Photo Ed Halverson
The Region of Queens is projecting a $3.4 million surplus in this year’s budget and knows how to spend it. While some of the money will be put into reserves, council agreed the bulk of the windfall will be used to build a new library. Mayor Darlene Norman... Read More...
Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson
A surprise announcement during the public comments portion of their latest meeting has Region of Queens council buzzing. Deborah Spartinelli, vice-president of the Queens County Aquatic Association informed council her organization had received a $3 million... Read More...
Zion United Church. Photo Ed Halverson
Zion United Church in Liverpool has another potential buyer. Stephanie Sereda hopes to transform the church into a year-round makers market and event space. Sereda and her husband moved from Ontario to make Western Head their home in the fall. She says the... Read More...
Queens Ground Search and Rescue headquarters. Photo Ed Halverson
Queens Ground Search and Rescue is seeing a resurgence in membership and technology. Based in Queens, the group can be called to respond across Nova Scotia to assist RCMP trying to locate people lost in the woods. Searcher, Jason Croft says the organization... Read More...
Front country rustic cabin at Kejimkujik National Park. Photo Parks Canada
It appears staff at Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site will be busy this year. The park began accepting reservations on February 17 and 9,167 camp sites were booked almost immediately. Acting visitor experience manager Mark Schmidt says the number of... Read More...
Astor Theatre in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson
As COVID restrictions relax, life is beginning to return to normal at Liverpool’s Astor Theatre. General Manager Jean Robinson-Dexter says the arts venue was hit hard throughout the pandemic. “Our revenues over the last fiscal year and part of the year... Read More...
Conservation area is expanding in Queens. Photo Nature Conservancy of Canada
Another 157 hectares of land has been protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Port Joli. The two sites located near Thomas Raddall Provincial Park and Kejimkujik National Park are composed of salt marshes, tidal flats, white sandy beaches and... Read More...
The only traffic lights in Liverpool at the intersection of Milton Rd and Hwy 3. Photo Ed Halverson
A shift in takeout coffee buying habits is snarling traffic in Liverpool. Mayor Darlene Norman says since the McDonald’s restaurant closed for renovations consumers have moved across the street to Tim Hortons to buy their coffees causing traffic to... Read More...
Ginette Petitpas Taylor at Queens Place in Liverpool February 24, 2022 to announce $2.4 million in ACOA funding for South Shore. Photo Ed Halverson
The Government of Canada has spent over $2.4 million on 23 projects across the South Shore that will benefit communities while helping kickstart an economic recovery from COVID. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the Minister responsible for ACOA was at Queens Place in... Read More...
Dr. Robert Strang speaks at COVID briefing February 23, 2022. Photo Communications Nova Scotia
Premier Tim Houston and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang announced at Wednesday’s COVID update the restrictions would come off in a phased approach. The process will begin Monday February 28 when people will no longer have to show proof of... Read More...
COVID-19 has spurred home sales in Queens. Photo: Ed Halverson
The province is taking steps to learn the depths of the housing crisis facing Nova Scotia by filling in holes in their data. Currently there is no uniform way to compare the cost of housing to rent or buy between municipalities. Executive Director of Housing... Read More...
Photo Ed Halverson
Repairs at Hillsview Acres long term-care home will have to wait after proposals came back way over budget. The province had approved $273,000 to update washrooms, stairs and entry doors at the municipally owned facility. Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman... Read More...
SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson
The recent bout of snowstorms and school cancellations have caused headaches for many across the South Shore but none more than Paul Ash. As regional executive director for the South Shore Centre for Education (SSRCE) Ash makes the decision to close schools... Read More...
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman. Photo Ed Halverson
How many councillors are elected and the area each will cover dominated conversation at the last Region of Queens council meeting. The Municipal Government Act requires all 49 municipalities across Nova Scotia to review the number of representatives on each... Read More...
Executive Director Annette Hartlen looks on as Queens Mayor Darlene Norman and MLA Kim Masland cut the ribbon to open the Caledonia home support office in September 2021. Photo Queens County Home Support
Continuing care assistants across Nova Scotia are getting a significant raise. At Wednesday’s COVID briefing Premier Tim Houston announced the province will spend $65 million to increase the salaries of all publicly funded CCAs by 23 percent. That will bring... Read More...
Photo Ed Halverson
Icy conditions put a school bus off the road Tuesday morning. Route 282 serving West Northfield Elementary slid off the road while transporting 17 students to their morning classes. There were no injuries and RCMP and first responders attended the scene No... Read More...
Photo Ed Halverson
The Region of Queens is stepping away from a program that provides people with help to file their income taxes opting to go to a volunteer coordinator. Mayor Darlene Norman says the municipality has offered staff time to assist with scheduling a program... Read More...
L-R Kiefer, Kim and Kerwin Huskins stand in front of the jeep that will be upgraded thanks to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Photo Ed Halverson
A teenager from Brooklyn just had his wish come true. 18-year-old Kiefer Huskins received a stockpile of new offroad parts to customize his Jeep through the Make-A-Wish foundation. Kiefer’s mother Kim says the family learned about the Make-A-Wish program when... Read More...
Entrance to Zion United Church in Liverpool. Photo Ed Halverson
A Liverpool church that boasts the oldest established congregation in Queens is being sold. The Zion United Church closed its doors in December according to chair of the closure working group* Ray Baker. He says the congregation is getting older and their... Read More...
Vina Moses stands alongside a statue of country music legend Hank Snow. Photo Ed Halverson
The Hank Snow Tribute show scheduled for August has been cancelled. This marks the third year in a row the annual tribute has been called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vina Moses* with the Hank Snow Museum says uncertainty around what restrictions... Read More...
Road work in Liverpool in June 2020. Photo Ed Halverson
A decision not to hire a full time Asset Manager will cost the Region of Queens more in the long run according to Mayor Darlene Norman. Norman is perplexed why, after council approved the new position at a previous meeting, voted against hiring a full-time... Read More...
A road sign announces Privateer Days in Liverpool in 2014. Photo Ed Halverson
Residents of Liverpool can breathe a collective sigh of relief as Privateer Days is not being disbanded. Rumours swirled about the demise of the festival after the organizers posted on Facebook asking for volunteers to step forward and replace most of the... Read More...
SSRCE School Bus. Photo Ed Halverson
Parents are upset schools are not telling them about COVID in classrooms. As public health moves away from contact tracing, parents must rely on each other to find out if their kids have been exposed in schools. One of those parents is Matthew Verge whose two... Read More...
Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson
Schools weren’t the only institution getting back to business online in the new year. Gathering restrictions meant to slow the spread of the omicron virus caused Region of Queens council to meet via zoom January 11. Mayor Darlene Norman says everyone... Read More...
Dr. Robert Strang. Photo Communications Nova Scotia
The province’s top doctor says staff and students are welcome to share their COVID status, but schools won’t aid in getting the word out. Dr. Robert Strang says the omicron variant is so widespread that there is little value in providing contract... Read More...