David White, president of the Queens County ATV Association, made another appeal to regional councillors on Tuesday to create road trails in Queens County. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

ATV users in Queens County are motoring along with their plans to connect off-road trails with public roads and streets in the municipality.

And Region of Queens councillors are interested in hitching a ride.

David White, president of the Queens County ATV Association, was at regional council on Tuesday evening to repeat the group’s request from last March for the region to help make a connected network a reality.

“The idea behind them is to provide trail-to-trail connections and trail-to-access services. 
That’s supported by the 2022 Off-Highway Vehicle Spending Report that showed in the province of Nova Scotia in that year $464 million was spent by off-highway vehicle users. It’s time that impact was felt here in our county. It’s well past time. ”

This is the third time off-highway vehicle groups have appealed to councillors for a road trail that would allow users to go from Lunenburg to Queens to Shelburne counties.

They first presented to council in July 2023, shortly after the Nova Scotia government passed the Road Trails Act, which would allow off-highway vehicles on provincial and municipal roads, with certain conditions. Both levels of government must grant access. And in Queens, that would require a new bylaw.

Queens County ATV groups say having that connected trail locally would boost tourism and help local businesses by creating a destination riding area.

“You need look no further than this weekend gone by where 551 off-highway vehicle users registered and went on a run in Western Shore, and they raised over $13,000 for a volunteer group and their club and saw somewhere in the neighbourhood of 800 people participate. Sixty-one rooms were sold over two nights for a total of over 120 room nights in that community because of off-highway vehicle use.

“Our goal is to have a connected route across Queens County to complete the western loop of the Great Trail, part of the TransCanada Trail to be able to leave Lunenburg County and go right through to Shelburne with the bigger idea of leaving Halifax or Tantallon, travelling to Yarmouth, around to Middleton, and back to Bridgewater via New Germany.”

White told councillors his group has signed agreements with 10 private landowners in Queens County, which would give ATV riders permission to use people’s property to get from one trail to another.

He said the ATV association and the Queens Rails to Trails Association have also spent about $300,000 maintaining and improving trails around Queens County. 

White told councillors that Queens ATV Association spent $49,150 in 2024 clearing and improving trails for off-highway vehicles. 

The Queens Rails to Trails Association has spent almost $245,000 maintaining and improving other trails around Queens County.

White asked councillors for letters of support to explore developing the road trail network in Queens. And he said he’d like a commitment from the region to explore any funding for the groups. He also wanted the region to commit to a process that would begin consultations with ATV groups and others.

Mayor Scott Christian thanked White for his groups’ work on trails around the region.

“And I think it’s appropriate also to apologize for the lack of engagement or action on behalf of the Region of Queens Municipality in actioning previous requests, that the two organizations have made and attempts at engaging our municipality on these files.”

At Christian’s urging, councillors agreed to the letters of support and to explore funding for the groups. They also asked staff to prepare a report for their Feb. 25 meeting on connecting a trail near the region’s offices to the popular multi-use Trestle Trail.

Christian said he wants the region to continue consulting with the community about how to make the connected road trail a reality.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Region of Queens Administration Building. Photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens Council was back with a jam-packed agenda in the first meeting after summer.

Council meets just once a month during July and August and have now returned to their regular twice monthly schedule.

Council heard from the public to start the meeting. A question was raised whether water utility customers would receive a refund from the municipality considering they haven’t had drinkable water in over a month since the treatment station was struck by lightning.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the Region of Queens won’t be providing a refund as the utility is its own legal entity and rates are set by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Next council awarded the South Shore Multicultural Association $3,000 from the Community Investment Fund to assist with National Day of Truth and Reconciliation events being held at the Hank Snow Museum at the end of the month.

Council then heard from finance staff who reported the municipality had a $1.6 million operating surplus last year. Mayor Norman says the surplus can be attributed to a number of factors including: $1.2 million in unexpected income from deed transfer tax and investment returns, as well as $400,000 that went unspent on staff positions the Region has been unable to fill.

Two contracts were then awarded following request for proposals involving an evaluation of the Region’s Information Technology systems as well as a staff and council compensation review.

Mayor Norman says it’s been many years since either was properly assessed and the municipality needs to know which IT systems work and why.

The compensation review will be undertaken to determine if staff and council pay are in line with what other municipalities and the private sector are offering.

Council went on to discuss Queens County Rails to Trails and the Queens County ATV Associations’ request to redesignate the trail corridor from West Street, behind the municipal offices building to Silver Rock Road to multi-use. Currently that trail only permits pedestrians, and the organizations would like it opened for off-highway vehicles and bicycles.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities will be hosting their fall convention and Region of Queens decided to send five members of council.

Finally, the Region will be applying for intervenor status at an upcoming hearing at the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Board regarding a site expansion at the salmon farm in Liverpool Bay.

The next council meeting will be held September 26 in council chambers beginning at 6:00pm.

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Entrance to Trestle Trail from Bristol Ave. Photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens council heard a proposal that would allow off-highway vehicles to drive through downtown Liverpool.

At the July council meeting, members of the Queens County ATV Association and the Queens Rails to Trails Association came together to present the idea of allowing OHVs to travel along Hwy 3, down Bristol Ave, across the bridge where they would turn onto Henry Hensey Drive, crossing Main Street and continuing up Brunswick until vehicles connected with the Trestle Trail.

The idea is possible because of a recently passed piece of provincial legislation called the Road Trails Act which is intended to allow OHVs to cross short stretches of road to move from one off road trail to another.

The Act is not yet law but President of the Queens County ATV Association David White says the groups wanted to present the plan to council so they could hear and address any concerns before it comes into effect.

“This is an early-step process because that’s still not actually enacted but we’re trying to get all of our ducks in a row so when it hits the ground, we’re one of the people out front,” said White.

The new act says all riders are required to have a valid driver’s licence, insurance, registration and a licence plate, and vehicles may not go faster than 25 km/h.

Councillor David Brown was concerned about OHVs traveling along Bristol Ave where they would have to move in traffic along with other vehicles.

“I see in other places that it’s been a real financial boon to people. But it almost seems to me like going across Bristol instead of going across the Trestle trail, finance is trumping safety..” said Brown. “To me, it looks like using the Trestle Trail, cutting off by the Irving and not going across Bristol would be much safer for pedestrian traffic, for bicycles for people driving, for the people on the ATVs but we’re trying to force them through the town just because it’s finance and I have a little problem with that.”

White acknowledged the vehicles could travel along the Trestle Trail and avoid downtown Liverpool, but the idea is to bring riders closer to local businesses. He says while there are financial motives, safety must always come first.

“As for Bristol economic trade trumping safety, we would never see safety compromised. Safety is at the foremost of what we want,” said White.

The Queens County ATV Association president noted that locals are aware traffic often slows on Bristol Ave due to bicycles, public works, and other reasons and OHVs would be no more inconvenient for drivers.

Council decided to work with the two groups to further explore the potential plan and may look to form a working committee in the future.

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Region of Queens administration building. Photo Ed Halverson

Discussions around changing the sidewalks on the Liverpool Town Bridge and updating the municipal phone answering service were a couple of items on the most recent Region of Queens Council meeting agenda.

The meeting started with a pair of presentations. The first was an update from Roswall, the company behind the Mersey River Wind Farm project.

The company has received several governmental approvals and held community information meetings. They are working towards completing development stage items and signing a lease for the Crown Land.

The second item was a joint presentation from the Queens County ATV Association and the Queens Rails to Trails Association. The two groups are looking for municipal support that would allow ATVs to travel along short sections of municipal roads as permitted by the recently announced Road Trails Act.

Council will discuss the request at a future meeting and will likely be bringing the idea forward to the public for feedback.

In the recommendations section council agreed to waive tipping fees for up to 10 metric tonnes or roughly $700 worth for a family who lost their home in a fire.

Council also agreed to spend $16,850 to install a new telephone answering service for the municipality. The Region has been unable to receive telephone messages for the past several weeks as the old system is no longer supported.

The parameters for a new seven-member police advisory board were also established. Councillors Brown and Hawkes along with Deputy Mayor Fancy will represent council. Community members will include Acadia First Nation Band Council member Andrew Francis and two others chosen from the public. The seventh member will be appointed by the province. Region of Queens is working towards having the new Police Advisory Board in place early in the fall.

Tenders for a new heating and ventilation system for the Liverpool Business Development Centre has come in $130,000 over budget. Council had approved spending $1.9 million in the 2023/24 budget. The only tender received came from Sea Coast HVAC at a total cost of $2.03 million. As it was the only bid, council approved spending the additional money to begin the work.

They also approved $446,200 to buy a new street sweeper from Saunders Equipment Ltd, of Fredericton NB.

A homeowner in Brooklyn requested municipal wastewater systems be extended to their property. Staff informed council it is not feasible at this time because of permitting issues from the province and the large number of projects they are already working on within the municipality.

Council also explored options for improving pedestrian and bicycle traffic on the Liverpool Town bridge. With four options ranging from $325,000 to refresh the existing layout to $4.4 million to move the lanes to the outside of the bridge, council opted to maintain what is in place now and keep an eye out for federal funding options in the future.

Finally, council went in-camera to discuss Nova Scotia Power’s request to install an EV charging station on municipal property in Liverpool, but no site was confirmed.

The next Region of Queens Council meeting will be held August 8 beginning at 9:00am in council chambers.

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Damage from vandals on the Trestle Trail Bridge. Photo Kathy Mack

Vandals damaged part of the newly completed Trestle Trail bridge in Liverpool over the weekend.

Queens Rails to Trails Association helps maintain the bridge and president Brian Hatt says a safety rail was kicked out from a viewing platform sometime Sunday evening.

“It’s the first incident we’ve experienced since we did the renovation or, restoration,” said Hatt.

Closed off and on over the past two years to allow for a complete rebuild of parts of the structure, the bridge just had interpretive panels installed in August.

The rebuild was made possible by the efforts of the Queens Rails to Trails Association, private donors as well as both the Region of Queens and provincial government.

The trail is well used by locals and tourists alike and Hatt is disappointed to see someone deliberately damage part of the bridge.

“It was engineered to be safe but I don’t know there’s anything you can build that will protect against vandalism,” said Hatt.

The damage was brought to the attention of Queens Rails to Trails Association and a member was out Monday making repairs.

Hatt says they will try to reinforce the  area so it can’t be broken so easily in the future.

He asks if anyone sees the bridge being damaged to call RCMP or contact him directly.

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