Info sharing focus of wardens, mayors’ meetings

The wardens and mayors of the five municipal units in Shelburne County, along with the municipal CAOs and clerks, have started 2021 by holding monthly information sharing sessions on topics of common interest.

The municipal leaders met for the second time Feb. 17 in

Shelburne with a third meeting scheduled for March in Clark’s Harbour.

“The purpose of the meetings is for information sharing only,” said Shelburne Municipal Warden Penny Smith by email.

“There are no decisions or actions taken. Topics discussed to date include healthcare, rails to trails and addressing racism at the community level,” she said, adding the meetings have generated

“very good discussions.”

In an interview, Barrington Municipal Warden Eddie Nickerson said with all five units on board, “We are going to try and meet on a monthly basis for the next few months to bring up issues that are important to the county.”

“Nothing is off the table. Everything is on the table,” he said.

Going into the next meeting, Nickerson said the plan is to compare the priorities of each unit, with a thought for councils to make strategies right across Shelburne County, “so we’re not duplicating services,” he said. “To try to get more uniformity in physician recruitment and health care in general within the county. How we can all be of assistance to in-services at Roseway Hospital, things like that. We’re going to try and identify some priorities that would involve all five municipal units working together.”

Discussions, and any decisions, would then take place at the respective council tables.

Clark’s Harbour Mayor

Rex Stoddard said he sees the meetings as a positive move for the five municipal units in Shelburne County.

“The provincial and federal governments encourage municipal neighbours to work with one another and hopefully it will lead to cost sharing different projects in the future,” he said.