News & Events

News release: Cape LaHave Engagement Begins

Details

Published: Monday, 16 November 2020 11:21

November 16, 2020 / For Immediate Release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Residents interested in conservation, stewardship and Cape LaHave Island are encouraged to participate in community consultation efforts relating to Cape LaHave Island.

In November of 2019, Municipal Council passed a motion for the development of a conservation easement with the Nova Scotia Nature Trust for Cape LaHave Island. Community consultation is needed before the Nature Trust and MODL can prepare a draft conservation easement for Council’s review.

The community consultation will take place over a 30-day period from November 16 to December 15. Community consultation will support the development of the conservation easement by providing information on the natural and cultural features and human use of the island. “We want to know things like where visitors go when they visit the island, how often they visit, their thoughts about the current and future uses of the island, etc.,” said Laura Barkhouse, Trails & Open Space Coordinator, MODL.

“The protection and conservation of Cape LaHave Island is very important to us,” said Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “Our intent is to conserve this land in perpetuity in a natural and undeveloped state. If residents will share what they know about the island, and what they’d like to see happen at Cape LaHave Island, that will help to inform our work to help care for it in the future.”

A background document, interactive map, and survey is available at engage.modl.ca. For those unable to participate in the consultation virtually, please contact Laura Barkhouse at (902) 541-1352.

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

News release: Water Relief Program Ends for Season

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Published: Monday, 16 November 2020 09:49

November 16, 2020 / For Immediate Release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Effective Monday, November 30 at 5:00 p.m., the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg will end the water relief program for municipal residents experiencing dry wells. Bottled water coupons will also expire at this time.

The program, which began on Monday, September 14, 2020, provided residents with several water refill and shower locations throughout the area. It also provided bottled water coupons, redeemable for free 4L jugs of water.

“Due to an increase in rainfall, and a decrease in participation in the program, Municipal Council made a motion to end the program,” said Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson.

Nova Scotia Environment advises keeping your well water safe for drinking after a water shortage. Please visit https://novascotia.ca/watershortage/well-and-drinking-water-safety.asp for further information.

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Municipality Seeks Resident Input on GHG Emissions Community Target

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Published: Tuesday, 03 November 2020 16:45

November 3, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is seeking resident input to set a community greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target.

As part of completing Milestone 1 in the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program, MODL calculated that GHG emissions from community sources totaled 314,346.41 tonnes of CO₂e in 2019, broken down as follows:

At approximately 314,000 tonnes, our community emissions weigh 12.5 times more than the Statue of Liberty. Not including emissions from transportation, the average MODL resident generates about 6.4 tonnes of CO₂e annually, which contributes to climate change.

To achieve Milestone 2, MODL must work with members of the public to set a community GHG emissions reduction target. A survey is now available at engage.modl.ca that asks residents if they want to keep the status quo, take baby steps, show leadership, or make big transformations, in our efforts to fight climate change.

Background

In October 2019, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg declared a climate emergency and made a public commitment to taking action on climate change by joining the PCP program. PCP is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protecting our climate. Milestone 1, completed in September, involved the creation of both a Community and Corporate greenhouse gas emissions inventory as well as a 10-year business as usual emissions forecast.

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

News release: Municipality Achieves First Milestone in Climate Protection Program

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Published: Monday, 26 October 2020 09:31

October 26, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is pleased to announce that we have officially achieved Milestone 1 for both the community and corporate sectors of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program.

“We recognize that climate change is affecting our communities and the Municipality is taking a leadership role to address this crisis,” said Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson.

Milestone 1 involved the creation of both a Community and Corporate greenhouse gas emissions inventory as well as a 10-year business as usual emissions forecast, which was completed in early September.

Through this process MODL has gained a deeper understanding of where our emissions come from as well as insight into what we can expect emissions levels to look like in MODL in the future.

By using this data MODL staff can ensure that future projects and plans work to both reduce emissions in an effective manner as well as support emissions reductions within the community.
MODL will now move on to Milestone 2 of the PCP program by setting an internal target for corporate GHG emissions reductions as well as working with members of the public to set a community GHG emissions reduction target. Residents wishing to stay informed about this project should visit engage.modl.ca to learn more or sign up for email updates.

In October 2019, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg declared a climate emergency and made a public commitment to taking action on climate change by joining the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. PCP is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protecting our climate.

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

News release: MODL Election Results

Details

Published: Sunday, 18 October 2020 09:55

October 17, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is pleased to announce the unofficial results of the 2020 municipal election.

The total number of voters in the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg who cast their vote is 9084, which is 43.9% of eligible voters. This exceeds the number of voters who participated in the 2016 MODL municipal election. In 2016 8,449, or 40.9% of eligible voters voted. The 2016 election had one acclaimed Councillor, while the 2020 election had three acclaimed Councillors.

Additionally, a record-shattering nine women will be serving this term, surpassing the 2004 -2008 Council, which saw four women on Council.

Mayor: Carolyn Bolivar-Getson (re-elected)
District 1: Leitha Haysom (acclaimed, new)
District 2: Martin E. Bell (re-elected)
District 3: Wendy Oickle (new)
District 4: Pam Hubley (new)
District 5: Cathy Moore (acclaimed, returning)
District 6: Sandra Statton (new)
District 7: Michelle Greek (new)
District 8: Kacy DeLong (acclaimed, new)
District 9: Reid A. Whynot (re-elected)
District 10: Chasidy Veinotte (new)

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

News release: MODL and MICA Secure Waterfront Property

Details

Published: Friday, 09 October 2020 12:39

October 9, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, in conjunction with the Mahone Islands Conservation Association (MICA), has obtained two parcels of land intended for public water access and conservation purposes.

The land includes 1.77 acres of oceanfront property with a sandy beach and a second parcel of three acres of marshland. MICA contributed $262,500 towards the purchase of the waterfront property.  MICA will also partner with MODL on use and maintenance of the waterfront property.

As part of the agreement, the Eisenhauer family donated three acres of marsh property.  Ducks Unlimited has agreed to enter into a stewardship arrangement to ensure the marshland is protected.

“This new acquisition is wonderful news for residents of MODL,” said Mayor Bolivar-Getson. “Before Council acquired this property, there was no public access to the shoreline in the eastern part of MODL, and with the partnership from MICA, Ducks Unlimited, and the Eisenhauers, we are very pleased to be able to increase access to our waterways. The Municipality of Lunenburg wishes to thank Bob and Patricia Eisenhauer for their donation of part of the land in Oakland.”

The acquisition of the marsh acreage will preserve valuable ecosystems and improves resiliency in the face of climate change.

“We are pleased to partner with the Municipality in the acquisition of this prime waterfront property on the waters of Mahone Bay”, said John Meisner, MICA Chair. “The acquisition includes the adjacent inland property known locally as the Sweet Marsh and both properties will be conserved. MICA has been very active for over three years in pursuing this important acquisition, and we are delighted to have finally succeeded.  We appreciate and recognize the strong working relationship that we have developed with MODL and the support of Mayor Bolivar-Getson and Council. This is the third property acquisition project in which MICA has partnered with MODL.”

“The Eisenhauer Family appreciates all the hard work done by MODL and MICA, so as to allow future generations to enjoy the beachfront property and the inland pond area." Bob and Pat Eisenhauer.

“We applaud the Municipality for taking the initiative to protect Sweet Marsh for future generations. Wetlands like this one not only provide habitat for ducks and other wildlife; they clean our water, protect us from flooding, store carbon, and are beautiful places to enjoy time in nature. We are excited about this new partnership with the Municipality and look forward to working together to conserve this wetland,” said Emma Bocking, Ducks Unlimited.

In October 2019, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg declared a climate emergency and made a public commitment to taking action on climate change by joining the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) program. PCP is a network of Canadian municipal governments that have committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protecting our climate.

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dry Wells

Details

Published: Monday, 21 September 2020 09:08

Residents experiencing drought conditions can get water at provincial parks in the southwest region.

Some parks require you to contact them before you arrive to use their facilities. You need to follow public health guidelines at all parks, including wearing a mask, keeping a safe distance from park employees and others, and not using the facilities if you’re experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or have travelled outside the Atlantic bubble in the last 14 days.

These parks will remain open to the public until further notice. 

Lunenburg County

Graves Island Provincial Park
230 Graves Island Road, East Chester. Call the park in advance at 902-275-4425. The comfort station is open between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily for public access to showers, toilets and drinking water. Facilities will be closed to campers during the public access period and reopened for campers after cleaning.

Rissers Beach Provincial Park
5366 Hwy 331, Crescent Beach. Call the park in advance at 902-688-2034. The day-use area will be available between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.for public access to showers, toilets and drinking water. 

News release: Municipality in Strong Financial Health

Details

Published: Tuesday, 15 September 2020 16:07

September 15, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Province recently released their annual Financial Condition Indicators results for 2019/20, showing that the Municipality is in strong financial health.

The indicators provide a risk‐based approach to evaluating municipalities and are presented in a house format graph. This visual focuses on key performance indicators, leading financial indicators and potential internal and external factors that could have an impact on a municipality’s financial results. The risk thresholds are coloured: yellow indicates medium risk, red indicates high risk and green, low risk. The overall financial condition risk assessment for our Municipality is green, which means that the Municipality is considered low risk for fiscal instability.

“As in previous years, MODL has green indicators in all categories, with the exception of budget accuracy, which is red due to budget surpluses,” said Elana Wentzell, Director of Finance. “A budget is a plan and can change throughout the year when we plan for projects that may not move forward or are delayed due to funding partnership approvals, or when revenue estimates are too conservative. The surpluses are placed in reserves to ensure there are funds to help mitigate the financial impact of major, non‐recurring or unforeseen expenditures on the Municipality’s annual operating budget as well as take advantage of unexpected opportunities to leverage external funding programs.”

“The Municipality is in a strong financial position,” said Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “We are very close to being debt free, which is expected in fall of 2021. We continue to keep our tax rate steady. As the report shows, Council continues to set aside sufficient funds to help mitigate any unforeseen risks, and we have healthy reserves to help address unexpected events and provide flexibility to address future projects.”

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Media contact:

Elana Wentzell, CPA CMA
Director of Finance
Municipality of the District of Lunenburg
(902) 541-1322
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News release: Dry Well Relief Program

Details

Published: Friday, 11 September 2020 10:03

September 11, 2020 / For Immediate Release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Commencing on Monday, September 14, 2020, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg will be providing water for drinking and cooking to municipal residents experiencing dry wells. This will be done through a coupon system and in partnership with local retailers. Municipal residents can pick up coupons at the Municipal Office at 210 Aberdeen Road (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday) or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive electronic coupons and exchange them at various retail locations for water.

The program will provide with 4L of bottled water per person per day up to a maximum of four 4L jugs per day per household. Only households experiencing a clean water shortage are eligible to receive the coupons.

Coupons are good for a one-week period (Monday to Sunday) and will expire each Sunday for as long as the program is running. After expiration, new coupons can be picked up on a daily, weekly or as-needed basis. Each coupon can be exchanged at select retailers within the Municipality for one 4L jug of water (no substitutes).

As of September 11, 2020 the locations in which the coupons can be used are:

• Sam’s No Frills, Bridgewater
• Francis’ Your Independent Grocer, Lunenburg
• Nick’s Your Independent Grocer, Mahone Bay
• New Germany Freshmart

Residents of Big and Little Tancook Islands can go to the Municipality of the District of Chester and applicable Chester retail locations for their water coupons and bottles of water.* This program will be re-evaluated as precipitation changes.

The Municipality, through the Regional Emergency Management Office and in collaboration with other municipal units in the area, have opened several locations with water refill stations and shower availability. Water refill stations are for water bottles and jugs, not for bulk water refills. The locations are as follows:

• Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre – Residents must call in advance.
• Lunenburg Board of Trade Campground – Residents must call before they plan to arrive for showers. Showers can be held between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., 7 days per week. Residents can refill water 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 7 days per week.
• Rissers Beach Provincial Park
• Graves Island Provincial Park

A dry well survey has also been created for residents to complete. The answers to this survey will help emergency management officials determine the extent and severity of the dry weather. They can also determine if there are certain areas which require more assistance than others, and can give consideration to helping those areas more directly. This information can also be useful if we have another drought situation in the future, as we can determine which areas are likely to be impacted first.

* MODL will be reimbursing MODC for this use.

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Media contact:
Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

News release: New Fibre Internet Projects Coming to MODL

Details

Published: Tuesday, 01 September 2020 11:52

September 1, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has committed to financial support of $1,925,250 to provide approximately 5,650 homes and business access to Bell Canada’s all-fibre network. This project, through the provincial Internet for Nova Scotia Initiative, will provide residents with download speeds of up to 1.5 Gigabits.

“These new projects will bring fibre based high-speed Internet to every district within the Municipality,” said Dave Waters, Director of Business Development, Tourism and Infrastructure. “We will also continue to work on connecting any remaining underserved residents through Develop Nova Scotia, which is leading the provincial initiative and through the upcoming Federal Universal Broadband fund.”

There are 9 new projects for the Municipality:

• Upper LaHave
• New Elm
• Springfield
• Mahone Bay North
• Lunenburg Area
• Lunenburg County Northwest
• Lunenburg County North
• LaHave
• Bridgewater area

“We continue to work to improve access to high-speed Internet for our residents and businesses,” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “Since 2016 we’ve increased high-speed Internet connections from approximately 60% to 72%. These additional projects will increase our connectivity to roughly 95% of households with wired Internet above 50Mbps in the Municipality.”
Maps of the projects will be posted on modl.ca/Internet by the middle of September. The Municipality intends to keep working to connect residents not covered by these projects.

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Media contact:

Dave Waters
Director of Business Development, Tourism and Infrastructure
Phone: 902-521-5945

Fibre Project Milestones

• Milestone 1A is the field detailing or collection of data from the project area that help design the fibre network.
• Milestone 1B is our completed engineering package which includes detailed design and results in fibre orders being placed with Corning.
• Milestone 2 relates to permits with the Department of Forest and Lands and Make Ready by NS Power. This involves replacing some poles, adding anchors, perhaps raising their own attachments, etc. This is a fairly lengthy process to complete with DFL.
• Milestone 3 involves tree trimming and fibre construction. There is some overlap between milestones 2 and 3.
• Finally, Milestone 4 involves commissioning of the fibre network and opening the area for sales.