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.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

An undated aerial photo of the former Bowater Mersey plant in Brooklyn. (Queens County Historical Society Photo Collection, housed at the Queens County Museum)

The pulp and paper industry may be making a comeback in Queens County.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced on Thursday that Paper Excellence, which owns Northern Pulp in Pictou County, will be launching a feasibility study into whether it can open a mill in Liverpool.

He was speaking at a news conference in Halifax. His opening remarks were broadcast to a crowd of local politicians, chamber of commerce members and forestry sector workers at the Astor Theatre in Liverpool.

SEE ALSO: Reaction mixed to news of possible new paper mill in Liverpool

The possible new mill in Liverpool is part of a settlement agreement to resolve the company’s $450-million lawsuit against the province.

“The Pictou mill is not reopening,” Houston said. “The province has agreed to support Paper Excellence in the idea of building a new kraft pulp mill in Queens County, in the areas around the former Bowater mill.

“With the support of the region’s forestry sector, the company believes that Liverpool could again support a new mill, and I agree.”

Houston said the company will likely launch the feasibility study in the next few weeks. It is expected to take up to nine months.

“Let’s keep in mind a new mill is not a guarantee. If the company decides not to proceed with the new mill, Nova Scotia’s interests are still accounted for and protected. But if there’s a business case and the company brings forward a project, it could mean an investment of more than $1.4 billion in our economy.”

Bowater, which operated in Brooklyn from 1929 to 2012, employed hundreds of people in Queens County. It was founded as the Mersey Paper Company Limited by industrialist Izaak Walton Killam.

When it closed, it threw 320 people out of work. It also affected people in other industries.

Many of the employees retired or left for jobs in western Canada or elsewhere. The region fell into an economic funk. And it took years for the local economy to begin to recover.

Houston said a new mill would be good news for Queens County and for the province’s 35,000 woodlot owners.

“We are building a stronger economy for Nova Scotians, and a new mill has enormous economic potential. It could kickstart a new chapter for communities along the South Shore and the province’s economy overall.”

Northern Pulp closed its mill at Abercrombie Point, Pictou County, in 2020, after the Nova Scotia government under Stephen McNeil refused its application for a new effluent treatment facility. It had been pumping effluent into nearby Boat Harbour, sparking protests from the Pictou Landing First Nation.

Houston said Thursday that any new mill in Queens County will have to meet modern standards.

“Let me assure you that any project that comes forward will need to meet today’s standards, and will undergo environmental assessments, significant public engagmeent and indigenous consultation. We will also hold the company to a high standard for the Pictou mill site.”

Many of the people at the Astor for the announcement Thursday would not comment afterward. Queens MLA and Public Works Minister Kim Masland declined to comment. She said all media inquiries were being handled by the premier’s office. 

The forestry workers in attendance did not want to be interviewed, but were happy with the announcement and said that the “industry’s needed some good news”.

Mayor Darlene Norman said she was limited in what she could say publicly. 

“For those who understand the forestry sector, this is a wonderful opportunity for Queens.”

The possibility of a new pulp and paper mill in Queens County came to light this week when CBC reporter Michael Gorman reported on Wednesday that an announcement was imminent.

Kerry Morash worked at Bowater for 19 years and was also the Queens MLA for the Progressive Conservatives from 1999 to 2006. He welcomed the news that the industry might return to the area.

“I think it’s a big opportunity for the community and western Nova Scotia,” he said in an intervew. “And especially when you look at the storm damage that we have and we have a lot of wood laying down in the forest from Pictou to Yarmouth and that’s getting drier and getting ready to catch on fire. If we can clean up the forest and produce a product and make some employment, envrionmentally friendly and sustainbably, it’s all good news.”

Ashley Christian, president of the South Queens Chamber of Commerce, said she wants to make sure a mill is safe and sustainable.

“As long as all environmental regulations are being met and taken really seriously, I think that we in Queens County would welcome industry, we welcome jobs and what that would provide for our community.”

As part of the settlement agreement with the province, Paper Excellence has to top up Northern Pulp pension plans by $30 million to protect the former employees’ pensions. It also has to pay $50 million of its own court costs. 

If the company’s study finds a new mill in Queens County is viable, it will pay the province $15 million to settle its $99 million debt. If it finds a new mill isn’t possible, it would pay the province $30 million and pay $15 million toward the cleanup of the Northern Pulp site.

If the company goes ahead with a new mill, it would seek financing and work with the province and others to get it going.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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