Headlines from the South shore
Town council unanimously approved both its capital and operating budgets on April 12 after a lengthy planning process and public consultation. The budget is the first to be approved by the new council and also includes the first residential tax increase in almost a decade.
The 10-cent residential tax increase is a direct result of the town’s expanding list of capital investments in the community with some $14 million in capital projects planned for this year.
“What’s really important for our residents to remember is that we’re putting this money to work for them
– it’s being used to improve our community, to position Bridgewater to grow over the next decade and to continue providing a high level of service to our residents in everything we do, from parks to culture and recreations programs to transit,” said Mayor David Mitchell in a press release.”
Some of the capital projects include $5.6 million in wastewater infrastructure, $4.7 million in road upgrades and $3.2 million in new infrastructure for Exit 12A.
More information on the budget is available at the town’s website.
NAUGLER GETS GREEN LIGHT FROM LIBERAL PARTY
Hebbville native Jennifer Naugler will be the Liberal Party’s candidate for Lunenburg West in the next provincial election.
Naugler announced the news on her Facebook page on April 14 and will be confirmed at an official nomination meeting at the end of the month. Her bid was unopposed.
“I’m very excited about
(the nomination), excited at the chance to represent Lunenburg West for the Liberal Party and excited to get going,” she said in a video posted to her campaign page.
Naugler has been an active member of the community for years, celebrating life on the South Shore through her media company Simple Local Life and through various volunteer positions.
Mark Furey, the riding’s MLA since 2013, announced earlier in the year that he would not be re-offering.
MODL SELLS FORMER ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL) announced on April 14 that it will close the sale of its former administration building on Aberdeen Road.
As per a press release, MODL has sold the building to a numbered company belonging to Cody Hebb, Tyson Broome and Nadeem Jan. The deal will close on June 15, 2021. The new owners intend to renovate the building and re-open it as a business centre with commercial space for lease.
Both Hebb and Broome are from Lunenburg County.
MODL put the former administration building up for sale following the construction of a new building in Cookville.
More information is available at MODL’S website.
BATTLE OF VIMY RIDGE REMEMBERED
Members of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24 and the Canadian military gathered at Veteran Memorial Park in Bridgewater on April 9 to honour Vimy Ridge Day.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a defining event during the First World War and saw some 3,598 Canadians killed and another 7,004 wounded over a four-day period.
In the century since it ended, the battle has been recognized as a turning point in Canadian history and, as per Canadian Bridgadiergeneral A.E. Ross, “In those few minutes, I witnessed the birth of a nation.”
Lest we forget.