News
Municipality of Cumberland issues RFP for review of Development & Planning Department
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The Municipality of Cumberland has issued a request for proposals for a comprehensive independent review of its Development & Planning Department.
The review will assess efficiency, transparency, compliance with Nova Scotia municipal standards, and alignment with best practices. The review will identify opportunities for improvement in workflows, technology use, service delivery, and stakeholder engagement.
“Over the past five years we have reviewed every aspect of the Municipality’s operations except our development and planning shop,” Cumberland CAO Greg Herrett said in announcing the review. “This review will complete that work” he said. “Permitting and inspections, development and subdivision approvals have seen significant increases in volumes over the past few years. We want to take a step back and have a look at our processes and how we assign resources to that department to ensure we’re in step with best practices in place across the rest of the province.”
The RFP closes in mid-December and the work is expected to be completed in March of 2026.
Springhill & Parrsboro Winter Parking and Snow Clearing Restrictions
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With winter now upon us, please remember that until May 1st, 2026 parking is restricted on Municipal streets between midnight and 6 am or at any other time that could interfere with snow clearing operations by Public Works Employees.
Vehicles left unattended on Municipal streets during these times may be ticketed and/or towed at owners cost and risk.
Also, please remember that snow from private residences cannot be pushed out into a Municipal Street or across a Municipal Street for disposal, by either a resident or private contractor removing snow for a resident or business.
Advocate Harbour celebrates opening of new library
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Several months ago, the Advocate and District Development Association made the painful decision to demolish its community centre due to its deteriorating condition.
It also meant the community was left without a permanent home for its branch of the Cumberland Public Library. It was in the building’s basement.
The community came together on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, to celebrate the opening on a new library on Mills Road – adjacent to the location of the former community centre.
“Several months ago, we made the painful decision to demolish our community centre. As you know, the log building hosted our local library. With the uncertainty of whether library services would return to our community, the ADDA organization worked very hard to ensure that it did,” association president Courtney Morris said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “After endless meetings, letter writing campaigns and grant requests we did it.”
Advocate Harbour opened its new library on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2025, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and several other events. Darrell Cole – Municipality of Cumberland photo
The library was operating temporarily in the fire hall.
The project had funding support of $26,000 from the Municipality of Cumberland while financial support also came from the Christie-Smith Community Fund as well as interest-free loans and community donations.
“The support, hard work, time, devotion, determination and donations are what got us to where are today as we celebrate the grand opening of our new library,” Morris said.
Morris thanked Steve McLellan, Mike MacDougall and Kevin Garrett from Spencer’s Island Carpentry for supporting the project as well as community and association members for their support and in-kind donations.
Municipality of Cumberland Mayor Rod Gilroy said the library is an example of what happens when a community comes together to support an important project.
“The community rallied behind this project and I want to thank everyone who supported this library project in any way,” the mayor said. “I also want to thank the municipality and the county councillors who were wholeheartedly behind this. It has worked out very well.”
He thanked the Smith-Christie foundation for its support saying that organization has worked with the municipality to help things get done in a way that doesn’t financially burden either organization.
Charlotte Gallivan, community engagement librarian for the Cumberland Regional Library, thanked the community for its support for the library.
“You’ve gone above and beyond,” she said. “Without the community and our municipal partners this wouldn’t have gone ahead so quickly. Rural access to services is vital and you really showed that it’s important and is required.”
She also thanked library staff for gathering materials from the former facility and offering library services in a temporary location.
The next step for the development association is building a new community centre to replace the former log building.
Advocate Harbour opened its new library on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2025, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a number of other events. Darrell Cole – Municipality of Cumberland photo
RFP-MCC-2517
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The Municipality of the County of Cumberland is currently advertising a request for proposal for “Review of Development and Planning Department“
Stephanie Keilhack recognized with provincial ACE Award as Rising Star in Accessibility
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The Municipality of Cumberland has a rising star.
The municipality’s community engagement coordinator Stephanie Keilhack was recently named a recipient of the Rising Star in Accessibility Award at this year’s ACE Awards: Celebrating Inclusive Employers.
“She is leading Accessibility, equity, and poverty reduction initiatives in her community, with a strong passion for improving the health and longevity of rural residents,” the award’s citation said. “She's known for her keen foresight, creative thinking, and ability to build positive, collaborative relationships that move accessibility forward.”
Through the Accessibility Confident Employers (ACE) Project, Sea Change CoLab works with employers to build skills for recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing people with disabilities. Along the way, it has seen inspiring examples of people putting learning into practice, managers driving culture change and organizations embedding accessibility into their systems.
Stephanie Keilhack, the Municipality of Cumberland, community engagement coordinator, was recently recognized as a Rising Star in Accessibility by the Accessibility Confident Employers (ACE) Project.
Within the municipality, some of the highlights and achievements in accessibility include (with support from Cumberland Recreation and Public Works in Springhill and Parrsboro):
Lunch n’ learn sessions for Cumberland businesses around accommodations at work, plain language and digital accessibility training for several key staff and volunteers, sidewalk assessments in Parrsboro and Springhill, sidewalk improvements in Parrsboro and lights at crosswalks in Springhill.
There has also been an employment equity statement that welcomes people with disabilities to apply for jobs and sharing that accommodations are available.
Other departments are also making excellent improvements in accessibility including the Recreation Department’s Equipment Loan Program that features adaptive bikes, hiking poles and more.
In development are initiatives such as learning how to better support autistic children in municipal summer camps, improved entrances to the Springhill administration building, accessibility assessments at the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre and Springhill Miner’s Memorial Library as well as the use of plain language more often in public communications.
Conversations are also ongoing with Sunset Communities and Cumberland County Transportation Services (CCTS) about improving accessible transportation in the region.