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Home My Public Portal About2016-09_MunicipalInsight_pdf_archive-compressedmunicipal insight “Keeping informed about September/October 2016 your municipal government” In the Municipality of the District of Chester this fall... Tribute for Bob a Real Gift Municipal Electi on 2016 More than one way to peel an orange A celebrati on for friends What you need to know Get all of our updates and and family from the about voti ng in the municipal news instantly! heart. Page 4. Municipality is on Page 5. See Page 8. SUSTANE ABILITY The Municipality and Sustane Technologies sign a momentous agreement to substanti ally reduce landfi ll waste At an earlier announcement, the Warden and CEO of Sustane Technologies, Peter Vinall, sign the long-term agreement. Signed with the very pen that was used to seal another signifi cant agreement (with Valley Waste in 2005), the Municipality entered into a long-term partnership with Sustane Tech- nologies Inc. on August 12. The contract will mean constructi on of a $16 million advanced recycling/producti on facility at the Kaizer Meadow Eco-Park. The facility, fully automated and built by Sustane, will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can process 150 tonnes of household and commercial garbage per day at full capacity. The plan is to break ground this fall and be in operati on by 2017. Up to twenty-fi ve staff will be hired once operati onal. The contract also ensures Sustane with a steady supply of waste, 90% of which will be completely diverted from the landfi ll. To do that, Sustane uses a unique set of pro- prietary technologies, developed and proven in Spain that allows for almost complete recycling of household and commercial garbage. End products include clean biomass fuel pel- lets for industry use, recyclables like metals and plasti cs, as well as liquid fuels in the future. The process does not involve incinerati on, pro- duces very litt le noise or odour, and over 90% of the garbage is diverted into valuable products. Seems futuristi c, but the process is really quite simple. It's, in essence, a large boiler that uses recycled water. Machinery captures materials like plasti cs, metals and glass for recycling and uses the left over material to make fuel by clean- ing, pressing and dehydrati ng it. Aft er the pro- cess is completed, the residual is landfi lled. Environmental Impact The environmental benefi ts are numerous. Greenhouse gas emissions emitt ed from fu- ture landfi lled waste will decrease substanti ally because less waste will be in there. Long-term maintenance of the landfi ll will be signifi cantly reduced because there will be less landfi ll space to maintain. Even more material will be intro- duced into the recyclable stream for reuse - ma- terial that couldn't be recycled before, like plas- ti c coated cardboard, Styrofoam®, and frozen concentrated juice cans. Long-term environmental eff ects from a pro- cess such as this are tremendous. Financial Impact Facility and operati ons are privately owned by Sustane Technologies. They are investi ng $16 million of their own money into a facility, equipment, and jobs. No municipal dollars will be invested. What the agreement ensures is a long- term supply of material to feed the facility and create the products. Currently, Kaizer Meadow buries waste from our own residents, businesses and insti tuti ons. We have agreements with the rest of the municipal units in Lunenburg County, as well as Valley Waste, our long- municipal insightmunicipal insight “Keeping informed about September/October 2016 municipal insight “Keeping informed about September/October 2016 municipal insight your municipal government” Raffl e ti ckets for Summer Jewel are now available! $2.00 each, or 3 for $5.00 (Purchase ti ckets at the Recreati on Offi ce) Quilt made and donated by My Time Square Quilters. Draw takes place at Chester Golf Club on October 1, 2016 with proceeds going to PRO Kids term partners. Each of them pay us ti pping fees per tonne plus a host or partner fee. Once constructed, all of the waste ordinarily desti ned for the Landfi ll will be rerouted to the Sustane facility. We, in turn, will pay Sustane a ti p fee for taking our regular waste. Tip fees be- tween all partners are competi ti ve in the mar- ket. When Sustane has fi nished sorti ng and pro- cessing, they will pay the Municipality a ti p fee to take the residual waste, plus a diff erent ti p fee to take the items that they couldn't process. The facility will not process large items from special collecti on, constructi on and demoliti on waste, white goods (fridges and stoves), or other simi- lar items that can't be reasonably ground up. The Municipality is presently negoti ati ng an extension to existi ng contracts to make sure Sustane will have the waste they need to oper- ate. If they prove successful, we will also look for new sources for the long-term. Short-term aff ects at Kaizer Meadow in regards to operati ons are far diff erent than long-term. Because there is always risk, the Municipality is miti gati ng that risk by conti nuing landfi ll opera- ti ons as usual for the ti me being. In this regard, operati onal costs will remain the same for now. We will also move forward with plans to con- struct a new half-cell for landfi ll material, which will be used regardless - hopefully, it will take twenty years to fi ll it instead of fi ve! The long-term benefi ts to the Municipality will be signifi cant. We will build less landfi ll cells, put less (90%) waste in cells, have our waste turned into a reusable resource, and bring a consider- able anchor tenant to our Kaizer Meadow Eco- Park. Eff ects on Current Operati ons All services available to the public will remain available. Nothing will change with • curbside programs, including recycling and composti ng; • septi c waste drop-off and treatment; • the Public Drop-off and Household Haz- ardous Waste Drop-off ; • operati ng hours at Kaizer Meadow; • accepti ng constructi on and demoliti on material like shingles, wood, drywall, etc.; or • accepti ng white goods and metal. Failure Despite the familiar saying of failure not being an opti on, there is always a risk of failure for a new business in the fi rst year of operati on. Sus- tane has been successful overseas, has a proven track record, and is already att racti ng notable interest from other areas. Failure means status quo for the Municipality. We will conti nue to collect and dispose of waste as we have for the last 34 years. Nothing ven- tured, nothing gained, but nothing lost either. MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Message from the Warden This will be my last opportunity to speak with you prior to the October 15 municipal electi ons across Nova Scoti a. I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to vote, parti cularly young people whose parti cipati on we have tried to encourage through electronic voti ng. Whether you are young or more seasoned, your vote will determine our path forward as a community and impact your daily lives more than any other level of government seeking your parti cipati on. Well, the Olympics are behind us, and I would like to extend congratulati ons to Team Saunders. I'm sure they would have liked to bring home a medal, but to have the skill to be in the Games is remarkable in and of itself. We are all proud of you. The community of New Ross' 200th birthday celebrati ons were a tremendous success, and I was grateful to be a part of it and proud of my New Ross heritage. Job well done, New Ross! The passing of Councillor Myra was a traumati c event for his family and friends. It was grati fying to see his family and community turn the corner and create a tremendously fi tti ng and successful event at the local Legion on August 6. Bob would You can contact the Warden by calling the Municipal Offi ce at (902) 275-3554, calling his home at (902) 275-2536, or emailing awebber@chester.ca be proud of all involved and very pleased that in his honour, $6,800 was raised to support PRO Kids. The Municipality has just received our audit report from Grant Thornton, and I would like to share some of the highlights with you. Of parti cular note is that they assessed our initi ati ve to generate income outside of taxati on as an eff ort to reduce the burden on rate payers. Their analysis shows that we have achieved success on both fronts. Our revenue from other sources other than property tax has increased from 20% in 2012 to 25% in 2016. In the same ti me period, taxati on as a percentage of our total revenue has decreased from 69% to 66%... defi nitely trending in the right directi on. Our accumulated debt has reduced by $2.2 million, our net worth increased by $2 million, and our cash positi on has improved by $3 million. On the cauti onary side, our debt service rati o - although sti ll well within the provincial guidelines - is trending up slightly, making it necessary to use discreti on in borrowing for projects that can not provide off setti ng revenue. Overall, the Municipality got a clean audit report and is moving in the right directi on fi nancially. In case you missed it, on Friday, August 12 we were pleased to announce that we have signed an agreement with Sustane Technologies to move forward with the development of a new approach to waste management. This new technology will see a $16 million private sector investment in our community, create 25 new jobs, and turn most of what we currently landfi ll into a value-added product. We were pleased to have the Minister of the Environment, our MLA and partners with us as well as, and especially, Jenna Wilson, President of Forest Heights Community School Student Government, whose generati on we are trying to relieve of the environmental risk associated with "business as usual". My community of Chester Basin will host a Community Fun Day on September 17 from 11:00am to 3:00pm at the Bapti st Church grounds. Look forward to seeing you there! Respectf ully, Do you know who your Councillor is? Visit www.chester.ca for bio and contact informati on. Descripti on Successful Bidder Price Over/Under Budget**Type Date Foxwood Drive Rehabilitati on - Phase I Dexter Constructi on $137,080.00 UNDER BUDGET by $19,295.00 Tender 7/14/2016 Foxwood Drive Rehabilitati on - Phase II $146,625.00 8/11/2016 Environmental Lab Services AGAT Laboratories $38,999 total est. cost WITHIN BUDGET Depends on how much testi ng is required. RFP 8/11/2016 Heavy Equipment - Trails George Zinck Excavati ng $55-65/hour + $24/hour labour Budgeted $65,000 Total "end cost" will be submitt ed when the work is completed RSO 6/27/2016 Brush Cutti ng & Tree Removal Forever Growing Forestry $14,000.00 RFQ 6/27/2016 Gold River/Western Shore School - Sale and Repurpose Not awarded 7/28/2016 Supply and Delivery of 4WD Truck Not awarded 8/25/2016 Surplus Equipment Various bidders and various prices Tender 6/30/2016 Wild Rose Park LED Lighti ng Upgrades Black and MacDonald $14,470.00 UNDER BUDGET by $3,630.00 RFQ 6/27/2016 Conference System Council Chambers Backman VidCom $10,436.97 UNDER BUDGET by $4,563.03 RFQ 6/23/2016 Photography Twin Bridges Photography $160-$1,000 depending on ti me and event WITHIN BUDGET Depends on use of photographer RFP 7/28/2016 Heavy Equipment - Municipal Properti es George Zinck Excavati ng $50/hour + $24/hour labour Budgeted amount is for overall costs for all work RSO 8/15/2016 **Although we usually budget for conti ngencies, the over/under budget amounts will not refl ect these unti l the work is complete and potenti al unknown costs discovered. For informati on on the tender process, please email administrati on@chester.ca Awarded Tenders 2 MUNICIPAL COUNCIL We may not be available 24/7, but our website is. Visit us at www.chester.ca So Long, Farewell - It's time to bid farewell to Steve Graham, our Director of Finance for 24 years. Although we aren't tired of him yet, he will be leaving at the end of October to bask in the glory of early retirement. We will miss him dearly and hope that he will visit us often! Welcome to a New Staff Person - After reading the previous post, you can guess that we are welcoming a new Director of Finance! Nancy Dove joins us on September 6 and brings a "treasury" of experience and skill as a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified General Accountant, holding a Bachelor of Business Administration with an extensive background in both public and private sectors in leadership roles. Welcome aboard, Nancy! Holiday Closures and Waste Collection Information - Municipal Offices will be closed on Monday, September 5 for the Labour Day weekend. In addition, Kaizer Meadow Environmental Management Centre will also be closed. Waste collection for Monday, September 5 is cancelled and rescheduled to Saturday, September 3 - the Saturday BEFORE. Remember to have your material out by 8:00am. Gold River School Update - At the last public meeting in District 5, a mutual agreement between residents and Council resulted in the Municipality keeping ownership of the property at the former elementary school with demoliton of the building itself likely this Fall. With public support, the property will be kept public with potential for other community uses if proposed. Wind Turbine at Kaizer Meadow - Lately, we have experienced power outages resulting in down time for the turbine. The issue is caused by Nova Scotia Power Corp's equipment. We contacted them to discuss solutions, but in the meantime, the best we can do is notify NSP immediately when we're alerted to an outage through Enercon's monitoring system. Case Study Material - Our own Dan Pittman, Records Management and Quality Control Coordinator, was asked to represent the Municipality at the next Association of Municipal Administrators Nova Scotia (AMANS). He will sit on an expert panel as a case study for records management best practices. Rat Sightings - There have been an inordinate number of rats seen in the Municipality these days. Please make sure that there isn't any exposed food on your property, including seeds from overspilled bird feeders, open composters, cat or dog food, leftovers for wild life, etc. Sightings have been in Western Shore area and Chester Basin in particular. The Department of Environment website has information on controlling rats and mice. Type https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/pests/docs/micerats.pdf into your browser. IN BRIEF... All tenders are listed under "Tenders" on our website under the "Work" menu Chester Municipal Grant Programs. “Fun”ding communities. Every year, the Municipality of Chester improves communities by funding many non-profit community groups and youth through our grant programs. • Council Grants - application deadlines of May 31 and October 31. • Tourism Grants - application deadlines of May 31 and October 31. • Major Projects Grants - application deadline for 2017 is January 31. • Recreation Grants - application deadline for 2016 is October 7. • PRO Kids - applications received all year round. • Youth Sponsorship Grants - applications received all year round. All grant programs have eligibility requirements. Download the guidelines and applications at www.chester.ca/engage/grants-and-sponsorship or telephone 902-275-3490 and let us help you choose the grant program that’s right for you. FOIPOP: Two Sides, Same Coin 3 Official brand launch this September (Look for details coming soon) FOIPOP is the acronym for Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy. At face value the two sides appear in conflict but if you read the legislation of the same name you'll discover that it’s really a unity of opposites. For municipalities, FOIPOP is published as Part XX of the Municipal Government Act. FOIPOP serves three purposes: 1) giving the public a right of access to records, ensuring municipal transparency and accountability, 2) providing individuals with a right of access to their own personal information, and 3) specifying limited exceptions to the rights of access. The first two points are self-explanatory. Freedom of information requires that records held by the Mu- nicipality are made available to ensure public par- ticipation in policy-making and fairness in decision- making. Protection of privacy requires that personal information be used only for the purpose for which it was collected and be made available for individual owners to correct errors or omissions. The third point is where the Act gets more complicated. In respond- ing to a FOIPOP request, all relevant records must be gathered and then reviewed to determine whether prescribed mandatory and discretionary exceptions to disclosure apply. Multiple criteria and evidence are assessed to establish reasonableness and weigh benefits versus harm. The Municipality must protect personal information, such as an individual's health- care, financial or employment histories from unrea- sonable invasion of privacy. We must also be careful not to disclose records that would result in significant harm to businesses, intergovernmental relations or other third parties. This means potentially redacting information relating to proprietary trade secrets, law enforcement activities or records subject to solicitor- client privilege. Due to the formality and processing effort involved, submitting a FOIPOP request for records should be thought of as a method of last resort. Inquiries for general information relating to a municipal service or program can often be handled through a simple phone call. The Municipality publishes records that are open and frequently requested. Council minutes, by-laws and policies, municipal strategies, budgets, development permits, job positions and salary bands are distributed through our website www.chester.ca. Records that are available without having to submit a FOIPOP request are listed in our Routine Access Poli- cy (P-70) which can be located on our website under "Engage" and clicking “Bylaws and Policies”. You can call the Municipal Office to have copies of these rou- tine access records forwarded to you if they are not already online. If you have to submit a FOIPOP request there is an easy way to do it. Complete the online request form available on our website under "I Want to..." and click "Submit a FOIPOP Request". We have responded to requests for records pertaining to a variety of topics including closed tender proposals, executive expenses and property developments. Receiving an initial dis- closure decision under FOIPOP can take up to 30 days. Fees also apply. Before sending in a request, give us a call or take a look on our website to see if the informa- tion you need is there first. You might save yourself some time and money. Dan Pittman is the Municipality's appointed Re- sponsible Officer for FOIPOP requests. If you have a question about the FOIPOP process, please feel free to contact him directly by calling 902-275-3555 ext. 1102, emailing dpittman@chester.ca or dropping in to the Municipal Office at 151 King Street, Chester. COMMUNITY INTEREST Saturday, Sept. 3 Country Breakfast Chester Basin Fire Hall, 7:30-10:30am. Yard Sale & BBQ St. Marti n's Anglican Church Hall, 8:30am-2:30pm. Rain or shine! Sunday, Sept. 4 Crib Tournament Forti es Community Centre, 1pm. Call 902-689-2147 Saturday, Sept. 10 Breakfast Chester Legion, 7:30-10:30am. Breakfast St. Marti n's Anglican Church Hall, 7-11am. Sunday, Sept. 11 Roast Pork Supper Forti es Community Centre, 4-6pm. Saturday, Sept. 17 6th Annual Dinner Theatre Forti es Community Centre, doors open 5:30pm. The Accidental Actors perform the Great Pretenders. Proceeds for the New Ross Fire Dept. Sunday, Sept. 18 Crib Tournament Chester Basin Legion, 1pm. Aft ernoon of Music Hubbards Area Lions Club, 1:30pm. Saturday, Sept. 24 St. Mark's Anglican Church Annual Fish Fry Western Shore Fire Hall, 12-6pm. Call 902-627-2069 or 902-627-2748 for info or fl ea market table rental. Every Tuesday Duplicate Bridge East Chester Recreati on Hall, 6:30pm. Call John at 902-275-5040. Every Friday unti l October 7 Chester Farmer's & Arti san Market Chester Visitor Informati on Centre, 10am-2:00pm. www. chesterfarmersmarket.wordpress.com Every Saturday unti l October 8 New Ross Country Market Lion's Park, 9am-12pm. Call 902-681-3171 or 902-689-2147. Every Saturday unti l October 29 Hubbards Farmers' Market Hubbards Barn & Community Park, 8am-12pm. www.hubbardsbarn.org 4 With Fall Programs soon to begin, we are hap- py to report that the community has once again stepped up to the plate and has shown their support in many ways. Starti ng in May, many businesses and com- munity members showed their support by at- tending and/or donati ng items for our Mayfest Chinese Aucti on which resulted in over $5,000 for PRO Kids. Shortly thereaft er, funds were also raised for PRO Kids at the Nati onal Canadian Tire Jump- start Day event in Bridgewater. In June, the public purchased ti ckets at Sco- ti abank in Chester on a quilt that was donated by ‘My Time Square Quilters’. Tickets are sti ll being sold on this quilt and can be purchased at the Recreati on Offi ce. The draw date is not unti l October 1, 2016. July started off with a Yard Sale at Hubbards Fire Hall, organized by local volunteers resulti ng in $255 for PRO Kids. Thank you volunteers! Spidles Independent Grocer in Chester has shown tremendous support by off ering to hold a fundraiser at their store. For two weeks in July, as their customers went through the check out, they asked them if they would like to donate $2 to PRO Kids. This kind gesture resulted in Spi- dles Independent Grocer presenti ng PRO Kids with a cheque in the amount of $1,266 (photo below). During this same two week period, the Municipality of Chester Recreati on & Parks De- partment summer staff could be found at the In- dependent Grocer making balloon animals for pa- trons with dona- ti ons also going to PRO Kids (photo below). Thank you to all the staff at Spidles Independent Grocer for their hard work on this fundraising endeavor. Then to really top off the summer, family and friends of the late Robert Myra (former Coun- cillor for District 5) hosted a top notch “Rob- ert Myra Memorial Coed Baseball Tournament and Tribute” at the Western Shore Legion on August 6 with the proceeds going to PRO Kids. This event was extremely well att ended by not only those parti cipati ng in the Tournament but by the many spectators and patrons who at- tended the musical tribute to Robert ‘Bob’ in- side the Legion. Money was raised from various sources, i.e. baseball registrati on fees, dona- ti ons, ti cket aucti on sales, 50/50’s and the BBQ. There is a long list of sponsors to thank, but one that stands out fi rst hand is Spidles Independent Grocer in Chester who donated ALL the food for the BBQ. Drinks (water and sparkling water) were provided by Foodland and Castle Building Supplies in Chester. With Scoti abank’s matching funds program (photo below), a total of $6,800 was raised for PRO Kids at this one-day event. Special thanks to Bob's family and friends for organizing this special Tribute/Fundraiser and to those who showed their support in so many ways. Bob would be thrilled to know the com- IT'S A PRO IDS Kind of Summer... Thanks to everyone's generosity, we've truly had a summer to be thankful for. IT'S A PRO IDS Kind of Summer... munity came out in such great numbers in his memory, and to support a cause that was dear to his heart. It should also be noted that PRO Kids has re- cently received funding from United Way of Lunenburg County, Jumpstart and several fami- lies who have chosen PRO Kids for Memorial Do- nati ons this past year (including the Myra fam- ily). PRO Kids expenses are approximately $50,000 per year (consisti ng mainly of registrati on fees and equipment costs) and the majority of that is raised at events as menti oned in this arti cle. One great feature of this program is that 100% of the money raised, goes 100% back to the community by helping to place our local kids in programs. No fundraising money is used for administrati on fees or salaries – those expenses are covered by the Municipality's general bud- get. We assist approximately 250 kids each year. We wish to thank all the individuals, business- es and organizati ons who conti nue to support PRO Kids. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by the families who require this assistance. To learn about the PRO Kids program, contact Cosett e Howlett , PRO Kids Coordinator, at 902- 275-3490 or by email at prokids@chester.ca Shown in front of his father's image, Jason Myra honours his memory by organizing the Robert Myra Memorial Co-ed Base- ball Tournament and Tribute along with his family and many volunteers. En Pointe visits en masse for some balloon animals Staff from Scoti abank volunteer at every sponsored PRO Kids event. Thanks Glenda and Shannon! Jason Spidle and his wife Kati of Spidle's Indepen-dent Grocer present PRO Kids Coordinator Cosett e Howlett and Recreati on Staff Debbie Harnish with a fi nal cheque. If you accidentally recycle your municipal newslett er, you can access it (and most of our publicati ons) online at www.chester.ca 5 Dear Shabby, I don't really have a question. Just wanted to apologize to the person driving behind me yes- terday while I was taking a load to the Land ll. I didn't have a net or enough rope to tie my load down and a bag of leaves that I thought was tied shut blew open. I didn't realize until I heard him beep his horn. CRISIS AVERTED! It could have been much, much worse, but luckily it was leaves and not newspapers or sheet metal pieces! ~ signed Red Face in Hubbards Dear “Red”: Phew! That's why there are rules about that! If you don't have a net, use a tarp or rope or bun- gees or anything. If you don't have anything at all, call the Public Works & Engineering Depart- ment at 902-275-1312 to borrow one. ******************************************************** Dear Shabby, I was just diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and need to take insulin needles every day. I vaguely remember hearing about a used needle program, but I didn't need the information at the time so I didn't really pay attention! Do you know any- thing about it? ~ signed Daily Dose in East Chester Dear Shabby Friendly waste disposal advice Dear “Daily”: Do I?!?!?! I use it myself! Call your local phar- macy and ask them for a Safe Sharps container. Once it's full, just return it to the pharmacy and they will take care of safe disposal. You can put all of your sharps, lancets and syringes in there. ******************************************************** Dear Shabby, My wife is pregnant again and apparently our cosy two-bedroom isn't "big enough" any more! I disagreed...kids are small, we can easily t four in one room! .....so, we're moving. What do I do with the box of broken dishes I ac- cidentally dropped? ~ signed Expecting Dad in Chester Grant Dear “Dad”: Just leave them in the cardboard box, write "bro- ken glass" on it in big letters and put it alongside the rest of your waste on collection day. If you plan on bringing it to the Land ll yourself, same thing and throw it in the bin for regular garbage at our public drop o . Just remember that if you have extra garbage, use clear bags too - just like at home. You might as well bring your recyclables since we have space for those too. TIP: Paper and recyclables have to be in separate bags AL- WAYS! Collecti on days that fall on holidays are either rescheduled to the Saturday BEFORE or the Saturday AFTER. Holiday Alternate day September 5 September 3 November 11 November 12 December 26 December 24 If a holiday isn't listed, we will collect as usual. Soli Wast Departmen 902-275-2330 KAIZER MEADOW...serving the public since 1992! Now open Monday to Saturday 8:00am to 4:00pm! PROPERTY SERVICES Have a solid waste questi on? Ask Dear Shabby at solidwaste@chester.ca Special Collection A reminder of the dates and rules of special collecti on Special Collecti on is scheduled on your regular collecti on day between October 17 and 28. To make the most of your special collecti on, follow these guidelines. Items can be placed at the curb 24 hours be- fore special collecti on day, and • they cannot exceed 50lbs in weight, 4' in length (except for furniture), and 46 cubic feet in volume; • bags must be no larger than 31"x42"; • put small items in a box or bag; • bagged garbage sti ll has to be in clear bags; • keep special collecti on items and metal separate from regular collecti on and re- cyclables. There are multi ple trucks and if one or the other is buried, it may be missed. We will collect • large appliances (stoves, hot water tanks, dishwashers, etc.); • furniture and matt resses; • metal (small car parts, lawn mowers with gas removed, etc.); • building materials (siding, insulati on, etc.); • up to 10 lobster traps. We will NOT collect • electronics; • ti res; • household hazardous waste; • paint; • propane tanks; • items containing Freon® (freezers, refrig- erators, air conditi oners, etc.); • large amounts of wood; • large amounts of asphalt shingles; OR • WASTE THAT IS OVER THE LIMIT. If you want further explanati on of these regu- lati ons, visit www.chester.ca and click on "Spe- cial Waste Collecti ons" under "Waste Collec- ti on/Recycling" located in the Live menu tab. To speak to a person about waste collecti on, please call the Solid Waste Department at 902- 275-2330. All of this informati on, and a lot more, is avail- able in the 2016 Waste Collecti on Calendar, which is also online as well as at the Municipal Offi ce. Pick one up during offi ce hours or call for a copy. MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2016 6 What? There is a Municipal Electi on? The 2016 Municipal and School Board Electi on will be held on Saturday, October 15, 2016. What/Who will I be voti ng for? Every four years Municipal and School Board elec- ti ons are held across the Province. In the Municipal- ity of the District of Chester voters will vote for: • One Councillor for the district in which the voter lives; and • One School Board Member. There are three possible School Board candidates – each voter may only vote for one of the following: • South Shore Regional School Board Mem- ber; OR • African Nova Scoti an Member of the School Board (review the qualifi cati ons to vote for this member); OR • Conseil scolaire acadian provincial (CSAP) (review the qualifi cati ons to vote for this member). Where does the Voter List come from? The Municipality has an informati on sharing agreement with Electi ons Nova Scoti a for their latest informati on on voters. In late July, a lett er was sent to all those on the list that was received from the Province. This lett er advised voters that their name was included on the list for the Municipal Electi on. The lett er included the voter’s name, civic address, and mailing address – informati on used to deter- mine what District the person lives in and who the voter will vote for. Am I qualifi ed to be a voter in the Municipal/School Board Electi on? The basic qualifi cati ons to be a voter in the Mu- nicipal/School Board Electi ons are: • You must be 18 years of age on or before the fi rst advance polling day (October 6, 2016); • You must be a Canadian Citi zen on or before the fi rst advance polling day (October 6, 2016); • You must have been living in Nova Scoti a six months before the fi rst advance polling day (October 6, 2016); and • You must be residing in the Municipality im- mediately before the fi rst advance polling day (October 6, 2016). Am I on the Voters List? If you did not receive the initi al informati on lett er, your name may not be on the list or the address we have may be incorrect. If you did not receive a lett er, contact the Assistant Returning Offi cer (informati on at the end). We can confi rm with you whether you are on the list, add you if necessary, and correct any incorrect informati on. Revisions can be made dur- ing the Revision Period from August 2 to August 31, 2016 by contacti ng the Assistant Returning Offi cer. I got a lett er but the informati on isn’t correct. If you received a lett er and there is incorrect infor- mati on, let us know so that we can correct it before the Electi on. Also, once the Electi on is complete we will provide the updated list to the Province so their informati on will be as up to date as we can make it - with your help. Who are the candidates? Candidates are getti ng themselves ready for Nomi- nati on Day and the Electi on but at this ti me we don’t offi cially know who they are. Tuesday, September 13th is Nominati on Day – this is the day candidates will fi le their Nominati on Paper (or they can fi le by appointment with the Returning Offi cer in the fi ve business days prior to Nominati on Day – informati on below). This will start a very busy period of ti me for candidates as they campaign in their districts. Can I run for Council? Yes, you can if you meet the criteria set out in the Electi ons Act. There are seven districts in the Municipality of the District of Chester and there is one person elected from each District as a member of Council. Within the District boundaries are poll- ing divisions that are used to determine where vot- ing locati ons will be held. Although Councillors are elected for their District, they represent and make decisions aff ecti ng the enti re Municipality and its residents. The Districts are generally described as: District Communiti es 1 Bayswater, Aspotogan, Northwest Cove, Blandford, Upper Blandford, Deep Cove, Schnare’s Cove, East River, East River Point, Scotch Cove, Goat Lake, Squid Cove, Ott er Point, Part of East Chester, and part of Chester Commons 2 Fox Point, Simms Sett lement, Dauphinee Mill Lake, part of Hubbards, Mill Cove, CFS Mill Cove, Birchy Head, and The Lodge 3 Village of Chester and surrounding area including Shoreham Village and part of Chester Commons 4 Chester Basin (from Middle River to Gold River) and a porti on of Highway 12 including Chester Grant 5 From Marti ns River Bridge to Gold River Bridge 6 New Ross and the Forti es areas 7 Windsor Road and Marriott s Cove areas The basic qualifi cati ons to run for Council are: • You must be 18 years of age at the ti me of Nominati on; • You must be a Canadian Citi zen; and • You must be ordinarily a resident in the Mu- nicipality or in an area annexed to the Munici- pality for six (6) months preceding Nominati on Day (by March 13, 2016), and conti nue to so reside. There are some things that would disqualify you to run for Council and those are outlined in the Elec- ti ons Act as well. If you are interested in obtaining in- formati on regarding the Nominati on Process, please contact the Returning Offi cer. The positi on of Warden and Deputy Warden are elected among the seven Councillors on the fi rst of- fi cial meeti ng of Council aft er the Electi on. Where do I vote? The Municipality will provide two opti ons for vot- ers to cast their vote: 1. Electronically (by phone or internet) during the Advance Poll Period; and 2. Paper Ballot on Electi on Day at polling stati on(s) within the Districts. Once candidates have fi led their nominati on pa- pers (September 13th) and do not reconsider by re- questi ng a withdrawal of their candidacy on Septem- ber 14th staff will know who the candidates are and where voters will vote. Once the Nominati on Process is complete voters who are on the amended list of electors will receive a Voter Informati on Lett er that will include the fol- lowing: • Name of the Voter; • Civic Address of the Voter; • Mailing Address of the Voter; • District and Division where the Voter resides; • The candidates that pertain to your area (Councillor and School Board); • A unique Personal Identi fi cati on Number (PIN) that will allow you to vote electronically dur- ing Advance Poll Period (beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 6th and ending on Tuesday, October 11th at 7:00 p.m.). This PIN is assigned to, and may only be used by, the elector identi fi ed in the Voter Informati on Let- ter; and • Locati on of Polling Stati ons that will be open Ordinary Polling Day (Electi on Day) on Octo- ber 15th for those voters who prefer to vote by paper ballot. Electronic voti ng will not be available on October 15th. If you will be voti ng electronically you must do so between the hours of 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, Oc- tober 6 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 11. Wait!!! I didn’t get a Voter Informati on Lett er!!! No problem! Even if you missed the Revision Pe- riod in August we can sti ll make sure you get on the list. Please call the Assistant Returning Offi cer. I will be away on Electi on Day! How can I vote? Even if you will be away for the October 15th Electi on you can sti ll vote. Using the PIN included in your Voter Informati on Lett er you can vote from anywhere in the world either by internet or phone during the Advance Poll Period (October 6 to 11)!!! Isn’t technology great!! Please contact the Assistant Returning Offi cer to talk about your opti ons or if you have any questi ons. How can I get more informati on? Adverti sements have been placed in local newspa- pers regarding the Revision Period and Nominati ons for Council and School Board Members. Following Nominati on Day, adverti sements will be placed and posted on the Municipal Website (www.chester.ca/ vote) that will contain informati on about candidates, polling stati ons, etc. How can I get the results of the Electi on? Unoffi cial Electi on results will be provided to the media on October 15th aft er the polls have closed and results have been provided to the Electi on Of- fi ce. As well, the Municipality’s website will have re- sults posted that evening, updated as each Polling Stati on closes. If you have any questi ons regarding the Electi on and the process, please contact the following: Returning Offi cer – Samuel Lamey or Assistant Returning Offi cer – Pamela Myra Municipality of the District of Chester 151 King Street PO Box 369 Chester, NS B0J 1J0 (902) 275-3631 or (902) 275-3554 electi on@chester.ca VOTE Municipal October 15, 2016 Make a point of voti ng in this year's Municipal Electi on! We're counti ng on you. 7 THANK YOU Dear Friends and Neighbours from the Municipality of the District of Chester The big tent is down, the parade fl oats dismantled, the streets free of traffi c jams… but the New Ross 200th Anniversary Celebration is not over. What remains is a feeling of good will and community pride so great that our buttons are bursting! On behalf of the New Ross 200th Anniversary Associa- tion, we’d like to thank you for your help to make our celebration a success! Like many small communities in rural Nova Scotia, we are proudly independent. When faced with a challenge, we do what we can with what we have. But we also know we are not alone, and that sometimes, it’s OK to ask for help. During our recent 200th Anniversary celebration many of our neighbours throughout the Municipality helped in so many ways. We’d like to extend our sincere thanks for the many kindnesses you off ered – from loaning chairs, off ering cash and in kind donations, and promoting our event – to supporting the events and activi- ties with your presence. We truly appreciate your support. We’d also like to thank the municipal staff and Council – each of you went above and beyond the scope of your duties to help us. Council supported the event from the beginning, with funding, and by attending our celebrations. As the event grew, staff stepped in to help us with printing, equipment, student employees and more! Even when the requests for assistance were last minute, staff treated us with great respect and open minds, doing all they could to help. Your assistance was invaluable, and we are grateful. With sincere thanks, New Ross 200th Executive Committee, Debbie Reeves, Marie Meister, Evelyn Hiltz, Tina Connors, Teresa Workman New Ross 200th Anniversary Fall Events Garden Club Tea & Heirloom Display Saturday, September 24, 1- 4 pm New Ross Legion $10 Antique Road Show October - Date, Time, Location TBA Silent Auction Friday, November 4 New Ross Christmas Festival December 2 - 4 Details: newross.ca MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2016 2012ELECTIONFlashback Remember four years ago when we all voted in the last Municipal Electi on? If you said "yes" to that questi on, you were one of the 28.8% of eligible electors who cast a ballot. It could be because there were four Council electi ons out of a possible seven. If you said "no" to that questi on, then you may have another chance on October 15, 2016 to acti vely choose someone to represent your community. If there is only one candidate in your district, they will automati cally get voted in. If you said "what's a Municipal Electi on" to that questi on, then you need to read Page 6... all of it. of voters used the internet to vote used the telephone went to polling stati ons and cast a paper ballot 49% 24% 27% It took an average of seconds to vote online. 48 It took an average of minute and seconds to vote over the telephone. 127 More than half of all voters who voted electronically were over the age of 50. There were 2% more women eligible to vote in 2012 than men, and 10% more women e-voted than men. 20% of online voters voted on the very fi rst day. In 2012, four Districts held electi ons for Municipal Council: Districts 1, 3, 4 and 6. The District with the largest voter turnout was District 6 with 64% of their total eligible voters casti ng ballots. A close second was District 1 with 62% followed by District 4 with 59% and District 3 with 55%. Tweet of the Week Our most popular post on Twitt er in July/August... The link led to the media release on our website. QR Code: Download a QR Reader app on your mobile device (eg. iPhone). Hold it over the code while your device scans it, and it will open our website directly. Here, you will fi nd all of the latest up- dates, minutes, tender informati on, and more. Twitt er: Search for @chestermun or @ChesterRecParks in your Twitt er account. Follow us and get regular updates and noti fi cati ons about municipal issues, including live tweets from Council meeti ngs. Facebook: Visit www.facebook.com/ChesterMunicipality and learn about events and stories happening in the area. If you have some- thing to share, message us! We will post your event or photos! Instagram: Follow us at chestermuni to see photos of municipal events and daily life in the Municipality! Tag us in your pics! If you have questi ons about… call this Department... at this number Animal Control (Dogs)Animal Control Offi cer 902-277-0017 Bandstand/Gazebo rental (Wedding) Recreati on & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Boat Launches Recreati on & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Building Permits/Inspecti ons Building/Fire Inspecti on 902-275-3080 By-Laws Community Development Dept 902-275-3080 Civic Numbering Community Development Dept 902-275-2599 Composti ng Solid Waste Dept/Public Works 902-275-2330/902-275-1312 Council Meeti ngs Administrati on/Tax Department 902-275-3554 Fire Inspecti ons Building/Fire Inspecti on 902-275-3080 Islands (use of)Recreati on & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Kaizer Meadow Solid Waste Department 902-275-2330 Municipal Sewer Public Works Department 902-275-1312 Aft er Hours Emergencies 1-888-664-6998 Parks/Trails Recreati on & Parks Department 902-275-3490 Planning Areas Community Development Dept 902-275-2599 Recycling Solid Waste Dept/Public Works 902-275-2330/902-275-1312 Sewer (central system)Public Works Department 902-275-1312 Taxes Administrati on/Tax Dept 902-275-3554 Waste Collecti on Solid Waste Dept/Public Works 902-275-2330/902-275-1312 Wharves Public Works Department 902-275-1312 Zoning Community Development Dept 902-275-2599 fax mail email 902-275-4771 151 King Street administrati on@chester.ca publicworks@chester.ca P O Box 369 building@chester.ca recreati on@chester.ca Chester NS B0J 1J0 planning@chester.ca solidwaste@chester.ca Municipal Districts and Councillors #1 East Chester, East River to Northwest Cove Andre Veinott e 902-277-1409 #2 Simms Sett lement, Hubbards to The Lodge Floyd Shatf ord 902-857-9817 #3 Chester and part of East Chester Brad Armstrong 902-275-3121 #4 Chester Basin and Chester Grant Allen Webber 902-275-2536 #5 Gold River to Marti ns River Contact any listed member of Council #6 New Ross and area Tina Connors 902-679-4461 #7 Marriott s Cove, Windsor Road to Sherwood Sharon Church 902-277-1301 For exact district boundaries, call the Municipal Offi ce at 902-275-3554 or click on the “Inform” menu opti on on our website. Provincial/Federal Contacts Nova Scoti a Department of Environment ..........................................................902-543-4685 Labour ...................................................................902-543-0665 Natural Resources .................................................902-634-7555 Public Health .........................................................902-543-0850 Transportati on (Bridgewater) ................................902-543-8169 Transportati on (Marriott ’s Cove)...........................902-275-3221 Property Valuati on Services (Assessments) ...........1-800-380-7775 Denise Peterson-Rafuse, MLA ...............................1-877-740-3378 ..................................................................................902-279-3378 Bernadett e Jordan, MP .............................................902-527-5655 ...............................................................................1-888-816-4446 Your mailbox + Explore Life. Reunited once again on April 7. Your mailbox + Explore Life. Reunited once again on September 13.