Queens Place. Photo Ed Halverson

As the Queens Pool Committee gets down to the business of planning a replacement for the outdoor pool in Milton, some in the community are asking why those resources aren’t being poured into the development of an indoor pool for Queens.

At the recent Region of Queens council meeting some suggested the estimated $3 million anonymous donation should be lumped together with the $2.5 million the Region had set aside for a replacement to get close to $6 million in seed money.

They say the next step would be to use that money to entice the province and federal government to provide matching funding up to $18 million to build an indoor facility.

The group recognized an indoor pool would require a great deal more annual funding to run year-round.

The closest comparable facility to what’s being proposed for Queens Place is the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre.

The Lunenburg County Multi-Purpose Centre Corporation oversees operations at the LCLC.

Projected year-end numbers released at their January meeting show the Town of Bridgewater and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg contributed a total of $1,054,915 in municipal operating grants to the LCLC, just over half the $1,980,192 the facility took in total revenue.

The corporation is expecting expenses will be $2,215,323 for an operating loss of $235,131 in 2022-23.

The LCLC offers a rink, pool, meeting and fitness rooms, and houses the public library.

General Manager Kent Walsh says that while it may sound similar to what Queens Place would look like if the proposed indoor pool was added, it really is not a fair comparison.

“I was thinking of analogies and it’s like saying, what’s the fuel economy in a car,” said Walsh. “Well, it depends on the car and if I tell you that the fuel economy is 14 litres to the 100kms and what does that actually mean when you’re looking at a different car. It’s just totally different.”

Walsh says there are any number of factors that will impact the operating costs of an indoor pool.

He says the hours of operation, the number of swim lessons and other programming that is offered will impact the amount it will cost for staffing.

The size of the pool, and the source of power, whether it is solar, direct from the NS Power grid or some other method will dictate some of the operating costs.

And those numbers are just the tip of the iceburg.

Walsh says without knowing the final design it is impossible to begin to guess what the operating cost of an indoor pool facility would be.

He says from his experience, whether Queens builds an indoor or outdoor pool they should put together their long-term wish list for the facility and build it all at once.

“I think the one learning from the LCLC, because there were so many cuts made when things were being constructed, is that you just shoot yourself in the foot long term. If they end up going into this thing God I hope they go whole hog,” said Walsh. “ Don’t try to make a four lane, you know getting under the wire on costs. Just go the whole nine-yards because otherwise in five years when you just completely outgrown the thing…”

Walsh is naturally a huge supporter of recreation and fitness facilities.

He says every community is trying to attract healthcare workers and other talented people to come work in their industries, and a well-developed recreation centre can be a huge factor when trying to recruit young families to the area.

Welsh firmly believes the health benefits to the community more than make up for the cost to run many of these programs.

“You know what it costs when someone has a heart attack? A million dollars right off the bat, heart attack, bypass surgery, recovery, a million dollars. And it stresses out a system that’s already stressed out, all the negative things that come from you know, poor health.”

Walsh says it’s always better and less costly to prevent those kind of health emergencies. “If you can put programs in place that improve health outcomes for people, well how many, how many people do you got to divert from having a heart attack to make it worthwhile right?”

With no estimates on the cost to build and operate an indoor pool and no firm commitment from other levels of government to come up with additional funding to pay for it the indoor pool discussion could very well amount to little more than a nice idea.

Council will be addressing several motions pertaining to the construction of an outdoor pool when they meet this Tuesday February 14.

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Region of Queens Council listens to public comment in Brooklyn during the Jan 24 meeting. Screen shot from Region of Queens YouTube video.

Region of Queens council took the show on the road, holding the last meeting in January at the Brooklyn Community Hall.

A large number of residents came out to voice their support during the public comment section for building an indoor pool instead of the outdoor pool currently in the planning stages.

The proposal was made to take the money donated by an anonymous benefactor and combine it with the money the municipality has earmarked for the construction of a new library.

The proponents expected that would account for almost $6 million.

The group would like to see the province and federal governments each contribute matching funding to bring the total amount to $18 million and build the new library and pool at Queens Place.

At this point there is no formal plan or budget to determine if $18 million is even enough to get the desired outcome.

They’ll be more on this story in the coming days.

Once the meeting commenced there were two recommendations for council to consider.

First, council approved a $236,000 grant to the Liverpool Curling Club for the installation of solar panels and the construction of an accessible entrance.

The cost of the grant will be covered by a recent donation made to the Region by the J & W Murphy Foundation for the purpose of directing it towards civic improvement projects.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the club has invested approximately $750,000 in upgrades over the past year without any ask from the Region.

Considering the community benefit the club brings for events extending far beyond curling council was glad to provide them with the help they’ve requested.

“The curling club has proven their ability to move forward on their projects,” said Norman. “They’re very successful, dedicated, hard group of workers. And of the many projects that are within Queens County this place has a definite positive impact on our Main Street Liverpool. You know it’s three-minute walk from there, this is the type of thing that we can support at no burden to the taxpayer and at the same time be helping that Main Street area as well as social, physical, forwardness from our people.”

Council also approved the second recommendation to install a new uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in the Liverpool Business Development Centre, home to the area’s largest call centre.

The new unit will replace one that has been in operation for 20 years but has reached its end of life.

Council awarded a tender to Universal Power Solutions to install the new UPS at a cost of $114,950 plus HST.

Council then heard an update from Public Works detailing the projects they are currently involved in across the municipality before turning their discussion once again to the subject of a pool.

Deputy Mayor Jack Fancy spoke as a member of the pool committee to ask that council review the recommendations previously brought forward by the committee.

The committee has proposed a site at Queens Place, the use of solar power, a pool design that features a gradual sloped entrance or “zero entry” accessible side and six lane and they’re asking to be able to apply for grants on the Region’s behalf to secure more outside funding.

The committee’s recommendations will come before council at a future meeting for discussion and a vote.

Council will return to chambers for the next meeting to be held on Valentines Day, February 14 beginning at 9:00am.

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Potential site of the new Queens outdoor pool. Photo Ed Halverson

With a goal of opening in Spring of 2025 the Queens Pool Committee have a lot of work ahead of them.

They hit the ground running in the last month.

Comprised of two council members, two members of Queens Community Aquatic Society and two members of the community who are pool users, the committee recently received a mandate to provide Region of Queens council with information and recommendations on the construction of a new outdoor pool.

They presented the first of those recommendations along with a proposed plan of action to council at the Jan 10 meeting.

Chief among those is where to build.

Committee Chair Deborah Herman-Spartinelli says Queens Place is the obvious choice for the new outdoor pool for many reasons.

“You’re talking about a facility that already has a huge lobby with a desk already there right by where you’d walk out to the pool. So, they can do the same thing you do with a card when you belong to the fitness centre. They can swipe it and go through and go right through to the pool and then the change rooms will be out there,” said Herman-Spartinelli.

“Plus you’re talking about costs too because you can share part of the wall of the [Queens Place] Emera Centre that’s already there, you can share the roof for solar panels and any air handling systems or anything that has to be done can be put on the roof.”

The group is proposing to build the pool alongside the fitness centre side of Queens Place.

They recommend a 6-lane, Olympic length as well as a side beach entrance with a gradual slope into the water which would be more accessible for children and anyone with mobility issues.

Herman-Spartinelli says new change rooms, separate from the ones used for the gym will be required to provide a wet-change area.

She says the location of the pool allows all the necessary mechanical equipment and potential solar power to be placed close to where it is needed.

Herman-Spartinelli says the committee is keen to use solar power so the pool can be built to a net-zero standard.

“To me it’s a no-brainer. If you’re going to build a pool for a region you should be putting solar in. It’s the best way to heat water,” said Herman-Spartinelli.

All of the recommendations and designs from the committee need to be approved by Region of Queens council before municipal staff issue tenders.

An anonymous donor is putting up the money to build the new outdoor pool in Queens.

The pool will be built with private funds then owned, maintained, and operated by the Region of Queens once construction is complete.

Herman-Spartinelli says the donor would like to see the pool in operation by the spring of 2025 and if all goes to plan, they should be able to meet that timeline.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

At the most recent Region of Queens Council meeting council landed on a site for the construction of a new library, approved a new multi-unit residential development and discussed creating a policy for selling municipal property.

The meeting started with a pair of presentations.

The first by North Queens Active Living detailed the programs they offer and benefit they bring to the community.

The group is currently working towards gaining status as a society.

They’re asking council to continue supporting their work in the upcoming budget to the tune of $16,500.

Next, the Region of Queens Pool Committee outlined their desire to build the new outdoor pool at Queens Place as well as some rough timelines and next steps.

If all goes to plan, their aim is to begin construction in 2024 with the goal of opening the pool to the public in spring of 2025.

Council then followed up on the public meeting held before session and granted the request to convert a multi-unit building in Hunts Point from short-term to long-term rentals.

They also agreed to the name “Ocean Side Drive” for the road going into a proposed development near the hospital in Liverpool called “The Point”.

After much back and forth over the past year council accepted the library committee recommendation to build the replacement for the Thomas H Raddall library at Queens Place.

When the recommendation first came to council in June of 2022 some councillors didn’t want to see the library moved from downtown Liverpool.

Since then, the committee has looked into several different site options but determined any of those would increase the cost of construction by half a million dollars.

Council also considered the Rossignol Centre in which the library currently sits has been put on the market and a quick sale could leave the county without a library.

During the discussion portion of the meeting council asked staff to come back at a future date with options on a policy for the disposal of municipal properties.

Some members of council cited the recent proposed regional airport sale and the upset it caused all parties involved as the reason to have a process in place that was fair, transparent and easily understood when selling municipally owned land.

And finally, council heard from staff that the recent tax sale saw 16 properties sold for a total of $327,450.

Of that, $34,500.58 will pay off outstanding accounts and $292,949.42 will be held in the tax sale surplus reserve in trust for 20 years to give owners the opportunity to recoup the proceeds of the sale.

Council will take their next meeting on the road to Brooklyn on January 24.

The session will begin at 6:00pm at the Brooklyn Community Hall.

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Thomas H Raddall Library. Photo Ed Halverson

It’s taken the better part of a year, but the Thomas H Raddall Library has found a new home at Queens Place.

Last year, Region of Queens council formed a committee comprised of library officials, users, and councillors to evaluate several possible sites and recommend a location.

The committee determined a lot adjacent to Queens Place was best for several reasons including proximity of other recreational opportunities, the ease of access for all residents of Queens and the fact the land is already owned by the municipality.

When the recommendation was made to site the new library at Queens Place in June of 2022 council was divided as some councillors felt the library should stay close to its current location in downtown Liverpool while others wanted to relocate the institution alongside the recreation complex.

At the June meeting, the majority of councillors rejected the recommendation and instructed the committee to return with another that wasn’t Queens Place.

After six months spent evaluating three other locations the committee brought the same recommendation back to council this week.

Through the course of their research the committee determined building the library at any of the other possible locations would add a half million dollars to the construction.

Adding to the pressure to find a new home for Thomas H Raddall Library is the fact the Rossignol Cultural Centre in which the library is located is up for sale.

Mayor Darlene Norman says council did what it need to do to ensure a library remains in Queens.

“Councillors who had previously voted against understood with these new facts in front of them, they were very unwilling to place these additional costs [on the taxpayer]. They were very concerned about the fact that we need, we must have a library and they seem to understand that this was the best place for it,”

The new location passed by majority with four councillors and the mayor in favour, Deputy Mayor Jack Fancy voting against and Councillors Muise and Gidney abstaining from the vote.

The library will be built adjacent to the sliding hill at the end of Queens Place Drive.

Norman says now that a site has been selected, the project planning team can get to work on designs and a timeline for construction.

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Inaugural Olympic Wall inductees. Photo Ed Halverson

Seven of Queens most prominent sports figures were honoured Tuesday.

An Olympic Wall was unveiled at Queens Place to recognize residents who have represented Canada at the highest level of amateur sport.

The seven inaugural inductees included two coaches Betty Ann Daury and Owen Hamlin, and five athletes: Jamie Belong, Jenna Martin, Sarah Mitton, Alexander Shankel, and Ben Theriau.

Jenna Martin, a 400-meter sprinter at the 2012 Olympic games who now lives with her husband and children in Washington state, reflected on coming back to her roots.

“There’s nothing like being from a small town because they love you through thick and thin,” said Martin. “They’re with you, every time they see you it’s a celebration. It brings the community together. So, it’s really, really special and it gave me the opportunity to come home and visit my family.”

Martin says coming from a small community doesn’t have to be barrier to reaching your goals.

Shot putter, Sarah Mitton, who competed in her first Olympics in Tokyo Japan in 2020 agrees with Martin.

She says it’s consistently putting in the hard work that can lift someone from their local field to the world’s biggest stage.

“I actually got to throw at the Brooklyn Park again yesterday. There’s no circle, there’s no toe board, it’s graffiti on the ground. It’s really humbling to come back from all these large meets where everything is set out so perfectly, and to be able to come back to the community that you grew up in and just realize how little it actually takes and we how much more we can build on that,” said Mitton.

Both Olympians were honoured to have their images displayed on the wall where anyone arriving at Queens Place can see.

They hope they can be an example to the next round of athletes and coaches coming up in Queens that you can make your dreams come true.

As several people noted after the ceremony, there’s plenty of space on the walls for more portraits.

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Photo Ed Halverson

The sale of 11 acres of municipal land was the highlight of Tuesday’s Region of Queens council meeting.

The only session in August started with a presentation from the Queens Care Building Society providing an overview of the proposed new long-term care home set to replace Queens Manor and Hillsview Acres.

The four members representing the society highlighted the programs the new facility will provide along with one and two-storey options for construction of the new 112-bed structure.

The society’s request to secure municipal land adjacent to Queens Place and the Best Western hotel was granted during the in-camera portion of the meeting when council agreed to sell 11 acres for roughly $960,000.

Some long-standing items that had previously come before council were also approved.

Region staff will get to work crafting a bylaw to allow Queens to collect road levies on behalf of non-profit associations.

Mayor Darlene Norman says staff has assured council they have the capacity to take on the added responsibility using existing resources.

“It only seems right and proper that we help them where we can,” said Norman. “For example, we do not put streetlights on their roads. We do not have personal garbage collection at their doorsteps. So, if we can, as a council, help them improve their roads, then it is the right thing for us to do.”

Council also agreed to a request from the South Shore Regional Hospital Foundation to provide $100,000 for their Brighter Days Capital Campaign.

The money will be the Region’s one-time contribution towards the $115 million redevelopment at the area’s regional hospital which will expand the size of the emergency room and surgical areas, add new dialysis chairs, MRI suite and CT-scanner among other upgrades.

The vote was not unanimous as some councillors argued with the ongoing doctor shortage and frequent ER closures, council should be supporting Queens General first.

Norman says South Shore Regional is just as much Queens’ hospital as Queens General.

“We could give a million dollars to our hospital, and it is not going to help our ER situation at this point in time. Our foundation, the Queens Hospital Foundation, have encouraged us to provide this money to South Shore Regional,” said Norman.

Council also decided to pay between $50,000 and $60,000 to build an accessible ramp at the Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre.

The new ramp will be located between the centre and the neighbouring RBC building to provide access from the parking lot into the Astor Theatre lobby.

Council then heard the Region took in just over $300,000 from the sale of 23 properties at the July 18 tax sale.

Approximately $48,000 will go to paying off outstanding debt with the remaining $250,000 or so, being put in the Tax Sale Surplus Reserve Account where previous owners have up to 20 years to claim the proceeds from the sale.

The first quarter financial review indicated the Region will be paying an additional $150,000 for garbage collection this year to cover the increase in fuel costs.

The original estimate was negotiated based on a cost of 89.64 cents per litre and in the past few months, the price of fuel has routinely been a dollar or more per litre above that.

Council was also made aware of human resource changes to the Region’s employee handbook to make the policies more inclusive and in keeping with 2022 standards.

Some of the policies hadn’t been updated in 20 years.

And the planning and development department is looking to increase the fees for some services to better reflect the cost of providing permitting and development amendments.

Council then moved in camera and approved the sale of the lot for the new long-term care facility as well as a piece of property in Milton for a multi-unit housing development.

Council will not meet again until the second Tuesday in September.

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Angela Blenkhorne and Bernie. Photo submitted by Angela Blenkhorne

Children who have experienced the loss of someone close to them have an outlet to share their experiences.

Bernie’s Buddies, a kid’s peer support group is being offered at Queens Place Thursday.

Originally from Nova Scotia, and now living in Alberta, founder Angela Blenkhorne launched the program in 2015.

She was inspired to do something to help kids after dealing with the loss of her father at 14.

“Even as an adult grief can be incredibly isolating but as a child you think, well, am I just supposed to be over this now? How does this all work?” said Blenkhorne. “So, you’re sort of, left to your own devices and you just deal with it yourself and put on a smile and keep on going. But I gotta tell you, that’s not the way to do it.”

Blenkhorne brings together children aged eight to 12 and invites them to talk about their experiences as they are engaged with art activities, yoga and a therapy dog.

Bernie’s Buddies was named after and inspired by an abandoned St. Bernard dog Blenkhorne adopted.

She says despite being deaf, Bernie was exceptional connected with children who would come over to interact with him wherever he went.

“And that was the connection there for us,” said Blenkhorne, “and we thought, let’s put together a workshop so kids can get together in a group, have some community, have shared space have a therapy dog to hang out with, do some physical movement to shake out the sillies, ’cause really, you know with kids, kids do best when they wiggling around a lot of times, and then do an activity that brings them all together so they can be creative but also feel comfortable enough in that  creativity to share, if they feel like it.”

Bernie passed away a couple of years ago so St. John Ambulance will be providing a therapy dog for the July 28 event.

Thursday’s session at Queens Place is completely free but pre-registration is required.

To register, follow this link.

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Photo Ed Halverson

A plan to build a new library in Queens has become a political football.

During budget discussion in March, council decided to spend $3 million on replacing the aging Thomas H Raddall library in Liverpool.

A six-member steering committee consisting of two people from South Shore Public Libraries, two members of the library board and two library users were tasked with devising criteria and determining the best location for a new library in South Queens.

They were looking for a centrally located site with access to sidewalks that offered space to build a 6,000 square foot library and 24 parking spaces, easy emergency access, good exterior lighting, outdoor space, and no known flooding.

Of the eight possible locations, the board was unanimous in selecting Queens Place.

The recommendation was brought before Region of Queens council at the June 14 meeting and was rejected in a 5-3 vote.

Some councillors raised concerns moving the library away from the schools and some private daycare operators would deter students from using the services.

Others wanted to see the new library build tied to the construction of a new privately funded pool.

With seven options remaining, council agreed to meet July 5 to discuss the criteria and provide clearer direction to the steering committee about what locations they would be willing to accept.

After eliminating the steering committee’s unanimous first choice Mayor Darlene Norman says council wrestled with how to word their direction to the committee.

“It ended with a recommendation that the library steering committee choose the second-best site,” said Norman.

The meeting was lively as some councillors argued residents of the old town of Liverpool would not make their way across the bridge to a library at Queens Place.

Others pointed out the new Queens Manor long-term care home will be situated next door to Queens Place allowing residents greater access to library services.

Depending on which of the remaining sites make the short list, Norman says a recommendation from the steering committee on a location may not come back to council before September.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Thomas H Raddall Library. Photo Ed Halverson

Regional council has rejected the idea of building a library at Queens Place.

The library steering committee put forward their unanimous recommendation to build the new library at the recreation hub at the last council meeting.

The committee had a list of eight publicly and privately owned sites to choose from and determined the Queens Place location to be the best based on their criteria.

They were looking for a centrally located site with access to sidewalks that offered space to build a 6,000 square foot library and 24 parking spaces, easy emergency access, good exterior lighting, outdoor space, and no known flooding.

District 3 councillor Maddie Charlton is concerned moving the library to Queens Place will make it inaccessible for low-income families in the downtown core.

“The poverty in our community is a huge concern and the low-income housing is not on that side of town. I spoke with one teacher who said that many of her low-income parents, during COVID, walked to the library so they could access internet for their children with their school work,” said Charlton. “There’s no transportation for the preschool age or the daycare age and just to put into perspective, there’s about to be, once the expansion happens at the Queens Daycare, 100 children at Queens Daycare. Think of the exposure they could have to the library if they could access it.”

Councillor for District 1 Kevin Muise agreed.

“People that walk there now are not going to walk across that bridge. They going to have to get cars and drive there. Low-income families who are in my district, they’re not going to walk across that bridge and go [to the library]. The other council, we was [sic] always arguing about putting stuff on that side of the bridge. Why don’t we have stuff on this side of the bridge. I just feel the library should stay on this side of the bridge,” said Muise.

Mayor Darlene Norman responded that everyone in the community finds access to the two major grocery stores located around the corner from the library.

The mayor expressed concern that perhaps council wasn’t fully considering all the services a library offers.

“I would think that our goal is to expand library use in Queens,” said Norman. “Library is a much larger service than books. It’s education programming, safety programming, it’s government, a way to reach different levels of government.”

Further complicating the discussion is the idea of combining the construction of the new library with a new pool, an idea put forward by the Queens Community Aquatic Society.

District 6 Councillor David Brown says plans to develop a library were already in motion before that idea was put forward and the two resources aren’t compatible.

“If council had wanted the two projects together, the terms of reference, I think, would’ve reflected that. We got terms of reference for a library and that’s what the committee has looked at,” said Brown. “The committee has also looked at the possibility of combining with the swimming pool. There’s nothing against that idea. The problem that we’ve got is the majority of the land that we have won’t support the two projects together. The area we selected as a committee is not big enough for the pool and a library together.”

In a five to three decision, council voted down the proposed Queens Place location for a new library.

Mayor Norman says a special meeting will be called in July for council to refine the parameters of a new library before sending it back to the library steering committee to come up with a second recommendation.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
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Future site of Etli Militamk Universally Designed Play Park. Photo Ed Halverson

A cancelled ground-breaking ceremony could be the start of a series of setbacks in the construction of the new Universal Play Park.

A snowstorm cancelled last week’s festivities at the play park’s future location beside the skate park at Queens Place in Liverpool but it’s the pandemic that is wreaking havoc on the construction schedule.

Chair of the fundraising committee Debbie J Wamboldt says building the park by spring will be difficult.

“Things aren’t looking very good from what we’re hearing from the companies, with the shipping delays and all of this,” said Wamboldt.

A request for proposals for construction of the play structure has been issued by the Region of Queens.

Due to the disruption in supply chains for goods and materials around the world caused by COVID-19, Wamboldt says companies bidding on the project aren’t willing to commit to a spring completion date.

The fundraising committee originally set a target of $450,000 but after five years of effort they’ve exceeded amount and are closing in on $600,000.

Wamboldt says even with an increase in the cost of materials since they established their goal, the park will exceed the group’s original designs.

“Hopefully the pricing isn’t too drastic with all the COVID and the shipping and all of that,” said Wamboldt. “But we still should be able to put in a park that is significantly more than what we were looking at with a $450,000 budget, so it’s exciting.”

The good news is the park now has a name.

At their last meeting, Region of Queens council unanimously approved the choice put forward by the fundraising team.

Mayor Darlene Norman says council welcomed a name that reflected and honoured the diverse cultures in Queens.

“The PAC Autism Nova Scotia Society wished it to be named Etli Militamk. (Pronounced: ed a lee Milly Dumk). Which basically means, we are playing here. That is a Mi’kmaq name,” said Norman.

Wamboldt is disappointed the snow forced the cancellation of the ground-breaking ceremony but after years of effort, she is anticipating welcoming the community to the grand opening of the newly christened park in summer.

“I envision a big party, you know, with hot dogs and cake and music and a big celebration,” said Wamboldt. “I’m looking forward to that.”

In the meantime, the Queens Universally Designed Play Park fundraising association has announced a smudging ceremony will take place on the future site Monday December 20 at 11:00am.

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The roll up window at Queens Place is now open. Photo Ed Halverson

Visitors to Queens Place no longer need to leave the facility to grab a snack.

The Region of Queens has come to terms on a lease with the owner of the Greenfield General Store, Stew Jenkins to operate the canteen.

It officially official opened Thursday November 18.

Jenkins says the canteen will keep regular hours and be open for special events.

“It will be a good place for people to come and have a meal or just a cup of coffee when they’re watching a game or hot chocolate or whatever.”

Jenkins had previously run the canteen and sees this as an opportunity to work together with the Region to serve visitors to the arena.

“There’s room for growth,” said Jenkins. “The last time we were sort of guessing at what we could do but now we’re working together to grow it.”

Jenkins says Joan Murphy will manage the operation, providing a menu of homemade soups and stews as well as hot dogs, hot drinks and snacks.

The municipality has been looking for someone to operate the canteen for months.

Jenkins says after a discussion with Mayor Darlene Norman, things moved quickly.

“This was a whirlwind,” said Jenkins. “We signed the papers Friday and Joan went in on Monday and started cleaning. The food order arrived later that day and [she]started stocking and then Tuesday she did a little bit of trial runs on things.”

Jenkins says Murphy will be hiring a couple of more staff to run the canteen.

He says the advantage of having a business outside of the canteen is he can pull more staff from the Greenfield General Store to help out when busy events are taking place.

“It’s a benefit it gives our staff out here, a couple of them, extra hours where they might be cut back to three or four days a week. Now they can get some part-time work in there as well,” said Jenkins.

Canteen hours and the new menu are available on the Queens Place Emera Centre Facebook page.

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Queens Place ice surface. Photo Ed Halverson

The finishing touches are underway as Queens Place prepares to host the 2021 Curling Canada Home Hardware Curling Trials.

The top two teams in the men’s and women’s division advance to the Tim Hortons Curling Trials and a chance at representing Canada in the 2022 Olympics in China.

One of the teams hoping to punch their ticket to Beijing is Liverpool native Jill Brothers.

Host Committee Chair Greg Thorbourne says despite the local connection, organizers won’t be showing any extra support for Brothers.

“We are running a national championship and every team has the same meaning to us, as a committee,” said Thorbourne. “We can’t play favourites or anything else or we’d never host another event.”

Crews have been working to convert the ice from hockey to curling since Thursday morning.

Thorbourne says the process to create the curling sheets takes some time.

“There’s probably a 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of ice over top of the lines for hockey. What we do is we scrape that down until it’s level, perfectly smooth. Then we start putting our water on and after we have it to the thickness that we want we’ll put the white paint over that,” said Thorbourne.

After that, lines, rings and logos are either painted or stenciled in to create the curling rink.

Thorbourne says one of the top icemakers in Canada, Dave Merklinger from British Columbia has been flown in to oversee the production.

His two person staff will include a member from Port Hawkesbury and Graham Conrad from just up the road in Bridgewater.

A small army of volunteers will be supporting all aspects of the event.

The first rock will be thrown at 5:00pm Monday and play will continue through the week, culminating in the finals on Sunday October 31.^.

Thorbourne says tickets are still available by following this link.

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COVID-19 precaution posters meet visitors to non-essential services at the door. Photo Ed Halverson

The latest COVID-19 proof of vaccine requirements is causing headaches at Queens Place Emera Centre.

Beginning Monday October 4 Nova Scotians wishing to enter any non-essential businesses, including gyms, arenas and fitness studios, will have to show they’ve been vaccinated by showing a picture ID and a proof of vaccination record.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the region doesn’t have the staff at the facility to perform the checks and are currently trying to hire people to do the job.

“We need to hire six to eight people, maybe more, if people are part-time. But we can’t have someone working on desk, and every time someone wants to come in the person leaves their desk and runs to a door,” said Norman.

In Wednesday’s COVID briefing Dr. Robert Strang said known members of a club or gym won’t have to continually show picture ID but will have to present proof of vaccine each time they enter.

Norman says the money to hire the staff at Queens Place is coming out of emergency COVID funding the province provided to help municipalities offset additional expenses they were facing as a result of the pandemic.

She is concerned about the ability to check crowds at larger events held at Queens Place such as hockey games and the upcoming Canada curling qualifiers.

Norman is grateful the Region of Queens doesn’t have to find money from its budget for the new position but worries about other non-profit community groups who may not have the resources to meet the new proof of vaccine standards.

“I think of all the facilities, the rinks that are owned by not-for–profit organizations,” said Norman. “They weren’t given the big chunk of COVID money. It’s going to be a struggle.”

She worries smaller community rinks and their volunteers won’t be able to cope with the volume of participants, family and spectators that come along with events such as hockey tournaments.

Premier Tim Houston says based on conversations government has had with business owners, he doesn’t anticipate any issues with the proof of vaccine checks in their establishments that would require more government support.

However, this is the first time he’s heard non-for-profits may struggle to meet the requirements.

“We haven’t made that decision to provide support yet. We’ll wait for some feedback. You’re raising something there that I haven’t heard, I haven’t heard from a certain type of organization… I’m not at the point where I’m saying there’s some funding that is necessary. But we’ll listen to those specific situations, like you’ve just raised and see if there’s something that is necessary,” said Houston.

As for Queens Place, Norman says they have posted the available positions on the usual job posting sites. Anyone interested in applying can also reach out to Queens Place directly.

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Photo Ed Halverson

A new program from the Region of Queens aims to bring senior men together to address mental health.

The Men’s Shed program is a chance to socialize in much the same way as people would in a garage or workshop.

Facilitator and Physical Activity Coordinator for the municipality Norm Amirault says research has shown as men get older they have a more difficult time than women connecting with their peers.

“Sometimes older men lose their way a little bit. So much of their identity is tied to their work,” said Amirault. “If they haven’t kept up connections, like with Kinsmen or their church or with whatever, they can, very much, get lost a little bit.”

Each Men’s Shed group decide for themselves their activities.

Many pursue interests such as woodworking, repairing bicycles and music, all with the aim of providing an outlet for men to socialize with each other.

Amirault says after decades of working, many older men are isolated which can lead to mental health issues such as depression.

“The overall impression is that men’s self-worth or men’s self image is often tied to their career and when they retire and perhaps they don’t have as many community things, they tend to lose their way,” said Amirault.

The Men’s Shed movement started in Australia in 2007, spreading to New Zealand, the UK and arriving in Canada in 2015.

The movement has caught on in Western Canada and Ontario and this will be the first Men’s Shed group in the Atlantic provinces.

Amirault says the group will be a men’s only organization but for the first meeting, wives and female friends are encouraged to attend.

“Because often times the males of the species need a little push to get involved in things,” said Amirault.

The first meeting of the Men’s Shed group is Wednesday September 29 at Queens Place.

Due to COVID restrictions, anyone wishing to attend is asked to confirm they are coming in advance by calling Norm Amirault at (902) 354-5741.

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Preliminary proposed design of park. Contributed by Queens universally designed play park committee

A four-year fundraising effort to build an accessible play park in Liverpool has exceeded its goals.

The Queens Universally Designed Play Park fundraising committee had a goal of $450,000 when they launched the campaign in 2017.

Chair Debbie J Wamboldt hasn’t had a chance to compile the final total but says the community has stepped up in a big way this summer; in particular, the anonymous donor who came forward to match community donations.

“I was just so humbled and grateful for someone to say, I really want to help you. I want you guys to get across the finish line and this is how I think we can do it and I’m committed to helping you guys do it,” sad Wamboldt. “And then when the community stepped up, I was flabbergasted. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

At the beginning of August, the group needed to raise $35,000 to reach their goal.

The community pitched in and with the help of the matching donations the fundraisers took in almost $45,000, $10,000 more than they had hoped for.

Another source came from the generosity of the Fralic family who asked donations be made to the park in memory of Todd Fralic.

The community isn’t finished giving yet as the Liverpool Tim Horton’s will be donating the proceeds from the sale of their smile cookies to the play park.

Now that the funding is secured Wamboldt is keen to get a final design approved.

“The technology, even since our first talks with these companies has changed. It changes every year and the standards and things change every year so I’m super excited to see what they come up with,” said Wamboldt. “Now knowing we have a little bit more money to play with, it’s really exciting.”

Wamboldt expects to issue tender requests shortly for a company to design and build the universally designed play park.

The final design will need to meet seven standards of universal design to ensure the park can be used by people of all ages and abilities.

Wamboldt says once the design is in place and the contractor hired, she expects the park, to be located next to Queens Place, will be ready to use in spring 2022.

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Curling rings. Photo Ed Halverson

Queens County will play host to another high profile sporting event this fall.

Curling Canada has announced the Home Hardware Curling Pre-Trials will be held at Queens Place in Liverpool October 26-31.

Winners of the tournament will advance to the Tim Horton Curling Trials in Saskatoon where teams will compete to represent Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Liverpool Championship Host Society chair Greg Thorbourne says their record for hosting successful major events paired with a large pool of dedicated volunteers made Liverpool an easy choice to host the event.

“When you have a good group of volunteers that are willing to step forward then events become easier to put on and reputations travel fast in the community of hosting and they don’t hesitate a lot to give us these events,” said Thorbourne.

A championship of this size normally requires 150 to 180 volunteers.

Region of Queens mayor Darlene Norman says she’s excited to see the region and Queens Place once again being featured on the national stage.

“It’s been two years since we’ve really had any large event in there,” said Norman. “So we’re looking forward to welcome curlers across Canada back to our home again.”

Thorbourne hopes this event will help bring more business to the local economy.

He’s concerned if the province doesn’t get to the fifth phase of its reopening plan organizers may not be able to open ticket sales to the public.

“So that’s what we’re looking at now is trying to get to Phase 5, hopefully, so that we can sell tickets,” said Thorbourne. “If we can’t then we will be having an event without any ticket sales.”

So long as Nova Scotia can reach Phase 5 reopening, Thorbourne is optimistic tickets will sell out even if it doesn’t happen until the end of September.

Thorbourne says due to the condensed timeline and COVID restrictions the upcoming event is one of the more difficult this group has organized.

“Most of this stuff should’ve been done six to eight months ago and we’re still in the process of doing it. But we’ll catch up and when it’s all said and done it will be another great event,” said Thorbourne.

Games will be live streamed throughout the event and the finals will be broadcast on TSN.

Anyone looking to volunteer can do so through the Liverpool Championship Host Society Facebook page.

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Region of Queens administration building

The Region of Queens is getting help from two levels of government with their bottom line.

The federally funded Nova Scotia Safe Re-start program is putting $590,735 into municipal coffers.

Mayor Darlene Norman said the funding is welcome as COVID-19 has upset this year’s budget plans.

“The bulk of the money will be going on the bottom line of this year’s budget in order to meet that projected budget,” said Norman.

The pandemic forced the region to stop operating many of the programs and facilities that make money including closing Queens Place for several months.

“There was no fitness memberships, there was no ice rentals, there were conferences that would’ve been booked there, so that’s lost revenue,” said Norman. “This money will help cover that lost revenue.”

The region estimates losses at Queens Place will be in the neighbourhood of $300,000 this year.

That number could go up as, since this funding was announced, another source of revenue for Queens Place has been shelved. The province has banned sports teams from travelling to and from Halifax. With many of their players coming from the city, the Liverpoool Privateers hockey games have been cancelled for now and with them goes the money that comes along with game nights.

According to Norman, Queens Place has never been profitable but the Region backstops the losses as part of the common good the facility brings to the community.

“Municipalities build these facilities for the social enjoyment, the physical enjoyment of people, to stimulate economic growth in your county, that’s what those are built for,” said Norman.

The Safe Re-start funding will also do some good in the community. As a condition of the funding, the province insisted a portion had to support local transit.

Queens County Transit is the beneficiary of that condition and will receive $27,674.

Another stipulation will see $2020 divided equally between the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities and the Association of Municipal Administrators. The two groups represent municipal interests to the provincial government and have also been unable to hold conferences, which would provide their funding, during the pandemic.

Norman said historically, the Region of Queens has a strong record of managing their finances and meeting their responsibility to the province to produce balanced budgets.

So much so, that even without this funding the municipality would have been okay.

“We would pay our bills. There’s no question of that,” said Norman. “Taking from reserves to meet that would probably be, I’m going to say the first time since amalgamation that that would have ever happened.””

Norman said the Safe Re-start funding should keep the region from dipping into their savings.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

Queens Place Emera Centre. Photo Credit: Ed Halverson

The Region of Queens has announced a new program to remove barriers for people to be physically active.

The Recreation for All initiative will lower the cost for people who want to use municipal facilities but may not be able to afford it.

Mayor David Dagley said since council passed the motion in March, staff have been speaking with community members about making donations to support the program.

“And they have found businesses that are willing to donate and have donated to this program. So we have received about $20,000 from generous companies and individuals,” said Dagley. “We’re able to at least provide supported services at a very minor price to participants who are financially in need.”

Money from one of the major corporate donations was earmarked for a particular group.

Dexter Construction insisted the first 100 memberships to Queens Place were to go to Special Olympians from Queens County training for competition.

Dagley expects the first round of funding will support around 100 residents this year. He’s optimistic the program can continue to grow.

“We’ll raise more money as we go and hopefully we can increase the number. We may have funding to double that amount. We’ll find out as the program unfolds,” said Dagley.

While regional staff is soliciting donations and running the programs, Dagley said all the money in the program is coming from the community. The funding will enable better access to all the facilities at Queens Place as well as the North Queens Aquatic Centre and the Milton Centennial Pool.

Dagley said council recognizes the link between physical activity and improving one’s mental and social well-being and he and his fellow council members were glad they could open up the resources to more people.

“It will certainly broaden the ability of who we can serve in the Region of Queens in our recreation facilities,” said Dagley.

Anyone wishing to donate to or apply for a recreation for all grant can do so on the Region’s website.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson