Photo Ed Halverson

Nova Scotians have elected a Progressive Conservative government for the first time in over a decade.

Kim Masland was reelected to represent the restored riding of Queens in the provincial general election.

She will join the rest of her caucus in moving from the opposition benches to the government side of the legislature.

Throughout the campaign the PCs hammered the Liberal government’s record on healthcare.

Masland says access to doctors and paramedics was the top issue she heard on the doorsteps.

“People are tired of Liberals not listening and acknowledging the crisis that we’re in. We see that with our health care professionals. It’s great to talk about recruiting but if we can’t retain, we’re in trouble and we are in trouble now as a province. This is a strong message that has been sent that people want change and change is coming,” said Masland.

Queens MLA Kim Masland. Photo Ed Halverson

Tim Houston led the PCs to a majority government for the first time since 2009.

Masland says the PCs began releasing their plans to address issues such as long-term care and doctor retention over a year ago, giving Nova Scotians time to absorb the direction her party plans to take the province.

“When we see the large turnout in advanced polls and continuous polls, that’s a sign that people are looking for change.”

Masland says an election campaign can be quite challenging at times and she’s humbled the residents of Queens have once again put their trust in her to be their representative in the legislature.

“When you knock on someone’s door and they immediately say to you that we’re so grateful for what you have done for us the last four years, it gives you that push to keep going, to make sure that you are successful, that you can continue to be the voice for the people that I want to represent,” said Masland. “Hearing that on the doorsteps was certainly great and it made the campaign much easier than what a campaign would be.”

Counting of advanced ballots was suspended at midnight with the PCs winning or leading in 31 ridings, the Liberals in 17, the NDP in 6 and former PC MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin leading as an independent in the riding of Cumberland North.

Elections Nova Scotia will resume counting ballots in that riding and the ridings of Halifax Chebucto and Halifax Citadel-Sable Island at 10:00am Wednesday.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

Residents of Queens can expect their water rates to go up by 19 percent in the new year.

A water rate study presented at the last session of Region of Queens Council indicates water rates in the municipality are among the lowest in the province.

According to Region of Queens mayor Darlene Norman, most municipalities undertake a water rate study about every four years.

The study presented to council is the first to be done in Queens since 2002.

Norman says relying on data that is so out of date is costing the municipality.

“What I do know is that our utility is not bringing in enough revenue to match our expenses. So we are applying to the UARB for a slight increase in the base rate for the next three years,” said Norman.

If Nova Scotia’s utility and review board (UARB) approves the increase, users will be charged a base rate of $81 annually as well as a consumption charge of $1.21 per cubic metre beginning in 2022.

Norman says saving money on your water bill is simple.

“If people want to reduce their bill, they find ways to reduce their water consumption.”

The mayor says the Region needs to address issues with their water infrastructure as the study estimates half the treated water is being lost through leakage.

“Our water treatment plant may be new but our pipes in the ground are 1890,” said Norman. “Which is why, when people wonder why we’re always digging up streets and doing things, we’re finding leakages.”

Norman expects the Region will make their case before the utility and review board sometime in January.

That hearing will be open and any member of the public is welcome to speak on the proposed rate increase at that time.

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Hank Snow mini-tribute will go ahead this weekend. Photo Ed Halverson

The Hank Snow Museum in Liverpool is welcoming visitors to enjoy a taste of the Annual Hank Snow Tribute show.

The big event has been cancelled the past two years due to COVID so the folks at the Hank Snow Museum have decided to host a mini-tribute this weekend.

Acting administrator of the Hank Snow Museum Vina Moses says people understand why the tribute was called off in 2020, when everything was cancelled, but wonder why it couldn’t go ahead this year.

She says it comes down to people not being able to come over the US border.

“Both performers and visitors. We have performers from Nashville come up. We have performers from all over the United States and all over Canada. We have performers who come to the tribute, some of them, every year,” said Moses.

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

The mini-tribute will feature performers who had been scheduled to appear at the Hank Snow tribute show.

The annual event normally requires eight to ten months of preparation.

Moses is awed by the efforts of so many to get the mini-tribute up and running in such a short period of time.

“We did it in less than five weeks. Don’t ask us how we did it, we just, everyday we worked day and night,’ said Moses. “I mean, we were working here for five weeks straight and we’ve got everything under control and everything organized and we’re really excited about it.”

Because of public health restrictions, capacity at the mini-tribute will be limited to 250 people.

Already, close to 50 RVs have booked their spaces and Moses expects turnout could be at or above capacity both days.

“We’re hoping that people will call and book so that we have their bookings made and we know for sure that we have those. But we are still looking for walk-ins because we have enough room, I think, for them,” said Moses.

The money raised at this weekend’s mini-tribute will be added to the donations collected from a weekly barbeque and live music fundraiser held every Wednesday this summer to cover some of the museum’s operating costs throughout the year.

The Hank Snow Mini-Tribute begins at 6:00pm Friday evening and runs until Saturday night.

For tickets or more information contact the Hank Snow Museum on their website or by calling 902-354-4675.

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Astor Theatre in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

The Astor Theatre is returning to life as COVID-19 restrictions begin to lift.

The hub of arts in Liverpool has been closed for most of the pandemic, forcing the cancellation or postponement of theatre productions, movies, arts events and the bi-annual Liverpool International Theatre Festival.

Interim General Manager Jean Robinson-Dexter says convincing people it is safe to leave their homes and enjoy group activities could be a challenge.

“I think people, it’s a bit of, they’re torn. They want to come back, they want to see a movie, they want to sit in a theatre, and that’s the reaction that everybody has when they come back in. it’s like they’re so happy to be here again. So we want them to know that we have all these protocols in place and that we’re doing everything we can do to make it safe for them to be here,” said Robinson-Dexter.

People are already familiar with the COVID precautions in place, such as hand sanitizing and social distancing and Astor staff is also keeping a close eye on capacity limits laid out by public health.

Robinson-Dexter says even though the province is allowing indoor gatherings of 150 people the theatre is limiting their capacity to no more than 120 because of the limited space available to maintain social distancing.

Astor theatre interior. Photo Ed Halverson

The Astor Theatre has been able to host some events through COVID such as the Queens County Music Festival, but in a very limited capacity.

In the past couple of weeks the Astor has begun to expand their offerings, including, a month-long exhibit by local artist, Melissa Labrador and has held auditions for an upcoming performance by the Winds of Change theatre group.

Robinson-Dexter says unfortunately some of the equipment needed to project films was damaged in a power outage.

“A piece of the projector broke and just with the technician being in another province, we had to wait for him to be able to come in and fix it once we got the part,” Robinson-Dexter. “So, we’re just in the last steps of getting that up and running again and we’ll be able to start movies again sometime in the next few weeks.”

More information on upcoming events can be found on the Astor Theatre website.

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Melissa Labrador with one of her paintings on display at the Astor Theatre. Photo Ed Halverson

An Art exhibit at The Astor Theatre hopes to educate visitors about the need to connect with our natural environment.

Artist and Indigenous Guardian Melissa Labrador calls the show “N’in L’nu”.

“So it’s N’in L’nu which [means] I’m L’nu. L’nu is who we are as Mi’kmaq people and then I did North, South, East and West because regardless of where I am on the earth, I am who I am and that doesn’t change,’ said Labrador.

A self-taught painter whose work is inspired by her relationship with Mother Earth, Labrador said, “A lot of my art focuses on that connection. It incorporates stories and traditions of my ancestors, my family, my people and also things that are important that we pay mind to as our climate is changing and the world that world that we know is changing everyday.”

Labrador says she tries to balance the negative messages of climate change with the positive experience of getting out and connecting of nature.

Some of the paintings on display at the Astor Theatre as part of Melissa Labrador’s N’in L’nu art show. Photo Ed Halverson

Many of the figures in this show are inspired by the petroglyphs found in Kejimkujik and images of whales and stars also feature heavily in the collection.

So much of what is happening in artist’s life goes into their work and Labrador tries to ensure when a piece of art finds its forever home the owner has the best impression.

“With everything that I create, I try to have a positive message there,” said Labrador, “So when the person or persons are taking that piece with them, they will feel that positive energy that went into creating that.”

Labrador’s N’in L’nu art show is on display at the Astor Theatre until the end of August.

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Mary Dahr election signs just outside Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

One of the people running to represent Queens in the provincial election says not allowing election lawn signs on municipal property puts some candidates at a disadvantage.

NDP Candidate Mary Dahr says the Region of Queens has removed the signs she placed on municipal sites.

Dahr approached the Region to ask if they would relax their rules.

“They were defending their rules and they police it very good but that’s as far as they would go,” said Dahr. “Just defending their rules, they were not budging on it.”

Dahr is concerned the policy could exclude people from being involved in the electoral process.

“Anybody who’s a minority, it’s a barrier, it’s not inclusive at all. I’m hoping that they will change their rules on that,” said Dahr.

Lawn signs for Queens candidates line both sides of Bristol Ave in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

According to Elections Nova Scotia, each municipality can determine whether or not lawn signs will be permitted on municipal property.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the Region of Queens has a long-standing policy of not allowing campaign signs on their lands.

“We strongly believe that people in Queens County do not want to see election signs posted on public property. They do not want to see them in parks, they don’t want to see them around cenotaphs, they don’t want to see them at beaches, they don’t want to see them at Queens Place,” said Norman.

NDP leader Gary Burrill, who was campaigning with Dahr in Liverpool on Monday takes the sign controversy in stride

“I don’t think there’s ever been a provincial election in Nova Scotia where there weren’t sign questions and lots of them,” said Burrill. “That goes with the territory.”

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Green Party Candidate for Queens Brian Muldoon. Photo submitted by Brian Muldoon

With the addition of a Green Party candidate, Queens now has a full roster of candidates in the upcoming provincial election.

Beach Meadows resident Brian Muldoon has stepped forward to carry the banner for the Greens.

Muldoon has been active for the past several years opposing the expansion of fish farms in Liverpool Bay.

He says it’s that work that inspired him to stand for the Greens.

“The easy thing is to do nothing, the difficult thing is to run and you know, I can’t sit back.”

Muldoon sees himself as the underdog in a race against better funded and better staffed campaigns.

“I don’t have a team of 18 people in my back pocket out there knocking on every door possible. I know that and I won’t be able to hit major doors in Queens County.”

Muldoon intends to reach as many people as he can in person but hopes social media can help get his message to a wider audience.

As the name indicates, the environment is the top issue for the Green party however Muldoon says they have a fully considered platform to address a range of hot-button

When asked for his 30-second elevator pitch, this is what Muldoon had to say.

“You know what, I’m a very passionate and enthusiastic individual that will make sure your voice is heard in this community and in this province. I will go to bat for you and I want to make sure that any government that is in provincially, will be held accountable. And our environment means so much to us. We have the most beautiful beach, I live in Beach Meadows, and we don’t want our treasur es, I mean, that’s a treasure, Beach Meadows Beach, along with other parts and we’d better keep that pristine, the way it is.”

Expect to see Muldoon and the other candidates vying to represent Queens, Mary Dahr for the NDP, the Liberals’ Susan MacLeod and incumbent PC candidate Kim Masland step up their campaign efforts as the August 17 election day approaches.

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NDP leader Gary Burrill and candidate for Queens Mary Dahr in Liverpool August 2. Photo Ed Halverson

The leader of the Nova Scotia NDP Gary Burrill was in Queens Monday bringing a promise of affordable housing.

Burrill says the issue comes up repeatedly as local candidate Mary Dahr meets people on their doorstep.

“They hear over and over and over from people about the real serious problem of the availability of a place to live, about the numbers of people that are living in out buildings and are living in tents on the South Shore because of this unavailability,” said Burrill.

Dahr says rental options are particularly dire.

“I went to somebody’s house the other night, they were paying $800 and it was such a bad place,” said Dahr. “They have to hold on to that because there’s nothing else.”

Burrill says if NDP wins the election ensuring all Nova Scotians can access housing will be a core priority.

“We are committed to institute permanent rent control within a month of being sworn in as government, if we are able to form government in the election,” said Burrill.

The NDP leader says his is the only one of the three major parties who are on board with rent controls.

“Our view is, that a majority of Canadians, today, live in jurisdictions where they have protection from sudden, dramatic, unsubstantiated rent increases and people of Nova Scotia should have it too.”

Burrill suggests tying annual rent increases to the Consumer Price Index.

The PCs and Liberals argue the only way to provide more affordable housing is to increase the amount of available units and should be done, for the most part, by private sector developers.

Burrill agrees more housing stock needs to open up and there is a role for government in that process.

He says the Liberals have largely abdicated their responsibility to provide social housing by open fewer than 200 new units over eight years in power.

“We are committed, in the NDP, to doing much better than that,” said Burrill. “To getting the government back into the housing business in the way that it used to be, particularly with the opening up of options in co-op housing, various kinds of non-profit housing, social housing.”

Burrill also sees the need to provide stricter regulations on short-term housing rentals, like AirBnb, to ensure more of those units will be available to people wanting to live full-time in their communities.

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Iain Rankin, Susan MacLeod and MacLeod campaign manager John Simmonds at Queens Manor. Photo Nova Scotia Liberal Party

The Liberals are planning to replace Queens Manor and Hillsview Acres with a new consolidated facility.

Liberal leader Iain Rankin was at Queens Manor in Liverpool Thursday with Queens Liberal Candidate Susan MacLeod to announce the new facility will add six more beds to increase the combined capacity of the two locations from 90 to 96 beds.

Rankin says the liberal government had already been moving to modernize long-term care homes and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought that need home.

“It’s more pronounced, especially looking at higher quality of infection control that we need to have single rooms with no shared washrooms and more modern equipment in the homes,” said Rankin.

A site for the new long-term care home has not been decided. Rankin says a location will be determined as part of the tendering process.

The promise to replace the two aging care homes in Queens comes as a result of one of the last announcements the Liberal government made before calling the election.

The province pledged $152.6 million to renovate and replace almost 2,400 beds across 24 facilities in Nova Scotia and add a further 500 new beds to the Halifax region, where the demand is highest.

Rankin says the Liberals are also investing in workers to care for people in the long-term care homes.

“More workplace safety, we’ve increased pay and we’re allocating more spaces, you saw at the Nova Scotia Community College.”

Rankin says his government will address worker shortages by creating 276 spaces to train new licensed practical nurses, opening 30 seats – tuition free, for current continuing care assistants to upgrade their skills along with heavily recruiting to attract more careworkers to the province.

Government recently reached a collective agreement with the union representing a large number of CCAs that will see them receive an eight percent wage increase over the first two years of the contract.

Rankin says seniors and residents of long-term care homes are a priority for his party.

“We’re building on a lot of progress we’ve made recently. We’ve made significant, historic investments in our 21/22 budget. We’re building on some of that with an additional spend for staffing,” said Rankin. “We have the most aggressive capital plan including the largest single long-term care investment in our history. So we’re building on that. It’s targeted and we believe that it’s appropriate and fiscally responsible. Those that have been working on the front lines deserve this investment.”

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South Shore Drive-In screen. Photo Catherine Croft

It took longer than expected but a drive-in is returning to Queens.

Co-founder of the South Shore Drive-In Catherine Croft had hoped to be showing films again this spring.

Unfortunately, COVID restrictions and some technical issues postponed the reopening of the drive-in at the Hank Snow Museum.

“Towards when we were opening and then my tech guy said, oh by the way, we need a new bulb,” said Croft. “I didn’t know about it. I was waiting for our sizes to open to at least 50, that’s done now.”

Croft was referring to the COVID restrictions lifting to allow at least 50 people to gather outdoors.

In fact, 150 people are now permitted to gather outside which means the drive-in can open to its normal capacity of 300 cars.

“Because we are a drive-in, we keep everyone social distanced by being in their own vehicles,” said Croft. “The only time you’re not in your vehicle is when you are going to the washroom and or concessions and there you’ll find that we are fully masked and hand sanitizers. Washrooms are cleaned upon use.”

Croft says the plan is open August 6 with a double feature but then there will be a short hiatus for films at the Hank Snow site over the next couple of weeks.

The following weekend the drive-in will be closed due to the Hank Snow mini tribute and the weekend of August 27, Croft and her crew will be taking the show on the road to Gateway Campground in Caledonia.

The pop-up show called a Field Good Time will feature a couple of movies, monster truck rides and live music.

The South Shore Drive-In will return to its home at the Hank Snow Museum in September.

Croft hopes to run shows into late October or until the evenings become too cool to operate the equipment.

She says by bringing back the drive-in, she and the rest of the organizers want to provide people an experience they will cherish.

“That’s what we want to bring to the table this year is more of the retro, more of the fun,” said Croft. “We want to create memories as much as you can enjoy remembering your own from years ago.”

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Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman. Photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens council is looking into the possibility of adding a Committee of the Whole to their calendar.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the idea of adding a Committee of the Whole meeting was floated in an effort to more fully explore issues that come to council.

“Some members of council basically felt they do not have enough time to debate things and then go out to the public and get the public response,” said Norman.

The mayor supports the motion to add the committee brought forward by Councillor Maddie Charlton at July’s Region of council meeting.

In her previous terms on council Norman says there were several committees but subsequent councils did away with them.

Norman expressed concern that should they decide to replace a council meeting with a committee of the whole meeting it could slow some services down.

“Right now, we can move a planning matter through in three months, following the recommended time for hearings and public hearings,” said Norman. “With a once a month council and a committee of the whole, we’re looking at five and six months to move a planning matter through.”

Adding another meeting is not the only option on the table to try and help councillors be better prepared to address issues at the council table.

“Perhaps getting the agenda a week earlier so then they have a week to go out and consult and debate,” said Norman.

Should council decide to bring in a committee of the whole they would also have look at making changes to their rules of order.

Currently, the municipality follows Bourinot’s Rules of Order, which wouldn’t allow anything discussed at COW to be discussed again at council.

To do anything more than vote on an issue would require council to change their own rules and procedures.

Council has directed staff to come back with a list outlining the pros and cons of committee of the whole and will make a decision based on the staff recommendation.

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Queens General Hospital. Photo Ed Halverson

Difficulty attracting new doctors is one of the factors that contributed to the closures experienced by the Queens General Hospital Emergency department over the past couple of weeks.

This was the first time since the hospital opened a doctor couldn’t be found to work the shift.

But chair of the Queens General Hospital Foundation Al Doucet says the issue extends beyond the emergency room.

“The problem is that there’s not enough supply of health professionals and that’s just not physicians. It’s nurses, it’s CNAs, it’s LPNs, it’s lab technologists, it’s across the board,” said Doucet. “To look after our population that is aging, we have not been able to keep up the supply of health professions that are needed.”

Doucet has been recruiting doctors to Queens for the better part of 40 years and says the pandemic has thrown a wet blanket on their efforts.

“One of the things you do with recruiting, you want to bring people into the communities so they get a feel of where they would want to move and work, and with COVID, we couldn’t do that,” said Doucet. “We couldn’t bring people in, so for almost two years, it’s really stymied our recruitment abilities.”

Doucet says overall, the provincial healthcare system is struggling to keep up with demand, and because so many Nova Scotians don’t have access to primary care, they are now turning to the emergency room for treatment. But many general practitioners who take shifts in the ER find it difficult to then spend the day seeing patients in the office.

“In the past the emergency departments used to be seen more for just emergencies, so the people manning it could at least get a rest while they were doing it then have an office the next day. That can’t happen anymore,” said Doucet. “Our emergency departments are pretty steady because people don’t have family doctors so they have no other option but to go to the emergency department.”

Doucet has also seen a shift in the way medical schools train doctors.

He would like to see those schools return to the methods he was taught, where doctors were trained as generalists before deciding to move into a specialty.

“One of the good things about that was, that the specialists that came from that kind of a training environment understood what it was like to work in family practice, understood what it was like to have people referred to them. They had a much broader understanding so they didn’t become very narrow in their scope of practice. They looked at the patient more as a whole,” said Doucet.

He says the problems with the healthcare system are complex and likens the situation to a pyramid, with primary care as the base and other specialized care piled on top.

“In the last eight years I don’t think the emphasis has been on the bottom of that pyramid. There’s been a lot of emphasis on other things and those other things are important, I don’t minimize that,” said Doucet. “But fixing the bottom of that pyramid in the last eight years has not been the primary focus and I think that’s why we’re in the situation we’re in now.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Photo Ed Halverson

Voters will see a few changes as Nova Scotians go to the polls during a pandemic.

The number of available seats has increased from 51 to 55 due to the redrawing of the riding map.

Queens will now have its own representative after the former riding of Queens-Shelburne was split in the realignment.

The director of policy and communications for Elections Nova Scotia Naomi Shelton says voters will have a variety of choices on how to cast their ballot in the upcoming provincial election.

“Voters are encouraged to vote early and vote safely. They can apply for a write-in ballot if they wish to vote by mail or vote at home. They can also vote safely, in-person with COVID precautions in place at all voting locations and those would be very similar to what you would experience in your community at a local retail experience,” said Shelton.

Those precautions include wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and hand sanitizing protocols.

Shelton says Nova Scotia is prepared to safely conduct an election during COVID by watching how the vote was carried out in neighbouring provinces.

“We’ve been able to learn from those lessons learned and gain knowledge from those best practices that those other provinces have had so that we feel that we are ready to deliver a safe election here in Nova Scotia,” said Shelton. “We’ve done contingency planning to look at risks and mitigations for those risks, in case we faced an emergency situation like Newfoundland.”

Given the uptake in other provincial elections, Elections Nova Scotia is also preparing for a larger than normal number of mail-in ballots during this 41^st general election.

In fact a winner may not be declared on election night.

Shelton says if ballot counting is predicted to go late into the night, Chief Electoral Officer Richard Temporaly is ready to pause counting at midnight to allow election workers time to rest before resuming the count the following day.

“That’s not been the case previously in Nova Scotia, although it’s not uncommon in other provinces for the vote count to go on for more than one night. But we want people to be aware that that is a possibility this time,” said Shelton. “We are doing everything we can to be efficient with our vote count and to mitigate those risks but we wanted to be up front to let people know that there is a possibility that that could happen. We won’t know until election night when we’re looking at the volume of votes.”

Advanced polls opened Wednesday despite the fact some ridings have yet to nominate all their candidates.

Shelton says that’s not uncommon and people wishing to vote early can simply vote for the party and the vote will count once their candidate is announced.

Potential candidates have until July 28 to submit their nomination papers.

Voters who are registered with Elections Nova Scotia can vote in person by bringing a photo ID along with the voter registration card, which should be mailed out the week of August 2.

A link explaining how to vote in the upcoming election is on our web page

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Debbie J Wamboldt stands on the future play park site. Photo submitted by Debbie J Wamboldt

Efforts to build a new universally designed play park in Liverpool are rounding the home stretch.

For five years chairperson of the universally designed play park fundraising committee, Debbie J Wamboldt and her team of dedicated volunteers have scoured the region to raise the $450,000 needed to realize their vision.

To date they’ve amassed $415,000 and with $35,000 left to go, Wamboldt is highly optimistic they will reach their goal before summer is out.

“Our community is stepping up and I have no words for how proud I am,” said Wamboldt.

The universally designed play park will be situated between the existing skate park and Queens County search and rescue building next to Queens Place Emera Centre.

Wamboldt says community members have contributed through private donations and so many events such as: Touch-a-truck, fundraising walks, bottle collection and placing donations in the collection box at the Liverpool Shell.

The group also applied for a number of grants, and in May, the campaign received a huge shot in the arm when the provincial government provided $100,000.

Wamboldt says some of those grants come with conditions that require the group to meet certain goals by fall such as preparing budgets and issuing tenders so they can break ground in the spring.

The universally designed play park is different than other playgrounds as it follows the seven principles of inclusive design.

Wamboldt some people have a hard time understanding those guiding principles behind the park and why a play area like this is so necessary.

“Basically they are a way of designing a space so that there is it equitable use for everyone. There should be no barriers to your use of this place,” Wamboldt . “So regardless of your ability, you can use it regardless of your age, you can use it regardless of your religion, race, any orientation, you will be able to use this space.”

The park will be comprised of a large play structure, swings and a splash pad but Wamboldt says the final design won’t be set until they have reached their fundraising goal.

She says she knows she can count on Queens County residents to get them the rest of the way.

“Now’s the time,” said Wamboldt. “If you’re on the fence about helping, it’s going to become a reality.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Photo Ed Halverson

The addition of two new accessible bathrooms will make life more comfortable for residents of Hillsview Acres.

The province provided $98,000 to build one new washroom upstairs and one downstairs.

Region of Queens met in-camera at their last meeting to consider a $158,000 tender from Rikjak construction to complete the work.

Mayor Darlene Norman says council made the unusual move of rejecting the request for proposals bid, opting instead to complete the renovations using municipal staff.

“It could be a mixture of in-house people. It could be a mixture of sourcing it out to various sub-contractors but it basically means that we now take the lead,” said Norman.

Staff did a review and determined the renovations could be completed internally for a cost much closer to the $98,000 allocated by the province.

“Adam Grant, Director of Engineering and Works will take the lead on that and it may not all be done in-house but we will find a way to get that done,” said Norman.

The provincial government also recently announced spending of $96.5 million to either upgrade or replace several long-term care homes across Nova Scotia.

Health Minister Zach Churchill told QCCR it is “quite likely” both Queens Manor and Hillsview Acres will be replaced under this funding.

The washrooms will make Hillsview Acres more comfortable for residents while the new building is completed.

Norman says there is no timetable for the washrooms to be built but she would like to have it done as quickly as possible as there are currently eight residents sharing one washroom.

She says despite the fact the building is scheduled to be replaced it still needs to be livable in the meantime.

“It’s people’s homes,” said Norman. “It’s people’s homes.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Queens Manor, Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson

It’s likely two long-term care homes in Queens will be replaced according to Health and Wellness Minister Zach Churchill.

The province announced $96.5 million in funding to replace or repair 17 facilities including Hillsview Acres and Queens Manor.

Churchill says the department is in conversation with administrators and boards of the long term care homes to learn whether they feel a refit or rebuild is warranted.

“I suspect that all that is going to point towards new builds for these facilities,” said Churchill. “We’re also looking at increasing the bed spaces available in Queens County too. Looking at the age of the buildings, looking at the fact that we need more beds and we’re going to be building more beds in that area, these are likely going to be new builds.”

Churchill says the recent announcement will add 264 more new long-term care spaces across the province to the 236 beds previously announced in January for a total of 500 new spaces.

The provincial PC party has released a plan calling for the creation of 2,500 new long-term care spaces.

But the health minister says the department’s data doesn’t support the need for that many new beds.

“We use demographic analysis and modeling to determine what the need is going to be into the future and we build our plans based around the math and the science there,” said Churchill. “We do see a turnover in this sector of close to 3,000 people a year and what we want to do is reduce the wait time that people are waiting.”

Churchill says the five to six months people are now waiting to be placed in a long-term care facility will be cut to two months based on this announcement.

He says it’s important not to overbuild capacity, as demand for those beds will eventually drop off.

Of the 500 new beds announced, six will be built in Queens.

Churchill expects a decision on which facilities will be rebuilt will come over the next few months with groundbreaking to follow in short order.

Government is projecting to have the new facilities up and running by 2026-27.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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NDP candidate for Queens Mary Dahr, Photo contributed by Mary Dahr

The last of the three major Nova Scotian parties have announced their candidate for the riding of Queens.

The NDP have chosen Mary Dahr to carry their banner in the next provincial election.

Dahr has been involved with the NDP for over 20 years and feels the priority the party places on social issues will resonate with voters.

“I’m hoping what I’m saying is going to touch people’s hearts and they’re going to vote for me,” said Dahr.

Born in Queens, Dahr’s family moved to Alberta when she was a child.

After retiring from a career as a medical lab technician she moved back to the region six years ago and currently works at White Point Beach and Resort.

Dahr was inspired to put her name forward after learning of the desperate child poverty rates in Nova Scotia and in particular, Queens.

“I know that when they announced child poverty in Nova Scotia, it seemed to me that nobody blinked,” said Dahr. “There was no, oh, we have to do better. I didn’t hear that at all.”

This isn’t the first time Dahr has stood for the NDP provincially. She twice ran in Alberta and narrowly missed winning a seat when Rachel Notley led the party to power in 2015.

Dahr says with a platform that includes a $15/hr minimum wage, free tuition, increased social assistance rates and a commitment to find solutions for affordable housing, the Nova Scotia NDP under leader Gary Burrill are working to make the lives of everyday Nova Scotians better.

“It’s an honest and fair government that is looking out for the people of Nova Scotia, not just caring about the people who don’t really need to be cared about, because they have all the money that they need,” said Dahr. “We need to care about everybody in Nova Scotia and not leave anybody behind.”

Dahr joins Liberal candidate Susan MacLeod and PC Candidate and current MLA for Queens –Shelburne Kim Masland in trying to win the re-established riding of Queens.

It’s up to Premier Iain Rankin to decide when the writ will drop.

Rankin has until May to make the call but given the large and frequent number of funding announcements coming out of government the past few weeks, speculation is high the election could be called soon.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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New Tech Ed building under construction behind Liverpool Regional High School. Photo Ed Halverson

Construction of the new Technology Education building at Liverpool Regional High School is underway.

Regional Executive Director of South Shore Regional Centre for Education Paul Ash says the new facility will open up more options for students.

“Unfortunately, sometimes people who don’t have those early experiences, in terms of exposure, the hands-on aspect of it, don’t really have a clear direction,” said Ash. “We’re hoping with the skill trades facility being there, students can focus on the areas they want to go to.”

Ash says the trades programs are so popular LRHS will be expanding to two classes of the Construction 11 program and a class for Skilled Trades 10 this fall.

Students in those programs gain valuable experience that show what options are open to them in their post-secondary education.

“Essentially they’re carpentry skills, plumbing skills, electrical skills; they’re exposed to a wide variety of the different skills so that they’re better able to make the decision about where they’d like to specialize when they go into NSCC,” said Ash.

Workers build frame of new Tech Ed facility. Photo Ed Halverson

LRHS is working to secure a Tech Ed teacher who is already a skilled tradesperson to provide students another leg up in their careers.

“If we have a skilled tradesperson who’s teaching the class, the students are actually building hours towards their apprenticeship while they’re at the high school level,” said Ash.

The $975,000 project funded through the Department of Education and awarded to Rikjak Construction is set to be complete by September.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Queens General Hospital. Photo Ed Halverson

Monday marked the first time in 73 years the doors closed at the Queens General Hospital emergency department.

A release from the Nova Scotia Health Authority attributed the closure to lack of physician availability.

The ER closure took many residents by surprise but Western Zone Medical Executive Director Dr. Cheryl Pugh says they’re not uncommon.

“Unfortunately it’s not an unusual occurrence across the province, to experience a closure,” said Pugh. “Although we work hard to prevent these closures from happening, it is unfortunately, a sign that we are working hard to support our people who are unavailable for a variety of reasons.”

Residents of neighbouring Shelburne County know all too well the difficulty of keeping an emergency room open.

Roseway Hospital struggles regularly to find staff to keep their ER up and running.

Pugh wouldn’t elaborate on what specifically dictated the need to close the Queens ER for the first time since it opened in 1948.

“In this particular instance, we did not have all the pieces of the puzzle to provide access to safe care which necessitated a closure at that site,” said Pugh.

She says the health authority makes every effort to ensure every emergency room across Nova Scotia remains open.

“Any upcoming closures, we reach out, far and wide across the zone and the province, in an attempt to recruit individuals who are interested in covering that particular shift, when it’s a physician issue.”

Pugh says Queens residents can still receive emergency care at one of the three major hospitals in the Western Zone. That would mean a one to three hour drive to either: Bridgewater, Kentville or Yarmouth.

Pugh says in the event someone needed to be taken by ambulance, paramedics would communicate with EHS dispatch to determine which location was appropriate depending on the type and severity of the medical emergency.

The emergency department at Queens General Hospital is closed again Tuesday night from 6:00pm until 8:00am Wednesday morning.

Anyone with urgent medical needs should call 911. To speak to a registered nurse about general health advice and information, call 811.

The Mental Health Crisis Line can also be reached anytime by calling 1-888-429-8167.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Perkins House Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

One of the oldest homes in in Nova Scotia is new again.

Liverpool’s Perkins House reopened Monday following an almost year-long renovation.

Director of Perkins House and the Queens County Museum Linda Rafuse says like everything else, the pandemic played a role in the timing of the reopening.

“It was supposed to be opened a couple of weeks ago but that got delayed with the last COVID shutdown because we had to wait for the furniture to be transferred to the house,” said Rafuse.

The historic site has been closed since May of 2015 when staff reported structural issues.

The province stepped in and provided $1.5 million dollars to assess the damage and restore the site.

The house is now structurally sound and ready to resume its role telling the story of Liverpool’s past.

Rafuse says walking into Perkins House transports visitors to a different time.

“When you’re coming into a historic home, you want to walk into a historic home that looks like it’s been lived in,” said Rafuse. “That’s how the staff will interpret it to you and tell you the story.”

Visitors to Perkins House will experience the story of its owner Simeon Perkins through discussions and demonstrations with staff dressed in period costume.

Perkins House staff. L-R: Director Linda Rafuse, interpreters Linda Moulton and Jamie Dunn. Photo Ed Halverson

Many of the hands-on activities such as laundry, weaving and sewing will be made available as COVID restrictions lift.

Rafuse says finally reopening the building means a great deal to the entire community.

“This has been an iconic symbol in the community for over 250 years. Everybody always keeps their eyes on Perkins House and [are] always asking how are things coming and when is going to open and always the discouraging answer of, don’t know, don’t know,” said Rafuse. “So it has been a long road but the end result was worth the wait.”

Perkins House is open to the public seven days a week. Check their website for times.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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MP Bernadette Jordan. Photo Ed Halverson

The Government of Canada continues to support Kejimkujik through a series of announcements.

This week, the MP for South Shore-St. Margaret’s and Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan announced 2,000 trees will be planted in Keji as part of government’s initiative to plant 2 billion trees across the nation.

Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site is surrounded by Acadian forest and Jordan says the species of trees to be planted are chosen based on what is appropriate for the location.

“It’s important that when we’re planting trees were doing it in collaboration with the communities to make sure that we’re planting the right trees. It’s not just about planting a tree, it’s about making sure that you’re putting the right ones for the environment that you live in and that you work in and play in so that they match what we need to see,” said Jordan.

Keji will see several species like red oak, yellow birch and sugar maple planted to help the Acadian forest become more resilient.

Government has set targets for the 2 billion tree planting initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 megatonnes annually by 2050, while also generating up to 4,300 jobs.

At the end of June Minister Jordan was again at Kejimkujik to announce $1.16 million in federal infrastructure renewal funding to help rebuild part of the park damaged by post-tropical storm Dorian in the fall of 2019.

Visitors will see a new climate-resilient, permanent pedestrian bridge built along the Mersey River trail after the former floating pedestrian bridge at Mills Falls had become susceptible to storm damage following Dorian.

Unfortunately for some visitors, the Mills Falls day-use park and part of the trail will be closed while the area is under construction.

Jordan explains any construction in a national park comes with challenges.

“Getting the infrastructure into the park, they don’t want to put in a road, so of course, there’s a lot of different things that they have to do to make it work and it’s very exciting to see it happening in Keji,” said Jordan.

Dorian also damaged the Seaside trail network causing coastal erosion and trail undercutting, washouts, strewn boulders, and loss of headland surface.

Part of the announced funding will cover the cost of repairing damage to both the Harbour Rocks Trail and the Port Joli Head Trail at the Seaside.

These announcements come on the heels of the reopening of Jeremy’s Bay Campground. The area was closed for a year to update water infrastructure and washrooms dating back to their original construction in the 1970s.

The federal government poured $10 million into Kejimkujjik to bring that infrastructure up to modern standards.

Jordan calls that money well spent.

“Everybody loves Keji, I don’t know anybody that doesn’t. It’s an absolute jewel in Nova Scotia. We’ve invested significantly in Keji in the last six years, making sure that they have what they need to continue to grow and meet the needs of the park.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Dr. Robert Strang shares latest vaccinate numbers. Photo Nova Scotia Government

Over 75 percent of Nova Scotians have either received their first dose of COVID vaccine or have an appointment booked.

Nova Scotia now leads the country in the number of people who have received a first dose.

The province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Robert Strang says this is a milestone worth celebrating but we can’t stop yet.

“Seventy-five percent of the entire population with at least one dose is our minimum. While we’ve shifted focus to second doses, we still want as many people as possible to get their first dose and then their second. The more people who are fully vaccinated, the better protected we all are from COVID and its variants, especially the Delta variant,” said Strang.

Another 8,000 members of the military will be added to the total to push the province past the 75 percent mark.

At Monday’s COVID briefing Dr. Strang said the province could begin lifting mask and social distancing restrictions before the end of summer. At Wednesday’s briefing he said that action is dependent on Nova Scotian’s continued willingness to do what needs to be done to beat back COVID.

“We need every eligible person to get both doses of vaccine to help protect us all,” said Strang. “The sooner we do that, the sooner we can lift more restrictions and public health measures.”

Strang acknowledged there are many places who are moving ahead with plans to lift restrictions despite their populations not being fully vaccinated.

He said plans to reopen in the United Kingdom and the United States come with risks of more viral spread, especially the highly contagious Delta variant.

“There is a clear link now between lower COVID vaccination rates and more COVID deaths by state. As Mississippi state health officer says, it is the unvaccinated people who are being diagnosed, who are going to hospital and who are dying. And that’s not a risk we are prepared to take in Nova Scotia,” said Strang. “Our people, our healthcare system and our economy have been through enough so we’ll continue our cautious approach to reopening while we increase our vaccine coverage.”

While Nova Scotia leads in first-dose vaccinations, the province sits in the middle of the pack getting second doses into arms.

Strang reiterated his plea for all Nova Scotians who are able, to get both doses of the vaccine as soon as they can.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin. Photo Nova Scotia Government

The province is announcing that as of Monday, Nova Scotians have received one million doses of COVID vaccines.

The milestone comes as Canada is opening the border to international travellers.

Premier Iain Rankin says the federal restrictions are in line with those already in place to protect Nova Scotians.

“People who can show proof of two vaccines will not have to isolate. Those with one vaccine will have to isolate for seven days and get two negative tests. Anyone who has not been vaccinated will have to isolate for 14 days,” said Rankin. “We are monitoring all travel in and out of our province to look for cases and determine patterns but so far, so good.”

Chief medical officer of health for Nova Scotia Dr. Robert Strang says the province could move to lift restrictions around masks and social distancing sooner if we can increase the rate of vaccinations.

Dr.Robert Strang. Photo Nova Scotia Government

To date, 73 percent of eligible Nova Scotians have received a first dose of vaccine and 29 percent have two doses.

Strang says hitting a target of 85 percent of people with at least one dose will be required to lift restrictions ahead of schedule but to do that, people need to stop being selective about which vaccine they receive.

“Pfizer and Moderna are the same type of vaccine and are both equally effective and safe. One is not better than the other. Given the reduced Pfizer supply and considering the risk of the Delta variant please do not wait to book your second dose. If you got Pfizer for your first dose it’s completely fine to get Moderna for your second. The sooner you’re fully vaccinated the better for all of us,” said Strang.

Rankin is confident Nova Scotia will hit targets that will allow the move to Phase 4 of the reopening plan, as scheduled this coming Wednesday July 14.

“Dr. Strang and the team will continue to watch our cases and ensure we’re moving in that direction but all signs are positive so far,” said Rankin.

While the premier is looking ahead to reopening he also reminds Nova Scotians to not let their guard down.

“People are on the move but so too, is Delta variant and it can spread quickly,” said Rankin. “That is why we have to constantly remind ourselves to be cautious and continue to follow protocols.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Dr. Robert Strang. Photo Nova Scotia Government

Nova Scotia is opening to the rest of Canada beginning Wednesday as the province enters phase three of its reopening plan.

For people coming from the Atlantic provinces that means no more self-isolation requirements.

Those arriving from elsewhere in Canada will need to complete a Nova Scotia Safe Check-in form and electronically upload their proof of vaccination.

The province is throwing open the border as public health continues to report new daily cases in the single digits.

Nova Scotia has 51 active cases of COVID-19, two of those are currently in hospital.

A major milestone in vaccinations was reached Tuesday as the province marks 900,000 doses injected into arms.

(L-R) Rennette Amirault-Laing, IWK Health, Halifax Convention Centre Vaccine Clinic Lead and Captain Danielle Clement, Site Lead, Canadian Armed Forces, Kathleen King, Event Coordinator, Halifax Convention Centre and Sarah Parisio, Site Manager, Canadian Red Cross. Photo Nova Scotia Government

Tuesday saw a daily record of 31,000 shots administered and Nova Scotians are booked to receive 135,000 shots over the coming week.

Dr. Robert Strang says the vaccination rates are some of the highest in the country with 73 percent of the population having received at least one dose of vaccine.

But he is concerned young people in their twenties seem to be resisting getting their shots.

“In that age group many people think they’re invincible, they’re young, they’re not going to get seriously ill. Well even if you’re not worried about yourself, we’re asking you to do, like everything else through COVID, do it for other people around you. Do it for the rest of Nova Scotia,” said Strang. “And quite frankly, for young people, if they want to continue to have restaurants open, if they want to travel, well the way they get to do that is by making sure they’re contributing to the highest possible coverage rate.”

Strang says the province is on track to meet a target of two doses in 75 percent of Nova Scotians by the end of August.

Moving to Phase three of the reopening plan allows a household to host an additional 10 guests inside and 25 outside.

Restaurants and bars can now serve until midnight and close by 1:00am.

Sports, recreation, arts and music events will all see increases in capacity.

A complete list of the changes are available on the government Nova Scotia coronavirus website.

Dr. Strang also took a moment to recognize students, teachers and schools for the efforts they made during a difficult year.

“[Wednesday] is the last official day of school and I just want to personally thank, it’s been a difficult year for school but we’ve done well in Nova Scotia compared to many other places. We’ve had most of the school year in school. So I just want to personally thank students, staff, teachers for all they’ve done to get through the school year by keeping each other safe,” said Strang. “Have a good summer and we’ll come back next year with a much more normal school year. Thank you.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Hank Snow Museum. Photo Ed Halverson

The Hank Snow Museum staff is looking ahead to a better summer this year.

Despite having to call off the annual tribute show for the second year in a row due to COVID restrictions, the museum’s doors will be open and music will be played.

Acting administrator Vina Moses says they’re accepting visitors by appointment and Wednesday will mark the start of a weekly concert and BBQ series she’s calling the ‘Hank Snow Chuckwagon BBQ & Wednesday Entertainment”

“We are doing everything outdoors because that’s the only way that we can do [the event] with spacing,” said Moses. “It’s very hard to do it indoors and try and clean and all that kind of stuff.”

Moses says they will be following all COVID protocols from social distancing and cleaning to hand sanitizing and masks.

Because the events will be held outdoors there will also be some new steps taken to make visitors comfortable.

“We realize that we can’t let people sit out there in the sun so we’ve got sun shelters this year which is really a big and a wonderful addition,” said Moses.

While the shows are free, Moses says the museum will gladly accept do nations.

“Because we don’t have the tribute we need this money to augment our lights, our electricity, our fuel,” said Moses. “So it’s actually to keep the museum going during the whole year.”

Moses says the museum relies on events such as this, their monthly online 50/50 draw operated in partnership with QCCR and the $10,000 the Region of Queens provides each year to keep the operation running.

It turns out closing the doors for an extended period of time has allowed museum staff to dive deep into their collection to put more memorabilia on display.

Moses says they’ve dug into filings cabinets and examined close to 40 boxes that have been in storage.

“It’s been wonderful because we’ve had the time to peruse them all, to find letters from Hank Snow himself. We’ve been able to find memorabilia that we would not have known about,” said Moses.

As far as when the annual tribute show will resume, Moses says that is up to public health officials.

“If you saw the line up of people who come here, they’re from all over. They’re from all over the United States, they’re from all over Canada,” said Moses. “ So we could never have the tribute without having the borders open.”

Moses says whenever the tribute does happen again they have already confirmed Carroll Baker will be headlining.

Until then the “Hank Snow Chuckwagon BBQ & Wednesday Entertainment” will run each Wednesday until mid-September.

The series kicks off Wednesday with Autumn Carver at noon followed by Bob Russell and the Salt Water Cowboys at 1:00pm.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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