Municipal News

Please be advised that the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's, Recplex and the Municipal Transfer Station will be closed for the Holidays from December 23rd until January 1st.

If you require assistance you can come in to the Municipal Office or call January 2nd (902)522-2049.

Thank you.

NOTICE
MEETING: Regular Council Meeting
DATE: Monday, December 11th, 2023
TIME: 4:00 pm
PLACE: Council Chambers, 8296 Highway 7, Sherbrooke

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Additions to the Agenda
4. Approval of the Agenda
5. Approval of Minutes from: November 14th, 2023 Council Meeting & November 22nd, 2023 Special Council Meeting
6. Business Arising from Minutes
7. Recommendations from Committees of Council
-COTW held November 15th, 2023.
-COTW held December 6th, 2023.
8. Outside Committee Reports
a. Old Fashioned Christmas – Councillor Zinck – October 2023
b. Guysborough Adult Learning Association – Deputy Warden Fuller – October 2023
c. Eastern Regions Solid Waste – Councillor Malloy – November 2023
d. Eastern Counties Regional Library – Councillor Mailman – November 2023
9. Other Matters of Business
10. CAO Report
Adjournment
A 10-minute question and answer period pertaining to agenda items.

"Encouraging greater participation in active transportation can improve the physical and mental
health of users, reduce carbon footprints, attract visitors, and boost local businesses through increased
traffic. Building active transportation infrastructure may also improve the equity of travel
options, contribute to a more accessible public realm and create safer, more liveable communities
for everyone."
-Warden, Greg Wier

To learn more about the "What We Heard Report" click the link below:
Final (interactive) Active St. Mary's WWHR - Dec 8_.pdf

Province of Nova Scotia News Release:
December 5, 2023
Seniors in the Sherbrooke area who need long-term care will have access to modern spaces with the replacement of the local nursing home.
The new 48-room High-Crest Sherbrooke nursing home, scheduled to open in 2029, will provide care to an additional nine seniors. Each resident will have their own room and private washroom.
Greg Morrow, Minister of Agriculture and MLA for Guysborough-Tracadie, on behalf of Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Barbara Adams, made the announcement today, December 5, at High-Crest Sherbrooke.
“Seniors are important members of our community, and I’m pleased to be a part of my government’s investments in long-term care homes,” said Minister Morrow. “Our loved ones who need long-term care will benefit greatly from a new and modern facility that will allow them to live in comfort.”
The new home is part of the recent addition of 2,200 rooms to the Province’s long-term care infrastructure plan. This plan expansion includes new long-term care homes that will add about 800 rooms to the long-term care system and the replacement of older homes with new, modern facilities that will have about 1,400 rooms. All these new homes are expected to be ready by 2032. The original plan included homes with about 3,500 rooms expected to be ready by 2027. Together, these new spaces will help to meet the care needs of the province’s aging population.
All new living spaces will be single rooms, each with its own private washroom. The government is contracting with several long-term care providers for new facilities and to replace existing ones.
Information and progress updates on all 5,700 rooms are available at: https://novascotia.ca/long-term-care-rooms-progress-updates/
Building and improving more long-term care rooms is part of Action for Health, the Province’s strategic plan to improve healthcare. Building and renovating new facilities with single-bed rooms, and ensuring seniors live with dignity and can age well are also commitments in the Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister’s mandate.
Quotes:
High-Crest Sherbrooke is extremely excited and grateful to the Province that our aging 39-bed home is being replaced with a new, modern 48-bed care home. We are so pleased to acknowledge this significant investment in the seniors and residents of our community. We look forward to continuing to provide exceedingly high-quality care to the seniors in the Sherbrooke area in a space that appropriately supports their needs. This is a very exciting announcement and is a very good day for the community of Sherbrooke and High-Crest. Shannon Stephenson, President, High-Crest Enterprises
Quick Facts:
• the long-term care infrastructure plan was announced in January
• current wait lists for long-term care spots vary across the province; as of November 15, there were just over 1,700 people waiting at home for placement in long-term care
• of those waiting at home, more than 70 per cent receive home care
• seniors make up close to 22 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population; this is expected to climb to more than 25 per cent by 2032
• the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment, Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, and the continuing care sector are working together to recruit the staff needed to support the delivery of care that will be required for these new rooms
Additional Resources:
News release – Province Adding, Replacing More Long-Term Care Rooms:
https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20231120001
News release – First Long-Term Care Replacement Home Opens: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230929006
News release – Construction Beginning on Long-Term Care Homes in Central Zone: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230517001
News release – Province Building More Long-Term Care Rooms: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230111001
Action for Health, the government’s plan for transforming the healthcare system: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth
Mandate letter for the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care:? https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-SLTC.pdf