QUEENS – The Region of Queens Municipality’s council held its regular meeting April 10. Several issues were discussed, including:
Repeal
There was a recommendation that council gives first reading to a bylaw to repeal bylaw No. 5 Respecting the Firing of Guns.
Coun. Heather Kelly read the recommendation.
Coun. Brian Fralic asked how the repeal might affect groups such as the King’s Orange Rangers.
Chief administrative officer Chris McNeill said the group most likely gets permission to fire guns, and that would continue in the same manner.
Hospitality
Coun. Raymond Fiske read the recommendation that council approves Policy 3 – Hospitality.
The background in the staff report explains that on Sept. 17, 2017, “the Province of Nova Scotia introduced a Bill to amend the Municipal Government Act of Nova Scotia with numerous changes including a provision that each municipality in Nova Scotia must adopt a policy respecting hospitality and the conditions under which alcohol can be a legitimate municipal expense when not being reimbursed to an individual.”
Expenses
Coun. Susan MacLeod, who represents District 4, read the recommendation that council approves Policy 7 – council and staff expenses.
Coun. Gilbert Johnson requested an amendment to 7.5 in Policy 7, which says, “All council travel within one’s electoral district is deemed to be incidental to the discharge of one’s duties and being included in the one-third tax free allowance of the elected officials’ remuneration.”
He suggested, “Instead of just within one’s district, we could put a figure in there like 50 kilometres or less.”
During the discussion on the amendment, Coun. Jack Fancy asked a clarification question about whether the 50 kilometres refers to a round trip.
McNeill suggested the new wording be, “All council travel within one’s district under 50 kilometres is deemed incidental.”
MacLeod opposed the amendment, making the vote 7-1.
Code of conduct
Fancy read the recommendation that council approves Policy 74 – Code of Conduct for Members of Council and Public Committee Members.
Included among the policy details, for example, is that members of council and pubic committee members have to put the public’s interest ahead of their own.
Dispatch agreement
Fralic read the recommendation that council enters into the proposed five-year fire and medical first response dispatch agreement with Valley Communications effective April 1, 2018.
Further recommended was that the mayor and CAO be authorized to execute the agreement on council’s behalf.
Grants to organizations
There were 18 recommendations for grants to organizations.
The staff report’s background explains that each autumn, the Region of Queens Municipality gives pre-budget approval for grants to organizations funding in the upcoming fiscal year. The background says, “This was approved by council in the amount of $50,000 on Nov. 28, 2017.”
There were recommendations that council provides grant funding to the Friends of Hank Snow Society in the amount of $8,000; Liverpool International Theatre Festival in the amount of $4,000; Mersey Band Society in the amount of $1,000; Milton Community Association in the amount of $500; Milton Heritage Society in the amount of $750; North Queens Board of Trade in the amount of $1,000; North Queens Farmer’s Market in the amount of $500; North Queens Heritage Society in the amount of $750; North Queens Medical Centre in the amount of $4,150; Privateer Days in the amount of $10,000; Privateer Farmer’s Market Cooperative Limited in the amount of $500; CJQC Radio Society (QCCR) in the amount of $1,000; Queens County Fair Association in the amount of $10,000; Queens County Museum in the amount of $5,000; Queens Learning Network in the amount of $1,000; South Queens Chamber of Commerce in the amount of $600; Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve Association in the amount of $500; Winds of Change Youth Theatre Group in the amount of $750.
Lease termination
Muise read the recommendation that council provides “notice to Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia that subject to Section 9(a) of the lease agreement between the Region of Queens Municipality and Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia entered into on Aug. 20, 2014, that Reigon of Queens Municipality will terminate the lease between the parties effective April 30, 2018.”
Meaghan Roberts, director of Recreation and Healthy Communities, explained the person running Liverpool’s satellite office retired and the director is now based out of Halifax.
“They weren’t using the space,” said Roberts.
McNeill said it would be his intention to find a leasable tenant for the space.
Rezoning
Johnson read the recommendation that council gives notice of its intention to amend to the Region of Queens Municipality Land Use Bylaw, which would see the rezoning of PID#’s 70018296 and 70028006 from restricted residential (R1) to multiple unit residential (R3) and rezoning PID#’s 70018817, 70246061 and 70246079 from institutional (I1) to multiple unit residential (R3).
There was a recommendation that a public hearing be held 8:45 a.m. May 8 in the municipal building’s council chambers at 249 White Point Rd. in Liverpool.
There was a recommendation that before the public hearing the property purchaser give council details on the proposed residential development, “including but not limited to, a detailed site plan, building design drawings, number of units, sidewalks and landscaping.”
A final recommendation was that “all costs associated with the amendment process be borne by purchaser of lands, Gregory Thomas.”
The parcels of land are on Payzant and Brunswick Streets.
