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.

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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.”

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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

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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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.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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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

Sherman Nunes of Liverpool watches on Saturday as his kids Luke and Lisa play in the new children’s area of the Thomas H. Raddall Library. (Rick Conrad)

The Thomas H.  Raddall Library officially opened its doors on Saturday, as about 70 people helped usher in a new chapter for the Liverpool branch.

The library has been open for about six weeks in its new interim home at 54 Harley Umphrey Dr. People were impressed with the new digs, with some hoping the library stays where it is, with others wishing for a permanent location closer to downtown.

The event on Saturday featured local and provincial politicians, as well as many library staff.

The Region of Queens budgeted up to $1.26 million on renovations to the space in the municipally owned Liverpool Business Development Centre off White Point Road. The library had to leave the Rossignol Cultural Centre in downtown Liverpool by Dec. 31 because the building’s owner Sherman Hines was selling the building.

Tom Raddall and his family have allowed South Shore Public Libraries to continue to use the famed Nova Scotia author’s name on the Liverpool branch for another five years. 

Raddall said he’s happy the library is in a better, newer space.

“Hopefully, it’s a step in the right direction,” he told QCCR. “Certainly it’s in a far better space than it was before. The location has been a controversial one over the years. But this library needed to be in a newer spot and this will suit the purpose until another one is built in the appropriate location.”

Many residents were concerned that the new location isn’t easy to walk to, with no sidewalks and limited lighting. 

Region of Queens Mayor Scott Christian said that he’s excited about the new space, with its expanded program rooms, commercial kitchen and children’s section.

“The plans are to make this space as great as we can make it. And we need to, as a community and as a council, figure out what makes sense in terms of either bringing a future library closer to town or bringing town closer to this library

Christian said it’s too early to say what the future holds for a more permanent location. But he said the region has to work out its priorities for the next few years, and address whether Liverpool needs a new, multipurpose community centre which could include meeting space, a gymnasium and the library.

“I think the focus right now, both for the folks at South Shore (Public) Libraries and also for the Region of Queens staff and the work that they’ve done to make the built environment really work, is to figure out how, for now, to make this the best space that we can make it.

“And the space is great in there, so it’s what do we need to do with the surrounding environment to remove barriers, … make sure that users who want to be accessing the space are provided that opportunity.”

Queens MLA Kim Masland said she would support a request for provincial funding for a new space for the library. But she said Saturday that she was impressed with its interim location.

“I think today we see as many people that are here, lots of smiling faces, lots of people really excited about this. This is also an interim facility here for now and so hopefully we’ll see a new library built in town, that would certainly be my wish someday. But we’re here for now and this is certainly a great interim facility.”

Lin Ireland of Liverpool was one of the many local library lovers taking it all in on Saturday.

“I think this is great,” she said. “It’s going to be used. And people complain about the location but I don’t think it’s all that far out. … I’m happy with it right where it is. A lot of money went into building this and why not leave it here?”

Susan McGibbon of Liverpool said her gardening club had their first meeting in the new branch a couple of weeks ago, and turnout was double their usual attendance. While she likes the new larger, brighter space, she hopes the region can build a new space in a more central location. 

“I don’t think there was another option, and I think they’ve done a good job making it a good option,” McGibbon said.

“Do I think we need another location that’s part of a community hub? Yes, absolutely. And I think a new library committee getting struck is going to happen very soon, so that work can get going.”

Sherman Nunes of Liverpool was at the library on Saturday with his four-year-old Lisa and his two-year-old Luke, as they played in the new children’s area.

“It’s beautiful, it’s spacious, it has a lot of light. I’ve been to the previous library. This is a step up. It’s very nice. 

“We like to take the kids out, and previously we did not have an indoor space around here in Liverpool, where we could take them out for a day or something, so we had to drive up to Bridgewater. But I think with this new addition, it would be nice to get them over here every weekend, especially so that they can run around, read some books, play with the toys. As you can see, they’re already occupied.”

The Thomas H. Raddall Library is open six days a week and closed on Mondays. Queens County Transit offers free rides to and from the library. That service runs every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the market shelter beside Hell Bay Brewing.

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Tara Druzina, representing the Queens County Food Bank, speaks to Region of Queens councillors at their regular meeting on Tuesday. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

The Region of Queens will again be late setting its budget, though councillors hope to begin deliberations soon.

Mayor Scott Christian said this week that recent turnover in senior management has contributed to the delay. 

“It has been a challenge,” he said in remarks during council’s regular meeting on Tuesday.

“The organization has gone through significant churn within the senior management levels and we’re seeking to improve the organization, the functions in the organization to ensure that we can govern in ways that are accountable and transparent and engaging for our residents.”

Councillors fired CAO Cody Joudry in December, and the region terminated the employment of municipal clerk Pam Lovelace at the beginning of March, three months after she was hired. 

At their regular meeting this week, councillors approved interim spending limits until the 2025/26 budget is set.

Municipalities are expected to finalize their budgets by the end of March each year.

The region was also late last year with their budget talks, beginning the process in early April.

Christian told QCCR after the meeting that another reason for the delay is that the municipality is waiting for results of its water rate study, which will set charges for the region’s 1,400 water utility customers.

He said they’ll notify the public as soon as budget deliberations begin.

When they do, councillors are facing some challenges in a region with some of the highest poverty rates in Nova Scotia.

Officials with the Queens County Food Bank appealed to councillors this week to consider granting the group $15,500 in an annual rent subsidy for the next four years.

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. But demand for their services has grown, as food costs have risen and donations have plummeted by about 50 per cent.

Just recently, the food bank was hit with a $10,000 repair bill on its two-year-old walk-in freezer. And it has committed to begin food pantries for elementary and high school students throughout the county, said Tara Druzina, the fundraising lead for the food bank.

“This highlights how the food bank constantly adapts for emergency community needs, not just providing food every Tuesday, but ensuring that vital support reaches the most vulnerable when and where needed,” she told councillors.

“These challenges illustrate why stable operational funding is critical. Without it, the food bank cannot effectively respond to growing community needs.”

Shelly Panczyk, chairperson of the food bank, said their client list has grown by about 30 per cent in the past few years, while the organization’s food costs have ballooned to $6,000 a month.

She says the rent subsidy is something the region provided in the past, by giving the food bank rent-free space in one of its buildings.

“Food is not all donated. 
So most of our food is bought, even though we get a truck from Feed Nova Scotia every Monday, but that’s mostly produce. But most everything else, all our canned goods and all our staples have to be bought.”

She says revenue from its thrift store has helped with those increased expenses. 

“We’ve been lucky the last four years we’ve had the thrift store open, but that can change at any time and that’s where most of our money comes from.”

Mayor Scott Christian said he didn’t want to predict how budget deliberations will go, but he acknowledged the role of local governments is becoming more complex.

“There’s an incredible amount of need in our community that we have to look at and just on balance with the pressure that puts on the ratepayer. I think all municipalities (face) significant pressure and competing priorities to figure out what to do with the limited available resources.”

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The Region of Queens won’t give the South Shore Flying Club a break this year on its lease fee at the South Shore Regional Airport in Greenfield. (South Shore Flying Club)

The South Shore Flying Club’s request for a break on its rent at the South Shore Regional Airport had a rough landing at regional council on Tuesday evening.

Region of Queens councillors voted down a motion from District 6 Coun. Stewart Jenkins to forgive the flying club its $4,000 lease fee for 2025/26.

Jenkins was the only councillor who supported the motion.

“The club is more than just a club. They’re stewards of the airport,” he told councillors. “Years in the past, this region used to pay somebody thousands of dollars a year to sit at the airport just in case there was a plane come in.”

The municipality owns the small airport in Greenfield, but two years ago, it planned to sell it. 

Instead, the region signed 20-year leases in 2023 with the flying club and the Nova Scotia Drag Racers Association. The racing group pays $9,000 a year to lease the property for its events.

Under the flying club’s lease, it has access to the large hangar, but it also agreed to maintain the property for the region.

The club says now that it can no longer afford the annual fee. President Peter Gow wrote the newly elected council last October looking for the rent waiver.

He could not be reached Wednesday for an interview.

Jenkins said the club’s 34 members spend a lot of their own money maintaining the airport, terminal building, hangars and grounds. Three of the club’s members are also on call to respond to any problems at the airport, or to refuel a plane that’s landed.

“So we still have a viable airport. … But it’s also an asset that this region should be looking at seriously. And it’s also an asset that we pay very little to maintain. Everything else there is done by the club at their expense.”

According to the club’s financial statements, it recorded a loss in 2024 of $2,639.48. As of Dec. 31, it had a bank balance of $15,562.64.

Other councillors pointed to the club’s bank balance and its $25 annual membership fee, and said they could do more to raise revenue.

The club also spent $2,245 on clothing last year, as well as $1,241 on a new highway sign. Councillors said the club likely won’t have those expenses this year.

District 2 Coun. Maddie Charlton said she appreciates what the club does for the airport, but they also have a whole year to fundraise to help cover their costs.

And with budget talks coming up, she said she doesn’t want to commit to the rent waiver, especially with other groups in the region like the Queens County Food Bank asking for help.

“We are going into this budget process right now completely blind. We don’t know what our bottom line is. … I think it’s probably fair to say there will be some surprises there. We know we have huge infrastructure challenges. When I think about our strategic priorities, food insecurity is one of them, I think that would be an easy one (to assist) the food bank with the rent, but I don’t necessarily feel the same way with this ask at this time.”

After the meeting, Mayor Scott Christian said the club may be able to offset some of its operating costs through its application to the region’s Community Investment Fund.

The region usually announces the recipients of those grants later in the spring.

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Campaign contribution disclosure forms are missing from the Region of Queens website for some candidates in October’s municipal election. (Rick Conrad)

Mayor Scott Christian got the most campaign contributions of any candidate in October’s municipal election in Queens County.

He received just under $10,000 ($9976.44) from 49 declared donors, some of whom are local small business owners and landlords.

The biggest donation to Christian’s campaign was $1,000 from Chad Clothier, who co-owns Rumclo Developments. They’re behind the already approved housing development The Point on the Mersey. They plan to build up to 146 detached houses and townhouses, as well as 82 rental apartments just outside Liverpool.

• CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS: Use this link to view breakdown by candidate

Christian told QCCR he believes his campaign raised just over $10,000 in total, including small donations that don’t have to be declared.

“I’m really proud of the amount of money that my team was able to fundraise and it did come from a pretty diverse swath of people. There were a lot of dribs and drabs contributions as well. I think my biggest contribution was $1,000 and my smallest contribution I think was a toonie.”

Christian said Clothier is a friend. He said he and his team began fundraising early, seeking donations first from the people they know, including personal and business connections.

“It shouldn’t come as a suprise to anyone who knows me that a lot of my social network includes a lot of people who are members of the business community. … I didn’t shy away from the notion that I was a ‘grow Queens’ candidate.”

Former Queens MLA Kerry Morash and former Region of Queens mayor Chris Clarke also contributed to Christian’s run.

Clarke gave $250 to Christian and to his opponent Terry Doucette.

Doucette declared $2,550 in donations from seven donors. The largest were $1,000 each from J. M. Reynolds Pharmacy, the company that owns Reynolds Pharmasave in Liverpool, and Mitchell Nauss of construction and consulting company MC Nauss Holdings.

Under Nova Scotia’s Municipal Elections Act, candidates had 60 days after the Oct. 19 election to file their contribution disclosure statements, even if they accepted no donations.

Everybody who runs must declare any donations over $50, or check a box confirming that they received no contributions.

Failure to do that can result in a fine of up to $2,500 or six months in jail.

Also, if candidates don’t submit a disclosure form, they forfeit their $200 deposit.

Disclosure statements from only 11 of the 19 candidates are posted on the Region of Queens website. Christian and Doucette were among the candidates who filed their disclosures on time. All other councillors except Jack Fancy met the deadline.

When QCCR recently asked Fancy about it, his disclosure form was posted the next week. He had no contributions over $50 to declare.

The region says all forms that were submitted have been posted. 

QCCR reached out to the candidates whose forms are missing. Those who could be contacted said they had no contributions to declare, but said they filed the necessary paperwork with returning officer Ian Kent.

Kent is an employee with Elections Nova Scotia, who was seconded to the municipality for the election. He could not be reached for comment.

Paul Deveau, who ran against Fancy in October’s election, said he filed the necessary paperwork and got his deposit back. But his disclosure form is not on the site.

“That’s kind of weird because I found it very professional and I found that Ian took his job quite seriously,” Deveau said.

“We had an exit meeting. And with the exit meeting, we had to return the voter list … and sign a declaration that we were going to remove all of our signs and we had to fill out that contribution sheet.”

Most candidates contacted said they were told they had to submit a campaign contribution disclosure form.

But some said they either couldn’t remember what forms they signed after the election or they didn’t submit a form because they had no donations to declare.

Candidate Gil Johnson said he got his deposit back, so he thought he did everything that was required.

“The reason I didn’t file was because I didn’t receive any contributions and didn’t know I needed to check the box.”

Coun. Stewart Jenkins, who was acclaimed in his district, said returning officer Kent had a checklist of the things he was required to submit.

“I was told to file a form, which I did, even though I didn’t have any contributions to claim,” Jenkins said.

A spokesman for the Department of Municipal Affairs said in an email that it’s up to the municipality to make sure candidates comply.

“It is the municipality’s responsibility to address situations where an elected municipal official is not in compliance with requirements surrounding disclosure statements, and the province expects candidates to comply.”

Under the Municipal Elections Act, the municipal clerk is supposed to keep track of all documents related to the election.

Mayor Scott Christian told QCCR he asked about the missing documentation and was told by now former municipal clerk Pam Lovelace that everything that was submitted to the region has been posted to their website.

He said he was unsure why not all forms are posted, though he added that the region’s deputy returning officer has been on leave for some time. 

Here is a list of the candidates whose campaign contribution disclosure forms aren’t posted yet to the Region of Queens website:

• Candice Weagle
• Douglas Bent
• Susan MacLeod
• Star Donovan
• Paul Deveau
• Alex Gallagher
• Tina Brown
• Gil Johnson

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Pam Lovelace, a former Halifax councillor and mayoral candidate, is no longer the Region of Queens municipal clerk. (Facebook)

The Region of Queens has dismissed another top staff member, just three months after she was hired.

Pam Lovelace got the job as the region’s municipal clerk in early December. 

Interim CAO Dan McDougall would not comment on Lovelace’s firing because it’s a personnel matter. He said the municipality “will work towards filling the municipal clerk position”.

Mayor Scott Christian also wouldn’t comment on her departure.

“I wish Pam all the best and what comes next for her professionally. I thank her for her contributions that she made to the Region of Queens for the time that she spent with us, both as municipal clerk and acting cao. Beyond that, it’s personnel, it’s not really the realm of council.”

Vaughn Mullen first reported Lovelace’s termination on his Social Politics social media channels on Wednesday.

Lovelace is a former Halifax regional councillor, who placed third in the 2024 Halifax mayoral race.

Then-CAO Cody Joudry hired her, just two weeks before he was fired himself by regional council. Christian said at the time that Joudry wasn’t the right fit with the newly elected council.

After Joudry was fired in mid-December, council appointed Lovelace acting CAO. She did that job until the region hired Dan McDougall as interim CAO in mid-January.

In a news release announcing her appointment as acting CAO, the region said Lovelace “brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise … with more than 20 years experience in the public sector.”

“Council of the Region of Queens Municipality is confident that Ms. Lovelace is the right person to guide the municipality during this transition period.”

QCCR asked Christian if he was surprised by Lovelace’s dismissal.

“No. I have a close working relationship with the CAO and it was something that had evolved in terms of Pam’s role in the organization and the time that she spent here. No, I wasn’t surprised.”

At last Tuesday’s council meeting, Lovelace was still on the job. She presented a progress report on the region’s Dismantling Racism and Hate Plan.

Lovelace could not be reached for comment.

Before Lovelace was hired, the region had been without a full-time municipal clerk for more than a year. Christian said he and the rest of council are working with interim CAO McDougall to figure out how to structure that job, or whether to create a deputy CAO position.

But he said nothing’s been decided yet.

In the meantime, the search for a full-time CAO continues. Christian said the region has received more than 10 applications in the week since it was posted on various job sites.

“We’re not going to rush it, we’re going to be deliberate and intentional about it. If thorugh this first round, it doesn’t yield the right-fit candidate then we may explore using a recruitment agency or something like that. But so far so good. Pretty encouraged by the quantity and the quality of the applications the we’ve received on the job ad thus far.”

He said council decided to save time and money by not using a professional recruiting firm. 

Christian, Deputy Mayor Maddie Charlton and councillors Courtney Wentzell and Stewart Jenkins are on the CAO search committee, with McDougall providing advice.

Christian acknowledged there’s been some upheaval in the region’s ranks since the new council was elected in October.

“It’s tumultuous obviously, it invites uncertainty and it’s destabilizing when you have major shifts in the senior leadership. That’s why it’s really important to find the right person for this next role to provide some stability.”

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