REGION OF QUEENS MUNICIPALITY, on behalf of its WATER UTILITY has applied for approval of amendments to its Schedule of Rates and Charges for Water and Water Services and amendments to its Schedule of Rules and Regulations.

This matter will be considered in a public hearing as follows:

Hearing starts:
Monday, November 29, 2021
10:30 am

Region of Queens Municipality
Council Chambers
249 White Point Road
Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Depending on the circumstances related to COVID-19, this public hearing may be held by GoToWebinar video conferencing.

Board Hearings are open to the public, and you may participate as follows:

• You may speak at the hearing. You must notify the Board by Tuesday, November 23, 2021.

• You may make written comments by sending a letter to the Clerk of the Board at P.O. Box 1692, Unit “M”, Halifax, NS B3J 3S3, or by email at: board@novascotia.ca, or by fax at (902) 424-3919 by Tuesday, November 23, 2021.

• You may request formal standing as an Intervener, subject to Board approval. This will allow you to present evidence or cross-examine witnesses. Your request must be received by the Board by Friday, September 10, 2021 and a copy of your written evidence by Friday, October 15, 2021.

Additional information about the matter is as follows:

• For unmetered customers, the current quarterly water bill is $80.94, and it is proposed to increase to $115.20 (a 42.3% increase) in 2022/23; $116.12 (a 0.8% increase) in 2023/24; and $120.58 ( a 3.8% increase) in 2024/25.

• For residential customers (5/8” meters), the current average quarterly water bill is $75.05, and it is proposed to increase to $84.67 (a 12.8% increase) in 2022/23; $84.96 (a 0.4% increase) in 2023/24; and $88.30 (a 3.9% increase) in 2024/25.

• For all other metered services, the Utility is requesting amendments ranging from 14.8% to 22.7% in 2022/23; 0.4% to 1.5% in 2023/24; and 3.7% to 3.9% in 2024/25.

• The annual fire protection charge paid by the Municipality, currently $197,235 is proposed to decrease to $195,474 (a 0.9% decrease) for 2022/23 and remain at this amount for each of 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Upon reviewing the Application, the Board, in its Decision, may determine that the proposed amendments should be as requested, higher, or lower.

A copy of the Application and any timetable applying to this matter may be viewed on the Board’s website at https://nsuarb.novascotia.ca/, by clicking on “Matters & Evidence”, and in the “Go To Files and Documents”, enter Matter No. M10229.

Sealed bids are now being accepted for the tax tender sale of properties listed below.   Click here to view the Tax Tender Ad. Bid Submission forms must be received at the office of the Treasurer, Region of Queens Municipality before September 22, 2021 at 10:00 am.  Bid Sudmission forms must be submitted by mail or in person.   Click here to download the Bid Submission Form.  For more information on the Tax Tender process and requirements of prospectivce bidders, please click here for Bidder Instructions.

Legal description of the above properties may be seen below, or at the office of the Treasurer, Region of Queens Administration Building, 249 White Point Road, Liverpool, however, we do not guarantee the accuracy of these properties descriptions.

 004-19 Wamboldt

 025-18 Bernd Brauser-Jung

 038-19 Young

 058-19 Mills

 074-19 Nienstedt

 082-19 C Whynot

 096-19 Eagle Rock

 125-16 Ozon

 125-19 Cross

 132-19 Donovan

 050-18 B Whynot

Region of Queens Municipality makes no representations of warranties to any purchaser regarding the fitness, geographical or environmental suitability of the land(s) offered for sale for any particular use and does not certify the legal title, legal description or boundaries.  The lands offered for sale ARE BEING SOLD ON AN “AS IS” BASIS ONLY, subject to any estates or interests of the Crown in Right of Canada or the Province of Nova Scotia.

July 9, 2021, Liverpool, NS: Earlier today, Premier Iain Rankin announced approval for the repair, upgrade, or total replacement of 17 health care facilities throughout Nova Scotia, including an opportunity for replacement of Hillsview Acres and Queens Manor.

 “Council has been advocating for a replacement facility for Hillsview Acres for more than two decades now and to finally see it come to fruition is exciting. We have done our homework and supplied the province with numerous reports and costings from external consultants, which clearly proved our case that replacing Hillsview Acres with a new facility is in the best interests of our community and province. Replacement of this essential facility will ensure we are able to continue to provide health care services locally,” remarked Mayor Darlene Norman.

“We look forward to beginning more detailed discussions with the province and Queens Manor immediately to decide on a final design including resident numbers, building location, and costing for a new Hillsview Acres or a larger joint Hillsview Acres / Queens Manor facility,” noted Mayor Norman.

Current replacement cost estimates for a new Hillsview Acres are $13.6 million. No site has yet been determined.

Hillsview Acres is a 29 bed residential care facility in Middlefield, Queens County, 20 minutes north of Liverpool. The centre part of the facility was a farm house prior to 1893, when it was converted. It has since been renovated twice, making it the oldest continuous operating residential care facility in Nova Scotia. It is owned and operated by Region of Queens Municipality, and one of only a few left in the province still municipally run.

June 10, 2021:  Coastal flood risk and potential mitigation methods are the focus of a report prepared and presented by CBCL Limited in 2019 for Region of Queens Municipality.

“Liverpool’s Coastal Flooding Mitigation Study was a thorough study of the risks and challenges present in Liverpool’s waterfront with regard to flooding, and includes historical data, as well as projections of changing tide levels and extreme weather.  Each of the four options in the flood mitigation report come with very large price tags without any guarantee of success.  Market Street, which turns into Bristol Avenue on the south side of Liverpool’s bridge, is the main artery in and out of Liverpool, and a crucial area to look at flood mitigation efforts, in the interest of public safety,” said Darlene Norman, Mayor of Region of Queens Municipality.

The waterfront parking lot in Liverpool and the low lying Market Street and Water Street roadways are areas that have flooded for many years in times of extreme high tides and with storm surge, and is occurring with increasing frequency at higher elevations, adversely affecting some local businesses, the parking lot, and access to other areas of Liverpool.  CBCL Limited presented the report at a public Council meeting on November 12, 2019.  After further review and discussions with CBCL Limited, Council at that time felt that none of the four options were in the best interests of the Municipality and its downtown business core, with estimated costs ranging from $2,825,000 to $9,100,000 plus the costs of purchasing and demolishing several buildings.

At the June 8, 2021 regular Council meeting, a motion was approved to apply for Flood Risk Infrastructure Investment Program (FRIIP) funding to raise the roadway between the Liverpool bridge and Water Street along Market Street to an elevation closer to the bridge riding surface. This project, if completed, will require some design changes in the area to ensure the adjacent properties are able to maintain access as well as a new configuration with the sidewalk being below the street grade. This concept is seen in larger urban areas such as Halifax.  While this project will benefit motor vehicles using the roadway, there is not a flood protection benefit directly to existing commercial structures in that area.  If the FRIIP funding is approved for this $500,000 project, construction would begin in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

The CBCL Limited “Liverpool Coastal Flooding Mitigation Study” is posted online.