Andrew MacVicar is the executive director of Queens Manor Home for Special Care in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

As the new long-term care home in Liverpool takes shape, Queens Manor executive director Andrew MacVicar says the years of planning are paying off.

“Walking into the building and seeing it in 3D and seeing it unfolding, it’s pretty rewarding,” he told QCCR in a recent interview.

“It’s just really exciting to see it coming alive and it’s also really rewarding to see design elements that we spent a long time thinking about and now seeing that we were right.”

The new 112-bed facility will replace Queens County’s two existing homes – the privately run Queens Manor and the municipally owned Hillsview Acres in Greenfield. Located across from Queens Place Emera Centre, it will add 22 long-term care beds in Queens County.

“Anybody that’s driven by can see that we’re moving really quickly. It’s an 11-step process and I believe we’re at Step 9. The external envelope is up. You can clearly see bedrooms taking shape, dining rooms taking shape.”

Construction began on the $100-million complex in November 2023, after two years of intensive planning and design consultations with residents, families, staff and the community.

“I have to say the first couple of years were really labour intensive because you have one chance to design the right building,” MacVicar says.

“So we spent a lot of time asking a lot of questions about what we don’t like about our existing buildings, where we see the future of how we deliver care. We always ask the question, ‘Is this idea, this design idea, is it friendly to our staff?’”

Queens Manor shared this photo on its Facebook page of the progress of the new long-term care home in Liverpool. (Queens Manor Facebook page)

All bedrooms in the new manor will be single occupancy with private bathrooms. And each room will also have ceiling lifts that extend to the bathroom, which will make it easier for staff to help residents with mobility issues move anywhere in their room or bathroom.

“It enhances dignity for our residents, but it also enhances safety for our staff. So some lifts that may have been one- or two-person assist can be done by one person. And so it frees up staff, it prevents workplace injuries. It’s a real enhancement to our facility that you won’t see in others.”

MacVicar says that’s only one of many improvements over existing facilities. 

From better multi-use spaces to help with infection control to something as seemingly simple as how the complex is oriented on the site, he said it was important to emphasize the dignity and safety of residents and staff alike in the design.

“There are two elements to providing care – the people and there’s the environment, your infrastructure,” he said.

“Our people provide excellent care, they demonstrate excellence every day, but our building hasn’t matched that. I think you’ll see a building that is friendly to its staff, which in turn means that it just enhances their ability to provide excellent care. Residents will have more privacy, more dignity. Spaces will be bright. It will be very difficult for you to find a space in that facility that doesn’t have a window. And it is a facility and institution that does not feel like a facility or an institution. It will feel like a home.”

He said staff and the design team spent a lot of time investigating what worked at newer facilities elsewhere in the province and talking to people at those facilities to see what they would improve if they could.

“So to address the future, we looked backwards a bit to some of the facilities that have already been built and we used these visits as an opportunity to test our ideas to see if what looks good on paper actually works in practice.”

MacVicar said it was also important to choose a new location that would make the manor visible to the whole community.

“So there was a shift towards a location that would take our residents and embed into the centre of the community rather than what I call warehousing seniors on a hill out of sight, out of mind. And when your community is forced to look at your long-term care facility every day it prevents them from being forgotten, which I think quite clearly this location will prevent that from happening.”

Construction is on track for residents to move in sometime in the fall of 2026. 

Before that, though, the new facility needs a new name. 

“We want to make sure our new home captures the legacy of both organizations but we also want to make sure we come together under a new brand, a new name.”

MacVicar said the community will have a chance during a naming campaign this fall to give their input on what the new long-term care home in Queens County will be called.

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Kim Masland, Nova Scotia’s minister of emergency management, announced more help this week for emergency services personnel to buy equipment. (Rick Conrad)

Volunteer fire departments and ground search and rescue groups will get more help from the Nova Scotia government to buy equipment.

Emergency Management Minister Kim Masland recently announced an increase of $2.8 million to the emergency services provider fund, which also provides funds for hazardous materials units. That fund is now at $4 million.

Individual groups can apply for up $30,000, up from $20,000 last year. Up to 90 per cent of costs will now be covered, an increase from 75 per cent. Applications are open until July 30.

A new regional category will allow multiple groups from the same area to apply for funding. Up to $200,000 is available in that category. Applications are open Sept. 1 to Oct. 14.

Masland told QCCR this week the new funding is in addition to reviews the department is doing around the province with fire departments and search and rescue groups to find out what kinds of support they need.

“With the frequency and strength of storms that we’re seeing, our fire departments are responding to calls that they’ve never responded to before, like swift water rescues, our ground search and rescues, it seems like every week, I’m hearing of our ground search and rescues doing a rescue call. So we know that everyone is struggling for funds so we’ve actually doubled the emergency services provider fund this year.

“We’re just working on how we can get services out there better. … Whatever it may be to make sure we’re setting them up for success.”

Organizations can also now apply for funding every two years instead of every three.

Listen to an audio clip of Kim Masland here:

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Region of Queens Coun. Stewart Jenkins, Queens MLA Kim Masland and Greenfield and District Fire Chief Moyal Conrad at a funding announcement Monday about improvements at the fire hall. (Rick Conrad)

The Greenfield and District Fire Department will get much-needed improvements to its fire hall, with $600,000 in provincial funding announced Monday by Queens MLA and Emergency Management Minister Kim Masland.

“This funding will help ensure that the people who protect this area have the space and the infrastructure that they need,” Masland said at an event at the hall.

The support was part of almost $800,000 Masland announced for projects in Queens County at the Greenfield fire hall.

The Greenfield department is planning a $1.1- to $1.3-million renovation and expansion to its fire hall and emergency bays.

The work will ensure that the bays are the correct size for modern fire trucks. It will also create a dedicated bay for its rescue truck. Now, firefighters have to spend extra time driving a fire truck out of the bay to access the rescue truck.

The whole building is also getting a facelift, with new steel siding and other exterior improvements.

Renovations to the fire hall will make it even more useful as a community hall and a registered comfort centre.

Along with additional, expanded and accessible washrooms and separate shower rooms, the kitchen is getting a major facelift. At the fire hall’s popular fundraising breakfasts, volunteers can serve up to 300 people. With a new commercial kitchen, they will be able to serve more than 100 people an hour.

Chief Moyal Conrad told QCCR it will be the first time in 35 years that the fire hall has had significant work done.

“This will mean for us as a fire department it’s going to make my firemen safer, be able to respond faster and hopefully put a little more pride into their community with a new structure and all this gear potentially we could get out of this grant.”

The provincial contribution is on top of $200,000 from the Region of Queens Municipality and about $125,000 from the fire department’s own fundraising efforts.

Conrad said the department will raise the rest of the money.

Stewart Jenkins, a local business owner and municipal councillor for the area, is acting as the project manager for the hall overhaul.

He said the work will begin in a couple of weeks and be mostly finished by Christmas and likely wrapped up by April.

Jenkins said the work is vital to ensure the fire hall can continue to support the community. 

“It’s an important factor that we get the trucks out of the bays faster and especially the specific trucks that need to go can go immediately. And as far as the hall imporvements, it’s to become a centre for people if they need it. If there are power outages or whatnot, they can stay close to home and still get fed and showered and taken care of.”

Masland also announced $187,143.35 in funding from the province on Monday for groups maintaining trails in Queens.

The Queens Rails to Trails Association will get $144,345 for work on the Hunts Point Trail, including brushing, ditching, resurfacing and culvert replacement. The group will also get a total of $25,034 in an annual maintenance grant to look after various trails in Queens.

The Queens County ATV Association is receiving $17,763.75 for development of the new Deep Brook Trail, which will stretch from Highway 8 to River Road in Milton. 

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The Region of Queens has greenlit design work to begin on improvements to the town bridge. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens is going ahead with design work to make the town bridge safer and more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.

The two-lane bridge over the Mersey River is the main thoroughfare into downtown Liverpool.

The steel structure was built in 1958 and spans about 100 metres with an inside width of 9.6 metres. It has a narrow sidewalk on each side. There are no paved shoulders, dedicated bike lanes or barriers to separate traffic from pedestrians.

Two years ago, regional council commissioned a technical evaluation from engineering firm CBCL to look at active transportation upgrades. Council at that time decided to hold off on any work until more funding became available from the provincial or federal governments.

Simply to maintain the bridge with no improvements would have cost $325,000. To realign the two lanes and expand one sidewalk would have cost $700,000. An active transportation expansion with a dedicated space for pedestrians and cyclists had a price tag of $3.4 million. A totally separate pedestrian bridge over the river was estimated at $4.4 million.

Adam Grant, the region’s director of infrastructure, discussed the issue this week at council’s regular meeting. He said those estimates from 2023 would now likely be about 10 per cent more. He recommended the $3.4-million option.

“I think we get rid of a lot of the challenges that’ll be found working inside the existing structure,” he told councillors.

“Going that way would open up an avenue to create bicycle lanes on the existing bridge once the sidewalks are removed, as well as it wouldn’t require a realignment of the street from lanes all the way through to Water Street so it would be less invasive on the existing street structure, and would probably be able to provide a more fulsome solution on the exterior of the bridge as opposed to trying to fit within a kind of more refined area.”

Grant said he wanted to get the design work started so that the project would be shovel-ready if funding is secured. Councillors had set aside $181,749 in the region’s capital investment plan.

Under the municipality’s current agreement with the province, maintenance and repair work on the bridge is cost-shared 50/50.

But improvements to the bridge would require a new funding agreement, he said.

“At this point under the agreement we have, they’re under no obligation to entertain any upgrades.”

Councillors supported the less costly $3.4-million active transportation expansion, but said they need to look for funding from other levels of government.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton said she wants to see the expansion go ahead, but the region needs help from the province.

“I feel like we need to address this certainly. It’s not safe. If you’re walking on the bridge now, you’re quite high up, people misstep, and you could very easily be on the road. … We do have cyclists in Queens and so that’s a bit of a problematic place as it is,” Charlton said.

“We’re funding the design work. We should have some really meaningful conversations to look for support (for the expansion) because I don’t think we can take that on on our own, nor would it be fair for us to take it on on our own.”

Councillors voted unanimously to spend the money for the design work, while directing staff to look for funding for the improvements from the federal and provincial governments.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Eric and Dawn Fry are hoping to build 16 apartments in the old Stedmans building on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad / File)

The Region of Queens announced its public engagement sessions this week for a possible change to the land use bylaw that could significantly alter the downtown landscape.

Developer Eric Fry wants to turn the former Stedmans building at 194 Main St. in Liverpool into 16 apartments. 

To do that, the region would have to amend its bylaw. In the downtown commercial district, residential units are permitted in buildings only if they have a primary commercial use.

Two sessions are planned for Queens Place Emera Centre on June 17 and June 19. Both are from 5 to 8 p.m. Both sessions are open to the public, though the first session is geared more toward business owners, while the second session is for everybody else.

Region staff and consultants UPLAND Planning will be there to answer questions.

The region has also launched an online survey to gather feedback. You can access that here: https://forms.gle/aTJ6SARs9eYSQrLX8

The consultants will prepare a report for council by the end of June. The region’s planning advisory committee will review the report. Council will then discuss any recommendations from the committee.

If there are proposed amendments to the land use bylaw, councillors would vote on those. If it passed first reading, then there would be a two-week notice period for a public hearing to be held before the final vote.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Region of Queens councillors are trying to address concerns about safety at Cameron’s Corner in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens councillors want municipal staff to investigate another hazardous intersection in Liverpool.

Coun. Courtney Wentzell brought up complaints from constituents this week about the intersection at Cameron’s Corner.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen that could very well be life-threatening,” Wentzell told his fellow councillors at Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

The intersection is a busy one, at the corner of Main Street and Old Port Mouton Road, which connects with White Point Road. It has one stop sign on Main Street, but the traffic coming from Old Port Mouton Road has the right-of-way.

“People are speeding, coming from Main Street towards Milton,” Wentzell said.

“
They’re not signalling. They’re going way too fast. There’s confusion, people coming from White Point, especially if they don’t live here. 
They don’t know if they should stop, if they should turn left, if they should turn right. They’re not looking to see if somebody is crossing on that crosswalk, the line of sight is absolutely horrific.”

Wentzell said that when he was campaigning in October 2024, he heard lots of concerns about the area. He’s referred those to the police advisory board, but he appealed to councillors to do more to address it.

“I was berated pretty badly here a week, two weeks ago that nothing is taking place. There was a near-miss, a lady was almost struck on that corner, trying to cross the crosswalk.”

Mayor Scott Christian said he finds the intersection challenging too.

“Ever since I moved to this community, that intersection has always kind of concerned me. … I think it would make sense for us to try to do something to address it.”

Councillors voted to refer it to the region’s traffic authority to investigate and return with a staff report with recommendations. They also wanted to know whether the Nova Scotia government would have to be involved since it may include a provincial roadway.

In February, councillors voted to spend about $24,000 on a traffic study at the three-way stop near the post office on Main Street.

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Joe Wood of Liverpool has been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. (Photo courtesy of Joe Wood)

Joe Wood serves up a little music history every week from a Tim Horton’s in Liverpool.

The veteran of the Canadian country music scene is now part of history himself. He is this year’s inductee in the Stan Klees builder category in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

For the past 35 years, Wood’s RDR Music Group, which he co-founded with his ex-wife Trudy Wood, has been helping independent country artists and others in Canada and elsewhere get their music onto radio stations.

“At this point, we’ve sent over 10,000 songs and albums and videos to radio stations across Canada and the United States.”

Wood’s wife Lauren Tutty is also involved in the music business. Lauren Tutty Promotions tracks the music for artists once it gets to radio.

QCCR spoke to Wood recently on the phone from Toronto, where he was visiting family.

Originally a singer-songwriter in the late 1970s and ’80s, he started out in Toronto pressing vinyl, cassettes and CDs for other artists. 

And when things got less physical, he pioneered digital delivery for independent artists. His was the first company in Canada to send music to radio stations over the internet. His office is anywhere he can get a connection.

“Sometimes I’ll go to MacDonald’s or Tim Horton’s or sometimes, I’ll tether my computer to my phone and I’ll go out and sit in Western Head or I’ll go out and sit in Milton and work in the car for an hour especially if it’s a beautiful day. And that’s the wonderful thing about this job. I can work anywhere that there’s internet.”

Wood says music lovers likely wouldn’t have heard of Yangaroo/DMDS, the service he uses to push music to radio, but they’d be familiar with the artists.

“They’ll hear Lennie Gallant, Jimmy Rankin, they’ll hear Valdy, they’ll hear Gord Bamford, they’ll hear Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, all those clients have come through my hands and actually, the majority of those clients came through Liverpool.”

He was among the first to create a compilation CD of independent artists for radio, called Country Pak. And he launched one of the first toll-free services for artists to market their music.

About five years ago, from his home in Liverpool, Wood helped a Garth Brooks song debut at No. 1 on the Billboard country charts.

“So I was part of the team in Canada and there were three others in the United States. … We all got on the phone at the same time. Literally from Mersey Avenue, we counted down the time and it was like 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, click, we all pushed go at the same time, said goodbye to everybody, hung the phone up, and the next day, Garth Brooks debuted at No. 1 on Billboard.”

Wood’s involvement with the Canadian Country Music Association goes back to 1991. He served on its board of directors from 1992-96 and helped establish the CCMA Independent Awards in 1997.

As part of the induction, Wood’s name will be displayed on a wall at the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame at the National Music Centre in Calgary. And he says he’ll likely donate an original copy of that first compilation CD as his piece of memorabilia.

Wood isn’t the first Queens County resident to be named to the hall. He’ll join Brooklyn’s Hank Snow and Port Medway’s Carroll Baker.

He said being honoured by his peers with an award named for his friend, Canadian music pioneer Stan Klees, is pretty special.

“When you work in the sector of the industry I do, the independent sector which is massive now, it just means that they acknowledge it, they understand that that sector, that the people that are the up-and-coming artists have a voice. And for me to be recognized in that area means everything.”

After almost five decades in the music business, the 71-year-old says he’s still passionate about it. 

“I love the music. It’s not work. It’s certainly not work. I get to sit down every day and there’s fresh stuff on my laptop that I get to hear. And you get to help people too. That’s the great fun. I help people go to radio. And I make sure people don’t make mistakes, the mistakes I made.”

Wood says someone asked him recently when he plans to retire. 

“You know what, I’m getting the kids of the parents I put out many, many years ago, 20 years ago. And now I get to work with them. And they’ll tell me at the end, “Oh, you worked with my Dad or you worked with my Mom.’ And I’ll say, ‘Oh my you tell them I said hi.’

“It’s fun. I think I’m gonna hang in there till I get the grandkids, then I’ll retire.”

Wood will be formally inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame with artist Lisa Brokop in a ceremony during Country Music Week from Sept. 10 to 13 in Kelowna, British Columbia.

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Abigail Smith will be going to the World Judo Cadets Championships in Bulgaria in August. (Rick Conrad)

Abigail Smith is booking another international flight to wear the maple leaf.

The 17-year-old judo athlete from Queens County will be representing Canada at the World Judo Cadets Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, Aug. 27 to 30.

There are three divisions in judo: cadet for athletes under 18, junior for those under 21, and senior.

“I’m so excited,” she told QCCR.

“It’s been my dream for so long. Years now, I’ve been wantitng to go to a world event, and cadet worlds, it’s what I’ve been working for. I moved to the city to be able to train for this goal, so to know that all my hard work paid off and I’m actually getting to go, it’s such a surreal feeling.”

Smith decided five months ago to move to Halifax and stay with a family there so she can train full time at Nova United Martial Arts.

“When I was living in Liverpool, I was only able to train three days a week on the mats because it’s such a long drive — two hours there, two hours back. I was getting home at 11, and not getting to bed until 12. This is my last year to make the cadet worlds, this is the last year I could qualify, so I said I really wanted to go for it and I talked to my coaches and my parents and everyone that’s been helping me, and they said, ‘Yep, let’s go for it’.”

• RELATED: Read more about Abigail Smith’s journey here

Smith began judo lessons when she was four years old. She’s now ranked in the Top 10 in Canada.

She’s been racking up the frequent flyer points in the past few months, joining Team Canada for the European Judo Tour in March. 

And she grabbed two bronze medals, in her usual U18 or cadet division and the U21 division, at the national judo championships in Calgary in May.

Like the fierce competitor she is, though, she was disappointed because she had her sights set on a gold in the U18 division.

“I was very upset with the results actually. To get selected for worlds, you have to win nationals. I didn’t win, but Judo Canada has the option to select another (athlete). They selected me to go also.

“I went there to win. My first fight was a good fight. And I went into my second fight, it went into golden score which is overtime and I was dominating the whole fight controlling it and a few seconds into overtime I made a mistake, I got caught and I lost that fight. Then I was very upset. Then my coach talked to me, my dad talked to me and they said you can still podium, so I fought back up to the repechage and I won the bronze medal after a few more fights.”

She’ll have a big cheering section in Bulgaria for the worlds. Her coaches Jason Scott and Jamie Slaunwhite plan to be there, along with her parents.

“It’s special, it means a lot to me, they’re my biggest supporters, my mom and dad, for them to come it’s going to be great for them to see me fight.”

Smith says she’s excited to show, again, what she can do on the world stage.

“I think i just want to go out there and fight and show my judo and leave everything on the mat. I don’t want to have any regrets after this. I just want to go out there and fight and give it my all.”

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RCMP have charged two men in after a break-and-enter in Pleasant River. (Vlad Vasnetsov via Pixabay)

Two men are facing multiple charges after a break-in at a home in Pleasant River on May 31.

Queens District RCMP say they’ve charged Devon Matthew James Kanne, 34, of Danesville, with breaking and entering and committing. He has been released on conditions and will appear in Bridgewater provincial court on Aug. 13.

Michael Gerald Wentzell, 32, of Italy Cross, is charged with:

• Breaking and entering with intent
• Uttering threats against a person
• Assault with a weapon
• Possession of property obtained by crime less than or equal to $5,000
• Three counts of failure to comply with probation order (three counts)
• Two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon knowing its possession is unauthorized 
• Two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon for dangerous purpose

Wentzell appeared in Bridgewater provincial court on June 2 and was released on conditions. He’s scheduled to be back in court on June 25.

Police say they responded to a break-and-enter at a home on Old Chelsea Road at about 8 p.m. on May 31. They were told a man broke into the home wielding a knife.

The homeowner confronted the man, who threatened the owner. The homeowner then left the residence and called police.

The suspect fled the scene in an SUV driven by another man.

About 45 minutes later, Lunenburg District RCMP stopped the vehicle in Hebbville. The driver, who was the only person in the vehicle, was arrested.

The other man alleged to have broken into the home was found walking along Hwy. 208 near Crouse Road and arrested at about 9:30 p.m. by Queens District RCMP. 

RCMP say they recovered the stolen property and nobody was injured.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Picturesque fishing villages like Port Medway could be an attraction for film and TV crews considering productions in Queens County. (Rick Conrad)

Crews have been touring Queens County this spring scouting out possible locations to film a television series.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said recently he’s been approached by “three or four” different crews considering production in the area.

“They want to do it here. I think that there’s one big project that they have the creative greenlight on and they’re just looking at crossing the Ts and dotting the Is and it seemed like it was pretty promising the conversations that they had,” he said in a recent interview.

“There was a lot of nodding heads and excited ideas that they were tossing around. I don’t know anything about that industry but it was pretty cool to be involved in.”

Christian didn’t say who he met with, but he said he showed some crews around Liverpool and other areas of Queens County.

The Nova Scotia government’s distant location incentive is one reason productions are looking farther outside the traditional Halifax and Chester-Mahone Bay-Lunenburg areas.

Introduced in 2024, it provides up to 10 per cent additional funding for film and TV shoots that film at least 150 kilometres away from downtown Halifax.

“It’s really cool. It’s a bit of a game changer for small to medium-size productions and so it’s sort of all eyes on Liverpool. We’re really, really well-positioned with respect to that because we’re just outside of that threshold, we’re 158 kilometres away from downtown Halifax.”

Laura Mackenzie, executive director of Screen Nova Scotia which helps bring productions to the province, told QCCR that Nova Scotia is a very attractive place for international and domestic productions.

It can stand in for any location on the northeastern seaboard such as Maine or Martha’s Vineyard, as well as places like San Francisco and other cities. 

And she said with the new incentive, more places in rural parts of the province are being discovered.

“Untapped locations are really exciting for productions and there’s not a lot of them left in Canada so this distant filming bonus gives productions the opportunity to go look in areas that would never have really been taken advantage of.”

About 100 productions are filmed in Nova Scotia each year. But very few make it outside the metropolitan Halifax or Chester-Mahone Bay-Lunenburg areas. 

Mackenzie says that’s because crews based in Halifax want to keep travel costs low.

“And now that we have the distant filming bonus, we can highlight areas of Nova Scotia that we know they will consider because it’s not cost prohibitive anymore, like Liverpool. So this is great news for all of us.”

She said “more than a handful” have already taken advantage of the incentive, with Cape Breton being an early choice for a couple of productions.

She didn’t know which specific companies may be looking at the Liverpool area. 

“If they’ve travelled down to Liverpool to have a look at your area then there’s something there they want. They wouldn’t go there if there wasn’t something there they want. It’s definitely a good sign. It’s encouraging if you see production companies and their creatives travelling around and meeting with some of the decision-makers.”

Mackenzie cautions, though, that there are many factors that decide whether a crew will film in an area, including the ability to close roads, to use local community centres to feed their crews, and the support of the local business and artistic communities.

Melanie Perron, the co-owner of Hell Bay Brewing in Liverpool, says having film and TV crews in town would be a big boost for her business and others.

“It would be fun because I know they’ve done things like that in Mahone Bay before and it just sort of puts a place like that on the map. I think it would just be great for our area, just to show it off and let people know what we have to offer.”

Mackenzie says Screen Nova Scotia has been working with local economic development officers to give them tips on how to make their area attractive to a production.

She said locations like Lunenburg have streamlined the process, to eliminate as many obstacles as possible. Those municipalities also have one person available to help productions work through permits, deal with police, set up security and work with the community and local business.

Screen Nova Scotia also has a guide on how locations can become film-friendly.

“Ultimately the economic impact is pretty great,” Mackenzie says.

“Productions really want to make sure that they’re giving back so if they can use the local restaurants they’re going to use them, if they can hire the artists and the unique talents and skill sets that come from that community, then they will.“

Mackenzie said a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies wrapped up filming in Nova Scotia earlier this year. Perron at Hell Bay thinks Liverpool would be a great location for one of those.

Something like Love is Brewing at Christmas?

“That would be great. They can come to Hell Bay and I’ll make them a special brew.”

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Easton Goodwin and Desmond Smyth tied for the People’s Choice Award at the Atlantic International Film Festival’s youth film competition. (Rick Conrad)

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Two young filmmakers from Liverpool have won the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Atlantic International Film Festival youth film competition.

The short films by Easton Goodwin and Desmond Smyth tied for the award, which was decided by a round of online voting. Their films were among 16 finalists out of 40 submissions.

Desmond, 16, says he’s happy that he and Easton are sharing the award. 

“I got an email that said I had been selected for the People’s Choice Award but there were two really great films that tied for the category. And I was like, man, if there is one person that should have gotten this award it was Easton. So I texted him to see if he got anything and it ended up he did.

“It’s a very cool experience and I’m glad that Easton got the award because he really does deserve it. He put a lot of time and effort and he put all of his heart into the film.”

Desmond’s film November Moon is an homage to David Lynch’s movies. It follows a teenager who has visions of creatures haunting him.

Easton’s film Past Echoes is a more personal look at a young boy dealing with depression, anxiety and bullying at school.

“I couldn’t believe it honestly,” Easton, 17, said Wednesday in an interview.

“Growing up, film was one of my biggest dreams and to get to share this award with one of your best friends, it really is a pleasure. I loved Desmond’s film so much and so much work was put into it, it was great and I loved it. I think it’s awesome that we get to share it.”

The two students at Liverpool Regional High School have collaborated before on a short that also got attention at the Atlantic film festival’s youth competition. Last year, they and some friends made The Absence, which was the runner-up in the people’s choice vote.

Desmond and Easton are members of the Astor Theatre’s filmmaking club, which began in September. More than a dozen youth meet every week to work on their own projects and collaborate on bigger ones.

The club is overseen by three adult mentors, Desmond’s parents Kyle and Lori, and Dan Williams.

“There’s a lot of really, really talented kids at the film club,” Desmond says. “They certainly helped me with my film. They’re very supportive of the whole thing, which I think is awesome.”

Easton says that being part of the film club has helped him hone his filmmaking.

“The film club we can’t thank them enough, they were really helpful. They all have talent and they really did help our (pictures).”

The club wraps up for the year when school’s out for the summer. But Easton says more kids should join when the club starts up again in September.

“If you have children who might be interested in film tell them to come out because we have a great group of people and they’re all so welcoming.”

In the meantime, Easton and Desmond say they’re going to keep working on their own projects and help spread the word about the film club and the Astor’s stop-motion animation club, which will also get going again in September.

“I guess keep making films and hope for the best,” Easton says. “The best advice I ever got is to just making films, keep writing, keep filming every day and eventually it will improve and then hopefully I’ll be in the industry at some point.”

To see all the finalist films in the Atlantic International Film Festival’s youth competition this year, go to the festival’s YouTube channel.

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Eric Fry of SDL Investments Limited is hoping to build 16 apartments in the old Stedmans building on Main Street in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED Mon., June 2 at 4:45 p.m.

The public will be able to give their feedback on a proposed new apartment building on Main Street in Liverpool that may result in a significant change to the downtown landscape.

The Region of Queens is considering an application from Eric Fry, president of SDL Investments Limited, to turn the former Stedmans building at 194 Main St. into 16 apartments. It was most recently used by a real estate development company. And before that, it housed a discount store and office space on the ground floor.

The region’s land use bylaw permits residential units on Main Street only in buildings with a commercial storefront.

The proposal from Fry’s SDL Investments Ltd. does not have any commercial element.

That means the land use bylaw would have to be amended for the project to go ahead. And that requires a public hearing.

The region’s planning advisory committee discussed the proposal in May.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton, a member of the planning advisory committee, said the committee wasn’t comfortable giving a recommendation on the potential bylaw change without “some thorough public engagement”.

“PAC was uncomfortable moving a recommendation forward without public engagement, knowing that either allowing this use by right or by development agreement, could open it up to some significant change,” she told councillors at their regular meeting last week.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR on Monday that the committee wanted a “more robust public information opportunity” before a public hearing “to be able to provide more information to the public about what the shape of the amendment to the land use bylaw that’s being envisioned, what that looks like.”

“So as a way to get a full package of information to engaged members of the community and then providing them with an opportunity to have their say. It’s not required by the province. It’s best practices, I think,” Christian said.

“We know that this is an important conversation for us to be having and so we wanted to make sure that we have lots of opportunity for getting the information out there and giving folks an opportunity to provide their feedback.” 

Public information sessions are planned in the community room at Queens Place Emera Centre, on June 17 and June 19, both from 5 to 8 p.m. One will be geared more toward the business community and the other toward residents, Christian said.

“A formal notice and some promotional materials will be coming out early next week,” Christian said. “It’s going to be a drop-in, drop-out type of engagement and information session as opposed to a town hall with a microphone. … And the organization will be set up with information and with some ways for folks to give their input.”

He said this type of consultation is more effective at getting information to people and gathering feedback.

UPLAND Planning, the consultants that helped draft the region’s land use bylaw and municipal planning strategy adopted in 2022, will lead the public consultation.

Originally, residents and business owners were also going to be able to complete an online survey. But Christian said Monday that may not happen.

According to a report from Mike MacLeod, director of land use, members of the planning advisory committee “felt that opening up the (commercial downtown zone) to residential development as-of-right was not in the best interest of the community and that if council was to permit this use, controls would need to be established.”

MacLeod said the committee asked for draft amendments to be prepared for them to examine before they made a recommendation to council.

The consultants will prepare a report for council by the end of June. The region’s planning advisory committee would review the report, and then council would discuss the committee’s recommendations at its July meeting.

Christian said if there are proposed amendments to the land use bylaw, councillors would vote on those. If it passed first reading, then there would be a two-week notice period for a public hearing to be held before the final vote.

Fry gave councillors details of his proposed development at their April 22 meeting.

He wants to build 16 one- and two-bedroom units over two floors. Parking for the units would be indoors on the ground level, where there would also be storage units and four apartments. One-bedroom apartments would be about 800 square feet, while the two-bedroom units would be from 1,100 to 1,500 square feet. 

Rents would be similar to his apartment building on the Mersey River in Milton, he said, which are around $2,000 a month.

Fry bought the 30,000-square-foot building in January for $235,000.

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Alyssa Short, chairwoman of North Queens Active Living, details for regional councillors the track and field project at North Queens Community School. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

A new field and running track will be built at North Queens Community School, thanks to funding from the Nova Scotia government and the Region of Queens.

Regional councillors approved $250,000 this week for the $1.1-million project at the Primary to Grade 12 school in Caledonia.

That’s on top of a planned $800,000 grant from the province.

Alyssa Short, chairwoman of North Queens Active Living, told council at their regular meeting on Tuesday that the field is “almost completely unusable”.

“And so the result is our athletes are not able to train at the school and that has historically been the case.”

Olympic track athlete Jenna Martin went to the school and couldn’t use the field to train, Short said. She had to go to Bridgewater, which is an hour’s drive away.

“There’s very poor drainage, the ground is uneven, it’s compacted,” Short told councillors.

“The water pools up in the middle and so it’s soaked all year round.”

And because it isn’t fenced, ATV riders have further damaged it by “doing doughnuts” in the field, she said.

“It’s to the point that the students are not even able to use the field for recess or for sports or anything.”

The field was built in 1984 with no proper drainage or fencing, Short said. The school’s outdoor classroom is also not safe to use, she said.

The new field will feature a 325-metre track, which is smaller than the regulation 400-metre size. Short said a larger track would have tripled the cost of the project. The field will be fenced, lit and have proper drainage. North Queens Active Living will maintain the field.

“We’ve gone with a natural turf field that will have fencing. And very importantly, it will be a very good quality walking track that will be used by the local community.”

Short said they hope to put the project to tender immediately, and have the work done over the summer and fall so that it will be ready to use next year.

Councillors said the new field and track are vital in a smaller, rural community like Caledonia and the surrounding area.

“I think it’s very important that this project be supported by this council,” said District 6 Coun. Stewart Jenkins, whose area includes North Queens.

“People out in the country have to travel so far for many things and when you start moving your children an hour one way and an hour back just so they can train on a track after they spend all day in school, (that) shouldn’t be unacceptable. I think we should move forward with this.”

North Queens Active Living had requested $250,000 through the region’s community investment fund. Instead, councillors voted to fund the project from their accumulated budget surplus.

This will be the second new track and field in Queens County. A $3-million, 400-metre rubberized track and artificial turf soccer field at Liverpool Regional High School is expected to be ready by early July.

After the funding was approved, Short told QCCR she’s “absolutely grateful” for the municipality’s support.

“I know the school is going to be thrilled, but I think the whole community is really going to get behind it,” she said. 

“It’s going to mean that athletes who have it in them to become athletes have the facilities to follow through on what they’re capable of. And I think there’s probably been a lot of potential lost in North Queens over many years. And I think that having this facility is really going to have a lot more athletes come out of North Queens.” 

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The Nova Scotia government is re-examining where and how people can buy alcohol. (Rick Conrad)

You may get a wider selection of stores to buy your 2-4 in Nova Scotia.

The provincial government is looking at expanding the places where people can buy booze.

Finance Minister John Lohr said in a release Thursday that the province wants to reach out to the public and people in the industry to gauge their thoughts and concerns about making alcohol available in more stores or allowing more places where people can drink.

“Nova Scotia is taking steps to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers, and that makes this a good time to look at how alcohol is sold and consumed,” Lohr said in a release.

The province plans to commission a public opinion survey of 1,500 Nova Scotians beginning this week.

Provincial officials want to gather input from people about the types of stores where liquor is sold, locations where people can drink alcohol, and the health and safety consequences of any changes.

Lohr says the province will also be surveying more than 250 health and safety groups, store owners, municipal governments, industry and consumer groups, alcohol producers and others.

The government will seek input until June 30. It didn’t say when the results of the consultations will be released, or when the province may make a change to how and where alcohol is sold in Nova Scotia.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Queens MLA Kim Masland announced funding for six groups in Queens County on Thursday. (Rick Conrad / File photo)

Businesses and community groups in Queens County will get almost $80,000 in provincial funding.

Queens MLA Kim Masland announced the funding on Thursday from the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage for six different organizations.

The funding ranges from $25,834 to Rosefinch Mercantile in Port Medway for an accessible path and wheelchair lift to $4,250 to Mersey River Chalets in Caledonia for upgrades to the roll-in shower.

“These investments are making Queens a more accessible and vibrant place to connect,” Queens MLA Kim Masland said in a news release.

“By investing in restorations and accessibility infrastructure, we’re ensuring our community spaces are inclusive and full of life, bringing people together across our region.”

The projects are supported by a series of programs from the department, which provide grants to improve accessibility, upgrade community infrastructure and promote recreation.

Here’s how the $78,624 in funding was divided among the groups:

• Rosefinch Creative Inc., Port Medway: $25,834 for an accessible path and wheelchair lift.
• Region of Queens Municipality: $25,000 for accessible railings and upgrades to the compressor panel and sound system at Queens Place Emera Centre.
• Little Red South West School House Society, South West Port Mouton: $12,540 for the restoration of the historic schoolhouse.
• Pleasant River Community Hall Society: $6,000 for heat pumps, the stage, and replacing a ramp.
• North Queens Board of Trade, Caledonia: $5,000 for a new entry to Caledonia Park.
• Mersey River Chalets, Caledonia: $4,250 for upgrades to the roll-in shower.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Kaleb Whynott, Desmond Smyth and Thomas Lenco edit parts of The Movbee, one of the films that will be featured at the Astor Academy Film Festival on Friday. (Rick Conrad)

A small group of young filmmakers in Liverpool is already making a splash on the big screen.

Two members of the Astor Theatre Academy’s film club were finalists in the Atlantic International Film Festival’s youth film competition in Halifax last weekend.

Easton Goodwin’s five-minute short Past Echoes and Desmond Smyth’s four-minute November Moon made the final cut from about 40 submissions.

Now, movie lovers in their hometown will be able to watch those two short films and others produced by the club at the Astor Academy Film Festival on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Astor.

About a dozen youth from 13 to 17 years old meet every Monday at the Astor Theatre to learn the craft of filmmaking. It’s the first year for the club, overseen by three adult mentors: Kyle and Lori Smyth and Dan Williams.

Members of the film club have created their own projects and have collaborated on a bigger film.

The shorts and the longer film will premiere at the film festival on Friday. 

QCCR dropped in on the club this week to talk to some of the members while they put the finishing touches on their group project, The Movbee.

You can also vote for Easton’s and Desmond’s films for the People’s Choice Award in the Atlantic International Film Festival’s youth film competition by going to the AIFF YouTube channel.

Listen here:

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Hailey Flemming and her dog Nala outside her family’s home in Port Medway. Hailey will be representing Nova Scotia at the Canadian Kennel Club’s National Junior Handling Championship in August. (Rick Conrad)

A young dog handler from Queens County will be representing Nova Scotia at a national championship in Manitoba.

Hailey Flemming, 12, from Port Medway plans to fly to Winnipeg in August with her family to compete in the Canadian Kennel Club’s National Junior Handling Championship.

Her family owns Medway Kennels, where they breed collies and board other people’s dogs.

Hailey has been competing in conformation and obedience shows for about two years.

She will be up against 13 other junior dog handlers from across the country as old as 19.

She’s already accomplished a lot in a short time, racking up ribbons and taking home trophies at kennel club and 4-H events in Nova Scotia.

Hailey got her first taste for the dog show ring at four years old when she showed her cousin’s Corgi.

“It’s fun. It’s a hard sport but once you get the use of it then it’s easy. And with a collie, it’s an easy breed.

“Me and Nala together, we’ve won a lot of ribbons. And with the male Maverick we’ve won a couple of ribbons too.”

Hailey, who wants to be a professional handler someday, says she feels happy when she’s in the show ring.

“And I don’t get nervous at all. It’s just go in (the ring) and like there’s a bunch of people watching you. And it seems scary but it’s not. (Nala) doesn’t get nervous either. She doesn’t pay attention to other dogs unless they touch her. But other than that, she’s pretty good listening.”

Hailey’s mom Crystal says she’s proud of what her daughter has accomplished so far.

“Pretty honoured. I’ve been with dogs all my life but I didn’t have the confidence like Hailey does in the show ring. It wasn’t something that I enjoyed. I just did it because it had to be done if you breed dogs. Hailey has been totally opposite of that. She doesn’t get nervous, she loves it and it’s showing.

“She’s got ribbons and trophies galore. It just makes me smile every time I think of it.”

Usually at an event like the famous Westminster Kennel Club show, it’s the animals that are being judged. But at the national junior handling championship in East St. Paul, near Winnipeg, it will be the humans.

“In juniors, it’s judging the kid on how well the kid does,” Crystal says. “And of course, if the dog works better with the kid, then they have more of an advantage. But there’s lots to learn in juniors. They have to do many different patterns and they have to know the parts of the dogs. They have to know what the breeds were bred to do. They’re going to ask them all kinds of questions.

“Sometimes at a regular show around here, it would just be one judge, and that judge would get them to show their dog and she may ask a few questions. At this show, there’s going to be five judges. There’s going to be one in the main ring with them, getting them to do the patterns and show their dog, and there’s going to be four others sitting down and they’re probably going to ask them questions as they go around.”

Crystal says they weren’t banking on Hailey going to the nationals this year. So, they’ve been asking for donations from friends, family and the community to help cover the approximately $4,000 cost.

“We had no clue we’d be going to Winnipeg for nationals when we went to regionals that day and that wasn’t even in our mind. … People have been extremely supportive. A lot of clients from my kennel and dog show clubs, they’re giving money to help Hailey get to Winnipeg.”

The event in Manitoba will also feature regular dog shows and obedience trials. And there will be social outings for the junior handlers and their families.

Hailey says practice, and one other vital element, have been key to her and Nala’s success so far: “Treats.”

She says she’s learned a lot working with dogs in the past few years.

“I’ve learned how to train my dogs and make her/him pay attention to me more and how to eliminate treats in obedience because you’re not allowed treats in that. I’ve learned how to, for showing, you have to run a certain way and I’ve learned to run with a glass of water in my hand and not spill it.”

Hailey is looking forward to getting into the ring with Nala for the first time at a national competition.

“Really excited. The main reason that I’m actually excited to go is to get the experience. I don’t care about winning, just the experience of getting to go there and seeing other junior handlers show because they’re really good.”

The national junior dog handling championship will be held on Aug. 16 in East St. Paul, Manitoba. The winner of that event will represent Canada at the international junior handling championship at Crufts Kennel Club in Birmingham, England, next March.

If you’d like to donate to Hailey’s trip to Manitoba, you can contact Crystal Flemming through Medway Kennels at medwaykennels@yahoo.ca, or through their Facebook page.

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Eric Goulden, chairman of the Astor Theatre Society, speaks to theatre supporters on Thursday. Karen Murphy, of the J&W Murphy Foundation, and Lynn Cochrane, vice-chair of the Astor board, look on. (Rick Conrad)

The board of the Astor Theatre on Thursday unveiled some details of a plan they hope will make the theatre the centre of arts and culture on the South Shore.

“We are definitely the envy of a lot of other theatres in Nova Scotia,” Astor Theatre Society chairman Eric Goulden said.

“And it is a very, very valuable treasure.”

The historic Liverpool theatre, which opened in 1902, recently received a $500,000 donation from the J&W Murphy Foundation. The five-year funding commitment will help with the Astor’s operational expenses, and help improve its marketing, promotion and fundraising efforts.

Board members invited the community on Thursday afternoon to learn more about the foundation’s support.

The contribution will help the Astor work on long-term projects to make the theatre sustainable. Three consultants will be hired to come up with fundraising and communications plans and oversee the process.

Heather White Brittain, the director of development with the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, will lead the Astor’s fundraising and sponsorship development efforts. That will include creating a fund development database that will help the Astor secure more sustainable donations from corporations and other foundations.

Cathy Neumiller, a communications and marketing professional based in Halifax, will help create a new marketing and communications plan for the theatre. That will include a newly designed website, a subtle rebranding and more community outreach.

“We don’t have the capacity in house to do this work,” said Lynn Cochrane, vice-chair of the Astor board. 

“(The employees) do miracles every day with what they have to work with. But the fund development and marketing communications side are specialist areas and require specialists to do them.”

Cochrane said a lot of the work for the first year will be behind the scenes. But lovers of the Astor should start seeing some changes by the end of this year.

Neumiller says she hopes to harness the enthusiasm of the Astor’s sizable and dedicated group of volunteers.

“It’s really about relationships,” she said in an interview.

“The ultimate with communications is striking up a relationship with someone and finding out what they’re passionate about. The goal is to find the people that are the most passionate and get them on board to help achieve the things that need to be done because there’s a lot.”

Jean Robinson-Dexter, a former executive director of the Astor and longtime chair of the Liverpool International Theatre Festival, will act as a project manager.

The president of Horizons Community Development Associates also helped Cochrane create the funding proposal to the Murphy foundation.

“I guess I’ll be a bit of a trouble-shooter and a bit of a historian about the organization and the kinds of things that the theatre does,” Robinson-Dexter said in an interview.

“I’ll be doing regular check-ins with the two wonderful consultants and sharing that back to the board, making sure we’re on track in terms of deliverables and timelines. It’s a great opportunity to be back and contributing to the Astor again.”

The Astor announced the “life-changing” contribution from the J&W Murphy Foundation in April. 

The foundation was established in 2008 by the late Janet and Dr. William Murphy, longtime Liverpool residents. Dr. Murphy co-founded the thriving Mersey Seafoods in 1964. 

It contributes to a wide variety of charitable causes, especially in Queens County.

The foundation’s Karen Murphy told QCCR on Thursday that they had many discussions with the Astor board about how to help.

“And our conclusion was that we could assist in some funding to take away some of the operational worries so the focus could be on future-proofing the facility,” she said.

“It’s often capital projects that get a lot of attention. But we found with especially small- and medium-sized organizations, operational funding is often forgotten. And sometimes that’s the key to all the other creativity-building that needs to happen.”

She said that she and her family have been longtime supporters of the Astor and were happy to help “take it to the next level”.

“When people find out I’m from Liverpool, they invariably mention the Astor. That tells you what a legacy is already in place. And it’s on all of us to keep adding to that and to keep building it up. This place has to be here for the next 100 years like it has been already.”

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People participate in a walk audit near the Thomas H. Raddall Library off the White Point Road in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

People took to the streets this week to brave some cool and wet conditions, and traffic, to get an idea of how safe it is for walkers around the new Liverpool library location.

Hike Nova Scotia held a walk audit in the area. Program manager Catherine Droesbeck said the organization has done about 15 walk audits around the province through its NS Walks program. But this was the first one for Liverpool.

The Region of Queens asked the group to hold the event to help get community input on how to encourage people to use active transportation, like walking and cycling, to get to and from the library.

“We’ve been doing walking audits now for the past nine months or so all over the province in communities big and small, who are all interested in improving the experience for pedestrians in getting around their communities,” Droesbeck said in an interview.

“Then we’ve been going in and helping them do the audit, which gives us some good data in terms of people’s experience, but also it’s a great way to engage community with government officials and other organizations to bring people together to say, ‘This is what we love about our community, but this is how we we’d like to make it better.’”

About 15 people participated in the walk audit, which took participants on a two-kilometre route from the library, along Harley Umphrey Drive, up to White Point Road, along Payzant Street, across Parker to Union, over to Waterloo and back to the library.

Morgan MacDonald, the region’s new physical activity co-ordinator, said walking is one of the most popular and accessible forms of physical activity. 

“And one of the barriers to walking for many people is safety,” he said.

“So having a walkability audit allows us to take a certain portion of the region, which is around our new library location in Liverpool, and looking at the accessibility and the barriers to active transportation around this location and tying it into the existing infrastructure of the town of Liverpool. So by trying to address some of the barriers to people walking and rolling, we’re hoping that they’ll feel comfortable and confident to make that part of their everyday life.”

When participatns got back to the library, they were asked to rate the route on various factors, such as traffic, sidewalks, crosswalks and safety, out of an overall score of 120. Most were in the 40 to 50 range, with one as high as 92.

They said that even though there are no sidewalks on roads around the library, the shoulders are wide enough in some areas for walkers. But they added that the unevenness of the unpaved shoulders would make it difficult for people in wheelchairs to navigate.

They also talked about the lack of clearly marked crosswalks on the route, and suggested installing crosswalk flags at certain intersections.

When regional council decided to move the library from downtown to the new location, residents were concerned about safety because the area has no sidewalks and limited lighting.

Sylvia Hurley of Liverpool was one of the walkers. She says she loves to walk, but it can sometimes be hazardous.

“And I have a lot of concerns about areas of walking, crosswalks, how walkers are treated locally, not stopping at crosswalks, not paying attention to us. I wanted to express my concerns big time,” she said on the route.

“I used to walk out on this street (White Point Road), but I haven’t walked here for a very long time. It’s dangerous, very dangerous. It’s narrow. But I’m fortunate because I can come up George Street from my house and be to the library which suits me. I don’t have to come out on to this road, but not everyone’s that fortunate.”

Hurley said she thinks the walking audit is a great idea.

“But if they’re going to do an audit, do the audit but honour what people say. Don’t just, ‘Oh yeah, they complained about this, they complained about that.’ Let’s do something about it.”

Hike Nova Scotia’s Droesbeck said responses from the walk audit will be compiled in a report to the municipality.

“I think we identified some, what we’ll call low-hanging fruit today, that the community can do that will go a long way to make people feel safer when they’re walking this particular route. So whether it’s marking the crosswalks better, looking at speed limit signs, more some benches and things that will make it look more like, OK, people want to walk here and walk safely. So I think there’s some possibilities there.”

The region’s MacDonald said this was only the first of a few community consultations about active transportation, including walking and cycling. More are planned this summer through Cycling Nova Scotia in Caledonia, Greenfield and again in Liverpool.

He said the results of this week’s walk audit are important to highlight for regional staff and council the community’s concerns about walking in the area.

“So it was looking at how all of these different systems interact and how we can make infrastructure and spaces that work for everybody and encourage healthy activity and safe activity in our community.”

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Dan Roscoe is the CEO of Roswall Development, which owns Renewall Energy, the company behind Mersey River Wind. (Renewall Energy)

Work may start soon on the Mersey River Wind project in Milton.

Dan Roscoe is the CEO of Roswall Development, the company that plans to build a 33-wind turbine farm on 80 hectares of Crown land west of the Mersey River, under its Renewall Energy subsidiary.

He told QCCR this week that the company is still on track to erect its first batch of windmills by late 2026.

“We still hope to start in the next few months and take advantage of the summer season,” Roscoe said in an interview.

“Turbines are still scheduled to arrive likely next June, but generally the middle of next year. It’s still our plan to do 20 turbines in ’26 and 13 turbines in ‘27.”

Roscoe said most of the site-clearing work has been done. And he expects crews to begin working on the roads this spring and summer.

“We would’ve all loved to have a shovel in the ground by now, but we’re still on schedule for ’26.”

There’s a lot of excitement locally about the project, which promises to sell electricity directly to consumers, bypassing Nova Scotia Power. And Renewall says their rates will be lower and more stable than the privately owned utility.

When about 24 windmill blades showed up in Port Mersey Commercial Park in Brooklyn recently, people thought they were for the Mersey River project.

Roscoe says that equipment doesn’t belong to them. Those are for a wind farm in Benjamins Mill near Falmouth.

“Those are going to a project in Hants County. But that is the same route that we’re planning to use for all of our components, not just the blades.”

Roswall has about 30 commercial, industrial and institutional customers signed up for Mersey River Wind so far, including the Region of Queens and other municipal governments in Halifax, Shelburne and Bridgewater.

And he said hundreds of individuals have added their names to a list of early residential customers. Those who live near the wind farm, essentially anybody in Queens County, will get priority access.

“With many of our customers, there’s this push for stability, especially in the public sector where you’re trying to operate under a fixed budget. If your electricity cost goes up, your cost of water treatment goes up, but if you can stabilize your cost of energy well that major input into your water treatment cost is now is now stabilized and predictable. I suggest that climate and so forth, bring us together, but it’s really the commercial terms that they could save money and have predictability going forward which really is what gets people the most excited.”

Roscoe says the company’s community liaison committee will keep people updated as construction begins.

Residents can also subscribe to the company’s newsletter on the Mersey River Wind website and sign up to be a customer on the Renewall Energy website.

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Horse pull at Queens County Fair. File photo: Doreen Holdright

Eleven community groups have been granted more than $62,000 from the Region of Queens community investment fund.

Non-profit groups from Queens County can apply to the $175,000 fund each year to help offset operational, capital, event, training or travel expenses.

The groups approved for $62,216 in operational funding this week represent only the first stage of grants from the fund. Steve Burns, the region’s community economic development officer, told council that they were time-sensitive.

Any requests from the community investment fund higher than $1,000 have to be approved by council.

Burns said council will be asked to vote on more funding requests now that their 2025-26 budget is approved.

Groups can apply to three different streams for operational funding: up to $10,000 annually if they own their own facility or are in a long-term lease and their programs or services are well-established and open to the general public; up to $5,000 to help community organizations that offer year-round programs or services to Queens County residents and up to $1,000 for groups that offer new, expanded or seasonal programs.

Community groups must submit financial statements, including their current bank balance, what the money will be used for and any other funding sources.

Here is a rundown of what each group received:

• CJQC Radio Society, which operates QCCR, for eligible operating expenses up to $5,000
• South Shore Flying Club up to $6,047
• Friends of Hank Snow Society up to $10,000
• Medway & Area Heritage Society up to $2,267.50
• South Queens Chamber of Commerce up to $3,750
• Mersey Band Society up to $3,121
• Milton Canoe & Camera Club up to $2,030.50
• Carroll Baker Society up to $5,000
• Queens County Fair Association up to $10,000
• Seaside Recreation & Community Centre up to $5,000
• North Queens Board of Trade up to $10,000

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Dan McDougall, interim CAO of the Region of Queens, and Mayor Scott Christian on Tuesday as councillors voted on their 2025/26 budget. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

Region of Queens councillors approved a $31-million budget on Tuesday that held the line on tax rates while boosting support for people on low incomes.

The 2025-26 spending plan of $31.1 million is about $1.3 million higher than last year.

Councillors also approved a five-year, $46.2-million capital investment plan. That includes projects like the South Queens outdoor pool and the multimillion-dollar upgrades and extensions to water and sewer systems in Liverpool.

Mayor Scott Christian said it was a challenging process, but he’s happy with what this council helped accomplish in their first budget since the 2024 municipal election.

The municipality will add new staff positions that they say will help increase the region’s effectiveness. Those include a new human resources manager, a deputy chief administrative officer and a person dedicated to looking for funding opportunities for the region and non-profit groups. They’ve also made the senior safety co-ordinator a municipal employee.

“It’s frustrating because we have so much that we want to do outwardly in the community, but it’s challenging when you need to address this stuff inside the organization first,” Christian said after the meeting.

“I think that the approach was looking at what’s important, what’s a priority for us, and what improvements to the organization are required and then working from there.”

Councillors were helped again by rising property assessments, which increased by about $87 million, and generated $900,000 more in tax revenue.

That gave councillors room to raise the low-income tax exemption rebate by about 25 per cent. Those who qualify can now get up to a $500 discount on their property taxes.

They’ve also set up a $15,000 fund to help low-income water ratepayers deal with expected hikes.

And community groups are also getting more than $50,000 in extra help, including an annual rent subsidy for the Queens County Food Bank, more funding for Queens County Transit’s vehicle replacement fund and more help for Greenfield Recreation’s operations.

“Just recognizing the need, recognizing the affordability, making the changes that we did to the low-income tax piece, carving out money … around the big increase that we’re going to see to the water rate, trying to protect against the impacts of that on low-income households and then making investments like with the the food bank and some of those other groups. I think those are the highlights for me,” Christian said.

Residents on the municipal water and sewer system should brace for a significant jump in their bills in the coming year.

The municipality’s water utility is projecting a deficit of $813,099 for 2025-26, and shortfalls of $708,039 in 2026-27 and $745,280 in 2027-28.

Consultants are reviewing the region’s water rates. The results of that study are expected soon and will be submitted to the province’s Utility and Review Board for approval.

“We do know we are expecting a considerable increase to the water rate,” Christian said. 

“With respect to that north of $800,000 deficit on the utility, … we need to pay down that deficit and then accumulate a bit of a reserve so that when maintenance and repairs need to be performed to the water utility, that there is a reserve to pull from and that we don’t have to take money from the general revenue that’s provided by all taxpayers across the municipality. 
It’s supposed to be the water rate users who pay for the water utility.”

Councillors began their public budget deliberations on April 24. Christian has said that he hopes next year to begin budget talks as early as January, and to involve more public consultations.

Other highlights from the budget:

• Adding protective services co-ordinator to provide leadership and support for police, fire, emergency management and occupational health and safety
• Two new water/wastewater operators
• Creating full-time programmer/aquatics co-ordinator
• Increased budget for street sweeping and catch basin clearing
• Grey box site reconfiguration and signage in north Queens
• South Queens water/wastewater upgrades and Mount Pleasant extension – two kilometres of piped infrastructure to be replaced, eliminating overflows and addressing sea-level rise effects
• Caledonia wastewater system upgrades
• Dry hydrant installation
• Walking track fees waived at Queens Place Emera Centre
• Floating dock replacement on Henry Hensey Drive
• Creation of $1-million operating capital project reserve to fund smaller capital projects

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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The Region of Queens has hired a new human resources manager. (Rick Conrad)

A former human resources director at Global Empire Corporation is now in charge of human resources at the Region of Queens.

Holly McConnell will begin the job of director of people and culture at the municipality on May 26, according to a region news release on Tuesday afternoon.

McConnell was born in Liverpool, and has spent most of her life in Queens County.

According to her LinkedIn profile, she most recently worked for Global Empire at their Liverpool call centre as its HR manager.

“Holly’s experience in leading workplace teams through periods of transition was recognized as a significant asset in the recruitment process, and she is someone with a genuine warmth and caring for the well-being of staff,” interim CAO Dan McDougall said in the release..

“Her background of 16 years in corporate human resources management has given her significant experience and skill in employee relations and workforce engagement.”

The region, which has about 130 full-time and part-time employees, hasn’t had a dedicated human resources manager until the position was created recently.

The municipality has struggled to recruit and retain employees over the past few years.

“The position is called director of people and culture to reflect our administration and council’s commitment to an uplifting work environment that embodies inclusion, safety and mutual respect,” McDougall said.

“Holly is proficient in these areas, and will focus on strengthening employee engagement by way of leadership development, human resource planning, and recruitment and retention plans.”

McConnell has 16 years’ experience in human resources positions. She is a graduate of the Institute of Professional
Management and has a Canadian Management Professional designation.

“My specialty is employee relations,” McConnell said in the release. “I derive great satisfaction helping people successfully grow in their roles and always work towards those ‘win-win-win’ situations to help drive a positive work culture.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Inside Global Empire Corporation’s call centre in Liverpool. (File photo by Ed Halverson)

A company that operates a call centre in Liverpool has been ordered to pay almost $200,000 to 69 former employees it laid off last March.

In a May 1 order by Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Division, Global Empire Corporation must pay the laid-off workers a total of $193,115.04.

That’s because the company failed to give proper notice, as outlined under Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Code.

In a mass layoff of 10 to 99 employees, a company must give at least eight weeks’ notice, or pay instead of notice. 

The decision amounts to pay of five weeks and one day for most laid-off workers. Two are entitled to five weeks and two days’ pay.

• Read the Labour Standards decision here

According to the reasons accompanying the order, Global Empire terminated 74 people on March 15, 2024, three weeks after it issued layoff notices on Feb. 26, and before the original termination date of April 19.

Debra Lalonde-MacDonald, who moved to the area a few years ago from Ontario, was one of those people who lost her job. She filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Labour Standards Division shortly after the layoff. She provided QCCR with a copy of the decision.

Lalonde-MacDonald told QCCR this week that management assured employees that their jobs were secure, despite the February layoff notice.

“There was just an abundance of reassurance from our management that it was precautionary and that our jobs were very secure,” she said.

“For many, it was tragic, especially (those) who had moved from out of province to come here and work. For my personal situation, after three years of a local job search with valid skills and exhausting so many employers in the community, it was challenging. … Very disappointing news at that point in my life thinking of re-entering the job market that had closed its door repeatedly for three years.”

According to the decision by Labour Standards officer Kyle Barrie, the Liverpool call centre lost a contract with Lifeline Systems Company on March 1, 2024, which led to the job cuts. 

Lifeline, which provides medical alert services, claimed that Global Empire wasn’t fulfilling its obligations under the contract it signed in November 2021. 

Lifeline said the call centre failed in “providing guaranteed minimum number of agents per month, the minimum number of service hours, and meeting average speed of answer obligations.”

But according to Global Empire’s February layoff notice that was quoted in the Labour Standards ruling, it needed 130 employees to cover the Lifeline work and that it was never able to hire that many people.

“Unfortunately after many promises and failed attempts to provide our client the needed 130 employees, they no longer have faith in our hiring abilities and as such will be terminating their contract with us. We are a service provider for them, and we have not been able to provide them with the service.”

It also blamed minimum wage increases, a lack of affordable housing in Liverpool, and the provincial government for not following through on promised payroll rebates.

In the ruling, Labour Standards said Global Empire didn’t do enough to avoid the layoff.

”While (Global Empire) did take some steps to meet its obligations, such as posting ads online, going door to door, and hiring foreign workers already situated in Canada, I find it has not demonstrated on a balance of probabilities that it exercised sufficient due diligence to foresee and avoid the cause of the layoff,” Barrie wrote in his decision.

“(Global Empire) could have done more due diligence prior to entering into the service agreement of November 2021, to confirm whether it would be able to meet its staffing obligations.

“There was nothing sudden about the problems the (company) says prevented it from reaching the required staffing levels from the beginning of the service agreement with Lifeline Systems in 2021.

“In reviewing the evidence, I find the reason for the layoff was within the (company’s) control. Simply put, the (company) entered into an agreement it could not fulfill. Its failure to fulfill its responsibilities under the service agreement in 2024 cannot excuse its inability to fulfil its responsibilities from the end of 2021, through the beginning of 2022, and forward. I find the employees’ terminations were within the (company’s) control.”

For her part, Lalonde-MacDonald says she’s not celebrating yet. The company has 10 days to appeal the order to the province’s labour board. If it does, that would further delay a payout to laid-off employees.

“I’m hesitant to be elated about it,” she said.

“With the appeal process pending, only time will tell. Should they be able to collect that, it would be fantastic. That would be a relief for us all. It was hard news for us to receive for so many reasons. … I’d be happy to see that we have policy makers’ support to make sure that that money’s collected.”

Lalonde-MacDonald said it’s difficult to find a well-paying job in the area. And being properly compensated for the layoff would be a help. 

“Fourteen months later, … it’s just good to know that there’s protection but questionable on whether or not they’re going to be able to collect it.

“All we can do is hope that that order to pay is strong enough, so that the 69 of us that have been deemed entitled to our five weeks of pay in lieu of notice that we actually receive it.”

She said she’s upset that municipal and provincial governments didn’t provide more support to the former employees of Global Empire in Liverpool.

The Region of Queens signed a long-term lease with the company in December 2021 to move into the municipally owned Business Development Centre building. At the time, it was the company’s only Canadian location.

Before the layoffs, about 120 people worked at the call centre.

In early February 2024, the company wanted to renegotiate its lease with the region, saying it was using half the space it originally needed.

The region signed a new lease with the company on Feb. 1. It was approved by council in a closed-door session on Feb. 13.

The lease has never been made public.

Mayor Scott Christian said he’s not familiar with the terms of the lease, since it was signed before he was elected.

He said it’s “problematic” when employers in the community are found to have violated labour rules, but he said it doesn’t mean the region should impose its own values on one of its tenants.

“I think it’s too bad that that operation hasn’t been successful and that there have been layoffs and that they never really were able to stand up the labour force to be able to make that a vibrant and successful operation. I think that that is regrettable.”

The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration would not comment on the ruling or say whether the company has appealed or honoured the order to pay back wages.

Neither the company nor its lawyer responded to requests for comment.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Queens County Transit says the success of a recent fundraiser will help them keep their vans running. (Rick Conrad)

A recent fundraiser for Queens County Transit roared past all the group’s expectations.

The rural transit charity based in Liverpool held its first major fundraiser last Saturday. They teamed up with the Yuk Yuk’s standup comedy tour for a show at the Astor Theatre.

Gil Johnson, chairman of the Queens County Transit board, said it was a “huge success.”

“We had a good turnout and everybody seemed to enjoy the show and now the end result was is that we made a little over $13,000.”

Organizers were hoping to raise $10,000 from the show and a 50/50 draw. Johnson thanked the sponsors and community for their support. And he credited fellow board member Tara Smith with making it all happen.

“Tara Smith has been the driving force behind this fundraiser and if it wouldn’t have been for her, it wouldn’t have happened. She put a team together of volunteers and made this the success that it is, so the rest of us were just along for the ride.”

The service began seven years ago with one used accessible van and a team of volunteers. Its fleet has grown to eight vans, five of which are accessible. It also employs 11 people. Nine of those are drivers.

It’s one of 23 rural transit services in Nova Scotia.

Johnson says the success of the fundraiser shows people appreciate the services that Queens County Transit provides.

“It is now part of the infrastructure of Queens County. That service of moving people, keeping people connected one ride at a time. And people are starting to understand that we are there to serve.”

Johnson says the money raised will go toward their vehicle replacement fund. 

“Right now, we have an immediate need to replace one of our older vehicles that’s costing us as much in the garage as it does to get it down the road.”

​​If you need a ride on Queens County Transit, they ask that you contact them at least 24 hours in advance by contacting them at 902-356-2670, by email at info@queenscountytransit.ca or message them on Facebook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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