News

Winter Preparations for Community Displays in Parrsboro

Please be aware that in the community of Parrsboro, the Main Street displays will be taken down and put in storage for the winter beginning October 18, 2020. All community displays will return to the Main Street area in the spring of 2021. 

A special thank you goes out to all creative community members who contributed to the many projects. 

Resolved-phone number for Parrsboro Service Centre

UPDATE: October 13, 2020 

The phone issues at the Parrsboro Service Centre have been resolved. Thank you to all for bearing with us while we worked with the provider to fix the issues. 

Please resume using our regular numbers to reach staff at the Service Centre. 

Sharpe Splash & Play Park Update

Landscaping work has begun at the Sharpe Splash & Play Park. The landscaping company is confident that with the weather forecast and water from an alternative local water source that we will be able to manage to keep the sod wet enough over the coming weeks.

We will be watering the new sod at the splash park using an alternate water source (Pit Pond) for this, and not the municipal water supply as users of the Springhill Water Utility are still under a conservation order. There will be staff and equipment on Pond Drive near the walking trail pumping water into our truck to facilitate this work, and walking trail users should be aware of this.

The park will remain closed to the public until the sod has an opportunity to take root. We fully expect to be able to safely open the playground portion of the park once the sod is established. Two parking lots have been completed on Mechanic Street and Chapel Street.

The Splash Pad will be ready for use as soon as conditions permit in the Spring.

River Hebert Transfer Station

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the River Hebert Transfer Station is closed until further notice. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. An announcement will be made when the re-opening date is known.

Hydrant Flushing - Parrsboro

There will be hydrant flushing in the community of Parrsboro starting Monday, October 5, 2020. It should take approximately six days to complete the flushing. Crews will be starting each day at 8 p.m. and working 8-hour evening shifts to complete the work.

News from the Cliffs of Fundy - The Cliffs Are Growing

Business is booming at the Cliffs of Fundy Geopark! September has been a busy month already as we moved into our permanent office in Debert and welcomed a new member to our team.

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Park on Mechanic Street to honour important citizen

Municipal Council approved naming the park on Mechanic Street in Springhill the Sharpe Splash and Play Park, in honour of Bev Sharpe. Sharpe was vital in fundraising for the initial construction of the park. A recent fire resulted in a renovated park with the addition of a splashpad.

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Major Rural Broadband Network in Cumberland and Colchester

One of the largest optic fibre-based high speed internet networks in rural Canada is being built in the Municipalities of Colchester and Cumberland. An Agreement between the Municipalities and Xplornet Communications Inc. was signed on August 21st following unanimous approval of both Councils.

“This considerable investment paves the way for a bright future for our region” said Cumberland Warden Al Gillis at the online signing event. Colchester Mayor Christine Blair pointed to the value of municipal collaboration: “Our work together on broadband and the new Geopark should be celebrated.” The Cumberland-Colchester project was selected for funding by Develop Nova Scotia in its first round of approvals under the Internet for Nova Scotia Initiative. A Joint Internet Improvement Committee made up of Councillors and staff is overseeing the municipal component of the project.

Xplornet will invest $34 million toward the $61.1 million project. The Province will contribute $21.1 million from the Nova Scotia Internet Funding Trust. The two Municipalities will pay a combined $6 million over the next three to five years. Cumberland’s share will be $3,327,600 and Colchester’s $2,672,400, reflecting the amount of fibre in each jurisdiction. The network infrastructure will be Open Access for other internet service providers to rent wholesale capacity.

The network will consist of 19 fixed-wireless towers and approximately 670 kilometres of optic fibre, including over 500 km. of new fibre. It will have capacity to serve 100% of civic addresses in the combined Counties, including 24,400 addresses currently not covered. Wireless services require line-of-sight. Xplornet will offer up to 100 Mbps service to 22,500 of these currently underserved addresses and up to 50 Mbps satellite service for the remaining 1,900 addresses. As many as 3,500 civic addresses will have access to fibre-to-the-home service. Unlimited data packages priced at $99 will be available.

A unique aspect of the project is acquisition by the Municipalities of Cumberland and Colchester of use of two pairs of ‘dark fibres’ (optic fibres for exclusive use) on the entire new network. This will position the Municipalities to partner on innovative ventures in coming years. “At Xplornet, we have been proud to take the lead in expanding high-speed Internet to rural homes and businesses in Nova Scotia,” said Jeff Burlock, Executive Vice-President and Co-Founder of Xplornet, “ Colchester and Cumberland believe in a bright future for rural communities, and we’re excited to be working with them.”

The project is well underway, with new wireless service offered in many areas. Network completion is expected within three years.

Media contact:
Mark Austin, Economic Developer
Municipality of Colchester
902 956 2711