March 1, 2017; Liverpool, NS: A local non profit organization received Council approval to pursue their plan to convert the former Mill Village School into an international boarding school. At the February 28, 2017 Regular Council meeting, the Council of the Region of Queens Municipality approved giving notice of its intention to enter into a Purchase and Sale Agreement with The Devi International Boarding School Society for the sale of the former Mill Village School property, located at 227 Medway River Road, Mill Village, NS, for a sale price of $1.00. A Public Hearing be held on March 28, 2017 at 8:55 am in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 249 White Point Road in Liverpool, NS.

“Innovative thinking by the Devi International Boarding School Society will see a municipally owned property, which has been vacant since 2014, turn into a vibrant, economic driver for the community,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “When the Mill Village school closed in 2014, it was returned to the Region of Queens Municipality by the South Shore Regional School Board, and when no Municipal purpose was found for it, a Request for Proposals was issued, with no responses. In October, 2016, an unsolicited proposal came forward to breathe new life into a property that means a great deal to many in the local community. The idea is unique to the area, will contribute to community diversity, and provide local jobs directly and indirectly.”

Section 51 of the Municipal Government Act provides for a Municipality to sell or lease property at a price less than market value to a nonprofit organization that the council considers to be carrying on an activity that is beneficial to the municipality. As the property has an estimated value is more than $10,000 less than market value, Council is required to first hold a public hearing respecting the sale..

The property is approximately 5.8 acres in area and contains a circa 1960’s split level elementary school building that is 11,298 square feet in size. In May of 2015, the Region hired the services of a real estate appraisal firm to prepare a valuation of the property on the basis of improved land (with building) and also as vacant land. The market value came back at $45,000 for As Improved and $31,000 As Vacant. The annual cost for the Region of Queens Municipality to maintain the vacant former school is almost $10,000 per year in heating fuel, power and insurance.

The Public Hearing regarding the sale of the former Mill Village School to the Devi International Boarding School Society will take place on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 8:55 am in the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 249 White Point Road in Liverpool, NS.

February 28, 2017, Liverpool, NS: The sounds of “Life is a Highway” filled the lobby at Queens Place Emera Centre as the summer concert event for Southern Nova Scotia was announced today. Eight time Juno Award winner Tom Cochrane will be performing with Red Rider at Queens Place Emera Centre in Liverpool, NS on June 28, 2017.

“With such chart topping hits as “Big League”, “No Regrets” and “Boy Inside the Man”, we are excited to have the iconic Canadian musician Tom Cochrane taking our stage in the days leading up to Canada Day,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “It’s a great start to summer, the perfect Canada 150 celebration, and we welcome the Tom Cochran and Red Rider, along with their many fans from near and far, to Liverpool.”

Tom Cochrane and Red Rider are well known throughout North America and around the world, and are highly regarded in the music industry and by fans. In addition to Juno awards, Tom Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, has a Star in Canada’s Walk of Fame, as well as being an Officer in the Order of Canada, and received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award in 2013 for his significant charitable work. Cochrane has released 6 solo albums, with 15 singles on the charts in Canada, and with Red Rider has released an additional 8 albums that charted 16 hit singles on the Canadian charts. With a career spanning more than 40 years, selling over 6 million units worldwide, and achieving rare diamond sales status in Canada, fans will be excited to see these Canadian rock icons taking the stage on June 28 at Queens Place Emera Centre. Tom Cochrane announced in October 2016 that he would be on tour in celebration the 25th anniversary of the Mad, Mad World Album.

“This is Tom Cochrane’s only scheduled stop in Nova Scotia this year, and it is fitting it is at Queens Place Emera Centre, which continues to be viewed as a premier venue for acts and concert goers,” said Steve Burns, General Manager of Queens Place Emera Centre. “This show will sell out swiftly, and we expect an electric atmosphere that evening with enthusiastic fans from all over at Queens Place Emera Centre on June 28.”

Since opening in December 2011, Queens Place Emera Centre, located in Liverpool, NS, has developed a reputation as a concert destination, showcasing a concert with a world class performer or band each summer. The Beach Boys concert which took place in the summer of 2016 sold out in 100 minutes, and Blue Rodeo rocked Queens Place with a near capacity crowd in 2015. Other well known performers have included country music star Travis Tritt in 2013, and the legendary Charley Pride in 2014, both of which drew large crowds. The audience experience at Queens Place is incomparable, with great acoustics and sightlines to the stage.

Concert tickets will be on sale at 10 a.m. Atlantic time, Thursday March 2, 2017 on the Ticketpro website (www.ticketpro.ca or call toll free 1-888-311-9090) , at Queens Place Emera Centre, 50 Queens Place Drive, Liverpool, NS, or any Ticketpro outlet in Atlantic Canada. Tickets will be $69.50 plus taxes and fees, and $58.50 plus taxes and fees. The concert will begin at 8:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

We are having a press conference to announce THE Concert event of the summer in Southern Nova Scotia – hope to see you there!

 Details are here

To view the results of the tax sale that was held on February 16, 2017 please click here.

February 14, 2016; Liverpool, NS: Identifying innovative ways to deliver core services is the challenge for today’s municipalities. Today, the Council of the Region of Queens Municipality approved two shared services agreements at the regular Council meeting on February 14, 2017. The Region of Queens will enter into a shared services agreement with the Municipality of the District of Shelburne (MODS), in which a MODS Building Official will be appointed as a spare Building Official for the Region of Queens Municipality to access on an as-needed basis. As well, the Region of Queens will enter into a shared services agreement on a trial basis in which the Region of Queens Special Constable By-law Enforcement Officer will conduct specific service work in the Town of Lunenburg.

“Shared service agreements are something that Municipalities are beginning to explore, to ensure that services are provided in our communities while reducing the burden on the taxpayer,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “We are very fortunate at the Region Queens Municipality to have great employees who are well trained and experienced in specialty areas. ” Dagley noted that the shared service agreements are a way to have the expertise at hand, without committing to additional full time staff.

The agreement with MODS for a Building Official increases the staff compliment in Queens when the service is needed. At present, the Region of Queens has one full time Building Official, and one part time casual Building Official. Having an additional casual Building Official, ensures this critical service for development and economic growth is maintained.

The Town of Lunenburg has sought cost efficient ways to provide enforcement for a low number of Dangerous and Unsightly files reported by their residents. The agreement with Town of Lunenburg will limit the service provided by the Region of Queens Special Constable By-Law Enforcement Official to 35 hours per year. There will zero impact on the budget or service standard in Queens, as service provision is on a cost recovery basis.

“These shared service agreements are a good opportunity for us to examine whether shared services are beneficial in delivering our municipal services,” said Dagley. “Opportunities to partner and work together, including human resources, information technology, policing, sold waste management, and others, are continuously being explored for the long term sustainability of services.”

February 14, 2017; Liverpool, NS: Visitors and locals alike will continue to enjoy the unique attributes of Fort Point Lighthouse, with a revitalized, innovative flavor. On February 14, 2017, the Council of the Region of Queens Municipality approved the proposal submitted by Lane’s Privateer Inn to operate Fort Point Lighthouse in Liverpool, NS, on a seasonal basis for a three year period, beginning in spring 2017.

“We are excited about the special features, events and attractions that Lane’s is planning for the next three years at Fort Point Lighthouse. We are also fortunate to enjoy local entrepreneurial leadership that is creating exemplary ways to best leverage our local cultural and heritage assets. Folks are going to come from all over the world to experience Lanes at the Lighthouse.” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.

“We are pleased that the Region of Queens has faith in us and shares our vision of the Lighthouse. It is a very special place to us as we grew up next to it and our Dad told us many stories of his childhood days and playing a the lighthouse. As mayor, he was instrumental in making sure that the lighthouse was restored and opened to the public as a museum. We are honoured to be part of that legacy,” said Susan Lane, Manager of Lane’s Privateer Inn. “We would like to continue with the Lighthouse Lunches and expand on this idea with more activities at the lighthouse making Fort Point a destination for families to want to visit again and again. We would like to incorporate live music, art and artisans at work, celebrate holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. We are also excited to modernize the video presentation so that it is more interactive and expands on the stories that Bert has been telling about growing up at Fort Point.”

In the spring of 2016, the Region of Queens Municipality opened the operation of the facility to proposals for its operation. Lanes Privateer Inn operated the facility as Lane’s at the Lighthouse for the 2016 season, offering picnic lighthouse lunches, ice cream, and tours of the lighthouse overlooking Liverpool bay, as well as dressing the facility up for Halloween, and being the site for a December wedding.

Fort Point Lighthouse is the third oldest standing lighthouse in Nova Scotia. It has stood at the mouth of the Mersey River since 1855, and was decommissioned in 1989. The Region of Queens Municipality opened it seasonally as an attraction, enabling the public to have the unique experience of being able to go inside a lighthouse, access the light, and turn the hand crank to sound the fog horn. There has been an average of approximately 6,000 visitors annually over the past five years.

February 2, 2017; Liverpool, NS: Concerns for safety and a decline in volunteerism has led two long standing Region of Queens Municipality’s volunteer fire departments to take steps to amalgamate. The Charleston Volunteer Fire Department has started the process of filing paperwork to transfer its assets to the Mill Village Fire Department. Both fire departments have seen declining membership for several years; the current level of 10 in at the Charleston Department is not a safe quotient. Public safety and volunteer capacity will be improved in Charleston, Mill Village and District through the amalgamation.

“We are supportive of the difficult choice that the Charleston and Mill Village Fire Departments have made to amalgamate their two forces. Ensuring community safety and the safety of their volunteer fire fighters was the primary concern of the Charleston Department when they approached the Mill Village Department,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. “The Fire Departments have been significant to community life in Charleston and Mill Village for generations. The Region of Queens has a great deal of respect for the foresight and community spirit of those who established the departments many years ago. We also thank all the volunteers past and present who gave tirelessly of their time to support the Charleston Fire Department and wish the current members of both departments well as they work through this partnership.”
Once the Charleston and Mill Village Fire Departments determined that amalgamation of the two departments was the route to take, Municipal staff met with the Fire Chiefs to discuss maintaining the current level of municipal funding. Fire trucks will be temporality stored at the Charleston Volunteer Fire Department until renovations have been completed to house them at the Mill Village Department. Assets from the sale of the Charleston Fire Hall and its lands will be used to fund the expansion of the Fire Hall, and applied toward new equipment.
There is expected to be little change in the delivery of fire protection services under the amalgamation, as the two departments are located less than 4 km apart. The total number of structures in the amalgamated fire protection area is 507, which was formerly distributed as 190 for the Charleston Volunteer Fire Department and 317 in Mill Village.

January 24, 2017; Liverpool, NS: Opportunities and challenges may require in-depth discussion that requires more time than allotted in a Regular Council meeting. The Council of the Region of Queens Municipality approved a motion on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 directing staff to start the process of establishing a monthly Committee of the Whole meeting, with the standing agenda to be built based on Council’s Strategic Priorities.

“Committee of the Whole is a means for us to be able to have a discussion on a topic that we want to explore, without having to make a decision on it that day, as occurs when items come to Regular Council Meetings,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens. “Adding a meeting that is solely for discussion, deliberation and receiving input from residents, will help us advance Council’s priorities and ensure Council has had an opportunity to learn as much as possible about a topic before it advances to Council for a decision.”

A Committee of the Whole is intended to facilitate the decision-making process of Council. The Committee of the Whole is comprised of all members of Council who participate in debate and discussion, and, when necessary, forward recommendations to Council for final decision. Meetings are not considered formal Council meetings, and, as such, are structured as a less formal process. Expected agenda items for upcoming Committee of the Whole Agendas will include strategic deliberation on the municipal role in tourism, as well as attracting residents to Queens, or ways to meet the Region’s recreational needs.

“Not all items discussed in Committee of the Whole will be brought to an upcoming Council meeting. Some items will be to provide background that will enable us to understand other issues, and some items will require a few meetings to determine if there is enough information or a desire to warrant recommending that a motion occur at a Regular Council meeting,” said Dagley.

Committee of the Whole will meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the Council Chamber of the Region of Queens Municipality, 249 White Point Road, Liverpool, NS. Agendas for Committee of the Whole will be posted on the Region of Queens Municipality’s website ( http://www.regionofqueens.com/council-governance/council-agendas-minutes-audio )the Friday prior to the meeting. Final minutes will be posted once approved by Council. Similar to Council meetings, an MP3 of the audio recording of a Committee of the Whole meeting will be posted on the Region of Queens website, generally within 24 hours of the meeting.

January 24, 2017; Liverpool, NS: A motion was approved by the Council of the Region of Queens Municipality at the January 24th, 2017 Regular Council meeting authorizing staff to begin solicitation to source a development partner to help formulate and submit a proposal solution for the outdated 29 bed residential care facility located in Middlefield, Queens County.

“In seeking developers, we are working to be proactive about finding solutions for Hillsview Acres, resulting in a modern facility, and keeping the beds and the jobs here in Queens,” said David Dagley, Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality. During the discussion of the motion prior to Council voting, it was discussed that there is no guarantee that the Province of Nova Scotia or the Region of Queens Municipality will accept any resulting proposal developed as that proposal must fit the needs of the community, as well as that of government.

Once the solicitation is ready to go to market, it is expected to take approximately six months for the successful developer to prepare a proposal vetted by the Region of Queens Municipality to be jointly submitted to the Province of Nova Scotia. The Region of Queens Municipality owns and operates Hillsview Acres Home for Special Care. It is licensed and funded by the Department of Health and Wellness as a Level 1 Residential Care Facility with 29 beds. Employing 30 full time, part time and casual staff, Hillsview Acres is an important employer in Queens.

Recent community feedback through the Queens Care Society’s Housing and Transportation Needs Study portrayed and quantified the need for seniors housing in the community. Residential Care Facilities play an important component of that spectrum of housing needs.

The consulting costs associated with the project will be funded from the Hillsview Acres Replacement Reserve, and there is no impact to the Region of Queens Municipality’s Operating or Project Budgets.