Candidate information packages for the Oct. 19 municipal election are now available at Region of Queens offices. (Elections Nova Scotia Facebook)
If you want to run for Region of Queens mayor or council in October, information packages for candidates are now available at the region’s administration building on White Point Road.
The offices are open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To run for council or mayor, you must be a resident of Queens County as of March 9.
The deadline to file your nomination papers is Sept. 10, though you can file the paperwork seven business days before the deadline, beginning Aug. 29.
There are two advance polls: Oct. 12 and 15, with Election Day on Oct. 19.
This year, for the first time, voters will have three ways to cast their ballots – in person, by phone or online.
For more information, contact returning officer Ian Kent at ikent@regionofqueens.com or 902-646-1033.
Region of Queens councillors plan to ask RCMP to step up enforcement efforts at the three-way stop at Main and Market streets in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)
Queens County councillors grappled with traffic safety in downtown Liverpool at their meeting on Tuesday evening.
The intersection at Main and Market streets has been the scene of some close calls between motorists and pedestrians. And in January, a 79-year-old woman was hit in the crosswalk and taken to hospital in Bridgewater. A driver was charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian in a marked crosswalk.
The incident reignited concern in the community about that intersection and others in town. Councillors heard from their constituents that they needed to address safety in that area.
Some residents want the municipality to install pedestrian-controlled crosswalk lights.
At their Jan. 23 meeting, councillors asked staff to review previous reports and studies about that intersection and come back with recommendations. They also asked staff to investigate adding fluorescent orange flags at that intersection for pedestrians to use while they cross.
On Tuesday evening, some councillors were in favour of trying the flags, while others were opposed. It would cost $1,050 to put the flags at each of the three corners of the intersection. The idea has been used in the Halifax region at many crosswalks, but not at those controlled by stop signs.
Adam Grant, the region’s director of engineering and public works, said he spoke with the community group in Halifax behind those flags.
The citizens’ group Crosswalk Safety Society of Nova Scotia began putting the orange flags at intersections in 2008 after a teenager was killed in a Dartmouth crosswalk. According to the group’s website, it got approval from the province in 2011 to allow crosswalk flags on provincial roads. They are now found in Hubbards, Hantsport, Aylesford, Berwick, New Ross, Bridgewater, Chester and Windsor.
Grant said the reception to them in the Halifax region is mixed. And he told councillors there is no evidence that installing the flags at Main and Market would improve pedestrian safety.
“I don’t feel comfortable consenting to the installation, quite frankly, as the traffic authority.
“Any time we introduce anything to a situation which doesn’t have a clear and direct guideline with substantiated evidence determined by professionals, we’re introducing liability. For me to suggest putting these in place will improve safety when I don’t know they will would be contradictory to my intent.”
Councillors decided to defer the flag discussion to a later date.
Grant said that pedestrian-controlled lights at the intersection could interrupt traffic flow and create more problems. He said it’s unusual to install the lights at a three-way stop.
A 2015 study by Insight Traffic Engineering did not recommend installing lights at the intersection. Instead, it suggested changing some signage, remove any trees or greenery obstructing visibility and moving the stop sign and crosswalk from the western approach on Main Street.
The study found that existing traffic control wasn’t an issue, though it did recommend council at the time ask Queens District RCMP to step up enforcement.
Grant told councillors Tuesday that conditions at the intersection haven’t changed since that 2015 report, and that there was no increase in the rate of collisions over the past 10 years, according to the RCMP.
Mayor Darlene Norman suggested leaving the issue for the next council to tackle after municipal elections in October.
District 6 Coun. David Brown said he’d like the region’s police advisory board to discuss increased enforcement with the RCMP at their next meeting, likely in late May.
“It sounds more like a compliance issue,” Brown said.
“Once you make an example of a few peole and word gets out that there are potential fines for jaywalking or entering the intersection illegally when you’re driving, word will get around and pepole will take the extra time and look at what they’re doing.”
Norman said she believes that’s a good idea, and that police need to keep up the enforcement efforts for many days, and at all times of the day.
“And fines. Not warnings, but fines for rolling stops, for all of those things, because it might be the pedestrian once in a while who darts out, but it’s often the vehicle driver.”
Region of Queens councillors Jack Fancy, David Brown and Vicki Amirault in a file photo. (Rick Conrad)
The Region of Queens plans to increase the income threshold for people eligible for the low-income property tax exemption.
As part of budget discussions on Tuesday, District 6 Coun. David Brown asked council to consider increasing the income brackets for those eligible for the tax break.
“We know there’s been a lot of inflation this year and the consumer price index went up 3.4 per cent,” Brown said.
“We end up with bracket creep. I know some people are getting small raises in their pensions, small raises in the EI rate, and minimum wage that could price them out of that benefit. So we could be clawing back what little benefit they gained out of inflation.”
Property owners with a household income of $20,000 a year or less are eligible for a maximum $400 tax exemption. Those who make between $20,000 and $25,000 get up to $350, and those making between $25,000 and $30,000 get as much as a $300 break.
The revised income amounts would add $5,000 to each of those brackets. So the lowest income bracket would now be up to $25,000, and then $25,001 to $30,000 and $30,001 to $35,000. The tax exemption amounts would not change.
Brown originally wanted council to increase the income brackets by the same rate as inflation. That would have added about $680 to the lowest income group and about $1,000 to the highest.
But District 3 Coun. Maddie Charlton said council should increase the top bracket by $5,000. She said the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg recently changed its low-income tax exemption to give people a 14 per cent boost in savings on their property taxes.
“I think upping that to the $35,000 is more than reasonable and helps those who need it the most,” Charlton said.
Council decided to increase each income category by $5,000.
“We’re talking about the lowest (paid) and the poorest in our society who need the most help from us,” Brown said. “And it’s a small amount of money to be able to help those who need it the most. I think it’s something we should do.”
The region originally set aside $125,000 for the low-income tax exemption in their 2024/25 budget. CAO Cody Joudry said staff would add another $10,000 for it in the budget.
The increase will be funded from the municipality’s accumulated surplus special operating reserve fund, which sits at just over $10 million.
Council is holding a special meeting on Monday at 9 a.m. at the region’s offices to vote on the final budget.
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 has learned to be flexible in these times including council.
“It appears to be working,” said Norman. “I wouldn’t want to do this forever; I think there’s something about actually being in the space. But this is just as good, let’s say.”
It was a busy agenda to start the year.
Mayor Norman started the proceedings by discussing Project 1792, an initiative which highlights the anniversary on January 15 of the 1,196 Black Loyalists who boarded 15 ships to return to Africa after the British government broke their promise to provide opportunities in Nova Scotia.
“It’s time to start looking at our past and realizing and learning from it and learning how to be better people going forward,” said Norman.
Council also heard from the North Queens active living committee who are hoping to renew funding for their part time programming coordinator.
That position will be discussed when budget deliberations get underway.
Several properties that were meant to go to tax sale will instead be disposed of via a sealed-bid tender process.
The public has until February 22nd to bid on a dozen properties being sold to recover outstanding property taxes.
The region will be hiring an asset management coordinator to track and assess the millions of dollars’ worth of property and equipment owned by the municipality.
Transfers payments from the federal government are based on an accurate assessment of municipal infrastructure.
“We need to get this done because, your gas tax is based on your infrastructure, and we’re required to have this done,” said Norman. “So, if we want to continue getting gas tax money, we have to get ahead of this.”
Council will also form an ad hoc policy review committee.
Mayor Norman says she, two members of council and municipal staff including the diversity and inclusion coordinator will convene a series of half day meetings to go over the 20-year-old policies.
Norman says the plan is to have policies written in plain language which are easily understood and compliant with current laws and regulations.
“The policies need to all be reviewed; they need to be corrected,” said Norman. “There’s questions such as why was this made, is it still valid in today’s world, is the language diverse and inclusive?”
The committee will bring their recommendations back to council once they’ve completed their work.
The next Region of Queens council meeting will be held live over Zoom January 25.
Anyone wishing to view the proceedings can contact Heather Cook at the municipal office for the sign-in information by e-mail: hcook@regionofqueens.com or telephone: 902-354-3453.
