Region of Queens councillors on Tuesday voted on a revised plan to develop 194 Main St. in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens council have changed course to allow a developer to build apartments on Main Street in Liverpool after all.

At their regular meeting on Tuesday morning, councillors voted unanimously to start the process to amend the municipality’s land use bylaw. 

A public hearing will be held on Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. in council chambers about changing the bylaw to allow more ground floor space to be used for residential uses in the downtown commercial zone. 

Currently, no more than half of a building’s ground floor can be used for apartments.

RELATED: READ MORE ABOUT 194 MAIN ST.

Developer Eric Fry approached the region in February to change that rule to allow him to turn all of 194 Main St., commonly known as the old Stedman’s building, into apartments. His original plan was for 16 units, with indoor parking and storage.

In July, councillors rejected changing the bylaw. Fry immediately listed the property for sale. 

He returned to the region’s planning advisory committee in August with a new plan that would include two commercial units on the ground floor of the 30,000-square-foot building, in addition to 14 apartments. 

His latest proposal is for 18 residential units, four of which would be “hotel suites”, and two Main Street-level commercial units of 300 square feet each. One of those would be a laundromat. 

“So given the significant size of the building at 194 Main St., 50 per cent of the ground floor area of the building creates some challenges for the owners of the building,” Director of Land Use Mike MacLeod told councillors. 

MacLeod reminded councillors that if the bylaw is changed, it would apply to all property owners in the downtown commercial zone.

“Any proposed amendments would apply not only to the applicant’s property, but would apply to all other owners of property of commercial buildings who want to convert more than 50 per cent of the ground floor area to residential uses.”

Planning advisory committee members originally discussed recommending a minimum depth of 6 metres for commercial space on the ground floor, but settled on 3.66 metres or 12 feet and a minimum floor area of 27.88 square metres or 300 square feet.

The other changes proposed would require that commercial uses extend along the full width of the building facade from its main entrance.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton, who is a member of the committee, said PAC members believe the bylaw needs to be more flexible for property owners in the commercial zone.

“There are buildings of significant sizes that make it really challenging to allow for more residential while protecting the commercial area. And so what this does is it protects the Main Street and surrounding streets in those commercial zones or commercial core zones anywhere.

“We do recognize that there are folks beyond this proposal that have an appetite to decrease the size of commercial space. They could put in more residential space, which we feel like is a win-win.”

Under the proposed amendments, the commercial units could not be used as office space by the building owner or manager.

Mayor Scott Christian said after the meeting that the changes would be good for downtown Liverpool.

“We’re hoping to see that generate more investment, because right now we all know that there’s a lot of vacancy and underutilized spaces in the downtown core and there’s also a lot of space that could be repurposed for residential units, which we know there’s a huge demand for. So we’re hoping that we’ve struck a good balance there.”

Christian said the municipality looked at rules in other areas for guidance on the changes. He pointed to Halifax, which encourages businesses to set up as boutique shops in some buildings.

“Like a fishmonger or a small deli or an ice cream shop or a candy shop or small sort of micro retail models,” he said in an interview. “If property owners take advantage of the opportunity to create really small spaces, that micro retail model,  which I think could be attractive to our residents and our visitors.”

Christian said he understands if some people might believe the process has been tailored to suit one developer. But he says it’s an issue the community had to tackle.

“That was certainly the impetus or the catalyst to have the conversation, but I’m quite excited about where we’re going to land. I think that if the amendment goes through, I think it’s a step in the right direction, in getting more flexible in the way that folks can use those buildings in the downtown core to make it more vibrant, breathe more life, bring more people into the downtown core.”

In a survey conducted by Halifax consultants UPLAND Planning in July, 18 of 30 respondents said they were fully or somewhat supportive of changing the bylaw. 

But 90 per cent of the business owners who responded were against a bylaw change. They said they were concerned about eroding the commercial area.

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Liverpool residents Jillian Young, Susan Inglis and Rebecca Delaney are the newest inductees on the Olympic Wall at Queens Place Emera Centre. (Rick Conrad)

Three Queens county residents who have made their marks on the world stage were honoured at Queens Place Emera Centre on Thursday.

Liverpool athletes Jillian Young and Rebecca Delaney and coach Susan Inglis were added to the Region of Queens Olympic Wall, in front of a full house in the foyer of Queens Place.

Young and Delaney each won gold medals in snowshoeing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy in March.

Inglis, who is Delaney’s mother, was also in Italy as one of Team Canada’s coaches.

Mayor Scott Christian said the community is proud of the athletes and coaches from Queens County who have represented Canada at the Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics. After Thursday’s ceremony, 12 banners now hang on the Olympic Wall at Queens Place.

“I think that this is a great initiative having the Olympic Wall here. I don’t know what we’re going to do because we’re running out of room, but no, I think I think it’s really fantastic that we have a way of honouring folks for their achievements. We’re happy to celebrate any athlete from Queens County who can climb that mountain and manage to get to an Olympic Games. And so that’s what this is all about.”

Inglis said having her banner sharing space with fellow inductee Sarah Mitton is “a dream come true”.

“I really wasn’t that much of an athlete myself growing up, so I could never have dreamed that I would be on the Olympic wall of anything, let alone, you know, here locally. It’s such a privilege. Special Olympics is an amazing organization, and I am very, I’ use the word again, privilege to be a part of it, and to have guided my athletes to get to where they are today.”

Inglis has coached the five Special Olympians who are now inductees. And she said it’s important for all athletes to be recognized for their achievements in world competitions.

“When you look at the talent that comes out of this small town, you know, people think, oh, you’re from a little small town, you’re not going to get anywhere, but, you know, you look at Sarah, you look at Jenna Martin, all the other people that are on the wall, the special Olympians. And I don’t know that it really hit home to me until I went to Italy and I saw the talent on the world stage and saw how our athletes could measure up to that world talent.”

Delaney, who has numerous medals at national and international competitions, said it’s exciting to be among her heroes like Sarah Mitton and to be inducted alongside her mom.

“I love it because we have a good bond together. I would have never expected to be on the wall, but here I am, at Queens Place.

“Me and Jill are very good teammates and I’m glad she got to do it with me. It was a good experience.”

Young said she was “happy and excited” to be recognized for her achievements, though she joked that she didn’t like the food in Italy and was eager to get home to her parents after the games were over.

The Region of Queens is also selling commemorative prints of all the Olympic Wall inductees to raise money for its Recreation for All program.

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Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens mayor and councillors are holding seven town hall meetings around Queens County this month to get public feedback on various issues.

Mayor Scott Christian says it’s important to hear from as many people as possible.

“We’re looking to kill two birds with one stone in that we think it’s important to be accessible and engaging with our residents writ large, but it’s also timely because we have been working behind the scenes on identifying some five-year strategic priorities and a vision and a mission for the organization and we want to make sure that it’s aligned to what residents are seeing and feeling and experiencing in the community.”

Christian says the region will also have a survey available for people who can’t make it to one of the October sessions.

Council’s strategic plan has been mentioned regularly at council meetings since the new slate of councillors was sworn in in 2024. But it hasn’t been made public yet. 

Christian told QCCR that the town hall meetings will be a chance for people to get a look at some of the details of that plan.

“My expectation is that we provide folks with an opportunity to take a look at what we have thus far, provide their feedback on that, give everybody an opportunity to contribute in a way that they’re comfortable (with), but then also just open up the floor for more kind of question-and-answer to engage their councillors and myself as the mayor on particular issues or items of importance to them.”

Christian said that staff and councillors will incorporate what they hear at the town halls into the region’s five-year plan, which will also influence budget deliberations.

He said the region plans to start early budget talks and capital planning by December, with work on the budget set to begin in the new year. 

Municipalities are expected to finalize their fiscal plans by March 31. This year, the Region of Queens passed its budget in mid-May.

“We were quite last minute last go-around so we’re going to start to look at the five-year capital improvement plan and updates to that … in December, so my expectation is that we’ll have those kind of those strategic priorities nailed down by that time.”

The seven town hall meetings are scheduled to run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Christian, councillors and some staff will likely be at the meetings. Here is where they’ll be held:

• Thurs., Oct. 16 – Liverpool Fire Hall
• Fri., Oct. 17 – Milton Memorial Hall
• Mon., Oct. 20 – Mersey Point Hall
• Tues., Oct. 21 – West Queens Recreation Centre
• Thurs., Oct. 23 – Greenfield Fire Hall
• Fri., Oct. 24 – Port Medway Fire Hall
• Mon., Oct. 27 – North Queens Fire Hall

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Region of Queens Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton and Mayor Scott Christian at Tuesday’s regular council meeting. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

The Region of Queens is sitting on a $1.385-million surplus from last year, but Mayor Scott Christian says the news isn’t as great as it may sound.

“I think a lot of the surplus is on the back of major capital projects that were intended, not getting complete,” he told QCCR.

“So I certainly applaud our finance department and their approach in managing our organization’s finances. But we have this challenge where we’re budgeting money for projects that are really important for the community and we’re just not delivering in a timely way. We need to take a hard look at that and make sure that we are spending the money in the budget that’s going to lead to important projects and progress for residents and for visitors in Queens County.”

The region’s finance director Joanne Veinotte presented the audited financial statements for 2024/25 at Tuesday evening’s council meeting.

She said the region ended the fiscal year with a surplus of $1,385,705, helped along by higher-than-expected tax revenue and returns on the region’s investments. Expenses were lower because of unfilled positions and capital projects not yet finished.

Veinotte also said the Region of Queens Water Utility recorded a lower-than-expected deficit – some 42 per cent less than budgeted, for a saving of almost $185,000.

Even with a higher-than-expected budget surplus and a lower water utility deficit, Christian said he’s not sure how that will affect the region’s upcoming water rate hearing.

“The numbers that are driving the proposed increase to the water rate are modeling sort of well into the future,” he said.  

“I can’t answer if there is good reason to go back and challenge any of the assumptions that were used in generating those projected operating expenditures on the water utility. I’m not sure yet.”

The municipality has requested a 106 per cent increase for most of the 1,200 customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn who are on the municipal water supply.

Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board hearings are scheduled for Wed., Nov. 19 at 10:30 a.m. in council chambers at the region’s office.

The region hired consultants G.A. Isenor and Blaine Rooney to prepare its water rate study as part of its application to the regulatory board.

In documents filed on the board’s website, the regulator has asked the region for more information or clarification on 55 various points. 

Some are about whether the region knows if people will be able to afford the expected $348-a-year increase for most residential customers.

It also asked the region to submit a revised rate study lowering the financial impact on customers and spreading it out over three years instead of imposing most of the increase in the first year.

So far, there is one registered intervenor in the rate hearing. The Queens Community Health Board is concerned how the increased water expenses will affect the broader health and well-being of residents.

Christian said the proposed increases are important to put the water utility back on sound financial footing.

“We want to get our costs in order and run the water utility in a solvent way that’s aligned to our obligations as a water utility operator, and so the sooner that we can get our costs in order the better.”

Even so, Veinotte told councillors on Tuesday evening that by the time the hearing happens and the regulator makes its decision, any rate increases likely won’t take effect until 2026.

To look at all the documents filed so far as part of the region’s water rate application, use this link and enter M12363 in the field.

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The Region of Queens is going to make Cameron’s Corner in Liverpool an all-way stop. (Rick Conrad)

Drivers in downtown Liverpool will soon encounter another three-way stop on Main Street.

The changes are being made at the intersection of Main and Old Port Mouton Road, commonly known as Cameron’s Corner. 

In response to concerns from residents and councillors about safety in the area, the region’s traffic authority plans to turn it into an all-way stop.

Another busy intersection, the three-way stop at Main and Market streets, has been the scene of many close calls between pedestrians and motorists over the years.

A report prepared by consultants CBCL in June 2024 suggested a different option at Cameron’s Corner. It recommended that Main Street be turned into a throughfare, with a stop sign on Old Port Mouton Road. They also suggested narrowing the east Main Street approach and realigning parts of the intersection.  

The intersection is a busy one. It has one stop sign on Main Street at the eastbound approach, but the traffic coming from Old Port Mouton Road has the right-of-way.

The consultants said that it’s more intuitive for drivers on Main Street to have the right of way, with motorists on the minor road approach of Old Port Mouton required to stop.

Adam Grant is the Region of Queens director of infrastructure. He’s also the municipality’s traffic authority.

He told councillors at their regular meeting last week that the changes suggested by CBCL would cost about $120,000, an expense not included in this year’s operating budget.

Grant said that that part of Main Street is going to be turned into a three-way stop anyway with the planned work on the $21-million Mount Pleasant services extension and housing development at the other end of Main. And CBCL’s other recommendations for realigning the intersection will be included.

“So the intention is, once it’s converted to an all-way stop, it would stay an all-way stop in perpetuity, unless it was determined through further analysis that it wasn’t necessary and that it could be reverted to a one-way stop control,” Grant said. “The geometry realignment would be incorporated into next year’s capital work, the all-way stop would stay in that mannerism.”

Councillors can make suggestions to the traffic authority, but traffic changes are an administrative matter.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR that with the water and sewer upgrades planned with the Mount Pleasant work next year, some of the consultants’ changes will happen anyway.

“I think it’s a good piece of decision making, not to rip up and change that sidewalk to then next year, rip it up when we’re replacing the water and sewer through there. 
So with the recommendations from the CBCL report, we’ll make those alterations to the curb when we do the water-sewer work.”

Grant told councillors that Cameron’s Corner will be turned into an all-way stop this fall, with the appropriate signage to give drivers advance notice of an upcoming stop. He said the region will also let people know through social media in the next few weeks.

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Laura Methot is president of the Greater Molega Lake Lot Owners Association. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens councillors dumped proposed changes to garbage collection on Tuesday after residents packed the public gallery to protest the proposals.

More than 40 property owners from the region’s cottage country showed up at council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, concerned that the municipality was trying to download responsibility for illegal dumping onto volunteer-run residents’ groups.

More than 5,700 properties in Queens County are connected to roads that aren’t maintained by the municipality or the province. Most of these roads are in the areas of Molega, Ponhook and Annis lakes. Private lot owner groups collect fees from residents to maintain those roads.

People who live on public roads in Queens County usually get regular roadside garbage collection. Those on private roads, however, have to take their waste to a central location, known as grey box sites. From there, the municipality picks it up.

But under proposed changes discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting, responsibility for the maintenance and cleanup of those grey box sites would shift from the municipality to non-profit property owner groups.

Laura Methot, president of the Greater Molega Lake Lot Owners Association, which represents more than 1,200 property owners, told councillors on Tuesday that the proposed changes won’t address the longstanding problems of people dumping their trash illegally at the grey box sites.

“It is absolutely absurd to think that private road associations, managed by volunteer boards, would be able to solve the illegal dumping problem and unsightly premises that the region has not been able to tackle for years,” Laura Methot, president of the Greater Molega Lake Lot Owners Association, told councillors.

“Worse still, this bylaw update, if passed, would result in diverting resources, both time and money, away from our primary mandate, which is keeping our roads safe and passable in good condition.”

The Molega Lake area alone covers more than 1,200 hectares and 52 kilometres of roadway. It’s the largest recreational development in Atlantic Canada, though many people live in the area year-round.

Residents say they contribute disproportionately to the region’s tax base, while getting far fewer services than most other areas.

“The proposed amendments entrench this imbalance rather than resolving it,” Methot said.

Former regional councillor David Brown, who lives in Labelle, said that nobody would volunteer for lot owner groups if they were also now expected to clean up the grey box sites.

He said that at the lot owners annual general meeting in June, Mayor Scott Christian promised more collaboration and consultation.

“That didn’t happen,” Brown told councillors.

“
What we find is this is not a discussion, it’s not presented to us as options, but it’s a downloading of responsibility. It’s over 40 private law owners associations, and they’re volunteer associations.

“This bylaw, if passed, will be the end of all residential landowners associations. Nobody’s going to go out there and volunteer for a board and pick up garbage. It’s not going to happen. So as those lawowners associations disband because they can’t get volunteers, the roads won’t be maintained, Property values are going to go down.”

About 40 property owners showed up at Tuesday’s regional council meeting to protest proposed changes to garbage collection. (Rick Conrad)

After hearing from residents, councillors voted unanimously against the proposed amendments. And they voted instead to have councillors and staff consult with the lot owners groups about potential changes in garbage collection.

Christian said after the meeting that council heard the community loud and clear.

“There was a real, strong reaction from the community. Emails came flying in. Telephone messages came flying in to all members of council,” Christian said after the meeting. 

“We’re trying to get to a place, though, where we’re as transparent and open in the way that we do business as possible. … So I think we got it right and I think that it’s a tricky issue, though. It continues to be this persistent issue, but I’m hopeful that we can find good, creative solutions through broad-based engagement with everybody who’s impacted out there. 
Sit down, do some creative brainstorming, and figure out maybe we can pilot this solution, pilot that solution, see what works, you know, and then go from there.”

Methot of the Molega Lake lot owners group said after the meeting that she believes Christian and the rest of council are committed to working with residents. 

“I am very pleased with how it turned out, and particularly with the confirmation and recommitment of the mayor and council to working collaboratively with our association and with the broader community. It was a very positive outcome for us.”

Christian said the engagement sessions are already in the works. He said he hopes that the community consultations will result in a solution to the garbage problem that residents can live with.

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The Region of Queens is closing its recycling facility, which will result in job losses. (Nick Fewings via Unsplash)

UPDATED AT 3 p.m. Wednesday

Employees at the Region of Queens materials recovery facility will be laid off when the depot closes on Dec. 1.

The region said in a news release late Tuesday afternoon that the layoffs and closure are because of provincial changes to how recyclables are handled. The region’s solid waste facility employs 13 people, but the release did not say how many employees are affected.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR on Wednesday that eight employees work at the recycling facility. But he said the municipality will try to move them or retrain them for other available positions with the region.

“The first step is to try to retain staff if that’s possible to keep people in the organization and if they can’t be kept then to lay them off. And then whatever is contained legally in the bargaining agreement, we’d go from there,” he said.

“It sucks, it sucks. It’s challenging times, life is tricky to afford and there’s not a lot of good paying jobs in the community. It’s certainly not a decision that we made lightly.”

Christian said waste collection won’t change in the municipality. Collection dates or methods won’t be affected. The solid waste management facility will remain open. This change affects only who sorts the recyclable material.

In August 2023, the Nova Scotia government amended the Environmental Act to make recycling packaging and paper the responsibility of the producer, otherwise known as extended producer responsibility.

“No impact to the resident experience, it’s just that now with the extended producer responsibility … the producers of the packaging waste are responsible for figuring out what’s happening to that waste,” Christian said.

“It’s now the responsibility of the Jeff Bezos and the Walmarts of the world to deal with their own packaging.”

Circular Materials is a company formed by corporations that produce packaging waste, such as Loblaw, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and others.

Christian said that company also offered to collect the recyclables, but the region opted out of that.

Jim Sponagle, business manager for Local 1928 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, told QCCR on Tuesday that he found out about the job losses from a member of the local who works at the facility.

“The Region of Queens at no point contacted the union to advise the union what their intention was. Very disappointing,” he said in an interview.

“(We’ve) completely been blindsided by it. No discussion with the union, no conversation, we were completely in the dark.”

He said relations between the region and the union have not improved since a week-long strike in January, when almost 40 engineering and public works employees walked off the job for higher wages and improved overtime benefits.

Sponagle said Tuesday that some workplace issues are still outstanding from before the strike. He said he’d be contacting the union’s legal adviser to see how it can respond to the layoffs.

“I’m sympathetic to the members who will be losing their jobs. It’s disappointing for sure. We went through tough negotiation and we landed on a strike and I hope that wasn’t a determining factor as to why they chose to contract that work out that’s been done there for years. I can only sympathize with the members affected by the decision of the region.”

CAO Willa Thorpe said in the release that the municipality is “working directly with impacted employees at the MRF site to help them transition at this difficult time.”

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The old Stedman’s building in downtown Liverpool may still be developed into apartments. (Rick Conrad)

There may be a second life for the old Stedman’s building on Main Street in Liverpool after all.

Region of Queens councillors in July rejected developer Eric Fry’s attempt to turn 194 Main St. into 16 apartments.

The region’s land use bylaw limits the amount of residential space on the ground floor of of buildings in the downtown commercial zone to a maximum of 50 per cent.

Fry applied to amend the bylaw so that he could have only apartments in the building, but council rejected it.

He listed the building for sale shortly after council’s decision.

But he has since returned with a new proposal that would include two commercial units on the ground floor, with the rest of the 30,000-square-foot building devoted to 14 apartments, parking and storage space.

That would still require council’s approval and a public hearing.

On Wednesday, Fry said he wasn’t ready to comment on his amended proposal to the region’s planning advisory committee. 

The committee had a look at the new plan at their August meeting.

But Mayor Scott Christian said in a recent interview that the committee wasn’t comfortable making any new recommendations to council.

“And so I think just the devils in the detail from a bylaw, from a policy perspective of how do you get to a place where you land in a spot where you’re making sure that you have the right language to facilitate those policy objectives that we want to see, which is again, maintaining the commercial storefronts in the protected commercial zone while allowing flexibility for developers to repurpose other parts of those buildings for residential purposes.”

Fry said Wednesday that he’s still working with the region on options for the building. He said there may be something new to report in the next few weeks.

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Debris from the fish farm near Coffin Island on Beach Meadows Beach in 2021. (Rick Conrad file photo)

Supporters and opponents of a fish farm expansion in Liverpool Bay will get a chance to make their case in front of Nova Scotia’s aquaculture regulator after all.

The province’s aquaculture review board will hear an application in October from Kelly Cove Salmon to expand its current operation at Coffin Island, just off Beach Meadows Beach in Queens County.

Kelly Cove Salmon is owned by seafood giant Cooke Aquaculture. It applied in 2019 to expand its salmon farming operation off Coffin Island near Liverpool, and to add two new farms off Brooklyn and Mersey Point. 

All three applications would have increased Cooke’s operation to 60 pens from 14 and include trout as well as salmon. It would have meant up to 1.8 million farmed salmon in Liverpool Bay, compared to about 400,000 now.

The board had scheduled hearings for those proposals for March 2024. But it indefinitely adjourned the matter that month with no explanation.

According to groups involved in the hearing, Cooke applied to the board this June for a hearing on only the Coffin Island expansion.

The review board held a conference call with Kelly Cove and some intervenors last week. Hearing dates were set for Oct. 7, 8, 9 and 10 in Liverpool. 

Originally, the board had set aside only two days. But after lawyers for community group Protect Liverpool Bay objected, the board added two more hearing dates. The group is represented by environmental law charity Ecojustice.

“So there was no consultation at all in picking the dates,” said Brian Muldoon, spokesman for the group which has been fighting fish farms in the area since 2018.

“So our lawyers wrote to the ARB and said this is not reasonable and the ARB added two more dates.”

A board spokesman would not confirm the dates or comment on any upcoming hearings. He said any new information on hearings in Liverpool would be posted online.

A few days after this story was posted, the review board updated its website with the hearing notice.

The Region of Queens was one of the intervenors in the original hearings. Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR this week that the municipality still opposes the expansion at Coffin Island.

“We’re staying the course,” he said. 

“Beach Meadows Beach is the beach where we have municipal amenities. That’s where we have our infrastructure, and we want to make sure that that beach continues to be a really attractive and great place for locals and for visitors to use, and so that’s certainly one element of the opposition to the expansion at that site. ”

Muldoon said he’s worried about the hearings in October. 

“I believe they are not listening to the people or residents of Queens County. They’re moving forward with their agenda. They are going to put these fish farms over the areas where our local lobster fishermen lay their spring traps. This is taking income and disrupting our lobster industry. Right there, they should say, OK, we’re dismissing this application based on the data that we received that this is where lobster fishermen have been fishing for decades. And they’re going to turn around and ignore this information? It’s absurd, totally absurd.

“I have no confidence in the board listening to us.”

In the leadup to the originally scheduled hearings, more than 150 residents, businesses and community groups filed written submissions with the board. Most opposed the expansion and the new farms.

Five groups were granted intervenor status at the hearings: Protect Liverpool Bay, the Region of Queens, the Brooklyn Marina, 22 Lobster Fishermen of Liverpool Bay, and Kwilmu’kw Maw-Klusuaqn, which is representing the Acadia First Nation. 

Jamie Simpson of Juniper Law in Halifax represents the lobster fishermen.

He said his clients are still concerned about how the expansion will affect their fishing grounds and how new pens will affect their ability to set and reach their traps.

“Ever since the original hearing was postponed without a date, I think everyone was hopeful that maybe the entire application would be withdrawn but that’s not the case so we’ll deal with the revised application.”

Joel Richardson, spokesman for Cooke Aquaculture, said he didn’t have time for an interview. But in an emailed statement, he wrote that the company “welcomes the opportunity to appear before the aquaculture review board to seek approval of our applications which have been in the provincial system for many years.

“At every step of the way, Kelly Cove has complied with the application process. At the aquaculture review board hearings our representatives will present how the company meets all the regulatory criteria.”

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told a business luncheon in Liverpool in February 2024 that he personally opposed new fish farms in Liverpool Bay, though he said he supports the aquaculture industry. 

It was shortly after that that the board postponed and then indefinitely adjourned the hearings.

The Nova Scotia government appointed a new board chair, and some other new members, in February 2024. 

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Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian says municipal water customers aren’t in danger of restrictions yet. (Rick Conrad File photo)

As drought conditions continue in Nova Scotia, many municipalities are asking residents to cut down on their water consumption.

But so far in Queens County, levels in the Town Lake Reservoir are keeping up with demand.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian says customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn don’t have to worry about their water yet.

“The latest briefing from staff is we’re still looking pretty good. It’s surprising, the amount of inflow to outflow on the lake is still at good, sustainable levels.”

The last significant rainfall in Nova Scotia was more than two months ago.

Municipal water utilities in the Halifax and Cape Breton regions, and towns in central and northern Nova Scotia have asked customers to conserve water.

Mandatory measures are in place in Annapolis County and Antigonish.

That’s on top of a provincewide ban on open fires and travel in the woods.

In November, the reservoir in Queens County was sinking to a critically low level. The region asked its 1,200 water utility customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn to restrict their water usage.

Even though the dry weather hasn’t affected municipal water customers in Queens yet, some residents are dealing with dry wells.

The region has opened the shower facilities at Queens Place Emera Centre to the public. It’s also reminding residents of the public Cowie Well at 733 Main St. in Liverpool.

Christian says the municipality will keep an eye on water levels in the Town Lake Reservoir.

“So we’re just continuing to monitor that very closely. But at this point, the level is good in the reservoir and still the inflow is still quite good.”

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The Region of Queens Water Utility has proposed increasing water rates by more than 100 per cent. (Bluewater Sweden via Unsplash)

Hearing dates have been set for the Region of Queens water rate hike application, as customers brace for their costs to double.

Joanne Veinotte, the region’s director of finance, told councillors in June that the water utility needs to bring revenue in line with costs immediately. The Region of Queens Water Utility’s 1,233 customers in Liverpool and Brooklyn bear the costs of the service.

“These increases translate to an average annual increase of 106 per cent in the initial year, 3.8 in Year 2 and 2.7 in Year 3,” she said.

“Over the last several years, the utility has struggled operationally with staffing, and the treatment plant was heavily damaged in July 2023 during a severe thunderstorm that destroyed a large amount of sensitive and expensive instrumentation and equipment at the site.”

The Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board has scheduled a public hearing for Thurs., Oct. 9 at 10:30 a.m. in council chambers on White Point Road.

An evening session starting at 6 is also scheduled if it’s needed.

People can speak at the hearing, but they must register with the board by Sept. 17. Residents can also send written comments to the clerk of the board at PO Box 1692, Unit M, Halifax, NS B3J 3S3, by email at board@novascotia.ca, or by fax at 902-424-3919. The deadline for written submissions is also Sept. 17.

People can request formal standing as an intervenor in the hearing. That allows you to present evidence and cross-examine witnesses. The deadline for applications for intervenor status is Aug. 22.

The region hired consultants G.A. Isenor and Blaine Rooney to prepare its water rate study for the regulatory board.

They found that the water utility will rack up a deficit of just over $1 million by the end of 2025/26, if rates don’t increase immediately. That shortfall will swell to $3.344 million by 2027/28 without higher charges.

For residential customers, the average quarterly bill is now $82.61. That could rise to $169.66 this year, $174.63 in 2026/27 and $177.39 in 2027/28.

The average customer currently pays $330.44 a year. If the rate hikes are approved, that will rise to $678.64 annually in the first year and $709.56 after three years. 

The annual fire protection charge paid by the municipality, currently $201,531, could increase by 99.3 per cent to $401,599 for 2025/26, $495,931cfor 2026/27 and $503,625 for 2027/28.

Queens water customers had to endure an almost nine-week boil water order in summer 2023. That was after a lightning strike heavily damaged the water treatment plant.

The region gave a one-time 70 per cent discount on water bills, after public demand.

This time, though, customers likely won’t get a break from significant increases to their water bills.

The region claimed in a news release in June that its customers pay the lowest rates in Nova Scotia. 

The new rates would put it in line with the Town of Lunenburg, but higher than the Town of Bridgewater and the Cape Breton region.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said comparing rates in Queens to other municipalities isn’t as straightforward as it seems.

“This proposed change to the rate, it brings us into alignment with a lot of ‘like’ municipalities, a lot of our neighbouring municipalities who have water utility systems. So I think that is important to understand what we look like in comparison to a lot of the other municipal units around us.”

The regulatory and appeals board has the power to set rates as requested, order a lower increase or an even higher one.

You can read the documents filed with the region’s water rate application on the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board website here, by entering M12363 in the field to go directly to the matter.

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Crepes by the Coast will be operating a small canteen at Beach Meadows Beach. (Katharina Seitz-Cochrane via Facebook)

A young Queens County entrepreneur will be the first vendor to set up in the small canteen facility at Beach Meadows Beach.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said this week the successful applicant is Crepes by the Coast, which is owned by Liverpool’s Sammy Cochrane, who will be entering university this fall.

The region will will be entering negotiations with Cochrane soon on a rental agreement for the space and spend up to $10,000 to make the space suitable for food service, by installing handwashing facilities and buying a fridge and freezer.

“Sammy is going to be going to university in September so we’re going to try to move quick on it and get it open. We’re hoping at least for the month of August. … They’re planning on ice cream and crepes and soft drinks.”

The region posted a request for proposals on July 4 for the small room attached to the washroom facilities at the beach. It’s a very basic space with a large serving window.

Christian wouldn’t say how many proposals they received. Councillors discussed them in a closed session on Wednesday. 

“We received interest from a limited number of parties and it was a quick turnaround realizing that we only had so much runway for this season and so it was just trying to do something rather than nothing. And a little bit of a test case, and then to get the facility ready to go so that we can do something whatever that looks like, whether we do something in-house with some summer students or again contract it out to a third party vendor for next season.”

The region opened the new washroom facilities and outdoor showers in 2024. Workers are also putting the finishing touches on six picnic shelters at the municipally owned beach.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

MacPhersons in Liverpool has been sold. (MacPhersons via Facebook)

The Wasoqopa’q, or Acadia, First Nation have bought two Liverpool retail businesses.

The Mi’kmaw nation’s leadership announced Tuesday evening that it has bought the long-established MacPhersons in Liverpool.

And early Wednesday evening, it announced it has bought the building currently operating as the Milton Market in Milton. That building has been for sale since May.

Wasoqopa’q is based in Yarmouth but takes in communities throughout southwestern Nova Scotia to Halifax. It includes six reserves: Yarmouth, Ponhook, Medway, Wildcat, Gold River and Hammonds Plains.

Liverpool furniture and sporting goods store MacPhersons was established in 1982, but the MacPherson family said their family has been in business for five generations.

Wasoqopa’q First Nation said it has bought the store and the land behind the business.

Owner Horace MacPherson told QCCR on Wednesday he was too busy for an interview and would prefer to comment next week.

Chief Deborah Robinson could not be reached for comment.

In the post shared by Deputy Chief Avis Johnson about MacPhersons, the First Nation leadership says it will continue to operate MacPhersons as it is now.

“MacPhersons has a long history as a successful establishment in Queens and we plan to continue to deliver the same quality service customers have come to know. The operation will continue to be managed by longtime employee Tyler Frank, a Wasoqopa’q First Nation member.”

In the same post, the MacPherson family said they’re leaving the store in “the best of hands”.

“Our family is honoured to pass the store on to the First Nations community. It’s a meaningful transition for us, knowing the store will continue to serve the community with the same heart and eclectic spirit that’s made it special for so many years.

“We’ve always believed in offering a little bit of everything, and we’re thrilled to see that legacy carried forward.”

Post shared on Facebook about the MacPhersons sale

MacPhersons sells appliances, furniture, hunting and fishing supplies and a variety of other products, including clothing, household goods and some audio-visual and computer supplies.

It also leases space to the Needs gas bar and convenience store next door.

The Wasoqopa’q leadership said it also plans to develop the land behind the store which runs down to the Mersey River as an outdoor cultural gathering place guided by Mi’kmaw traditional teaching.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said he’s happy to see the business continue.

“I love MacPhersons because for me, it’s the store that has stuff that nobody else has in Queens. So I think it’s a really important member of the retail business community here. And I think it’s really interesting that (the new owner is) the First Nations community. I think it’s great.”

It’s unclear when the new owners of MacPhersons will officially take over. 

Facebook post about the Milton Market sale

As for the Milton Market property, the Indigenous community said they expected to make a formal announcement on July 31, “however in an effort to dispel speculation and false information we are sharing the news today.”

“We will use this property for a variety of programming, including an adult education and drop-in centre, workshops, small group gatherings, and other activities. More information to our membership will be shared once the purchase is complete.

“The ability to find appropriate space for our programming in the Queens area has gotten more difficult in the past few years. We are pleased to finally have a space of our own.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Region of Queens councillors recently discussed the future of fireworks at municipal events. (Pexels via Pixabay)

The traditional Canada Day fireworks display on the Liverpool waterfront will go ahead this year, but it may look and sound different at future celebrations.

Many people in recent years have questioned whether municipalities should continue their fireworks displays.

People with post-traumatic stress disorder and others who are neurodivergent can be triggered by the lights and noise from fireworks.

Pets and other animals can also be traumatized. 

Regional councillors discussed it at their meeting in early May, after some residents took their concerns to Mayor Scott Christian.

“And the nature of their reservations or advocacy against the use of fireworks,” Christian told councillors, “is related to the impact that it has on wildlife, impact that it has on pets, and impact that it has for members of our community who have post-traumatic stress from certain events and the impact that loud fireworks have with respect to that, as well as folks who are neurodivergent or can become overstimulated because of environmental stuff.”

District 1 Coun. Roberta Roy said most residents wouldn’t be happy if the region cancelled or changed the July 1 fireworks.

“I mean that park is full,” she said. “You have fireworks, you have a full park. People come in from all over the county and other counties. I just think people will say, you know, taking something else away from us.”

District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell said he opposes fireworks because they can be so upsetting to animals and humans alike.

“Just for the record, there are people on my end of town that have fireworks because it’s a Tuesday. … So it’s just like once the fireworks season starts and they can buy them, you never know when they’re going to be cracking off. And it does drive the dogs absolutely crazy. I think the community maybe makes the decision, not this council, but I am totally against fireworks.”

Councillors voted to continue with the traditional Canada Day fireworks this year, but asked staff to investigate other options for future celebrations, including looking at using silent or quiet fireworks.

And the region has decided to eliminate the largest shells during this year’s show. They are also warning people to prepare themselves and their pets to cope with increased noise until about 10 p.m.. 

Liverpool’s Canada Day celebrations are held in Privateer Park and begin at 2:30 with children’s entertainers Razzmatazz and magician The Amazing Mr. J. The evening’s main stage music begins at 5:30. The fireworks are scheduled to go off around 9:30.

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The Region of Queens is recommending that water rates should double to deal with rising deficits. (Rick Conrad)

Most residents in Liverpool and Brooklyn will likely have to pay more than double what they pay now for water.

The 1,233 customers of the Region of Queens Water Utility will be on tap to pay an average of 106 per cent more this year to stem rising deficits.

Under a rate proposal to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, most customers who now pay $75.61 every three months would have to pay $170.32.

Region of Queens councillors approved the three-year water rate study at their meeting on Tuesday evening.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR that the large proposed increase as of Oct. 1 will help dam mounting deficits at the municipality’s water utility.

“But the biggest challenge that we were looking at was this structural, perpetual, persistent, operating deficit where the thing would be in a deficit position, more and more and more with each passing year. … 
It just put us in a position really, where we’re recovering enough revenue from the water utility to run it.”

2021 was the last time rates for the region’s water utility were reviewed. They were set for the following three years until 2024. The region has been holding the line on rates since then, but it has racked up a deficit of about $516,000.

If rates don’t increase, that deficit is projected to swell to $3.344 million by 2027/28.

The costs of the utility are borne by its users. 

The region hired two consulting firms to conduct the three-year rate study. They found that revenues have to rise immediately by more than $430,000.

The proposed average increases in years 2 and 3 are 3.8 per cent and 2.7 per cent.

Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton said Queens water customers had been paying some of the lowest rates in the province.

“I just want to note that because 106 per cent is significant, but when you look at it as a whole, our water rates are really too low, which is what is prompting us to go through this process.”

If the proposed rates are accepted by the provincial regulator, it would put Queens in line with the Town of Lunenburg, which has an unmetered rate for residential customers.

But the new levies would be higher than those charged in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the Town of Bridgewater.

A staff report for council prepared by Adam Grant, director of infrastructure, and Joanne Veinotte, director of finance, partially blames the heavy damage sustained at the water treatment plant by a lightning strike in July 2023. An insurance claim covered only part of the damage, according to the report.

The lightning strike led to a boil-water advisory for water customers that lasted almost nine weeks.

After public demand for a break on rates, the region gave a one-time 70 per cent discount on water bills.

Grant and Veinotte also point out in the report that the utility has struggled operationally for years.

Knowing that water users would be on the hook for much higher rates, Queens councillors earlier this year created a $15,000 fund to give rebates to low-income residents.

Christian told councillors that regulators don’t allow separate rates for low-income households.

“But what we are trying to do is find effective and creative solutions to provide a rebate to those customers who cannot bear the financial impact of increased water rates.”

Customers will have a chance to participate in the provincial regulator’s public hearing once dates are set.

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Region of Queens councillors are trying to address concerns about safety at Cameron’s Corner in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

Region of Queens councillors want municipal staff to investigate another hazardous intersection in Liverpool.

Coun. Courtney Wentzell brought up complaints from constituents this week about the intersection at Cameron’s Corner.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen that could very well be life-threatening,” Wentzell told his fellow councillors at Tuesday’s regular council meeting.

The intersection is a busy one, at the corner of Main Street and Old Port Mouton Road, which connects with White Point Road. It has one stop sign on Main Street, but the traffic coming from Old Port Mouton Road has the right-of-way.

“People are speeding, coming from Main Street towards Milton,” Wentzell said.

“
They’re not signalling. They’re going way too fast. There’s confusion, people coming from White Point, especially if they don’t live here. 
They don’t know if they should stop, if they should turn left, if they should turn right. They’re not looking to see if somebody is crossing on that crosswalk, the line of sight is absolutely horrific.”

Wentzell said that when he was campaigning in October 2024, he heard lots of concerns about the area. He’s referred those to the police advisory board, but he appealed to councillors to do more to address it.

“I was berated pretty badly here a week, two weeks ago that nothing is taking place. There was a near-miss, a lady was almost struck on that corner, trying to cross the crosswalk.”

Mayor Scott Christian said he finds the intersection challenging too.

“Ever since I moved to this community, that intersection has always kind of concerned me. … I think it would make sense for us to try to do something to address it.”

Councillors voted to refer it to the region’s traffic authority to investigate and return with a staff report with recommendations. They also wanted to know whether the Nova Scotia government would have to be involved since it may include a provincial roadway.

In February, councillors voted to spend about $24,000 on a traffic study at the three-way stop near the post office on Main Street.

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Picturesque fishing villages like Port Medway could be an attraction for film and TV crews considering productions in Queens County. (Rick Conrad)

Crews have been touring Queens County this spring scouting out possible locations to film a television series.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said recently he’s been approached by “three or four” different crews considering production in the area.

“They want to do it here. I think that there’s one big project that they have the creative greenlight on and they’re just looking at crossing the Ts and dotting the Is and it seemed like it was pretty promising the conversations that they had,” he said in a recent interview.

“There was a lot of nodding heads and excited ideas that they were tossing around. I don’t know anything about that industry but it was pretty cool to be involved in.”

Christian didn’t say who he met with, but he said he showed some crews around Liverpool and other areas of Queens County.

The Nova Scotia government’s distant location incentive is one reason productions are looking farther outside the traditional Halifax and Chester-Mahone Bay-Lunenburg areas.

Introduced in 2024, it provides up to 10 per cent additional funding for film and TV shoots that film at least 150 kilometres away from downtown Halifax.

“It’s really cool. It’s a bit of a game changer for small to medium-size productions and so it’s sort of all eyes on Liverpool. We’re really, really well-positioned with respect to that because we’re just outside of that threshold, we’re 158 kilometres away from downtown Halifax.”

Laura Mackenzie, executive director of Screen Nova Scotia which helps bring productions to the province, told QCCR that Nova Scotia is a very attractive place for international and domestic productions.

It can stand in for any location on the northeastern seaboard such as Maine or Martha’s Vineyard, as well as places like San Francisco and other cities. 

And she said with the new incentive, more places in rural parts of the province are being discovered.

“Untapped locations are really exciting for productions and there’s not a lot of them left in Canada so this distant filming bonus gives productions the opportunity to go look in areas that would never have really been taken advantage of.”

About 100 productions are filmed in Nova Scotia each year. But very few make it outside the metropolitan Halifax or Chester-Mahone Bay-Lunenburg areas. 

Mackenzie says that’s because crews based in Halifax want to keep travel costs low.

“And now that we have the distant filming bonus, we can highlight areas of Nova Scotia that we know they will consider because it’s not cost prohibitive anymore, like Liverpool. So this is great news for all of us.”

She said “more than a handful” have already taken advantage of the incentive, with Cape Breton being an early choice for a couple of productions.

She didn’t know which specific companies may be looking at the Liverpool area. 

“If they’ve travelled down to Liverpool to have a look at your area then there’s something there they want. They wouldn’t go there if there wasn’t something there they want. It’s definitely a good sign. It’s encouraging if you see production companies and their creatives travelling around and meeting with some of the decision-makers.”

Mackenzie cautions, though, that there are many factors that decide whether a crew will film in an area, including the ability to close roads, to use local community centres to feed their crews, and the support of the local business and artistic communities.

Melanie Perron, the co-owner of Hell Bay Brewing in Liverpool, says having film and TV crews in town would be a big boost for her business and others.

“It would be fun because I know they’ve done things like that in Mahone Bay before and it just sort of puts a place like that on the map. I think it would just be great for our area, just to show it off and let people know what we have to offer.”

Mackenzie says Screen Nova Scotia has been working with local economic development officers to give them tips on how to make their area attractive to a production.

She said locations like Lunenburg have streamlined the process, to eliminate as many obstacles as possible. Those municipalities also have one person available to help productions work through permits, deal with police, set up security and work with the community and local business.

Screen Nova Scotia also has a guide on how locations can become film-friendly.

“Ultimately the economic impact is pretty great,” Mackenzie says.

“Productions really want to make sure that they’re giving back so if they can use the local restaurants they’re going to use them, if they can hire the artists and the unique talents and skill sets that come from that community, then they will.“

Mackenzie said a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies wrapped up filming in Nova Scotia earlier this year. Perron at Hell Bay thinks Liverpool would be a great location for one of those.

Something like Love is Brewing at Christmas?

“That would be great. They can come to Hell Bay and I’ll make them a special brew.”

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Dan McDougall, interim CAO of the Region of Queens, and Mayor Scott Christian on Tuesday as councillors voted on their 2025/26 budget. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

Region of Queens councillors approved a $31-million budget on Tuesday that held the line on tax rates while boosting support for people on low incomes.

The 2025-26 spending plan of $31.1 million is about $1.3 million higher than last year.

Councillors also approved a five-year, $46.2-million capital investment plan. That includes projects like the South Queens outdoor pool and the multimillion-dollar upgrades and extensions to water and sewer systems in Liverpool.

Mayor Scott Christian said it was a challenging process, but he’s happy with what this council helped accomplish in their first budget since the 2024 municipal election.

The municipality will add new staff positions that they say will help increase the region’s effectiveness. Those include a new human resources manager, a deputy chief administrative officer and a person dedicated to looking for funding opportunities for the region and non-profit groups. They’ve also made the senior safety co-ordinator a municipal employee.

“It’s frustrating because we have so much that we want to do outwardly in the community, but it’s challenging when you need to address this stuff inside the organization first,” Christian said after the meeting.

“I think that the approach was looking at what’s important, what’s a priority for us, and what improvements to the organization are required and then working from there.”

Councillors were helped again by rising property assessments, which increased by about $87 million, and generated $900,000 more in tax revenue.

That gave councillors room to raise the low-income tax exemption rebate by about 25 per cent. Those who qualify can now get up to a $500 discount on their property taxes.

They’ve also set up a $15,000 fund to help low-income water ratepayers deal with expected hikes.

And community groups are also getting more than $50,000 in extra help, including an annual rent subsidy for the Queens County Food Bank, more funding for Queens County Transit’s vehicle replacement fund and more help for Greenfield Recreation’s operations.

“Just recognizing the need, recognizing the affordability, making the changes that we did to the low-income tax piece, carving out money … around the big increase that we’re going to see to the water rate, trying to protect against the impacts of that on low-income households and then making investments like with the the food bank and some of those other groups. I think those are the highlights for me,” Christian said.

Residents on the municipal water and sewer system should brace for a significant jump in their bills in the coming year.

The municipality’s water utility is projecting a deficit of $813,099 for 2025-26, and shortfalls of $708,039 in 2026-27 and $745,280 in 2027-28.

Consultants are reviewing the region’s water rates. The results of that study are expected soon and will be submitted to the province’s Utility and Review Board for approval.

“We do know we are expecting a considerable increase to the water rate,” Christian said. 

“With respect to that north of $800,000 deficit on the utility, … we need to pay down that deficit and then accumulate a bit of a reserve so that when maintenance and repairs need to be performed to the water utility, that there is a reserve to pull from and that we don’t have to take money from the general revenue that’s provided by all taxpayers across the municipality. 
It’s supposed to be the water rate users who pay for the water utility.”

Councillors began their public budget deliberations on April 24. Christian has said that he hopes next year to begin budget talks as early as January, and to involve more public consultations.

Other highlights from the budget:

• Adding protective services co-ordinator to provide leadership and support for police, fire, emergency management and occupational health and safety
• Two new water/wastewater operators
• Creating full-time programmer/aquatics co-ordinator
• Increased budget for street sweeping and catch basin clearing
• Grey box site reconfiguration and signage in north Queens
• South Queens water/wastewater upgrades and Mount Pleasant extension – two kilometres of piped infrastructure to be replaced, eliminating overflows and addressing sea-level rise effects
• Caledonia wastewater system upgrades
• Dry hydrant installation
• Walking track fees waived at Queens Place Emera Centre
• Floating dock replacement on Henry Hensey Drive
• Creation of $1-million operating capital project reserve to fund smaller capital projects

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Inside Global Empire Corporation’s call centre in Liverpool. (File photo by Ed Halverson)

A company that operates a call centre in Liverpool has been ordered to pay almost $200,000 to 69 former employees it laid off last March.

In a May 1 order by Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Division, Global Empire Corporation must pay the laid-off workers a total of $193,115.04.

That’s because the company failed to give proper notice, as outlined under Nova Scotia’s Labour Standards Code.

In a mass layoff of 10 to 99 employees, a company must give at least eight weeks’ notice, or pay instead of notice. 

The decision amounts to pay of five weeks and one day for most laid-off workers. Two are entitled to five weeks and two days’ pay.

• Read the Labour Standards decision here

According to the reasons accompanying the order, Global Empire terminated 74 people on March 15, 2024, three weeks after it issued layoff notices on Feb. 26, and before the original termination date of April 19.

Debra Lalonde-MacDonald, who moved to the area a few years ago from Ontario, was one of those people who lost her job. She filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Labour Standards Division shortly after the layoff. She provided QCCR with a copy of the decision.

Lalonde-MacDonald told QCCR this week that management assured employees that their jobs were secure, despite the February layoff notice.

“There was just an abundance of reassurance from our management that it was precautionary and that our jobs were very secure,” she said.

“For many, it was tragic, especially (those) who had moved from out of province to come here and work. For my personal situation, after three years of a local job search with valid skills and exhausting so many employers in the community, it was challenging. … Very disappointing news at that point in my life thinking of re-entering the job market that had closed its door repeatedly for three years.”

According to the decision by Labour Standards officer Kyle Barrie, the Liverpool call centre lost a contract with Lifeline Systems Company on March 1, 2024, which led to the job cuts. 

Lifeline, which provides medical alert services, claimed that Global Empire wasn’t fulfilling its obligations under the contract it signed in November 2021. 

Lifeline said the call centre failed in “providing guaranteed minimum number of agents per month, the minimum number of service hours, and meeting average speed of answer obligations.”

But according to Global Empire’s February layoff notice that was quoted in the Labour Standards ruling, it needed 130 employees to cover the Lifeline work and that it was never able to hire that many people.

“Unfortunately after many promises and failed attempts to provide our client the needed 130 employees, they no longer have faith in our hiring abilities and as such will be terminating their contract with us. We are a service provider for them, and we have not been able to provide them with the service.”

It also blamed minimum wage increases, a lack of affordable housing in Liverpool, and the provincial government for not following through on promised payroll rebates.

In the ruling, Labour Standards said Global Empire didn’t do enough to avoid the layoff.

”While (Global Empire) did take some steps to meet its obligations, such as posting ads online, going door to door, and hiring foreign workers already situated in Canada, I find it has not demonstrated on a balance of probabilities that it exercised sufficient due diligence to foresee and avoid the cause of the layoff,” Barrie wrote in his decision.

“(Global Empire) could have done more due diligence prior to entering into the service agreement of November 2021, to confirm whether it would be able to meet its staffing obligations.

“There was nothing sudden about the problems the (company) says prevented it from reaching the required staffing levels from the beginning of the service agreement with Lifeline Systems in 2021.

“In reviewing the evidence, I find the reason for the layoff was within the (company’s) control. Simply put, the (company) entered into an agreement it could not fulfill. Its failure to fulfill its responsibilities under the service agreement in 2024 cannot excuse its inability to fulfil its responsibilities from the end of 2021, through the beginning of 2022, and forward. I find the employees’ terminations were within the (company’s) control.”

For her part, Lalonde-MacDonald says she’s not celebrating yet. The company has 10 days to appeal the order to the province’s labour board. If it does, that would further delay a payout to laid-off employees.

“I’m hesitant to be elated about it,” she said.

“With the appeal process pending, only time will tell. Should they be able to collect that, it would be fantastic. That would be a relief for us all. It was hard news for us to receive for so many reasons. … I’d be happy to see that we have policy makers’ support to make sure that that money’s collected.”

Lalonde-MacDonald said it’s difficult to find a well-paying job in the area. And being properly compensated for the layoff would be a help. 

“Fourteen months later, … it’s just good to know that there’s protection but questionable on whether or not they’re going to be able to collect it.

“All we can do is hope that that order to pay is strong enough, so that the 69 of us that have been deemed entitled to our five weeks of pay in lieu of notice that we actually receive it.”

She said she’s upset that municipal and provincial governments didn’t provide more support to the former employees of Global Empire in Liverpool.

The Region of Queens signed a long-term lease with the company in December 2021 to move into the municipally owned Business Development Centre building. At the time, it was the company’s only Canadian location.

Before the layoffs, about 120 people worked at the call centre.

In early February 2024, the company wanted to renegotiate its lease with the region, saying it was using half the space it originally needed.

The region signed a new lease with the company on Feb. 1. It was approved by council in a closed-door session on Feb. 13.

The lease has never been made public.

Mayor Scott Christian said he’s not familiar with the terms of the lease, since it was signed before he was elected.

He said it’s “problematic” when employers in the community are found to have violated labour rules, but he said it doesn’t mean the region should impose its own values on one of its tenants.

“I think it’s too bad that that operation hasn’t been successful and that there have been layoffs and that they never really were able to stand up the labour force to be able to make that a vibrant and successful operation. I think that that is regrettable.”

The Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration would not comment on the ruling or say whether the company has appealed or honoured the order to pay back wages.

Neither the company nor its lawyer responded to requests for comment.

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Willa Thorpe is the new chief administrative officer for the Region of Queens. (Region of Queens Municipality)

UPDATED Mon., May 12

The Region of Queens has hired a new chief administrative officer.

Willa Thorpe will take over as the municipality’s top staffer on June 16, after regional councillors unanimously approved her appointment on Tuesday.

Thorpe is from British Columbia, where she is the director of parks, recreation and culture for the City of Port Alberni.

She has 10 years of experience in local government, though she has 20 years working in senior leadership roles. This will be her first job running a municipality.

Mayor Scott Christian said he’s excited to welcome Thorpe to the region and to the community.

“She demonstrated throughout the recruitment process that she’s incredibly skilled when it comes to directing organizations and the people within organizations and in meaningful ways and getting the best out of them,” he told QCCR Tuesday evening, after councillors approved her appointment.

“
And we know that that’s really what we need. We need a leader who’s going to be able to get the best out of the team and get this organization moving in a new direction, in a better direction. We know that there’s modernization that needs to occur. 
We know that there’s going to be changes, significant changes to the way that we do business, to the way that residents interact with the organization and the way that they receive services. And so that’s the first thing is her her skill set, her credentials, that she brings to the table.

“And then the other thing that really set her apart was her value that she placed on being of and in community.”

Christian said residents and regional councillors emphasized the importance of having a CAO that lives in Queens County and is involved in the community.

“We heard loud and clear from our residents,” he said.

“There was a lot of feedback on previous CAOs that weren’t very involved in the community. Some didn’t live in the community and there were a lot of expectations to say, ‘Hey, our next CAO should really be someone who lives in the community, is involved in the community, is engaged, active, visible in the community.'”

Christian said that during the hiring process, Thorpe “really shone” by demontrating her involvement in her community in Port Alberni through coaching and volunteering.

“And so she just demonstrated how she shows up in community and what that looks like. 
And how important it would be to her if she is the next CAO for our municipality to be really, really involved in Queens.”

Thorpe has a PhD in industrial/organizational psychology, as well as a masters in leadership. She also has a kinesiology and health studies degree, and she’s a certified coach.

Thorpe told QCCR she’s “very excited” to start the job and move to the region, especially since it has so many waterfront areas.

“I’m really trying to replicate the lifestyle that I’ve got on the West Coast and so when I was looking at Queens noticed that there’s lots of local community pride, which is very exciting and everyone I talked to in the community just seems so ecstatic to be in Nova Scotia, from Nova Scotia and being from the Queens area. And I also love the inclusiveness of Nova Scotia as well so seems like just a great fit.”

Thorpe is originally from Ontario, but has worked and lived in various places in Canada. This will be her first time living on the East Coast.

Her wife Carrie and their rescue dog Hershey will also be making the move with her. They plan to head out in early June in their camper van to drive the TransCanada Highway from B.C. to Nova Scotia.

“I’ve done portions of it, but I’ve never done the whole thing in one shot, so excited for the beginning of June to be doing the entire trek from West to East.”

She said she’s impressed with what she’s seen so far.

“It seems like there’s a great investment in community. It seems very exciting and something that I want to be part of, so I thought as my first opportunity to be a chief administrative officer, I thought it really ticked all the boxes and it seems like there’s a lot of really good stuff going on in the region.”

Thorpe said that she and her wife have already been house shopping in the area.

“Hoping to set down roots as soon as we can.”

The region has been searching for a new CAO since they fired Cody Joudry in December 2024. 

Dan McDougall has been filling in on an interim basis since January.

Thorpe will be the region’s sixth permanent CAO since amalgamation 29 years ago.

Christian said Thorpe will be making in the range of $170,000 a year.

According to the federal job bank, wages for CAO positions in the southern region of Nova Scotia ranged from a low of $50.35 an hour to a high of $111.30 an hour.

Cathie O’Toole, the CAO for Halifax, makes an annual salary of about $292,000, according to Halifax’s Sunshine List salary disclosure. The Town of Kentville is searching for a new CAO and promising a salary range of $150,000 to $180,000.

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Regional councillors are back to budget talks on Tuesday evening. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens is about to announce who its new top staffer will be.

Councillors will publicly appoint the region’s new chief administrative officer at a special meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

In a staff report, acting municipal clerk Heather Cook says more than 40 applications for the job were received from across Canada.

Shortlisted candidates went through two interviews with the region’s CAO selection committee. That committee included Mayor Scott Christian, and councillors Maddie Charlton, Stewart Jenkins and Courtney Wentzell.

Councillors fired the previous CAO Cody Joudry in mid-December. No reason was given for his dismissal. Joudry was on the job for just over a year, hired in September 2023.

Dan McDougall has filled in as interim CAO since Joudry was fired.

The region’s new CAO is set to start the job in mid-June.

Queens councillors are also back to budget discussions on Tuesday evening. 

This will be the third public meeting about the 2025/26 budget.

Councillors began their budget deliberations on April 24 by looking at capital and infrastructure spending. Last week, they tackled the operating budget. 

On Tuesday evening, they’ll address issues that came up in the first two meetings, as well as any other changes or requests from councillors.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR last week that the region has about a $1-million surplus from 2024/25. But he said the specific surplus won’t be known until finance staff go through the final numbers and release the audited figures later this year.

Residents or the media were not provided with draft budget documents as they were last year. So far, only the region’s staff and councillors have a complete picture of the actual numbers from 2024/25 and the forecasted totals for this year.

The special meeting will be held at council chambers on White Point Road and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Shelly Panczyk is the chairwoman of the Queens County Food Bank in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad)

The Queens County Food Bank won’t have to worry about its rent for the next four years as Region of Queens councillors voted this week to give the group a rent subsidy.

As part of its budget talks, councillors agreed to the food bank’s request for an annual grant of $15,500 to cover the rent at its Main Street location in Liverpool. 

Shelly Panczyk, chair of the Queens County Food Bank, told QCCR on Thursday that “it’s a wonderful thing.”

“That helps us out because it will give us more working capital to purchase food,” she said.

“We’ve been back and forth with the last council. This is probably our fourth time trying to get something and this council has done it. And I’ve got to give them a good clap around, because they’ve done a good thing. And I think people will step up and be aware that this council is a workable council.”

Before the food bank was forced out of a derelict municipal property in 2019 and began leasing space on Main Street, it paid no rent. Demand for their services has grown, as food costs have risen and donations have plummeted by about 50 per cent.

About 240 families a month use the Liverpool group’s services.

Food bank representatives appealed to councillors at their March 25 meeting for rent relief after the organization was hit with a $10,000 bill to fix its freezer. It’s also committed to begin food pantries for elementary and high school students throughout Queens County.

Mayor Scott Christian said councillors are trying to make more room in the region’s budget to help residents on low or fixed incomes. Council is also considering expanding the region’s low-income property tax exemption program.

“It’s really hard when you’re an organization like Queens County Food Bank when you don’t have certainty of available resources, like you’re constantly competing for available grants,” he said.

“
Their board members did a good job of articulating the financial need that that group has and those are the type of investments I think this council likes to make, so I’m pleased to see if we spend $20 to $25,000 on the low-income tax exemptions and another $15,500 on the food bank, again, it’s challenging, and we need to make sure that the province pays their fair share as it relates to community wellness, but from my perspective, that’s money well spent from the municipality.” 

Council has another budget meeting scheduled for Tues., May 6 at 6 p.m.

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Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian, right, wraps up the municipality’s second budget meeting on Monday night. Also pictured is interim CAO Dan McDougall. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

Region of Queens councillors began their 2025/26 budget discussions with some money in the bank from 2024/25, as they look to make life a little easier for people on low or fixed incomes.

Mayor Scott Christian said the region has a surplus in the million-dollar range. But he said it’s difficult to know for sure until finance staff crunch the final numbers.

Last year, council began budget deliberations with a $650,000 surplus from 2023/24. Nova Scotia municipalities are not allowed to run an operating budget deficit.

Councillors are following a different process this year. While the meetings are public, residents don’t have access to draft budget documents as they did in last year’s discussions.

“I think in past years, there was a lot of emphasis on starting with a tax rate and then working down or whittling away at that or as you add things, the tax rate implications,” Christian told QCCR.

“I think that this year we wanted to focus on funding the right things, identifying what are going to be appropriate things to include in the capital investment plan, and then get that operating budget right. 
So I think it was a conscious decision but that was staff-driven that they thought that let’s try to get it right, try to set the appropriate budget given what the needs of the community are, and then look at it on balance with revenue and see what the implications are for the ratepayer.”

In their second public budget meeting earlier this week, councillors discussed boosting the low-income property tax exemption and helping the Queens County Food Bank with its rent.

They also found out that the region has about $325,000 left over from the renovations to the new Thomas H. Raddall Library space. Councillors had approved up to $1.26 million for that work.

And revenue at Queens Place Emera Centre is forecasted to be down this year because of less advertising and sponsorship and no major full-facility rentals planned to March 31, 2026.

Heading into 2025/26, the region expects to get $20.5 million in property tax revenue, an increase of $900,000, based on the current base tax rate of $1.04 per $100 of assessment.

That increase is mostly due to higher property assessments, which rose by $86.9 million.

Director of corporate services Joanne Veinotte took councillors through the region’s preliminary operating budget.

It was a chance for councillors to request changes, more information or additional funding.

Councillors like District 4 representative Vicki Amirault want the low-income property tax exemption increased to give more relief potentially to more people. 

“I would like to up the income level,” she told councillors. “
I think we should up it $5,000 on each stage there, and up the rebate as well. I think it would be very helpful to our residents.”

Last year, the region increased the maximum income threshold to $35,000. Those in the lowest income range, up to $25,000, can get a $400 break on their taxes. Those in the top group can apply for up to $300 in relief.

Veinotte said she would report back to councillors on what relief the region could offer depending on how much more money councillors devote to the program.

District 3 Coun. Courtney Wentzell said he wants council to have a serious look at the Mount Pleasant water and wastewater extension. The region has budgeted $10.8 million toward the $21-million project. The Nova Scotia government is covering the rest.

The project would extend municipal water and sewer access to two new private housing developments in Liverpool. It would also improve existing infrastructure.

“The extension to Mount Pleasant boggles my mind when we have so much infrastructure need, including sidewalks … but not just that, with the upgrades needed in water on the west side of town, up till Union Street, I’m really having some reservations about the extension at all,” Wentzell said.

“And I’m speaking from the heart. I’m sorry if that upsets some people.”

Christian said after the meeting that councillors want to understand what exactly is involved in that project and potentially look for ways to lower the municipality’s share of the cost. 

“This council’s not OK with incurring a huge amount of debt that could potentially be paid for by the general ratepayer and/or utilizing reserves that have been accumulated from the general ratepayer to pay for that service extension. And we currently don’t have any federal monies that are committed to that project. I think that that’s problematic. What is the plan with service extension? What impacts does that have on preparing us for future growth but also what impacts does it have, attending to known and foreseeable issues associated with the existing infrastructure for our utilities?”

Councillors will resume budget talks on Tues., May 6 at 6 p.m. at council chambers on White Point Road.

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Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian says regional council hopes to approve its 2025/26 budget by early May. (Rick Conrad photo)

Region of Queens councillors will begin their 2025/26 budget deliberations this week, almost a month after the fiscal year has expired.

Region of Queens councillors will begin their 2025/26 budget deliberations this week, almost a month after the fiscal year has expired.

Finance staff will present the draft budget to council at a meeting on Thursday (April 24) at 6 p.m. at council chambers on White Point Road.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR that councillors had an initial budget orientation session on Tuesday.

“We need to get to it for sure,” he said in an interview after council’s regular meeting on Tuesday evening.

“We’re looking at approving the budget early next month so we don’t have any issues with the tax bills.” 

Councillors will have another meeting to go over the draft budget on Monday at 6 p.m., with another meeting scheduled on Tues., May 6 at 6 p.m., if required.

They’re hoping to vote on the final budget at their regular meeting on Tues., May 13 at 9 a.m.

All meetings are open to the public and livestreamed on the region’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The region was also late setting its budget last year. Councillors began deliberations on the 2024/25 budget in early April and finished by the end of the month. 

The 2025/26 budget has to be set in enough time to allow the region’s staff to send out property tax bills by the first of June.

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian says council will begin budget talks later this month. (Rick Conrad)

The Region of Queens still hasn’t begun its 2025/26 budget deliberations.

Mayor Scott Christian said this week the process will likely begin in the third week of April.

“Some time in the last two weeks of April and we will be notifying the public of that as soon as possible,” he told QCCR after Tuesday’s council meeting.

“Unexpected delays on the staff side preparing the numbers to get the starting point for the budget deliberation process in terms of understanding the lift (from increased property assessments) and our known operating and capital expenses.”

Budget deliberations were also delayed last year by the previous council. They began those talks in early April and finished by the end of the month.

This year, though, councillors will have even less time. Christian acknowledged that when the process does begin, it will be “expedited”.

“We’re right up against it. Tax bills need to come out in June, so it basically needs to be approved by the first council meeting in May to get our ducks in a row to have the tax bills (ready). 
That’s not ideal. It’s a point of frustration. 
We want to make it as engaging, transparent as possible. And we also want it to be a thoughtful, deliberate, intentional, patient approach. And unfortunately, we’re just not going to be in a position for the budget deliberations to be in that ideal state.”

He and Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton are away next week at a conference. He said that budget talks will begin the week after that.

Municipalities in Nova Scotia generally approve their budgets by the end of March. Two weeks ago, Queens councillors approved interim spending limits so that the region could keep paying its bills.

Christian said the region will be quicker out of the gate next year.

“I’d like to see the capital budget approved in December and have a draft of the operating budget available for public input in January.”

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com