[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.