VIDEO: June 18th 2020 Committee of the Whole

This meeting took place June 18th, 2020 at 9:30 am.

1. Call to Order and Roll Call 0:00:00

2. Approval of Agenda 0:02:23

3. Update: Terry Smith, Destination Cape Breton 0:07:03

4. Update: Carla Arsenault and Lynne MacLennan, Cape Breton Partnership 0:37:14

5. Update: CAO Darlene Berthier, Town of Mulgrave 1:10:35

6. Council Roundtable Discussion: Systemic Racism 1:41:20

7. Pride Month Request 1:54:45

8. Municipal Land and Easement Catalogue Project 1:59:16

9. Update: Saint Rose Community Dividend Fund 2:04:11

10. West Bay Road Fire Department Loan Guarantee 2:09:12

11. J Class Roads 2:10:09

12. Community Grants Program 2:42:06

• Inverness Development Association

• Cheticamp Salmon Association

• Recreation Facility Grant Updates

13. Authorize the Voting by Telephone and Internet By-Law 3:33:23

14. Warden and Deputy Warden Terms of Office Policy 3:41:48

15. Capital Budget 2020-2021 3:51:35

16. Water Utility Operations Budget 2020-2021 (pushed to a later meeting)

17. Staff Reports

a) Department of Finance 5:04:15

b) Department of Tourism and Culture 5:08:22

c) Department of Recreation 5:12:40

d) Special Projects 5:16:10

18. Broadband Project 5:24:40

• Inverness Community Maps

• Cheticamp Community Map

19. Correspondence 5:28:08

• Climate Leadership Course for Elected Officials 5:28:11

• Eastern District Planning Commission: May 2020 statistics 5:29:29

• Margaree Seniors’ Club 5:30:38

• Dalbrae Academy Graduation Celebration 5:33:16

20. Next Meeting Date 5:49:01

21. “In Camera”

22. Adjournment

VIDEO: June 4th 2020 Regular Council Meeting

This meeting took place June 4th, 2020 at 1:30 pm.   

1. Call to Order & Roll Call at 0:00:00

2. Approval of Agenda at 0:02:12

3. Approval of Minutes at 0:06:30

a. Regular Council Minutes, May 7th, 2020

b. Committee of the Whole Minutes, May 21st, 2020

c. Special Budget Minutes, May 28th, 2020

4. Business Arising at 0:09:17

5. Presentation: Paul Poirier, Cheticamp Ground Search and Rescue at 0:09:44

6. Application for Rezoning at 0:21:55

7. Update: Dernie Gills; 2020 Municipal Elections Returning Officer at 0:25:40

8. Recommendations

8.1 Road Name Change at 0:59:25

8.2 Nova Scotia Municipal Elections Date at 1:00:50

8.3 Inverness County Homes: Small Options Homes at 1:03:35

8.4 Community Grants: Glendale & Area Community Cooperative Limited at 1:05:55

8.5 Duplicate Account: Request for Write-Off at 1:07:22

8.6 Repairs to Inverness Wastewater Treatment Plant Digester at 1:08:49

9. Update: Old Port Hood Government Wharf at 1:11:26

10. 2020-2021 Operations Budget at 1:14:05

11.Correspondence at 1:59:49 (Letters of Support, Acadian Communications and Bell Aliant at 2:06:09)

12. Next Meeting Date at 2:13:11

13. “In Camera”

14. Adjournment

Municipal Partners to Begin Inverness Growth Strategy Study and Engagement Actions

INVERNESS, N.S. – The Municipality of the County of Inverness in partnership with Develop Nova Scotia and UPLAND Planning + Design Studio are beginning the community of Inverness Growth Management Strategy Study, with a first round of stakeholder and public engagement over the coming weeks. This includes the launch of a new portal on the Municipal website that leads to more information as well as an interactive tool to help residents provide input. There will also be targeted engagement sessions with key stakeholders within the community of Inverness, conducted over the phone or online to ensure the health and safety of both participants and facilitators.

The Growth Management Strategy will only be useful if it reflects the desires and priorities of the community. The Municipality of the County of Inverness is looking to stakeholders and citizens in order to fill specific information gaps related to growth potential, find out how changes might affect members of the community, identify opportunities for collaboration and ensure that the final Strategy focuses on real community benefits.

“The purpose of the Growth Management Strategy is to encourage growth that will benefit everyone in the community over the next few decades,” says Keith MacDonald, CAO of the Municipality of the County of Inverness. “This means the Municipality and its partners must take into account the needs and desires of current residents including youth, newcomers and potential future residents, as well as businesses and non-profit organizations that do important work in the community of Inverness.”

Boasting two of the world’s top golf courses with a third slated to open in the near future, Inverness has become a key destination in the country and the world for golfers. As such, the community has subsequently seen economic growth and investment, as well as significant infrastructure pressures and challenges. 

Due to these challenges, the Municipality is taking the necessary steps to plan and prepare for a more sustainable future with regards to the community of Inverness’ growth, infrastructure and the quality of services delivered to residents. Complementing the Inverness Growth Management Strategy, other goals include increasing Municipal capacity to treat and manage wastewater, enable compliance with Federal and Provincial standards and ensure continued access to potable water,  allowing the Municipality to sustain and encourage residential and commercial growth while improving livability for community residents.

“This concept of livability is the core of these goals and the Inverness Growth Management Strategy,” says MacDonald. “The Municipality and its partners are hard at work so that the community of Inverness will be a great place to live and grow for years and years to come. This is an exciting project that will be replicated in communities throughout Inverness County.”

“Building places for people is at the heart of what we do. When we build places with community, we not only build authentic destinations that people love, we also build community,” says Jennifer Angel, CEO, Develop Nova Scotia.  “We look forward to working with our terrific partners and the people of Inverness, to build on the strengths of the region, to come up with some smart solutions, and to shape the future growth and sustainability of Inverness for everyone.”

Work will continue throughout Spring, Summer and Fall 2020. The Inverness Growth Management Strategy web portal can be found at www.invernesscounty.ca/invernessgrowthstrategy. 

UPLAND Planning + Design Studio is an award-winning collaborative team of landscape architects, planners and engagement specialists. Their understanding of rural Cape Breton communities, the impacts of a seasonal workforce on an area and the changing nature of coastal villages will be indispensable in the development of the Inverness Growth Strategy Plan. They have partnered with CBCL Limited, experts in environmental services and infrastructure, and Turner Drake, which boasts decades of experience in real estate solution planning and land-use management. The Municipality is confident that together, this team will design a plan for the future growth of the community of Inverness that will prioritize the values and interests of residents as well as the needs of visitors.

Develop Nova Scotia is a provincial crown corporation, working closely with communities and partners to build on the province’s natural assets. They aid in the development of strategic economic infrastructure to support inclusive economic growth and work with communities and partners to make Nova Scotia an incredible place to live, work, invest and visit. For more information, visit https://developns.ca/. 

Inverness, Nova Scotia is a coastal community with kilometres of beautiful shoreline, two of the world’s top critically-acclaimed golf courses with a third to open soon, hard-working and kind residents, and a plethora of recreational, cultural and social engagement opportunities. It is one of many vibrant villages within the Municipality of the County of Inverness.

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Media contacts:

Karolyn Aucoin

Communications & Community Engagement Specialist

Municipality of the County of Inverness

902-258-7513

karolyn.aucoin@invernesscounty.ca

Erica Brook

Engagement Manager

UPLAND Planning + Design Studio

erica@uplandstudio.ca

Kelly Rose

Senior Communications Manager 

Develop Nova Scotia

media@developns.ca

902-222-6297

 

Inverary Manor: Courtyard Visit Guidelines

We have received much feedback about our “Court Yard” visits and appreciate your comments.  We are very fortunate that the design and security features of Inverary Manor allow for the safe enjoyment of the outdoors for Residents, in this time of a world-wide pandemic.  It also allows us to offer outdoor visits in a way that is consistent with Directives from the Office of The Chief Medical Officer for NS, including the requirements to adhere to social distancing guidelines and maintain the 5 person gathering rule.

Visitors do not actually come into our court yards (or enter our building). Family of our Residents are well acquainted with the property at Inverary Manor and understand that our Court Yards are gated.  There is a barrier on the inside of each courtyard which creates a space of about 25 feet between the Resident (who will be inside the courtyard) and the visitor(s) who are outside the gate.

Courtyard visits will take place under the following guidelines:

• Visits must be pre-scheduled by contacting the individual “Villa” where a resident is living.
• No more than 2 visitors from a family household, per resident, per visit.
• Visits will be a maximum of 15-20 minutes
• Visitors are to come to the designated courtyard at the pre-scheduled time and stand outside the gate to see and talk with their loved one. A staff member will accompany your loved one to the courtyard and remain there during the visit.
• We ask families when they arrive on our premises to wait until after a visiting party has left the gated area before approaching the courtyard gate.

The safety and well being of our Residents are always at the forefront of our decisions.  Inverary Manor continues to explore ways to address the companionship needs of our Residents and connection with their families.  As the days are getting warmer, we look forward to the opportunity for our Residents to enjoy the outdoors and also connect with loved ones in a safe and responsible manner, always working within and adhering to the necessary directives of the Office of The Chief Medical Officer, Public Health.

Kindest regards,

Stephen Doiron,

Administrator

Inverary Manor: Resident – Family “Court Yard” Visits

Resident – Family “Court Yard” Visits

On behalf of all employees at Inverary Manor, I want express our sincere thanks to families and friends of our Residents and to our community for your unwavering support.  The last 10 weeks have been especially challenging.  Visitation restrictions and social distancing guidelines, while necessary, have been an unnatural intrusion into the daily flow of life.  While Skype, Facetime and Zoom have helped us stay connected with loved ones, they are no replacement for in-person contact.  Unfortunately Inverary Manor, like all LTC Homes, is not yet in a position to welcome family and friends back into our building.  We do, however, want to create a way for in-person visits to happen, especially with the warmer weather upon us.  So, we are introducing “Court Yard” visits for family and friends who wish to be with a loved one at Inverary Manor.

Court Yard visits will be available 7 days a week, each afternoon.   Family and friends can now contact the Villa where their loved one lives and arrange a date and time to have an in-person visit.  Our staff will offer designated times to book a visit.  Family and Friends who have loved ones living in our Sunrise, Highlands, Harbour Lights and Sea Breeze Villas can visit with their loved one by coming to the gate in the respective Court Yard.  For those who have a loved one living in Mountain View and Ocean View Villas, in-person visits will happen in a designated area near our Main Entrance door.

To help us ensure the success of Court Yard visits, while maintaining the safety and care of our Residents, we ask your support to respect the following guidelines:

Court Yard Visits:   

• Booking a Visit: Family Members are invited to book a Court Yard visit with a Resident in the afternoon. To book a visit, simply call the Villa and our staff will make arrangements.   For best results and to reserve a time, we recommend you contact us a day or two in advance.
• Visitors & Social Distancing: We have an obligation to ensure anyone who enters our property (including outside our building) respects the social distancing and 5 person gathering rules as outlined by the Chief Medical Officer. It can become difficult to maintain with the intersecting of families who are arriving for and/or departing from Court Yard visits.  For this reason we ask families to keep their visit party to a maximum of 2 people per visit.
• Visit Duration: We want to accommodate as many family visits as possible each day and ensure each visit runs smoothly and is a good experience for Residents and Family. For this reason we ask family to keep your visit to 15-20 minutes.
• Visit Frequency: It is our desire to create the opportunity for every resident to have a visit from family/friends at least once a week.  We therefore ask family to maintain their visit frequency to once per week.

Once again I solicit your understanding and support as we endeavor to create a sense of normalcy for Residents, their families and friends in these uncertain times.

Kindest regards,

Stephen Doiron, Administrator  

Municipality Releases Cellphone Service Expansion RFP

INVERNESS COUNTY, N.S. – The Municipality of the County of Inverness has released a request for proposals in order to address cellphone coverage gaps throughout the County of Inverness.

There are numerous communities in Inverness County that have limited or non-existent cell phone coverage. Cellular service providers can now submit proposals detailing plans to address gaps and deficiencies in cellular infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities in the County, including completing an assessment and map of cellular connectivity, adding communications infrastructure to improve cellular connectivity and helping identify resources to offset the cost of investment.

“Cellphone service is essential for the safety, prosperity and growth of communities,” stated Warden Betty Ann MacQuarrie. “The Municipality has prioritized improving cellphone service for the residents and businesses of the County and the RFP will lead to new Municipal investments to ensure the challenges caused by lack of cellular service is addressed.”

The Request for Proposals closes June 25th, with evaluation of proposals to begin the following week. The Request for Proposals is available for download here as well as the Province of Nova Scotia’s procurement website.

The Municipality of the County of Inverness, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Breton Highlands and located on the Western and Northern side of Cape Breton, is home to over 14,000 people. It is known all over the world for its breathtaking viewscapes, its vibrant and unique culture, and its connection to nature, making it a popular tourist destination and a welcoming place to settle down.

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Media contact:
Karolyn Aucoin
Communications & Community Engagement Specialist
902-258-7513
Karolyn.Aucoin@invernesscounty.ca

Neptune Water Meter Installation Precautionary Measures

The Inverness County Water Utility is pleased to announce Phase Two of the Neptune Water Meter Project will begin May 25th, 2020. If you have not yet had a new water meter installed at your property, you can now book your appointment by calling 902-787-2274. Appointments are available from Monday, May 25th to Saturday May 30th between 8:00am and 8:00pm and residents are asked to book as soon as possible while there is still availability.

Neptune and the Municipality of the County of Inverness have taken several steps to ensure the health of safety of both residents and staff during this process. These steps include checking technicians’ temperatures every four hours during the workday, stringent sanitization routines for equipment, and more. For a full list of how Neptune is working to keep property owners/occupants safe, please see below or download the document here.

At Neptune, the safety and well-being of both the property owner/occupant and our technicians are always our top priority. Rest assured that we are actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and are taking precautionary measures to aid in keeping our communities safe. As part of the essential service of providing safe and clean drinking water to our utilities’ customers, we are committed to implementing best practices to help prevent the spread of disease while ensuring a high level of customer service.

To help with prevention, we are taking the following precautionary measures to protect both the property owner/occupant and our technicians:

• Neptune technicians will check their temperature at the start of each day before they are approved to begin work and every 4 hours thereafter. Any technician that shows any signs of illness/symptoms will be asked to stay home and self-isolate.
• Neptune technicians will maintain a minimum of 6-feet separation from residents when entering and exiting the home.
• Neptune technicians will ask owner/occupants to open all doors and/or panels in route to the water meter wherever possible.
• Neptune technicians will ask owner/occupants to remove any objects surrounding the water meter.
• Neptune technicians will wash their hands before and after each job. This will be done with a soap and water solution or using an alcohol-based sanitizer that is greater than 60% alcohol.
• At an owner/occupant’s request and where required by the Utility, Neptune technicians will wear a mask and gloves. When used, the appropriate protocols will be used to properly don and doff the mask.
• Neptune technicians will sanitize personal protective equipment and tools after each use.
• We have altered our practices so that an owner/occupant is no longer required to provide a signature before work starts or after the work is complete. Alternatively, Neptune will ask you to take a thumbs up picture of an addressed envelope to confirm your address and satisfaction with the completed work.
• Neptune technicians will leave our emergency number at the meter should you have any questions or concerns after the installation.
• We ask that anyone with any signs or symptoms of illness notify Neptune prior to the technician’s arrival and reschedule the appointment for a later date.

We thank you for your patience and appreciate your understanding during this challenging situation. Should you have any questions or concerns prior to booking your appointment, please feel free to call 1-800-667-4387.

Operational Updates: May 6 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic and provincial State of Emergency has impacted everyone in the province in different ways, including how municipalities conduct business. The staff of the Municipality of the County of Inverness are working diligently every day to provide services to residents of Inverness County during this challenging situation. Due to the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s orders under Nova Scotia Health Protection Act, Municipal operations have been temporarily modified to ensure the health and safety of staff and the public.

The decisions to modify Municipal services were not made lightly and were based on the directives provided by national and provincial health experts. The Municipality apologizes for the inconvenience and thanks residents for their understanding. Please monitor the Municipality’s website at www.invernesscounty.ca for ongoing updates.

Recycling

To ensure the safety of employees, and to remain compliant with provincial public health directives during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Municipality of the County of Inverness has temporarily closed the Strathlorne Recycling Facility.

The temporary closure was based on several factors.

• Unlike solid waste collection, recycling was not listed as an essential service by the Province of Nova Scotia.
• The recycling facility has limited space that does not allow staff to maintain the mandatory six foot physical distancing requirement while sorting recycling material.
• There is a limited supply of personal protective equipment.
• It is important to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19 during the handling and sorting of blue bag/recycling material.

While the depot is temporarily 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 Municipal facilities.
2. You can, 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.

While the facility is closed to the public, it will be open for commercial cardboard collection on Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (closed from 12:00 to 1:00pm for lunch).

Please note that Enviro Depots located in the County of Inverness are operated independently by Divert Nova Scotia and are not Municipal operations. Contact your local Enviro Depot for more information on hours of service.

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.

Kenloch Transfer Station

On March 25^th, the Municipality closed the Kenloch Transfer Station to the general public. The Municipality originally planned to keep the facility open throughout the State of Emergency, but some visitors to the site would not follow physical distancing guidelines while onsite despite frequent reminders and direction from Municipal staff. This presented a clear danger to the health and safety of both visitors and staff, while putting the Municipality at risk of receiving fines for failure to comply with public health orders. Therefore, the decision was made to no longer allow the general public at the site. Registered contracting businesses are still allowed to drop off material at the Transfer Station but must follow physical distancing guidelines while visiting. Contractors are asked to call 902-787-3503 ahead of arrival to let staff know they are coming to the site. The Transfer Station is fully closed on Saturdays.

Spring Heavy Garbage Pickup

Municipalities across Nova Scotia are taking different approaches to heavy garbage collection. Some municipalities are postponing collection, others are expanding the types of material that can be placed in a black bag and several municipalities that have contacts in place with private sector companies for heavy garbage are moving forward with collection.

In Inverness County, Spring Heavy Garbage Pickup has been postponed until further notice due to physical distancing requirements and as a precaution to limit the potential exposure of COVID-19 to staff that are required to perform other duties such as addressing water and sewer infrastructure issues. It is imperative that the Municipality retains a staff complement that can respond to infrastructure emergencies that cause loss of water or sewer services to residents during the existing provincial State of Emergency. Residents are urged to store material until a Heavy Garbage Pickup can be organized.

Solid Waste Collection

Solid waste collection has been deemed an essential service by the Province of Nova Scotia and continues on a weekly basis. Residents should have their solid waste out the night before the day of collection. Green For Life (GFL) has been contracted by the Municipality to provide curb side collection and they are in the process of adjusting pick-up routes to improve efficiency. This could result in the timing of your solid waste collection changing to earlier or later in the day. For any questions or to report missed pick ups, please call GFL’s toll-free helpline at 1-888-863-1744.

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.

Notice For All Water Utility Customers / Avis pour tous les clients des services d’eau