[14:07] Good evening and welcome to Municipal Council meeting of Tuesday, September

[14:12] the 8th. It's 6:00 and I'll call the meeting to order. We begin our meeting

[14:17] by acknowledging that we are in Migmagghi, the ancestral territory of

[14:21] the Migma people and we are privileged to share the land with them.

[14:26] Are there announcements, acknowledgements, or recognitions from

[14:30] any council members? Oh, that's unusual.

[14:36] We uh will move next to public input, and we allow 15 minutes at the beginning

[14:41] of each of our council meetings for the public members who may be in the gallery

[14:46] to speak. We do have a presentation at 6:15, but I understand we do have one

[14:50] person that would like to speak. if you'd like to come forward um and adjust

[14:56] the mic as required to uh so we can hear you. And we ask I'll just go through a

[15:03] little bit of an outline of what we what happens during public input. We we ask

[15:08] that you provide your name and your your civic address for the record. And if you

[15:14] have questions um or concerns that can be addressed tonight um we try to manage

[15:20] that. If not, uh, we refer it to our staff who then, uh, come back at a f a

[15:29] subsequent meeting with a report on the on your question or concern and, uh, it

[15:35] becomes part of the public record because if you have a question,

[15:38] inevitably there are others that have a similar question or concern. So, it

[15:42] becomes part of the public record. Um, we ask that you be respectful of all

[15:46] members of the of the of the uh council and staff and that any questions are

[15:51] directed through myself as as the chair for the meeting. So, um, we'll turn it

[15:56] over to you. >> Um, is this a good height, I guess. So,

[16:00] all right. My name is Pamela McDormund. I'm at 838 Lower Branch Road in Lower

[16:04] Branch. And, um, my concern tonight is regarding some aerial spraying that is

[16:12] been announced. um not announced um made made aware to certain residents in

[16:18] various communities across the county and I do understand that um the

[16:24] governance on aerial spraying is a provincial matter. However, I still

[16:28] wanted to bring it to attention because I feel like there's still a role for

[16:32] municipal counselors to play in taking the concerns of residents to those

[16:38] provincial governing bodies. Uh some of the communities that have been mentioned

[16:43] in letters that are sent to adjacent residents are Midville Branch,

[16:47] Nukemville, Greenfield, West Calonia, Northfield, and possibly four other

[16:52] communities. The information out there is really it's it's hard to find. Um I

[16:57] think that's a recent change that the province has made where they no longer

[17:02] tell you where they're going to spray. And um I can't even find out much about

[17:06] this. Some people have said this is possibly on private property. Um, but

[17:13] there's not really a lot of private property if you're spraying something

[17:16] from an airplane because we have something called wind. And I don't know

[17:20] how far these things will travel in the wind um once they get into water

[17:26] sources. Again, I don't know I don't know that this is really going to be

[17:30] limited to one person's property. Um the pieces of land that are slated to be

[17:38] sprayed are, you know, in the numbers of like 500 acres. So there's pretty big

[17:42] pieces of land. Um I'm just looking at my notes here. I just put this together

[17:47] today. There was um some other people that I thought might attend tonight, but

[17:50] maybe they're watching from home. Um the spray that has been mentioned is um

[17:57] a product that contains glyphosate, which you've probably heard of in the

[18:02] news. Um, Health Canada still says that it's safe. However, there's a problem

[18:07] with a lot of the safety studies because a lot of the information we have about

[18:10] them being safe comes from the very companies producing this stuff and

[18:15] they've not released their data because they say it's proprietary. Um,

[18:21] I also have a map that someone shared today and I can't again verify the

[18:24] accuracy of this. Um, I don't know if I if I hold it up. Can anyone see this? It

[18:28] shows a place in Midville Branch um that is slated to be sprayed that's

[18:33] immediately adjacent to a lake uh which may or may not break some rules about um

[18:41] spraying near waterways. It's next to Little Wilds Lake. Um,

[18:47] I have printed off I have printed off some studies and I I didn't print off

[18:52] the entire study because I find um I usually start with just reading this

[18:56] first page to get the kind of background information. All of these are available

[18:59] online and you could find them um there as well. Um

[19:07] there's hang on I have more notes back here. Some of

[19:14] Here we go. Some of the people who've raised concerns um on social media have

[19:20] mentioned they grow organic gardens in the area or they have beehives that they

[19:25] use to produce honey that they sell. All of these things could be negatively

[19:29] impacted. Of course, water, drinking water, water ecosystems in the

[19:34] environment. Um potential health effect effects. Um

[19:39] some of the things that they found so far uh specifically cancer um non-hodkin

[19:44] lymphoma fertility issues gut microbial health cytotoxic and genotoxic effects

[19:50] liver inflammation and despite it having a short shelf life it quickly breaks

[19:56] down into another product with that has some of the same health risks. So they

[20:00] might be able to say, "Oh, well, it breaks down quickly, but it breaks down

[20:03] into another product with additional health risks. Um, and can actually stay

[20:07] in the soil for up to 12 years. It actually binds to the soil molecules.

[20:11] Um, in addition, it's sometimes used as a desicant. So that may increase

[20:17] wildfire risk. It's not really clear. There's not a lot of studies on that

[20:20] one. I've tried to find some. Um, but that is obviously I think wildfire risk

[20:26] and water risk that's that's not just limited to your own land. That's

[20:30] something that is going to go beyond your 500 acre piece of land. Um, so I

[20:38] don't know if it would be useful for me to leave these here for members to look

[20:42] at. I've highlighted some of the um the relevant points. Um, a lot of these

[20:48] studies are more recent. They talk about harm that is has been shown to various

[20:54] species of animals, plants, um, people, and I think it's really important even

[20:59] though, like I said, I understand this is a provincial matter as well, and I'm

[21:02] going to be talking to Becky Drew next hopefully in an email. Um, I think

[21:06] there's still a role for council members to play in helping us bring this out and

[21:12] and protect ourselves, our food, our water, the environment around us.

[21:19] Um, all right, that's it. Thank you. >> Thank you, um, Miss McDorman for that.

[21:24] And I can tell you that a number of counselors, including myself as mayor,

[21:29] have received communication about this from a number of residents and in the

[21:34] two I think our two counselors that are in the areas that are uh, you've

[21:40] suggested have received a lot of of email and messages on social media about

[21:47] this. and one of our counselors, councelor Hubli, is going to bring

[21:50] forward a resolution tonight later in the meeting. We're going to add it as an

[21:55] agenda item because we've had so many um comments in the last few days and and

[22:01] calls here to the office. So staff have already been handling this. I will tell

[22:06] you that it is as as you have said and rightly so, it is beyond our

[22:11] jurisdiction. The way that I think we will position it

[22:14] this evening is that it's important that residents are well communicated with and

[22:20] that the that there's good transparency about what's happening because what the

[22:27] complaints we've heard have been not only about the sprain but that's that's

[22:32] for another department to another level of government to make a a determination

[22:36] on that. But what we can do is advocate for better communication and

[22:40] transparency around the information so that people are well aware in plenty of

[22:44] time to know and respond and to find the right people to respond to because that

[22:50] that has definitely been an issue that we've heard. So um you're welcome to

[22:55] stay for the rest of the proceedings of our meeting. This won't go on till the

[22:58] end of the meeting, but we are live so you can watch at home if you don't want

[23:02] to stay for that. But um we're going to um it'll be proposed that it go on our

[23:07] agenda and I I think our council will agree um that that we can put it on our

[23:13] agenda tonight. Normally we don't add items at our meeting, but because of the

[23:17] large number of of inquiries and concerns that have been raised, we're

[23:21] going to add it uh we're going to allow it to be proposed tonight. Okay.

[23:25] » Thank you very much. >> Yeah. Thanks.

[23:29] Uh with that, that was a good introduction to uh approval of the

[23:34] agenda and maybe councelor Hubli, you want to to speak about the agenda?

[23:40] » Just ask for support around the table to add uh a 13.1 to the added items for the

[23:45] vegetation management notification that went out to residents um in the area of

[23:51] the spraying. I'd like to have that added if everybody could support that.

[23:57] Do we have general support around the table for it? I'm seeing all nods. So,

[24:01] um, we can add that item. And then could we have a motion then to approve the

[24:06] agenda with that item added? >> I have one more quick change.

[24:11] » Oh, okay. >> Um, I I would propose that item 12.1,

[24:14] the MJSB update, uh, be deferred to the next council meeting following our MJSB

[24:21] uh, meeting in September. Uh the last uh there was a special meeting of the MGSB

[24:26] but it was almost entirely in camera. So the update would be uh that it was in

[24:31] camera. >> Okay. Okay. With that uh could we have a

[24:35] motion to approve the agenda? Moved by councelor Dong and seconded by councelor

[24:40] Hubli. All in favor signify by raising your hands. Motion is carried

[24:44] unanimously. And I should say councelor Moore is joining us by teams. So, we'll

[24:49] we'll watch for your hands, Kathy, as the meeting progresses.

[24:54] We'll move then with uh with the agenda approval, we'll move then to the

[25:00] approval of the minutes from the council meeting of July 28th, 2026. Are there

[25:06] any additions or changes, corrections to be made on those minutes?

[25:11] Hearing none, I'll approve them as circulated. on the minutes from the

[25:16] public hearing of July 29th, 2026. There was a a c uh revised set of minutes

[25:23] distributed this afternoon. One of the uh speakers at the meeting was his name

[25:30] was incorrectly recorded in the minutes. Um it was Mar it was recorded as Mark

[25:36] Hogan and it's Mark Holdley and that was corrected. So with that change, are

[25:41] there any other changes anyone noticed? I'll approve those minutes as circulated

[25:47] with that correction. Special meeting of July 29th. Are there any

[25:54] corrections there? Seeing none, I'll approve those as

[25:58] circulated. And special council meeting of August 14th or August 4th. Are there

[26:03] any changes there? Hearing none, I'll approve those as circulated. We are just

[26:09] at 6:13 and I know our our presenter is here. So I'm going to move down to um

[26:16] the presentation and then we'll go back to number six. So uh we'll move to

[26:22] presentations at 8.1 which is a business hub upscaling. And I'm sorry David I I I

[26:29] don't want to butcher your name. If you if you speak if you speak French um I

[26:34] would say it's Bier. >> Okay. Welcome to our meeting and u we'll

[26:39] turn it over to you. Thank you everybody and good afternoon. Um I'm very honored

[26:46] to be here with you and to present uh to you this this work. Um

[26:52] so today I want to encourage you as MODL representatives uh to unleash our

[26:58] ambitions for the community hub and to give it uh the tools it needs to support

[27:05] our desire economic growth. Um first I will tell you who I am quickly then I

[27:10] will present three potential business hub project and finally I will conclude

[27:15] that the community hub needs a business hub coordinator alongside the hub

[27:20] coordinator to successfully lead forward thinking business development oriented

[27:26] projects.

[27:32] So first um I am a former secondary school teacher uh who taught in

[27:39] competitive innovative international schools before immigrating to MODL. Uh

[27:44] for two years I have been running innovative project on the social shore.

[27:47] I first launched a tourist uh startup developing augmented reality solution

[27:53] for cultural itineraries. I taught

[27:57] here. He taught me how challenging it is to be

[28:02] heard when you innovate and how challenging the email inbox wall is.

[28:09] Then I lead a development project with an innovative community oriented design

[28:16] in block house. Uh we are actually working on extending this concept to

[28:20] other development projects in the country.

[28:24] Meanwhile, since last year, uh, with the support of Flee LC, I have been running

[28:30] the Atlantic Drone Academy where we teach youth about flight science,

[28:34] electronic design, and drone piloting. We run a program that involve youth in

[28:40] community service by designing and piloting professional level drones.

[28:45] Therefore, I would like to share my vision as a project manager specializing

[28:50] in knowledge transmission for the community hubs business hub. And to do

[28:55] so, I would like to start with an index dot

[28:59] as an active member of the Bridgewater Chamber of Commerce. I intend I attended

[29:04] a tourism development event six months ago.

[29:08] As we discuss how to develop the tourism industry on the Southshore, a major

[29:13] concern was the lake of professional training for our workforce and the need

[29:18] to improve our workforce capacity.

[29:23] Therefore, to support the local economic growth, we need to provide professional

[29:28] development opportunities. Many online courses are useful, but none

[29:34] replace real world experience. We can design a professional design uh

[29:38] professional professional development system where workers can have their

[29:42] skill developed and certified and work on an agreement for local company to

[29:47] reward them with higher wages in a win-win agreement.

[29:57] I spent a couple of years of my career teaching at a food and beverage industry

[30:02] vocational school in France. I have seen the por of a culinary training center

[30:08] where learners where learners can pro uh p practice service and cooking in

[30:13] professional training sessions with real customers. The community hub provides a

[30:19] perfect setting for that kind of effective training. But it requires a

[30:23] strong instructional plan supported by specific educ educational skills.

[30:29] With such a professional training center, we can have a decisive impact on

[30:33] the local on the local food and beverage industry and improve reception,

[30:40] service management, and in room services.

[30:45] We could design cooking training where a chef offers a cooking class while the

[30:50] service learners practice their skills with clients in the event room.

[30:56] These classes could also serve as an exch as an exchange opportunity for our

[31:01] local chef to discover and practice new techniques, leaving us with a hope for

[31:07] new inspiring menus in our local preferred restaurants

[31:12] for new production methods to adapting to from new production methods to

[31:17] adapting to new regulations and adapt and adopting new technologies. Other

[31:22] industrial fields will also benefit from this training center.

[31:28] Organizing session of professional training tailored to our local industry

[31:32] needs and leverage local expertise will be the first part of an ambitious

[31:38] business hub program.

[31:45] The second part of this business hub program will be an incubator program.

[31:52] An incubator is uh an enterprise incubator is a collaborative program

[31:57] that helps new and growing companies by providing workspace mentorship

[32:02] and business support services. We know uh we now support the foundation

[32:10] of business development production R&D. This incub incubator program will

[32:16] support small food businesses looking to grow production capacity and hire

[32:20] employee or start businesses or starting businesses that need a

[32:25] professional kitchen to experiment. We all know small businesses that could

[32:31] begin become bigger businesses. Some need a professional kitchen to scallop

[32:36] and hire a couple of employees

[32:41] or to experiment with a recipe in a professional setting.

[32:46] Some needs the maker space to provide their creation and improve

[32:52] uh yeah to prototype their creation and improve the look of their technology

[32:56] product with 3D printed element.

[33:01] Some just need introduction to decision makers to launch our activity.

[33:07] But the investment, the design and the business plan are already maintains to

[33:11] climb for a sle proprietorship startup. If on top of the help

[33:17] they will they find within the business development agency of the community hub.

[33:23] they find a facilitator to guide them through the professional kitchen and the

[33:27] maker space and to introduce introduce them to the local network. We will

[33:33] provide crucial support to help them move forward and create employment.

[33:39] Finally, as a local entrepreneur and a volunteer in project aiming to provide

[33:44] an affordable drone for our fire department, the fear group, I would like

[33:49] to develop disruptive industry. Uh sorry I would like to underline the crucial

[33:54] role a dedicated maker space navigator can play in helping develop disruptive

[34:00] industries on the southshore. To offer full support a maker space need

[34:05] to be reliable so well-maintained available so pre-booked for last minute

[34:11] needs and guided by a knowledgeable

[34:14] technician. So user don't have to learn a new machine manual for each task.

[34:20] To deliver its full economic development potential, the community hub needs a

[34:25] full-time dedicated technician to run the business hub and guide user on the

[34:29] equipment.

[34:33] Finally, the most ambitious part, the flagship of this business hub project

[34:39] consists of building a technology innovation cluster. By launching a

[34:44] collaborative cutting edge project, we can bring together some of the largest

[34:48] companies and many smaller ones and support that growth by providing

[34:54] development and communication opportunities.

[34:57] One of the hottest topic today loudly asking for an innovative

[35:04] response is a mobility challenge with tariffs and wars affecting our

[35:10] transportations. We all we are all looking for an

[35:13] affordable reliable solution. The social as companies that can play a decisive

[35:19] role in answering this challenge and the business hub can bring them together.

[35:25] That is why I want to promote an ambitious project toward light electric

[35:30] vehicles.

[35:35] Many companies around the world have already jumped on the LEV train and are

[35:39] sharing updates of on their prototypes and first commercial models. China is

[35:45] leading the way as you can guess.

[35:50] But eur European brands are also using proxies to invest in this emerging

[35:56] market with innovative models breaking the old school design of lighter

[36:00] vehicles.

[36:03] Another example is in Canada where an innovative company use offtheshelf parts

[36:09] to offer an everyday individual year round two-wheel mode of transportation.

[36:17] These examples show you how close we are to witnessing an important evolution in

[36:23] the individual transportation industry and the opportunity that is represent

[36:27] that it represents for the social shore to become an an attractive industrial

[36:33] basin taking its place in the national effort to adapt to climate change and

[36:38] international tensions.

[36:46] By providing by providing a professional training program, an intensive extensive

[36:52] incubator program and an innovative, symbiotic and collaborative project. The

[36:58] business hub would unlock the communities hub full potential as an

[37:02] economic driver for our country. This project can be ready for public

[37:07] presentation for the community hub opening in October.

[37:11] The legal social could be a private public private partnership.

[37:15] The budget could mainly be funded by federal and provincial grants allowing

[37:20] uh alongside private sponsorship. The launch f

[37:27] would consist of designing a workflow with a community hub coordinator,

[37:31] consulting local enterprise to audit the needs for professional training and

[37:35] creating a detailed budget for the professional training center. designing

[37:40] the incubator program with the business development agencies and communicate

[37:46] communicating with entrepreneurs to share the new possibility offered by the

[37:50] community hub facility. Meeting with the local company to

[37:54] evaluate their interest in investing in the emerging lev market and their

[37:59] willingness to participate in the technology innovation cluster.

[38:03] The budget need for this launch phase will be around $10,000.

[38:08] MID Studio which I represent here uh and is willing to partner with MODL will

[38:15] fund half of this amount leaving only 5,000 for MODL to launch this initiative

[38:20] and ambition project

[38:25] as we have seen this business project needs an in instructional designer to

[38:30] create meaningful tailored professional training opportunity

[38:34] a technician to guide startups and entrepreneurs through the facility and

[38:38] materials. A representative recognized by local industries uh enterprise to

[38:45] break through the wall the email wall and provide the startups the networking

[38:49] start they need and an innovator to manage a technology innovation cluster.

[38:56] We can organize this project through a piece structure and with a small budget

[39:00] chair with partner we will refine this concept and unlock the business hub full

[39:05] potential. Thank you for your attention. Please let

[39:10] me know if you have any questions. >> Okay. Are there questions? We have time

[39:14] for a few questions.

[39:18] The the one thing I will respond to is that the the municipality has invested

[39:25] in the well tide building as you know and created the community hub and then

[39:30] we've partnered with the library to actually manage the space. And so my

[39:36] suggestion is that what you've proposed is a proposal that that should likely be

[39:41] given to the library staff because they're the ones that are going to do

[39:45] the programming there. And our budget for the the the building has gone to

[39:52] them to uh manage and and um hire the staff that they need and

[39:59] create the programming around uh what they see as needed in the community. So

[40:05] I I would my suggestion would be that this this kind of presentation and

[40:09] programming might be a fit with what they're thinking. I don't I don't know

[40:13] what that is but we have partnered with them to manage the programming and

[40:18] manage the space. Our responsibility was in uh fitting up the building which was

[40:24] not was not an insignificant amount of money $3 million three plus I think more

[40:29] than three and a half I think. I'm looking back at our director of economic

[40:33] development. um and and then we provide a budget to the library for the the

[40:39] operation of it. So I would think at this stage we really um we we wouldn't

[40:45] make any decision on funding anything tonight anyway, but my sense is we've

[40:49] made a very significant commitment to the to the building and to its operation

[40:54] through the partnership with the library. So, I would encourage you to

[40:59] talk to the library about what you're proposing as an option for how some of

[41:05] the space might be used there. I uh understand and I hear you and I will do

[41:11] that. Um I have been in touch with um what I

[41:17] would like to underline is uh this is um a full-time job uh because we need I

[41:23] think we really need a second um person to be in the community hub. Um

[41:30] managing coordinating the usage of different room and the facility is

[41:36] already a work that it will be taken on by the hub coordinator. Um and I need he

[41:43] will he she will need someone to uh run the business hub. That's the main point

[41:49] of my presentation today. Um and on the other end if we want to um

[41:57] if this program is run under the social public library it will not present the

[42:02] same way as if it's a program run by as a partnership with MODL. Um, for

[42:09] example, if I uh go to see tomorrow Mishlan and uh propose them to uh work

[42:14] on a large project like that, um do I propose them to work with the

[42:21] social public library or do I uh tell them that they can partner with a

[42:26] independent initiative uh that can grow and uh and be

[42:33] bigger than just what uh uh social public library can provide. Um and on

[42:41] the other hand, this um it needs it create a need for a very

[42:48] specific skills and uh I don't know um if the social public library can provide

[42:55] these skills. >> These become operational discussions. Uh

[43:00] and that's not what what we're what we do. Um, so that's why I'm encouraging

[43:05] you to have that conversation with the library about the programming because

[43:09] then they may find other partners that could work on this that would take it to

[43:13] the to the realm you're talking about. But these are internal things. When

[43:18] we've partnered with the library, we've given them the responsibility for

[43:21] programming and and they will work within what what proposals they have.

[43:29] And that's why I'm encouraging you to to talk to them and uh to see how this

[43:34] might fit with what they see in terms of how they can program and what other

[43:39] opportunities in terms of finding another community partner that might

[43:42] work with you or someone else on on the things that you're proposing. So I thank

[43:48] you for your presentation and we appreciate that you've taken time and

[43:52] welcome to Lunberg County even though you've been here for a couple of years.

[43:55] Um, we're glad uh we're always glad that we have newcomers that come and find a

[44:00] home here and are prepared to invest ideas and time and resources in our

[44:05] community. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you for your attention and I hope

[44:09] to have your support in my discussion with social public library. Thank you

[44:14] very much.

[44:17] » We will move back to business arising from the minutes which is number six.

[44:24] » Um, yes. So, we did have some public input at uh previous council meeting. An

[44:30] individual came forward with concerns because they had a project ready to go

[44:34] for a clean energy financing project. Uh we've since worked with clean who have

[44:39] been able to remove some of the folks who had um incompleted or stalled

[44:44] applications and so there was financial capacity to address uh that resident and

[44:48] move along some other files that were waiting for financing.

[44:56] Thank you for that update. We will move then to awarding of tenders and RFPs.

[45:01] 7.1 snow removal services on municipal

[45:06] properties. Mr. Burgess and Mr. Richardson.

[45:20] Good evening, Mayor Council. Um,

[45:34] oh boy.

[45:38] Municipality of Lunenburgg and district maintains numerous municipally owned

[45:42] facilities and wastewater infrastructure. These municip municipal

[45:46] properties require maintenance during the winter months to ensure they can be

[45:49] used safely by tenants, residents, and staff.

[45:56] » Oh, okay. I was I was hearing it. >> Councelor Mo wasn't hearing it.

[46:03] » Yeah, I understand. Sorry, Kathy. Um this work includes plowing of snow on

[46:10] both gravel both paved and gravel surfaces with the application of salt

[46:15] and sand. Ensuring this work is complete prompt promptly following winter weather

[46:20] events allows for safe continued use of properties and infrastructure throughout

[46:25] the winter.

[46:28] This tender was issued on August the 6th and closed on August the 20th at 2:00.

[46:35] One submission was received by the tender deadline. The submission is some

[46:40] the submission was from a Gearhart property improvements.

[46:44] The snow and ice removal services for property for municipal properties were

[46:49] included in the 2627 operating budget. The estimated cost of the Gearhart

[46:55] property has submitted is within MODL's council for approved operating budget.

[47:04] This tend the tender snow removal services for municipal property closed

[47:09] August 22nd received one submission by the tender closing date and the

[47:13] estimated cost of the submission is within the municipal operating budget

[47:18] which I just said. Council authorized. The recommendation is council authorized

[47:23] staff to award the tender TW 20261001

[47:28] snow removal services for municipal properties

[47:32] to um

[47:36] 305138 Nova Scotia Limited Gear Hart Property

[47:40] Improvement for the estimated cost of $346,97487

[47:47] including net HST.

[47:51] Are there any questions? Uh, councelor. >> Yes. I'm just wondering who was doing

[47:56] the work before with its and I'm assuming we're very satisfied with their

[48:03] work that they've been doing. >> We are. We have them trained very well

[48:07] now.

[48:11] » Councelor Oracle, do you want to put this motion on the floor?

[48:14] » Certainly. To Mayor Mlan Wild and members of

[48:18] council, I move that municipal council award tender 20261001

[48:24] snow removal services for municipal properties 2026 to 2029

[48:31] to 3051389 Nova Scotia Limited Ghart Properties

[48:36] Improvement for the estimated cost of $346,97487

[48:43] including net HST. I so move >> and a seconder for the motion. Seconded

[48:48] by deputy mayor Venino. Is there discussion on the motion?

[48:53] All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[48:57] unanimously. We'll move to 7.2 which is the award of

[49:02] tender 265004 Mushamush Road upgrades.

[49:08] Good evening mayor and council. Uh Jamie and I are here filling in for uh Steven

[49:12] Pace, director of engineering and public works. um for the request for decision.

[49:16] Tender 20265004 Mushmush Beach Park Road upgrades.

[49:23] Uh tender 2026 05004 Mushmush Beach Park upgrades was issued on July 29th, 2026

[49:29] and closed at 2 p.m. on August 12th, 2026.

[49:32] Five submissions were received by the tender deadline. Uh only three

[49:36] submissions were compliant of those five. The compliance submissions are

[49:39] summarized in the table below. Um the 2026 2027 capital budget includes the

[49:45] project this project with a total capital budget amount of $250,000.

[49:50] The lowest submission of $555,346 for this work exceeds the total budget

[49:56] amount approved by council. Uh due to the nature of of the road

[50:02] work, access to the park will be interrupted during construction and will

[50:05] require notification to park users and residents of a municipal park regarding

[50:09] any closures.

[50:14] Uh, as a possible recommendation, um, council to not award tender 20265004

[50:21] Mushmush Beach Park Road upgrades project and that council direct staff to

[50:25] explore other methods of upgrade of upgrading the Mushmush Beach Park Road

[50:30] utilizing internal resources and service providers on the municipal general road

[50:34] maintenance tender. >> Thank you. Do we Oh,

[50:40] » Mr. Burgess, did you want to add anything? No, I think I'm good with

[50:43] that. >> Okay, if you just turn your mic off.

[50:45] » Sorry. >> Uh, are there questions? Councelor

[50:48] Smith,

[50:51] » I'm just wondering um why the um why the lowest tender is is, you know, double

[51:00] the amount that we estimated. Is it um

[51:06] Yeah. Did we underestimate the costs or um or are these are these bids um

[51:14] I don't want to say inflated but overly large? Um and do we think that we

[51:22] do we then think that we can do it for the 250,000

[51:29] um through other means?

[51:34] So um as you can see a key factor in these bid pricing is their variability.

[51:42] Um so we have a huge range between the um the value of work according to the

[51:49] different biders. Um we have uh completed some work in the

[51:55] past uh capital budget cycles where our own staff has have acted as a general

[52:00] contractor and use things like our road maintenance um contracts to get that

[52:05] work done and it has always been significantly cheaper than when we um

[52:10] procure the whole thing. Um so this is a a case where it appears that the

[52:16] variability in the public bidding process is not providing best value for

[52:21] the municipality. So we should proceed with a alternative approach.

[52:30] follow-up question and um uh it may be recreation staff that's better suited to

[52:36] answer this one, but we had been looking at some um some means of closing off um

[52:45] uh ATV access into the park after hours or um through other means other than um

[52:53] vehicle access other than through the main road. uh is will that also be put

[52:59] off until um this road work is um is done

[53:08] or because I my understanding was that it was all going to be done at the same

[53:13] time. Um, will we be moving forward with um any um measures around gates before

[53:21] the road work is done or can I still expect that they'll be done at the same

[53:25] time?

[53:31] It would be our intentions to have uh Andrea, our parks manager, to work with

[53:36] engineering to see if we can come up with a solution for the gates at the

[53:39] same time as the road because it does make sense to try to pull it all

[53:44] together. Just waiting on the direction of council's decision tonight around the

[53:50] parks road. Other questions?

[53:55] Would someone propose the motion then? Councelor Smith.

[54:02] » To Mayor and members of council, I move that municipal council not award tender

[54:08] 20265004 Mashamash Beach Park Road upgrades

[54:13] project and further that staff explore other methods for upgrading the

[54:18] Mushamash Beach Park using internal resources and service providers listed

[54:22] in the municipal general road maintenance tender.

[54:27] Seconded by councelor Bell. Is there discussion on the motion?

[54:32] All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[54:36] unanimously. Thank you. 7.3 which Mr. Waters award of maker

[54:44] space equipment for the community hub.

[54:52] » Uh thank you worship and council. The memo is from Mark, but he's off this

[54:56] week, so I am here for Mark. Um, it's, uh, the memo is in relation to some of

[55:02] the maker space equipment. Uh, we did a, uh, scope with CDW, which is under the

[55:09] kinetic GO uh, agreement that we have for purchasing. Uh, we have a list of

[55:14] items that we're able to get from CDW. Uh if you wish I can go through the

[55:20] items but the total is 35,49,000.

[55:24] Uh it fits within the budget that was uh set uh to do those items. I will say

[55:31] that we were successful in a grant through AKOA to cover most of the cost

[55:37] for the items uh in the maker space. So we will be using the AKOA grant to help

[55:43] offset those expenses. Um, and if you have any questions, I'm happy to try to

[55:50] answer. >> Any questions? Oh, councelor Hubley,

[55:56] » do you have an amount on the grant? >> Let me take uh

[55:59] » No. >> No. Okay, good.

[56:04] I was going to say not really yet, but Tom said no.

[56:08] » Okay, >> other questions.

[56:13] Would

[56:20] someone put the motion on the floor? >> I'm just wondering if we should say why

[56:24] we can't say >> because we've made an application and

[56:27] that until the that can be announced, we can't speak about it.

[56:30] » Okay. Yeah. Because I'm sure somebody that was listening is like, well, why

[56:34] can't they? So, thank you very much for saying the reason why. Thank you.

[56:39] » Would someone put the motion on the floor, please?

[56:42] Moved by councelor Hubley, seconded by the motion.

[56:47] » Yes, you read the motion first. I was >> Thank you.

[56:50] » I was already skipping. No. >> To Mayor Mlan While and members of

[56:54] council, I move that municipal council award the purchase of the community hub

[56:58] maker space equipment to CDW Canada, Inc. using the Connecticut GPO system in

[57:05] the amount of $35,49

[57:10] excluding HST. and a seconder for the motion. Seconded

[57:15] by councelor Burns. Is there further discussion on the motion?

[57:19] All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[57:24] unanimously. Thank you. We will move along. There is no

[57:29] correspondence for consideration this evening. We'll move down to an

[57:34] recommendations from committees and boards. Planning advisory committee

[57:37] 10.1.1. Miss Young and Mr. Merrill.

[58:08] Good evening, mayor and councel. My name is Rosemary Young and I'm a planner one

[58:12] with the municipality of the district of Lunenburgg. Today I'm presenting

[58:16] proposed amendments to the Osprey Village secondary planning strategy and

[58:20] land use bylaw affecting PID 66310009.

[58:27] The presentation will provide some background on the proposal, summarize

[58:30] public stake and public and stakeholder feedback, review the planning analysis,

[58:35] and conclude with staff's recommendation.

[58:40] In short, staff are seeking council's approval of the proposed secondary

[58:44] planning strategy and land use bylaw amendments and direction to schedule a

[58:49] public hearing as the next step in the process.

[58:52] As a reminder, CA council initiated this amendment process in April 2026.

[58:58] Following council's direction on April 14th, 2026, staff conducted public

[59:02] engagement, consulted with internal and external stakeholders, and presented the

[59:07] proposed amendments to the planning advisory committee.

[59:10] On July 23rd, 2026, the planning advisory committee recommended that

[59:15] council approve the proposed amendments. If council chooses to proceed with the

[59:20] motions and conduct first reading today, the next step would be a public hearing

[59:24] followed by a consideration of second reading.

[59:28] So the subject property is PID 66310009, a municipally owned parcel located

[59:35] within Osprey Village. The site is currently designated residential and

[59:39] zoned for highdensity residential within the Osprey Village secondary planning

[59:43] strategy and land use bylaw. It is located near existing institutional and

[59:48] commercial uses including the center scaler darif sud. The property is

[59:54] currently vacant. The primary reason for the amendments is

[59:58] that the planning assumptions for the property have changed. When the property

[1:00:01] was zoned for highdensity residential, it was anticipated that municipal water

[1:00:05] and sewer services would be extended to the area. Those serving servicing plans

[1:00:10] at the time of the report are no longer being pursued. So without central

[1:00:14] services, it is unlikely that the site could support the densities required by

[1:00:18] the existing highdensity residential zone. Staff are therefore of the opinion

[1:00:23] that the existing zoning no longer aligns with the servicing realities of

[1:00:26] the property and that a more flexible planning framework is warranted to

[1:00:31] enhance development potential. The proposed amendments would permit a wider

[1:00:35] range of uses while also retaining a portion of the property as open space.

[1:00:41] So this slide summarizes the amendments being considered. At a high level, the

[1:00:45] proposal would redesate the property from residential to enterprise and

[1:00:50] community designations and reszone it from highdensity residential to general

[1:00:54] commercial and open space. The amendments would also include sight

[1:00:58] specific exemptions permitting development with on-site services and

[1:01:02] removing the minimum residential density requirement that currently applies in

[1:01:06] the general commercial zone. staff believe these amendments better reflect

[1:01:10] the property servicing constraints while preserving flexibility for future use

[1:01:15] and as mentioned uh retaining open space.

[1:01:19] So this slide illustrates the proposed amendments to the generalized future

[1:01:23] land use map. Under the proposal, a portion of the property would be

[1:01:27] redesated to the enterprise designation to support uses permitted within that

[1:01:32] designation while the remainder would be redesated to community to facilitate

[1:01:36] open space uses. Similar changes are proposed to the

[1:01:41] zoning map. The highdensity residential zone that applies to the property would

[1:01:45] be replaced with the general commercial zone and the open space zone.

[1:01:51] And this zone highlights uh what's permitted in the general commercial

[1:01:55] zone. So it does permit a wide variety of commercial and residential uses as

[1:01:59] well as institutional uses. Importantly, develop in this development in this zone

[1:02:04] is subject to site plan approval and site plan approval requirements address

[1:02:09] matters such as landscaping, buffering, parking, pedestrian movement, and storm

[1:02:14] water management. There are also architectural controls in the general

[1:02:18] commercial zone. So, these requirements provide an additional layer of review

[1:02:22] and help address many of the concerns that were raised during public

[1:02:25] engagement that were cited in the report.

[1:02:29] It's also worth noting that residential development remains a permitted use

[1:02:32] within the general commercial zone. While the proposed amendments would

[1:02:35] allow commercial uses, they do not eliminate the possibility of housing on

[1:02:39] the site. Rather, they establish a more flexible zoning framework um that can

[1:02:44] accommodate a wider range of future land use opportunities.

[1:02:49] And the open space zone is intended to preserve land for recreation,

[1:02:52] conservation, and community oriented use. The zone significantly limits

[1:02:56] future development and ensures that a portion of the property remains

[1:02:59] dedicated for open space purposes. So, as mentioned, staff conducted public

[1:03:05] engagement and received both verbal and written feedback. Residents raised

[1:03:09] concerns about wetland production, drainage, community character, and the

[1:03:13] potential form of the future development. Concerns were also raised

[1:03:17] regarding the amount of green space retained and the long-term implications

[1:03:21] of developing the site. It is worth noting that many of the comments from

[1:03:25] the public focused on the potential future development outcomes rather than

[1:03:28] concerns about the pros land use amendments themselves.

[1:03:33] Staff al also consulted with a range of internal departments and external

[1:03:37] agencies. Key concerns focused on traffic and school safety, environmental

[1:03:42] impacts, compatibility with nearby uses, and uncertainty regarding future

[1:03:46] development. At the same time, several stakeholders identified other

[1:03:50] considerations, including the adequacy of fire protection services, the absence

[1:03:55] of municipal servicing costs, and the value of retaining a portion of the

[1:03:59] property's open space. These comments helped inform staff's overall analysis

[1:04:04] and recommendation. So after reviewing the proposal against

[1:04:09] the applicable planning policies and considering public and stakeholder

[1:04:14] feedback, staff are satisfied that the proposed amendments make sense from a

[1:04:18] planning perspective. The existing zoning no longer reflects the serving

[1:04:22] assumptions that informed its adoption and the proposed zoning framework is

[1:04:26] more practical and flexible while continuing to provide development

[1:04:29] controls through the site plan approval mechanism and through architectural

[1:04:33] controls um as well as through rem remaining

[1:04:37] retaining open space and in addition identified wetlands are subject to

[1:04:41] setback requirements that provide further uh protection.

[1:04:46] So in conclusion, planning staff are of the opinion that the amendments reflect

[1:04:49] current service servicing realities, provide a more appropriate land use

[1:04:54] framework for the property, and balance development flexibility with the

[1:04:57] retention of open space. Accordingly, planning staff recommend that council

[1:05:01] approve the proposed amendments and schedule a public hearing. Um, thank you

[1:05:06] and happy to take any questions. >> We'll open it up for questions before we

[1:05:11] move to putting the motion on the floor. Are there questions?

[1:05:18] Councelor Smith.

[1:05:23] » Um during the land use planning process, we made some changes to some properties

[1:05:29] in the area, the proposed zoning for um areas that were uh designated as RU2.

[1:05:39] And then we said, well, actually these are likely to get servicing. So, we

[1:05:45] changed them to mixeduse service servicing zone. And so, I'm just

[1:05:51] wondering if you can help me understand like why did we why do we

[1:05:57] why do we um assume that those properties will get servicing but this

[1:06:02] one won't? I'm just trying to understand um

[1:06:08] kind of the future of our infrastructure, how we're thinking about

[1:06:13] it because it feels like that conflicts a bit, but maybe not. I would just like

[1:06:17] to hear um

[1:06:22] why it appears to conflict, I guess. >> Yeah. So, uh

[1:06:29] the um agricultural uh stuff that we looked at

[1:06:34] in like draft three of the municipalwide plan, uh those zones didn't impact into

[1:06:42] Osprey Village because there's already land use planning there. Uh but we

[1:06:47] looked at a report for um uh like we have a water uh report that shows where

[1:06:56] uh the central water can be serviced. Uh which

[1:07:01] you know central sewer is really at the end of the day up to the municipality

[1:07:05] and how much funds that the municipality would like to spend to service certain

[1:07:11] areas. Uh we've got you know what has changed when this was originally uh set

[1:07:18] up that for the zoning changed to highdensity residential the thought was

[1:07:23] that it would be able to be serviced with the central uh sewer and water. Uh

[1:07:31] but you know after looking at uh the cost of servicing uh you know doing an

[1:07:39] additional phase to our sewer system uh it's more cost effective if we invest in

[1:07:45] another uh system in another municipality that we get much more much

[1:07:53] a lot more units um for the money that for the same amount of money that you

[1:07:59] would spend to upgrade grade here. Uh but in the other areas, the difference

[1:08:03] is the central water um component is really what drove the the servicing

[1:08:10] in the municipalwide planning document.

[1:08:18] » So just to clarify, so no waste water um is sewer no sewer services. That's

[1:08:24] that's kind of the the um the difference is that there might be water available

[1:08:32] but not sewer. >> Yes, there there might be water but in

[1:08:35] our when we looked at um the the phasing and what parcels are in which phases?

[1:08:43] This parcel was in a future phase which would require

[1:08:48] Tom can correct me if I'm wrong, but this was a additional 20 million

[1:08:54] $25 million investment um to our current $20 million upgrade.

[1:09:11] » Are there Is that clear, Councelor Smith? You still

[1:09:18] » Yeah. Yeah. I I That's That's fine. Thank you.

[1:09:22] Are there other questions? Would someone put the motion on the

[1:09:27] floor?

[1:09:32] » Put one the one mo motion number one because I believe there are two. To

[1:09:36] Mayor Mlan Wild and members of council, I move that municipal council accept the

[1:09:41] recommendation of the planning advisory committee and give notice of its intent

[1:09:46] to approve bylaw 020H amendments to the Osprey Village

[1:09:52] Secondary Planning Strategy 2026 and the bylaw 021J.

[1:09:58] Amendments to the Osprey Village land use bylaw 2026 amending bylaw 2020 020

[1:10:06] excuse me and bylaw 021 both dated August the 20th 2025 and I so move and a

[1:10:15] seconder for the motion seconded by councelor Burns. Is there discussion on

[1:10:20] the motion? All those in favor signify by raising

[1:10:24] their hands. Motion is carried unanimously.

[1:10:28] Could we have the second motion? Councelor Okel, would you like to bring

[1:10:32] that forward? >> Sure, I can continue. Um, to Mayor

[1:10:35] McLean, Wild and members of council, I move that municipal council set a date

[1:10:38] and time for the public hearing on October the 13th, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

[1:10:45] regarding its intention to approve the proposed amendments to the Osprey

[1:10:49] Village secondary planning strategy bylaw 20

[1:10:53] bylaw 020 and the Osprey Village use bylaw bylaw

[1:10:59] 021 dated August the 20th 2025 and a seconder for the motion councelor

[1:11:06] Burns. Is there discussion on the motion? All those in favor signify by

[1:11:11] raising their hands. Motion is carried unanimously. Thank you.

[1:11:19] We will move then to staff reports 11.1.1

[1:11:25] which is designated community fund the Lunenburgg yacht club. Miss Payne.

[1:11:36] » Yes. Good evening Mayor and council. Uh, as council can recall this year, uh,

[1:11:41] you've approved an application under the designated community fund for the

[1:11:45] Lunberg Yacht Club providing them the ability to purchase additional

[1:11:50] participant and coaches boats for their learn to sail program. So, recently we

[1:11:55] have received 21 donations totaling $59,550.

[1:12:02] Um and staff are recommending that uh the municipality grant the Lunberg Yacht

[1:12:08] Club 55 59,445 of the funds that we received. Um $15

[1:12:16] would um stay with the municipality as we do charge a slight administration fee

[1:12:21] through the designated community fund. Um just a little bit of reminder, the

[1:12:25] designated community fund project or project fund was established by council

[1:12:30] some time ago to support groups um in their fundraising efforts who uh cannot

[1:12:36] uh award charitable tax receipts. And so this is one of those uh policies or

[1:12:42] methods that the municipality has put in place to support community um in doing

[1:12:47] the great things that they do. >> Okay. Okay. Are there questions,

[1:12:53] Councelor Dong? No. You You want to put the motion on the floor? Thank you.

[1:13:00] » Uh to Mayor, members of council, I move that municipal council grant the Lunberg

[1:13:05] Yacht Club $59,445 as per the criteria outlined in policy

[1:13:11] 048 designated community project fund. I move and a seconder. Seconded by

[1:13:17] councelor Bell. Any discussion on the motion?

[1:13:21] All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[1:13:25] unanimously. Thank you.

[1:13:30] We will move to administration and 11.2.1 which is a service agreement

[1:13:37] regarding animal control services and impound facilities.

[1:13:42] » Mr. Kennedy. >> Thank you madame mayor and councel. Um

[1:13:45] so before you was uh the renewal for the animal control services with the

[1:13:50] municipality and district of Chester um with uh Ocean K9 Resort as the the key

[1:13:56] component to that. Um Chester put out their bids and they were the only

[1:14:02] proponent that put the proposal in. So so there was no review process. They

[1:14:06] were given the award through Chester. So this is just um another five-year

[1:14:10] extension of our current um agreement that we have with Chester. So, uh, we

[1:14:15] had this same company for the last 5 years prior to this. It ran out in, um,

[1:14:20] January of, uh, this year, and this, this project would go until 3031, uh,

[1:14:25] 2031. So, they're looking for $4,000 per month exclusive of HST and 10% admin

[1:14:33] fee.

[1:14:37] » Questions on this? Deputy Mayor Venino,

[1:14:43] » with the monthly cost of 4,000 per month, does that ever go up depending on

[1:14:47] the level of service that's needed from modal or no matter what, it's always

[1:14:52] 4,000 whether they respond to zero calls or 50 calls?

[1:14:55] » Yeah. So, currently it's a $4,000 a month for that 5year term. So, it won't

[1:14:59] go up in the month or it won't go down. So, we're we're the bulk of the service

[1:15:04] for that right now. There was 115 calls for service for modl and 45 I believe it

[1:15:10] was for Chester. So we're the biggest chunk of the user.

[1:15:15] » Councelor Dong and just on that thread if if we are the

[1:15:20] biggest user uh why why is it operated through Chester uh and not

[1:15:27] » that's a very good question. Um so there's a few answers to that. one, we

[1:15:31] do not have our own impound or facility uh with staffing to operate that kind of

[1:15:37] operation. So, he has um a pretty large facility down there that um that is

[1:15:43] staffed and you know they look after animals that are impounded and things

[1:15:46] like that. Um we don't have such a availability in our district right now.

[1:15:52] Um plus you need bylaw enforcement officers and we have none of those right

[1:15:56] now either. So there'd be um considerably more cost involved if you

[1:16:00] had to put all those different things in place to make it a viable operation.

[1:16:07] » Other questions? So councelor Bell.

[1:16:14] » So what we're actually approving is $240,000

[1:16:20] over five years. For the purposes of transparency, I would like that figure

[1:16:26] spoken about today. I have no discussion about it, but I

[1:16:31] feel that the motion should have that in brackets.

[1:16:35] » Fair point.

[1:16:40] » Councelor Bell, do you want that recorded in the in the in the motion or

[1:16:45] is it having publicly stated it? Is that adequate? just publicly stating it. I I

[1:16:52] I know people are watching from home. I also know that uh individuals refer to

[1:16:59] these minutes. I just want the true figure known and that's fine with me.

[1:17:08] » Would you like to propose the motion? >> I can.

[1:17:14] » Thank you.

[1:17:18] to Mayor Mlan Wild and members of modl council.

[1:17:24] I move that municipal council enter into a service agreement with the

[1:17:29] municipality of the district of Chester for the provision of animal control

[1:17:35] services and impound facilities for the period of August 1st, 2026

[1:17:44] to July 31st, 2031 at a cost of $4,000 per month exclusive

[1:17:54] of HST plus an administration fee of 10% and

[1:18:00] authorize the execution of same. Thank you.

[1:18:06] » And seconder for the motion seconded by councelor Dong. Um I just

[1:18:12] have one just a clarification. So the 10% covers if a dog is impounded

[1:18:20] is that 10% does that cover the cost of keeping that dog? Like I I'm from

[1:18:28] reading them the the the background to this. I wasn't sure whether that was

[1:18:32] part of the 4,000. >> My understanding is when it's when a dog

[1:18:35] is impounded that that um fee is is put over to the owner to pay that impound

[1:18:40] fee, but I could be wrong. the the administrative fee is Chester's cost for

[1:18:46] administering the contract. So, you're entering into an agreement with Chester

[1:18:50] to provide the service. Chester takes care of all of the procurement work and

[1:18:54] the contract management. So, there as we do with other services that we're

[1:19:00] involved in where we're the host unit, we usually charge some administrative

[1:19:03] amount. I it it just wasn't clear when I was

[1:19:07] reading it and I may not have read it well enough uh to understand what that

[1:19:12] 10% covered. I I I expected there would be administrative fee because they

[1:19:17] tender for things and maintain the contracts, but I didn't know how the

[1:19:20] animals are managed and they find places for them and make sure that that's done

[1:19:26] and that's >> their their contractor has those

[1:19:30] facilities. >> Okay, I'm clear now. Any other Deputy

[1:19:34] Mayor Venino? >> And just on to that, I noticed in the uh

[1:19:38] agenda package, it says that the fee does not cover any emergency medical

[1:19:42] care or euthanization or other fees. So, would we be build separate for that at

[1:19:48] the time or does that come at the end of the contract?

[1:19:53] » Um I don't really have a 100% answer for that, but I would I would have to look

[1:19:57] into that. But I would say that they would be build as required uh when they

[1:20:02] if that has to happen. I can't see them putting them off and

[1:20:06] and Alex unless you have something further to that.

[1:20:08] » I believe that's the the fees that you were speaking about which are charged to

[1:20:13] the animal owner. So those aren't incurred by the municipality.

[1:20:20] » Anything else anyone wants to ask? Uh we have um do we have it on the

[1:20:28] floor? Do we have it moved and seconded? >> Yeah.

[1:20:32] » All those

[1:20:36] second. >> Yeah.

[1:20:40] » It's a lot of motions tonight. Is there any other discussion on the motion

[1:20:45] hearing? None. All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion

[1:20:50] is carried unanimously. Thank you. >> Thank you for that.

[1:20:55] We'll move on to uh JClass Road subdivision street paving Darby's Head

[1:21:00] Road tender cost approval. This should be short and sweet.

[1:21:05] » Uh thank you mayor. Yes, it uh it should be both short and relatively sweet. Um

[1:21:11] so the uh the province has provided us with notice of an increase in the cost

[1:21:15] of the paving for Darby's Head Road. The original estimate was $200,000. The

[1:21:20] tender amount is 242,000. Our new cost share amount is 121,000 up

[1:21:26] from 100,000. And before they can proceed, the um province requires us to

[1:21:32] indicate that we are okay and consenting to the increased cost. Uh and if council

[1:21:39] is in favor of that, we would ask for motion to be passed and then the mayor

[1:21:43] um would execute the um the very short letter that the province has provided

[1:21:48] for us. We would return that to um Miss Cunningham at the Department of

[1:21:53] Transportation Public Works and the province will continue with the uh the

[1:21:56] plan paving of Darby's Head Road. >> Deputy Mayor Vino, would you like to

[1:22:01] move this please? >> Happily. Yes. To Mayor Mlan While and

[1:22:06] members of council, I move that municipal council accept the new cost

[1:22:10] share amount of 121,000 for the paving of Darby's Head Road as

[1:22:17] per cost share agreement 2023-015

[1:22:22] Jclass subdivision street paving project and authorize the execution of same and

[1:22:29] I so move and a seconded by councelor Dong. Is there discussion on the motion?

[1:22:35] All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[1:22:39] unanimously. We'll move on to policy 109, closure of

[1:22:43] public streets. PID number 60742368

[1:22:49] and PID number 60742376. Mr. Merrill.

[1:22:55] » Yes. And can Tina, can you put the my computer up on the screen?

[1:23:06] All right. So, the two uh road reserves uh are undeveloped. Uh they're in the

[1:23:13] municipality. There are in the Meldrum Concordia Drive area uh shown on that

[1:23:19] circle. There's it zoomed in a little bit further and it's the two areas

[1:23:26] outlined in this red square boxes. Uh so these are

[1:23:31] uh were acquired. So under our subdivision bylaw when uh subdivisions

[1:23:36] happen, our subdivision bylaw has a clause that requires adjacent

[1:23:43] uh access every 400 meters along uh a road and that's to uh get access to

[1:23:51] adjacent properties for future development.

[1:23:54] Uh back in 2018, the municipality

[1:24:00] revised their subdivision bylaw and council uh decided to no longer take on

[1:24:06] new public roads. And if you take on new public roads that you would review them

[1:24:11] on a case-byase basis, looking for, you know, the financial sustainability of

[1:24:17] owning and maintaining those public streets.

[1:24:21] uh because once you take them, you have them for a long time. Uh these are

[1:24:27] currently undeveloped. Uh the adjacent property owner, so the large I don't

[1:24:32] think you can can't see my mouse on that, but it's the large one on my left,

[1:24:38] your right when you're looking at that. Uh

[1:24:43] yes, your left as well. Sorry. uh the large parcel the property owner

[1:24:48] is uh interested in doing a development there uh and is interested in acquiring

[1:24:55] the properties from the municipality and developing them as uh private uh roads

[1:25:01] that would be constructed uh that will enable them to subdivide their property.

[1:25:07] Um if they're not private roads to

[1:25:10] subdivide, then it has to be public, which means we would have to build and

[1:25:15] uh maintain those roads. Uh the policy in front of you today, we're

[1:25:23] looking for council to give uh municipal council 7 days notice uh to approve the

[1:25:30] policy. So, uh, this policy, uh, would allow you to close, uh, these two

[1:25:38] undeveloped street reserves under the municipal government act. You can do

[1:25:43] that by policy. Uh, you can do it without a public hearing when the

[1:25:49] municipal engineer has declared the parcels surplus and that their value is

[1:25:54] less than $50,000. Uh so in this case both of those parcels

[1:25:59] have been declared surplus by our municipal engineer and their value is

[1:26:03] estimated at less than $50,000. Uh

[1:26:09] once this policy passes uh that would enable the municipality to devest of the

[1:26:14] parcels which you do have a policy for land devestature

[1:26:19] um which would would require you to declare uh council declare the land

[1:26:25] surplus uh and also decide on the method to devest of those properties. uh which

[1:26:32] there is a policy or a clause in that policy that allows council to sell land

[1:26:38] uh to abuing land owners uh pursuant to section 51A of the municipal government

[1:26:43] act and that section of the MGA basically states where a municipality

[1:26:49] holds land that is of insufficient size or de dimensions to be capable of

[1:26:55] any reasonable use in the opinion of council all or part of the land may be

[1:27:00] sold to the owner of any abuing uh land owner. Uh staff's proposing that uh when

[1:27:09] you adopt this policy that you then devest of the parcels uh using that

[1:27:15] section of the municipal government act. Uh

[1:27:21] yeah, so staff recommends you declare the lands surplus uh dispose of them per

[1:27:27] the policy. Uh so your first step would be to give seven days notice that you

[1:27:33] will consider this uh this policy at your September 22nd

[1:27:38] 2026 council meeting. >> Okay. Are there questions on this?

[1:27:51] Would someone put the motion on the floor then please?

[1:27:58] Councelor Burns >> to Mayor Mlan while and members of

[1:28:03] council. I move that municipal account municipal council approve policy 109

[1:28:08] closure of certain public streets PIDs 60742368

[1:28:14] and 60742376 as presented and give 7 days notice of

[1:28:20] its intention to approve the policy at the September 22nd, 2026 council

[1:28:25] meeting. Is there a seconder for the motion?

[1:28:31] Seconded by councelor Hubley. Is there discussion on the motion?

[1:28:37] Hearing none. All those in favor signify by raising their hands.

[1:28:41] Motion is carried unanimously. Thank you.

[1:28:47] We will move then to planning and development reports and activities and

[1:28:53] 11.3.1 which is energize together regional energy navigation service

[1:28:59] agreements a B.

[1:29:09] Good evening uh mayor and council. Um the report before you today is about the

[1:29:15] energize together essentially regional home energy navigation service that we

[1:29:19] are hoping to establish in partnership with our neighboring municipality town

[1:29:23] of Bridgewater. Um the purpose of the service is to

[1:29:27] provide uh one local point of contact and make it easier for residents uh to

[1:29:32] understand what home energy programs are available out there uh what financing

[1:29:36] incentives may be available and help them navigate through the process. uh

[1:29:41] should they need assistance. A little bit of a background. So the service

[1:29:44] builds upon the navigation model um through town of Bridgewater's own

[1:29:49] energized Bridgewater home upgrade program which was funded through federal

[1:29:54] smart cities challenge uh funds. The project itself concluded in March of

[1:30:00] 2026. Um and as part of this transition, town and MODL, town of Bridgewater and

[1:30:06] MODL have been working together to adapt the navigation model and create it into

[1:30:10] a regional uh navigation service uh that could be available to residents of both

[1:30:16] municipalities. Uh the federal funder has approved the use of remaining smart

[1:30:21] cities challenge funding to support this transition uh including funding for the

[1:30:26] regional navigation service as well as additional home energy upgrades. uh

[1:30:30] Bridgewater Council uh authorized their CEO to execute the three agreements um

[1:30:37] attached to this report uh on August 10th uh as staff uh now are now seeking

[1:30:44] the same authorization from MODL council. How the service will work? Uh

[1:30:48] basically MODL will administer the regional service through our existing

[1:30:53] climate action corner which is Skila sitting beside me. uh she will serve as

[1:30:57] the energy navigator role uh and will guide the residents. Uh so navigator

[1:31:02] essentially will be the primary contact point of contact for residents and

[1:31:06] depending on their circumstances the navigator will help identify the

[1:31:09] appropriate programs explain eligibility requirements for different programs um

[1:31:14] documents gathering uh assisting with the applications and explain um how to

[1:31:20] go around and navigate the process and residents will not uh need to know which

[1:31:25] program they qualify in advance or before contacting us. uh this is an

[1:31:30] important part of the service. They can uh essentially reach out to us and uh

[1:31:34] the navigator will then help them uh understand their options. Uh the three

[1:31:38] agreements uh attached to the report before council establish the service

[1:31:43] delivery program coordination and the supplemental incentive arrangements that

[1:31:47] is required to um establish this service and launch uh energize together. Uh the

[1:31:53] first agreement uh is the intermunicipal service agreement that is between MODL

[1:31:58] and town of Bridgewater. Uh that establishes MODL as the administrative

[1:32:03] lead for the service and sets out the service staffing funding reporting and

[1:32:09] oversight arrangements. Uh the navigation agreement runs until March uh

[1:32:14] 31st 2028. Uh the second agreement is the program coordination agreement with

[1:32:19] efficiency 1 or E1 in short. Uh this establishes how the navigator,

[1:32:24] municipalities and E1 will coordinate applications, information sharing uh

[1:32:29] file progression and reporting. Uh and it is also very important to emphasize

[1:32:34] that energize together is not intended to replace efficiency uh one. Uh the

[1:32:39] residents can still continue to apply uh their programs directly and eligibility

[1:32:44] decisions still remain uh with efficiency one. uh our role is to help

[1:32:49] residents navigate and access those programs.

[1:32:53] Uh the third agreement is the supplemental home upgrade incentives

[1:32:57] agreement that is between uh clean foundation and two municipal units. Uh

[1:33:01] this establishes how the additional funding will be used to support eligible

[1:33:05] home upgrades uh that may not be fully uh addressed through existing programs.

[1:33:11] Um there is also a separate uh so the supplementary actually the home upgrade

[1:33:15] incentives uh there's a separate agreement that has been signed between

[1:33:19] town of pitchwater and clean foundation uh which is around $410,000 that is the

[1:33:24] remaining funds that uh through their smart cities challenge fund that will be

[1:33:29] made available as uh part of this uh program and it will be provided as a

[1:33:33] supplemental uh home energy upgrades incentives for eligible residents for

[1:33:38] both municipalities. Um, in terms of financial implications,

[1:33:43] no additional MODL funding is requested through this report. Uh, Town of

[1:33:47] Bridgewater will provide $100,000 towards the navigation services over the

[1:33:52] 2-year period. Uh, it will also provide additional $25,000 for advertising,

[1:33:57] promotion, and outreach. Uh, over the same period. Um in terms of

[1:34:02] communication um following the execution of the agreement staff will complete the

[1:34:07] remaining launch activities. Uh they will coordinate with town and program

[1:34:11] partners on service delivery and public communications.

[1:34:15] Um in terms of alternatives, council could uh defer authorization of one or

[1:34:21] more agreements pending additional information. uh council may decline to

[1:34:25] authorize one or more of the agreements and council may provide other direction

[1:34:29] as deemed appropriate. Um in conclusion, energize together uh we are hoping to

[1:34:35] make it easier for our residents to access u available home energy

[1:34:39] efficiency programs, financing and supports. Um and by helping residents

[1:34:44] navigate through the process, overcome uh any of the administrative barriers or

[1:34:49] challenges. Uh the three agreements have already been undergone uh through legal

[1:34:53] and insurance review uh and staff recommend that council authorize uh our

[1:34:58] CEO to execute the agreement so that we can proceed with the um establishment of

[1:35:04] the regional uh navigation service and I'm happy to take questions.

[1:35:09] » Questions from council. Councelor Smith,

[1:35:15] thanks so much for the presentation. There's so much work behind this. It's

[1:35:19] pretty incredible. All the agreements and the details of the relationships.

[1:35:26] Um, one thing I'm wondering is about the 2028

[1:35:31] closeout. Um, is there and pardon me if if this

[1:35:37] was already addressed. Um there's a lot of detail here, but are we looking are

[1:35:42] we hoping to continue a joint navigator service together

[1:35:48] um past that date? Because that's only it's only two years. And sometimes it

[1:35:54] seems like once you get a program like this up and running, you barely know

[1:36:00] what the potential is. Um you know, and then and then uh it's

[1:36:07] finished. So I'm I'm just wondering about the future past 2028 or when those

[1:36:13] funds um are used up. Um so I think the intent was for the

[1:36:19] time being to have that data based on the available funding through to um as

[1:36:24] for MODL yes the service will uh hopefully continue without um or like we

[1:36:31] don't really need as such a date March of 2028 through MODL the navigation

[1:36:35] service could continue but should town also um would wish to continue to offer

[1:36:42] the service to their residents it's it will be contingent on uh should they be

[1:36:47] willing to continue funding. So it will it'll be up for discussion once we reach

[1:36:52] that point. Uh but there are provisions in place uh in the agreements uh for

[1:36:57] continuous continual continuation of the agreements uh should

[1:37:02] there be appetite. >> Yeah, it would become a budget

[1:37:06] consideration as we go into that following that the following year. Yes.

[1:37:12] My question uh while others may be thinking about it, what do we have

[1:37:16] information on what the average size grant that was provided through the town

[1:37:21] of Bridgewaters program? Like I'm just looking at the 400 418,000 or whatever

[1:37:27] it is like how much will that support? >> I thought that's a good question. Um so

[1:37:34] the home warming program essentially there's no cap as such. It's a free home

[1:37:38] upgrade program for all the residents. Uh the program that is being offered

[1:37:42] through efficiency Nova Scotia. Uh so it is income based program. So whoever uh

[1:37:48] is eligible uh under their income thresholds, they get free upgrades like

[1:37:52] installation, windows uh up to a heat pump. This $410,000

[1:37:57] actually uh part of the smart cities challenge fund that is made available

[1:38:03] through the federal grant that they had received. uh but it wasn't really

[1:38:07] necessarily being used towards uh home upgrades because the program that they

[1:38:12] had uh had other components uh as well like they were developing um MS like a

[1:38:18] home energy tracking system and they were also funding was being used for a

[1:38:22] bunch of other components but as their program winds down and we established

[1:38:26] this regional energy navigation service we thought a good use for that

[1:38:31] supplementary funding could be to provide supplementary uh funds to

[1:38:35] homeowners and the funders agreed uh like of our

[1:38:40] approach. So what that additional 400,000 essentially is the base what the

[1:38:46] home warming program already provides like the free insulation windows uh heat

[1:38:51] pump on top of that we could complement with an additional heat pump or an

[1:38:55] additional enabling upgrades. Uh there's no cap set for those how much um funding

[1:39:02] could be used. will be case by case basis that clean foundation will assess

[1:39:06] how much uh funding could be used for. Uh we have thresholds set within the

[1:39:11] agreement. Uh for example, we have a supplemental home or supplemental heat

[1:39:17] um pump package that is established in the agreement which has a total maximum

[1:39:22] cap of $10,000. How it uh works is like if it is a standard home standard heat

[1:39:28] pump package uh clean foundation could spend up to $10,000 um and they only

[1:39:35] probably need to notify uh us or municipalities should they need to go

[1:39:40] beyond that. They need to get a return approval from us. Uh but if you're

[1:39:44] specifically looking for how much that funding could uh essentially support

[1:39:48] number of homes um I think the straightforward or simple

[1:39:52] answer would be like it's difficult to difficult to say because we don't really

[1:39:56] know uh how much on an uh average per home is going to use. Some homes could

[1:40:02] use less money. Some homes could use more than $10,000. Um but we'll have to

[1:40:07] see probably as we implement the program. The only reason I asked the

[1:40:11] question was I I didn't I I wasn't familiar with how it was all used within

[1:40:15] the town of Bridgewwater and I thought if they had a a record of what of what

[1:40:21] that grant might have provided and the number of homes how many it actually

[1:40:24] reached but just further to that then there is there are some income

[1:40:28] thresholds to determine what level of funding's available to people that's

[1:40:32] built into this program. >> Yep. So the efficiency Nova Scotia's

[1:40:37] home warming program has built-in income thresholds

[1:40:41] uh based on which the uh they uh determine the eligibility for their

[1:40:46] programs. Um but like our navigation service will also guide or provide

[1:40:53] support for residents uh who may not really be accessing the home energy or

[1:40:58] like home warming program but they maybe are looking for uh other programs. Uh so

[1:41:03] our navigation support will still be able to guide them through uh but the

[1:41:07] for the specifically home warming program. Yes, there are income

[1:41:10] thresholds uh which determines the eligibility uh for their program that

[1:41:16] helps. Yeah. >> Counselors with other questions.

[1:41:20] Councelor Dong.

[1:41:28] So, how did this um how did this come

[1:41:32] together? Like Bridgewwater came to us and said we have leftover federal money

[1:41:38] on the table and we need help using it. Is that what happened?

[1:41:43] So uh no I think there was uh initial discussions started happening I believe

[1:41:49] sometime in the fall last year where their council had um expressed interest

[1:41:55] of uh establishing a regional program because their program they were running

[1:42:00] out of timeline. um they were time bound of until when they had to use up their

[1:42:06] federal funds and so they had reached out to our council, our staff uh to see

[1:42:11] if there's an opportunity to create a regional program where they would also

[1:42:15] not only help benefit both municipal residents but also leverage some of

[1:42:21] those remaining funds. Uh that's how the conversation started up and then it came

[1:42:26] up to council discussions during budgets. That's how the directions were

[1:42:30] given and that's we started working on developing the agreements and now we are

[1:42:35] here at uh bringing the agreements for approvals.

[1:42:39] » Yeah, thank you. I wasn't Yeah, I wasn't here for those discussions so I

[1:42:43] appreciate the uh the background there. Uh just following up on that. This is

[1:42:50] this agreement is backdated to last April. That's what's the reasoning

[1:42:55] there? >> I think the same. Um so the council

[1:42:59] approval was to start working on establishing the

[1:43:02] service but the federal agreements that they had town of Bridgewater uh is

[1:43:08] because of that. So they had to um for example the funding agreement that they

[1:43:13] have with clean foundation they had to transfer the funds remaining within uh

[1:43:17] starting this fiscal year. That's why all the agreement dates are backdated.

[1:43:21] So the clean foundation agreement that's already been executed with between town

[1:43:26] of Bridgewater and Clean Foundation regarding that $410,000 federal funding

[1:43:32] uh had a start date for a April. That's where the other corresponding agreements

[1:43:36] had to back date so that our service uh would still apply for homeowners who may

[1:43:42] have enrolled in for example efficiency novas Nova Scotia's home warming

[1:43:47] program. they may have started the process with E1 uh but once our service

[1:43:53] become live they could still benefit from the supplemental

[1:43:57] uh funding that is coming through the federal grant so they won't be cut off

[1:44:02] um in that sense if that makes sense so that's why all the

[1:44:09] uh corresponding agreements between different parties uh had to effective

[1:44:13] start date from April so that the funds that are available through feds the

[1:44:18] $410,000 people who may have started their

[1:44:21] applications with E1 independently could also benefit like our resident could

[1:44:26] also benefit from that additional supplemental uh funding if that makes

[1:44:31] sense.

[1:44:36] » Yep. Go ahead. I >> think something that we want to make

[1:44:39] sure is not lost in the details here is that the $410,000 was not money that

[1:44:45] MODL had access to. it wasn't something that we could have applied to and this

[1:44:49] is a really excellent example of the town looking at what would be a regional

[1:44:54] benefit uh and happily sharing that benefit for our residents. They said the

[1:45:00] money is there for improving energy efficiency. We don't care if it's

[1:45:04] happening in this side of the boundary or that side of the boundary. We want to

[1:45:08] see this program succeed. So I think that they should be commended for coming

[1:45:12] forward and making that offer. >> Absolutely. It's uh it's a good example

[1:45:17] of of thinking about the region as opposed to just our individual units.

[1:45:22] So, I know it is it is complicated because of all the agreements and uh um

[1:45:28] anyway, we'll we'll work through them as you've done all the work. We just have

[1:45:32] to say yay or nay tonight. So, so thank you for that. Um is there other

[1:45:37] questions that people have? Councelor Smith.

[1:45:40] » Uh the eligibility for um for that funding

[1:45:46] um my understanding is that the their program was meant to address energy

[1:45:51] poverty and so is it tied to income the eligibility for the supplemental

[1:45:58] » is it this is it tied to the same uh eligibility as the home warming program?

[1:46:04] » Uh no. So the supplemental um incentive is also actually to complement

[1:46:11] it's not really income tied in a way because it will be eligible to people

[1:46:16] who are already eligible for home warming. So technically in a way maybe

[1:46:21] yes but the how it works out to be it's they look at the energy assessment

[1:46:26] profile of a home to determine what upgrade would make sense to further

[1:46:30] complement uh this uh home. Um so that's why they don't really have any income

[1:46:36] because technically if it is coming through a home warming room it is

[1:46:41] already income tested. Uh but they look at more so case by cases like now that

[1:46:46] they have already gone through home warming upgrades what other supplemental

[1:46:51] u funding could help them bring more benefits. So maybe an additional heat

[1:46:55] pump could bring them more benefits. They look at that from that lens. What

[1:46:59] more upgrades could bring them more energy savings per se.

[1:47:05] There are three motions here. So, um, if someone would start with proposing the

[1:47:11] first one. Deputy Mayor Veno.

[1:47:16] To Mayor Mlan While and members of council, I move that municipal council

[1:47:21] authorize the chief administration officer to execute the intermunicipal

[1:47:27] service agreement energized together navigation program between the

[1:47:31] municipality of the district of Lunberg and the town of Bridgewwater. And I so

[1:47:36] move >> and a seconder for that motion. Seconded

[1:47:40] by councelor Hubli. Further discussion on the motion. All those in favor

[1:47:44] signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried unanimously. And the second

[1:47:50] motion, Deputy Veno or Deputy Mayor Veno, do you want to do the second one?

[1:47:55] Sure. To Mayor Mlan and members of council, I move that municipal council

[1:48:01] authorize the chief administration officer to execute the third the

[1:48:06] three-party program coordination agreement energized together between the

[1:48:11] municipality of the district of Lunberg, the town of Bridgewater and Clean Nova

[1:48:16] Scotia Foundation. And I so move and a seconder for the motion

[1:48:22] seconded by councelor Burns. Discussion on the motion. All those in favor

[1:48:26] signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried unanimously. And the final

[1:48:31] one

[1:48:35] to Mayor Mlan Wy and members of council. I move that municipal council authorize

[1:48:40] the chief administration officer to execute the service agreement energize

[1:48:46] together supplemental home upgrade incentives between the municipality of

[1:48:51] the district of Lunberg, the town of Bridgewater and Clean Nova Scotia

[1:48:56] Foundation. And I so move >> and a seconder for the motion seconded

[1:49:01] by councelor Reinhardt. Discussion on the motion. All those in favor signify

[1:49:05] by raising their hands. Motion is carried unanimously. Thank you. And

[1:49:10] there'll be lots of uh communication required to let our residents know about

[1:49:15] the availability of the program and congratulations on the new work that uh

[1:49:20] that you'll undertake and um we'll look forward to hearing more about it as it

[1:49:24] unroll as it rolls out. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[1:49:29] » We will move then to mayor, deputy mayor, and councelor matters. And we've

[1:49:33] deferred the MJSB uh update till uh I think probably our next council meeting.

[1:49:40] Then uh 12.2, which is the CEO evaluation process update. Council

[1:49:45] Reinhardt.

[1:49:48] Thank you. Uh yeah, I just have a brief update for everyone. Um, we're moving

[1:49:53] along with the CO AO evaluation. Uh, and just a bit of background from

[1:49:59] the last time I presented. Uh, we're going to use three, uh, different

[1:50:03] feedback streams to produce a thorough and balanced evaluation of the CAO's

[1:50:08] work during the evaluation time period. Uh, one is a self-evaluation from the

[1:50:14] CAO uh, which has been completed. Uh number two is senior staff evaluations

[1:50:20] from each of the five directors and deputy CEO and those have also been

[1:50:24] completed and compiled into a report and the last piece is council feedback.

[1:50:32] Um so that's the one missing piece. Um so the CAO as I said has provided a

[1:50:40] self-evaluation uh with feedback on project goals

[1:50:45] um whether they've been completed and the outcome of the goals uh and also

[1:50:51] includes information on training and professional development undertaken over

[1:50:56] the evaluation period. Uh the senior staff portion of the

[1:51:02] evaluation uh included senior staff providing feedback on the following

[1:51:08] topics. Uh one, communications and transparency.

[1:51:12] Two, organizational management. And three, problem solving and crisis

[1:51:17] management. Uh all members of senior staff provided

[1:51:22] a written response that was followed up with a brief interview.

[1:51:26] They spoke to strengths and areas for improvement in each competency.

[1:51:32] Uh so uh the last piece which you should have received today was uh a feedback

[1:51:37] form uh for you to complete uh and return to me. Uh I ask within a week by

[1:51:44] September 15th, 2026 uh so that the committee can meet

[1:51:49] compile all of the different streams of feedback into a final report and uh

[1:51:55] present that on September 20 22nd 2026 and I believe that would be an inc

[1:52:02] camera presentation.

[1:52:06] If anyone has questions, feel free. >> Any questions? Just remember the 15th to

[1:52:12] get your form back to to Council Reinhardt. Thank you um for leading

[1:52:17] this, Council Reinhardt. This is a really important process and we the

[1:52:22] committee spent quite a bit of time under your leadership revising it and

[1:52:27] working with uh our CEO to to create a document that works both for his benefit

[1:52:33] and for us as a council to be responsible for ensuring that uh that

[1:52:39] that we're happy with the performance. So I think and it provides a good

[1:52:43] ongoing discussion because we meet on a quarterly basis to to discuss issues

[1:52:47] that may that will come up and uh I think it is a more robust system that

[1:52:52] that you've led us uh into. So thank you for that

[1:52:57] deputy mayor and mayor's update. You know, while we may break in August

[1:53:03] from official meetings, there's certainly no shortage of community

[1:53:06] events that happen throughout the month of August, as I'm sure everybody around

[1:53:11] the table has participated in all night long. So, I'm not going to go into

[1:53:16] specific details on all of those. But in my role as deputy mayor, I did attend

[1:53:20] the Millerpoint launch event and the Princess Area Inlet uh assoc association

[1:53:27] annual general meeting and as well um the the bills still come in. So there

[1:53:34] was check signings to do. Those don't wait uh for September and the agenda

[1:53:38] briefings with the mayor uh continued. And thus ends my update.

[1:53:44] » Thank you. Any questions for Deputy Mayor Veno?

[1:53:48] I'll try um I have a long report. It shows that it was summer and uh we

[1:53:54] didn't have any meetings. So I will try to be brief because we still have some

[1:53:58] uh items for discussion. But as the summer comes to an end and we're moving

[1:54:03] into our third year of our mandate, it's a good time to reflect on how much we've

[1:54:07] accomplished together and to look ahead to the work that remains. We have made

[1:54:12] significant progress on some very important initiatives. The municipal

[1:54:16] planning strategy and land use bylaw process continues to move forward and we

[1:54:21] are now much closer to having a planning framework that reflects the communities

[1:54:25] we serve and we're waiting for final approval from um the provincial

[1:54:29] government municipal affairs. We have also made substantial investments in our

[1:54:34] parks and trails. Some of this work is already complete including Indian Falls

[1:54:39] and Miller Point Peace Park. Other projects are underway and will be

[1:54:43] completed later this fall, including Masha Mash Beach Park. Uh, and work will

[1:54:48] continue on Saw Pit Warf and the Mark and planning will begin uh and public

[1:54:54] consultation which starts next week for Wilds Lake Park with construction

[1:54:58] anticipated in the 2027 2028 budget year.

[1:55:03] We will soon see the opening of a new pickle ball court and we are getting

[1:55:07] closer to establishing our new community space in the Well Tide Building in

[1:55:12] partnership with the Southshore Public Library. For many people, the demolition

[1:55:16] of the former building at center, the former school has been a bittersweet

[1:55:21] ending to a place filled with memories. At the same time, it represents an

[1:55:25] opportunity to take a building that has become an eyes sore and a cost to the

[1:55:29] municipality and turn it into a very useful space for those that come to

[1:55:35] enjoy soccer and outdoor activities on that site. We continue to work on public

[1:55:40] transit and I hope we will soon be in a position to provide more details about

[1:55:45] what this will look like for our communities. Our largest infrastructure

[1:55:49] project is also on time and on budget. The $24 million Cookville wastewater

[1:55:55] project will provide wastewater treatment for the area and is a

[1:55:59] significant investment in recognizing the growth and expansion of the

[1:56:02] Cookville community. Another important area of work is a

[1:56:07] development of a new community model uh community development model. We are

[1:56:11] working toward an approach that recognizes the initiatives and ideas

[1:56:15] that already exist in our communities and build builds relationships and

[1:56:20] projects around the work being undertaken at the community level. This

[1:56:24] is something that we were already doing, but we're embedding it in a way that is

[1:56:29] more comprehensive. Staff resources and organization will be restructured to

[1:56:33] support this approach. It will strengthen our support for the volunteer

[1:56:37] sector and recognize the important role volunteers play in preserving the

[1:56:42] integrity, vitality, and character of our communities throughout the district.

[1:56:47] This will be a comprehensive approach to community de development, bringing

[1:56:51] together recreation, economic development, housing, and our volunteer

[1:56:55] organizations uh in a much more coordinated way. And

[1:57:00] we'll be talking a lot more about that as we go through the fall. Those are

[1:57:04] some of the highlights of the work we have accomplished together. And I would

[1:57:07] also like to take some time to reflect on the summer and to recognize the staff

[1:57:12] effort that went into helping us accomplish those things. It's perhaps

[1:57:16] easy for us to sit at the table. Um, but then we may give the direction and our

[1:57:21] staff are required to go and and do the do the hard work and I want to recognize

[1:57:26] them for their work in this. One of the things about the summer uh

[1:57:31] that I really enjoyed is after 38 years of working every summer, I actually got

[1:57:36] to go to some activities in our community that I'd never attended

[1:57:40] before. So um if nothing else, being mayor has given me that opportunity.

[1:57:45] Um one of in late July I attended the opening of the paliotative care beds at

[1:57:51] Fisherman's Memorial Hospital. Once you've experienced dedicated paliotative

[1:57:55] care or supported someone you love through their final days, it leaves an

[1:58:00] indelible impression on how you view end of life care. Uh my own experience has

[1:58:07] given me a deep understanding of some of the weaknesses in the system and has

[1:58:13] reinforced for me um as one of the leaders in our community the importance

[1:58:17] of both hospital-based paliotative care and hospice care in our region. With

[1:58:24] these beds that are now open, I believe there is an opportunity to take the next

[1:58:29] sign significant step and work toward building a hospice. I am confident based

[1:58:35] on the people who have already stepped forward to champion this initiative that

[1:58:39] there is tremendous community support and that the funds for construction can

[1:58:44] be raised. The next challenge will be securing operating funding and the

[1:58:49] necessary approvals from the provincial department of health and wellness. So I

[1:58:54] would encourage all of us to take whatever opportunity we can to champion

[1:58:59] this and to advocate for this which is well needed in the Lunberg Queens area.

[1:59:05] Together with councelor Smith, Reinhardt and Dong, I met with Claudia Chender,

[1:59:10] leader of the official opposition to discuss several issues important to

[1:59:14] council including cell phone coverage, fire service reform, and policing. We've

[1:59:20] received a similar request from the Provincial Liberal Party and that

[1:59:23] meeting will be scheduled following the sitting of the legislature later this

[1:59:27] fall. Summer is also a time when provincial

[1:59:31] and federal representatives make a special effort to meet with constituents

[1:59:35] and the Bridgewater and Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a session with Karina

[1:59:39] Ghoul, MP and chair of the Federal Finance Committee. I raised several

[1:59:44] issues on behalf of MODL including cell service, the impact of federal

[1:59:49] immigration policy and the reduction in the allocation of immigrants to Nova

[1:59:53] Scotia and what that means for employers and our workforce here in the region. I

[1:59:59] brought opening remarks at the Lunberg Folk Harbor Festival now in its 41st

[2:00:03] year. It continues to be an important draw for the area and equally important

[2:00:08] provides opportunities for local musicians to develop their skills and

[2:00:12] showcase their talents. Several of our community associations

[2:00:16] including Princess Inlet and Kingsburg held their annual meetings over the

[2:00:20] summer. These meetings are particularly important because this is the time of

[2:00:24] the year when the largest number of property owners are in our community.

[2:00:29] Deputy Mayor Veno and I attended the Princess Inlet meeting where

[2:00:32] representatives from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables

[2:00:35] presented a made a presentation on the fires smart initiative and it generated

[2:00:41] a great deal of discussion. Kingsburg is the first community in our district to

[2:00:46] receive fires smart community designation. They have also installed a

[2:00:50] dry hydrant to serve their community and that was reported at their annual

[2:00:54] meeting and they worked with the Riverport and District Fire Department.

[2:00:58] Both meetings were extremely well organized in Kingsburg. All of the

[2:01:02] participants in the reporting portion of the meeting followed a carefully crafted

[2:01:06] script. We could all learn a a few lessons from them. The Friends of Cherry

[2:01:12] Hill Cemetery hosted their annual dry stone wall workshop. This is the sixth

[2:01:16] year that volunteers have worked to establish a dry stone wall around the

[2:01:21] cemetery. Facilitators came from Ontario along with local instructors to teach

[2:01:26] others the art of stoning. This is the second year I've turned my hand and my

[2:01:31] back to moving stones for the fence along with counselor Reinhardt. Next

[2:01:35] year there are plans to host an international conference on dry stone

[2:01:38] walling. And I'm smiling because I can't believe I'm saying that I actually

[2:01:42] helped build a a stone wall with stones after all that I have picked in my life

[2:01:47] and put off a field so we could plow it. The reopening of Miller Point Peace Park

[2:01:53] was another important step in recognizing and sharing the indigenous

[2:01:56] history of the area and providing accessible access to to the river. The

[2:02:03] feedback on both the accessible trail and boat launch have been very

[2:02:07] encouraging. Several events took me to Bell Island

[2:02:10] this summer, including crossing the newly constructed and paved bridge

[2:02:15] connecting the mainland to the Lehave Islands. A weekly coffee hour brings

[2:02:19] permanent and summer residents together to visit, catch up, and exchange

[2:02:23] stories. A few days later, I returned to Bell Island for the Seafarers memorial

[2:02:28] service at the Anglican Church. August 6th marked the hundth anniversary of the

[2:02:34] August Gale when two ships were lost off Sable Island, taking the lives of 51 men

[2:02:40] from the surrounding communities. It is a sobering reminder of the risk that

[2:02:44] people who work on the water take each time they leave the safety of the shore.

[2:02:49] The regional emergency operations center opened in Liverpool this summer and I

[2:02:54] was pleased to attend this important step in the roll out of the province's

[2:02:58] expanded emergency preparedness model. Our Remo staff will work closely with

[2:03:03] this office as they did last week with uh the breach of the dam in Lunenburgg

[2:03:09] to provide a coordinated service during emergencies. Queens County has recently

[2:03:14] asked to join our shared emergency response model and we will be

[2:03:18] considering that request in the near future. Councelor Smith and I had an

[2:03:23] opportunity to take a boat tour of Sherbrook Lake. We viewed from the water

[2:03:27] the piece of land owned by modal as well as other sites that were considered when

[2:03:31] this property was purchased 10 years ago. It was a useful opportunity to look

[2:03:36] at the property from a different perspective because I had visited from

[2:03:39] land and to consider its potential. The mayors of the town of Bridgewwater, the

[2:03:44] region of Queens, the town of Lunenburgg, and the town of Mahon Bay

[2:03:48] met to discuss the regional need to advance economic development. We will

[2:03:53] continue that discussion later this month when we received the consultants

[2:03:57] report on this topic. Along with our CEO, I attended a meeting with the

[2:04:02] Department of Justice where we were provided with an outline of the cost to

[2:04:05] modal under the province's new costing formula. A full presentation will be

[2:04:10] made to council at the policy and strategy meeting next week.

[2:04:16] As we move into the third year of our mandate, there is much to be proud of,

[2:04:19] but also much more to do. What I've enjoyed most about this summer is being

[2:04:24] reminded that the work of council is ultimately about people and communities.

[2:04:29] The projects and investments are important, but it is the people who

[2:04:33] volunteer, organize, create, advocate, and simply show up for their communities

[2:04:39] who give the District of Lunberg its great character. It's been a busy

[2:04:44] summer, and I am looking forward to continuing the work together as we move

[2:04:48] into the fall. And I am sorry it's a long report but you need to know what I

[2:04:53] do in my spare time. Um we have one added item and we will

[2:05:01] move to that now. Councelor Hoopley. >> Okay. Uh thank you for allowing the

[2:05:06] addition to the agenda. I know it's getting late. Um I just want to say I

[2:05:12] share the health concerns of Pamela and wish the spring was controlled at the

[2:05:15] municipal level. Um, we're in a time where we demand people to wear bicycle

[2:05:20] helmets and masks during COVID, but we're risking our health by aerial

[2:05:24] spraying of glossabate. Um, it's contradictory to say the least.

[2:05:29] I follow the same social media pages and I encourage residents to contact their

[2:05:33] MLA if we ever want to see an end to this. What I would like to see us do as

[2:05:38] council is write a letter outlining the concerns

[2:05:42] around the lack of information available to our residents. Um, as Pam stated and

[2:05:48] I found the same, uh, to find information on this, like good, accurate

[2:05:55] information is almost impossible. Um, residents are just they're wanting the

[2:06:00] information. They want to know their families are safe. They want to know

[2:06:02] their children are safe. So, I think to stay within what the municipality

[2:06:07] is in control of is to maybe ask for some

[2:06:10] clear information. >> Um, and I think you have a motion that

[2:06:14] you'll bring forward. So that will help focus our discussion around um what we

[2:06:19] can actually take control of. So >> okay, to Mayor Mlan and members of

[2:06:24] council, I move that municipal council write the minister of environment and

[2:06:28] natural resources and copy local MLAs to convey our concerns about aerial

[2:06:32] spraying of glyphosate in the municipality of Lunberg and

[2:06:36] further request better transparency and availability of information regarding

[2:06:40] the spraying and I so move. >> Do we have a second? Seconded by

[2:06:45] councelor Burns. Discussion on the motion.

[2:06:51] Councelor Smith. I I will say I have had some uh

[2:06:56] residents reach out to me as well. Um and

[2:07:01] um one was um very close to um a spray site

[2:07:07] and they had received a letter and um I was they had actually asked me to come

[2:07:12] and um and view their property and where the spray was going to happen. Um, but

[2:07:19] just before I went, uh, the company had contacted them, uh, and talked to them

[2:07:24] about the sprain and they were actually okay with the information that they

[2:07:29] received and no longer wanted to pursue it. That said, I've had other residents

[2:07:35] who've contacted me and were very um, eager to have us do something about

[2:07:40] this. But I I think that that the concern that's been outlined around

[2:07:45] communication and information that's available is key because people are

[2:07:50] getting these these letters um as individuals and there seems to be

[2:07:57] no real public information available um for everyone to um look at where the

[2:08:03] sprain is happening and um and consider the impacts and give give feedback. I

[2:08:10] don't know uh if if if this if these um uh you know applications to spray went

[2:08:18] through any kind of public input but um perhaps um the letter could

[2:08:25] um just address as you say the need for

[2:08:30] more communication and and public information. Thank you for bringing it

[2:08:34] forward. >> Any other comment? Councelor Dong.

[2:08:41] Um, when is the spring supposed to be taking place?

[2:08:54] I'm sorry. Uh, just let me check something here from a resident. I have a

[2:08:58] copy of the communication that went out. It was like a two week time frame. So,

[2:09:04] it can happen anytime during that time frame.

[2:09:09] Um, shoot. Is Abby still here? He had it, too.

[2:09:18] » Oh, okay. Can she approach with the dates?

[2:09:22] » I'll take it. >> Can I do that? Y

[2:09:35] » uh it is from September 14th to September 30th depending on weather

[2:09:39] conditions. It it never gives a specific day that you should keep your kids or

[2:09:44] yourself inside or your animals. It's vague.

[2:09:50] » Just a followup. Yeah, it has been documented that

[2:09:54] glyphosate does act as desicant and dry out our woodland even more and I agree

[2:10:00] that the health concerns are yeah so I will be supporting this.

[2:10:07] So the the the motion relates to communication around the issue uh to

[2:10:13] residents and transparency and adequacy of information uh to uh residents.

[2:10:20] That's um something that we can actually advocate for. Um any further discussion?

[2:10:27] All those in favor signify by raising their hands.

[2:10:31] Motion is carried unanimously. We'll get that letter off uh tomorrow.

[2:10:36] » Thank you. >> We have some uh one item to deal with or

[2:10:43] no two items to deal with in camera. So, we're going to take a 5m minute break

[2:10:48] while people just regroup and we'll ask uh the staff uh and visitors to to leave

[2:10:54] while we deal with an uh two in camera items. Thank you.

[2:10:59] » We need a motion.

[2:19:15] We've returned uh from our recess and we need to we need a motion to go in

[2:19:20] camera. We have two items to discuss. Councelor Veno will shut the door,

[2:19:25] please. Would someone make the motion to go in

[2:19:28] camera, please? Councelor Okel. Moved by Councelor Burns.

[2:19:34] Yeah. All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[2:19:38] unanimously.

[3:20:28] We have concluded our inc camera session and we are resuming our meeting and we

[3:20:35] have a motion to come forward. Would someone make the motion on the t

[3:20:41] awarding of tender for culvert replacement in voggler cove? Councelor

[3:20:46] Reinhardt to Mayor Mlan and members of council. I

[3:20:50] move that municipal council award tender 2026-05-00005

[3:20:57] Voggler's Cove Culver Replacement to Dexter Construction Company Limited for

[3:21:03] 68,788.91

[3:21:07] including contingency and net HST and a seconder for the motion seconded

[3:21:14] by councelor Burns. Is there any discussion on the motion?

[3:21:19] All those in favor signify by raising their hands. Motion is carried

[3:21:24] unanimously. And the second motion uh to deal with

[3:21:29] tonight is contract negotiations under section 22 of the MGA. And would someone

[3:21:36] make the motion? Councelor Bell.

[3:21:42] To her worship, Mayor Mlan Wy and members of MODL Council, I move that

[3:21:48] municipal council approve the terms of the agreement between the Nova Scotia

[3:21:53] Power Incorporated, Town of Bridgewater, and Municipality of the District of

[3:21:59] Lunberg regarding the industrial substation at exit 12A

[3:22:06] and authorize the mayor to execute the agreement on behalf half of MODL. I so

[3:22:14] move >> and a seconder for the motion seconded

[3:22:17] by councelor Burns. Is there any discussion on the motion? All those in

[3:22:21] favor signify by raising their hands. One, two, three, four, five, six. Those

[3:22:28] opposed, Reinhardt, Dong, and Smith are opposed.

[3:22:34] Motion is carried. We have no further business on our agenda. Uh, sorry. More.

[3:22:41] Yes, more. Yeah. >> So, it's seven. Seven. It's seven. Yeah.

[3:22:45] » Thank you. >> Um, I have there's no further business

[3:22:48] on the agenda. The meeting is adjourned. Thank you everyone.

2026-09-08 Council Meeting

Transcript