Newly elected South Shore-St. Margarets MP Jessica Fancy-Landry speaks to a voter in Liverpool earlier in the campaign. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED TUESDAY at 5:20 P.M.
Voters in South Shore-St. Margarets went back to the Liberals on Monday night, electing first-time candidate Jessica Fancy-Landry in a decisive victory.
Fancy-Landry beat Conservative incumbent Rick Perkins by about 7,000 votes, grabbing 55 per cent support.
The Liberal got 27,871 votes to Perkins’s 20,854, according to preliminary results from Elections Canada.
“I think it was our positivity,” she told QCCR in an interview.
“We ran a very positive and clean and energetic campaign and I think that really resonated with a lot of people here.”
Turnout in the riding was just over 72 per cent, which was higher than the national rate of about 67 per cent.
Fancy-Landry is originally from Caledonia and now lives in Bridgewater. She’s a teacher at Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin.
Perkins was first elected in 2021, ousting then-fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan.
Fancy-Landry said the big issue on the campaign trail was affordability and people’s concerns over the cost of living.
“Also, Trump and tariffs and then being a coastal riding, definitely fisheries,” she said.
“But I really think right now it’s time to unify all of our community and really build on this positivity and build trust back where the Liberal Party might have lost trust in a couple of different areas within the riding.”
She said she believes growing up in the area helped cement her win.
“I think that was my secret sauce. We need someone who has been here, has their feet on the street, has raised their kids here and really knows those intimate concerns and issues for the area and has the connections to bring people together.
“I really think it was that positivity in bringing people together that really spoke to a lot of people because politics right now is just so divisive. And we need to unify as a nation. And I really felt like … now that we have that mandate, we can start doing a lot of really good work.”
She said she’s already heard from municipal leaders from around the riding, as well as other Liberal MPs to help her in her new role.
Fancy-Landry said that in the next few weeks, she’ll be getting orientation as a first-time MP and meeting with the rest of the newly elected Liberal caucus.
She’ll also be wrapping up her career as a teacher.
But she’s looking forward to getting to work as the MP for South Shore-St. Margarets.
“That’s been my tagline for the last 37 days: ‘Let’s get to work,’” she said.
“And now we’re here and we’ve got to put our money where our mouth is and work really hard for our constituents, all constituents.”
The Green Party’s Mark Embrett finished third with 818 votes. Patrick Boyd of the People’s Party of Canada was the choice of 698 people and independent candidate Hayden Henderson got 460 votes.
Elections Canada said 50,701 of 70,205 eligible electors voted. That included just over 19,000 people who turned out for advance polls over the Easter weekend.
Rick Perkins, Jessica Fancy-Landry, Mark Embrett and Patrick Boyd are four of the candidates running in South Shore-St. Margarets.
QCCR has interviewed four of the candidates running in the riding of South Shore-St. Margarets in the April 28 federal election.
Conservative Rick Perkins, Liberal Jessica Fancy-Landry, the Green Party’s Mark Embrett and Patrick Boyd of the People’s Party of Canada spoke to us about various issues, including those specific to Queens County. Independent candidate Hayden Henderson did not respond to our request for an interview.
The riding covers more than 8,000 square kilometres and stretches from Tantallon outside Halifax to Clark’s Harbour in southwestern Nova Scotia. It was redrawn after the 2021 election and lost some its areas to the riding of Halifax West.
Conservative Rick Perkins defeated Liberal incumbent Bernadette Jordan in the 2021 election by about 1,800 votes. In that election, the NDP candidate got about 19 per cent of the vote.
This time, however, there is no declared NDP candidate. And the riding has lost some of its suburban Halifax voters after it was redrawn in 2023.
QCCR will be airing each of the four interviews with the candidates at 99.3 FM in Liverpool at 2:30 p.m. each day, beginning Thurs., April 24 through to April 27.
You can also follow the links below to listen to each of the interviews.
Rick Perkins is the Conservative candidate in South Shore-St. Margarets. (Rick Perkins photo)
Rick Perkins is trying to hold onto the South Shore-St. Margarets seat for the Conservative Party of Canada in the April 28 federal election.
He was first elected in 2021, ousting Liberal MP and then Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan by about 1,800 votes.
He’s up against Liberal Jessica Fancy-Landry, Green Party candidate Mark Embrett, People’s Party of Canada candidate Patrick Boyd and Independent Hayden Henderson.
The riding covers more than 8,000 square kilometres and stretches from Tantallon outside Halifax to Clark’s Harbour in southwestern Nova Scotia. It was redrawn after the 2021 election and lost some its areas to the riding of Halifax West.
This is the first in a series of interviews QCCR conducted with candidates about some issues specific to Queens County.
The interview was recorded on April 3 and edited for length.
Mark Embrett is the candidate for the Green Party in South Shore-St. Margarets. (Rick Conrad)
Mark Embrett is trying to make a breakthrough in the federal riding of South Shore-St. Margarets for the Green Party of Canada in the April 28 federal election.
The Queensland resident is an implementation scientist with Nova Scotia Health.
In the 2021 election, the Green Party captured just under three per cent of the vote in the riding.
Embrett told QCCR in this instalment of candidate interviews that he realizes the Green Party likely won’t form government, but he said it’s important to have a party raising issues around equity, the economy and the environment.
The interview was recorded on April 7 and edited for length.
Patrick Boyd is the candidate for the People’s Party of Canada in South Shore-St. Margarets. (Rick Conrad)
Patrick Boyd is the candidate for the People’s Party of Canada in the April 28 federal election.
The consultant and hobby farmer lives in Sable River, Shelburne Co., and is a first-time candidate.
Conservative incumbent Rick Perkins, Liberal Jessica Fancy-Landry, the Greens’ Mark Embrett and Independent Hayden Henderson are the other candidates.
This is another in our series of interviews with candidates in the riding.
We asked Boyd about his and his party’s views on immigration and the temporary foreign worker program, as well as the commercial fishery and the prospect of a new kraft pulp mill in Queens County.
The interview was recorded on April 11 and edited for length.
You don’t need your voter information card from Elections Canada to vote in the April 28 federal election. (Elections Canada)
If you haven’t received your voter information card yet for the April 28 federal election, Elections Canada says not to worry.
You can still vote without it.
Elections Canada told QCCR there have been delays in getting the cards to some parts of the country.
The Liverpool post office hadn’t begun receiving the cards for its customers until the middle of this week.
The cards contain information on where and when you can vote, details about your polling station and your name and address.
Elections Canada spokeswoman Francoise Enguehard says you don’t need the voter information card to cast your ballot.
“What is important for people to know is that you do not need a voter information card to vote,” she said in an interview. “And you don’t need it either to verify where you have to vote.
“The voter information card can serve as one ID to vote. But it doesn’t really change the way people have to prove their identity and they have to prove their address. So if people have a driver’s licence or they have a municipal or provincial ID, as civil servants would, then they can use that. And it you don’t have it, you need two things both with your name and one that proves your address.”
To prove your civic address, you can also use a property tax bill, a statement from your house or tenant insurance or a utility bill that contains your physical address.
You can also have somebody else vouch for your identity at your polling station.
“It’s the honors system. You say you are who you are and where you live. But the person must be registered at the same polling station and and the person can only vouch for one individual.”
Enguehard said she doesn’t know the reason for the delay in Liverpool.
“We send 28 million cards to electors all across the country. Sometimes it can happen that there is a delay in getting a polling location. So until you have the polling location, you cannot print the voter information card. Sometimes out of the 28 million, a few of the cards, the information is incorrect and new voter information cards have to be issued. So all of that can cause delays.”
She said those who haven’t yet received a voter information card should be getting one in the next few days.
Regardless, you can use the “My voter information” section on the Elections Canada homepage at elections.ca or call 1-800-463-6868 to make sure you’re registered to vote.
The South Queens Chamber of Commerce is organizing a meet-and-greet in Liverpool with candidates in South Shore-St. Margarets. (Elections Canada)
Voters in Queens County will get a chance to meet some of the candidates vying to be the next MP for South Shore-St. Margarets.
The South Queens Chamber of Commerce and Main and Mersey Dining Room and Coffee Bar in Liverpool are teaming up for a candidate Q&A on Mon., April 21 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Ashley Christian is president of the chamber of commerce.
“The idea is a casual meet-and-greet forum,” Christian said. “What we’re going to be doing is casual networking and then allowing each of the candidates five to 10 minutes to introduce themselves to the group and then we intend to take questions from the floor. So we expect one hour of a more formal question-and-answer period and then another hour of just casual networking.”
Christian said she expects three of the five candidates to be at the event: Liberal Jessica Fancy-Landry, the Green Party’s Mark Embrett and Patrick Boyd of the People’s Party of Canada.
Conservative Rick Perkins, who is running for re-election, could not make it.
Christian did not know whether Independent candidate Hayden Henderson will be at the event. Henderson is the outreach director for the youth wing of the NDP. He was a last-minute addition to the ballot after the NDP’s Brendan Mosher dropped out and has since been endorsed by the NDP.
“We really wanted to give the citizens of Queens County an opportunity to meet everyone, hear their platforms, hear what’s important to them and ask them questions,” Christian said.
Rick Perkins, Jessica Fancy-Landry, Mark Embrett and Patrick Boyd are four of the candidates running in South Shore-St. Margarets. Not pictured is Hayden Henderson.
Four people will be trying to unseat Rick Perkins as the South Shore-St. Margarets representative in the April 28 federal election.
Perkins beat Liberal MP Bernadette Jordan in 2021, after running unsuccessfully against her in 2019.
Since the last election, the riding has been redrawn, with part of it being absorbed into Halifax West. Nominations closed on Monday.
Liberal Jessica Fancy-Landry will be trying to take the seat back from Perkins. The teacher at Forest Heights Community School in Chester Basin is originally from Caledonia and lives in Bridgewater.
Green Party candidate Mark Embrett is an implementation scientist with Nova Scotia Health and lives in Hubbards.
Patrick Boyd is running for the People’s Party of Canada. He runs a consulting firm.
The NDP don’t have a registered candidate in the riding. Their declared candidate Brendan Mosher dropped out at the last minute. According to a Facebook post on his candidate page on Tuesday, he said that he decided against running “after a long consideration and some last minute delays.”
He edited the post to say that Hayden Henderson would be running for the party in the riding.
Henderson is listed on the Elections Canada website as an Independent. According to the federal agency, “if an endorsement by a political party cannot be confirmed within 48 hours of the prospective candidate submitting their nomination paper, … the word ‘Independent’ (will) appear under their name on the ballot.”
Perkins won South Shore-St. Margarets in 2021 by about 2,000 votes, or 40 per cent. Jordan got 37 per cent, while the NDP’s Olivia Dorey captured 19 per cent.
QCCR plans to publish interviews with all candidates.
Kim Masland was re-elected Tuesday as MLA for Queens in Nova Scotia’s provincial election. (Rick Conrad)
UPDATED Nov. 27, 4 p.m.
It’s a threepeat for Kim Masland, who will once again represent the riding of Queens in the Nova Scotia legislature.
The Liverpool resident easily won re-election on Tuesday night. It’s her third win in a row.
Masland told QCCR on Tuesday night that she doesn’t take any election for granted.
“It’s fabulous, I’m just so grateful to the voters of Queens who have put their trust in me to represent them again in the Nova Scotia legislature,” she said.
“I do not take the position of MLA lightly. I know it comes with great responsibility and I’m just absolutely humbled and consider myself very blessed to once again represent the people of Queens. And I will keep working hard for us.”
The former Public Works minister and government House leader will again be part of a Progressive Conservative majority government.
Masland garnered 79.93 per cent of the vote. Turnout in Queens was 46.91 per cent.
In the 2021 election, Masland won the riding with 70.4 per cent of the vote. Turnout in 2021 was 57.8 per cent.
Liberal Cathy De Rome of Beach Meadows was in second, while the NDP’s Brian Skabar was in third.
De Rome told QCCR on Wednesday that she wasn’t surprised by Masland’s win and she wishes her well.
“I was so happy to be able to talk to so many people and the response I received and the encouragement was very positive. Unfortunately, all the words of encouragement did not translate into more votes. … And hey, we knew it was an uphill battle from the get-go. We were disappointed but yet we’re pleased with what we did.”
Skabar could not be reached for comment.
The Progressive Conservatives under leader Tim Houston won their second majority government with 43 seats. The NDP will form the official Opposition with nine seats, while the Liberals held onto two.
Masland said she knocked on more than 6,000 doors and logged more 880,000 steps during the campaign.
She credited her team with working hard to put her back in the legislature.
“I had an absolutely amazing team behind me here in Queens County. My campaign manager is Grant Webber, he’s been with me since the beginning.
“And you can’t win an election campaign by yourself. It takes hard work, it takes people believing in you. The people on my team they put their lives on hold to be part of this team for the benefit of Queens County, their own community. I’m very grateful for them and really glad that I can spend this evening celebrating with my team and my family.”
She said the late John Leefe, who was a longtime PC MLA for Queens and a former mayor of the Region of Queens, gave her advice that has stuck with her.
“As my dear friend and mentor John Leefe always said to me, you run a campaign as if you’re one vote behind. And that is how we have run this campaign. We never give up. We did not stop until the polls closed tonight, and I’m just very, very pleased with the campaign that we’ve run here.”
Turnout across the province appears to be lower than in 2021. Elections Nova Scotia hasn’t released official numbers yet, but it appears that turnout was around 45 per cent, compared to 55.1 per cent in 2021.
Liberal Cathy De Rome, PC incumbent Kim Masland and New Democrat Brian Skabar are running in Queens in the Nova Scotia election. (Rick Conrad, Nova Scotia NDP)
The two people hoping to unseat popular MLA Kim Masland in Queens admit it’s an uphill battle, but they say they’ve been hearing good things from voters.
Cathy De Rome is running for the Liberals and Brian Skabar is trying to take the seat back for the NDP in Tuesday’s provincial election.
Masland is trying for a repeat in a riding she captured in 2021 for the Progressive Conservatives with 70 per cent of the vote. Before that, the riding was Queens-Shelburne, which Masland won in 2017 with almost 44 per cent of the vote.
Election Day is Tues., Nov. 26. But Queens County residents can vote early at the returning office on Market Street in Liverpool or at the North Queens Fire Hall in Caledonia.
When the election was called on Oct. 27, the Tories had 34 seats, the Liberals had 14, the NDP had 6 and there was one independent.
De Rome lives in Beach Meadows and is a retired elementary school teacher. She’s also the president of the Queens Liberal association. Skabar is originally from Amherst, but now lives near Caledonia. He is a retired social worker and a former NDP MLA for Cumberland North.
De Rome and Skabar say that they know it’s going to be tough to defeat Masland. But they say it’s important to run.
“Our democracy is only as strong as the people who participate in it,” De Rome said in a recent interview. “And I want people to become involved and find out what the issues are and how they can work at participating and hopefully making things better.
“Kim is very popular and she has been doing it a long time. But just maybe it’s time for a change.”
Skabar says he’s knocked on 40 to 50 doors a day during the campaign. And even though he’s new to the area, he says he’s been getting positive feedback.
“To my surprise, only having been here for two years, either people in Queens County are really, really kind, 0r I might have half a chance,” he said in an interview.
“Three out of five doors that I knock one are supportive of New Democrats. Our incumbent here is quite popular individually but I don’t think people are really crazy about Tim Houston.”
Masland could not be reached for an interview. But in a video posted on her Facebook page, she said she’s knocked on more than 5,000 doors in the campaign.
She also posted that the Houston government has hired more doctors, helped build more affordable housing, and made record investments in road and bridge infrastructure.
De Rome says that while many voters say they’re not happy with the state of health care, housing and affordability, they haven’t asked her much about she or the Liberals plan to address it.
“People will complain. When the other day I said to a man, ‘Do you have any questions?’ He said no. And so I said, ‘Are you happy with things?’ ‘Not really’. So it just didn’t quite make sense.”
De Rome points to the Liberal plan to build more homes using the co-operative housing model, open more collaborative care clinics around the province, and to forgive part of certain health-care workers’ student loans for up to five years.
“We are getting more doctors, it seems, but people are still having long waits in emergency. … To sit in emergency for nine-plus hours to have a prescription renewed is ridiculous.”
The NDP had been a force in the traditionally Conservative riding of Queens from 2006 to 2013. Sterling Belliveau hung on to the seat for the party in 2013 when it was changed to Queens-Shelburne.
But the NDP haven’t had much of a presence since Belliveau retired before the 2017 election.
Skabar says he’s hearing from voters who are upset about Premier Tim Houston’s early election call. He says voters have told him they like some parts of the PC plan. But they wonder why the party needed an election to do that.
Skabar adds that Masland has done a good job getting roadwork done in Queens County.
“I only just met Kim last week at the community dinner here in Caledonia. And really, what’s not to like? Actually, she’s a good member. But the government that she represents is not doing a good job for Nova Scotia.”
The Liberals’ De Rome says that no matter which party people support, she hopes they get out and vote.
“I would consider it an honour if they chose to elect me. I’ve never thought of doing this, but I am enjoying it. People have been very receptive when I’ve talked to them. … I hope people take the chance to get out and vote. It’s important. Go out and vote, put your X in the spot where you think would do the most good.”
You can vote early at the returning office in your area until 8 p.m. on Friday or until 6 p.m. on Saturday and Monday.
If you don’t know where your Election Day voting location is, you can use the Where do I Vote tool on the Elections Nova Scotia website at electionsnovascotia.ca or call 1-800-565-1504. Polls will be open on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Dorothy Rice, has received an order from the Governor in Council for a Provincial general election(PGE) to be held in Nova Scotia. The CEO has issued the writs of election for the 55 electoral districts in the province and election day will be Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
Nova Scotians who are 18 years or older, a Canadian citizen, and have lived in the province for 6 months before the election call can vote in the PGE.
“Voters in Nova Scotia can count on Elections Nova Scotia to deliver on our mandate by providing a fair and balance election,” says Dorothy Rice, Chief Electoral Officer of Nova Scotia, “We offer a variety of voting options because we want the electoral process to be accessible so all voters can participate in democracy.”
There are 26 early voting days available in Nova Scotia during the 42nd PGE. Voting will begin on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at the returning offices in all 55 electoral districts.
Before election day, voters in Nova Scotia can cast their ballot early at any voting location in the province, not just in their home electoral district. This allows voters to vote when and where it is convenient for them.
Early voting after the close of candidate nominations on Wednesday, November 6, will be done using Elections Nova Scotia’s new secure e-Ballot system. e-Ballot allows voters to cast their vote on a secure tablet in-person at an early voting location. Early voting before the close of candidate nominations will be done by paper ballot, using the write-in ballot.
Write-in ballot is the remote voting option for voters in the 42nd PGE. Voters can apply to vote by mail using a write-in ballot. A trusted friend of family member can act as an agent to assist a voter with their write-in ballot application. Returning offices call also make arrangements for a write-in ballot to visit voters at their home.
On election day, Tuesday, November 26, 2024, voters must vote at their assigned voting location or the returning office in their electoral district. Elections day voting will be done on traditional paper ballots. Polls will be open on election day from 8 am – 8 pm.
An information postcard will be mailed to every household in the province next week to help voters understand their voting options. Elections Nova Scotia encourages voters to get to know their voting options and make a plan to cast their ballot in the 42nd PGE.
The Region of Queens is holding an information session for prospective candidates in October’s municipal election. (Elections Nova Scotia Facebook)
The Region of Queens is planning an information session for anyone thinking of running for mayor or council in this fall’s municipal election.
The session is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Queens Place Emera Centre.
It will explain the process from now until after the election, including the nomination process, candidate requirements, electoral boundaries, position requirements (including time requirements and expectations for council members as well as compensation). Municipal officials will also answer questions.
To reserve a spot, call Angela Green, the region’s deputy returning officer, at 902-354-3453 or by email at agreen@regionofqueens.com .
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman will not be seeking another term in the October municipal election. (Rick Conrad)
Darlene Norman has made it official, announcing she won’t seek re-election as mayor of the Region of Queens.
“I have decided not to reoffer simply because these last four years have made me realize that it was one thing to be a councillor, it’s another thing to be the mayor,” she said in an interview Wednesday.
“When you are a councillor and you vote in a certain way at a meeting and the vote didn’t go your way, then it’s over and done. When you are the mayor and you vote at a council meeting for something that you feel is very important and you lose the vote, … as the mayor you still have to speak on behalf of council for the vote. And I am the type of personality that finds it very difficult to speak favorably about an issue that I think is so wrong.”
Norman’s decision to serve one term as mayor caps a 20-year career in municipal politics, which began in 2000 when she was elected councillor in District 1, which covers the area of Hunts Point, White Point, Port Mouton and Port Joli.
She served as councillor for the area until 2016 when she was defeated by current councillor Kevin Muise.
In 2020, she decided to run for mayor, beating incumbent David Dagley and two other challengers – Susan MacLeod and Brian Fralic.
Norman said she enjoyed her time as mayor.
“I really liked being the mayor, I liked helping people, I liked meeting people. But I just have a very difficult time when I have to as mayor speak on behalf of council and it’s a decision of which I disagreed. Other than that, being the mayor was wonderful.”
In a Facebook post on Tuesday announcing her decision, she said council has achieved many good things over the past four years. But she said there were other things she regrets.
One of those was not building a new library. The Thomas H. Raddall Library has to leave its leased premises in downtown Liverpool by the end of December. After many stops and starts, council couldn’t agree on a new permanent location, so they decided to put it, at least temporarily, in the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road.
“We could have built a lovely library, it would have been open by now. For one reason or another, things went sideways. Council couldn’t agree on a location.”
Another frustration for Norman over the past four years is the concentration of municipal resources in the Liverpool, Brooklyn and Milton areas. She says council needs to find a way to improve services in other areas of Queens County, such as north Queens and areas outside the so-called urban core of Liverpool.
“Our biggest assessment areas are in rural Queens. … I look around at north Queens, east and west, people are paying incredible tax dollars in those parts of the county, despite people in the town of Liverpool who think they’re paying the biggest tax dollars. I’m just finding it really difficult with the Region of Queens and trying to find a balance with specnding in rural as well as central.”
She said building new accessible washroom and change room facilities at Beach Meadows Beach was council’s way to try to spread some municipal dollars outside the Liverpool-Brooklyn-Milton core.
“Those are good things, those are really positive things for Queens. … There have been so many more benefits than disappointments.”
And even though the region still struggles with staffing shortages, she said she’s very proud of what municipal employees have been able to accomplish. She said the region has only two building inspectors and one planner, at a time when development is on the rise. And she said their bylaw enforcement division is also understaffed, while complaints increase.
“People are so quick to criticize the staff of the Region of Queens and I really wish that perhaps people like that could be the mayor for a week or a month and actually sit in my chair and get a good understanding of how much work they do, because our staff work hard.”
Norman said another reason she won’t be reoffering in October’s municipal election is the abuse she said she’s received on social media.
“The cruel, the unkind, the unjust things that are said. And all people have to do is pick up a phone and they’ll know that all those rumours aren’t true. I tend to bite my tongue and … almost cut off my fingers not to write back some things on some posts that I’ve read. But it’s just not what I was prepared for.
“And I just don’t want it anymore. I’m a really good sleeper and when I don’t sleep at night because of stuff at council or things going on, I have too many people my age dropping dead and I want to do positive things that have positive results and are not attached with any negativism.”
She says she’s not sure what she’ll do after October. But it will include spending more time with her young grandson in Shelburne. And she plans to volunteer in her community of Port Medway and work on some of her art projects.
“I’ll find something to do. … I’m interested in helping my community of Port Medway. … I’m artistic, I might just discover who I am again. But I want to get out and do something that I want to do that doesn’t have the stressors that being the mayor does.”
Regardless of some of that stress, she says she’s grateful for the opportunity to be mayor of the Region of Queens for the past four years.
“I’d just like to thank the people of Queens for poviding me this wonderful privilege to represent Queens County,” she says. “And it is a privilege. We are a wonderful county, we have some of the best people in the world. And we are very attractive to people around the world who want to live here. So let’s welcome newcomers, regardless of what country or what culture they are. Diversity is wonderful for us. It makes us stronger. Thanks to the people of Queens.
“And I’m here for a couple of more months if there’s anything anybody needs any help with.”
The municipal election is set for Oct. 19. Former teacher Terry Doucette and business consultant Scott Christian have already announced their campaigns for mayor. People have until Sept. 10 to file their nomination papers.
For the first time, voters in Queens will be able to make their choices by traditional ballot or by phone or online.
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 Jack Fancy, David Brown and Vicki Amirault have declared their intentions for October’s municipal election. (Rick Conrad)
With less than three months to go before October’s municipal election, incumbents and former councillors in Queens County are declaring their intentions.
So far, three of the seven sitting councillors have said they won’t run again. Three others have declared they will run again.
District 1 Coun. Kevin Muise could not be reached. And Mayor Darlene Norman hasn’t yet announced her plans.
District 6 Coun. David Brown is one of the councillors who won’t be reoffering. District 2 Coun. Ralph Gidney and District 7 Coun. Carl Hawkes are the others. Gidney’s area will be changed to District 3. Former councillor Susan MacLeod, who placed second in the 2020 mayor’s race, will be running to replace Gidney.
Brown told QCCR that he feels he’s done what he can for his constituents. He represents the areas around Port Medway, Mill Village, Greenfield and Labelle. A newcomer to municipal politics in the 2020 election, he beat Jason Croft by about 130 votes.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished as much as I can accomplish in council and I’m not really happy with the process, so I’m looking at different avenues for moving on,” he said. “I just feel like we’re a municipal council, but we don’t govern like a municipal council. We still govern like a town council.
“It seems like everything we do is centred around Brooklyn, Liverpool and Milton and any time we try to get anything done outside of that core, it’s a struggle.”
He said he wasn’t criticizing his fellow councillors or municipal staff. And he didn’t want to provide examples of some of the struggles he’s had.
But he said he feels the Liverpool area is over-represented on council, with five councillors who have some part of their district in Liverpool, Milton or Brooklyn. With the redrawn boundaries, that’s down to four.
“Whoever goes into council from rural areas is just going to have to fight harder to try to get their areas recognized. Maybe if councilors coming in from Liverpool, Brooklyn, Milton, realize that they’re not funding 100 per cent of the cost of what happens in Queens County, but they’re expecting 100 per cent of the expenditures that are happening in Queens County, it’s not a fair and equitable solution for anybody.”
Brown said he was also frustrated with some of the criticism he’s received online and in person since he became councillor. He said he welcomes feedback from constituents, but he said sometimes it goes too far.
“There’s a lot of anger with people, in the public. They seem to think that because you’re a public figure they can say whatever they want to you. And council is not a high-paid position to put up with the amount of hours and the abuse that we’ve been taking from some people. So I’m just not interested in doing another four years of that.”
“I’m happy with what I did. I think council has done the best job that they could for the most people. It’s just most of the work is done in the centre of town and that frustrates me.”
District 3 Coun. Maddie Charlton will be trying for a second term. She joins District 4 Coun. Vicki Amirault and District 5 Coun. Jack Fancy, who have announced they will seek re-election.
Because of the boundary changes, Charlton will be running in District 2 this time. But it’s essentially the same area as she represents now in District 3, with the addition of part of White Point Road.
Amirault will still run in District 4, but her area now includes Danesville and East Port Medway. It also has less of Brooklyn.
And Fancy, who represents the Milton area, has said he plans to run in District 7, which is where he grew up. That area includes much of north Queens, including Caledonia and Kejimkujik National Park.
In 2020, Charlton made history at age 29 as the youngest person elected to Region of Queens council.
She told QCCR that she’s enjoyed her past four years in municipal politics.
“Although it has certainly come with challenges,” she said.
“I have certainly learned a lot over these last four years and I really think that younger representation at the council table is important.”
Along with bringing a more youthful perspective, she says she’s proud she’s been able to advocate for better access to council meetings for the public. She pushed for a regular evening meeting to make it easier for people to attend, as well as the upgrades necessary to livestream meetings.
Charlton says she believes that council’s communication with the public has improved.
“That was one of things that as a resident before I ran was something that was really obvious there was a bit of a disconnect there. There certainly have been improvements. And those are some that I’m really proud of as well. Besides the standing evening council meetings, I championed audio and video upgrades because people couldn’t hear when they tuned into the meetings. And I think it’s really important that residents can do that and access those meetings and listen to those meetings if they can’t be in the room. So I would say that’s still not perfect. But I think it has gotten better.”
Charlton said that communication breakdowns were partially responsible for the controversies over a new library.
“I would say that we need to slow down before we speed up. … We hit the gas too fast and different information was evolving over cost and I think if we would have just slowed down, we could have pieced things together in a more sensible way to then confidently make a plan that we could endorse going forward.”
David Brown says he regrets that council didn’t commit to a new library. They decided instead to move the library, at least temporarily, to the business development centre on White Point Road.
“I would have liked to have seen a library built. Having an actual brick and mortar standalone library built and not having that happen and the way the process worked out was one of my biggest frustrations in the last term.”
Charlton says that if she’s re-elected, she’d like to advocate for more youth programming and recreational opportunities. And she says she hopes other young women take a crack at council this time around.
Brown says he’s not sure what he’ll do next, but he’s going to enjoy his free time. His advice for people who want to run for council? Do your homework and be prepared to stick up for your district.
“Just to be prepared it’s not going to be the happy smiley place that you think it’s going to be,” he says.
“You’re in for a fight every day. If you want to get your area recognized and you want an equitable amount of expenditures for all areas of the county, it’s not going to go smoothly. There’s a fight involved with it. There’s a lot of argument. You have to do your research, know the policies, know what you want going in and know what your consittunts want going in because you’re representing those constituents, you’re not representing your own personal interests. … You have to know what all those constituents want so you can make the best decision for the most people.”
The municipal election is Oct. 19. This year, for the first time, Queens County voters will be able to vote in person or online.
Liverpool resident Terry Doucette declared his bid on Tuesday for mayor of the Region of Queens. (Rick Conrad)
A former teacher wants to be the next mayor of the Region of Queens.
Terry Doucette retired in 2015 after 37 years as a teacher and school and school board administrator. He declared his intention at a council meeting on Tuesday during the public comments portion.
In an interview afterward, Doucette, who lives in Liverpool, said he’s running because he wants to see a number of concerns and priorities addressed in the next four years.
He said some of those are housing, senior care and the environment.
“In addition to that, we have a new mill being proposed through the province of Nova Scotia. And I’m excited about the potential for that. That will create the need for environmental sensitivity as well as labour-related benefits for our community. I watched Bowater Mersey over my time. … I know people who worked there with good wages. And I think if it comes this way … if they can assure us it’s going to be an environmental plus, I think the community would support that.
“And I realize that housing is the No. 1 concern for our residents. Seniors, young people, the demand for more apartments, the increase in rents has created a crisis.”
So far, the only other person running for mayor is Scott Christian. He announced in November that he was vying for the top elected spot in Queens County.
Christian is a business consultant who is also the former chairman of the Queens Daycare Association.
Another candidate had declared his intention to run, but has since thrown his support behind Christian. James Grant, a former business owner from Milton, said he would drop out of the race if somebody else ran that he could support.
Queens Mayor Darlene Norman has not said whether she will seek re-election.
For his part, Doucette said Tuesday that there wasn’t one single issue that made him decide to run. And he declined to assess the job of the current council.
“I know there are always dissensions when people are in the position to govern locally or provincially or federally. As a mature person, I believe in communication, I believe in moderation, I believe in conflict resolution. I have a lot of leadership skills from my past. People have to come together and share their views and this is a place on the council to share those views. At the end of the day, we’re all here and running for the same reasons, which is to respect what the people want.”
In his time as an educator, Doucette says he’s lived and worked all over Queens County. He’s also volunteered with the board of Queens Manor and run a property management company.
“I’m not running against anybody, I’m running for something,” he said. “I’m running for the people in North Queens, I’m running for the people in South Queens, I’m running because I’ve been into all the communities. I’ve worked with the people, people know me and I’m asking for a chance and some support.”
There’s still lots of time for others to join the race for mayor and the rest of council. The election is on Oct. 19, with the second Tuesday in September, or Sept. 10, set for candidates to file their nomination papers.
This year, for the first time, people will be able to vote in person, online or by phone.
The Nova Scotia Teachers Union will hold a runoff vote on May 29 to elect its next president. (Ray Shrewsberry via Pixabay)
It’s down to two people vying to represent the 10,000 members of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.
The vote for NSTU president is headed for a runoff. About 69 per cent of the union’s members cast ballots on Wednesday to elect someone to replace Ryan Lutes, who did not reoffer.
Five members ran for the two-year position. But nobody got the required majority of more than 50 per cent. So it’s now down to Peter Day, who got 44.71 per cent of the vote in the first round, and Shawn Hanifen, who garnered 25.09 per cent, according to an NSTU spokesman.
Day and Hanifen were both on the ballot in 2022, when Lutes was elected president.
Ryan Lutes did not reoffer as president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. (Nova Scotia Teachers Union YouTube channel)
The 10,000 members of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union are voting Wednesday to elect a new president.
NSTU presidents are elected to two-year terms. They can serve no more than two terms.
Ryan Lutes was elected president in 2022. He decided not to reoffer.
Five people are running to replace Lutes. They are Peter Day, who lost to Lutes in a runoff in 2022, Nancie de la Chevotière, Grant Frost, Shawn Hanifen and Mike Kelly.
Hanifen was also on the ballot in 2022.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The union said it would announce the results at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
To be elected president, a candidate must get more than 50 per cent of the votes. If a run-off vote is needed, it will be held May 29.
Queens-Shelburne MLA Kim Masland will re-offer in the new riding of Queens. Photo Ed Halverson
The MLA for Queens Shelburne is coming back for more.
Kim Masland has announced she will represent the Progressive Conservatives in Queens in the next provincial election.
Masland wants to continue to work on behalf of the people in her community.
“Even though it’s not a big fancy building or it’s not a repaved highway, for me, I know I’ve made a difference, I’ve made an impact in that person’s life and no one will probably ever know about it. But I do, and they do and that’s why I entered into this job, to care for people,” said Masland.
The first-time MLA was elected in the riding of Queens-Shelburne in 2017.
She says representing a large constituency with very different populations over the past four years has been challenging.
The electoral boundaries have been redrawn for the next election to divide the two communities and Masland has chosen to run in Queens, the district she has always called home.
“Queens is home for me,” said Masland. “You know, I was brought up in Queens and I’ve never left. I’m looking forward to be able to, 100 percent focus on Queens County.”
Masland has spent her time in the legislature on the opposition benches and she is optimistic when the final ballots are tallied the PC caucus will be sitting on the government side of the house.
“I truly believe that we are the government in waiting. I truly believe that after the next election there will be a PC government caring for our province,” said Masland.
Despite her party affiliation, Masland says she would like to see an end of partisan politics and games in Nova Scotia.
“If the Liberals or the NDP bring forth great legislation, or speak to a bill that I know is going to benefit my constituents I’m the first one clapping for them. It doesn’t matter to me. It’s all about what is the best for the people we represent,” said Masland.
Often when politicians hit the campaign trail many promises are made that are forgotten once candidates are elected.
Masland says one commitment she guarantees she will keep is to bring decisions about health care back to a local level.
“The administration that was created by the sitting government, by the Liberal government, has basically put decision-making of how healthcare is delivered into glass towers in Halifax.,” said Masland. “That has made things very difficult for the delivery of healthcare in small, rural areas such as Queens County.”
Masland’s family supports her decision to reoffer even though it means they will continue to take a back seat to the people of Queens.
It was a comment from her daughter that Masland says really underscores her family’s understanding of the sacrifices she makes.
“She said Mom, you know what, it’s okay. And of course, my children are grown and are out my house but, [she said] we’ll share you again with constituents because we know they need you.”
The next general election must be called by spring of 2022.
All parties are in the process of solidifying their roster of candidates as Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada without fixed election dates and Premier Iain Rankin could call an election at any time.
