Katharina Cochrane, vice-president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, says voters seem to be ‘dialled in’ during this election. (Rick Conrad)

Nova Scotia’s South Shore is known for its ocean breezes and waterfront vistas, drawing thousands of tourists each year to relax on its many beaches.

But in the 2025 federal election campaign, there’s nothing laidback about the race to win the riding of South Shore-St. Margarets.

Incumbent Rick Perkins is trying to keep the seat for the Conservatives, while newcomer Jessica Fancy-Landry hopes to win it back for the Liberals. Mark Embrett is running for the Green Party and Patrick Boyd is representing the People’s Party of Canada. Hayden Henderson is running as an Independent.

In the 2021 election, Perkins beat Liberal incumbent Bernadette Jordan by about four per cent, or 1,800 votes. The NDP finished a strong third, capturing 19 per cent of the vote. Turnout was about 63 per cent.

This time, however, with no declared NDP candidate, it appears to be a two-way race between Conservative Perkins and Liberal Fancy-Landry in the April 28 vote.

2025 FEDERAL ELECTION: QCCR INTERVIEWS THE CANDIDATES

• Conservative Rick Perkins
• Liberal Jessica Fancy-Landry
• Green Party’s Mark Embrett
• People’s Party of Canada’s Patrick Boyd

Perkins lives in St. Margarets Bay and says this is the most enthusiastic voters have been since he first ran in 2019.

“I’m getting a great response, a lot of people appreciating the job I’ve done for the last four years, and we’re almost running out of signs,” he told QCCR in early April.

Fancy-Landry is originally from Caledonia, Queens Co., and now lives in Bridgewater. The teacher, community volunteer and first-time candidate says it’s been an energetic campaign so far, with lots of great conversations with voters.

“Tariffs and Trump seem to be on the lips of everybody that we are talking to,” she says.

“Affordability. We’re hearing a lot about environmental (concerns), coastal impact, whether it’s fishing, whether it’s Christmas tree farming, whether it’s some of our forestry. People have really been reaching out to see what we can do to help bolster and support the different economies along our South Shore.”

The Greens’ Embrett is an implementation scientist with Nova Scotia Health. This is the Queensland resident’s first full campaign, though he’s had his name on the ballot in previous elections for the Greens.

“I decided to align myself with the Green Party because their values around equity and transparency and government and fairness and policies really echoed my own beliefs and my own values.”

The People’s Party’s Boyd is originally from Vancouver and moved to Sable River three years ago, after spending some time overseas in international banking. This the first campaign for the consultant and hobby farmer.

“We’re sicker than we’ve ever been. We’re poorer than we’ve ever been. We’re more censored than we’ve ever been. And at the same time, you can see the parties that are running, they can really be described as a globalist uniparty. So whether you’re on the Liberal side or the Conservative side, it’s really hard to differentiate or distinguish between policies.”

The riding covers a vast territory, stretching from Head of St. Margarets Bay outside Halifax to Clark’s Harbour at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia.

In the 2021 election, it counted just under 80,000 voters. But it lost some of those electors when the boundaries were redrawn in 2023.

People seem motivated this time to get out and vote. About 19,000 people voted in advance polls over the Easter weekend, mirroring early turnout in the rest of Nova Scotia at about 25 per cent.

Katharina Cochrane is vice-president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce. 

“I think people are really dialed in on this election this time which in the past people (were) not really that interested, but even younger people, first-time voters, they’re very anxious about the whole situation with America. And in general, it’s not as easy to get yourself in a situation where you can afford a house or get a place, live a middle-class life.

“So I think people are very anxious to see some changes.”

Cochrane says some of the main concerns in the Liverpool area are housing, poverty and rural development.

“There’s a lot of low-income housing that needs to be built. We’re one of the poorest ridings, probably in Nova Scotia, so that needs to be addressed. 
And then the whole rural development for small businesses, like what can be done to help small businesses to get on their feet when they start up. Come up with maybe tax breaks that would be helpful for the community.”

She said the commercial fishery and the environmental impacts of open-pen fish farming are also among the issues at play.

At a recent candidates meet and greet in Liverpool, voters said the lucrative lobster fishery, the fear of Trump tariffs and the overall tenor of politics were on people’s minds.

Danielle Robertson of Port Joli said she wants to see the federal government enforce fisheries regulations to help protect an industry that generates close to $500 million for southwestern Nova Scotia.

Fishermen are upset with what they see as illegal fishing in the wake of the Marshall decisions that guaranteed Indigenous communities a moderate livelihood in the fishery.

“Where I live I can see evidence of abuse of the fishery and overfishing,” Robertson said.

“And I’ve talked to fisheries officers who feel like they’re not able to do their job. And I think our resources are really taking a hit. I think our fish are being overfished. And I’m really hoping that the federal government will step up and enforce their federal fishing policies.”

Conservative Perkins says he’s been a big advocate for fish harvesters since he was elected in 2021. And he says the Liberals haven’t done enough to crack down on poachers.

“We believe it begins with enforcing the law, and then sitting down once the law is enforced and people are abiding by the law and negotiating for more access for First Nations. As long as there’s no penalty and no enforcement, why would I come to the table to negotiate when the government lets me do whatever I want, whenever I want?”

Liberal Fancy-Landry says that she wants to bring all sides to the table, while acknowledging the Department of Fisheries and Oceans must be allowed to enforce the law.

“Another thing is how many of the fishermen have actually been brought to the table when policy and draft bills have been in place. So it’s that engagement piece,” she says.

“I think a lot of the time people feel disenfranchised or disempowered because they haven’t been asked to be at the table. … The line’s drawn in the sand right now with Conservative versus Liberal versus whatever party. It’s time for us to all come together and actually have some courageous conversations.”

Scot Slessor, a stained glass artist in Liverpool, says this election is an opportunity to tackle interprovincial trade barriers. But he says regardless of the issue, he wants more co-operation among the parties.

“I’m looking for people who are going to be willing to work together,” Slessor says.

“You know, we’ve seen that minority governments get a lot done for our country, but the way people are interacting has been extremely negative. And I’m really hopeful that we can bring that a little bit back to some civility.”

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

A developer is hoping to turn an old storefront on Liverpool’s Main Street into apartments.

Eric and Dawn Fry of Fall River bought 194 Main St. in January and hope to turn it into 16 one-bedroom and two-bedroom rental units.

Eric Fry told QCCR that they applied a few weeks ago to the Region of Queens to allow for apartments on the ground floor. The region’s land use bylaws permit residential units on Main Street only in buildings with a commercial storefront.

“We would rather see it as 100 per cent residential because there’s more of a need in that area for residential than for additional commercial space because there’s a fair amount of vacant commercial space on Main Street.”

The property is known locally as the old Stedmans building. Before it was bought by the Frys, it sat vacant for a few years and was heavily damaged by extreme weather. And before that, it housed a dollar store and office space on the ground floor.

Fry said Tuesday that they’re also planning indoor parking, which would be accessed on the Water Street side at the back of the building.

“We’re hoping that there won’t be any or too much opposition to what we’re trying to do because we know that there’s a need for housing there and I think this would lend itself nicely. … So it could be a pretty desirable development when it’s completed.”

Tenants recently moved into the couple’s other development, The Falls in Milton, located on the Mersey River. That building is full and targeted to people 55 and over.

This new development would be marketed to a more mixed demographic. Fry says he hopes to attract health care or other professionals. And two or three units could qualify as affordable housing.

According to Viewpoint, the 30,000-square-foot building sold for $235,000 after almost a year on the market. Fry said it’s too early to estimate the budget for the project or what the rents will be. 

“The two criteria that I typically use are location and potential. And I think that’s got both in spades. It’s very central and a lot of potential. It took a little creativity with our design team and our construction manager to work through a feasible plan, in order to make it all accessible. We’ll be adding windows and skylights for the upper units. We think it’s really going to begin to transform Main Street, so we’re excited about it.”

They’re working with a partner on the project and have named their company SDL Developments, as an homage to the building’s former life as a Stedmans department store.

While they wait to see how their application goes with the municipality, Fry said workers have been cleaning up debris inside the building. 

He said he and his wife wanted to invest in the community after they bought a cottage in Port Mouton in 2015 and fell in love with the area.

“We’re not trying to disrupt anything or upset the apple cart. My wife and I have lots of great relationships in Liverpool and we’ve gotten to know a lot of folks in the municipality and we love it. What we’ve done with The Falls in Milton would be frankly representative of the type of approach we would take, very open and communicative with the public and a quality product that people can be proud to call home.”

Fry said that if their application with the municipality succeeds, they hope to begin construction by the end of June. 

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The Falls in Milton under construction on the banks of the Mersey River. (Rick Conrad photo)

The Region of Queens is going to pay the builder of an apartment building on the Mersey River in Milton to connect to the municipal sewer system.

Councillors voted at their meeting last week to compensate Eric and Dawn Fry, the owners of The Falls in Milton at 314 Highway 8 for the costs of running a sewer line from their new 15-unit apartment complex.

That would be for a lateral connection, the section of pipe that connects a private property to the municipal collection system. Ownership and maintenance of the lateral on private property are the owner’s responsibility.

The municipality’s sewer system bylaw states that “all costs associated with the installation, connection, maintenance or repair” of a building connection to the sewer system are the responsibility of the owner. 

But because the connection for this property is across the road, the municipality would be on the hook for the work of at least $50,000, according to a staff report. 

Adam Grant, director of engineering and public works, says past practice has been for the municipality to pay for the portion of the lateral that would have to cross a road.

Mayor Darlene Norman said the bylaw isn’t as cut and dried as it seems.

“The bylaw is grey,” she said in a recent interview.

“And when we look at what we’ve been doing up until now, the homeowner or developer or anyone is simply told to put their pipe out to the road. And then the region connects to our lateral that’s running. And that’s what that developer was told. When he did his site plan and his permits, he was told and approved to run his pipe directly out to the No. 8 highway which is what he did.

“Now it’s been determined by staff that … the cost to connect him to our lateral because it’s on the other side of the road which was never discussed with them, it’s $50,000-plus because it’s provincial highway, it’s permits, it’s all those items.”

So, municipal staff have been working with the owners to run a pipe on the property parallel to Highway 8 into a manhole at the edge of the property. That would connect the building to the municipal system.

That option would cost up to $27,500, according to the staff report. The developer would do the work and be compensated by the municipality.

“To suddenly say to a person that you have all their approvals in place, they’ve done what they’re told and then to say, ‘Oh, by the way, there’s another $50,000 price tag that you have to pick up,’ that’s a little unfair,” Norman said.

“You can’t tell someone to do something and then a year or two later, say, ‘Oh, maybe we shouldn’t have told you that.’ So the region will pick up the cost of running it to the manhole cover.”

Councillors voted in August 2022 to sell the former Garika Park to the Frys. And in October of that year, councillors also rezoned the land to allow the Frys to go ahead with their development.

Geared toward seniors, the three-storey building is slated for an October opening.

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Bob Chouinard, Valerie Wilcox, Carolyn Campbell, Janet Perry, Tony Flint and Roger Wilcox, all residents of Bristol Avenue in Liverpool, were among a group of people who told Region of Queens councillors on Tuesday that they oppose a 24-unit apartment building proposed for their street. (Rick Conrad photo)

Residents on a busy street in Liverpool are concerned it will only get more hectic if a 24-unit apartment building is built in their neighbourhood.

About a dozen people presented a petition to regional council on Tuesday and spoke against the development planned for 48 Bristol Ave., during the meeting’s regular time for public comments or questions.

They say they have 35 signatures of residents upset that the proposed four-storey building is too big for the area. They are worried about increased traffic, motorist and pedestrian safety and increased noise. 

They say the design doesn’t fit with the character of the many historical homes in the area. And they’re also concerned that existing water and sewer services can’t handle up to 100 new residents. 

Tony Flint, who lives right across from the proposed development, organized the petition. He told councillors on Tuesday that it would be a mistake to allow the development to go ahead. 

“I think a 24-unit, four-storey building with the potential of housing as many as 100 people and 50 vehicles is way too much for the footprint of the real estate,” Flint said in an interview after the meeting. “It’s just an inadequate property to handle a building of this nature.”

Bristol Avenue is a busy thoroughfare into and out of Liverpool. The two-lane road is the main access to and from downtown Liverpool. If you live in downtown Liverpool, Western Head or Mersey Point, it’s the most direct route to get to many services like the town’s two grocery stores, Queens Place Emera Centre and gas stations, or to get onto Highway 103.

There is no sidewalk on the side of the road where the development is proposed. It’s currently undeveloped green space with mature chestnut trees. The 6,720 square-foot building would be set back 10 feet from the street, with 24 parking spots behind and on the side of the building. The lot is about 36,000 square feet.

As part of the site plan approval process, residents within 100 feet of the development were notified by the municipality in a letter dated June 19. According to a letter from development officer Mike MacLeod, they had 14 days to appeal.

Mayor Darlene Norman said Wednesday that councillors found out about the development last week when they received their meeting package.

“There’s a process for appealing. They write a letter to the planner stating that they wish to appeal and then they give their reasons of which they’re appealing. And it has to be based on the criteria that the site plan was approved on.

“Unless there are appellants, unless people within the 100 feet of the subject property make application to be an appellant and to appeal the site plan approval then there is nothing council can do at this time.”

Norman said the proposed building meets the zoning requirements. She added that staff take a serious look at new developments to ensure they follow the municipality’s land use bylaws.

“People don’t understand that council do not have the ability to simply shut down stuff just because people don’t like it. We have to live within the rules that we’ve established.”

Flint said he wrote a letter to MacLeod objecting to the proposal. He said that he and his neighbours believed they were getting their appeal on Tuesday, with the petition and speaking to council.

“But we presented the petition and what they do about it, yeah, I would consider that’s a written appeal,” Flint said Wednesday.

“We would like to proceed and continue further if necessary. Whether we’re beating our head against a brick wall, we don’t know. We all feel like we accomplished something by bringing it to the council’s attention. And there were several people that were completely unaware of it.”

Carolyn Campbell is another Bristol Avenue resident who also expressed her opposition Tuesday about the new building.

“I’m concerned that it could possibly be a death trap. As far as I know, there’s only one entrance off of Bristol and they all have to come out the same way. … If there’s a fire or if there’s an emergency vehicle needing to get in there, it could be bad.”

She and others worry about increased congestion caused by this development and a 45-unit building under construction behind Bristol Avenue on Mersey Avenue.

Janet Perry said residents agree with the need for more housing in Liverpool, just not in that location.

“We all live in close proximity to each other and we’re all going to be facing that building. The traffic is horrendous on that street, the noise is horrendous. There’ll be so many other things happening. … Garbage pickup in the mornings, can you imagine how long there are going to be trucks parked on the street? It’s just going to be a nightmare. I’m sure there’s another site (where) it can be built. We’re not opposed to housing, we’re just opposed to that location.”

Norman said that if the development goes ahead, a new council may decide to address any traffic issues that arise. 

“It always has been and it always will be a busy street. If these apartments are built and it’s deemed that there’s a need to put a crosswalk, there’s a need to put streetlights to improve traffic flow … then I’m certain that council at the time will do those things. But at this point in time, we are going through the process as it is.”

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The South Shore Open Doors Association will receive $25,000 in provincial funding to help those who are housing insecure.

The South Shore Open Doors Association will receive $25,000 from the Nova Scotia government to help people in Queens and Lunenburg counties in precarious housing situations.

It’s part of a total of $500,000 in one-time funding announced this week for community groups across the province.  

“Our government continues to invest in initiatives that support vulnerable Nova Scotians,” Queens MLA Kim Masland said in a news release.

“This funding is another step in assisting our residents who require safe and affordable housing.”

The money will be used to assist with costs such as rental arrears, overdue power bills and other expenses that could affect someone’s ability to get or maintain housing, according to the release. 

People will also be directed to other supports and services to help in the long term.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says new public housing announced for Liverpool is ‘desperately needed’. (Rick Conrad / File)

Liverpool is getting new public housing in the next 12 months, the Nova Scotia government announced Wednesday.

An eightplex is planned for land next to 183 and 185 Old Port Mouton Rd. The building will be modular housing, divided into eight separate residences.

John Lohr, Nova Scotia’s minister of municipal affairs and housing, said in a news release Wednesday that it’s part of 26 new modular housing units being built in the next 12 months in Shelburne, Digby, Wedgeport and Liverpool.

Lohr said it will provide affordable housing for up to 82 people. He said the province is going with modular housing to get the units built as quickly as possible.

The new housing is a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, with 14 ground-floor units that will be barrier-free.

The units will be affordable, with rents tied to income. 

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman said in an interview Wednesday that she’s happy to see the province is building more public housing in Liverpool.

“I think it’s excellent. It is desperately needed throughout the entire province, so, pleased to see that the province is now looking at (the) western (end of the province) and that we will be getting one eightplex.”

Norman said provincial officials told her on Tuesday that 77 people are currently waiting for public housing in the Liverpool area.

 “It will move quickly and (be) a much needed relief,” she said. “I know people have been impatient as the government has been announcing units in other areas, bu they’ve been going zone by zone and now we’re in the western zone.

“So they’re basically already designed. They’re very nice. They’re four units on the bottom, and the four bottom units will be totally accessible and there are four units on the top.” 

The province is investing $11.8 million to build the 26 units in the four communities. That’s in addition to the 247 units previously announced, bringing the total to 273.

The Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency will issue a tender for a design and construction team to deliver the homes.

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Kim Masland, Queens MLA and Nova Scotia’s public works minister, announces $10.7 million in provincial funding for a $21.5-million water and sewer expansion that gives the green light to two new housing developments in the Liverpool area. (Rick Conrad)

The Nova Scotia government and the Region of Queens are teaming up on a $21.5-million project to extend and improve water and sewer services in the Liverpool area.

Queens MLA Kim Masland on Monday announced $10.7 million in provincial funding to expand water and wastewater service to the Mount Pleasant area. The region will pitch in $10.8 million. 

The project means that two new private housing developments will go ahead on more than 60 acres of land. About 325 new housing units will be built for up to 1,200 people. It will be a mix of sold and rented space. About a third of those units could be affordable housing.

Masland, who is also Nova Scotia’s public works minister, made the announcement at the region’s municipal offices in Liverpool on behalf of John Lohr, the minister of municipal affairs and housing. 

“We need this funding, we know our community’s growing, we certainly need affordable and more housing stock within our community,” she said in an interview after the announcement.

“We’re attracting people to our community every day, there are med professionals that want to come here. This is a great project. This will allow us to build more houses.”

Masland said a municipal housing needs assessment found that Queens County needs 555 more housing units by the end of 2027. She said it’s difficult to recruit health care staff to move to the area if there’s nowhere to live.

“We need people building faster. We need homes up, we need places for people to live. We are in a housing crisis in the province and we’re going to do whatever we can to make sure we can help.”

The funding will also improve existing water and sewer services to more than 1,200 homes and businesses in the area, and help improve the amount of water available for firefighting efforts.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman emphasized that the funding will do more than help developers build new homes.

She said the current infrastructure is at or over capacity. The project will improve service for residents in Liverpool, Brooklyn and Milton.

“There are some really crucial repairs that need to be made to our system, so it can expand in all directions. This is not case-specific for specific people.”

The provincial portion of the funding comes from the $102-million Municipal Capital Growth Program. The region applied in December for the funding.

Norman said the region’s finance staff are working now to figure out how the municipal portion will be funded. The region is currently working on its 2024/25 budget.

Adam Grant, the region’s director of engineering and public works, said Monday he hopes the work will be finished in 24 to 36 months.

“So work is already underway. Following the feasibility study, we’ve migrated into some design work preliminary and that’s underway right now, looking at having designs rolled out in the fall and construction starting in the next 12 months ideally.”

The developers behind the two housing projects said Monday they were excited by the news. They’ve lobbied the municipality for the past few years to extend water and sewer services to those areas.

Both projects are near downtown Liverpool.

Larry Cochrane plans an 87-unit development on the old Dauphinee Farm property near Queens General Hospital, which would include a 24-unit apartment building.

He said he will soon begin the design phase of the project.

“I wish it was faster of course, but we’ll take that because there’s lots of work I need to do to get ready to start a project like this.”

Graham van der Pas is a partner with Rumclo Developments. They plan a three-stage development on about 30 acres of land farther up the road from Cochrane’s project.

“We’re very, very excited. We’ve been lobbying for this for the past two years. So it’s amazing.”

The Rumclo development will feature The Point, which will have 124, two-bedroom homes for sale, The Curve, with 22 three-bedroom townhouses, and Birchwood Gardens, 82 affordable rental apartments. Van der Pas said the affordable rentals will be 80 per cent of the median market rate. A one-bedroom would be about $800 a month, a two-bedroom $1,000 and a three-bedroom would rent for $1,200.

A section of The Curve will also be reserved for staff from Queens General Hospital to rent.

“I think a community like this needs it,” van der Pas said. 

“I think what our developments will bring to the town is … a significant amount of property taxes. The revenue will go up there, the economic revenue of people potentially starting businesses, new patrons for the businesses that are already existing. It’s significant.”

Ashley Christian, president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, said she’s happy that such a big investment is being made in Queens.

“We have been advocating through the chamber of commerce for more housing for a couple of years. So we’re so excited to see this huge investment, especially made by the municipality, really impressed by that.”

Christian said she’s especially happy that half the funding is coming from the province. She said she hopes that means the project won’t be a big burden on municipal taxpayers.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Dartmouth on Tuesday to announce more than $6 billion in funding for housing initiatives. Sean Fraser, minister of housing, infrastructure and communities, is in the background. (CPAC)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled more funding on Tuesday for affordable housing across the country.

Trudeau was in Dartmouth to announce the federal government will include more than $6 billion in the April 16 budget for housing initiatives.

The Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund would help speed up construction or upgrade needed infrastructure to build more homes for Canadians.

“If we want build more homes faster, we also need to be upgrading critical water and wastewater infrastructure. … We’ll launch the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund with a billion dollars available to be allocated in the short term for municipalities to support needs that will directly create more housing, and $5 billion for agreements with provinces and territories to support investments in long-term priorities paired with key provincial and territorial actions to boost housing supply.”

The $5 billion would go to provinces over a longer period. Federal and provincial officials would have to negotiate the terms for that funding.

According to The Canadian Press, provinces and territories would have to agree to a set of conditions, including a renters’ bill of rights. The deadline for provinces to reach a deal with Ottawa would be Jan. 1, 2025.

And provinces would have to freeze development charges for three years. They would also have to adopt changes to the national building code and automatically approve homes that follow designs from the federal government’s housing design catalogue.

Trudeau said the government also plans to add another $400 million to the Housing Accelerator Fund to help make it easier at the municipal level to build more housing.

Traffic study by Harbourside Transportation Consultants from Region of Queens variance appeal agenda

A development on Bristol Avenue in Liverpool will be building more units than initially planned.

The numbered company 4206749 Nova Scotia Limited led by Francis Fares had proposed the construction of 36 units in a building located behind 87 Bristol Ave.

The company no wants to build 45 living spaces within the same footprint by decreasing the size of each unit.

Several neighbours spoke against the increase at a variance appeal meeting held before the most recent Region of Queens council meeting on Tuesday.

They raised concerns that more units would mean increased traffic, less available street parking and impacts on the adjoining waterway.

Under the Region of Queens zoning regulations, the area is zoned R3, which allows high density housing.

Greg Zwicker, a planner with Zzap Consulting spoke via Zoom on behalf of the developer.

Zwicker says he hears the residents’ concerns and is willing to discuss how the development plan answers each one.

But regarding this specific appeal, Zwicker says the building meets all the municipality’s height, parking, yard, setbacks and coastal protections requirements and also respects the buffer from the water.

He says the changes they are requesting are in line with the intent of the Region’s development rules.

“That building as you’ve seen as drawn is permitted in the zone under your land use bylaw and your municipal plan,” said Zwicker. “What we’re asking is to put eight more units in that building.”

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says council must follow their own rules in the Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Planning Strategy. And while some neighbours may not be pleased, council had to agree with Zwicker’s interpretation.

“So, the question simply is: have all the requirements been met from the applicant? The height is legal, the footprint is legal, the buffers are legal. The applicant simply wishes to place more smaller units in the size of a building that is legal. That is what council has to consider.”

After some discussion during the council session, councillors voted unanimously to reject the variance appeal, permitting the developer to build the increased number of 45 units.

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Property map of proposed triplex development. Photo Region of Queens agenda

Most of the units in a proposed Beach Meadows triplex will be reserved for long-term renters.

The developers, Albert and Paula Doucet asked Region of Queens to issue a development agreement permitting all three planned units, to be used for short-term rentals.

The proponents wanted the property zoning changed from Hamlet Residential (HR) to Hamlet Core (HC) to allow the rentals.

During a public hearing held ahead of the last Region of Queens council meeting, residents spoke overwhelmingly in favour of maintaining the current planning rules which limits the number of short-term rentals to one.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the residents who spoke were passionate about keeping their community residential.

“And they see the possibility of three short-term rental units as the demise or negative to their residential way of life in that community.”

After a discussion, a majority of council agreed that the area is residential and should remain so.

They voted to maintain the status quo and allow one short-term and two long-term rentals on the property.

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