Important Recycling/Blue Bag Update / Mise à jour importante sur le recyclage et les sacs bleus
To ensure the safety of employees and to remain compliant with provincial public health recommendations during the pandemic, the Municipality of the County of Inverness has temporarily closed the Strathlorne Recycling Facility.
While the depot will remain closed to the public, residents now have two options for recyclables/blue bags:
1. You can continue to put out your recyclables/blue bags for collection. However, those blue bags will no longer go to Strathlorne to be sorted and separated for recycling. For now, all blue bags will be stored at the Strathlorne Recycling Facility.
2. You can also choose to store recyclables/blue bags until Municipal operations return to normal. If you can safely store recyclables, the Municipality asks that you slowly release your materials over several weeks when the Recycling Facility reopens.
The Municipality shares the concern of residents for both the environment as well as the ongoing health of the communities of Inverness County and looks forward to resuming regular operations when it is possible to do so in a safe manner. Please remember to sort and thoroughly clean all recyclables before placing them in bags.
For any questions, please call 902-787-3503.
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Pour assurer la sécurité des employés et pour rester conforme aux recommandations provinciales en matière de santé publique pendant la pandémie, la Municipalité du comté d’Inverness a temporairement fermé le centre de recyclage de Strathlorne.
Bien que le dépôt reste fermé au public, les résidents ont désormais deux options pour les produits recyclables et les sacs bleus :
1. Vous pouvez continuer à déposer vos matières recyclables et vos sacs bleus pour la collecte. Toutefois, ces sacs bleus n’iront plus à Strathlorne pour être triés et séparés en vue de leur recyclage. Pour l’instant, tous les sacs bleus seront stockés au centre de recyclage de Strathlorne.
2. Vous pouvez également choisir de stocker les produits recyclables et les sacs bleus chez vous jusqu’à ce que les activités municipales reprennent. Si vous pouvez stocker les matières recyclables en toute sécurité, la Municipalité vous demande de libérer lentement vos matériaux sur plusieurs semaines lorsque le centre de recyclage rouvrira.
La Municipalité partage les préoccupations des résidents tant pour l’environnement que pour la santé des communautés du comté d’Inverness et reprendra ses activités régulières aussitôt qu’il sera possible de le faire en toute sécurité. N’oubliez pas de trier et de nettoyer soigneusement toutes les matières recyclables avant de les mettre dans les sacs.
Pour toute question, veuillez appeler le 902-787-3503.
Notice For All Water Utility Customers / Avis pour tous les clients des services d’eau
Municipal Council Approves Changes to Payments
INVERNESS COUNTY, NS – The Municipality of the County of Inverness Council approved a series of motions at the April 9, 2020 Regular Council meeting that will assist in alleviating the financial burden on the businesses and residents of Inverness County. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have been significantly impacted by the loss of revenues, and residents may be facing lay-offs and loss of income. The motions resulted in the following changes:
- Interest will not be applied to overdue property tax accounts for the months of March, April and May 2020. All interest applied prior to these dates will remain on overdue property tax accounts.
- Interest will not be applied to overdue water utility accounts for the months of March, April and May 2020. Any interest previously applied to overdue accounts will remain on the water utility accounts.
- The water utility bills to be mailed out in April 2020 for the billing period of January 1st to March 31st, 2020 will have an extended due date of an additional thirty (30) days.
“The Municipality understands that some people are facing extra challenges during this time,” said Betty Ann MacQuarrie, Warden of the Municipality of the County of Inverness. “Municipal Council and staff hope that this can relieve some worries residents may have.”
To pay tax or water bills, residents can call 902-787-2274 or email whitney.macdonald@invernesscounty.ca.
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Municipality Awards Inverness Wastewater Treatment Plant System Assessment Report and Pre-Design Study
INVERNESS, NS — The Municipality of the County of Inverness has awarded the tender for the Inverness Wastewater Treatment Plant, System Assessment Report and Pre-Design Study to R.V. Anderson Associates Limited. The Request for Proposals sought out certified engineering services to complete a full system assessment, environmental risk assessment, as well as complete a pre-design study that includes noise and odour control and increased wastewater treatment capacity.
R.V. Anderson Associates Limited has been engaged in the provision of professional engineering, architecture, operations, and management services since 1948. They have offices in Moncton, Fredericton, London and Toronto and have been named one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies. For the purposes of this work R.V. Anderson Associates Limited is partnering with Meco Engineering, based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Together their commitment to health and safety as well as their vast experience and leadership in wastewater infrastructure projects will ensure that a future wastewater treatment plant in the community of Inverness will meet the current needs of the community while also allowing for continued commercial and residential growth.
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Municipality to Postpone Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Municipality of the County of Inverness will be postponing the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner until further notice. The evening celebrating some of the County’s dedicated volunteers was originally scheduled to take place May 13th, 2020 and will instead be rescheduled to a date to be announced at a later time.
The deadline for nominating a deserving volunteer to be recognized is April 24th, 2020. To nominate someone or for any questions, please contact Lisa Organ at 902-787-3507 or lisa.organ@invernesscounty.ca.
Easter Message from Inverary Manor
As we prepare to celebrate the Easter weekend, a time of year we traditionally rejoice in the changing season and revel in nature’s signs of new life, the enormity of our current circumstance is no doubt weighing heavily on us all. These are unprecedented times for everyone, as we continue to make adjustments to our routines of daily living and do our best to actively follow the social distancing guidelines set for us by our Public Health experts.
Like you, our staff and the residents of Inverary Manor are grappling with a “new normal”. It has been very challenging. For several weeks now, all employees have been operating with a heightened sense of responsibility and personal accountability, at work and at home. We are all acutely aware that our actions can have serious consequences. The well-being of our vulnerable residents, their families, our co-workers, and their families depend on each of us remaining committed to doing our part.
So far, I am pleased and proud to say our team’s collective efforts have been successful and we are very grateful that Inverary Manor is free of the COVID-19 virus. Each employee of Inverary Manor has made an important contribution to date and it remains our goal to keep our Home virus free! Notwithstanding, we are simultaneously preparing plans to address an outbreak should it occur, and continuing to introduce internal preventative measures and implement all new directives from the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, including those issued this week. You should know that we are receiving unwavering guidance and support from our Public Health partners, as we endeavour to keep our staff and residents safe.
Throughout this period of uncertainty, we especially appreciate the understanding and support we have received from Families, Volunteers, and our Community. Your encouragement is valued as well. We know that being separated from your loved ones here at Inverary Manor is very difficult. We want to assure you we are committed to caring for each individual, comforting them and creating a sense of normalcy in this most extraordinary time.
This weekend as you celebrate Easter, we extend an invitation to family and friends to reach out to the residents and staff at Inverary Manor. We can arrange Skype calls, too! As well, on behalf of our entire team, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter. Stay safe, heed the words of Dr. Strang, and keep us in your thoughts.
Kindest regards,
Stephen Doiron
Administrator
Inverary Manor
Easter Pickup Schedule Update / Horaire de Pâques
All Municipal buildings and facilities will be closed Friday, April 10th and Monday, April 13th due to the Easter holiday.
Changes to solid waste collection are as follows:
April 10th collection will instead take place on Saturday, April 11th
April 13th collection will instead take place on Saturday, April 18th
For more information, please call GFL’s helpline at 1-888-863-1744.
The Municipality thanks residents for their understanding and wishes all a safe and meaningful holiday.
Tous les bâtiments et installations de la Municipalité seront fermés le vendredi 10 avril et le lundi 13 avril en raison des vacances de Pâques.
Les modifications apportées à la collecte des déchets solides sont les suivantes :
La collecte du 10 avril aura lieu le samedi 11 avril
La collecte du 13 avril aura plutôt lieu le samedi 18 avril
Pour plus d’informations, veuillez appeler le service d’assistance téléphonique de GFL au 1-888-863-1744.
La Municipalité remercie les résidents pour leur compréhension et souhaite à tous des vacances sécuritaires.
Message from Municipal Council: April 1 2020
Dear residents of the Municipality of the County of Inverness,
To one degree or another, we’ve all had to adjust our lives because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For some of us, it might just be small things so far – extra precautions around handwashing, staying at home and cancelling gatherings. For others, the coronavirus pandemic has meant major upheaval and stress. Job loss, underlying health conditions and family concerns are making day to day living much harder than it already was.
That’s why, as a community, we should all be thinking about how we can positively impact the lives of our family, friends and neighbours, even if we may not be able to come into personal contact with them. With that in mind, here are some ideas to keep in mind for how to be helpful in this troubling time:
- Go easy on other people. Everybody reacts differently during times of uncertainty. Stress can make people say and do things they normally wouldn’t. If someone comes off as rude in a conversation, remember they may be dealing with a lot that you don’t know about.
- Stay connected. Cabin fever can set in pretty quickly if you let it. If you know someone who doesn’t get a lot of visitors under normal circumstances, chances are they may even be more isolated right now. Give them a call or send a text. You might brighten their day a little bit.
- Volunteer or donate if you can. Even though we’re all practicing social distancing at this point, there are still ways you can safely get out in your community to help others. Try contacting a local service group to see if they could use your support and assistance.
The fact is we’re going to be living with COVID-19 restrictions for the foreseeable future. It may be that the best resource we have to get through these challenges is each other. Our communities are not large, and they are spread out, so please remember to do the best you can to stay in contact with your friends and neighbours. There will never be restrictions on kindness.
Thank you, wash your hands, stay home as much as you can and be safe.
Betty Ann MacQuarrie, Warden & Councillor, District 5
Alfred Poirier, Deputy Warden & Councillor, District 1
Laurie Cranton, Councillor, District 2
Jim Mustard, Councillor, District 3
John MacLennan, Councillor, District 4
John Dowling, Councillor, District 6