Summerville artist and retired diplomat Scot Slessor is in Arusha, Tanzania, working with a group of artisans to expand their markets. (Rick Conrad)

A Queens County artist is in Tanzania for the next two weeks, helping artisans there develop ways to get their products to more people.

Scott Slessor is a retired Canadian diplomat who lives in Summerville. He’s also the owner of SAS Glass, a stained glass studio in Liverpool. As a Canadian foreign affairs officer and consul general, he led strategic planning and training in places like India, Afghanistan and Thailand.

Since he retired, he’s done a couple of stints in places like Mongolia and Cambodia with Catalyste Plus, a Canadian NGO focused on economic development in Indigenous communities and emerging economies. This will be his first trip with Catalyste Plus working with artists in another country, as part of a project to improve economic and social well-being for women and girls.

“This one is very unlike the other stuff I’ve done,” he says.

“This is about arts and crafts. So this tacks onto a whole other part of my life. I’ve never been to Tanzania. I’ve never been to East Africa. This is all new, which is going to be really cool. … And so they wanted to, in this institute, look into, as part of their tourism program, working with craftspeople, with artisans, and sort of up their game a bit.”

He’ll be working with about 20 artists in Arusha, a city of more than 600,000, near Mount Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti. In an interview before he left for Tanzania, Slessor said he’ll be helping local artists develop ways to get their goods into the hands of more tourists and hikers.

“We’ll be talking about the market there. Who are they actually trying to sell to? Because I don’t think they’ve necessarily done a full assessment. And I have. The government of Tanzania has done some. So we have some starting points of the ages of people coming there, where they’re coming from, a lot from the U.S., Canada, Europe. … And these are people who are going to climb Kilimanjaro. These are guys who are going to have a carry-on (bag) with their hiking boots on. So how do you put something in their pocket? So we’re going to generate a whole whack of ideas. And then they’ll have to decide how they’re going to implement that.”

Slessor has been doing glass art for more than 25 years. And he’s lived in Queens County with his wife, also a retired diplomat, since 2022.

He’s one of the organizers of the Queens Coast Art Tour studio rally. He says he hopes to be able to connect some artists from his trip in Tanzania with Queens County artisans who have offered to be occasional mentors.

“You know, it’d be fun if a couple folks from here, even just an hour a month for three or four months, hook up with somebody in Tanzania just to talk about, ‘What are you making today?'”

Slessor says he hopes his two weeks with the artisans in Arusha can help set them up for success.

“If a couple of these people develop habits that help them design more appropriate stuff for the folks that are coming in, then I think that’s a real win. So I’m going to spend a bit of time with them on, who are these Westerners that are coming here with their money? And then how do you sort of represent your culture, the local techniques, and all of that in a way that satisfies you as an artisan, but also allows you to make a few bucks?”

Slessor says meeting new people and experiencing different cultures are part of why he enjoys taking on these projects.

“So for me, it’s a lot of fun. I mean, I’m going to get to meet 20 people, but then I get to see a new part of the world, which is really fun. Yeah, I think that’s a fair amount of win for me.”

Slessor says Catalyste Plus is always looking for people with experience in varied backgrounds, from marketing and finance to factory production and information technology. More information can be found on their website.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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Entrance to Region of Queens council chambers. Photo Ed Halverson

Tuesday’s Region of Queens Council meeting began with a couple of petitions to address speeding on Main Street in Liverpool.

Council moved the item to discussions and decided to have staff look into the costs and process of lowering the speed limit from 50km/h to 40 km/h at the far end of Main Street ending at Fort Point Rd.

Moving to the recommendations portion of the agenda, staff recommended reappointing three members of the Planning advisory committee to their current positions. Members can serve either a one- or two-year term. The intention of the policy is to stagger the appointments, so the entire committee isn’t replaced at one time.

Next council heard a recommendation to waive tipping fees for a property that has fallen into disrepair since the previous owner died in 2001. Her beneficiaries have agreed to cover the cost of demolition but as they are on a limited budget they are asking the municipality to forgive the tipping fees. Council will vote on the recommendation to waive the $700 charge at their next meeting.

A request to enter into a development agreement to expand what is currently two short- term rental units in Summerville into seven units was denied as council and staff felt the number of structures would be too much for a parcel of land which is only 26,5000 square feet in size.

Council appointed two new representatives to the new Police Advisory Board. North Queens will be represented by Donald Kimball and South Queens will be served by Elaina Gaetan.

The Diversity and Inclusion Action Team also added a new member as council approved Tammy Conway-Denning. She brings over twenty years’ experience working with vulnerable and diverse populations to the position.

The long-discussed new outdoor pool was next on the agenda. Council was presented with a site plan based on the criteria they had previously established including a six-lane competitive pool, seating for spectators, a thermal pool and a zero-entry side. The cost to fulfil the wish list comes in at $8.22 million.

Council directed staff to proceed with the next steps of developing an estimated operating budget including expenses and revenue; a financial plan including possible funding models and grant opportunities for the current capital cost deficit; construction procurement options; and to obtain further Project Management services.

The last recommendation was to provide the Hunts Point Community Hall Association with $6,139 from the Community Investment Fund to install a new roof.

In the discussion portion of the meeting Council received a report to improve the heating system at the Town Hall Arts and Cultural Centre, home of the Astor Theatre. Theatre personnel have applied for federal funding to offset the cost of installing a new HVAC system.

Council then directed municipal staff to work alongside theatre group to determine what work will be performed and how it is to be funded.

The next Region of Queens Council meeting will be held November 28 at 6:00pm in Council Chambers.

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E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com