[0:00] Um,

[0:03] beginning with the land acknowledgement. As we gather this evening, we pause to

[0:07] remember that in this province we live and work on lands that are by law the

[0:11] unseated territories of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the land of the

[0:15] Migma. May we live with respect on this land and live in peace and friendship

[0:20] with its people. We also recognize the African Nova Scotians whose culture,

[0:25] heritage, and history have been and remain a key part of our province for

[0:30] more than 400 years. Uh, I'd like to begin by asking for the

[0:34] approval of the agenda. Moved by Deputy Mayor Dorington,

[0:40] » seconded. >> Seconded by Councelor McKenna. All in

[0:43] favor signify by saying I. >> Opposed. Motion carried. With that,

[0:48] we're going to move into our first presentation.

[0:51] Um, I I feel strange talking to you when I I

[0:56] can't see you. So, I think I'll stand up. Is that a good idea?

[1:01] » You could see.

[1:08] It is a great pleasure.

[1:14] Tonight we are going to unveil a very special that is a commemorative in

[1:20] celebration of the 150th anniversary ination of our family in 1875.

[1:27] Art and his wife has been resident of the for years. We are grateful this is

[1:33] where they chose to raise their children Dylan and now both grown. Christina has

[1:39] also chosen to launch her career in law here and Dylan is not far away from

[1:44] Steve spent 30 years in a corporate world most recently as vice president

[1:49] development with after living in several Atlanta cities

[1:53] during his first tenure in 2003 both parents and children were heavily

[1:59] involved in local Steve as a hockey coach and senior hockey board member and

[2:05] Bonnie as manager of both female hockey and soccer team as well as sitting on

[2:10] board for special Olympics at HGRs. As a boy and young man, these hobbies

[2:15] included playing sports at high levels, but the arts was also one of his own

[2:20] passions and as an artist and musician. These hobies were always close to the

[2:26] upon

[2:29] he was able to return to me. We have also heard that team's mother is

[2:35] an artist. So that seems likely that

[2:39] Watercolor is a beautiful medium allowing allowing various possibilities

[2:44] of expression. Se's rendering of are town hall stunning. Watercolor has been

[2:51] around for a long time and dates back prior to the filming. C's work shows

[2:56] incredible detail in a medium that does not always lend itself to the children.

[3:02] He brings the architectural wonder of the town hall and states to life with

[3:08] very this piece paired with the extraordinary

[3:11] metal artwork by Gary Martin inspired by big artist

[3:16] are creating a lasting legacy for 150th anniversary celebration and for many

[3:22] years to come. Throughout the year, we'll be hosting

[3:26] projects that will be unforgettable, including an addition to our heritage.

[3:31] I would now like to ask you to join me as we unveil the 150th commemorative.

[3:40] » Okay.

[4:03] Take it off. Oh, take it off.

[4:15] all

[4:21] do anything.

[4:37] » We'll get them three.

[4:45] Steve brush.

[5:05] Is that good?

[5:14] want to jump. Come on.

[5:36] Right here.

[5:54] » Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.

[6:07] » That's great. works with basically

[6:25] started that he had an incredible number of artists and musicians and sports

[6:32] people in county. They thought it was a lot

[6:35] that people were

[6:39] You know, I I can't help but see like, you know, music and sports, all those

[6:43] things your brain that are working in high.

[6:57] We're just delighted to have this. >> Thank you.

[7:08] Can we just so it's still visible?

[7:21] [Music]

[7:40] I really do like the mat in the

[7:49] » Okay, moving on to our next presentation. I'd like to u welcome

[7:53] Rebecca. Um and I see you have your sidekick here,

[7:58] » Mr. Mr. Sret. Where's your fancy outfit? >> It is the dry.

[8:11] » We should have one for you. >> Do we have any more?

[8:15] » We do. Anybody have extra 150 buttons? Clyde probably.

[8:23] » Yes, we'll get them before we before you leave.

[8:30] » Well, thank you for allowing us two hours tonight for our presentation.

[8:34] Pretty hard act to follow there. Please uh be patient as we go through.

[8:39] We're well practiced. I think we've been to every municipal unit now, so we saved

[8:43] the best for last. Um

[8:49] Uh, a quick history lesson. As you all know, the shiper landed in Picto in

[8:55] September of 73. 171 Scottish immigrants on board. Um,

[9:01] and it looked much different then, of course, than it does now with a

[9:04] scattering of European settlement and and Mcmagi population.

[9:09] A lot of these immigrants did uh stay right in the town of Picto area, but

[9:14] many moved into communities like Green Hill, Durham, Clellinsbrook, and names

[9:21] like McDonald, McKenzie, Mloud, McKay, Campbell, Frasier, and Grant are still

[9:25] predominant in our communities here. Um, and most a lot of folks can trace their

[9:31] history back, including the Soies family, which we're happy that they can.

[9:36] has been beneficial to our fundraising. Um, the ship hector in partnership with

[9:41] Picto Landing First Nation is committed to preserving and sharing the history

[9:45] and this story for years to come. Um, my name is Wes. I'm the chair of the Ship

[9:51] Hector Society. That's what happens when you don't show up to an AGM. You get

[9:55] voted in. You can't find yourself out. Um, also with me, uh, tonight, you'll

[10:00] hear from them as well, is our our ship restoration manager, Vern Sheay, and our

[10:05] tourism manager, Rebecca. One great thing about a project like this is you

[10:08] don't lean always on just the volunteer board. You can actually hire people to

[10:13] do some work. The volunteer board did decide to take on this this massive

[10:18] project in 2019. our uh our commitment and the the the

[10:23] board's commitment always has been is to create a sustainable uh attraction um

[10:29] there on in on the Picto waterfront and as many of you know it was not

[10:34] sustaining very well uh for years. So of course we kicked this project off in

[10:39] 2019 and and and a pandemic followed soon uh

[10:43] thereafter. Our goal is to uh have a uh have a sustainable operation there and

[10:50] and really we believe it can be an iconic tourism attraction in this

[10:55] province and and when you've dealt in the tourism industry as long as I have

[10:59] and you know that was my my main goal of this project is you know locations are

[11:05] often built around iconic pieces like the Cabbat Trail and and and and

[11:13] uh Peggy's Cove lighthouse and things like that. I truly believe that we're

[11:16] creating an iconic uh thing here that will benefit not only the town and not

[11:21] only the county but the whole of the North umberland shore. And so in our

[11:26] plans when we when we set out um most of the revenue that's going to sustain this

[11:31] operations come from the ship itself. We we are transforming this from a dockside

[11:37] attraction to a fully operational passenger sailing vessel and with

[11:42] daytime tours with nighttime tours that can accommodate up to 60 people. Um we

[11:48] see ourselves doing special events, corporate charters, weddings. Uh it

[11:52] really does have a very uh unique uh opportunity.

[11:57] We also have some experiential learning uh tourism uh much like the blue- noose

[12:01] does with taking on um on crew and uh and a fivemon sailing school. So that is

[12:08] where the majority of our uh of our revenues will come from and sustain the

[12:14] site and and Vern will get in later on on how awesome this experience is going

[12:19] to be. Although they're using very innovative and and uh methods to uh

[12:26] build and preserve this ship, you when you're on it, it will really feel like

[12:30] you're sailing aboard that the the uh original ship. Um electric propulsion,

[12:36] so it'll just feel like you're under sail. You won't hear any diesel engines

[12:40] rolling. Um although the ship is probably going to be in better shape now

[12:44] than it was in 1773. and HT uh 15% of our projected revenue comes

[12:51] from our boat building school which will be uh on the site there and as many of

[12:57] you know wooden boat building is is becoming a lost craft and and we really

[13:01] see a lot of great opportunities there. I mean we've got one of the best with us

[13:05] here tonight. It's a and we've got lots of support for for curriculum around uh

[13:11] around those types of activities. Um and of course right now and if you

[13:17] walked in there today you would see it. The uh the interpretive center itself is

[13:21] going a a mass undergoing a massive overhaul with uh a lot of instead of a

[13:27] static displays a lot of new and interactive and some pretty cool things

[13:31] uh going on inside which hopefully you'll be able to see very very soon.

[13:40] Um, so far since we kicked off this campaign, we've raised just over $1.8

[13:46] million and in private uh donations and pledges, um, which we we've been very

[13:53] proud of, been great supporters. Some big supporters are are featured there.

[13:59] Uh, if you look at the campaign in its totality here, you can see that our what

[14:04] our cost projections were. Of course, even from when we started in 2019 to to

[14:10] after the pandemic, a lot of materials took a took a big change. But you can

[14:15] see between the uh the removals and the restoration, the construction, the mass,

[14:18] the riggings, the sails, the electrical systems, the the admin, the launch and

[14:24] and other things, the the grand total of the budget for the to do the ship over

[14:28] itself is about 3.5 uh 6 million

[14:33] um to date, which we've raised about 1.8 1.9 million. So really, we're we're at

[14:39] 1.8. We've got another one point just about six to to raise to to complete

[14:44] this this project. That's the ship itself. And one thing that's often

[14:49] misconceived when when we're going out to seek donations is is the interpretive

[14:54] center which has was fully funded by by government. So you can see the budget uh

[14:59] for the interpretive budget was uh 4.2 million and it's been fully funded by

[15:04] the province and and DOA. So a lot of people when you say can you can we

[15:09] please have your money they say well you've got lots of money from government

[15:12] but uh unfortunately none of that uh public money could go towards the ship

[15:16] itself. Uh it it has been dedicated to the interpretive center. So so uh so

[15:22] that's where we are today. Is that all my slides?

[15:27] » Yeah. >> Oh yeah. Okay. Perfect. So I'm going to

[15:29] hand over to uh Vern and he can speak more about the uh awesome work he's been

[15:33] doing with the ship.

[15:40] There's only two buttons.

[15:46] » Well, we're getting ready for July 12th. Um,

[15:50] it's coming really fast somehow and uh but anyway, we're we're coming along

[15:56] quite nicely. Uh whether I wish it would cooperate a little bit better, but we'll

[16:01] do with what we can. So, to date uh when we shoulders or lifted the ship out of

[16:06] the water. I guess uh the old girl was was in pretty hard shape, a lot more

[16:11] than what we had really thought until we got into it. So, basically, we had to

[16:17] strip the ship right down to where you can see that white line, that boot

[16:21] topping on top of the water line. That all went. It was totally deteriorated. A

[16:28] lot of the inside structure, we had to take out some of the decking. But, uh,

[16:32] once we got that and found out what we were dealing with, then we it took us,

[16:37] I'd say, the better part of, uh, the first year just to deconstruct the ship

[16:42] to a point where we could get back and start rebuilding the vessel. And, uh,

[16:48] anyway, once we started, we weren't going to stop. So, uh, we saved all the

[16:53] underwater plank that was in really good shape. We splined it. Uh so we basically

[16:58] took all the ten them out but all new planking from the white line right up to

[17:04] that big white uh line with new plank and then we fiberglass the whole hull

[17:10] the two layers of fiberglass and six around the keel and up past the

[17:15] garboards and then all the top sides the upper part of the ship is all

[17:21] composite material. So, uh, that went on. That's been fiberglass. Then we put

[17:26] wood sheathing over top of that. And the same with the decks. When we got to tear

[17:30] out the old deck, we put down new decks. We glass them. And then we put Douglas

[17:37] fur down on top of that with cocking seams. So when you step on the deck,

[17:42] you're actually standing on a sacrificial wooden deck. Uh, the same.

[17:46] We put whales thick plank around. They're all sacrificial. The ship itself

[17:52] is totally encapsulate it in fiberglass. So, um it won't won't rot. Anything that

[18:00] rots, it's just a matter of replacing it because like I said, it's sacrificial.

[18:04] So, we added uh one, two, three new decks to the vessel to make the

[18:09] accommodation of passengers a lot better. Plus, we're able to hide all the

[18:15] machinery that goes into a modern vessel. Uh, Blue Knows if you step on

[18:20] hers, you got great big ventilators sitting on deck. Uh, not that it takes

[18:24] away from it, but we got we got clear that because we have other ways where we

[18:30] can hide it and machinery compartments. So, all that stuff will be hidden that

[18:35] the only thing you'll probably see are light, right? Which you can't really

[18:40] hide them because if they need them, they need them. But all the rigging, all

[18:44] the mass when they go back up, that'll be as per what we had on her before. So

[18:49] none of that changes. So basically the ship itself, as Wes said, when you step

[18:54] aboard it, you will think you're on and you are. It's a completely wooden

[18:59] vessel. It's just that the protective coating is a little bit more durable and

[19:03] paintable. Uh our propulsion system, as Wes said, will be electric motors. Uh

[19:09] part of the 4.3 million was installing solar panels on the um buildings down

[19:16] there and the power that that provides will help offset the cost the operation

[19:21] plus charge our batteries when we're between uh uh trips out of the picto. So

[19:28] and it will give you the experience you would hear or anything. So it's it's

[19:32] kind of neat that way. And uh other than that that's that's about where we are.

[19:38] We got all the launch ways under the boat. We got all the sliding ways under

[19:41] the boat. It's just a matter of hoping that the triggers work and it slides

[19:45] down the way. Our grease doesn't seem to be as slippery this time around. What

[19:49] the hell happened? But the other stuff, we called it banana grease, right? Boy,

[19:55] it was slippery. But this we're a little a little apprehensive on this stuff, but

[20:00] I think pretty it'll probably it'll go in the water one way or

[20:05] another. But yeah, so we're coming along nicely. And then once the ship goes back

[20:10] into the water, we have to rebuild the warp that we tore off in order to

[20:15] facilitate the sideline. And it's kind of a good thing we did. Uh but it was

[20:20] getting a little dody after 25 years. And uh we're going to raise it up

[20:26] because of the the rising water levels within the heart. So it's a it's a plus

[20:32] plus. So other than that, we'll have a building school like Wes said and start

[20:36] teaching these skills and uh we hope to to bring on at risk people on the ship,

[20:43] kids especially so they can get out of some kind of environment they may be in

[20:48] and be able to go for a sale on the boat or become a trainee. Uh senior sales,

[20:54] you know, people that may not normally going go to do that. We'll be

[21:00] accommodate accommodating uh those groups and experience that they they

[21:06] probably won't forget. Maybe you can help them a little bit, right? So, any

[21:12] questions or we'll wait till the end? >> Okay, I got my I got my

[21:28] » So, we are building a destination um in Picto with the chef hatcher. We believe

[21:33] that our business plan so far has shown 3,300 additional visitors picked up

[21:39] first year that the ship factor is providing boat tours in the harbor and

[21:43] this number is expected to grow by 10% a year following five years. Anticipated

[21:48] bus tour operators level in the next five years and we've

[21:52] already seen indications of that. Um we get 93,000 visitors annually to Picto

[21:59] now. 25% of all visits to North umberland shore Ammerst and Ganesh come

[22:04] to Picto and half of all people who come to Picto County as tourists come to

[22:09] Picto thanks in part to visitors from across Canada the US Europe who draw the

[22:15] Hector heritage who are drawn to the Hector Heritage. So we do see a large

[22:19] number 25% of our visitation last year from the US. haven't seen any change in

[22:23] that so far. Nobody, we haven't, even with the trade wars, we haven't seen any

[22:27] cancellations or anything. If anything, we're seeing a bit of an uptick,

[22:30] especially within the country and from from Europe and bookings. Um, we see a

[22:35] lot from the EU. We see a lot from other parts of Canada, upper Canada and

[22:40] Western Canada as well. And when we get into Europe, yeah, Scotland, England,

[22:47] Ireland, a little bit from France, a lot from Germany. These are all targets of

[22:51] tourism Nova Scotia, too. So that's not entirely an accident. Um,

[22:57] we have the second highest occupancy rate in the province. Of course, we

[23:01] don't have a very high rate, and this is where we benefit everybody. um with the

[23:06] amount of visitors and people we're projecting to come into the county, we

[23:11] only have a hundred rooms in Picto every night. So, if we're going to become a

[23:16] landmark destination, which we hope to become, then we're going to spill out

[23:21] into the rest of Picto County, it's going to be uh Asco, Stellar, all these

[23:26] places that help accommodate all these new visitors and give them more to do

[23:32] when they're here. And we can I always say

[23:36] when I talk to to tourists in Nova Scotia they back this up too we're kind

[23:40] of a one night stay on the way to Cape Breton. So people will come off the

[23:44] ferry they'll stay overnight we'll go to Cape Breton the next day or they're

[23:47] coming from they stay overnight and they're going to Halifax the next day

[23:50] but we're not the destination with a stopover. So we have to make that stop

[23:54] turn us from stop into a destination. And we think that we can help do that by

[24:00] doing this. And then once we get them here, we get to expel all the other

[24:05] political opportunities there are in the county besides the actor for them to do

[24:09] while they're in county. So our economic projections from those 3,300 people is

[24:15] very good in increasing 10% year-over-year. Uh we're going to go

[24:21] from about 800,000 economic impact in the first year to 1.2 million within

[24:27] five.

[24:31] Um, as Wes mentioned, we have been to all the other municipalities and made

[24:36] presentations in the last little while. Our first big supporters, of course, and

[24:40] our some of our biggest supporters all the way along has been the town of Pton

[24:43] and municipality of Picto County. They've been very very good to us and

[24:47] and always seen our values. Um, we decided to go further a field and

[24:52] come show what maybe we can do to all of Picto County. And we are asking that

[24:58] donation that would match uh the town of Pico and the municipality which was

[25:03] $10,000 last year from each of the other municipalities just to show uh our

[25:08] support when we go to the province and ask them for additional funding that we

[25:12] have the support of all the municipalities in county but we think we

[25:15] can do something wonderful here so we we hope you'll join us in our quest to

[25:21] become a land in Nova Scotia

[25:26] does anybody have any questions for Wester.

[25:29] » Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much for council. Any questions?

[25:35] » A comment?

[25:41] » You plan for bringing in your wedding dress?

[25:56] » We can charter it out. weddings essentially incorporate things like

[26:00] that. So those are all things we can start incorporating more into this.

[26:07] » I think

[26:12] anybody else comments questions okay thank you Vern. Thank you Rebecca.

[26:20] Thank you Wes. That was excellent presentation.

[26:24] um really excited about uh about this project and I it it's sort of proof that

[26:30] you stick with something when you know it's a great project and and it's

[26:34] exciting when it's uh getting close. So, thank you very very much for joining us

[26:38] this evening and um we'll be in touch. >> Oh, sorry.

[26:54] Mhm.

[27:15] » Yeah, I can just add to that actually. Uh Kim is uh sort of uh spearheading a

[27:21] lot of these and we've already had a meeting with Jim and and Tor was part of

[27:25] that and

[27:37] much. Thank you very very much.

[27:48] » Thank you. Thanks very much.

[27:54] Okay, we're going to move on to uh I'm going to ask for the approval of the

[27:57] consent agenda which are our minutes of our council and committee the whole

[28:01] meeting held on April 14th as well as uh the proclamations.

[28:05] I so move >> moved by uh councelor Peters.

[28:09] » I'll second that. >> Seconded by councelor McDonald. All in

[28:13] favor signify by saying I >> opposed. Motion carried. Thank you

[28:18] everyone. Just mentioned that the V flag did go up today and um who was next?

[28:28] Oh, access awareness week. will be uh raising the flag uh on Monday, May 26,

[28:33] and all council and get and anybody that wants to come is welcome to join us.

[28:38] We're going to move on to the reports. I'm going to ask

[28:45] for the approval of the the committee of the whole report.

[28:56] Yes, we're accept motion that we accept the committee amendment.

[28:59] » Moved by councelor McDonald uh Joel McDonald seconded by councelor Jessica

[29:04] McDonald. Any questions on the motion? >> All in favor signify by saying I.

[29:09] » I opposed. Motion carried our engineering and public works report.

[29:16] » Yes is I'll also motion that we accept the engineering and public works report

[29:20] as submitted. >> Moved by councelor Joe McDonald.

[29:25] Seconded by councelor Peters. Any questions on the motion. All in

[29:31] favor signify by saying I. >> Opposed. Motion carried. Uh solid waste

[29:37] report. >> Move to accept the solid waste report. A

[29:39] circuit. >> Moved by deputy mayor Dorington.

[29:42] » Second. >> Seconded by councelor McKenna. Any

[29:44] questions on the motion. >> All in favor signify by saying I.

[29:50] » Opposed. Motion carried. Uh, police report.

[29:54] » Move to accept the police report as circulated.

[29:56] » Moved by deputy mayor Dorington. >> Also seconded.

[30:03] » I have a question. >> Yeah, just with seconded by councelor

[30:06] Jessica McDonald. Question. >> Chief, uh, thank you for the report.

[30:11] just uh with the uh recent incidents that have gone on in British Columbia

[30:16] and and before that in Ontario, the tragedy of vehicular homicides and mass

[30:21] killings, I I'm just wondering if we should be looking at taking more

[30:25] precautions with our public events that we host down in around Glasgow Square.

[30:30] I'm thinking of the Jubilee. I'm thinking of other events like other um I

[30:35] just think we should uh take a look at that. Have you considered that?

[30:51] recent [Music]

[30:57] public

[31:01] and I did start some research on strategies and therapy alternatives for

[31:11] has gone on and using

[31:16] larger vehicles at intersections is actually one of the strategies that's

[31:20] being used across the country um strikes that balance between a heavy duty bar

[31:28] also mobility access emergency vehicles. There are other alternatives that

[31:35] preliminary um

[31:40] devices that can be purchased. There's steel barricades

[31:46] essentially [Music]

[31:50] of your vehicle.

[31:54] more expensive options in terms of like

[32:07] down. Um I think there's a little bit more research and collaboration between

[32:15] police work and that other recommendations but um

[32:22] recently was working on public

[32:29] and that's an aspect of that

[32:35] show that's consideration

[32:40] barriers of course are pretty

[32:51] recommendations that we have

[32:55] heavy. >> Thank you. I think that's a good idea.

[32:59] Um I also think that the day of the wooden barriers is coming to an end or

[33:05] should be coming to an end at this point in time. Thank you.

[33:09] » Any further questions? >> All in favor signify by saying I. I

[33:15] » opposed. Motion carried. The community development report.

[33:21] » Issue worship. Motion that we accept the community development report is submit.

[33:25] » I'll second that. >> Moved by councelor Joe McDonald.

[33:29] Seconded by councelor Peters. Uh all any questions on the motion?

[33:35] All in favor signify by saying I. I. >> Opposed. Motion carried.

[33:41] uh our business development officer report.

[33:46] » Yes, your worship. I would move that we accept the business development report

[33:49] as circulated in our package. >> Moved by councelor Fraser.

[33:53] » Seconded by councelor Joe McDonald. Any questions on the motion?

[33:58] All in favor signify by saying I. >> Nay. Opposed. Motion carried. Fire

[34:05] report and fire inspection report. Yes, your worship that I move that we accept

[34:10] the fire report and fire inspection report as circulated.

[34:13] » Moved by councelor Peters, >> seconded by deputy mayor Dorington. Any

[34:19] questions on the mo on the report? >> Yes, your worship.

[34:23] » Go ahead. >> Um I just have some questions about I'm

[34:27] just wondering if you you could tell me a little bit more about the encampment

[34:31] fires. There was two encampment fires in a campfire. when we're coming into fire

[34:35] season. Um what kinds of like is that normal? Are we or are we above normal?

[34:54] building wooded area along the trail system

[35:01] that weekend

[35:06] trail

[35:11] off the trail

[35:15] with police assistance and actually had a

[35:22] drone

[35:25] to give police and fire a little better understanding of what our

[35:30] tree line are.

[35:38] just so we have a little

[35:54] resources together because I share the company's

[36:00] flight

[36:04] resource to go through for any reason. So I think it's it's an

[36:11] ongoing problem.

[36:24] » Thank you, Chief White. >> Thank you. Any other questions?

[36:30] With that, all in favor signify by saying I.

[36:33] » I. >> Opposed. Motion carried. the building

[36:37] report. >> I'll move to accept the building report

[36:40] as certain. >> Moved by councelor Jessica McDonald.

[36:43] » I'll second that. >> Seconded by councelor Peters. Any

[36:46] questions on the motion? >> All in favor signify by saying I.

[36:52] » Opposed. Motion carried. Uh information technology report.

[36:57] » Yes, your worship. I would move that we accept the uh the report as circulated

[37:02] uh on our information technology department. And I'd like to draw

[37:06] attention to a couple items that are in that that are quite interesting. One one

[37:11] makes reference to the fact that if you travel through the United States,

[37:16] » you uh presently you would be you could be intercepted by u legal or authorities

[37:23] without any questions. And uh then the other one was uh that I I just let you

[37:29] know I read one of the reports. And the other one was that uh we now have the

[37:34] camera working so that the batteries working so you can watch your uh

[37:39] excuse me, watch the weather turn those cars go up uh through the riverside and

[37:45] across the bridge and you can take a station there uh Mr. Chief

[37:52] and uh watch things. Anyway, there's lots of information in that. Sometimes

[37:56] we tended to skip over something.

[38:01] » That's great. >> I'll second that.

[38:03] » Moved by councelor Fraser, seconded by councelor Peters. Are there any other

[38:07] questions or on the report? All in favor signify by saying I.

[38:13] » Opposed. Motion carried. The human resources and corporate communications

[38:18] report. >> Yes, your worship. I move that we accept

[38:22] the human resources and corporate communications report as circulated.

[38:26] Moved by councelor Peters. >> Seconded by deputy mayor Dorington. Any

[38:31] questions on the motion? All in favor signify by saying I.

[38:37] » Opposed? Motion carried. Uh our strategic init

[38:42] initiatives and projects report.

[38:47] » Yes, your worship. I would move that we accept this report. And once again,

[38:50] there's packed with material. So, I'll move that.

[38:55] » Moved by councelor Fraser. Second, >> seconded by councelor Joe McDonald. Any

[38:59] questions on the motion? >> Just a comment. Um, I I just want to say

[39:05] and I, you know, I I it's been well publicized and great uh media attention

[39:12] and great support from citizens far and wide. um an amazing

[39:18] um launch of Nebraska 150 and um I think uh I I don't know if I've I've seen

[39:26] anything that's garnered more attention than the artwork on the river. I I every

[39:31] time I drive by there's people down looking at it. So um no question it's a

[39:37] legacy piece. And with that all in favor signify by saying I

[39:43] » opposed. Motion carried. Thanks everyone and thanks to staff for the great

[39:47] reports.

[40:02] Okay. On to um our presentation of budgets for fiscal 2526.

[40:11] Councelor Fraser worship.

[40:14] Uh yes, the uh tax resolution for 2526 comes in different parts. So please bear

[40:21] with me. Be be it resolved that the estimated uh expenditures for the town

[40:27] of Glasgow for the period April 1st, 2025 to March 31st, 2026 be approved,

[40:33] accepted, and adopted in the amount of $25 million776,599.

[40:43] And after making allowance for estimated revenue in the amount of $7,741,999,

[40:51] the amount of $18,3,35,500

[40:58] is required from the general taxation of the assessed valuation of 770,460,

[41:06] excuse me, $770,463,600.

[41:17] Do you wish for me to carry? >> Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Therefore, be it

[41:23] resolved that the tax rate for the town of Glasgow for the period April 1st,

[41:27] 2025 to March 31st, 2026 be set at $184 per $100 of assessment for residential

[41:38] resource properties and $445 per $100 of assessed commercial

[41:45] property. Be it further resolved that the

[41:50] pollution control rate of $1.40 per cubic meter of water be applied at the

[41:57] current pollution control charge. So it stays the same. Be it further resolved

[42:03] that a solid waste uniform charge of $183

[42:08] per residential dwelling unit be applied as a solid waste charge for all dwelling

[42:14] units of four or less.

[42:19] And be it further resolved that the rate of taxes for the current period may be

[42:25] collected by warrant and distress without further notice if not paid on or

[42:30] before the 31st day of March 2026 together with all costs and expenses of

[42:37] levy and sale of good on all proceedings incidental here thereto and further if

[42:44] the said taxes are not paid before June June 1st, 2025

[42:49] for the interim tax bill and November 1st, 2025

[42:55] for the final an added penalty charge will be payable at a rate of 15% peranom

[43:02] on the balance of all outstanding tax accounts. Thank you.

[43:06] » Okay. And you're going to make the motion

[43:09] » there. Therefore, I move we accept the uh presentation I just made.

[43:15] I will second council fra's resolution.

[43:26] Yes. Okay.

[43:30] To and the operating budget that follows.

[43:34] » Yeah. Okay. >> Yes. And

[43:36] » that's okay. You don't have he doesn't have to read that. No. Um Okay. Any

[43:42] questions on the motion? All in favor signify by saying I. I.

[43:49] » Opposed. Motion carried. Um, next we have the water utility budget.

[44:00] Just a motion to approve. >> I move that the uh water utility

[44:04] operating budget for the fiscal 2025 2026 uh be adopted.

[44:10] » Moved by councelor McKenna. >> Seconded. Seconded by Deputy Mayor

[44:13] Dorington. Any questions on the motion. All in favor signify by saying I.

[44:20] » Opposed. Motion carried. The capital budget.

[44:27] » Yes, sure. I move that the uh approve the capital budget as presented in our

[44:31] package. >> Moved by councelor Fraser.

[44:34] » Second that. >> Seconded by councelor Peters. Any

[44:36] question on the motion? All in favor signify by saying I

[44:43] » opposed. Motion carried. Uh finally, our water utility capital budget.

[44:50] » I'll move to accept the uh water utility.

[44:53] » And I'll second that. Thank you. >> Moved by councelor Jessica McDonald,

[44:58] seconded by councelor Fraser. Any questions on the motion?

[45:01] All in favor signify by saying I. >> I.

[45:05] » Opposed. Motion carried. Uh I have some um

[45:10] comments I'd like to share. I'm pleased to share with you the

[45:14] outcomes of our budget review process for the fiscal year 2526.

[45:19] 2025 2026. The tenant of Glasgow has approached this process with diligence

[45:24] and care guided by our commitment to support and grow the community while

[45:29] navigating current economic realities. I'm pleased to announce that we will

[45:33] maintain both our residential and commercial commercial tax rates. The

[45:37] residential tax rate remains steady at $184

[45:43] per 100 of assessment, while the commercial tax rate will also stay

[45:47] unchanged at 4.45 per 100 of assessment. The annual solid waste uniform charge

[45:53] for residential dwelling will increase by $15, bringing it to $183 for the

[45:59] upcoming fiscal year. Our total operating budget for the upcoming year

[46:04] is set at $25,776,599.

[46:10] This represents a necessary adjustment to to address rising costs and to

[46:15] support critical investments in our town's infrastructure, services, and

[46:20] future development. New Glasco continues to thrive as a leading commercial

[46:24] service center in northern Nova Scotia, serving a vibrant Pictor County

[46:28] population of nearly 45,000 daily in addition to a wider regional scope. We

[46:35] are proud to be home to vital amenities such as health services, financial

[46:38] institutions, retail outlets, dining options, as well as cultural, social,

[46:43] and recreational facilities. In recent years, we have made significant strides

[46:48] in infrastructure development to support both our business community and

[46:52] residential growth. Our ongoing commitment to sustainability is evident

[46:57] through initiatives such as towards net zero housing and deep energy retrofit

[47:02] projects in which the town has part partnered with amongst many other

[47:06] initiatives. I am encouraged by the recent popular population growth of 4.4%

[47:12] 4% for our town in the 2021 census. We are focused on enhancing our community's

[47:18] livability and accessibility through initiatives such as the housing

[47:23] accelerator fund, active living strategies, including make your move to

[47:27] Glasgow, and the adoption of our updated accessibility action plan for the 2025

[47:33] to 2028 period. As we advance with with this work and all town initiatives, we

[47:39] remain guided by the lens of our celebration of diversity, the path

[47:43] forward for our future equity and anti-racism plan. Looking ahead, we are

[47:49] mindful of challenges posed by inflation and increasing service demands. Our

[47:54] budget priorities include addressing provincial education costs in the tax

[47:58] rate, enhancing public works service delivery, supporting essential first

[48:03] responder services of police and fire, and meeting our obligations under

[48:08] various regional agreements and our own collective parking arrangements. Our

[48:12] general and water capital projects totaling over 17.5 million will

[48:18] encompass critical improvements across several areas including investments in

[48:23] information technology, paving, sanitary sewer expansion, storm sewer separation.

[48:29] Other capital spending includes energy efficiency initiatives, revitalization

[48:35] of our public library, investment in protective services equipment, and

[48:39] enhancements to our active living spaces. These investments are essential

[48:43] to sustaining New Glasgow's growth and ensuring a high quality of place for all

[48:48] residents. In closing, I want to reaffirm that the town of New Glasco

[48:53] remains committed to f fiscal responsibility while investing in the

[48:57] quality of life and future of our community. Our decision to maintain

[49:01] stable tax rate underscores this commitment, aiming to provide a

[49:06] conducive environment for economic prosperity and community well-being.

[49:10] Thank you all for your continued support and engagement in shaping the future of

[49:14] New Glasgow. And I would like to say special mention to um Kim Livingston and

[49:21] our CEO Lisa McDonald and certainly the rest of our uh directors for um all the

[49:28] work involved in putting this together. We really appreciate it and um

[49:34] it's a great budget. Anyway, thank you to all

[49:41] And uh finally we have a motion the first reading of a development agreement

[49:45] application. >> I go McDonald.

[49:49] » Yep. I hereby give notice pursuant to section 48 sub one and section 230 sub

[49:56] one of the municipal government's act the council at its meeting to be held on

[50:00] Monday June 16th 2025 intend to make a decision by policy with respect to the

[50:06] application of Amy Suzanne McNeel/Beloved

[50:10] homes and rentals requesting the town to enter into a development agreement for

[50:14] the property located at 211 North Avenue pit number 01 0006337.

[50:24] The property is situated in the future redevelopment zone and the purpose of

[50:29] the development agreement is to permit the subdivision of the subject lands

[50:32] into the construction of two 4unit residential buildings designed and

[50:37] configured in a townhouse single level style. Therefore, pursuant to section

[50:43] 2302 of the municipal government's act, I

[50:47] move that council hold a public hearing prior to making a decision by policy on

[50:51] this application and that it be held on Monday, June 16th, 2025.

[51:00] » Is there a second? >> I'll second that motion.

[51:03] » Uh move a councelor Joe McDonald, seconded by councelor Jessica McDonald.

[51:08] Any questions on this motion? >> I do have some questions.

[51:13] » Go ahead. >> Yep. Um, pursuant to this, there is a

[51:17] couple of of issues and thank you very much, Jeffrey, for your subsequent

[51:22] report. Um, I'm not sure that I can vote for this

[51:29] because of the the issues that I that I've seen and that are outstanding and

[51:35] uh to move this forward until those are resolved. That's my opinion. So,

[51:40] » it was indicated that before a second reading. Yeah.

[51:50] Okay. Any further questions? All in favor signify by saying I.

[51:56] » I >> opposed.

[51:58] » Nay. >> Uh motion carried.

[52:03] » Um

[52:06] under new business our accounts.

[52:12] » Yes, your worship. I would move that we uh pay the bills for the period April

[52:16] 2nd to May 7th, 2025. >> Moved by councelor Fraser.

[52:21] » I'll second that. Seconded by councelor Joe McDonald. Any questions on the

[52:24] motion. >> All in favor signify by saying I.

[52:30] » I. >> Opposed. Motion carried. And finally, a

[52:34] recommendation from our in camera meeting. It is the recommendation to

[52:39] council to proceed with facilitating the demolition of 269 Mitchell Street,

[52:46] PID number 00955716 through a contractor and apply the cost

[52:51] to the tax account for the property. >> Issue worship. I'll move that we accept

[52:56] the recommendation. >> Move by councelor Joe McDonald.

[53:00] » I'll second that. >> Seconded by councelor Jessica McDonald.

[53:03] Any questions on the motion? All in favor signify by saying I.

[53:08] » I. >> Opposed. Motion carried. A motion to

[53:11] adjurnn. >> Thank you, councelor. Oh, Deputy Mayor

[53:14] Dor. Okay.

Council Meeting May 20th, 2025 Part 1

Transcript