As some Maritime communities consider dissolving their municipal status, one village in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley is considering the possibility of upgrading to a town.
Sydney Cochrane says he has heard talk of turning New Minas into a town before.
“They’ve at it two or three times, but sometimes they turn it down,” says Cochrane, who has lived in New Minas since 1964.
Three towns in Nova Scotia – Springhill, Bridgetown and Hantsport – have all recently applied to dissolve town status.
Dave Chaulk, New Minas’ commission chair, says there are financial realities at play, but the village is in good financial health.
“If there was a village in the province that could possibly do this, I would like to think that it would be New Minas, but again it’s very, very early stages,” says Chaulk. “Who knows? It might be a good idea, it might be a bad idea. We’re just essentially kicking tires right now.”
About 4,200 people live in New Minas. Chaulk says the idea of upgrading it to a town came as the result of a citizens coalition in the country pushing for a government study.
The commission wanted to be part of it to have some input, but it wasn’t allowed to join.
“So, because of that we started looking at various options that might be available to us so that we would have more of a say ourselves into what our future might be,” says Chaulk.
One of the first ideas that came up was the possibility of seeking town status.
Chaulk says the clerk treasurer has been asked to take the next 30 days and look at the major items in terms of expenses, such as policing and road maintenance – things New Minas is not responsible for as a village, but would be if it became a town.
Cochrane says he has only one concern about upgrading New Minas to a town.
“Well, it’s liable to make the taxes bigger,” he says.
Chaulk says, historically, taxes are lower in villages because they don’t have the same responsibilities as towns.
But he says upgrading to a town would ensure the village doesn’t allow someone else to determine its future.
Ultimately, the decision will rest with residents, likely in the form of a plebiscite, if they decide to move ahead with the idea.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster
