Village destinies back in their own hands
The chairman of the New Minas Village Commission says an announcement from the province that villages won’t be forced to dissolve or amalgamate puts their destiny back in their own hands.
Dave Chaulk said it’s good news for New Minas and most other villages in the province that want to maintain the status quo and provide services to residents. Municipal Affairs Minister Mark Furey confirmed March 13 that the province would not act on recommendations 13 and 14 of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal Review.
“It leaves their (villages) destiny in their hands,” Chaulk said. “That’s what most people really want. You decided for you.”
The recommendations suggested that no new villages be created, no additional powers be given to villages and all incorporated villages in the province be phased out. Villages could either apply for town status, merge with an existing town or dissolve into their encompassing rural municipality.
Chaulk said villages lobbied hard individually and through the Association of Nova Scotia Villages against the recommendations, but pointed out that they were just recommendations and wasn’t sure the province was ever going to act on them.
Chaulk
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as soon as the draft report came out that villages were safe. This time, the minister “came right out and said it.”
Chaulk said confirmation that the province won’t force village amalgamations leaves the door open for any municipality in the province to decide its own future.
Furey said the province wants to work with municipalities and villages on sustainable solutions, “not force them to dissolve or amalgamate.”
Furey had met with representatives of the villages association March 10 to discuss the draft provincial-municipal review, which contained a total of 41 recommendations.
The review was led by a steering committee of elected municipal officials and deputy ministers. A working group of senior municipal and provincial staff supported the committee in its work.
The steering committee and departmental officials are analyzing feedback received during consultations before finalizing the report and presenting it to government.
New Minas continues to look at town status
Chaulk says the province’s confirmation means New Minas can continue with its exploratory into town status and “not be rushed into a decision.”
The exploratory study on whether or not it would be financially feasible to become a town has begun. The village has met with the consultants and an initial report could be completed by the end of April.
Chaulk said this is one step in the process and the report wouldn’t contain a recommendation about what New Minas should do. If it looks like it would be financially viable to become a town, the village commission will decide where to go from there. If it looks like the option wouldn’t be viable, the initiative would “probably die.”
Chaulk said the ultimate decision whether or not to become a town would be made by village ratepayers, not the village commission, putting citizens in control of their own destiny as well.