With the Peggy's Cove Commission coming up on May 12, I thought it would be helpful to speak to my time on the Commission. The commission has a long history that I do not share, but I am able to speak to my experiences since my appointment.

On March 23, I had the opportunity to attend the Five Bridges Heritage Trust AGM (and I am now a card carrying member!), and there were many great presentations to share. Peter Lund gave a report on Nine Mile River water study, and reported no concerning contamination or pollution issues. “Studying the surface water quality tells us about the overall health of the river, the watershed, and the land around it. We always want to make sure the wilderness area and our streams and lakes are protected and monitored regularly.

Following a home invasion in the community of West Dover (RCMP Report here), I asked HRD RCMP to come to the community to speak to the status of the case, discuss opportunities to enhance safety, and answer questions from the community. RCMP delivered an excellent presentation to a packed house at the East Dover Community Centre.

The supplementary report (here) for egress for Westwood Hills was brought to council on March 25 (council package and video here).  The report recommended a 500m emergency only egress route from Hemlock onto Hwy 103. Planning, land acquisition, and building of that route will commence in 2025, and will be completed in 2026.

Following the Capital Budget and the Operations Budget, Regional Council moved on to debate the Budget Adjustment List (BAL) which represent either overs or unders to the the overall budget. The BAL has been referred to as the 'playoffs' of budget season, as this is where we sharpen our pencils and do our part to either add to, or cut from, programs and services to best serve our communities and their pocketbooks.