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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2022-2_MunicipalInsight (2)-compressedmunicipal insightmunicipal insight “ “Keeping you informed about March/April 2022Keeping you informed about March/April 2022 your municipal government” your municipal government” In the Municipality of the District of Chester this winter/spring... Well, whaddya know... Best Of Chester Municipality Is any preventing first responders? Wondering where Nominations will soon be First Responders need to to find important accepted for Best Of. know where you are to info? See Page 2. Get your list ready! Pg 3. help. Be visible (Page 6). With plenty of winter left, some of us are already wearing our "another storm... seriously?" faces. Having run the gamut, includ- ing snow, sleet, ice, and downpours of rain, the weather has tested our patience and our self-suf- ficiency skills. As Nova Scotians, we're used to dealing with winter, and we all have our own individual ways we prepare in case of a power failure or other emergency. For some, "roughing it" for a couple days is inconvenient, but not the end of the world. For others, being without power in the middle of winter during a cold snap for more than a day is impossible. Preparing for storms There are a few lists out there that can help pre- pare you to "shelter in place" for 72 hours. They generally include lists of supplies, potential risks, and steps to help you avoid or mitigate those risks. After 72 hours, depending on the emergency of course, a wider spread disaster plan could kick in. We have included a list in our Waste Collection Calendar for you to reference. The same list is on our website at www.chester.ca/72-hours. Or, you can research your own. Another way to prepare is to check in with your neighbours. Perhaps you can share resources, or ask for or offer help. IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT Winter storms continue to cause problems for residents and us How we can help When a storm is on the horizon, municipal staff and Council are usually already talking about it. We assess the potential impacts on our own in- frastructure, determine the triggers for activating emergency management processes, review our communications channels between each other and with you, and make sure all of our procedures are in place. We are responsible for: • making sure we have access to our sewer treatment plants and pump outs, which means plowing and shovelling; • manually pumping out pump stations that don't have generators when we lose power; • clearing obstructions on municipal property that impact the restoration of power; • coordinating emergency response with the Regional Emergency Management Organiza- tion to put resources where they are need- ed (prioritizing power restoration based on medical or emergency need, flagging downed trees or road obstructions, contact- ing Red Cross, etc.); • public communications; and • working with communities to open comfort centres, if needed (Councillors). Useful information Here are some resources that could be useful during a winter storm: Municipality of Chester updates • social media (see back page) • www.chester.ca • Comfort Centres: check social media or web- site or call your Councillor (see back page) • CKBW 98.1 for emergency announcements (ex. evacuation situation) • After hours central sewer emergencies: 1-888-664-6998 • Municipal sidewalks are cleared when storms have ended. If you have a concern related to sidewalk conditions, call our Infra- structure & Operations Department at 902- 275-1312. Regional Emergency Management (Lunenburg County) updates • /LunenburgREMO on Facebook and Twitter • www.lunenburgremo.ca NS Department of Public Works (snow plowing, salting, sanding, downed trees) • Call 1-844-696-7737 to report issues about these roads/streets: ◦All streets and side streets within the Vil- lage of Chester ◦Highway 3 ◦Highway 329 ◦Trunk 12 (road from Chester Basin to New Ross) ◦Trunk 14 (road from Marriotts Cove to Sherwood aka Windsor Road) • Track the snowplow at https://novascotia. ca/tran/winter/plowtracker.asp • Priority schedule for plowing: https://novas- cotia.ca/tran/winter/WinterMaintenanceS- tandards.pdf Nova Scotia Power (downed power lines) • 1-877-428-6004 • Outage map: http://outagemap.nspower. ca/external/default.html Stay safe by preparing, keeping off the roads in bad weather, and checking in if you need help. Only a few more weeks 'til spring... only a few more weeks. Recreation & Parks Services is searching for students who would like to be part of their summer staff team. Specifically, we are looking for our Summer Supervisor and Special Events Coordinator (both starting early May) as well as four Youth Leaders (starting late June). If you are creative, energetic, organized and enjoy working with youth and the public, submit your resume to: Municipality of Chester Recreation & Parks Services ATTN: Mr. Jody Conrad 186 Central Street P O Box 369 Chester NS B0J 1J0 email: jconrad@chester.ca phone: (902) 275-2712 fax: (902) 275-3630 Deadline to apply for post-secondary positions is March 4. For high school positions, the deadline is April 15. NEED A NEED A JOB THISJOB THIS SUMMER?SUMMER? Road conditions facing staff during a recent storm (left) and a downed tree on our trail. COUNCIL & GOVERNANCEMessage from the Warden Things are looking up because of the commitments of all Nova Scotians. Most of the COVID restrictions have been lifted. We anticipate being able to get back to a more normal routine during the spring and summer. I know that staff and community organizations are starting to plan programs and events for the coming months. We have all missed the activities that help make our lifestyle enjoyable and our communities such great places to live. We have also had considerable success in attracting some new employees, both to fill vacancies and to increase our capacity to provide service to our residents. There has been considerable interest recently on the economic front in investing in our municipality. Although I cannot provide a lot of detail at this You can contact the Warden by calling the Municipal Office at (902) 275-3554, calling his home at (902) 275-2536, or emailing awebber@chester.ca 2 point, I am optimistic we are heading in the right direction in both job creation and on the housing front. We have been advised by the Province that the repaving of Highway #3, along with paved shoulders, from Chester Basin through to Vaughns Road in Western Shore is back in their capital budget for this year. Also good news. We are early in the stages of budget developent for this year and, although it is not complete, I do not anticipate that an increase in our tax rate will be required to fulfill our needs or obligations. Again, thanks for all you do to support your community. All the best, Drop-off Boxes: If you prefer to drop off your applications, plans, payments, etc. during or af- ter regular office hours, we have three drop-off boxes to choose from. They are located outside of the front entrance of the Municipal Building (151 King St.), Recreation Services (186 Central St. back parking lot), and Community Develop- ment (186 Central St. front entrance). E-transfers: We now accept e-transfers! Pay taxes, PRO Kids donations, program registra- tion, permit applications, invoices, etc. Include a description of why you are sending your pay- ment (tax account number, name of program, etc.) and send to payments@chester.ca. Staff Changes: Sadly for us, Robin Kaizer from Infrastructure & Operations has taken a posi- tion at another organization. Even though we will miss you, Robin, we wish you the best of luck in this new chapter! We have three new employees. We are excit- ed to announce that Olivia Corkum joins us as Community Economic Development Officer! Her background and enthusiasm are a great ad- dition to our organization! Warm welcome to Shannon Lantz, our Finan- cial Analyst! Shannon is responsible for a whole host of things, including financial reporting and modelling, cash flow projections, and analysis of operations. Tammie Bezanson fills the Certified Engineering Technician position in Infrastructure & Opera- tions, bringing a wealth of experience and skills with her. Happy to have you aboard, Tammie! IN BRIEF... FYIFinding Your Information Wondering where to find municipal infor- mation that's important to you? It's some- times difficult to know where to look and when or even what to look for. We often use different, and sometimes specific, platforms (newspaper, social media, newsletters) depending on the information we are trying to get out there. Below is a list of our usual channels and what info you can expect to see from them. When sending out updates, we generally cross- post online to social media and website. If the tim- ing works, we will also post it in this newsletter. Website (www.chester.ca) • Regular, everyday program and service in- formation • Routine Access documents (by-laws/poli- cies, minutes, forms, newsletters, etc.) • Municipal announcements (under News) • Business directory • Events calendar • Access to email subscriptions (see below) • Service complaints, compliments or re- quests (www.chester.ca/uhoh) Email Notifications Get topic-specific updates directly to your email inbox by subscribing to our notifications at https:// chester.ca/contact/municipal-notifications • Council agendas and meeting information • Explore Life - quarterly recreation guide • Municipal Insight - digital copy of newsletter • Regulatory changes - Public Hearings, amendments or By-Laws/Policies creation • Municipal Plan Review updates • Waste collection notices • Closures and cancellations (auto-generated through website changes) • All News (auto-generated through website changes) Social Media • Facebook ◦/ChesterMunicipality for most general municipal updates ◦/ChesterRecParks for recreation-related updates ◦/TourismChester for tourism updates • Twitter ◦/Chestermun for municipal updates ◦/TourismChester for tourism updates • YouTube ◦/modcvideo for live Council meetings or promotional videos ◦/ChesterRecreation for recreation-relat- ed content • Instagram ◦/Chestermunicipality for posts related to economic development/investment and events ◦/TourismChester for events and features • LinkedIn ◦/Municipality of Chester for economic de- velopment and employment content Print • Municipal Insight - usually every two months with general municipal content • Explore Life - quarterly guide to recreation programming and topics of interest. • Advertisements for public meetings, public hearings, employment opportunities, by- law and policy amendments, etc. These are usually in local newspapers. • Miscellaneous - Sometimes we put out infor- mation through direct mail or unaddressed admail that is specific to a project or speical event. Sometimes we also use local commu- nity newsletters as well. Other Websites • www.voicesandchoices.ca (public engage- ment website that hosts some of our larger projects. Leave a comment or question!) • www.tourismchester.ca • www.investchester.ca • www.chesterfire.ca • www.lunenburgremo.ca (affiliated emer- gency management website) • www.lovewhereuwork.ca (affiliated micro- site for the retention of doctors) We are always available by telephone, email, or in person during regular hours, which are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Our contact information is on the back page or on our website at https://chester.ca/government/administration. All of our documents (with the exception of per- sonal info, personnel records, intellectual prop- erty of outside businesses and organizations, and some records related to contractual agreements) are available to the public. Many of the old records are digitally stored or kept by the NS Archives. Many routinely requested records are avail- able on our website at https://chester.ca/govern- ment/records. Others are available upon request through our Office or through our Freedom of In- formation and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) pro- cess. You can contact our FOIPOP Officer by calling 902-275-4108 or emailing foipop@chester.ca. If you have any suggestions on how we can bet- ter communicate, please reach out to our Com- munications Officer at 902-275-4107 or email communications@chester.ca 3 COUNCIL & GOVERNANCEEQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION What it means to us and what we hope it will mean for residents. The Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Ad- visory Committee is up and running with a couple of meetings under its belt. We are in the early stages but things are going well. Council approved this Committee in August 2021 and then positions for community members (six in total) were advertised. In a rare occurrence, we had more applicants than seats. Our Nominat- ing Committee selected six members and then, af- ter the District #3 Special Election, appointed two Councillors. The first meeting was January 25. By definition, equity is "freedom from bias or fa- vouritism". It means treating someone fairly and with respect. Diversity is "the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, etc. in a group or organization." It is more than race, ability, sexual orientation, lan- guage, gender, or any other descriptive category. It's also understanding and accepting different views, ideas, life experiences, skills and knowl- edge. The definition of inclusion on the Canadian Cen- tre for Diversity and Inclusion's website reads, "In- clusion is about the collective. It is about creating a culture that strives for equity and embraces, re- spects, accepts, and values difference." Practicing inclusion eliminates barriers and supporting the community so that all its members can fully par- ticipate in and contribute. These are qualities that the Municipality be- lieve in and want to encourage in our workplace and beyond. Currently, the EDI Committee is re- viewing an Action Plan designed to help us affect change within our own organization, raise aware- ness about social issues, and cultivate a respectful and open-minded environment. If you want to follow along, approved minutes will be posted on our website once our EDI page is ready. We will also post updates and opportuni- ties on that page. We are excited to be meeting and discussing issues important to many of our residents, neighbours, and friends and hope that you are too! If you have any questions about the EDI Advisory Committee, send them along to communications@ chester.ca, call 902-275-4147, or visit https:// webfiche.district.chester.ns.ca/WebLink/Browse. aspx?id=1139428&dbid=0&repo=CHESTER to view the Committee's Terms of Reference. UPDATE ON ACCESSIBILITY PLAN Joint Accessibility Plan guides Lunenburg County towards 2030 goal. The Province of Nova Scotia passed the Acces- sibility Act in 2017 with the goal of making Nova Scotia accessible by 2030. As part of our re- sponsibilities under this Act, the Municipality of Chester partnered with the other municipal units in Lunenburg County to create the Lunenburg County Accessibility Plan. We heard from community members across Lunenburg County who helped to identify some of the barriers that persons with disabilities face when they visit municipal facilities, communicate with our staff, register and attend programs, ac- cess services, get around the community, and look for work. This feedback helped to shape the broad commitments made in the Plan about how the municipalities in Lunenburg County will iden- tify, prevent, and remove barriers to accessibility. The Plan, outlining these commitments, was submitted to the Province, and now each munici- pality is working on the specific actions it will take to meet those commitments. The five municipali- ties in Lunenburg County have hired an Accessibil- ity Coordinator to help with this process. To read the Lunenburg County Accessibility Plan, go to www.accessiblelunenburgcounty.ca. If you have questions or feedback about accessibility in municipal programs, services or infrastructure in the Municipality of Chester, Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Town of Bridgewater, Town of Mahone Bay or Town of Lunenburg, you can contact the Accessibility Coordinator, Ellen John- son at 902-277-0456 or by email at ejohnson@ chester.ca. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The annual Ag Day conference is a celebration of small-scale farming and agricultural enterprise along the South Shore. Ag Day is presented as a col- laboration between the Municipality of Chester, Municipality of Lunenburg, and the Region of Queens Municipality, together with the Nova Scotia De- partment of Agriculture and Nova Scotia Business Inc., supported by South Shore Opportunities CBDC. The event blends together some of the best current thinking on agricul- ture topics, with inspirational stories of success and development in the sec- tor, ready to be applied by you, right here! Our area has affordable, available agricultural lands and an increasing de- mand for locally grown produce. If you are currently farming, or are looking forward to a future home- or farm-based lifestyle, Ag Day is for you. The event is free to attend, but we ask that you register by email to registra- tion@growsouthwestnovascotia.ca . Ag Day 2022 will be a virtual event. Stay tuned for details at the event page on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/1v3UsEnqw or at https://www.growsouth- westnovascotia.ca/ We would be remiss if we didn't mention that Screen Nova Scotia hosted its 7th Annual Awards Gala on November 25. The Gala celebrates the incred- ible talent, creativity, and passion that are the trademarks of Nova Scotia’s screen industry. Notable awards include the ACTRA Awards for Outstand- ing Performances, the Film Crew Excellence Award, the Women in Film & Television Atlantic Award, and the Community Recognition Award, along with the Screen Nova Scotia Awards for best television, film, and animation. The 2021 Community Recognition Award went to our Warden, Allen Web- ber for his efforts to consistently ensure that Chester is a welcoming com- munity for film and TV production. Recent productions filmed in Chester include feature film The Good House, starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, and the USA Network series The Sinner, starring Bill Pullman. Congratulations, Allen! And the award goes to... COMMUNITY INTERESTIT'S VOLUNTEER TIME Volunteer Week is coming up in April. Time to celebrate! Volunteers and local non-profit organiza- tions are a valuable piece of our community. Volunteers organize community events, put on community breakfast and suppers, coach sports teams, visit the elderly, and help those in need. In the Municipality of Chester, we have a long list of community groups and an even longer list of hard working volunteers that give freely of their time to benefit the community. The last two years have been particularly diffi- cult for community organizations and volunteers. The pandemic challenged us to find new ways to connect and to navigate through restrictions and outbreaks. Many groups and volunteers met those 4 PLEASE do not come to second floor Walk-in Clinic if you do not have an appointment. Please make a same-day appointment by calling 902-273-2098. Pre-booking is no longer available. Phone line is open one hour before each shift. Please remember that you must wear a mask, so please bring one with you. Wednesdays 5:00 - 9:00pm Thursdays 9:00am - 1:00pm & 4:30 - 8:30pm Fridays 9:00am - 2:00pm Saturdays March 5 & 19 9:00am - 1:00pm If you’re over 65, the Seniors Care Grant may be able to help. With the Senior’s Care Grant, you can get up to $500 towards household chores. 1-800-670-4357 www.novascotia.ca/ seniorscaregrant Applications close May 31. challenges and showed us new, creative ways to bring together communities. The resiliency of our volunteers is outstanding and a tribute to their commitment to us (and our mental health!). We believe strongly in celebrating the great work done by our local volunteers. Every day vol- unteers give of their time and energy to the com- munity, and it is these volunteer efforts that make our communities strong and vibrant. Each year during National Volunteer Week, we recognize and thank our volunteers, and this year is no dif- ferent. National Volunteer Week is April 24 to 30, 2022, and will hopefully look quite a bit different than the last two years! ww w . i n v e s t c h e s t e r . c a Fresh from a new studio makeover, our Senior Econom- ic Development Officer had an opportunity to have a one-on-one with local entrepreneur, Jay Hiltz, Owner of Nor'easter Apparel. Jay shares his story with us. Q: How did Nor'easter Apparel start? A: E-commerce was not a business model I had tried in the past but always wondered how it could be. I feel like self- employed people are often chasing a dream: What business model will let me make money while sitting on the beach? E- commerce seemed as likely as any. Let it be known, I haven't sat on any beaches yet—it all takes a lot of work. I'm on a mission to prove to myself and anyone who will listen that you can build the life you want without com- promising where you live to do it. I hoped that Nor'easter could become an example of that—growing something big (starting with nothing) out of a small town. I did not receive grants or loans; I invested 5K of my own money. Every pen- ny earned went right back into the business, buying more ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 5 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT products, selling more products, etc. It went from there to where we are now. Q: What makes Nor'easter Apparel unique? A: I have been very inspired and influenced by Zita Cobb (founder of Fogo Island Inn) and her ethos of having a strong sense of 'place'. I 110% love where I live. Ok, the % is prob- ably higher than that. I love Nova Scotia and the many things that define our unique culture. All of the little nuances, born out of hard- working Maritimers working the land, fishing the seas, and building entire industries that had not existed before. I know that Maritimers have a deep connection to 'home' where ever they go. I thought, how can I cel- ebrate that sense of 'place' in a funny and meaningful way? Slang catchphrases are where I landed. We put them on clothing and on tea towels and our customers love it! I think that is what makes us unique right now in the marketplace amidst a very large body of young startup clothing lines. (The pandemic has influenced 100s of Canadian's to start their own clothing line, haha). All the quirky East Coast slang expressions are very well known but no one has seen them before on products they can buy, wear or give away as gifts. And these expressions instantly remind peo- ple of 'home'. I hear repeatedly: Your clothing line is SO East Coast... without saying 'East Coast'. I love that. The second thing that probably makes us unique is our soft fabrics. I mean, they're really really soft. ha. I'm dedicat- ed to quality and when I was first creating our brand, I came up with two hashtags that I thought would reflect what I wanted our apparel to stand for: #ferociouslycomfortable and #wildlystylish Q: Why do you love Martins Point as the location for your business? I love operating out of Martins Point. It's my home town. My great grandparents were church planters and settled here in the early 1900s. They were movers and shakers and built the first Pentecostal Church in Nova Scotia. Now our business operates out of the very church that they built. While it's sad seeing one era end, it's very important to me to honour their legacy by creating something new with what they built. I'm not exactly hosting church services, but I'm keeping the lights on and filling their space with dreams and we're serving the community in a different way! Creating jobs in my hometown has become very impor- tant to me and it's been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. My hope is that no matter how big we get, Martins Point will always be our home and headquarters! Q: What is your favourite part of the new shop makeover? A: In February 2020 we ended up buying Small Town Ink, who had been printing our merchandise for us. That was an unexpected purchase. Then Covid hit which was also unexpected. We moved into the church that February and the goal had always been to give it a fresh coat of paint but things happen. Covid was a huge catalyst for launching our brand to the next level, so honestly, we just didn't have the time to stop for DIY projects. I'm a perfectionist and have lots of visions. So it was al- ways irking me that our space never matched the vision I had for it. Customers would say: oh this place is cool. And I'd think, ugh, it could look so much cooler!! January 2022, we finally paused long enough to paint the studio and bring it a bit closer to matching my vision. It feels much more 'Jay' —I'm excited to have customers come into the space because it is now a better reflection of the Nor'easer brand. But this makeover is also a sign of growth. We're making plans for where the next printing press is go- ing to fit, and how we're going to configure the back storage rooms for our "stock room". And that is what's most excit- ing about the makeover... knowing that it's the next step, towards the next step! Q: What's next for Nor'easter Apparel? So many things are in the very near future for us. We bought a building in Halifax and it's going to be the home of our first brick and mortar—but don't worry, we're going to be expanding on the South Shore too. Halifax just made the most sense for a list of reasons too long to explain. But it's going to be a lot of fun! We're opening an espresso bar within the space as well, which hasn't been announced yet, so you're hearing it here first. 2021 we also launched the Martins Point Pop-up Mar- ket, which is not technically part of Nor'easter but they are very closely knit. They have been so successful and we have plans to grow the market experience for our customers in 2022. So you can expect to see more from us on that front! For more about Nor'easter Apparel visit them online: https://www.noreasterapparel.com/ www.instagram.com/noreasterapparel www.facebook.com/noreasterapparel PROPERTY SERVICES 6 Dear Shabby, I put my waste out yesterday at lunch time and it is still at the bottom of my driveway. Well, I should clarify... It's still at the bottom of my driveway, all over the road, in my neighbour's driveway, and in the ditch. The plow got to it. Now what? ~ signed Oof in East River Dear "Oof": Oof, is right. Okay, lots to unpack here. First, did you put your waste out on your right waste col- lection week? You can double check by looking in the 2022 Waste Collection Calendar that you should have gotten in the mail last December. If you didn't get one, give me a call at 902-275-2330. Dear Shabby Friendly waste disposal advice Second, you put your waste out too late. Sometimes, the collector changes things up a bit depending on their schedule. Maybe they have to collect an extra route because of road conditions and they are start- ing in a different area. We always recommend put- ting waste out at 7:00 a.m. no matter what. Third, if it's your collection day and your waste was out on time, there are a couple of other reasons why it wasn't collected. 1) If your road is too icy or not passable, they can't collect. Check our website or so- cial media channels for updates. 2) The truck may have broke down. If it's not collected by the end of the day, check our website, social media, or call me at 902-275-2330. Finally, if it's snowing, you're rolling the dice on who will get there first: the snow plow or the col- lection truck. If it's the end of the day and your waste is still not collected, we recommend moving it away from the road to be safe. *********************************************** Dear “Eyeballs”: I'm following up from your last correspondence about your broken green cart. We received our back order! If you haven't received a replacement for your broken green cart, or had someone by to repair it, it won't be too much longer. I can't tell you how relieved I am to write this. Seriously. Recyclable paper is like your bare foot. Clean plastic is like a wet sneaker. The two don't mix. (hint: put your clean paper in a separate recycling bag) SNOW AND CIVIC NUMBER SIGNS Make sure first responders can find you during winter weather Seconds matter in an emergency. Without clearly posted civic numbers to guide them, emergency service respond- ers can sometimes have diffi- culty locating the address of a 911 emergency. Civic number signs can get buried under snow or knocked over by a snowplow. Please make sure that your civic number sign is visible and cleared of snowbanks. Emergency services are most familiar with, and prefer, the clearly visible blue and white reflective civic number signs. Did you know you can purchase these civic number signs at the municipal office? Order forms are available on the Civic Addressing page of our website. The signs cost $14.00 (prepaid). If you would like a sign mailed to you, please add $3.00 to cover postage. Contact Planning and Develop- ment Services at (902) 275-2599 or email civicaddress@chester. ca if you have any questions regarding your civic address. WINTER WASTE "MUST DO'S" #2#2 #3#3 #1#1 During a storm, listen to CKBW 98.1, check our website or call 902-275-2330 in case collection is cancelled. Plow and salt/sand your private road and shovel out your collection area. If collector can't access your waste, they can't pick it up. Avoid green cart issues • remove it from the road while the snowplow could be operating; • prevent freezing by using paper bags or lining the bottom with cardboard, straining excess liquid, layering with bits of brush, or spraying the cart with vegetable oil. PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING Public opinion invited regarding proposed planning amendments We will hold a Public Information Meeting to provide information and solicit com- ments and questions from residents on proposed amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy. The amendments will clarify the current process and add policy to outline the process of engage- ment with neighbouring municipalities as it re- lates to the approval of Development Agreements, amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy, the Land Use By-law or the Subdivision By-law.The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, 151 King Street, Chester. The meeting is designed to provide informa- tion on the proposed amendments and to allow time for comments, questions, and ideas to be shared. In addition, feel free to contact Planning staff directly to ask questions or let us know your thoughts on the project. You can call 902-275- 2599, email planning@chester.ca, or write the Community Development Department, P O Box 369, 186 Central Street, Chester NS B0J 1J0. Staff are currently finalizing the draft amend- ments and related staff report. These will be brought forward to the Municipal and Village Planning Advisory Committees for a recommen- dation. Council will then schedule a Public Hear- ing to receive feedback from the public on the proposed amendments. Following the Public Hearing Council may vote to approve or reject the amendments. Specific dates of future meetings are yet to be determined. Notices with the date, time and loca- tion of meetings will be posted in a local newspa- per, on our website, and notices will be posted at the Municipal Office. You may also subscribe to di- rect notifications by visiting our website at www. chester.ca/contact/municipal-notifications. Waste Collection starts at 7:00 a.m. PROPERTY SERVICES 7 GIVE ME A BREAK... ON TAXES! Do you qualify for an exemption or reduction on property taxes? Do you qualify for a property tax exemption? You may if both of the following apply: 1. The total income from all assessed owners, including spouses and common law spouses, residing at the property, and total income from those persons who hold an interest in the property and contribute to the house- hold income together is less than $27,203 in the 2020 calendar year. 2. Although all owners do not have to live in the residence, it must be a principal dwell- ing of the owner applying for the exemption. Exemptions are only for the residential and waste collection portion of your current property tax on your principal residence. The maximum exemption amount is $771 based on total income and determined at the Munici- pal Office. The exemption for the current fiscal year (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022) will expire on March 31, 2022. Proof of income is required. Please bring your 2020 Notice of Assessment from Revenue Canada with you. Please contact the Municipal Office at 902-275- 3554 to see if you qualify. Provincial Seniors Property Tax Rebate This program has ended for the 2020-21 prop- erty tax years. Since our last report, we received nine complaints. Green cart woes: A resident's green cart went missing after collection. Since we don't know where it is, we will deliver a new one to the property. A second resident reported that their green cart was broken. The long wait is over, and our anticipated order of green carts has finally arrived! If yours hasn't been delivered yet, it will be soon! Community name change request: A resident requested that their community name be changed. The request was sent to Council for discussion. Age not relevant: A complaint was received about posting a maximum age limit on recreation programs in our recreation guide. While we need to have age limits for many of our youth programs, we agree that an age limit for adults is not needed and one will not be included in the future. Barking Dogs: Our Animal Control Officer is available by calling 902-275- 0017. Unauthorized vehicle on trail: Lock and pins to some of our trail gates were stolen and a vehicle was reported to be driving along a section of the trail. So, two things: theft and vandalism is illegal and driving unauthorized vehicles on municipal trails is not permitted. We have ordered replacement parts for the gates. As for the unauthorized vehicle, secure gates will hopefully deter that from happening again as well as involving the RCMP. Sometimes we receive complaints that belong to other organizations as we do not have authority to act. We generally recommend reaching out to those organizations. These complaints were: • Downed tree (NS Department of Public Works and NS Power) REGISTER A COMPLIMENT OR COMPLAINT BY: Calling 902-275-3554. Leaving your name is optional. Emailing the Municipal Clerk at pmyra@ chester.ca Filling in our online form on our website at www.chester.ca/uhoh Coming in to see us at 151 King Street in Chester. BOSSBOSS oror BUSTBUST • Snow clearing on public road (NS Department of Public Works) • Driveway washout (NS Department of Public Works) • Gas leak (NS Deptartment of Environment) SERVICE DELIVERY ATTENTION BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE HUBBARDS AREA: If you are planning to replace your business sign, or put one up for the first time, the Municipality of Chester is starting a uniform signage pilot project in that area. Before purchasing and erecting a new sign, please call Erin Lowe at 902-275-4138 to discuss your options. Download theR6RECYCLES app and never miss another collection day. Create a personalized collection calendar Find out "What Goes Where" Receive notifications by email, text or phone Receive alerts on service disruptions Play our "What Goes Where" sorting game No smart phone or tablet? No problem! Visit https://chester.ca/waste-recycling/ r6recycles for the same features.VILLAGE PLAN REVIEW UPDATE MOC launches Built Form and Character Study in support of Review The Village of Chester, like many South Shore communities, has a character that reflects its history. Character-defining features most often in- clude "built forms", such as: • The external architecture of buildings; • The historical or cultural importance of buildings and places; • Views and streetscapes; and • Site features, such as trees, hedges, land- scaping, walls and fences. The Municipality of Ches- ter is working with FBM, Novita Interpares, and CBCL on a Chester Village Built Form and Character Study. The Study work will in- form the review of Ches- ter Village Planning docu- ments, including the Land Use By-law, which contains regulations that apply to new developments and building renovations. In the coming months, we will conduct research of comparable commu- nities elsewhere in Canada and the US and de- velop a photo inventory to document built form and character defining elements in the Village. We also expect to hold community engagement events in the spring, in line with the public health measures in place at that time. A preliminary timeline of the Study starts now and continues until mid-summer. The project kick- off and background review will begin this winter along with a photo collage of case studies. Then as we transition into spring, our partners will collect feedback through our public engagement website (www.voicesandchoices.ca) and culminate in an information session and community walking tour (virtual or in-person) and a spring photo collage. In late spring, results will be given to Council in a report. As we wrap up in the summer, a webinar will be available publicly about architectural and heritage design considerations for the Village. Fi- nally, the process will end in a final report. All of this information will be posted to our public engagement website at https://www.voic- esandchoices.ca/chester-village-built-form-and- character-study. Once the project is up and run- ning, you can comment, submit feedback, and ask questions throughout the process. If you cannot access our website or other online resources, please let us know at 902-275-2599, and we will be happy to assist. Tweet of the Week Our most popular post for December/January... Community taking care of community in times of need. LinkedIn: Find us on LinkedIn by searching "Municipality of Chester" and get the latest updates on municipal careers, opportunities for business and development, and community investment news. Twitter: Search for @chestermun or @ChesterRecParks in your Twitter account. Follow us and get updates and notifications about municipal issues. Facebook: Search ChesterMunicipality or ChesterRecParks and learn about events and stories happening in the area. If you have something to share, message us! We will post your event or photos! Instagram: Follow us at chestermunicipality to see photos of municipal events and daily life in the Municipality! Tag us in your pics! YouTube: Subscribe to modcvideo for our latest videos. We have a channel showcasing some of our outstanding attractions and businesses, and we are hoping to add more! District #1 East Chester, East River to Northwest Cove Andre Veinotte 902-277-1409 District #2 Simms Settlement, Hubbards to The Lodge Floyd Shatford 902-275-7868 District #3 Chester and part of East Chester Derek Wells 902-277-2263 District #4 Chester Basin and Chester Grant Allen Webber 902-275-8373 Municipal Districts and CouncillorsMunicipal Districts and Councillors District #5 Gold River to Martins River, including Beech Hill Abdella Assaff 902-277-2765 District #6 New Ross Tina Connors 902-277-1095 District #7 Middle River to Haddon Hill/Windsor Road to Sherwood Sharon Church 902-277-1301 Contact Us!Contact Us! Community Development & Recreation Building/Fire Inspection Services 902-275-3080 Planning Services 902-275-2599 Recreation & Parks 902-275-3490 Finance & Information Services General Inquiries 902-275-3554 Taxation Services (incl Rebates) 902-275-3554 FOIPOP Officer 902-275-3554 Infrastructure & Operations Public Works/Wastewater 902-275-1312 Solid Waste/Landfill 902-275-2330 Corporate & Strategic Management General Inquiries 902-275-4147 Communications 902-275-4107 Council Inquiries 902-275-4109 Economic Development 902-275-4138 We live in a stressful world. Even before the pandemic, it was stressful. Add COVID to the mix and more people are finding it hard to cope. The OHC Association has opened a new mental health walk-in clinic to help. The service, called Thrive, aims to serve people with mild to moder- ate mental health concerns. “Isolation, grief, loss, anxiety, depression, people taking care of others and feeling overwhelmed. There’s a lot of insecurity and isolation and the pandemic has exacerbated it.” That’s Shauna van Niekerk, a social worker with an extensive back- ground working in the area of mental health and addictions. “COVID added an extra layer where people couldn’t get the support they wanted.” The Thrive Mental Health Walk-In Clinic is every Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Our Health Centre. The phone line opens at 3:00 pm for ap- pointments, and the voice at the other end of that phone belongs to Erin Perry. She goes through a series of questions to make sure clients are com- ing to the right place. She also greets them at the door when they come in. She says her 20-year nursing background helps with the different dy- namics of the people looking for help. “We’re try- ing to be a safe, comfortable place for people to come and receive mental health help, whatever that looks like for them.” Clients have the option to connect by phone, in person, or virtual session. This is not an emergency service. It does offer a supportive space where clients can discuss their concerns, learn coping strategies, and if desired, be connected with community services, resources or additional mental health supports. Those who have taken advantage of the service so far range in age from pre-teen to late 70s and come from all different backgrounds. It’s difficult to get mental health service in the Province. Mental health supports are at capacity, which is one reason Shauna jumped at the chance to work at this clinic. “It provides people with ac- cessible care. It allows me to be available to peo- ple who are really struggling, and it takes some of the strain off the mental health system.” Thrive is a free service supported in part by a grant from the BELL Let’s Talk Community Fund. To make an appointment, call Erin at 902-273- 2098, any time after 3:00 pm on Tuesdays. Nova Scotians are less active than most Canadians - a phenomenon that stretches back before the pandemic. Sedentary be- haviour has increasingly been cited as a risk factor for poor health and the devel- opment of chronic diseases among adults, and as a risk for negative mental health outcomes and reduced cognitive function. The good news is that adding more movement to your day can help you start feeling better almost immediately. Moving daily can contribute to improved physical and mental health, and it can create con- nections between us - all of which are crit- ical as we continue in our “new normal.” Research demonstrates that it’s not only vigorous activity like running that produc- es health benefits. Everyday movement, such as walking to the mailbox, taking the stairs instead of the escalator or do- ing household chores, contributes to our overall health and well-being. The Healthy Tomorrow Foundation, cre- ated by Doctors Nova Scotia, encourages you to Make Your Move! Make Your Move is a public awareness campaign to inspire Nova Scotians to think about movement differently and recognize that it’s easy to do. Visit www.makeyourmovens.ca for in- spiring stories of Nova Scotians who are making their move and simple tips on ways you can easily add more movement to your day. Be kind to yourself this year, and remem- ber: simple changes can have big impacts. MAKE YOUR MOVE, NOVA SCOTIA! Physical activity an important part of your everyday