Peggy Kelley, a resident of Queens Manor, and Bertha Goodwin, a resident of Hillsview Acres, unveil the name of the new long-term care facility in Queens County. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED FRIDAY AT 3:45 P.M.

The new long-term care facility in Liverpool now has a name.

The 112-bed nursing home will be called The Neighbourhoods of Dogwood Lane.

About 50 people turned out for the name unveiling on Friday morning at the Best Western Plus in Liverpool, including Queens MLA Kim Masland, Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian, regional councillors and some senior municipal staff. There were also residents there from the privately run Queens Manor and the municipally owned Hillsview Acres in Greenfield.

The new $108-million home combines those two facilities.

Andrew MacVicar, executive director of Queens Manor, told the crowd that they received 208 submissions from the community in the naming campaign that began in September.

“We wanted a name that reflected a new beginning and a fresh start,” he said.

“We knew the final name needed to come from the community because this home truly belongs to the community.”

He said the name reflects the new standard in long-term care design of a neighbourhood or household model.

“Smaller households of 12 to 16 residents help create a warm, less institutional environment, one that supports comfort, dignity and a true sense of home. In our new home, we will have four neighbourhoods, each made of two households, for a total of eight households. These neighbourhoods are connected by a central lane that every visitor will walk along to reach their loved one’s household.

“That central lane, beginning right at our front door, will be Dogwood Lane. So, they’re all connected in a way. And I think we can all agree that the dogwood tree has really become a symbol of Queens County.”

Those dogwood trees flourish every spring throughout Queens County. The man who helped bring them to the area in 2000 when he was mayor was Christopher Clarke, who is the chair of the Queens Home for Special Care (the Manor).

He said the new long-term care home represents the biggest construction project in Queens County in the past 50 years. 

“It’s a great step forward. It means a lot to me because I’ve been associated with dogwoods in Queens County for a long time and I never thought this snowball would have gathered in momentum and kept growing in size, so it’s great.”

The Neighbourhoods of Dogwood Lane will also add 22 new beds to long-term care in Queens.

All bedrooms in the new facility will be single occupancy with private bathrooms. And each room will have ceiling lifts that extend to the bathroom, to make it easier for staff to help mobility-impaired residents move around their room. The province funds those devices in only 24 rooms. 

So, the facility’s board is launching a $4-million fundraising campaign for the rest. Clarke said they’re already getting donations.

“It’s going very well. We’ve had some big donations and we’re reaching a point now where we’re looking for the community to make donations. As they say, no donation is too small. Everybody who makes a donation will be recognized on a board in the facility when it opens.”

Queens Manor’s oldest female resident Peggy Kelley helped to unveil the new name on Friday. The 95-year-old said she’s looking forward to being in the new home next year.

“I think it’s going to be nice to have bigger rooms. I’m actually in a private room. But with the wheelchair, (the room) is quite small and very hard to get around in, but the new ones are going to be bigger and we’re going to have our own bathroom. It’s nice, you don’t have to wait for somebody else.

“It’s going to be nice to be there and it’s such a beautiful looking building.”

Masland, who is also Nova Scotia’s minister of natural resources and minister of emergency management, said the province wants to keep people closer to their homes longer. And the new Dogwood Lane facility in Liverpool will help make that happen.

“From a perspective of single beds, single rooms, that’s always been something that’s been very important to me. You know, my grandmother was in Queens Manor, and when she was passing, there was someone beside her that was very ill, that it was very difficult for us as a family not to have that time with her. So I think those single rooms are so important for privacy for our seniors.”

MacVicar said the project is still on track to be finished in the fall of 2026. Depending on final inspections, residents may be in the new facility before Christmas 2026 or in early 2027, he said.

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The Region of Queens wants ‘clear, enforceable provisions’ around e-bike and e-scooter use. (Mercea Iancu via Pixabay)

The Region of Queens wants to figure out how to regulate e-scooters and e-bikes in the municipality.

And that could include allowing them on sidewalks.

District 4 Coun. Vicki Amirault said that at the Nov. 13 police advisory board meeting, Queens District RCMP Const. Andrew Winsor reviewed the Motor Vehicle Act provisions around e-scooters.

“We discussed the uses of these devices on all roads, but the most challenged road was Bristol Avenue,” Amirault told her fellow councillors at Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

“
The board discussed sidewalk versus roadway use for the e-scooters. Due to the narrow lanes and heavy traffic in this area, it was suggested sidewalk use for limited areas, such as these supported by signage, with expectations for reductions in speed.” 

Residents told councillors at their recent town hall sessions that it’s become too dangerous as a pedestrian in some areas, with the rise in popularity of the devices.

They reported people riding e-scooters and e-bikes at high speeds and not paying attention to what they were doing.

Councillors asked staff to develop “clear, enforceable provisions regulating e-bikes and e-scooters as recommended by the police advisory board”.

They also want staff to come up with amendments to a bylaw that restricts skateboard use in downtown Liverpool.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton said the 1998 bylaw prohibiting skateboards at Fort Point, on Main Street, park of Market Street and near the Visitor Information Centre is too restrictive.

“The police advisory board wanted to remedy that since we have a lovely skate park and we’re promoting activity and further engagement with our youth. So that doesn’t jibe with the council of the day.”

She said Winsor told councillors that they can’t do anything about reckless e-scooter and e-bike use without a municipal bylaw.

“Where the municipality doesn’t have bylaws with e-bikes and e-scooters, he can’t do any ticketing. So once we have a bylaw in place that covers that, if someone is going excessive speed on Bristol, he actually would be able to ticket them.”

The Motor Vehicle Act does extensively regulate the use of e-scooters. It explicitly says they should be treated like bicycles, and are not allowed on sidewalks.

Users of bicycles, e-scooters, skateboards and other similar devices are also supposed to wear helmets.

“Where a roadway has a bicycle lane for bicycles travelling in the same direction that a cyclist is travelling, the operator of an electric kick-scooter shall ride in the bicycle lane unless it is impracticable to do so,” the act says. 

“An operator of an electric kick-scooter who is not riding in a bicycle lane shall ride as far to the right side of the roadway as practicable or on the right-hand shoulder of the roadway.”

The Nova Scotia government recently passed a new Traffic Safety Act, which is due to replace the Motor Vehicle Act. It has not been proclaimed yet, so the current Motor Vehicle Act stands.

Under the new act, however, much of the responsibility for regulating the use of bicycles, e-scooters and e-bikes would fall to municipalities.

Mayor Scott Christian said he’s unsure why provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act aren’t being enforced. But he said he hopes the staff report will help clarify who’s responsible.

“It seems to me that some other municipalities will have already tackled this one. So I’ll be interested to see what approaches to regulating the appropriate and safe use of those devices within a town context where there is sidewalk infrastructure in place.”

Councillors also asked staff to investigate traffic calming measures in the town of Liverpool to respond to residents’ concerns about speeding by motor vehicles.

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Region of Queens councillors changed the region’s land use bylaw on Tuesday to greenlight a plan to turn 194 Main St. in Liverpool into apartments. (Rick Conrad / File)

The Region of Queens has cleared the way for a developer to turn the old Stedmans building in downtown Liverpool into apartments.

Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to change the region’s land use bylaw to remove the requirement for more than half of a property’s ground floor to be commercial space.

Developer Eric Fry originally wanted to build 16 apartments, with indoor parking and storage at 194 Main St. 

When councillors rejected that plan in July, he returned with a new proposal that would include two small commercial units on the ground floor, in addition to 14 apartments.

The region’s planning advisory committee initially wanted to amend the bylaw to include a prohibition against a building owner using commercial space as an office. 

But after a public hearing on the proposed bylaw changes on Nov. 12, the municipality’s lawyer told them they didn’t have the authority to dictate who uses a property.

On Tuesday evening, councillors voted for no restrictions on how the commercial areas can be used.

Under the new bylaw, ground-floor dwellings need to be at the back of the building behind the commercial space.

That commercial space must be a minimum of 12 feet deep and 300 square feet.

• READ THE STAFF REPORT ON THE NEW BYLAW HERE

District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell, whose area includes downtown Liverpool, said he had mixed feelings about the changes.

“I have talked to some residents and some business owners and I do understand the aspect of maintaining commercial space,” he told his fellow councillors.

“And I know with the new businesses coming into town, many new businesses, there’s been a concerted effort to maintain Main Street as a commercial zone. I get that, … but I also look at that Stedman’s building with the rats playing outside and the trees growing through the roof, and I got to say that the commitment of somebody that actually wants to put money into that building and what’s the alternative, that we let it rot and let it fall down, or we tear it down?”

Denaige McDonnell, who lives on Main Street, spoke against the changes at the public hearing.

She told QCCR on Tuesday evening that council’s decision was shortsighted, especially without a comprehensive plan for the downtown.

“When we’re talking about bylaws that affect an entire region, I think that it’s flawed thinking to make a decision when it’s based on a single building,” she said.

“It seems that things really are being dealt with, I guess, maybe on a transactional basis and not having a holistic view of the overall system quite so much. … And so I would like to see a little bit more strategy around how we get those buildings up to a standard where they can be used. I think that what we’re doing here is sort of like, well, any use is better than commercial use, but we’re not going to the systemic root of the problem.”

Mayor Scott Christian said he understands those concerns and agrees that a strategic plan for the downtown is needed. But he said the region can’t wait for that process to happen.

“I’m really pleased to see that amendment to our land use bylaw because we weren’t fostering an environment that was business friendly,” he said in an interview.

“So I’m excited to see how the business community responds to a new bylaw infrastructure. And I agree that only changing the bylaw is not a magic bullet to revitalize downtown. We need a good strategy. But I think that providing for more flexibility in our bylaw in a way that’s quite innovative, you don’t see a lot of downtowns and small towns that have this level of flexibility. And so I’m hoping that it sets us apart and creates an environment where we can then pursue a robust strategy to revitalize downtown.”

The new land use bylaw hasn’t gone into effect yet.

People have 14 days to appeal council’s decision to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board.

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The Region of Queens lifted its voluntary water conservation measures on Wednesday. (Rick Conrad)

Municipal water customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn can let their taps run a little longer.

The Region of Queens lifted its voluntary water conservation request on Wednesday.

In a Facebook post, the region said that recent rainfall “has restored the Town Lake to a level above the conservation threshold,” though it’s still not at full capacity.

The conservation directive had been in place since early October, as the region dealt with ongoing drought conditions.

Ashley Christian is owner of WorkEvolved on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Through the day, the WorkEvolved shared office space in downtown Liverpool is a pretty sedate place, with people holding meetings or working on computers.

But on Friday afternoon, it will be the site of some haunting, hilarious and harrowing tales. Four Queens County authors will be reading from their various works, starting at 4 p.m.

Vernon Oickle, Bryn Pottie, Laura Keating and Scott Miller will be part of Local Voices: An Evening of Reading.

WorkEvolved owner Ashley Christian said she was inspired by a recent visit to Rocky Harbour, NL, as part of a course she’s taking on community development.

“And while I was there, I was so impressed by how that community opens up their privately owned spaces for community use. And it just got me thinking, what can I do differently here at WorkEvolved?” Christian, who is also president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview.

“And I would love for folks of Liverpool and beyond to start to feel like this is a space that they can use, and it’s not just a corporate office space. 
So that was the inspiration behind trying to kind of change the perception of WorkEvolved. And as a big reader myself, I thought, ‘What better place to start?’”

Christian bought WorkEvolved in June, though she’s used it for office space herself since it opened in 2020. 

She said she wanted to get something together as part of Christmas on the Mersey, which kicks off on Friday.

“So what you can expect is an opportunity to mingle with fellow book lovers, hopefully in a more intimate setting. And we’re going to have each of the four authors spend the first hour reading something that’s meaningful to them. 

“And then the second hour will be casual conversation, light Q&A with the authors, and an opportunity to speak to them individually, to purchase their books and have a few little snacks and treats.”

The four authors represent an eclectic range of voices. 

Oickle is a prolific and award-winning fiction and non-fiction writer known for his ghost stories. Pottie has received raves for his debut farce, The Great Lunenburglary. Horror writer Keating has gotten notice for her short stories and novella, while Miller’s dystopian cyberpunk debut won the Indies Today award for best sci-fi action/adventure.

Christian says this is only the first of more community events she hopes to organize at WorkEvolved.

“I’m trying to think of things that we’re missing here in Queens County. And what can I bring in that adds value to the community? So I think that a self-defence course would be great. 
I also know that we have some amazing amateur chefs in the area. I would love to be able to help folks to share their passion for cooking, and maybe offer some sort of community dinner.”

Local Voices will be held at WorkEvolved at 154 Main St. in Liverpool, from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. It’s a free event.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Lobster boats leave Port Medway on Monday morning to set their traps on the opening day of the season. (Rick Conrad)

Hundreds of boats and thousands of fishermen set out early Monday morning from wharves along the South Shore for the opening day of lobster season.

Traditionally known as Dumping Day, it’s the first time that crews get out to set their traps for the biggest commercial lobster fishery in Canada.

Family and community members were on the wharf in Port Medway before sunrise to bid good luck to the 10 boats that left just after 7 a.m.

Jillian Perry drove from P.E.I. to see off her husband Bruce on his vessel All A’Boat Me. It’s his fourth season fishing with his own boat. The Island resident lives in Port Medway while he’s fishing.

“It’s just a really big day in the season,” she said. “It can be dangerous, but it’s also exciting. It’s the start of a new season and we just hope for the best and it’s always good luck to come over and wish everyone good luck on their big day.”

Claudine Bulley of Liverpool was also at the wharf on Monday morning to watch her boyfriend Nick Conrad head out on Donkey Riding.

“It’s a tradition to come down and watch them go because it’s the first day of the season. It’s quite exciting too, just to see the season start and see what the catch is going to be.”

Just under 1,700 vessels and 10,000 people headed out from Cow Bay to Digby County on Monday to try to get the best fishing spots. The area’s lobster fishery brought in about $540 million and 21,500 metric tonnes in 2024-25, according to preliminary figures supplied by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

More than 7,100 tonnes of lobster was caught in 2024-25 in LFA 33, the area from Cow Bay to Shelburne, which was worth over $180 million.

In the larger LFA 34, which covers Digby and Yarmouth counties, fishermen caught more than 14,400 tonnes for a value of about $360 million.

Crews had good weather on Monday to start the season.

“I’ve checked with several captains throughout 33 and 34 and as far as I’m aware at this time, nothing, not a breakdown, no ropes caught in the gear,” Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, told QCCR Monday afternoon.

“Everybody safe and the gear is getting set in the water, no issues to report. A beautiful day on the water though, gorgeous day.”

Fleck said it’s too early to know what the opening price will be this year. But he said fishermen in the Bay of Fundy are getting $10 a pound. The opening price last year was $11 a pound.

“If you look at what the captains are facing now, mackerel is, I think, $2.35 a pound for bait that’s just for mackerel. Herring’s expensive. Everything keeps going up except the price of lobsters.”

Fleck says fishermen are also keeping an eye on tariffs. China imposed a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian lobster in March, though so far, the U.S. has held off.

And he said fishermen in some areas off Digby and Yarmouth counties last year had to deal with female Jonah crabs getting into their traps early in the season and eating their bait. That led to lower catches for some.

“We had exorbitant numbers of female Jonah crabs which are illegal to possess bycatch or do anything with them, so people are just literally dumping out the traps. We see those numbers have dissipated quite a bit from last year, so we’re just hoping they haven’t moved into anybody else’s traps.”

There are 678 licence holders in LFA 33, with each limited to 250 traps per licence. There are 978 vessels in LFA 34, with each licence limited to 375 traps. The season runs until May 31.

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Dale Richardson and Matthew Roy speak to the Queens Garden Club about an innovative greenhouse project in Shelburne. (Rick Conrad)

The conditions are ideal for Queens County to become a local food powerhouse just like the Annapolis Valley, advocates say.

The area’s temperate climate and natural biodiversity are two big factors in its favour, members of the Queens Garden Club heard on Thursday evening.

The club’s Mary White says it’s time to devote some resources to harnessing that potential.

“We want some green initiatives here in Queens County,” she said. “We have some very lovely spots that they could go in and that not only could it help with things like food security, it could help with our economics. There’s no reason why everybody should go to the Valley and not go here.

“We have the same resources, and we’re able to do the same sorts of things.”

About 30 people gathered at the Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool on Thursday to hear how that might be done.

The garden club invited Dale Richardson, a municipal councillor in Shelburne, and farmer Matthew Roy to talk about an innovative solar-powered and geothermal greenhouse project in Shelburne. Both were involved in the project.

The Community Garden and Foodshare Association of Shelburne County got a $142,000 grant from the Nova Scotia government in April. 

The volunteer-run project is about 90 per cent complete. It will produce thousands of kilograms of fresh produce year-round for the community to help combat local food insecurity. 

Roy is co-owner of Coastal Grove Farm in Upper Port LaTour, Canada’s only certified organic tea grower and the country’s only certified saffron grower. The farm is also the largest commercial vegetable producer in Shelburne County.

He said communities in southwestern Nova Scotia need to start thinking seriously about becoming more food independent. 

“Nova Scotia in general only has three days of food in the province,” he said. “Just digest that for a moment. … The rest of it has to get imported from other places, which isn’t bad when there’s not geopolitical issues, when there’s not climate change issues that bring dryness or droughts or interrupts transportation. … I think it’s really relevant to be thinking about where is our food coming from? And do we have the local production?”

Roy said that with only 19 registered farms in all of Queens County, there isn’t enough capacity to put food on the shelves if disaster struck.

“What has happened in Shelburne, I think would be really beneficial to have that replicated up and down the southwestern shore.”

Milton resident Kathy Chute said she’s impressed with what they’re doing in Shelburne.

“I’m jealous. I think we could do it here, no problem. and maybe even up in Milton. You know, that unused area by the swimming pool, we could put a nice greenhouse in there.”

White says farming could be as big an industry in Queens County as forestry and fishing.

“This area in particular was more about forestry and fishing, that sort of thing, and really they just let other people provide the food for them. And now it’s time for us to take that resource back. … It’s time for us to look at another natural resource that we have, and that is our outdoor space.”

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Members of the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board held a water rate hearing in Liverpool on Wednesday. (Rick Conrad)

If the Region of Queens Water Utility doesn’t double its rates over the next three years, the whole system is in jeopardy.

That’s what a consultant hired by the region told provincial regulators on Wednesday during a hearing into the utility’s request for an immediate 85 per cent increase, part of its overall 102 per cent requested hike in rates.

Bruce Fisher, chair of the three-member Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board panel, asked Gerry Eisnor of G.A. Eisnor Consulting, what would happen if the board held the rate increases to 15 to 20 per cent.

“I don’t want to be cynical, but really, if you cut that much out of this budget, I would be buying bottled water,” Eisnor said.

“You will not have a reliable system. 
I think if you cut this back enough, you’re either going to have a water quality issue or a water delivery issue. Either way, you’re in trouble. … This utility needs to be brought up to be funded properly so it can go forward. It will not be what I would call a sustainable, successful operation.”

Eisnor and consultant Blaine Rooney wrote the water rate study that forms the region’s application for an increase for its 1,233 customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn.

Eisnor said the Queens water utility has been undercharging customers for years, especially when compared to other municipalities like Mahone Bay and Shelburne with similar water quality.

The region made its case on Wednesday for rate hikes that the Queens Community Health Board has called “unreasonable, unjust and unprecedented”.

Even the appeals board’s Fisher referred to the application as “rate shock”.

“We don’t typically see 100 per cent rate increases,” he said during Wednesday’s hearing.

Board members questioned region officials on why they need such a large rate hike, their budget assumptions, staffing, the system’s water leaks and loss, and other issues.

They heard that the municipality has been subsidizing the water utility for at least 20 years, as losses have been covered by general revenue.

And that meant that deficiencies in the system were left unaddressed.

Until 2021, the region didn’t have a good handle on the utility’s expenses. The region’s finance director Joanne Veinotte told the board on Wednesday that when she was hired, she began to implement stricter accounting measures. 

Eisnor said there had been no inventory control over things like water meters, which in many cases are 30 to 40 years old and need to be replaced.

“I don’t think the protocols and procedures were as rigorous as they should have been,” Eisnor said. 

“It was worse than we thought,” Veinotte said. “It took us a while to sort through it.”

But when Fisher asked for specifics on exactly what that means, Eisnor and Veinotte could not provide them.

The utility is also struggling with aging infrastructure, Eisnor said, with much of the piping dating from the 1880s. 

The region says it needs to jack up rates immediately to stem a $516,000 deficit. If rates don’t rise, that deficit is expected to swell to more than $3 million by 2027/28.

The Queens Community Health Board intervened in the rate hearing. It said the region’s initial first-year 106 per cent rate hike request was too high, especially for vulnerable residents on fixed incomes.

After they objected, the region lowered its Year 1 request by taking some funds from other budget reserves and smoothing out depreciation charges over a longer period.

Tara Druzina, chair of the community health board, said during the hearing on Wednesday that she doesn’t fault the current council and staff for the water utility’s problems.

“We know this is long in coming, this has been 22 years. But the 22 years has resulted in a significant burden for our vulnerable population.”

Almost 20 per cent of water utility customers are in arrears.

She welcomed the region’s recently approved utility assistance rebate of $200 a year for people with household incomes of $35,000 or less. But she said the cap should be higher, to match the low-income cutoff for a family of four in Queens County of $48,000.

After the hearing, Druzina said she’s confident the appeals board will consider the impact on low-income residents.

“We understand that the utility needs to run a balanced budget. But now I also think that the utility and the appeals board understand that there are a lot of people out there who just cannot afford a 115 per cent increase. 
So hopefully we can strike a balance. And I’m hopeful for that, and the board seems to be siding on that as well.”

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR that the region is trying to put the utility back on solid financial ground.

“So I think that it is a mess. It’s a mess that was a long time in the making. 
It’s going to take us a while to get out of it. All we can do is make the next responsible wise decision. And I think that the experts that we’ve convened to look at this file and the commitments that we’ve made in the future of the water utility, I think we’re headed in the right direction.”

Members of the regulatory board asked the region to provide more information on five items by Nov. 28. After that, the board has 90 days to make a decision.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

The Region of Queens wants to offer residents with dug wells access to low-interest loans to convert to drilled wells. (Bluenose Well Drilling Facebook page)

Queens County homeowners who want a new drilled well will eventually have access to low-interest loans through the Region of Queens.

Councillors voted unanimously at their regular meeting last week to ask staff to draft a bylaw for a water supply and septic upgrade program.

Some Nova Scotia municipalities already offer low-interest loans for residents who want to switch from a dug well to a drilled well, sometimes at interest rates as low as two per cent.

Joanne Veinotte, the region’s director of finance, told councillors that municipal staff haven’t had calls looking for help with septic systems. But they have heard from people struggling with dry wells who want a loan or grant program to help drill a new one.

“Council will have to decide, are you satisfied with providing $10,000 of assistance, or would you like to provide $30,000 of assistance, or perhaps more?” Veinotte said. 

“Because all of those things depend on how much money you are willing to loan at a low-interest rate, are you going to cover the whole bill or part of the bill? That’s a council decision that will be made through the bylaw process.”

In her report to council, Veinotte said that Queens County has received less than 40 per cent of its annual precipitation in 2025. The area is classified as having severe to extreme drought conditions.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg and the Municipality of the District of Barrington are two municipalities on the South Shore that offer low-interest loans for homeowners.

Lunenburg provides up to $20,000 for either well or septic upgrades at a rate of two per cent a year for a term of up to 15 years. Barrington offers a three per cent rate on loans of up to 10 years for well upgrades only. Some municipalities, like Halifax, offer help for both water and septic at prime plus two per cent.

Residents repay the loans through their tax bills.

Initially, staff recommended a program only for drilled wells. But some councillors, like Jack Fancy and Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton, said they’d like to see septic upgrades included in the program.

“I think of in Milton in particular, there’s so many septics that are going straight into the river,” Fancy said. 

‘And that’s part of the environmental issue of it we need to clean up. And if we’re going to do this, I think we need to make this all part of it.”

District 6 Coun. Stewart Jenkins said he’d like to see the cost of a water pump and water tank included in the program.

Veinotte said councillors have the ultimate authority to draft the bylaw the way they want and to hash out the details, including how much to set aside each year for the loan program.

“You guys would talk all of those things through and decide what works best for our residents,” she said. “But absolutely, you as council have the discretion to determine what goes into what pot and how much everyone can take out.”

This is just the first step toward a low-interest loan program for wells and septic systems in Queens County.

Staff will draft a bylaw for councillors to review at a future meeting. Once councillors introduce a proposed bylaw, residents will have a chance to have their say at a public hearing before anything is adopted.

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Residents on Waterloo Street in Liverpool appealed to Region of Queens councillors this week to speed up work on the street. (Rick Conrad)

Residents living on and around Waterloo Street in downtown Liverpool are frustrated with water and sewer upgrades that have been going on for three years.

Christopher Clarke, a former Region of Queens mayor who lives on Bootlegger Road at the end of Waterloo, told councillors this week that the project has disrupted residents’ lives for long enough.

“It’s a disgrace. … For three years, our street has been dug up, and it now, based on a letter that we were sent, looks as though it will go into the fourth year. The construction is being done there with very little consideration to the residents. The place is a mess.”

The work begins at the corner of School and Waterloo streets and extends down the narrow residential street to the water.

Clarke said heavy equipment has been left on the street, signs toppled on people’s lawns, pipes left lying everywhere. Also, a temporary traffic light is set up and the noise from the generator disturbs residents at night.

“Now, I don’t for one minute, criticize the employees who are working there. … This is a very, very badly managed project. And so maybe that’s where the blame should lie.”

And he said he was insulted when the region recently sent residents a letter with an update on the project and told them not to talk about the problems with anybody else but senior staff.

“I didn’t elect the manager. I helped to elect the mayor and the councillor. So if I want to come and talk to anybody, I’m going to come and do it. 
I’m not going to be told by staff that I’m not allowed to come and talk. But you’ve got to do something to help us. It’s a mess, it’s muddy, it’s going into next year. 

“Shut the project down, you know you’re not going to get it done this year. … Fix up the street for us, get at it properly next year, do the job, and plan it. It is an absolute disgrace. I would be ashamed to sit in front of the public and tell them that I am responsible for a job like that.”

Waterloo Street resident Paula Doucet echoed Clarke’s concerns. She told councillors that the work is progressing too slowly and that crews don’t appear to be onsite full time.

She added that elderly residents and those with mobility issues also find it difficult to navigate around the work and the equipment.

“We have two big diggers on our street. 
One appears to be working. One isn’t working,” she said.

“We’re paying a lot of taxes and I’m getting really tired of this project. You know, I know it needs to be done, I know it will be great when it’s finished. 
Get it done! If you’ve got to hire more contractors to come in, get it done.”

Mayor Scott Christian said he understood the residents’ concerns.

“I appreciate your frustrations and thank you for your patience, and, yes, we do need to ensure that you have a better experience with respect to that project, so I apologize on behalf of the organization.”

Christian could not be reached for a followup interview.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

The Region of Queens is asking for a lower immediate rise in water rates. (Daan Mooij via Unsplash)

The Region of Queens is no longer asking for an immediate 106 per cent increase in water rates.

But customers will still have to pay about 115 per cent more over three years if the municipality’s application to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board is successful.

In documents filed with the board on Nov. 7, the region is now asking for a 43 per cent increase in the first year for the 1,200 water utility customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn. The region has diverted about $1.6 million in budget reserves to blunt the first-year increase and spread it over a longer period.

“The utility did not get in its present state overnight and it cannot be restored to its proper efficient and effective state overnight, but the process has started, and it needs a sustainable rate structure to accomplish this,” Willa Thorpe, the region’s chief administrative officer, wrote in the revised rate hike request. 

“If the current underfunding is not addressed now it just pushes the problem forward and adds unnecessary debt payments for future customers.”

• Read the region’s submission to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board
• Read the Queens Community Health Board’s submission to the regulatory board

Before the region filed its revised rate hike request, the Queens Community Health Board filed a comprehensive objection to the planned increases, calling them “unreasonable, unjust and unprecedented”. 

The board is the only registered intervenor in the hearing, though it has letters of support from the Queens County Food Bank, Liverpool Curling Club, Queens Transit and the Queens Care Society.

Board chair Tara Druzina told QCCR this week that many people can’t afford to pay up to an extra $461 a year for water services.

“I think the perspective of the community health board is the shock of the increase that is coming forward,” she said.

“The municipality does need to run a balanced utility and we’re aware of that. It’s just that the 115ish per cent over three years, while there’s such a large percentage of water loss, is this concerning part we have, particularly for our vulnerable residents.”

The board will hold a public hearing on the region’s water rate request on Wed., Nov. 19 at 10:30 a.m. in council chambers at the region’s offices on White Point Road.

Druzina said it’s important for residents to have their say at the hearing.

“The board members, like at a council meeting, need to know the perspective of the community impacted.”

Anybody can speak at the hearing, but you must notify the board by Fri., Nov. 14, by email at board@novascotia.ca, by phone at 902-424-1333 or 1-844-809-0010. You can also send written comments to the board by email or by sending a letter to the Clerk of the Board at P.O. Box 1692, Unit “M”, Halifax, NS B3J 3S3 by Nov. 14.

The region says it needs to raise rates by more than 100 per cent to deal with an $800,000 deficit.

The utility has operated at a loss for five consecutive years, since 2020. It’s also been struggling to keep a lid on significant leaks in the system, losing up to 69 per cent of its water each year through faulty water mains and other unrepaired damage. In a 2024 study commissioned by the region, consultants said that leakage rate placed it in the “worst” category compared to other utilities.

“The people of Queens County face a choice made by others: pay dramatically more for a service that wastes two-thirds of its water or fight for regulatory protection,” the health board wrote in its submission.

“The (regulatory) board has both the authority and the obligation to protect ratepayers from this injustice while ensuring utility viability. We recognize the challenges faced by small rural utilities. However, four years of declining performance despite board direction and significant spending demonstrates problems beyond normal operational difficulties. We are not asking the board to let the utility fail. We are asking the board to protect the people of Queens County from bearing the full cost of that failure.”

The community health board points to the utility buying used water meters from Halifax that were already past their prime, staffing shortages, improper oversight and the ongoing system leaks.

The health board wants the provincial regulator to approve a 15 to 20 per cent increase and impose mandatory targets to reduce system leaks: 10 per cent reductions a year by 2028, with a long-term reduction goal to the industry standard of 30 per cent.

In a letter to the regulatory board after the region’s revised rate request, Druzina says the lower proposed hike in the first year is better, but “without binding performance accountability measures, however, it does not address the operational failures that created this crisis or prevent recurrence.”

And she says the region’s recently approved $200 utility assistance rebate for those on low incomes is “insufficient and unsustainable”.

In a county with a 31.5 per cent child poverty rate and where more than 30 per cent of residents are over 65, Druzina says even with the rebate, people will struggle to cope with a 43 per cent immediate increase.

Recent decisions by the regulatory board have approved water rate increases of up to 17.8 per cent in Sherbrooke on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore and 7.2 per cent over two years for Halifax.

The Queens proposal “represents the largest rate increase request in documented Nova Scotia regulatory history”, Druzina writes.

In addition to an interim hike of no more than 15 to 20 per cent, the health board wants future increases tied to reducing the water wasted through leaks in the system. It also wants the provincial regulator to order an independent system audit and quarterly public reporting, and to require a performance-based rate plan with accountability measures.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Eric Fry speaks during a public hearing Wednesday on proposed changes to the Region of Queens land use bylaw. (Region of Queens YouTube)

It will take a little longer to find out if the old Stedman’s building on Main Street in Liverpool will have a new life as an apartment complex.

The Region of Queens held a public hearing on Wednesday on proposed changes to the municipality’s land use bylaw that would allow for more residential space on the ground floor of buildings in the downtown commercial district.

At their meeting afterward, councillors voted to seek legal advice on whether they have the authority to make one of those changes.

Developer Eric Fry wants to turn 194 Main St. into 18 residential units, four of which would be “hotel suites”, and two main-level commercial units of 300 square feet each.

Fry bought the 30,000-square-foot building earlier this year and has been trying to get municipal approval for his apartment proposal since February. His original plan was for 16 residential units, indoor parking, storage and no commercial space. Councillors refused to change the bylaw to allow that to proceed.

After Fry listed his property for sale, the region’s planning advisory committee agreed to consider a revised a proposal and return it council.

• READ MORE ABOUT 194 MAIN ST. HERE

Municipal rules require that at least half of a building’s ground floor must be commercial space.

On Wednesday, Fry spoke briefly in support of the bylaw changes. Four Liverpool residents spoke against them.

Tara Druzina said she wasn’t sure whether councillors had the authority under the Municipal Government Act to dictate who uses space in a building. A proposed change would forbid the owner or property manager from using one of the commercial spaces as an office.

“Municipalities regulate land-use types and their characteristics, but discriminating against and between identical uses based on ownership arrangements may exceed municipal jurisdiction,” she told councillors.

Denaige McDonnell said she was concerned that councillors were missing the mark in trying to change the bylaw.

“A common argument for expanding residential use is that there isn’t enough demand for commercial space, but deeper issues are at play here,” she said.

“
Many of our commercial buildings simply do not meet current building code, accessibility, or safety standards that are required for occupancy or for commercial use. And really what that’s telling us is that it’s not a demand problem, but it’s a readiness problem.”

McDonnell said the region is trying to change its bylaw to appease one property owner without having a comprehensive commercial plan.

“Structural changes like this need to be informed by clear, data-driven, county-wide strategy, not as reactions to individual development proposals.

“This proposed bylaw change may offer a short-term perception of flexibility and reward a single proponent, but it comes at a long-term strategic cost. Our commercial spaces are a very valuable part of our community. 
They are our most valuable assets for the future, and they deserve to be protected, planned and leveraged as part of a larger vision for economic sustainability.”

Susan McGibbon said she was worried the process is moving too quickly without a proper assessment of business in downtown Liverpool. 

“I’m not saying that is your fault, council. This goes way back. 
There’s been no development of an economic plan for the downtown for a very long time. So there’s no research, there’s no data, and there’s been little to no expertise in the understanding of commercial and retail in the downtown.”

Paul Deveau pointed out that during public consultations in the spring, residents and business owners said that there needed to be a downtown plan that protects commercial space while adding more housing.

“But here we are a few months later, and you’re again trying to amend a bylaw without a comprehensive plan.” 

Later in the meeting, councillors decided that they couldn’t make a decision on the proposed changes until they got legal advice.

Mayor Scott Christian asked whether staff sought advice on the wording around what landlords can do with the commercial space. 

Staff conceded they had not.

Council asked staff to have that information ready for their next meeting on Nov. 25.

Until then, the land use bylaw remains unchanged. Any substantive changes would likely restart the process and require council to have another public hearing.

Once councillors voted for a legal opinion, Christian called a break and met with Fry in his office for about 15 minutes.

Afterward, Fry told QCCR that he appreciated residents’ comments and their passion for the downtown. He said he understands that council has to make sure they have authority to make the changes.

“It’s unfortunate that this wasn’t flushed out as maybe as thoughtfully as it should have been. So, I understand there is a process to remedy, so we’ll have to wait until we hear what those next steps are.” 

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Carol Smith is the chair of the North Queens Remembrance Day Committee and chaplain with the North Queens Fire Association. (Rick Conrad)

When people in North Queens gather on Tuesday to commemorate the community’s war veterans, they’ll have a little help from a booklet and website honouring those who didn’t return.

The project is a collaboration between the North Queens Remembrance Day Committee, the North Queens Heritage Society and air force veteran Chris Charlton.

They’ve created a booklet called North Queens: We Will Remember Them. It profiles the 33 service members from the area who died in the two world wars and the Korean conflict.

“I think the importance is that these young men from North Queens were very committed to serving their country and to doing what was needed in their time,” says Carol Smith, chair of the Remembrance Day committee and chaplain of the North Queens Fire Association.

“And when you read the profiles, you just see what a huge change it must have been for them to leave rural Nova Scotia and go fight in faraway countries and just put their lives on the line. So it’s the enormity of their sacrifice that we need to remember. And I think that’s what Remembrance Day is all about, is realizing that we’re all called upon to want the greater good and to remember what they did for peace and what is it that we can do in our time and place. It’s just a great inspiration to me.”

Charlton, who was a Sea King pilot for 28 years and is a Gulf War veteran, approached the committee last year about a project he was working on to commemorate the war dead from North Queens.

The Maitland Bridge native wanted to profile each of the fallen veterans listed on the cenotaph in Caledonia.

“And we quickly got the committee together and started working with Chris,” Smith says. “Chris has done an amazing amount of work researching the lives of those whose names are on the cenotaph in North Queens, and he deserves a lot of credit for that because it’s been a labour of love for him.”

The committee received a $3,000 grant from Veterans Affairs Canada to print 250 booklets to distribute to families of the fallen. There will also be copies handed out at this year’s Remembrance Day service in Caledonia. Charlton will be at the ceremony.

The booklet includes a full profile and photos of each of the servicemen. There’s even more information on the North Queens Remembers website, including a treasure trove of archival documents.

“I think what makes them so very interesting is the details that Chris has put in, where each person was born, their family, where they enlisted, how they served, tragically where they died, where they’re buried, how their families were notified. It all brings to life their commitment and their sacrifice.”

Though Charlton wrote the profiles and compiled the documents, it was a community effort, including members of the former Royal Canadian Legion branch in Caledonia and the volunteer fire department.

“Part of it is to honour these people. And it would be easy to let the passage of time dim our memories. … A lot of the men were buried in foreign fields. And a lot of people have not been able to go and see the cemeteries. So this is just one way to connect us to the amazing stories for each of these people.”

The project was also a personal one for Smith. Her father Mervyn Dunn was a veteran of the Second World War. He returned home, but he didn’t talk much about his experiences overseas.

“He was in France, Italy, Holland, all those places, and he never talked about it. He never talked about it. Many veterans are like that, and I regret, I really regret, that I didn’t ask him more. … But, you know, so many people have the same story, that their fathers didn’t talk about it.”

At the Remembrance Day service in Caledonia on Tuesday, members of the committee will read the profile of Private Joseph Colp, whose brother Simeon is still alive and living in a nursing home in Lunenburg. They also plan to give one of the commemorative booklets to him.

“And I think this is a really good profile to read because it really highlights the sacrifice of so many. And Chris has mentioned in his profile that where he is buried, the cemetery contains the graves of those who died during the fighting at Moro River and Ortona. Today, there are 1,615 graves in the cemetery, of which 1,375 are Canadian.”

Smith says the committee has also given about 20 copies to the North Queens Community School, where teachers plan to use it in class projects. She hopes the document will inspire other groups to do similar research on veterans in their area.

“We used to have them around so that we could talk to them, but now we don’t. So I think these stories need to be told. And so if it could be an inspiration, that would be great.”

The Remembrance Day service in Caledonia is on Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. at the North Queens Fire Hall. 

Copies of the booklet are available for public viewing at the North Queens Heritage House Museum in Caledonia. You can visit the North Queens Remembers website at https://www.northqueensremembers.ca .

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Remembrance Day services around Queens County

A list of 2025 Remembrance Day services in Queens County.

A test tower collecting wind data on the site of the Mersey River Wind farm in Milton. (Renewall Energy)

The Mersey River wind farm in Milton has finally broken ground, with crews getting the site ready this fall for when turbines are delivered next year.

“We are moving forward with the construction of the wind farm,” said Dan Roscoe, CEO of Roswall Development, the company that plans to install 33 windmills on Crown land west of the Mersey River.

“What will take place over the coming weeks will mostly be work on roads and grading, and we’re going to get as much done as we can before the snow flies. It’ll probably take us into  the first week or two of January until we have to shut down, and then we’ll pick things up in probably March or April.”

Once the windmills are operational, Queens County residents will be able to buy power directly from Roswall’s subsidiary Renewall Energy.

Renewall promises that its rates will be lower and more stable than Nova Scotia Power’s. Hundreds of people have already signed up to be among the first residential customers, and the company also has agreements with more than 30 commercial, industrial, and government customers. The Region of Queens Municipality is one of them.

Roscoe told QCCR this week the company is in talks with about a dozen more big users.

“We’ve been engaging commercial and larger customers for some time, and that has continued. We continue to sign up new customers.”

Renewall sent out notices this week to people on its mailing list and to other local groups to tell them they’d be working at the site in Milton.

Roscoe said they’re still on schedule to have the wind turbines delivered by fall of 2026. He says people are excited about one of the first big wind projects in Nova Scotia that will sell power directly to homeowners.

“So it’s a big milestone for us, and I think it’s a big milestone for Nova Scotia. I think there’s a lot of interest in having choice of who we can buy electricity from. So we think it’s exciting for both electricity customers in Nova Scotia and the renewable energy industry in general.”

In 2021, Renewall was the first in Nova Scotia to be awarded a licence to sell power directly to consumers under the Renewable to Retail program introduced by the provincial government in 2015. The program allows companies to supply electricity directly to consumers while paying Nova Scotia Power a tariff for use of their grid.

People can sign up for updates on the project on the Mersey River Wind website.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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The Region of Queens is considering using Nickersons Pond and the Herring Cove Lake watershed area as a source for non-potable water. (Rick Conrad)

Despite recent rain showers, the Region of Queens is still struggling with low water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir.

On Wednesday, it continued voluntary water conservation measures that have been in place for a month.

The region is asking its 1,200 customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn to use less water.

In an update on its Facebook page on Thursday, the region said water levels continue to drop.

Almost 47 millimetres of rain has fallen in the area in the past week, according to Environment Canada.

“At full capacity, the Town Lake Reservoir has a maximum depth of nine feet above the water intake pipe,” the region wrote in a Facebook post. 

“At present, the water level is at six and a half feet. If levels reach five feet, it triggers the Warning Level, where reduced water pressure could impact the entire system. While the system is operating at lower pressure, it remains functional.”

Mayor Scott Christian said that the region is investigating alternative water sources to deal with future shortages because of climate change. 

“If that means accessing the Herring Cove watershed and drawing water down from Nickersons Pond, that potentially could be something for the future. But you’re talking a multi-multi-million-dollar investment to stand up a secondary source for the water utility.”

The Nickersons Pond area (Rick Conrad)

That watershed used to supply water to the old Bowater Mersey mill and some residents in Brooklyn.

He said municipal officials are considering that as a source for non-potable water for people with dry wells.

“There’s no draw on it and there’s a dam on it. There’s a significant amount of water there. My understanding is that when it was in full operation, it was drawing in excess of 6 million gallons of water a day.”

Christian said that at their meeting next week, councillors will be considering a proposal for low-interest or no-interest loans for people to switch to drilled wells.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has a program like that. And Christian said it’s been so popular that there’s a backlog of about 60 properties on a waitlist.

“We know that there are pain points there and it also adds to the overall debt load as a property owner, so it’s not a magic bullet, but we’re exploring that channel.”

In the meantime, though, he said the municipality needs to fix the leaks and water loss in its system due to old infrastructure. 

In documents filed with the region’s application for water rate increases at the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, it was revealed that the Region of Queens Water Utility lost 69.1 per cent of its water in 2024 through leaks.

The $21-million project to extend and upgrade water and wastewater services to the Mount Pleasant area of Liverpool will help address that, Christian said.

“We know that we need to stop losing so much water, ensuring that the water utility is viable and sustainable is making the upgrade to the existing infrastructure so that we’re not losing so much water.”

Christian said Town Lake Reservoir is reliable, despite the challenges with water levels in the past two years.

“We’re really fortunate with the watershed that we have. We actually (issued) a conservation order on our water utility quite a bit later coming than it was in a lot of our adjacent municipalities and that’s reflective of the fact that is a very strong watershed.”

Christian said the municipality will work with the provincial and federal governments to create a more reliable water supply, especially if droughts continue due to climate change.

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The Region of Queens is asking for hefty water rate hikes. (Rick Conrad)

Some municipal water customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn will get a break on their bills.

Region of Queens councillors recently approved the utility assistance rebate for those on low incomes.

Council created the rebate program because the 1,200 customers of the municipal water supply are expected to see a huge increase.

The Region of Queens Water Utility is asking provincial regulators for a 106 per cent increase to water bills. That’s to address an $800,000 deficit.

Under the rebate program, the region will give up to a $200 credit on the applicant’s utility account.

That is expected to cover just over half (58 per cent) of the expected $342 annual increase in people’s water bills. If someone gets the full rebate, they would still be paying about 50 per cent more than they do now, or about $472 annually.

Mayor Scott Christian said he was impressed with council, given that they’re asking customers for such a hefty increase.

“And so I’m proud, I’m proud of this piece of work, and I thank the staff for your efforts in helping us with our vision to get to a place where we can feel good about the fact that these water rates are going to impact a lot of our residents.”

If the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board grants the region’s request, most people’s annual bills will rise to $672.

The provincial regulator will hold a public hearing at council chambers on Wed., Nov. 19 at 10:30 a.m. Residents can speak at the hearing, but they must notify the board by Nov. 14. Written comments can be sent by email to board@novascotia.ca or by sending a letter to the Clerk of the Board at P.O. Box 1692, Unit “M”, Halifax, NS B3J 3S3 by Nov. 14.

Councillors approved $15,000 in this year’s budget to pay for the rebate. If more money is needed for the program, staff will return to council to approve the extra spending.

The rebate took effect last Tuesday, after council’s vote. The region will publicize the rebate and tell people how to apply for it.

It is open to all water utility customers with an annual household income of $35,000 or less. 

More information on the region’s water rate application can be found here by searching for Matter Number M12363.

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Region of Queens Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton wants a ‘comprehensive review’ of the municipal planning strategy and land use bylaw. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens councillors are considering an overhaul of the rules that govern what people and businesses do with their properties.

Regional council voted unanimously on Tuesday evening in favour of Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton’s motion for a “comprehensive review” of the municipal planning strategy and land use bylaw “with particular focus on commercial uses and allowances within residential zones, regulation and permitting of short-term rentals, the keeping of livestock within residential and rural zones, light pollution mitigation and related dark sky considerations, coastal protection measures and climate resilient land use provisions, and minimum property standards.”

She said she wants staff to prepare a report in time for the Dec. 9 council meeting “outlining proposed consultation timelines, engagement methods and anticipated resource requirements to support this review process.”

The municipality adopted a new planning strategy and bylaw in 2022 after three and a half years of review and community consultation. Charlton was a member of council for that process.

“We have had some things pop up that are proving to be challenging,” Charlton said, “other things that I think maybe we didn’t think of during that timeframe. … I think we do need to address the issues in our land use bylaw.”

Charlton didn’t offer specifics, but councillors have wrestled since the spring with a request to turn the old Stedman’s building at 194 Main St. into apartments. 

Developer Eric Fry originally wanted the building to be only residential, despite municipal rules that require at least half of a downtown building’s ground floor be for commercial use.

The region is in the process of changing the land use bylaw to allow Fry to include a much smaller commercial footprint.

Charlton, who chairs the municipality’s planning advisory committee, told councillors that some people want more flexibility to open businesses in their houses.

Currently, the land use bylaw essentially prohibits retail and other commercial operations in residential zones, though there are some exceptions for artists and other small home-based businesses.

“I think some of our measures are a bit too strict and they’re restricting economic development in Queens,” Charlton said. 

Mayor Scott Christian said it’s standard practice to review a new bylaw after two years. Plus, he said, residents have raised concerns with parts of the bylaw that he says are “clunky”.

“In this term of council we’re really focusing on making sure we’re striking that balance to foster a business friendly environment, to addressing affordability issues. And I think some provisions within the municipal planning strategy and land use bylaw don’t resonate entirely with the strategic vision and direction that this council wants to take the organization.”

He said council wants professional advice from staff on a “laundry list of items”.

“(The bylaw) doesn’t do enough to give us a strong sense and deliberate approach to managing short-term rentals. It doesn’t strike the right balance in its approach to homesteading. It’s too blunt in its restrictions of the type of commercial activity that can happen in general residential areas.”

In 2022, many residents cried foul over proposed changes to homesteading rules. People who kept chickens or small numbers of other animals on their properties were worried that the bylaw would interfere with their ability to produce food for themselves and others. 

Those concerns overshadowed many of the other significant changes in the comprehensive bylaw overhaul.

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Velta Vikmanis is the new executive director of Liverpool’s Astor Theatre. (Rick Conrad)

Liverpool’s Astor Theatre has a new executive director.

Velta Vikmanis took over the job on Oct. 1, part of a new management team at the historic theatre.

“As a practising artist myself, I know the significance and the importance of the Astor,” she said in an interview Thursday.

“It carries a tremendous history in the community. 
And having had a show here myself, and then having the pleasure of stepping onto the board earlier this year, it just seemed like my skill sets from health-care administration and operations experience really lends itself to what the Astor needs in this moment. And so I was happy to step up and just say, ‘Yeah, I’m willing to give it a go.’”

Lori Smyth, who had been the Astor’s box office manager, will take on a new role as theatre manager.

Joe Lyndon will look after the theatre’s technical needs, including light and sound for shows.

Vikmanis moved to Liverpool with her husband in 2021 and has been actively involved in the community since. She is a volunteer and former board member at QCCR, and a volunteer at Queens Manor. Before she took the job as the Astor’s executive director, she was a member of the Astor Theatre Society board.

She also had an exhibition of her work at the theatre in May 2024.

“Right now, we have a great synergy between the board and the staff here at the Astor, and we’re really hoping to capitalize on that momentum as we move forward, so that we can just continue building and moving the Astor forward into the next decades.”

Katy Hopkins had been the theatre’s manager of operations for many years until she resigned in September.

In a news release announcing Vikmanis’s appointment, chairman Eric Goulden thanked Hopkins for her “dedication and support for the Astor”.

“My first main priority,” Vikmanis says, “is to continue with all of the variety of programming that Katie Hopkins, the previous general manager, had put into place and making sure that all of those artists are honoured, their contracts are honoured and that patrons can continue to come into the theatre uninterrupted.”

Vikmanis said she wants to continue the entertainment mix that the Astor has been offering, from popular tribute band shows to movies to live theatre. And she wants to continue to welcome community groups to use the Astor space, and expand on some of the things happening there now.

She said she wants to explore showing a livestream on the theatre’s big screen of some performances from New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

And she’d like to give new artists more opportunities to exhibit at the Astor.

“I really do feel like I have put my best foot forward in the community. Ever since I arrived here, I’m really committed to being a resource and a support within our community. 
So the relationships that I’ve already established throughout the community, I hope will help and support all that’s going on within the theatre and just further enhance that momentum that we seem to have going right now.”

Goulden also announced on the news release that Easton Goodwin, who has appeared in various Astor productions, has been hired as a theatre staff member.

The Astor is close to launching its new website. And it’s been working with the Region of Queens, which owns the building, to improve the building’s accessibility.

In April, the theatre secured a five-year, $500,000 funding commitment from the J&W Murphy Foundation to help beef up its programs and promotion.

CURRENT ASTOR THEATRE SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Eric Goulden, Chair
• Lynn Cochrane, Vice-Chair
• Loris Azzano, Treasurer
• Star Donovan, Director
• Patricia Simms, Director
• Dan Williams, Director

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Dave White, president of the Queens County ATV Association, at a July public information session on road trails. (Rick Conrad / File)

ATV users will soon be able to travel more easily through Queens County.

Regional councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday evening to create a bylaw that would allow the vehicles on some municipal roads.

The bylaw will designate five routes around Liverpool that riders can use to access services or other trails.

Dave White, president of the Queens County ATV Association, and about 30 supporters were at the council meeting for the vote.

“We’re really excited with the decision of council tonight to move forward to the bylaw phase with all five road trails in the Region of Queens Municipality, specifically in the former township, to create trail-to-trail and trail-to-amenities connections,” White said in an interview afterward.

“And I think this is going to be a really positive thing for our community so we’re very excited.”

It’s been about two years since the association and the Queens Rails to Trails Association approached the region to create a connected trail network similar to those that exist in neighbouring Lunenburg and Shelburne counties and in other parts of Atlantic Canada.

ATV groups say that the changes will bring more economic activity to Queens County. In 2022, ATV users said they spent  $454 million in Nova Scotia.

The Nova Scotia government passed the Road Trails Act in 2023, which allows off-highway vehicles on provincial and municipal roads with certain conditions.

The region formed an ad hoc committee with local ATV organizations. The groups consulted with property owners, held public engagement sessions and asked for feedback in an online survey.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. About 180 people attended an information session at the Liverpool Fire Hall in July. Nobody voted against any of the five proposed routes. (Note: The routes are explained in detail at the end of this story.)

The online survey garnered between 74 and 84 per cent support for each route.

Those routes are behind the municipal offices on White Point Road and at various points from the Trestle Trail that would allow access to the Visitor Information Centre, downtown shops and Queens Place Drive. 

In a staff report to council, project officer Richard Lane said comments from residents were mostly positive, but some were confused about the rules, while others worried about how those rules would be enforced.

The region’s traffic authority, Director of Infrastructure Adam Grant, said increased traffic from ATVs may contribute to driver confusion in some areas, like the intersection of Bristol Avenue and Milton Road.

He said he wanted to ensure that public safety remains the priority as the region moves ahead with a bylaw.

The region also consulted five other municipalities with road trail networks – the towns of Oxford, Pictou, Shelburne and Yarmouth and the city of Corner Brook, NL.

The municipality asked Queens District RCMP for their feedback but didn’t get a response. 

Mayor Scott Christian said Queens will likely use municipal bylaws in other jurisdictions as their guide.

“We’re going to take all those lessons and try to … do it right the first time and just make it really clear and easy for the users about how they can navigate the road trails through the town of Liverpool, where they can go, where they can’t go, how they can safely operate their vehicles in town. I’m really excited about it.”

As with any new bylaw, the region must notify the public and give them an opportunity to comment at a public hearing. Christian said it shouldn’t take long to draft it.

White says road trail bylaws in other places are usually brief, since a lot of the regulations are already in provincial legislation.

He says that after lobbying two separate councils for the past two years, he’s happy that ATV users will soon get a greenlight to ride on certain roads.

“There are lots of things going on in a muncipality at any given time and while this took a little longer than we had hoped, we’re very happy with the outcome.”

FIVE PROPOSED ROAD TRAIL ROUTES IN LIVERPOOL (Source: Region of Queens staff report from Richard Lane, presented at Oct. 28 council meeting)

Route #1

From the rail trail as it enters Liverpool from the Shelburne direction and emerges from the walking trail behind the municipal office at 249 White Point Road, the road trail would allow a right turn onto West Street and left onto Harley Umphrey Drive. The road trail would then cross Hwy 3 and join the Trestle Trail, the road trail would also continue along George Street and end at the intersection with Old Port Mouton Road.

Route #2

Diverging from the Trestle Trail, the road trail would turn right onto King Street, left onto Lawrence Street, and right onto Wolfe Street until rejoining the Trestle Trail at Central Boulevard. The purpose of this road trail would be to avoid travel through a residential backyard and a section with poor sight lines and steep gradient.

Route #3

From the Trestle Trail as it crosses Main Street, the road trail would allow a left turn as far as the end of municipal street jurisdiction at Mersey Place Court. This would allow access to the Cowie Well and prepare for connection to the Trestle Trail from outside town limits via Milton, should an application be submitted to the Province of Nova Scotia for access in the future.

Route #4

From the Trestle Trail, the road trail would allow a right turn onto Brunswick Street, slight left on Main Street and right onto Henry Hensey Drive as far as the Visitor Information Centre. No access to Market Street, Bristol Avenue, or Main Street would be available. This road trail would enable access to parking, shops, and services including the Visitor Information Centre.

Route #5

Following the Trestle Trail until a left turn onto an access road at 31 Milton Road, the proposed road trail joins Milton Road with a right turn to the traffic light. From the traffic lights, the route allows a right turn onto Bristol Avenue, and a left turn onto Hank Snow Drive – no further travel on Bristol Avenue would be permitted. The route also enables riders to go straight through the traffic light, or to turn left and then left again onto Queens Place Drive. The inclusion of Old Cobbs Barn Road enables future road trail designation of a section of Hwy 3 toward Brooklyn, should an application be submitted to the Province of Nova Scotia in the future. This route would enable access to multiple shops, gas stations, accommodation, and amenities such as the Hank Snow Hometown Museum and Queens Place Emera Centre.

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Photo via Pixabay

A food bank in North Queens is getting $10,000 grant from the Nova Scotia government to help stock more protein options for its clients.

The Community Food Resource Network in Caledonia will use the funds for their Protein Pick Me Up program, Queens MLA Kim Masland said in a news release Wednesday.

The funding from the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage helps stock local food banks with fresh produce, dairy and proteins to help vulnerable families.

“The Community Food Resource Network serves hundreds of families every month in North Queens, and this investment will help them provide the nutritious protein and fresh food that families need,” Masland said in the release.

Operating since 2019, Community Food Resource Network provides about $10,000 worth of food and support each month. The organization also includes a seasonal garden, Muriel’s Closet thrift store, and partnerships with youth groups, schools and other local food banks.

It’s located at 9868 Highway 8 in Caledonia and is open Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. They can be reached at 902-682-3130 or by email at ddawe@ns.sympatico.ca.

Region of Queens councillors have voted to move ahead with changes at the three-way stop at Main and Market streets in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens is going ahead with changes to the three-way stop in downtown Liverpool to address safety concerns from pedestrians and motorists.

At their Oct. 14 meeting, councillors voted in favour of three recommendations from consultants CBCL, who did a traffic study of the Main and Market intersection in February.

Those are: removing the separate westbound or right-turning lane on Main Street in front of the post office and adding a curb extension to shorten the crosswalk distance; adding tactile walking surface indicators to warn visually impaired pedestrians they’re entering or leaving a crosswalk; and removing or changing some of the parking near the intersection.

Mayor Scott Christian said after the meeting that council wants Director of Infrastructure Adam Grant to come back with a plan. 

Christian said he’s eager to see what could happen with the parking spaces. The region’s traffic study found that some collisions and near-collisions were caused by people entering or leaving the angled spots outside the post office.

“I’ll be interested to see what staff come up with in consultation with some experts to figure out what some other options for reconfiguration could look like there.”

CBCL representatives told councillors in July that the intersection can handle current and future traffic volumes without installing traffic lights.

The busy intersection has caused safety concerns for years. Council has returned to the issue repeatedly in the past without settling on a solution.

CBCL had asked staff whether the region wanted the study done during warmer weather in the spring when traffic activity would be higher. The region’s response was that the consultants should use their best judgement.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton asked Grant whether the recommendation against traffic lights would have been different if the consultants had come later in the year. Grant said their conclusion about lights would have been the same.

“I think it was a valid point to be raised,” Christian said, “but I’m satisfied that our director of infrastructure felt that the methodology was appropriate.”

Christian said he’s not sure when council will see a plan for the changes at Main and Market streets. But it would have to be accounted for in next year’s budget before the work could begin. 

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Jason Scott Rudderham of Hunts Point. (RCMP Nova Scotia)

A Queens County man wanted on a provincewide warrant has been arrested in Halifax.

Nova Scotia RCMP said Monday in a news release that officers with the Halifax detachment safely apprehended Jason Scott Rudderham of Hunts Point.

The 50-year-old faces charges of sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation and exposing his genitals to a person under 14.

Queens MLA and newly appointed Minister of Natural Resources Kim Masland and Premier Tim Houston at the opening of the Steele Athletic Grounds in Liverpool earlier in October. (Rick Conrad)

Queens MLA Kim Masland says she was surprised to get the call to take over the natural resources portfolio, but she says she’s up to the challenge.

“It’s gonna be very busy, very, very busy and for me, my top priority always remains at home, that’s why I was elected. That’s why I ran was for the people of Queens County. It certainly is a privilege to bring their voices and perspectives to the table, but it’s gonna be busy.”

Masland was already the minister of emergency management when Premier Tim Houston announced a cabinet shuffle Tuesday that moved Tory Rushton out of the job and Masland in. Two other longtime cabinet ministers were also dropped from the government’s inner circle.

It’s been less than a year since the province created the standalone Department of Emergency Management. And Masland says she’s been doing a lot of work to get that up and running.

“I have a tremendous amount on my plate right now in building this new department and I know how important resource development is to our premier and to our province so it’s a big lift for me but I know we’ll get there together. Obviously I consider it a privilege, especially considering one of my first mentors through politics was John Leefe, and he once held this portfolio.”

She said she didn’t consider turning down the chance to lead a second department.

“I do like a challenge. I have an extremely strong work ethic, as most people know at home. You know, I’ll give it everything I have like I do with everything that I take on in life, while trying to also find a bit of a balance for family and my friends, but this certainly is gonna be a challenge, but I’m up to it.”

Masland would not say whether the direction of Natural Resources will change with her as minister. 

Houston says he wants to make Nova Scotia an “energy superpower” and that the cabinet shuffle will help his government “stay focused on energy and resource development”.

Masland is stepping into Natural Resources at a controversial time.

The Toronto golf course developer behind Cabot Cape Breton wants to take over part of West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.

Former minister Rushton confirmed in early October that department officials and the company would “have a conversation” about the protected public land.

Local residents are fighting any attempt to allow the developer to use any part of the park.

Masland had her first briefings as natural resources minister on Thursday. She says it’s too early for her to comment on the issue.

“I’ve been a minister for a hot minute, so I will be briefed this afternoon,” she said.

“I’m coming in with an open mind. I’m going to listen to the department. I will listen to Nova Scotians and my decision will be made from that, but we need to be looking at development of our natural resources and doing them in an environmentally sustainable way. We’ve said no for way too long and it’s time to start looking at how we can ensure that our province is prosperous, and that people can have a good quality of life and earn a good living in our province.”

She says Rushton and she are close, and she’ll rely on him for advice as she learns the Natural Resources portfolio.

“I consider him one of my brothers. Tory has been in this department since the beginning and he has given it everything he has and he is highly respected in the industry. I have some huge, huge shoes, or I’ll say work boots, to fill in minister Rushton, but he is there to support me and to assist me going forward.”

Masland says that even with leading two departments, her focus will still be on Queens County.

“I am a very, very strong constituency MLA. I believe that the MLA needs to be in the constituency and needs to be talking with their constituents so I’m gonna work very very hard to make sure that I maintain that balance. They are my priority above anyone else, but I know I’ve put my entire life to the side to represent the people of Queens and it’s something that humbles me every day and I’m tremendously proud to represent those people, my friends, my neighbors, my family I love Queens County so that’ll be a focus for me to continue.”

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Cubicles at Global Empire Corporation’s call centre in Liverpool. File photo: Ed Halverson

Sixty-nine people who used to work for Global Empire Corporation at its Liverpool call centre still haven’t been paid severance after being laid off last March.

That’s despite an order from Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Division that Global Empire must pay the laid-off workers a total of $193,115.04. 

After a 14-month investigation, the province ruled in May that the company failed to give proper notice of the layoff under Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Code and that the non-unionized workers were entitled to just over five weeks of severance.

• Read the Labour Standards decision here

It closed its operation in Liverpool shortly after the May 1 ruling. 

Debra Lalonde was one of those who lost her job. An official with the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration told her recently that they were unable to collect the severance because Global Empire has no funds or assets in Nova Scotia.

“Come on. Really?” Lalonde says. “How about start protecting employee rights in Nova Scotia so that people living paycheque to paycheque feel protected by the government whose duty is to protect the non-unionized workers that are at risk for abuse from a predatory employer?”

The company says its head office is in Edmonton, so the department asked the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to register the ruling as a judgment of the court.

They then sent that judgement to officials in Alberta to enforce the order on Nova Scotia’s behalf.

Company owner Moe Nashman, however, claims that the company’s assets are in Phoenix, Arizona. So Labour officials say that there are no funds or assets in Nova Scotia or Alberta to collect on.

“No government wants to take accountability when they can’t honour their own legislation, and that’s unfortunate,” Lalonde said.

Lalonde says she and other former employees feel abandoned by the province and the Region of Queens.

Liverpool was the company’s only Canadian location, employing as many as 120 people. It signed a five-year lease with the Region of Queens in December 2021 to move into the municipally owned Business Development Centre. 

A Facebook post from the Region of Queens celebrating its lease with Global Empire Corporation.

The region agreed to renegotiate the lease in February 2024, two weeks before the company issued layoff notices. The lease has never been made public.

In late May of this year, a few weeks after the labour board ruling, the municipality hired Global Empire’s former human resources manager.

After Lalonde told two NDP MLAs about the issue at this year’s Labour Day event in Liverpool, Labour critic Paul Wozney raised it in the Nova Scotia legislature with Labour, Skills and Immigration Minister Nolan Young.

“Recent labour board cases involving workers at Global Empire Corporation … show that our Labour Standards Code is outdated and makes it hard for workers to collect wages they’ve rightfully earned,” he said. “If this government is acting quickly to help businesses, why is it ignoring workers unprotected from predatory employers?”

Young responded: “Well, I can’t speak about specifics here on the floor for any specific case, we are working hard. We are. Look, we are working hard for workers. 
We are out there. We are doing things. Um, yeah, leave it there.”

Wozney replied: “I guess governmenting is hard. 
The fact is, our current legislation means workers are getting robbed. Despite the labour board ruling in their favour, dozens of people are out thousands of dollars in wages, due to legislation that’s been unchanged for five years under this government’s watch. … Workers need protection from wage theft, and their calls have gone ignored. 
When will this government update one of the weakest Labour Standards Code in the country to ensure workers actually get paid for the work that they’ve done?”

Lalonde says she’s disappointed that Queens MLA Kim Masland didn’t advocate harder for the employees.

“I have reached out to Minister Masland asking what are our next steps? You know, the government failed in protecting our rights. I haven’t heard back from Minister Masland if there are any any further steps to be taken for the 69 of us to be compensated.”

Masland told QCCR recently that she is “certainly concerned for those employees.”

“Those were earnings and they should be paid. My understanding is that this numbered company which is in a foreign land has gone bankrupt. So I’m not really sure how that is going to be retrieved, but do they deserve to be paid? Absolutely. And the company should have stepped up and paid those employees. But they left in the middle of the night.”

She said the government’s hands are tied.

“You can’t expect the province to pay out every business that goes bankrupt and doesn’t pay its employees. That was a private business, it’s not a government entity, there were no government funds that went into that project, so the business has to step up and find the ability to pay.

“My heart breaks for those folks. … We encourage growth, we encourage business to come to our communities. Sadly a government can’t tell a private business how to run their business.”

Lalonde said Masland’s comments are “typical and disappointing.”

“Actually that’s the first I have heard from her. … I think it’s right on par with the government’s lack of accountability for workers’ rights protection.”

She says that former employees are resigned to never being paid. Most workers were making little more than minimum wage, so they can’t afford to hire a lawyer.

Lalonde says she’s owed about $2,800. She’s contacted Nova Scotia’s ombudsman’s office to see if they can help. But she says the workers have little recourse.

“My next job is just to make sure that I don’t let this go without it being noted that our government did not protect our workers’ rights and unfortunately do not want to take any accountability.”

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