Without the commitment of residents who populate the more than 200 volunteer organizations in Queens County, life in this community would be drastically different than it is today. The Region of Queens Municipality has developed a program to recognize and celebrate these contributions through “The Ripple Effect” volunteer recognition initiative.

According to Mayor Christopher Clarke, this sense of altruism and the commitment of volunteers in Queens is well-known, and “The Ripple Effect” will help to further this. “Most of us cannot remember a time when the citizens of Queens did not step up and help on a voluntary basis for projects large and small,” said Clarke. “It is Council’s intention to be more inclusive and proactive in recognizing them with “The Ripple Effect” being our vehicle to do so.”

Inspired by Liverpool resident Nykola Killam, the program will encourage people to give back to their community and, like Ms. Killam, set in motion a ripple effect that will have a positive effect in Queens. “Nykola wanted to teach kids to swim who may not otherwise have that opportunity,” said Norm Amirault, Director of Recreation and Community Facilities, “She was inspired by her late cousin Kirk MacLeod, who swam 10 miles across the Northumberland Strait to raise money for a camp for sick kids. We were touched and proud of Nykola’s efforts, which encouraged Council and staff to do more to recognize and celebrate the integral role our volunteers play in our community.”

It is also an expansion on the existing yearly Representative Volunteer selection process which, according to Clarke, was not generating the interest it once did. “For whatever reason there was a diminishing number of nominees for this honour. “The Ripple Effect” will open this process up so anyone in Queens can nominate a volunteer for recognition, and to be able to do so on a year-round basis,” said Clarke.

“The success of the initiative will be predicated on the number of nominees,” said Councillor Brian Fralic, Chair of the Recreation and Community Facilities Committee. “Our Council has a sincere desire to recognize and celebrate our Volunteers and hope residents will nominate someone. No contribution is too large or small.”

“The Ripple Effect” is being launched this week and information on the nomination process can be found on the Region of Queens website at www.regionofqueens.com, on the Region of Queens Facebook page, or by contacting the Recreation and Community Facilities Department at (902) 354-5741.

July 28, 2015 Liverpool, NS: Working together on an innovative approach, the culmination of four years of co-operative effort between the six fire departments in Queens County and the Region of Queens Municipality was presented to Council today. Recognizing the vital role our volunteer Fire Departments play in providing essential protection services for the safety and security of our communities, a ground-breaking collaborative spirit has resulted in a policy to provide a framework for financial assistance for the purchase of essential vehicles and with ongoing operational costs over years to come.

“The days of fire departments being able to sustain themselves with their own fundraising efforts alone are long gone. It would take an inordinate amount of community suppers and bottle drives to replace a fire truck”, commented Mayor Christopher Clarke. “We were very impressed with the way the fire departments came forward with a constructive and well-considered solution to their issues, and the commitment and enthusiasm they have shown throughout this process”.

These issues were presented to Council back in January 2011 where the fire departments described what they felt were impediments to the maintenance of current fire protection levels.

Following this, $67,000 was approved in the 2011/12 budget to increase fire protection funding, followed by a three-year initiative to conduct external reviews on the financial operations of all six fire departments, which resulted in the two main considerations which form the backbone of the new policy: that the fire departments could not sustain the purchase of vehicles with the existing resources and that any recommended solution had to be financially viable for the Region of Queens.

Port Medway Fire Chief, Kendall Farmer said, “I am very appreciative of the time and effort put into this by the staff and Council of the Region of Queens, as well as the collaboration from the six Fire Chiefs to bring it all to fruition. This much needed funding means adequate fire equipment can be provided to the fire departments, which in turn leads to the protection of the residents of Queens County”. After many months of working together, the resulting policy contains a process which all the fire departments agree relieves some of the financial uncertainties and provides motivation for the volunteers to continue in their courageous work.

June 23, 2015, Liverpool, NS: With a unanimous vote by the Council of the Region of Queens Municipality’s Council, the Region selected a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). Richard MacLellan will start work in mid-July, bringing with him 15 years of management experience in both the government and commercial energy/marine sectors. His career has spanned nine years at the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), most recently as Manager, Energy and Environment. He will begin work at the Region of Queens Municipality in mid-July.

“We are very fortunate to be welcoming Richard MacLellan to the team,” said Christopher Clarke, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “He has a great reputation as a strong leader of staff, and is an innovative thinker.”

MacLellan has been employed by Halifax Regional Municipality since 2006, and has been Manager of Energy and Environment since 2011. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Sustainable Communities award in February 2015, and the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM)Climate Leaders award in November 2013. While working with the HRM, much of his focus was on policy and strategy development, project budgets, and staff management.

MacLellan will be the 3rd CAO of the Region of Queens Municipality since its formation following amalgamation in 1996. David Clattenburg was the first CAO, and retired in 2011. From 2011 until the present, Kathleen Rafuse has been CAO, and will retire this summer. “We have been fortunate over the past 19 years to have had such strong CAOs in David Clattenburg and Kathleen Rafuse. I have had the great luck to work with both of them,” said Clarke. “Their knowledge, sound financial planning, strategic thinking and commitment to the community has placed Queens on sound financial footing, and elevated us to a well respected position provincially.”

There will be a short period of overlap as MacLellan familiarizes himself with the community and the position, and Rafuse finalizes the projects in which she has been involved.

“The Region of Queens Municipality has a great reputation across the province; there is business incubation throughout the county, and lots happening there. I was keen to apply for this position because of the strong economic and cultural possibilities in Queens that Council, staff, and community has worked hard to cultivate,” said MacLellan. “It was clear during the recruitment process that my values and interests closely align with those of the Municipality. I am pleased to have this opportunity, and am excited to begin work.”

June 15, 2015 Liverpool, NS: It is a community celebration, the start of something new, and it is all starting as the Summer Solstice begins! On June 21, at 1:39 p.m., a transformation will occur. As the Summer Solstice marks the beginning of summer, the grand opening ceremony of the Liverpool Town Hall and Astor Theatre marks the beginning of a new community centre for arts, culture and creativity in Liverpool. It also marks the opening of the Sipuke’l Gallery. The Gallery features First Nation artists’ work, and a permanent rotating display of artifacts from the Mersey River dating back over 4,000 years. June 21 is also the kickoff for the “21 Days of Summer”, a three week period of music, art, entertainment and more taking place all over Queens County. It encompasses more than 50 musical performances, and many entertainment options. The grand opening ceremony begins at 1:00 p.m. on June 21.

“To see this historic building reinvented as an innovative centre supporting arts, history and culture is a very positive development for Liverpool’s cultural and creative communities, the business district and the public,” said Christopher Clarke, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “The Liverpool Town Hall is a focal point in Liverpool and for Queens County, and now it will be open year round for community use and enjoyment. As well, the “21 Days of Summer” roster of events and entertainment is an exciting three weeks to be part of. Our volunteers deserve credit for making an exciting start to summer.”

As the opening day also coincides with National Aboriginal Day, there are celebrations of the First Nation culture as part of the opening event, including a smudging ceremony, the Mi’kmaq Honour Song, drumming, and hoop and jingle dancers.
“In Queens, we’re known to take celebrations seriously,” said Norm Amirault, Director of Recreation and Community Facilities for the Region of Queens Municipality. “The re-opening of the Town Hall is the start of a full week of events to mark the occasion. There are live musical performances, including a 40 year retrospective of musicals performed by the Winds of Change Dramatic Society, as well as children’s events, a historical photography show and author readings. And that’s just the start! The community has a jam packed schedule of events for the “21 Days of Summer”. Privateer Days festival, drag racing, and over 50 live musical performances are all part of the fun. This 21 day celebration features concerts by Rawlins Cross and Blue Rodeo. Liverpool and communities in Queens County are an awesome place to be this summer, and it all starts on the Summer Solstice.”

Gavin Raddall, Summer Ambassador for the Region of Queens Municipality will be live tweeting updates about these events at @regionofqueens. Details about the opening week activities can be found on the “Liverpool Town Hall and Astor Theatre” Facebook page. Events during the “21 Days of Summer” are listed at www.queens.ca.

The Liverpool Town Hall is located at 219 Main Street, Liverpool, and with the grand opening slated to start at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2015. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.

April 1, 2015, Liverpool, NS: One of Canada’s best known musical groups is coming to Liverpool, NS this summer. An evening with legendary Canadian rockers, Blue Rodeo will take place on Friday, July 10, 2015 at Queens Place Emera Centre, Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Showtime is 9:00 p.m.

“We are excited that Blue Rodeo will be performing at Queens Place Emera Centre, and hope to see fans from across the province enjoying the music that has made them international recording stars,” said Christopher Clarke, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “Queens Place Emera Centre has been described as one of the best entertainment venues outside Metro and we look forward to having Blue Rodeo appear on our stage.”

The list of hits over the decades has been long. Songs such as “Try”, “Lost Together”, “Rose Coloured Glasses” and “Til I am Myself Again” have influenced and touched Canadians over the years. The July 10th concert is Blue Rodeo’s only Nova Scotia stop on their Atlantic Canadian swing.

“We always love coming to Nova Scotia. Lots of friends and wonderful musical audiences,” said Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo’s lead vocalist. “This will be our first time in Liverpool, and we are excited to come and play. And hopefully the snow will be gone by then!”

Blue Rodeo has been one of Canada’s most successful bands, and is known for creating one of the most unique and influencing sounds in Canadian music. Since their first live gig 30 years ago and 13 studio albums later, this iconic band led by original members Jim Cuddy, Greg Keelor and Bazil Donovan, has sold more than 4 million records. Blue Rodeo has won 11 Juno Awards – five of which were for Best Band, played world tours, been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, boasts a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor have received the Order of Canada. In May, 2014, the band accepted a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada’s highest honour in performing arts.

“Blue Rodeo music has been the soundtrack to many Canadian’s lives over the years,” said Steve Burns, General Manager of Queens Place Emera Centre. “Having them take centre stage at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool will be a dream come true for many fans around the province.”

Pre-sale tickets will be available starting April 1st at 1 p.m. until April 4th, 2015. Sale to the general public opens on Sunday April 5th, at 10 a.m. Tickets are available at Queens Place Emera Centre in person [contact: 902-354-4422] or through Ticketpro by contacting www.ticketpro.ca or calling 1-888-311-9090.

The Council of the Region of Queens Municipality, along with Management and Staff of Queens Place Emera Centre, invite you to attend a special press conference to announce a concert coming to the facility this summer.

What: An exciting announcement about a summer entertainment event at Queens Place Emera Centre

Where: Queens Place Emera Centre, 50 Queens Place Drive, Liverpool, NS

When: Wednesday, April 1st, 2015 at 12:15 pm

Coffee, tea and light refreshments will be served. This event is open to the public, and all are welcomed to join us. We sincerely hope you are able to attend!

February 26, 2015, Liverpool, NS: After more than 31 years working in municipal government, Region of Queens Municipality Chief Administrative Officer Kathleen Rafuse has announced her upcoming retirement. She will retire in August, 2015.

“I have had the great pleasure of working with Kathleen in both of my terms as Mayor, and can honestly say that she is a very competent person, and she will be missed by Council, staff and those who have worked with her in other areas,” said Christopher Clarke, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “Kathleen has been instrumental in moving many projects and initiatives forward for our community. The opening of Queens Place Emera Centre, and the focus on business development have brought new challenges to our municipality. Kathleen has played a very large role in moving these types of initiatives ahead. She played a huge part as we re-invent ourselves as a Region, both with new undertakings and modifying the standing ones to fit into the new Queens.”

Starting her career in 1984 with the Municipality of Queens, Rafuse has been CAO of the Region of Queens Municipality since 2011, and before that she was Director of Finance from the time the Region was formed in 1996.

Click here to read the South Shore Regional Enterprise Network Inagural Board Appointed press release.

Jan. 28, 2015, Liverpool, NS:  CelluFuel, an innovator in alternate fuel technology development, is taking applications for the lead position in its start-up operation, located at Port Mersey Commercial Park in Brooklyn, Queens County.  The Lead Operator/Technician position will be the first job created at the plant, and this person will work with the Project Manager to oversee the construction and start-up of the plant.  It is expected that four to five additional positions will be hired in spring of 2015.

“It is exciting to hear this news.  There has been much anticipation in the time since CelluFuel announced that they would locate the demonstration stage of their operations here in Brooklyn,” said Christopher Clarke, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.  “It took time to get equipment manufactured, and their investors and financing lined up, but now that those things are in place, the community will notice things starting to move quickly.  It is exciting to see the first of the jobs posted.”

CelluFuel was the first company to announce they would set up operations in the former Bowater Mersey site, when the province of Nova Scotia began developing a portion of the 80+ acre site as the Innovacorp Demonstration Centre in 2012.  The company has an exclusive license to develop the production of synthetic renewable diesel fuels from wood fibre.  On Sept. 3, 2014,  the company CEO Chris Hooper, along with investors and representatives, announced that they had secured the nearly $5 million required get the company operational, and projected that the equipment would be arriving in Nova Scotia in the first half of 2015 with start-up of the project beginning shortly thereafter.

“We are excited to make this first of what we expect to be several job postings for this project,” said Chris Hooper, CEO of CelluFuel Inc. “We have worked tirelessly to make this project a reality and it is now fully underway. We believe that the wealth of experience within the community will be a critical component of our future success.”

The job posting for the Lead Operator/Technician can be seen on the South Shore Opportunities website.  The successful candidate will be involved in the establishment of this project in the early stages, and will be trained at the technology provider’s facility in Europe.

The CelluFuel plant in Brooklyn will be a first of its kind in Canada, and is targeted to produce 1.25 million liters per year of high-quality diesel fuel.  The project brings an innovative opportunity for the development of the forestry industry and rural economic development in Nova Scotia in a clean, renewable and sustainable manner.

January 8, 2015, Liverpool, NS:   Mersey Point Fish Products of Port Mouton is back in operation after a five month shut down necessary because of the unavailability of suitable fish this past summer.  For nearly 34 years, Mersey Point Fish Products has been making smoked, salted and marinated seafood that has brought the flavours of Nova Scotia to the world, and has a new product planned for 2015.

“We are so pleased they’re back in business. They’re a great company that makes very good products, and provide much needed jobs in West Queens,” said Christopher Clarke, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.  “To operate a globally known business that has been successful for over 30 years, speaks volumes about the quality of their seafood, and the service they provide their customers.”

“We use the freshest product, buying all our fish from well-managed, registered companies.   Our Solomon Gundy is made from locally caught herring,” said Robert Mutsaers, owner/director of Mersey Point Fish Products. “In July of last year, we were unable to obtain suitable fish for our production, causing a shut down.  We started production again in December, and are pleased to be back operating at full capacity.”   Herring, mackerel and haddock are caught in the North Atlantic; the salmon used is raised in the Bay of Fundy and the other fish used are sourced from registered suppliers from all over the world; Mutsaers advises that the origin of Mersey Point Fish Products’ fish can be traced from the moment it was caught to the time it reaches the plant.  Mersey Point Fish Products is a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACP)-approved processing operation.

Mutsaers’ parents, Cornelis and Anne, immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands with their three sons in 1981.  Soon after arriving in Mersey Point adjacent to Liverpool, they opened a home-based cottage industry, using their traditional Dutch recipes for preparing fish, and named the company Mersey Point Fish Products.  It has been 34 years and the company is now under the direction of their son Robert and his wife Pamela, who have expanded the operations to its current base, a modern 6,000 square foot processing plant located in Port Mouton, with a team of 14 employees preparing such well known treats and favorites such as Solomon Gundy; smoked salmon, herring, trout and haddock; and Matjes Herring.

“In the New Year, we are really hoping to have at least one new product launched, not only in the States, but locally as well,” said Mutsaers.  He hinted that it would be based on Solomon Gundy, their flagship product in Canada.

Mersey Point Fish Products is a family owned company, producing products that are 100% natural and are prepared without using preservatives or additives. The brand is well known across Canada, as it is carried by the Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore chains, as well as the Metro Stores in Ontario, and throughout the United States; their products are also available in independent stores and restaurants throughout Nova Scotia, and other locations in the Maritimes. Mersey Point Fish Products ship their fish worldwide, to Europe, Asia, and North America.   There is a factory outlet on site with products available to purchase, or call ahead to place an order.  The plant and factory outlet are located at 36 Breakwater Road, Port Mouton, phone 902-683-2150.