see that the collective bargaining process works, when it is allowed to do so,” said President Mullen, “The current government not only allowed the bargaining process to unfold as it should – without legislative interference tipping the scales – but they have agreed to the principle of parity and fairness for these workers, and that is something that should be credited.”

No details of the proposed agreement between the South Shore Regional Centre for Education and its workers will be released until the membership has the opportunity to see and vote on the deal today.

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Striking workers walk a picket line in Liverpool. Photo Susan MacLeod

Striking school workers could be back on the job by Thursday.

After two days of bargaining a deal was reached between representatives of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) and the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education.

The union is recommending members take the offer but are not releasing details of the tentative agreement until workers see it first at their meeting tonight.

Workers from two school districts, the Annapolis Valley and South Shore have been on strike for over a week demanding workers doing the same job are paid the same wage regardless of where they live in the province.

NSGEU President Sandra Mullen says union members have done a good job bringing Nova Scotians to their side by explaining they’re looking for basic fairness.

In fact, when walking the line in Liverpool she spoke with five teenage boys who saw first-hand how school life is impacted by the workers absence.

“I said do you miss these folks being in the school and they said Oh my God, we’re on the line with these guys this is great, and yes we miss you because they don’t know how to do anything. They’re messing up the buzzers and they’re messing up. So, when you have five teenage boys missing the folks that support them in that school they know that these people are who support the students every day and so I mark that as pretty clear that folks know what’s going on and what it’s about,” said Mullen.

Representatives for workers and the South Shore Regional Centre for Education will return to the bargaining table today.

Because the strike from both unions was about getting wage parity across the province, it is safe to assume negotiators representing NSGEU Local 70 will be looking for the same deal the valley workers are voting on this evening.

If bargaining goes well, and members can arrange a vote, school support workers from both regions could be back on the job ahead of Remembrance Day, Friday.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The Royal Canadian Legion’s annual poppy campaign is back with a decidedly new twist this year.

Donation boxes and volunteers will still be in the same familiar locations, but some will offer a new way to donate.

Electronic tap and pay boards which were rolled out on a trial basis in a few locations last year are now available at the two main grocery stores in Liverpool, Sobeys and Superstore.

The boards allow you to choose a dollar amount and quickly tap your debit or credit card to make your donation.

President of Mersey Branch 38 Louis Landry says the automatic machines not only make it easier for people to donate, they require fewer volunteers.

“The good thing about that is that then the person doesn’t have to man the table. We don’t have to have somebody watching the money box. It’s there on the grace of everybody. I tell everybody that poppies are free, we’re just asking for a donation,” said Landry.

The Legion is also going green this year, introducing biodegradable poppies and wreaths.

Landry says the Legion will be working its way through the stock of poppies and wreaths they have on hand.

He expects many biodegradable wreaths will be on display this season and to see the new, greener poppies next year.

Landry says the Poppy Campaign is crucial to supporting local veterans as every dollar donated goes to support former military and RCMP members living here in Queens.

Landry is also seeing an uptick in the number of volunteers offering to man their donation stations.

He credits people being more comfortable dealing with COVID in the community and the efforts of their Poppy Campaign Chair Janet Will.

“Because she spent quite a number of hours on the phone canvassing people, encouraging them to come out and actually volunteer for this year’s poppy fund,” said Landry.

The Legion will be marking two significant events during Remembrance Day ceremonies this year.

The first is the passing of Queen Elizabeth. The second is the 80^th anniversary of Canadian forces landing in Dieppe.

In August of 1942, 5,000 Canadians joined their allies in storming France, 900 of them didn’t make it home.

The Legion will host a series of events around Queens County on Remembrance Day beginning at 9:30am at the Brooklyn Baptist Church.

Several services will run concurrently at 10:45am at cenotaphs in Liverpool, Milton, Caledonia, Port Mouton and Greenfield.

Services will also be held at noon in Liverpool at the Camp Norway Memorial and at 2:30pm at the newly dedicated 1^st Beech Hill RCAF Memorial on Old Port Mouton Rd.

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NSGEU President Sandra Mullen speaks to a striking working in Chester. Photo courtesy NSGEU

School support workers are a week into their strike with no end in sight.

The members of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) Local 70 and 73 representing the South Shore and Annapolis Valley are striking to demand equal pay with their counterparts across the province.

NSGEU president Sandra Mullen says the pay scale for every other civil servant in Nova Scotia is the same regardless of where they live, and school workers should be no different.

“The wage for a nurse is the same no matter where they work and the MLAs. The base salary for an MLA is the same across this province whether they are in Metro, Sydney or Yarmouth or in between, it’s the same,” said Mullen.

Striking union members were in the Nova Scotia Legislature on Tuesday to allow MLAs to put a face on the workers on the picket line.

On the floor, NDP MLA Kendra Coombes asked Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Becky Druhan why someone working in the minister’s own riding shouldn’t be paid the same as someone from the city.

The minister replied her government supports parity for all workers across the province, but her department is not directly involved in negotiations.

“There seems to be a misconception across the table as to who exactly is party to the collective agreements that we have in place in education,” said Druhan. “I’d like to remind the members that the parties to our agreements in education are the Regions or the CSAP and the unions. Those are the parties who bargain these deals, those are the parties who are negotiating.”

Mullen isn’t buying it.

She says under the previous school board structure each board would set their own budget and work within it when bargaining wages.

Mullen says since the previous Liberal government under Stephen McNeil abolished the school boards and created the Regional Centres for Education, the money is funnelled from the department so there’s no reason not to set provincial standards for wages.

“So, I believe they’re just throwing it back on the Regional Centre for Education as the employer. Perhaps they are the employer but there’s no doubt in my mind that the decisions they make come from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning [Development],” said Mullen. “That is how we have seen pre-primary programs put in every school is because its provincial it’s the same. So, if we’re going to offer the same curriculum, the same programs in all of those schools, support, outreach programs, all of those things, there’s no reason why they can’t be paid the same.”

A conciliator has invited the Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education and NSGEU Local 73 back to the table for a meeting Friday.

No word yet on when the South Shore Regional Centre for Education and its union will return to negotiations.

Meanwhile, striking workers are resolved to stay out of schools and walking picket lines until they get equal pay for equal work.

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Hank Snow Administrator Vina Moses with Charlotte White. Photo courtesy Friends of Hank Snow Society

A dedicated Liverpool volunteer was honoured in a surprise ceremony Sunday.

Charlotte White thought she was attending the regular annual general meeting of the Hank Snow society.

As she pulled in the driveway of the Hank Snow Museum, it didn’t take long for her to figure out something was up.

“When I drove in the yard and I saw all the cars and I thought oh isn’t this nice, we have so many to turn out ‘cause it was our annual meeting, right?” said White. “Oh, my heavens, and then I saw girl stand in the driveway that worked with me at the food bank and I thought, and then when I went to park, I saw my son’s car and I thought, what is going on here?”

For her longstanding service, the Friends of Hank Snow Society decided to name the room that showcases the famous singer’s outfits in honour of Charlotte White.

Commemorative sign inside museum. Photo courtesy Friends of Hank Snow Society

The ceremony was marked with messages of appreciation for White from MLA Kim Masland and Mayor Darlene Norman.

Administrator at the Hank Snow Museum Vina Moses says the honour is not only deserved but appropriate.

“We thought that would be a nice way to honour her so that when we do tours, we can say this is the Charlotte White room,” said Moses. “Charlotte White is the lady who did a lot for the museum, for the Friends of Hank Snow Society and a lady who loved Hank Snow and loved his music and wanted to make sure that it was remembered.”

Moses says White has been involved since the early days of the Friends of Hank Snow Society and her fingerprints are all over the organization.

While she isn’t as front and centre in day-to-day activities, White continues to be an honorary director.

Moses says when you mention to White you have a need, she puts her experience and connections to work to make it happen.

Moses says the society also wanted to ensure White was recognized for her work establishing the outside canteen, which will now forever bear her name.

“I thought we needed something inside and outside because there may be people who don’t come inside but who are at the outside activities or vice versa, you know. So, her name is in both areas, and I thought it was a deserving recognition that she would have that,” said Moses.

Charlotte White sign on concessions building outside museum. Photo courtesy Friends of Hank Snow Society

Keeping the ceremony a surprise from someone as plugged into the community as White was no easy feat.

Moses says she needed to use White’s own network against her to keep the event under wraps.

By using the phone list White provided, Moses managed to divvy up the guest list into a phone tree for volunteers to reach out to all invitees.

“We knew if we put it out there, numerous, I’m sure hundreds and hundreds of people would have come,” said Moses. “But as I said, we kind of wanted her to know that all those volunteers that she’s called over the years did it because they, you know loved her and loved helping out at Hank Snow and they did it because of Charlotte, I’ll tell you for sure.”

When asked how she felt about having her name emblazoned across the museum White was both excited, and humbled.

“I never got to sleep ‘til about 1:30 this morning ’cause I kept thinking who was that who was that?” said White. “It was wonderful but not necessary, but wonderful.”

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Jack O Lantern. Photo Ed Halverson

RCMP are offering a few tips to keep kids and all ghouls and goblins safe as they head into neighbourhoods for Halloween.

They recommend costumes should be visible in the dark. Use bright colours, flashlights and reflective tape to help someone stand out against the dark night.

Make sure children can easily see all directions when wearing a mask around their eyes and if possible, use face paint instead.

Have kids go out in groups if they’re trick-or-treating without an adult, and ensure they stick to a pre-planned route and curfew to keep them from getting lost. And take a minute to go over the rules of the road with kids before they head out.

RCMP is reminding drivers they also have a role to play in ensuring a safe Halloween as well.

First, they should avoid driving in residential areas if possible.

Give themselves extra time to get to their destination and drive slowly.

Be on the lookout for trick-or-treaters who may be wearing dark clothing and may dart out in front of their vehicle.

And finally, as always, wear a seat belt, drive sober and stay focused on the road ahead.

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