Coun. Rod Gilroy named new deputy mayor for the Municipality of Cumberland
Coun. Rod Gilroy was selected as the next deputy mayor for the Municipality of Cumberland during municipal council’s regular October meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Gilroy, who was first elected to municipal council in October 2020, succeeds District 6 councillor Mark Joseph, whose one-year term is coming to an end.
Gilroy is the municipal councillor for District 2.
His term begins Nov. 22, 2023.
Mayor Murray Scott thanked Deputy Mayor Joseph for his work over the past year and congratulated Coun. Gilroy on his selection to the office.
Cumberland municipal council providing heritage designation to Mattinson Hansford Cemetery
Cumberland municipal council has approved heritage designation for the Mattinson Hansford Cemetery.
The cemetery is located on the Hansford Road, East of Oxford. It was used a cemetery from 1862 to 1921 with 22 known graves.
The cemetery was abandoned for decades and was restored since 2016 by local volunteers.
Council to hold public hearing Dec. 20 to consider deregistering Springhill church
Cumberland municipal council will hold a public hearing on Dec. 20, 2023, as it considers deregistering St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church on Chapel Street, Springhill, as a heritage property.
The property was decommissioned as a church in April 2023. An application from the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax says the parish is in disrepair with some leaks in the roof and foundation problems.
There is interest from someone in purchasing the property and converting it into affordable housing, but doing so would be hampered by the conditions of the Heritage Act.
The church was listed as a heritage property by the former town of Springhill in 1995.
Council approves second reading of rezoning application for properties in Wentworth Station
Cumberland municipal council has approved second reading of an application to rezone two properties south of the Valley Road in Wentworth Station to recreational residential from rural resource.
The application by Dianne Powell, Conor Scallion and Christine Scallion would permit future residential development on 10 new lots on a new private road.
The properties are located between the Westchester Fire Hall and Highway 4.
Cumberland County to opt-in to Extended Producer Responsibility with Divert NS
The Municipality of Cumberland is going to register with Divert NS to opt-in to Extended Producer Responsibility and will proceed to provide the required information while staff will initiate discussions with the Town of Amherst on the possibility of an integrated approach to subsequent negotiations with the producer responsibility organization.
The Municipality of Cumberland and Amherst’s collection and education systems are presently integrated.
Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, covers packaging, paper products and packaging like products regulates industry responsibility for both the operational and financial management of select recyclable products.
In Nova Scotia, EPR for these products will include materials commonly found in the residential blue bag system. With an EPR program, the savings from new operational arrangements are estimated at between $20 million to $25 million for Nova Scotia municipalities.
Municipal staff will begin to explore the implications as they relate to the Waste Benefits Agreement with GFL Environmental and report back to council.