Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens is projecting a $3.4 million surplus in this year’s budget and knows how to spend it.

While some of the money will be put into reserves, council agreed the bulk of the windfall will be used to build a new library.

Mayor Darlene Norman says it’s an excellent way to build out a resource that is needed by the community without putting undue burden on the residents.

“No long-term borrowing, no need for debentures, this build will not show up on any future operational budgets of the Region’s,” said Norman.

The process of finding a location, picking a design, and getting feedback from library officials will begin almost immediately after the budget is passed in the hopes a new library can be opened next year.

Almost $2 million of the surplus comes from federal and provincial sources, an increase in deed transfer tax accounted for another million, $320,000 came from a pension fund surplus and roughly $200,000 is a result of work that needed to be deferred due to the pandemic.

Residents can also look forward to paying less in commercial and residential property tax.

Norman says assessments in Queens County have risen, on average by five percent in the last year.

Staff initially recommended lowering the rate by four cents per $100 of assessment.

Because of the recent and rapid rise in oil prices, they suggested a more cautious reduction of two and a half cents per $100.

Norman says council reviewed the low-income tax rate rebate program to better support those who are most vulnerable.

“Currently the Region of Queens maximum allowable amount of income going in that home would be $25,000,” said Norman. “We’ve increased that to $30,000 and the rebate of $250 has been increased to $300.”

Several capital projects are identified in this year’s draft budget including upgrades to the sewage treatment plant in Caledonia, rebuilding the compactor at the solid waste facility, investments in I.T. and expanded broadband coverage across the region.

Norman says some needed sewer line upgrades in Liverpool will mean borrowing $600,000.

“We have infrastructure in Liverpool that’s 100 – 135 years old that infrastructure or public works department will continue to upgrade,” said Norman. “That infrastructure and that funding is not on our operational [budget]. It’s on those who are on the sewer system, those who are on the water system and some of the gas tax money. It’s user-pay.”

The full budget will be brought before council Tuesday March 22 at 6:00pm in council chambers.

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Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson

A surprise announcement during the public comments portion of their latest meeting has Region of Queens council buzzing.

Deborah Spartinelli, vice-president of the Queens County Aquatic Association informed council her organization had received a $3 million anonymous donation to be put towards the construction of a new outdoor pool.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the group is interested in discussing a potential partnership arrangement with the region.

“Because we all know that we have an outdoor pool in Milton that has been bandaged together and really needs replacement.”

Norman anticipates the group will make a presentation to council at their next meeting to explore a partnership.

The public comment section also brought to council’s attention that there are issues with people being able to properly hear what’s being said in council chambers.

Council had looked at upgrading sound and video in the room last year, but the effort was shelved when the public balked at spending over $100,000 to solve the problem.

Norman says she’s now heard from several public and staff sources that people are struggling to hear and it’s time to address the issue.

“I know of someone who sits on one of our committees. He wears a hearing aid, and he has become so frustrated with his inability to hear in that room,” said Norman. “If the sound quality is so poor in that room, we have to fix it.”

Norman says a quick poll of councillors showed most are in favour of prioritizing solving the sound issues over the video issues.

She says money has been set aside to fix the sound problems in this year’s draft budget.

Council also approved flying the Autism Acceptance flag and the Ukrainian flag on the special purpose pole outside the Liverpool Cultural Arts Centre.

The Astor Theatre, located in the Arts Centre, asked to have the rent charges waived for the months of January and February.

Norman says council was understanding that despite the theatre’s best efforts they couldn’t open during that time.

“COVID rules and protocols shut the door on them again,” said Norman. “So, we approved that we would waive their rent which is a $1,000 loss.”

In conversation with QCCR, Norman provided a peek into the ongoing budget process and says the news is good.

“Due to all kinds of unexpected monies coming in from federal government, the province doubling their funds, deed transfer flying way higher than anyone ever thought, we are projected a very large surplus at the end of March to the tune of probably $3.2-$3.4 million.”

Norman will discuss the budget in more detail later this week.

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Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson

Zion United Church in Liverpool has another potential buyer.

Stephanie Sereda hopes to transform the church into a year-round makers market and event space.

Sereda and her husband moved from Ontario to make Western Head their home in the fall.

She says the opportunity to take a decommissioned church into a community and cultural space is a dream come true.

“A big part of it was also things we would do for the community,” said Sereda. “Because I’m an events planner by nature I like to create opportunities for people to connect and engage.”

Sereda sees the church as a place where anything is possible.

“I think the part that appeals to me the most is it’s a flagship building in our community. It’s been around since the 1800s, it tells a story and I’d like to preserve as much of that story as possible in what we’re going to do with it.”

Sereda joins Xaver Varnus as the two potential suiters looking at the church, at this point.

Varnus wishes to move the pipe organ from Varnus Hall in Brooklyn, established in the former Pilgrim United Church, to the Zion United Church.

Moving the venue would allow him to increase capacity to 300 audience members.

The Zion United Church will be listed this week and all offers will be reviewed by the closure working group headed up by Ray Baker.

Baker says the working group will then present the offers to the congregation to vote on who will get to purchase the church.

“It’s not necessarily the offer that comes in with the greatest monetary value,” said Baker. “That is an important factor but more important is also what the future use of the church would be. We’d like it to continue to be an area where we support the community.”

Baker is pleased both expressions of interest in the church are community focussed, but says any recommendation made by the congregation about the sale will need to be approved by Regional Council 15 of the United Church in Halifax.

“If we have a good offer financially, and a good reason for selecting a particular buyer I’m pretty confident that they will approve it.”

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Queens Ground Search and Rescue headquarters. Photo Ed Halverson

Queens Ground Search and Rescue is seeing a resurgence in membership and technology.

Based in Queens, the group can be called to respond across Nova Scotia to assist RCMP trying to locate people lost in the woods.

Searcher, Jason Croft says the organization is 20 members strong, half of whom are active searchers, and they are still recruiting.

“The only real requirement is that you are physically fit to walk in the woods. All training is provided by Queens Ground Search and Rescue,” said Croft.

That usually involves completing several modules.

“Your typical training would be map and compass, GPS, maybe clue finding and wilderness survival, for example. Just to make sure that not only can do the job,” said Croft, and “you can stay safe while you’re doing it.”

Croft says Queens Ground Search and Rescue usually receives six to eight calls per year to assist in a search.

The group is also building out a trailer to replace their aging bus as a mobile command centre.

The trailer has several stations including: communications to stay in contact with other search teams, a tracking station to monitor the location of the searchers, a logistics position to track equipment that’s been deployed and a search manager station to coordinate how the search will proceed.

Longer term goals include buying a drone, infra-red thermal imaging equipment and off-road response vehicles to assist in their searches.

Queens Ground Search and Rescue is self-funded and constantly looking for grants and fundraising opportunities.

Croft says the pandemic has put a damper on those activities but hopes that will improve as COVID restrictions lift.

He says the members are excited to see an upward trend in new recruits after declining enrolment over the past few years.

“We’re now trying to look into making sure that our infrastructure and our technology takes the appropriate steps forward now to match not only current demands but our current sizing.”

To learn how to become involved with Queens Ground Search and Rescue head to their Facebook page.

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Front country rustic cabin at Kejimkujik National Park. Photo Parks Canada

It appears staff at Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site will be busy this year.

The park began accepting reservations on February 17 and 9,167 camp sites were booked almost immediately.

Acting visitor experience manager Mark Schmidt says the number of reservations is down slightly from 2020 but that’s to be expected.

“We’re roughly 17 percent less than we were on our opening of reservations last year. Now the one thing I do have to point out though is, we opened our reservation system in February this year. Last year it was in April. It was closer to the opening of the park, there was still a lot of uncertainty about travel beyond the provincial borders.”

Schmidt expects the number of reservations will exceed last year by the time April rolls around.

Kejimkujik closed part of its camping for the 2020 season to install new washrooms and underground infrastructure.

It was the first major renovation in the park in 50 years.

Schmidt says they’ve been hearing rave reviews from people about those upgrades and the park continues to improve the visitor experience.

The Ukme’k trail, which means ‘twisted’ in Mi’kmaq, is a 6.5 km trail connecting the visitor centre to the Mersey River trail that was updated in 2021 to not only improve the experience for hikers but expand its appeal to other users.

“It’s a multi-use experience in that it’s something that’s meant for all levels of users. But it also incorporates unique features specifically for mountain biking,” said Schmidt. “So there’s a handful of really cool optional features that will test the skills of mountain bikers that are out there.”

Schmidt says he’s most excited about the newly constructed Mills Falls Bridge which takes visitors from the Mill Falls day-use area across to the Ukme’k trail.

“It’s the first of its kind in Canada, in terms of the type of bridge that it is,” said Schmidt. “It’s actually placed in a way that you’re on the lower part of the falls so you have this feeling, like when you’re standing in the middle of the bridge, that you feel the power of the water underneath you.”

Schmidt says there are still many sites available, and others will open as people’s plans change and they change their reservations.

While summer is the peak time for visits to Keji, Schmidt says people shouldn’t miss exploring the park during the shoulder seasons as well.

“The park is amazing and different in all seasons,” said Schmidt. “So, if you come in the summer you need to come back in the fall because it’s such a different experience. I encourage everybody to get out and enjoy themselves.”

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Astor Theatre in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

As COVID restrictions relax, life is beginning to return to normal at Liverpool’s Astor Theatre.

General Manager Jean Robinson-Dexter says the arts venue was hit hard throughout the pandemic.

“Our revenues over the last fiscal year and part of the year before, way down, negligible in fact because we haven’t either had rentals or concerts or shows,” said Robinson-Dexter.

She says financial support from all levels of government kept the theatre afloat during the pandemic.

Some changes are coming as the venue ramps up their offerings.

Robinson-Dexter says the Astor is adjusting their box office schedule to open from 11:00am to 4:00pm Wednesday through Saturday, to include the weekend.

“By making that bit of a shift, folks that aren’t able to join us during a weekday can come downtown and do a little shopping, have a coffee and come to the gallery,” Robinson-Dexter.

Works by Mi’kmaq artist Alan Syliboy will be on display in March after Syliboy and his band the Thundermakers with special guest Morgan Toney perform in the theatre Saturday.

In addition to art and live music the Astor is once again showing movies.

Audiences can watch the Nova Scotian production “Dawn, Her Dad and the Tractor” Thursday and Friday.

Robinson-Dexter understands some patrons may feel uneasy about mask requirements being lifted on March 21 but says people are still welcome to wear masks in the Astor.

“They are not obliged, but if folks are more comfortable doing that, we’re very happy for them to do that,” Robinson-Dexter.

To learn more about upcoming events head to the Astor Theatre website or Facebook page.

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Conservation area is expanding in Queens. Photo Nature Conservancy of Canada

Another 157 hectares of land has been protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Port Joli.

The two sites located near Thomas Raddall Provincial Park and Kejimkujik National Park are composed of salt marshes, tidal flats, white sandy beaches and stretches of intact Wabanaki (Acadian) forest.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Nova Scotia Program Director Jaimee Morozoff says adding the two sites to the surrounding protected areas will benefit wildlife.

“To kind of, create these corridors. A lot of these species, I mean, lichen isn’t moving too far but some of the rare birds, the migratory waterfowl, the mammals like the moose, they need a lot of land,” said Morozoff. “They like to roam and move and some of them are really particular about what they need for habitat. They need certain buffers or distances from disturbance.”

Morozoff says the Nature Conservancy bought one of the parcels of at a tax sale from the Region of Queens and the other was a donation by Nova Scotian author, journalist and naturalist Dirk van Loon.

Morozoff says people donating land for conservation can take advantage of the Canadian government’s Ecological Gifts Program.

Under the program, an individual’s 50 percent capital gains tax on the donation is reduced to zero and can be carried forward 10 years.

Established in 1995, the Ecological Gifts Program has protected over 211,000 hectares of land worth close to a billion dollars by offering tax incentives to donors.

Morozoff says the Nature Conservancy is grateful for the large number of donations made by residents of Queens.

“Just from my own experience there seems to be a lot of community support of people recognizing the value that his land has and really, appreciating nature and wanting it to be there in the future.”

Morozoff says having so many landowners willing to donate to Nature Conservancy is a recipe for great conservation work.

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The only traffic lights in Liverpool at the intersection of Milton Rd and Hwy 3. Photo Ed Halverson

A shift in takeout coffee buying habits is snarling traffic in Liverpool.

Mayor Darlene Norman says since the McDonald’s restaurant closed for renovations consumers have moved across the street to Tim Hortons to buy their coffees causing traffic to spill out through the intersection as people wait in line for takeout.

“It creates a backlog of traffic as people try to turn in and the holding line is full, so they end up sitting out in the road rather than going in through the parking lot and parking and either waiting their turn or walking into the building,” said Norman. “It causes road rage to say the least.”

Norman says she has spoken with RCMP and learned that despite what many people assume, it is not illegal to block an intersection.

“In my discussion with Staff Sergeant Archibald he said according to the Motor Vehicle Act you cannot be ticketed if you happen to be sitting in the middle of an intersection because where you want to go is blocked.”

*That turned out to be inaccurate as drivers can be ticketed and fined for tying up the intersection under section 122 subsection 5 of the Motor Vehicle Act which clearly states:

“no driver shall enter an intersection or a marked crosswalk except to make a left or a right turn unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection or crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle he is operating without obstructing the passage of other vehicles or pedestrians.”

Further clarification from Liverpool RCMP shows the confusion is the result of a sign posted near the intersection by the Region of Queens which says there is to be no stopping anytime on a green light.

The sign erected by the municipality is unenforceable under the Motor Vehicle Act.

Region of Queens council discussed whether a traffic study is needed around the lone set of traffic lights in the former town but determined it would not resolve the problem.

“The traffic lights work fine. It’s a parking lot issue. It’s a matter of how the cars stack together, how they filter in through that,” said Norman. “What small Tim Hortons built before drive-ins does not have this problem?”

Instead, the mayor will speak with the operators of Tim Hortons and the adjoining Sobeys grocery store to ask them to work out an arrangement that will allow cars to line up for the drive through in the available parking area.

As the Region works to find a solution to the traffic woes, Norman asks residents to be considerate of others.

“Come on people don’t be rude. Don’t sit there knowingly blocking an intersection where, you’re driving from Liverpool to Brooklyn you can’t get there because that whole thing is snarled up. Just please be kind, please be respectful.”

*A previous version of this report did not reference the appropriate section of the Motor Vehicle Act. The story has been updated to properly reflect the traffic laws.

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Ginette Petitpas Taylor at Queens Place in Liverpool February 24, 2022 to announce $2.4 million in ACOA funding for South Shore. Photo Ed Halverson

The Government of Canada has spent over $2.4 million on 23 projects across the South Shore that will benefit communities while helping kickstart an economic recovery from COVID.

Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the Minister responsible for ACOA was at Queens Place in Liverpool on Thursday to announce the list of recipients.

Queens saw funding for several projects including: $100,000 to Autism Nova Scotia and Region of Queens for the universally designed playpark, $79,462 for efficiency upgrades to the Liverpool Curling Club, $77,073 for safety and accessibility improvements at the Queens County fairgrounds, $53,369 to Medway Community Forest Cooperative to build new trails between Kejimkujik National Park and Annapolis Royal and $100,000 to White Point Beach Resort to build their Oceanfront Treehouse accommodations.

Petitpas Taylor says as pandemic restrictions lift, the projects being funded are really making a difference in their communities.

“The purpose of the projects and the purpose of these investments is really to make sure that people can get out there again and just be amongst people,” said Petitpas Taylor.

She says for some of the community groups the funding is the last piece to get them across the line and meet their goals.

“That’s exciting that you’re able to do that. It may not sound like a huge amount but for the community and for the people that have put this project together, it’s really, it is huge.”

The money comes from two sources, the $500 million Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) which helps make shared spaces greener, safer, and more accessible; and the half a billion dollars Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) which helps the tourism sector adapt to meet public health requirements while promoting growth.

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

Premier Tim Houston and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang announced at Wednesday’s COVID update the restrictions would come off in a phased approach.

The process will begin Monday February 28 when people will no longer have to show proof of vaccination for non-essential events like going to a gym or eating at a restaurant.

The second phase will begin the following week on March 7 when gathering limits will be increased for sporting events, arts and music performances and other formal gatherings.

Some businesses will be able to operate at full capacity at this point.

Restrictions will be fully lifted on March 21.

Strang says the phased approach will allow people who feel protected by the restrictions to ease into life without them.

“Restrictions played a necessary and important role in our response to COVID 19. They helped contain the spread of the virus in the first three waves before we had good vaccine coverage and they were critical in reducing the impact of the Delta and omicron waves,” said Strang. “But they were never meant to be a permanent solution. We always knew that they’d be lifted at some point and now it is time to move away from two years of crisis response and approach living with COVID in a long term and manageable manner.”

Houston praised Dr. Strang and the public health team for guiding Nova Scotians through the pandemic.

Premier Tim Houston at COVID briefing February 23, 2022. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

The premier acknowledged it wasn’t always easy and the restrictions caused rifts in relationships for friends and families.

He called on all Nova Scotians to work to repair those rifts.

“It’s up to each of us to play a part in healing our communities. We can have different opinions on the path to return to normal, how fast, how slow, we can have different opinions on that,” said Houston. “But we need to get back to a place, a respectful place where we find ways to respectfully disagree. Where we find ways and places that we can constantly remember that at our very core, as Nova Scotians, as Bluenosers, we care about each other.”

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COVID-19 has spurred home sales in Queens. Photo: Ed Halverson

The province is taking steps to learn the depths of the housing crisis facing Nova Scotia by filling in holes in their data.

Currently there is no uniform way to compare the cost of housing to rent or buy between municipalities.

Executive Director of Housing Solutions and Development Stephan Richard says that’s why his department has issued a request for proposals for a provincial housing needs assessment.

“It’s going to be consistent. We’re going to be asking the same data, we’re going to be providing the same data to all municipalities,” said Richard. “So that’s going to be, we feel, and the commission felt, a game changer for decision-making whether it’s provincial or even federal programs are going to be influenced by this data.”

Getting accurate housing data was one of the 17 recommendations made by the Affordable Housing Commission in May 2021.

In that report, the commission noted while federal and provincial governments are responsible for housing, municipalities play a key role in determining how housing is developed.

But that means municipalities need reliable data to identify what types of housing, and how much, may be required to meet current and future need and demand, as well as how to drive policy and investment to close that gap.

Some of the factors the needs assessment study will examine in each of the 49 municipalities across Nova Scotia include: type and availability of housing, rental rates and purchase price and suitability of housing.

The province is currently accepting bids on the project and a budget won’t be announced until the winner is selected.

Work on the assessment is set to begin in March and a final report is scheduled to be presented to the minister by the end of the year.

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Photo Ed Halverson

Repairs at Hillsview Acres long term-care home will have to wait after proposals came back way over budget.

The province had approved $273,000 to update washrooms, stairs and entry doors at the municipally owned facility.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the bids came back at $475,000 and $678,000.

“The administrator knew what needed to be done so contacted some contractors and came up with estimates that led us to the $273,000 price,” said Norman. I guess what was failed to be recognized is that this isn’t the same as doing repairs on your home.”

Norman says the repairs to the long-term care home must meet similar standards to hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

While the Region of Queens has a reserve fund set aside for Hillsview Acres, Norman says it’s up to the province to cover operational costs.

A new long-term care home is planned to replace both Hillsview Acres and Queens Manor over the next few years.

Norman says when the new facility is built the municipality will need that reserve to cover costs until Hillsview Acres can be sold.

“Who knows if there’s no buyer for it? Who knows what the cost would be if it has to be demolished? Which I hope that it does not get there,” said Norman. “I hope there will be a useful use someone will have. But we can’t spend all of our Hillsview reserve money on items that need to be done according to department of health standards.”

Norman says the Region’s finance department is working directly with the provincial health department to come up with an appropriate estimate and secure the funding needed to complete the repairs.

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Hillsview Acres, Region of Queens, Darlene Norman, Queens Manor, renovations,

SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

The recent bout of snowstorms and school cancellations have caused headaches for many across the South Shore but none more than Paul Ash.

As regional executive director for the South Shore Centre for Education (SSRCE) Ash makes the decision to close schools when weather makes driving conditions too dangerous.

“It’s the most difficult decision that I have in the role of a regional executive director. We have 6,380 students in our region. More than 6,100 of them are part of our daily transportation to school,” said Ash. “The safety of our students is the upmost importance.”

Ash and his team look at the road conditions across 90 bus routes that bring students to class.

“With changing weather conditions related to climate change, it’s become even more complex in the last number of years. I mean we see that in our region it could be raining in in one part of our region and snowstorm in another or it’s even more difficult when we’re looking at situations around icing, which is extremely difficult to predict as well,” said Ash.

SSRCE Executive Director Paul Ash. Photo Ed Halverson

When weather is expected, Ash says transportation coordinators from across Nova Scotia begin conferring around 4:30 in the morning.

They speak with representatives from the provincial public works department and compare notes on road conditions before presenting that information and advising their respective executive directors around 5:15am.

Ash says it’s important students attend school as much as possible and not just for their education.

“We’re very mindful of the impact of any cancellation on families. I know that that may make the difference for a particular family in terms of their income if they’re unable to get to work that day,” said Ash. “That’s the other side of the coin which makes it extremely difficult around these decisions.”

Depending on the severity of the snow or ice storm it can take days for road crews to clear less travelled roads.

Ash says on those days the region will move to a back road closure plan when students need to get themselves to a main road to catch their bus to school.

He says the fact attendance has remained high throughout this school year speaks to the importance parents and students place on their education.

Ash says people will always criticize a decision to close schools but he would rather err on the side of keeping students safe.

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Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman. Photo Ed Halverson

How many councillors are elected and the area each will cover dominated conversation at the last Region of Queens council meeting.

The Municipal Government Act requires all 49 municipalities across Nova Scotia to review the number of representatives on each council every 10 years to ensure there aren’t too many or too few elected officials.

The municipal boundary review also looks at the size and area they represent to ensure each resident in the municipality has an equal and effective voice at the council table.

Mayor Darlene Norman says region staff will review three options: keeping the number of councillors at seven, reducing to six or increasing to eight.

“Staff also have to consult the public. Questions such as: are you able to contact your councillor readily? Is your councillor able to get back to you and look after your matters that are municipal in matter? It’s about providing good governance to people,” said Norman.

Currently, the Region of Queens 8,900 electors are divided into seven districts representing 1,273 citizens, on average.

The mayor’s position makes up the eighth spot on council.

Council rules dictate in the event of a tie vote, the motion is defeated.

Part of staff analysis will be to explore the pros and cons of creating an uneven number of voting members to allow a tie-breaking vote.

Norman expects staff will bring recommendations forward by June to be presented for public consultation.

Those results will be compiled and presented to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board for consideration in the fall.

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Executive Director Annette Hartlen looks on as Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and MLA Kim Masland cut the ribbon to open the Caledonia home support office in September 2021. Photo Queens County Home Support

Continuing care assistants across Nova Scotia are getting a significant raise.

At Wednesday’s COVID briefing Premier Tim Houston announced the province will spend $65 million to increase the salaries of all publicly funded CCAs by 23 percent.

That will bring the top paid CCAs annual salary to $48,419, an annual increase of close to $9,000.

Houston hopes raising wages to near the highest levels in the country will entice people to return to the field.

“To those of you who have felt undervalued to the point that you left the profession, please come back. We need you now more than ever,” said Houston. “We want you; we need you; we value you and we respect you.”

Executive Director with Queens County Home Support Annette Hartlen says their organization has lost approximately 25 percent of their staff during the pandemic.

“Prior to the pandemic we had between 60 and 70. Unfortunately with the pandemic we’re down now to about 45 but we’re hoping of course with this increase, because staffing has been a huge challenge,” said Hartlen. “Like I say not only for us but for many other providers of home support services and in long term care, we’re hoping that this will entice more people into the profession.”

Hartlen says having fewer workers to cover the same number of clients puts a higher burden on the remaining CCAs and many people burn out.

“I worry about them because they’re working 40, 50 hours, [sometimes] 60 hours a week trying to get as many client visits in as they can, and many needs met. I admire them for what they are doing and I’m hoping we’ll soon be able to give them a reprieve,” said Hartlen.

She says the representatives from across her profession have been meeting with government about the need to address their challenges and it seems the message is getting through.

“The money is great and it goes a long way of helping our CCAs,” said Hartlen. “But I think it’s the government’s recognition of their value that is more important.”

The pay raise goes into effect February 10.

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Photo Ed Halverson

Icy conditions put a school bus off the road Tuesday morning.

Route 282 serving West Northfield Elementary slid off the road while transporting 17 students to their morning classes.

There were no injuries and RCMP and first responders attended the scene

No one from South Shore Regional Centre for Education was available for comment but Coordinator of Communications Ashley Gallant sent an e-mail statement which read:

“Safety is always our top priority and we take great care in the decision to cancel school. Our staff consult various resources before the decision is made, including professional weather forecasts, Nova Scotia Public Works, and checking road conditions firsthand.

This morning, after reviewing weather forecasts along with current and forecasted road conditions, the decision was made to keep schools open but implement back road closure plans. This means, buses do not travel on back roads.

Nova Scotia weather can change quickly and can be challenging to predict. We make the best decision we can at the time, with the information available and safety is always the deciding factor.”

Photos of the scene posted to social media show the school bus upright in a snow-filled ditch, tracks from the bus still apparent in the ice-covered road.

School staff contacted parents to inform them of the accident and another bus was sent to bring students to school.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens is stepping away from a program that provides people with help to file their income taxes opting to go to a volunteer coordinator.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the municipality has offered staff time to assist with scheduling a program providing people assistance to file their income tax for the past 10 years.

For eight weeks each year, four to six volunteers make themselves available at the Liverpool legion on a weekly basis to help people prepare their income tax.

Norman says a large amount of recreation staff time went into the program answering 2,400 calls in 2021 booking close to 800 appointments.

Because of that investment in resources Norman says the Region looked to the community for a volunteer to take on the coordinator role.

Norman says it didn’t take long for three people to offer their services.

“This is not something that’s the responsibility of municipal government and people recognize that,” said Norman.

She says the new volunteer coordinator will be able to take bookings outside municipal staff hours making the program more flexible for users.

It also shows not every job needs to be taken on by government as there are many people willing to step forward to help their community

“Because they are an at-home person, they’ve had experience with this program before, they understand the workload they’re taking on and they think this would be a great way to give back to people,” said Norman.

Tax preparation clinics will be held by appointment, every Tuesday afternoon from February 22 to April 26, 2022 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Liverpool.

To book an appointment call 902-521-4544.

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L-R Kiefer, Kim and Kerwin Huskins stand in front of the jeep that will be upgraded thanks to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Photo Ed Halverson

A teenager from Brooklyn just had his wish come true.

18-year-old Kiefer Huskins received a stockpile of new offroad parts to customize his Jeep through the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Kiefer’s mother Kim says the family learned about the Make-A-Wish program when Kiefer was in hospital undergoing treatment for Osteosarcoma, the same cancer that claimed the leg and life of Terry Fox.

Kim says two years post-chemotherapy and still clear of cancer, it took some time for Kiefer to settle on what he wanted.

“He only really made his wish in November, once he finally decided. This happened fast.”

Kiefer says he knew the wish had been granted but his parents kept the date of the event a surprise.

“I didn’t know anything. I kept texting her asking her if they said anything, but she said yesterday that we have to wait until next week,” said Kiefer. “It was pretty exciting coming home and seeing all this.”

Kiefer arrived home from school Tuesday to discover a mountain of parts surrounded by representatives from Dartmouth Dodge, the Nova Scotia Jeep Club, the Make-A-Wish foundation and many of his friends.

Kiefer’s father Kerwin says his son is a hands-on kind of guy and this wish is right up his alley.

“The offer was there for Dartmouth Dodge to put all the accessories on and he would hear nothing of it,” said Kerwin. “He wanted to do it himself.”

Father and son will spend the next few weekends tricking out Kiefer’s 2009 Jeep JK with a new lightbar, running boards, bumpers, winch, soft top and other accessories.

Janice Beaton the Atlantic wish coordinator with Make-A-Wish Foundation says most often, kids want to take a trip, but COVID has forced the organization to think outside the box.

“We haven’t been able to do any kind of travel for the last two years which is definitely bringing out the creativity in both our staff and our families and our wish kids,” said Beaton.

The Make-A-Wish foundation grants wishes to kids aged three to 17 usually based on referrals from hospitals.

Beaton says the organization is currently working on granting 70 wishes in Nova Scotia and 250 across the four Atlantic provinces.

While Kiefer may have his next few weekends booked, he is also looking ahead to his future once he graduates this spring.

“I’m going to Kingstec for carpentry and then business after that,” said Kiefer. “I do carpentry now so that’s what I plan on doing.”

In the meantime, he also plans to spend time on the trails putting his Jeep through its paces.

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Entrance to Zion United Church in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

A Liverpool church that boasts the oldest established congregation in Queens is being sold.

The Zion United Church closed its doors in December according to chair of the closure working group* Ray Baker.

He says the congregation is getting older and their numbers are decreasing.

“Unfortunately, it’s a sign of the times, we’re not having a lot of younger families become members of the church,” said Baker. “So, it’s more difficult to operate it and find the funds to run it.”

Baker says the with fewer than 40 active members in the church it is no longer possible to pay the bills and upkeep on the 150-year-old building.

Complicating matters further, Baker says their minister retired in June at the same time the church board chair resigned, effectively leaving the congregation without leadership to help guide them through the ever-changing COVID regulations.

At a special meeting October 24, the congregation made the decision to sell and the last service at the church was held in December.

Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson

Director of the Queens County Museum Linda Rafuse says the Zion United church was formed from congregations that date back to the 1700s, making it historically significant.

The first chapel was built by some of the founding fathers of Liverpool including merchant Simeon Perkins who is buried in the cemetery behind Zion United.

The current church was built in 1866 after a fire destroyed the second chapel the previous year.

Rafuse says the church has already approached the museum about donating several artifacts.

“It will be a loss to the history of Liverpool but we’re here to preserve those memories,” said Rafuse.

Baker says a working group comprised of himself and several church elders have received several options for closing down the church from the United Church regional office.

He says there is a distinction to be made between the church and its people.

“The congregation is the people,” said Baker.  “And the building is just that, the building.”

Baker says there’s a strong desire within the congregation to stick together.

Some of the options are to continue as a congregation and share space in another church or disband and join other congregations.

Selling the church will be further complicated by the fact it is responsible for the upkeep of three cemeteries.

Cemetery behind Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson

Baker says the working group is in discussions with United church officials and the municipality to determine what options are available for dividing the cemeteries from the church while ensuring the graveyards continue to be maintained.

“We can’t sell the church with the cemetery. I mean, what buyer would want the building, for whatever purpose but also have a cemetery to look after,” said Baker.

A meeting will be held February 12 where the congregation will be presented with their options and decide on how to proceed.

*A previous version of this story mis-identified the closure working group as a disbanding committee. The story has been updated with the correction.

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Vina Moses stands alongside a statue of country music legend Hank Snow. Photo Ed Halverson

The Hank Snow Tribute show scheduled for August has been cancelled.

This marks the third year in a row the annual tribute has been called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vina Moses* with the Hank Snow Museum says uncertainty around what restrictions will be in place this summer have forced organizers to call it off.

“We are already preparing for the Hank Snow Tribute. We started around December,” said Moses. “We have money that we have to outlay beforehand. The board was worried that perhaps anything that they deposited might not be returned.”

Those include deposits paid to artists, the venue, equipment, and souvenir suppliers.

The tribute show normally attracts around 2,000 people to the Liverpool area and is the main source of income for the museum.

Moses says private donors and all three levels of government have stepped in to keep the museum operating during the pandemic.

But she says it’s the fans of the Country Music Hall of Famer that drive the event.

“People don’t realize that the Friends of Hank Snow Society is not limited to Nova Scotia,” said Moses. “It’s not limited to Queens, to Nova Scotia, it’s not limited to Canada. We have people from all over the world.”

Despite a passion for the man who wrote iconic hits such as “I’m Moving On” and “I’ve Been Everywhere”, Moses says many people are still wary of gathering indoors at a large event.

Last year, the Friends of Hank Snow Society held an outdoor mini tribute at the Hank Snow Museum and plans are in place to do that once again on the third weekend in August, in place of the annual tribute show.

Moses says the group is planning to add another small country-music festival to be held on the grounds the weekend of July 23.

Anyone wishing to attend either of those events can book ahead by contacting the Hank Snow Museum.

*Vina Moses is also general manager of QCCR

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Road work in Liverpool in June 2020. Photo Ed Halverson

A decision not to hire a full time Asset Manager will cost the Region of Queens more in the long run according to Mayor Darlene Norman.

Norman is perplexed why, after council approved the new position at a previous meeting, voted against hiring a full-time manager.

“You need to have this completed to show what our physical assets are, how old they are, the value of them, when we think they’re going to break, where are we going to get the money when they do break, how are we going to replace them, which ones we’re going to replace. [The] federal government dictates you must have this done, every municipality,” said Norman.

She says a formal accounting of assets is needed so Region of Queens can get funding from the Canada Community Building Fund, formally known as the Gas Tax.

Council had hoped to pay for the new full-time Asset Manager position from that fund but discovered that wouldn’t be allowed under the terms of the fund.

“Yes, we could use it to hire an Asset Manager, but they had to be on a contract,” said Norman. “They had to be from another company. They couldn’t be one of our employees.”

Norman says staff looked for other ways to pay for the position and discovered the provincial Municipal Innovation Program would cover 75 percent of that employee’s wages if the Region applied before Friday the 28.

“So, I was completely knocked with a board when half of council defeated the motion,” said Norman.

Council is now left with the choices to go it alone and pay for 100 percent of a full-time Asset Manager salary or hire someone on a contract basis and have a portion covered by the Community Building Fund.

Norman would rather hire a full-time staff member so that person would put roots down in the community and ensure the knowledge they gain stays with the Region in the long term.

“What do you want to hire? Do you want to hire a consultant, or do you want to hire someone that’s going to, full-time, join your workforce?” said Norman. “And how important is succession planning? The difficulty of finding CAOs and treasurers and finance people and succession planning is so very important in government.”

Norman says the Region is feeling the pressure to get this position filled or risk losing out on an important source of funding from the federal government.

The mayor says council will need to decide how to fill this position soon and expects it will return to the table over the next couple of meetings.

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A road sign announces Privateer Days in Liverpool in 2014. Photo Ed Halverson

Residents of Liverpool can breathe a collective sigh of relief as Privateer Days is not being disbanded.

Rumours swirled about the demise of the festival after the organizers posted on Facebook asking for volunteers to step forward and replace most of the board.

Privateer Days board chair Terrena Parnell says the event isn’t shutting down, but several board members, including herself are moving on.

“I’ve always believed that if you can’t give 100 percent then don’t do it. At this point, I have other things on the go that I’m not able to give 100 percent and I just feel it would be better in someone else’s hands,” said Parnell.

The Privateer Days board is looking for people to fill the senior roles of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer as well as Directors of Grants & Funding, Music, PR/Media Relations and Vendors.

Like every other festival in the province, the board has been unable to host Privateer Days for the past two years due to COVID restrictions.

Parnell is confident once the positions are filled at their annual general meeting in February the new board will have enough time to settle into their roles and put on the event at the end of June.

“We’ve pretty much got everything in place for them,” said Parnell. “It’s just a matter of moving forward with it and making any changes they feel they want to make or any additions and go from there.”

Parnell says the board was working to make Privateer Days a more family-oriented event, by bringing back fairground rides and revamping how entertainment was to be presented.

“We have three local drinking establishments directly across the parking lot from where Privateer Days is being held. So instead of having the entertainment tent as a “beer tent”, it would’ve gone back to an entertainment tent, and we would’ve supported our local establishments across the road to bring in some business to them as well and to really make it more of a community event,” said Parnell.

It will be up to the new board members to decide if they will follow through on that vision.

Due to current COVID restrictions the Privateer Days annual general meeting will be held virtually over Zoom at 7:30pm of February 24.

Anyone wishing to attend or put themselves forward for one of the vacant positions should contact the Privateer Days board through their website or Facebook page to receive the log on information.

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SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson

Parents are upset schools are not telling them about COVID in classrooms.

As public health moves away from contact tracing, parents must rely on each other to find out if their kids have been exposed in schools.

One of those parents is Matthew Verge whose two stepchildren aged seven and eight attend Centre Scolaire du la Rive Sud in Cookville.

Verge became concerned when he learned one of his children’s close friends contracted COVID but no one from the school let his family know.

“We not only didn’t receive a notification that there was a case,” said Verge. “We didn’t receive a notification that we wouldn’t be receiving notifications.”

Verge says the school community is tight and parents do a good job of informing each other what is happening in classes but argues it shouldn’t be up to parents to contact each other about a potentially serious illness.

“I think it’s doubtful that a parent would end up just simply not knowing that there was a COVID case because there’s such a strong network. But that said, it’s not their responsibility,” said Verge. “And frankly, you could be the most involved parent that you could possibly be and you still wouldn’t have every contact information of every person.”

Verge’s concern is echoed across Nova Scotia.

Stacey Rudderham speaks for Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education, a Facebook group of over 20,000 parents from all over the province.

Her members are angry that school administrators are ordered not to share information about COVID cases in their schools with parents.

Rudderham understands the need to protect people’s privacy but says if a parent is willing to come forward and reveal their child has COVID to prevent classmates from contracting or spreading the virus, school officials should be allowed to get that message out to other parents.

“The message would be clear and it would be correct and people would feel like they were being informed. That’s the big thing,” said Rudderham. “We know from lots of experience that parents just; they want to be informed.”

Verge says that information is important for families to have when dealing with immunocompromised relatives.

“Do we not send them to school, do they never see their grandmother, do we risk the kids getting COVID themselves? Supposedly it’s okay with kids, but it’s not always. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal to just tell us,” said Verge.

No one from Public Health or the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development replied for a request to comment on whether the policy preventing administrators from contacting parents would be reviewed.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

Schools weren’t the only institution getting back to business online in the new year.

Gathering restrictions meant to slow the spread of the omicron virus caused Region of Queens council to meet via zoom January 11.

Mayor Darlene Norman says everyone has learned to be flexible in these times including council.

“It appears to be working,” said Norman. “I wouldn’t want to do this forever; I think there’s something about actually being in the space. But this is just as good, let’s say.”

It was a busy agenda to start the year.

Mayor Norman started the proceedings by discussing Project 1792, an initiative which highlights the anniversary on January 15 of the 1,196 Black Loyalists who boarded 15 ships to return to Africa after the British government broke their promise to provide opportunities in Nova Scotia.

“It’s time to start looking at our past and realizing and learning from it and learning how to be better people going forward,” said Norman.

Council also heard from the North Queens active living committee who are hoping to renew funding for their part time programming coordinator.

That position will be discussed when budget deliberations get underway.

Several properties that were meant to go to tax sale will instead be disposed of via a sealed-bid tender process.

The public has until February 22nd to bid on a dozen properties being sold to recover outstanding property taxes.

The region will be hiring an asset management coordinator to track and assess the millions of dollars’ worth of property and equipment owned by the municipality.

Transfers payments from the federal government are based on an accurate assessment of municipal infrastructure.

“We need to get this done because, your gas tax is based on your infrastructure, and we’re required to have this done,” said Norman. “So, if we want to continue getting gas tax money, we have to get ahead of this.”

Council will also form an ad hoc policy review committee.

Mayor Norman says she, two members of council and municipal staff including the diversity and inclusion coordinator will convene a series of half day meetings to go over the 20-year-old policies.

Norman says the plan is to have policies written in plain language which are easily understood and compliant with current laws and regulations.

“The policies need to all be reviewed; they need to be corrected,” said Norman. “There’s questions such as why was this made, is it still valid in today’s world, is the language diverse and inclusive?”

The committee will bring their recommendations back to council once they’ve completed their work.

The next Region of Queens council meeting will be held live over Zoom January 25.

Anyone wishing to view the proceedings can contact Heather Cook at the municipal office for the sign-in information by e-mail: hcook@regionofqueens.com or telephone: 902-354-3453.

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Dr. Robert Strang. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

The province’s top doctor says staff and students are welcome to share their COVID status, but schools won’t aid in getting the word out.

Dr. Robert Strang says the omicron variant is so widespread that there is little value in providing contract tracing.

“The risks of relying on being notified and then the false assumption that if you’re not notified, you’re somehow not at risk just don’t work anymore with the widespread of omicron,” said Strang.

While he recognizes the change is a significant psychological shift that will cause anxiety for some staff and parents, Strang says previous attempts at contact tracing have shown they may cause more harm than good.

“What we learned when we were doing this close contact tracing in November and December, particularly, was that doing that close contact tracing and then the subsequent isolation of people who were identified classroom contacts was incredibly disruptive to our school system and to families. So, we’re not going to be isolating people anymore.”

During Wednesday’s COVID briefing, Strang was asked why school officials have been told they are not permitted to share COVID cases.

Strang says it’s up to individual parents and teachers if they want to share their own personal information and schools would not distribute that information to protect the privacy of the people involved.

But he insisted reports of school officials being told not to share information is untrue.

“In fact, that is misinformation that’s been put out there by various groups that there’s somehow a ban or a gag order. That’s not true,” said Strang. “However, the school system and individual teachers need to be aware that there’s legislation that governs how somebody else’s personal health information is actually disclosed.”

Strang was provided with a copy of a letter issued to parents by a principal in which the principal says they have been specifically told they are not permitted to share COVID information with the school community.

Strang responded that is not the message that has come out of discussions he has had with education officials over the past few days.

“That has been clarified and that is not actually the appropriate phrasing and language that has been most recently shared with school administration.”

How the message has been clarified was not identified as the update was cut off abruptly following Dr. Strang’s response.

A series of follow up correspondence with the South Shore Regional Centre for Education, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and the Department of Health and Wellness all confirm the information provided by the principal was accurate.

The official policy from the education department echoes earlier comments from Dr. Strang that teachers and parents are free to share their own personal COVID information if they choose, but school administration will not make that information public.

The latest COVID numbers from public health show three more Nova Scotians have died, 11 people have been admitted to hospital and five have been discharged.

Strang says while public health is moving away from rigorous contact tracing, how people prevent the spread of COVID-19 remains the same.“The message for everybody is get vaccinated, follow all the personal protective measures, especially and if you’re sick with new cold and flu-like symptoms stay home,” said Strang. “That message doesn’t change just because somebody has been a close contact.”

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