HomeMy Public PortalAbout2015-04-24_MR_Villages RevisedMEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 27, 2015
MUNICIPALITY ENCOURAGED BY CHANGE TO MGA
MUNICIPALITY OF CHESTER – The Province announced last week a change to the
Municipal Government Act (MGA) that will strengthen municipalities across Nova Scotia.
The change – to prevent the creation of new towns or villages – is one step towards an
efficient and sustainable province that Nova Scotians have envisioned for themselves
according to the One Nova Scotia Now or Never Report.
In a press release announcing the change, Mark Furey, Minister of Municipal Affairs,
encourages “regional thinking” for a stronger and more viable municipal governance.
Given the amount of financial struggles existing towns and villages face, build ing on
current government structure will create a more solid foundation for the growth Nova
Scotia needs.
The Municipality of the District of Chester’s position is supportive of the latest change in
legislation. “We feel that this is a positive stride towards fulfilling the progressive goals of
the OneNS report,” says Warden Allen Webber. “For the Municipality, removing the
option for creating new towns means all of our communities can continue to move in an
economically sustainable direction collectively.”
This adjustment to the MGA directly supports the course many residents wished to follow
when asked their vision of a future Nova Scotia during an extensive public outreach by
One Nova Scotia teams. It also coincides with a list of recommendations presented by a
committee that was formed to review fiscal relations between municipalities and the
provincial government. One of the Committee’s recommendations called for the
dissolution of villages, eliminating the added level of local government.
Since that time, Minister Furey has assured Nova Scotians that this recommendation is
off the table – no villages will be dissolved. This is also a positive outcome for the
Municipality of Chester as some residents were concerned when faced with the possibility
of Chester losing their village status.
For information on the One Nova Scotia Now or Never report, please visit www.onens.ca.
For information on the Municipal/Provincial Fiscal Review, visit www.unsm.ca.
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CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jennifer Veinotte, Communications Officer
Municipality of the District of Chester
(902) 275-3555 ext. 1202 phone (902) 275-4771 fax
(902) 277-1169 cell jveinotte@chester.ca