News & Events

News release: New Fibre Internet Projects Coming to MODL

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Published: Monday, 25 January 2021 14:48

January 25, 2021 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg announced today that it will contribute $176,305 to provide approximately 533 homes and businesses access to Bell Canada’s all-fibre network. This project, through the provincial Internet for Nova Scotia Initiative led by Develop Nova Scotia, will provide residents with download speeds of up to 1.5 Gigabits.

“Over the past year, the new projects announced by Develop Nova Scotia, with municipal financial contribution, will bring fibre based high-speed Internet to every district within the Municipality,” said Dave Waters, Director of Business Development, Tourism and Infrastructure. “I’m pleased that today’s announcement continues this work. We will also continue to work on connecting any remaining underserved residents through Develop Nova Scotia and alternative projects.”

There are 10 new projects for the Municipality:

• Tancook Islands
• Camperdown East
• Crouses Settlement
• Newcombville
• Petite Riviere
• Masons Beach
• Blue Rocks
• Clearland
• Voglers/Broad Cove
• Bayport/Kingsburg

“Improving high-speed Internet connectivity continues to be a high priority for this Council,” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “Since 2016 we’ve increased high-speed Internet connections from approximately 60% to 72%. With today’s announcement by Develop Nova Scotia, we will increase our fibre footprint to over 98% by the end of 2023.” Access to connections will be ongoing up to and including this date.

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
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News release: MODL Launches Multi-Year Planning Project

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Published: Tuesday, 12 January 2021 12:12

January 12, 2021 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has launched their two-year planning visioning project, dubbed MODL2040, and is seeking resident input on the first phase of the project.

“To kick off MODL2040 we’ve created a video to introduce some of the main planning concepts and provided a survey to help us begin to understand the community priorities of our residents,” says Darren Shupe, Senior Planner. “The results of this survey will be presented to Council in the spring of 2021 to identify the things that are important to our residents and communities as we look to create a vision to 2040.”

As part of MODL2040, the Municipality will draft a new Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS), which is a long-term, high-level policy document. The MPS describes all aspects of development and land use within the Municipality. It sets policy for where growth and different land uses can happen.

The first stage of the project involves providing information on topics the Municipality needs to address, including drinking water, flood risks, agricultural lands, infrastructure, and housing. These five topics are reviewed in the first set of background topic papers. Additional topic papers will be released over the course of the project to provide a deeper dive into areas that the community and Council consider important to support the work of determining a greater vision for our Municipality.

“This is just the first step – there will be additional opportunities to participate in this project over the next two years and we encourage residents, businesses and community groups to get involved in every step of the process.” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “No one knows their community better than those who live, work and play in the community, so we have designed the public engagement part of the project to have regular check-ins to make sure we are including your feedback. We will start with surveys and expect to provide online and in-person opportunities to meet and work through the larger themes and more specific aspects of the documents as needed.”

To learn more about the project, read the background topic papers, watch the video provide feedback, or stay informed on upcoming engagement events, visit https://engage.modl.ca/modl2040

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
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News release: Municipality Accepting Applications for Emergency Assistance Fund for Community Organizations

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Published: Wednesday, 09 December 2020 09:26

December 9, 2020 / For Immediate Release

MUNICIPALITY OF THE DISTRICT OF LUNENBURG, NOVA SCOTIA – The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is accepting applications again for their Emergency Assistance Fund for Community Organizations to support organizations impacted by COVID-19 cancellations.

The Application Period extends from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. Applicants can apply for emergency assistance for fundraising events and activities that were scheduled to take place during the Application Period but had to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 restrictions. For this round of funding, organizations not located within the Municipality can apply, providing they can demonstrate they serve Municipal residents.

“We recognize how difficult this year has been for our community organizations, and that a return to normal operations before the spring is unlikely,” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “This funding will provide up to $2,500 in relief per organization, with a total investment of up to $150,000 by the Municipality over the two rounds of funding.”

To be eligible for the Emergency Assistance Fund for Community Facilities, the Applicant must demonstrate the following:

• The Applicant must be a non-profit (or not-for-profit) community, charitable, fraternal, educational, recreational, religious, cultural or sporting organization.
• The Applicant must own or operate a community facility or community hall that is used for hosting funding events and activities that are open to the general public and the community facility or community hall must be located within MODL with the exception of Royal Canadian Legion Branches which are located outside MODL.
• Applicants that are located in Towns surrounded by the Municipality are eligible to apply providing they meet the other eligibility criteria and can demonstrate that they serve Municipal residents.
• Royal Canadian Legion Branches which are not located in MODL may be eligible for funding provided that the Branch can demonstrate (1) that it has members who are residents in MODL or (2) that it serves residents of MODL.
• The Applicant must demonstrate that it has experienced a negative financial impact resulting from its inability to raise funds through planned fundraising events and activities that had to be canceled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
• In circumstances where more than one organization is involved in the fundraising event (i.e., one organization holds the event and the other organization provides the community facility or local hall), the hosting organizations is eligible to apply for the lost fundraising revenue notwithstanding the fact that it does not own or operate the community facility or community hall.

The application deadline is 4:30 pm on Friday, January 15, 2021. Applications are available at https://www.modl.ca/grants.html

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
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(902) 541-1328

News release: MODL Mayor Elected as NSFM Rural Caucus Chair

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Published: Tuesday, 08 December 2020 09:03

December 8, 2020 / For immediate release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM) has a new Rural Caucus Chair. MODL Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson was elected by members during NSFM’s annual conference and AGM.

“I look forward to representing rural caucuses throughout Nova Scotia at the Provincial table,” said Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “Thank you for your vote of confidence.”

NSFM represents the provincial interests of all 49 municipalities in the province and the 375 mayors, wardens and councillors who govern them. NSFM's board, made up of regional representation from across Nova Scotia, play an important role in keeping municipal issues front and centre.

In addition to Bolivar-Getson, other members of the board elected at the conference include:

President: Emily Lutz (County of Kings)
Vice President: Amanda McDougall (CBRM)
Past President: Pam Mood (Town of Yarmouth)
AMANS Representative: Alain Muise (District of Argyle)
Towns Caucus Chair: Brenda Chisholm Beaton (Town of Port Hawkesbury)
Towns Representatives: Sandra Snow (Town of Kentville) and Andrew Tanner (Town of Bridgewater)
Rural Representatives: Patti Durkee (District of Yarmouth) and Deborah Wadden (Municipality of Pictou County)
Regional Caucus Chair: Waye Mason (HRM)
Regional Representatives: Pam Lovelace (HRM) and Eldon MacDonald (CBRM)

About the NSFM
The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM) has been the collective voice for municipal governments across the province since 1906. With 379 members comprised of Mayors, Wardens and councillors, NSFM represents the interests of municipalities on policy and program matters that fall within provincial jurisdiction. Members include all 50 of Nova Scotia's municipalities. Learn more by visiting their website: https://www.nsfm.ca

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Contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
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News release: Students Raise Funds for PRO Kids

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Published: Friday, 04 December 2020 15:04

December 4, 2020 / For immediate release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg has received one of the largest single donations ever for the PRO Kids program, in the amount of $7,300.

Grade 12 students Adam Culbert, Finn Kimball, Drew Bolivar and Callum Corkum of Dirt Brothers Apparel and Lawn Care raised $3,650 towards PRO Kids by walking 28km from Park View Education Centre to Crescent Beach. Mike Anderssen of TD Wealth generously matched their contributions to bring their final total to $7,300.

“This was really an incredible accomplishment,” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “The mission of PRO Kids is to aid as many children and youth as possible who are unable to participate in sport, recreation and cultural activities due to financial limitations. This donation will make a difference in our community.”

Positive Recreation Opportunities for Kids! PRO Kids is a unique concept that was developed by the City of Thunder Bay in Ontario and is now implemented in many communities across Canada, including the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. This is a program that provides financial assistance to children and youth from the Municipality of Lunenburg who, due to lack of funds, are not able to participate in sport, recreation and cultural activities. This program strives to remove financial barriers to ensure every child and youth has an opportunity to participate. In addition to Municipal funds, PRO Kids relies on the support of community agencies such as the United Way of Lunenburg County, groups, organizations, schools, businesses and private individuals for continued support.

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Contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
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News release - Municipality Launches Hike NS Badge

Details

Published: Tuesday, 01 December 2020 09:16

December 1, 2020 / For immediate release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, in partnership with Hike NS and Lunenburg County Hikers, has launched a District of Lunenburg Hike Badge.

Hike NS Badges are part of efforts to inspire, motivate and reward hikers - especially new and novice hikers - to get out on Nova Scotia’s beautiful trails to start hiking or to hike more. Each Hike NS badge is tailored to showcase the best of the province while providing helpful and fun challenges in doing so.

To qualify for the District of Lunenburg Hike badge, hikers must choose three hikes from the below list of five to complete in one year.

1. Gaff Point 8 km (from Hirtle’s Beach parking lot)
2. Indian Path Commons 7 km
3. Narrows Basin at Martins River 4 km (Station Road)
4. River Ridge Common (Waterfall trail and walking trail) 3 km
5. LaHave River Trail (via Arthur Young trail) to Cookville Provincial Park 5 km

“Throughout this challenge, hikers can discover and explore the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg’s spectacular scenery, including ocean vistas, river falls, ocean and river lookouts, calm ocean basins and lush forests,” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “There are hiking trails that suit all levels of skill and ability to enjoy.”

“Working towards the District of Lunenburg Hike Badge is a fun way to get individuals and families active in the outdoors,” says Karen Geddes-Selig, Active Living Coordinator, MODL.
The first 50 completed badges will receive a free badge. More information on the Hike NS District of Lunenburg badge can be found at https://www.modl.ca/hike-badge.html

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Contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
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News release: Municipality Seeks Residents to Serve on Sustainability Committee

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Published: Tuesday, 24 November 2020 13:33

November 24, 2020 / For immediate release

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is seeking members at large for our Sustainability Committee.

The primary purpose of the Sustainability Committee is to guide the development of projects and initiatives in an environmentally, sustainable manner and to provide a venue for the Committee to educate, promote and provide feedback on issues related to sustainability, advocacy and stewardship within the Municipality. The committee will play a pivotal role in helping the municipality develop the Community Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction plan as part of the municipality’s Local Climate Change Action Plan.

We are looking for four members from the community to serve on this committee with one member from the business community as well as one member under the age of 25 in order to represent youth.

Members at large will be selected based on either a professional expertise or a general background in one or more of the following subjects: Watershed, Forestry, Parks/Recreation, Sustainability, Planning/Development, Utilities, Wildlife, Solid Waste and Recycling, Air Quality, Climate Change, Environmental Economics, or Green Practices. This knowledge could have been acquired through many avenues including professional practice. community involvement activities or academic study.

Applications are available at https://engage.modl.ca/local-climate-change-action-plan The deadline for applications is December 18, 2020.

“We need community members to step up and play a part in the work we’re doing on climate change,” says Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson. “We have achieved Milestone 1 for both the community and corporate sectors of the Partners for Climate Protection (PCP) Program and need resident help in achieving further milestones.”

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.
Residents wishing to stay informed about this project should visit https://engage.modl.ca/local-climate-change-action-plan to learn more or sign up for email updates.

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Contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Communications Officer
(902) 541-1328
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News release: Cape LaHave Engagement Begins

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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

Details

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.