Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian and his fellow councillors at a town hall session at the Liverpool Fire Hall in October. (Rick Conrad / File photo)

A citizens committee is considering recommending significant raises for Queens County’s mayor and councillors.

The five-person group of volunteers appointed by Region of Queens council to review elected officials’ remuneration had their second meeting on Friday.

They agreed that the mayor’s position should be considered a full-time job. They also agreed to recommend that it increase to $68,752 a year from the current $48,033.

That reflects the current salary of the mayor in the West Hants Regional Municipality.

Councillors could see a bigger percentage bump. Committee members discussed how the annual pay for a regional councillor of $24,286 is less than minimum wage, based on a 30-hour work week.

After considering the West Hants councillor rate of $34,376, they discussed raising the salary for a Queens councillor to $41,496. 

Committee members split on that. Three supported the higher rate, while two others voted against it.

Kerry Morash said it would be difficult to justify that kind of increase to residents.

Pamela Brennan said she supports higher pay for councillors, especially in the age of social media.

“We live in a time when elected officials are targets for abuse, targets for frustration,” she said, adding that as an elected official, “potentially, you put your employable future at risk.”

She said that a higher rate of pay could encourage more people to consider running for municipal council. District 6 was the only area that was uncontested in the 2024 election. 

Committee chair Christopher Clarke, also a former mayor, said after the meeting that it’s a balancing act.

“You fall between two stools,” he told QCCR.

“On the one hand, you want to compensate people who run for office properly. And they deserve that. 
On the other hand, you’ve got to be cognizant of the fact that Queens is one of the poorest municipalities in the province. You’ve got to make sure that whatever you do doesn’t add too great a burden on the taxpayer.”

The committee’s Tara Druzina said if the new salaries are recommended by the committee and approved by council, the cost would be the equivalent of an extra $24 a year per taxpayer.

It’s important to note that the committee has not yet decided on its final recommendations to council. It will meet again on Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. in council chambers. That meeting is open to the public.

Committee members are set to discuss the rate of pay for deputy mayor, among other issues.

While they focused on West Hants for much of their discussion Friday, they’re also looking at other municipalities with a similar population or budget size.

“So we’ve been using West Hants as our comparison,” Clarke said. 

“It is a reasonably fair comparison. Population-wise, it’s more, they have more councillors. 
We’ve also been cross-referencing to the Town of Bridgewater, for example, where we’re very comparable in size, number of councillors, budget. We’ve looked at the (Municipality of the County) of Annapolis.”

The committee also briefly discussed pension options for elected officials. Some Nova Scotia municipalities allow their council members to participate in a pension plan. But the committee did not reach a consensus on that issue in their Friday meeting.

Currently, pay for Region of Queens council and the mayor is adjusted after every election. 

Any raises are calculated by using an amount equal to the cumulative percentage of the average salary increase of all region employees over the past four years or by the cumulative consumer price index over the same period, whichever is less. 

The region has had the same policy since 2018.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg’s mayor is paid $59,377 a year, while councillors make $29,562. The deputy mayor gets $40,208. Members of council can also participate in a health and dental benefits package and be part of the provincial public service pension plan, which MODL belongs to as an employer.

The committee is due to report back to Region of Queens council by Feb. 28. Councillors will have the final say on how they are compensated.

Committee members are: Christopher Clarke, Velta Vikmanis, Tara Druzina, Kerry Morash and Pamela Brennan.

Two staff members are helping them with research and background. They are Holly McConnell, the region’s director of people and culture, and Alex Wilson, the region’s policy analyst and strategic initiatives co-ordinator.

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

UPDATED FRIDAY AT 3:45 P.M.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mayor Scott Christian said he understood the residents’ concerns.

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

Christian could not be reached for a followup interview.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

The Region of Queens Dogwood Festival kicks off Friday evening. (Rick Conrad)

For the past 25 years, they’ve brought vibrant pops of pink, yellow and white to front yards in many parts of Queens County.

And this weekend, the inaugural Region of Queens Dogwood Festival will celebrate the 1,000 dogwood trees planted in the area since 2000.

Stephanie Miller Vincent is organizing the three-day festival. While there have been some garden tours and teas around the dogwood in the past, she says this is the first time an event has focused solely on the trees.

“The end of April, something caught my eye and I was like, holy, this is the 25th anniversary of those original trees. If we don’t do something intentional this year, we really missed an opportunity. You know, it’ll be small, but it will be a celebration. The trees are going to bloom every single year.

“It’s time that we start taking notice of them and welcome people to explore the community.”

Christopher Clarke is the dogwood father of Queens County. He wanted to make the region the dogwood capital of Nova Scotia.

As mayor, he began a millennial planting project in 2000, with the municipality selling 750 dogwoods at a relatively low cost.

“Those 25-year-old trees are very large,” Miller Vincent says. “Not everyone knows what they are, so I think they really catch people’s eye and their attention because they’re kind of like, my gosh, that is beautiful. And then they want to know more. And really, that’s part of the celebration that we’re doing is that these trees have been here for 25 years. And if you’ve driven through the community or come to the community since 2000, you may not know the reason why they’re here.

“That pink pop of color is very different for people as they drive down the street, and it really does catch their eye.”

Stephanie Miller Vincent (Courtesy of Stephanie Miller Vincent)

An opening ceremony and tree planting are planned for Friday evening at the Queens County Museum. On Saturday, local artist Andre Haines will be leading a dogwood painting session in Cobb Park. That’s where a dozen trees were planted after being donated by officials from the region’s former sister city Dryden, Ontario.

Also on Saturday, stained glass artist Scot Slessor will be holding a workshop at his studio in downtown Liverpool.

On Sunday, photographer Amy McGowan will be in Cobb Park taking keepsake photos of people, their families and pets among the dogwoods.

Miller Vincent has also created a crowdsourced map on the event’s website with more than 100 dogwood tree locations from Port Medway to Port Mouton.

“They are absolutely gorgeous. We’ve had the perfect weather for big, bright, beautiful blossoms.”

Miller Vincent plans to make the Region of Queens Dogwood Festival an annual event. And just like the trees themselves, she says she hopes the festival grows bigger every year.

“Absolutely. Bigger and better next year. We thought any celebration is a good celebration and we’ll add things to it next year.”

For more information, visit regionofqueensdogwoodfestival.ca or follow their Facebook page.

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The board that operates Region of Queens Home Support in Liverpool has given notice that it will terminate its contract with the Nova Scotia government to provide home-care services. (Rick Conrad)

UPDATED 2:30 p.m. Tuesday

A non-profit group that delivers home-care services in Queens County has decided to terminate its contract with the provincial government partly because of a “substantial” deficit.

Region of Queens Home Support has been providing services like personal care, respite care and meal preparation for people in their homes for more than 40 years.

The Queens Home for Special Care Society operates the agency. The board gave six months’ notice recently to the province that it would no longer run it. That means a new provider needs to take over by January.

But Christopher Clarke, the society’s chairman, says its 174 clients in Queens and Lunenburg counties won’t see an interruption in service, and employees will keep their jobs.

“For the clients, it will mean they will continue to get service,” Clarke said Monday in an interview.

“We have a strong commitment from government that they will continue to get service. For the employees, they will be working for another employer, but they will be providing service to the same clients as we currently have.”

A Facebook post from someone who said they have worked with Queens Home Support for more than 20 years was widely shared on Monday. She said she is a continuing care assistant and that staff were told on July 4 that Queens Home Support would be closing.

“Let me be clear before I say what’s on my mind – to any clients or family with clients under Queens Home Support – the transition is supposed to be smooth without much upset to the (clients’) routines, themselves or their daily care,” the post said in part. “They will continue to receive care as usual.”

The post also claimed that Queens Home Support’s deficit is $1.5 million.

Clarke confirmed that the agency has run a deficit the past two years. But he said that it isn’t as high as $1.5 million.

“We have a deficit, yes. The number is incorrect, but we have a deficit. I’m not going to go into that. It’s substantial, so we have to work through that with government.”

He said the deficit is one of many reasons why the board decided to end its contract with the province. 

“There were a number of other problems too, but that’s the main issue that caused us to make the decision,” he said.

“I’m not prepared to go into them in any sort of detail.”

Much of the funding for Region of Queens Home Support comes from the province. Based on clients’ income and the kind of care they need, other costs may be paid by the client.

Clarke said the agency’s income dropped because their service hours decreased, but its expenses didn’t.

“We got compensated on the basis of service hours, those are hours that we actually service our clients. But there are a lot of overheads in addition to that, and those overheads don’t change even though your service hours diminish.”

Clarke emphasized that clients will continue to get care. And he said the approximately 60 employees will retain their jobs. 

“Government has assured us that they will continue to provide the services we provide under another agency. … And the employees will all be virtually employed by whatever the new agency is.”

Kim Silver, director of home and community care with the provincial Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, said Monday that when an agency notifies the province it’s winding down, officials immediately start looking for options to ensure services are maintained.

“Obviously, it’s concerning for clients and staff. For clients, they should know that there will be no impact to their care. The acting administrator has been in there for a little while now. She knows the organization well and she’ll continue to operate that organization until there’s a solid plan in place where we can seamlessly transition clients. In terms of staff, the plan certainly includes considerations for staff. We want to make sure everyone is treated fairly.”

Annette Hartlen, the agency’s executive director, is on leave. Kerry Hobbs, executive director of Lunenburg Home Support, is the interim director in Queens.

“We have options thankfully,” Silver said. “We’ve got a number of agencies in the province. Typically, we would have conversations with ones that make sense to see if they would be interested in taking over geographies. … We’re looking at other agencies in the area to support the clients.”

Silver said various factors could contribute to a reduction in service hours.

“Agencies are funded based on the number of service hours that they deliver on an hourly basis. So if service hours are lower, the funds the agency’s paid are lower. It could be a drop in clients, it could be that some clients have different care needs that might take a different amount of time. It could be that there’s more travel time involved. There are a whole lot of factors that can play into it.”

As for Queens Home Support’s deficit, Silver said that will be worked out between the province and the organization.

“It’s really about the sustainability of the organization. It’s a deficit that’s built up over time and would continue to be added to if the agency kept going.”

Queens MLA Kim Masland posted to her Facebook page on Tuesday morning and said that she’s working to make sure there’s no interruption in service.

“I commit to updating the community frequently as plans become finalized,” she said. “I want to be very clear that government did not cut funding!”

Clarke said that cancelling the home-care agreement was a tough decision for the board to make.

“Obviously, it’s not a decision that the board made lightly and obviously none of us feel good about it, but it’s something we had to do.”

Silver said they should have more information for clients and staff in the next few weeks.

“We’re working with the board to put a plan in place, to make sure people continue to get care, and that employees are treated fairly. Our primary focus obviously is our commitment to client care, so we’re working on solutions to make sure that we can continue that and have a smooth transition.”

Most of the agency’s clients live in Queens County, but a few live in neighbouring Lunenburg County. Clarke said that’s left over from when the agency had too many employees for its Queens County clients, so it took on some from the county next door.

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(L-R)Christopher Clarke, Kim Masland, Darlene Norman and Andrew MacVicar at the groundbreaking for the new Queens long term care facility. Photo Ed Halverson

Years of wrangling to get financing and another two years of planning culminated in a groundbreaking ceremony Monday at the site of the new Queens long-term care home.

Public Works Minister and MLA for Queens Kim Masland and Mayor Darlene Norman joined Queens Manor Executive Director Andrew MacVicar and Board Chair Christopher Clarke at the podium to announce the first physical steps to building the new facility across the parking lot from Queens Place.

In her remarks, Masland said providing a new long-term care home is the reason she got into politics.

“I know Christopher, when he came to me we started talking about this in 2017 when I was elected and I said if I ever make government I’ll make you one promise and it’s the only promise I’m going to make anyone and that is I will deliver the funds for a new long-term care facility in Queens, and here we are.”

Once completed, the new care home will replace the county’s two existing facilities, the privately run Queens Manor and the Region of Queens’ Hillsview Acres.

Norman says the municipal facility has served its purpose for decades and with the new care home, residents have a lot to look forward to.

“It’s been part of the Region for so long, there will be many that will miss it. But to know that the residents are moving into a new facility surrounded by people and children and playgrounds and skate parks and life, it’s a wonderful thing.”

Combined, the aging facilities can currently accommodate 90 residents while the new home will increase that capacity by 22 bringing the total number of available beds in Queens up to 112.

MacVicar says the building is designed with the most modern best practices in mind and was the result of much consultation between residents, staff and professional architects.

“We were very keen to include the people who will use the facility on a day-to-day basis, hands on. So, we included people who work in laundry, people who work in the kitchen, our CCAs our nurses, our environmental staff, our residents, family input, all the way up to board input, and just overall community input. There are a lot of hands and a lot of minds that were involved in the creation of the plan.”

Construction of the new Queens long term care home gets underway. Photo Ed Halverson

Clarke says he’s worked since 2013 to get a new long-term care facility for Queens and is delighted the province stepped up to secure financing.

“It’s a little under $100 million. Nova Scotia Housing is financing the project for the Queens Manor board. We will own the facility. It will be mortgaged, I suspect, over 40 years so we repay Nova Scotia Housing to pay down that mortgage.”

The new, as yet unnamed long-term care home is scheduled to open in 2026.

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Announcement of Adult Day/Respite Care program at Queens County Home Support. Photo QCCR staff

Two months after it was announced, a program designed to provide desperately needed relief to caregivers has yet to launch.

On Feb 13 an event held by the Queens Home Care Society to celebrate the new Adult Day/Respite Care program was attended by Minister of Seniors and Long Term Care Barbara Adams, Kim Masland, the MLA for Queens/Minister of Public Works, Board Chair of Queens Home for Special Care Society Christopher Clarke and Albert Doucet Chair of Queens General Hospital Foundation.

The program was to begin two weeks later in a newly renovated location at 266 Main Street in Liverpool.

The province invested $500,000 in the program but two months on, the Region of Queens is being blamed for not issuing building permits.

Building owner Jerry Thibault says the trouble started when he began renovating the space in September of 2022.

“As soon as you get your framing up you call for a framing inspection, it’s the first inspection you do. So, I called them, and I said I need a framing inspection before I put my gyprock on and I was told I don’t have a building permit. I said yeah, I got it here in my hand and they said, well bring it up and will take a look. So, I took it up and they said no that’s not a building permit that’s a development permit which allows you to apply for a building permit,” said Thibault.

“So, it was my mistake at the start and I’m free to admit that but the fact that, you know I wasn’t trying to cheat them, I actually called for framing inspection.”

Thibault says the inspector told him to apply for a building permit right away, and he needed to confirm the fire separation requirements, but construction could continue in the meantime.

Thibault says the next time he heard from the inspector was February 10, three days before the planned launch event.

After some back and forth with the building inspector, Thibault agreed to provide the Region with designs guaranteed by an engineer.

He says the designs should be in the inspectors hand this week.

Executive Director of the Queens Home Care Society Annette Hartlen says the Adult Day/Respite Care program is desperately needed.

“[We] wanted to focus on people that don’t currently meet the criteria for the adult day program, the wonderful program that currently runs here in Queens County at the Manor. We definitely didn’t want to duplicate or step on their toes because they’re offering, you know, an awesome program there. So, we decided we would, yes, we’ll offer an adult day program we’ll offer a respite program, but we wanted to focus on high needs clients.”

Hartlen says while they wait to open the doors, the staff have been working on programming and are ready to welcome clients.

She is hopeful the occupancy permit issue can be resolved quickly.

A spokesperson for the Department of Seniors and Long-term care says despite the delay, the province is committed to funding the day program.

The Region of Queens was contacted but declined to provide comment for this story.

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Site plan for new Queens Long Term Care Home. Photo Region of Queens Council Agenda

The Queens Home for Special Care Society is asking the municipality to sell them more land and help cover the costs of building a road to the new care home being built near Queens Place.

At the recent Region of Queens Council meeting society chair Christopher Clarke and Executive Director of Queens Manor Andrew MacVicar appealed to council to cover part of the $400,000 they estimate it will cost to build a road and underground infrastructure to the new facility.

The society is paying close to a million dollars to buy the land at Queens Crossing from the municipality.

In the past, regional council has reinvested proceeds of land sales at that location back into the site.

The current council decided last month to not extend the Queens Place Road when they voted against building the new library on the site.

That left responsibility for building a road to the new care facility with the Queens Home for Special Care Society.

When addressing council, Clarke said their construction timelines are extremely tight and road construction to the new home site must begin this summer.

“Deputy Mayor, it has to be this year for us. Obviously the first thing that we do is to start pushing dirt to start construction,” said Clarke. “We hope to be doing that in July, August, kind of thing, so yes, we’ve got to do it tout de suite.”

Including the road construction in their plans may mean the society will have to move the entire build closer to the road by almost 70 metres.

Clarke explains the design is planned with residents and staff in mind to enjoy a southwest view that will maximize the light.

Moving the build will allow the construction to proceed without reorienting the building.

“When you’re dealing with seniors in homes is that it will also be facing activity at Queens Place,” said Clarke. “The coming and going, the people going to the skateboard park, even people in the parking lot we know from the Manor that anything happening outside the Manor is a is a key interest to the residents there and so the orientation of that building which had been carefully planned, is important.”

Mayor Darlene Norman says she has heard from the Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing expressing their concern that the province is providing a million dollars to pay for the land and the municipality is unwilling to build a road to the new care home.

Norman would like the municipality to be a good partner in this important project.

“In my opinion, we need to do what I believe our area residents feel is right. And I suspect the majority of people in Queens County would expect us, if we’re getting $1,000,000 so the province can build, along with the Queens Care Society, can build this exceptional replacement facility for Hillsview and Queens Manor, that we build them a road to the driveway,”said Norman.

Council will consider the request and make a decision on funding at a future council meeting.

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