Chuck Boudreau

Antigonish County homeowners who meet the income requirements still have time to apply for a Low Income Property Tax Exemption that could provide up to $325 in relief on their current-year property taxes.

Applications are being accepted until December 31, 2026.

The program is available to residents who are presently living in their homes and have a combined annual household income of $40,000 or less.

For homeowners who qualify, the exemption has a maximum value of $325 for the current tax year.

The County is reminding eligible residents that applying requires some supporting documentation.

Homeowners must provide a copy of their 2025 Notice of Assessment for everyone residing in the household along with their completed application.

The question of tax incentives connected to the proposed $10 billion EverWind data centre campus is drawing two very different responses from the provincial and municipal levels of government.

EverWind announced the now contentious data centre to be located in Point Tupper, Richmond County.

During the technical briefing, ahead of the October 16 announcement, EverWind projected $400 million dollars in municipal taxes over the span of a 20 year lease with the AI company, now known to be Anthropic.

Following a cabinet meeting on October 29, Nova Scotia Finance Minister John Lohr said the province has not provided tax breaks or other incentives for the EverWind project.

However, Lohr has said, “We wouldn’t rule it out.”

Lohr says one type of incentive the province typically uses is a payroll rebate program where a company could become eligible for a rebate after a certain number of years, if it meets requirements related to employee numbers.

He says a project of this size would have a significant economic impact but indicated that a detailed provincial economic analysis would come later in the approval process.

Although Lohr did not elaborate on any other types of incentives, Richmond County Warden Lois Landry says the county would not entertain a property tax break for the project.

During the October 27 Council meeting, Landry commented on whether the county would be open to rebates or exemptions involving property tax revenue.

Her response was unequivocal.

“We have had questions about would we be open to any kind of rebates or exemptions on property tax revenue? The answer to that is no, it’s a free country, they can ask, dreams are free, but we would never agree to that”, says Landry.

Five Richmond County students will soon have an opportunity to experience what it’s like to sit around the council table.

The winners of Richmond County’s Council for a Day contest were announced at the October 27 regular council meeting.

The contest was open to Grade 5 and 6 students and ran from October 1 to 21. Students were encouraged to “dream big” and come up with ideas for making Richmond County an even better place to live.

Warden Lois Landry said the could share their ideas in a variety of creative ways, including a video, song, poster, poem or letter.

The winning students are:

• Samuel Giroux
• Sage Sampson
• Lillian Martel
• Abe Boudreau
• Olivia Shea

Landry also thanked the teachers who helped facilitate the contest and encouraged their students to take part.

The winners will get their chance to step into the role of municipal leaders at the end of November. They will have lunch with council on the day of the next regular council meeting, followed by a mock council meeting.

Those behind the proposed $10 billion EverWind data centre slated for Point Tupper faced tough questions at the province’s standing committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development Committee.

The committee met on October 27 in Halifax.

One of the most direct exchanges, Tuesday, involved water.

Inverness MLA, Kyle MacQuarrie, questioned EverWind about its proposed use of up to 500,000 litres of water a day from the Landrie Lake Water Utility for cooling

The response directly addressed concerns being raised by users of the water supply who are worried about whether warm or contaminated water could eventually be returned to Landrie Lake.

EverWind Chief Financial and Strategy Officer, Matthew Tinari, said the proposed cooling system would operate as a closed loop. During most of the year, the water would simply circulate within the system. During hotter weather, additional water may be required for cooling.

But he was unequivocal about where the water would not go. “Under no circumstances is water going back into the lake”, said Tinari.

Instead, Tinari said that wastewater from the data centre cooling systems would be recycled through regular maintenance offsite.

When did the province first hear?

Opposition Leader, Claudia Chender asked Deputy Minister of Energy Stephen MacDonald when government officials became aware of a possible data centre.

MacDonald responded by saying they were made aware by EverWind while in discussions about the company’s hydrogen plans, “sometime in the first or second quarter” of 2026.

This puts the timeline somewhere in a span of six months, potentially as early as January.

MacDonald said the province had already been in regular contact with EverWind because of its green hydrogen plans; a project aimed at producing low carbon hydrogen and ammonia, and powered by the company’s wind projects.

During those discussions, officials learned the company was investigating a data centre, although they weren’t initially certain how serious or advanced the proposal was.

That timeline is significant because Premier Tim Houston had said publicly in June that data centres might be something for the future. He then softened his stance in September, with the company’s announcement following one month later, on October 16.

Public Engagement Sessions

EverWind has announced plans for the first two of it’s meetings to hear directly from the public. It has sessions planned for D’Escousse on November 3 and Lower River on November 4, with additional dates still to be announced.

StFX University says it anticipates its two ice surfaces will be operational within 10 to 12 weeks.

Fire damaged the facility’s ice plant in late September, shutting down all activities in the rinks.

StFX Facilities Management says it remains in regular contact with the company responsible for constructing the panel, with the university emphasizing the importance of completing the work as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, the university is relying on the support of the Antigonish arena to keep activities that would normally take place at the Keating Centre moving forward.

StFX says the Antigonish arena has been outstanding in helping accommodate the university’s needs.

The university says the Keating Centre itself continues to operate as usual, aside from the ice surfaces, noting no additional damage has been identified.

Cape Breton South Recruiting for Health is celebrating the people and organizations making a difference in healthcare and community wellness across the region.

The organization has released its 2026 award winners, with a dozen award winners recognized for contributions ranging from leadership and mentorship to patient care, lifelong learning and healthy communities.

– The Lifetime Legacy Award goes to Kenny Mrazek, recognizing a career and lasting contribution to healthcare;

– Kathy MacDougall is the recipient of the Nightingale Leadership Award, honouring leadership in the healthcare field;

– There are three Healthcare Hero recognitions this year. Shay MacLeod is a Healthcare Hero, as is Tamara Burns, while VON Richmond Home Support Workers are also being recognized for their work supporting people in the community;

– Nadia Landry receives the Dedicated Radiology / Pharmacy / Other Allied Health Professional Award, recognizing the important contribution of allied health professionals to patient care;

– The Dedicated Mental Health / Long-Term / Continuing Care Professional Award goes to Seneca Classen-Pottie;

– The Patient’s Choice Award recognizes Jasmine Murphy, highlighting the impact healthcare workers can have from the perspective of the people they serve;

– Dr. Pawan Wagle is this year’s Mentor Champion, recognizing the importance of guidance, encouragement and professional development within healthcare;

– The Life-Long Learner Award goes to Ronalyn Navarro, recognizing a commitment to continued learning and professional growth;

– Community health is also being recognized. The Farmer’s Pantry receives the Making Health Your Business Award; and

– Candice Sampson is this year’s Healthy Communities Leader.

Residents affected by the boil water advisory in Inverness have access to a water pick-up this afternoon following five water breaks in the community.

Three of the five breaks have been repaired, but the municipality says repairs for the breaks near Joe’s Lane and at the intersection of Church St. and Maple St. will take place on Oct. 28.

The municipality is continuing to offer drinking water to people using the Inverness water system while the advisory remains in place.

Residents affected by the advisory can pick up one four-litre jug of drinking water per person, to a maximum of three jugs per household.

The water will be available at the Inverness Fire Hall, 15797 Central Avenue, Inverness, but the municipality has not yet announced what time pickup will be available, but that details will be shared when available.

The water pick-up is intended to support residents while the community deals with the impact of the water system disruptions.

Businesses affected by the boil water order can also request water delivery.

It was supposed to be the release of one bald eagle, but the day turned into something even more special when two birds took flight together in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Parks Canada Officer, Amanda Gallant, says the story began two years ago when a local resident reported an injured eagle in a decommissioned section of the campground. When Parks Canada staff arrived, the bird was upright but stumbling and clearly not behaving normally.

The eagle, later named Parker, was brought to the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre on November 1, 2024, which specializes in rehabilitating raptors.

Then came the long wait.

Gallant says Parks Canada expected the eagle would eventually be ready to return to the place where it was found, but rehabilitation took much longer than anticipated.

“We couldn’t believe it. It had been two years and they kept saying he’s recovering, but he’s still not fully recovered.”

Eventually, the rehabilitation centre contacted Parks Canada with the news they had been waiting for: Parker was ready to go home.

But there was a surprise.

The rehabilitation centre asked if a second eagle could also be released. That bird had been in care for about a year and had spent much of that time with Parker in the same flight cage.

Because both birds were returning to the same general area, the rehabilitation team decided they would benefit from being released together.

The release took place in an open field near the top of one of the park’s trails, overlooking the coastline. The location gave the eagles plenty of room to get a running start and build air under their wings.

Staff opened the boxes and allowed the birds to leave on their own.

Gallant describes the moment as a surge of power as the two massive birds spread their wings and took flight.

The first eagle left the box and made a large circle around the field. Parker followed, quickly spotting the other bird.

The two then travelled together along the coastline until they disappeared from view, eventually finding a tree where they could roost together and take in their new surroundings.

The release also brought attention to why eagles sometimes need rehabilitation in the first place.

Gallant says lead poisoning remains an ongoing issue for birds of prey in the region, with the rehabilitation centre receiving affected birds every year.

Lead can enter the food chain in several ways. Gallant explains that when hunters use lead ammunition, small fragments can remain in meat left behind in the woods. Eagles, as scavengers, can consume those remains and even bring contaminated food back to their nests.

Lead can also enter aquatic food chains through fishing weights, which can be ingested by fish before those fish are eaten by birds of prey.

And it doesn’t take much.

Gallant says even a tiny piece of lead can cause toxic levels in a bird’s system, affecting brain function and creating serious complications.

Residents across the Strait area will soon have an opportunity to speak directly with the team behind a proposed $10-billion Point Tupper data centre.

EverWind is holding two community open houses next week, giving you a chance to learn more about the project and have your say following the proposal announced October 16th.

A two-phased project is planned that will see 420 megawatts of power being used, as well as up to 500,000 litres a water a day from Landrie Lake at full buildout.

The company says the sessions are designed to allow people to meet the project team, review information and raise issues that matter to them.

The proposed data centre has generated significant public discussion since it was announced, and has become a hot-button topic, particularly around potential demands on electricity and water, environmental impacts and what the project could mean economically for the area.

Public protests are scheduled throughout the province on November 7, and an online petition currently has over 23,000 signatures.

In June, Premier Tim Houston said the province was not actively pursuing data centres, and in September softened his stance to say the province was open to discussions.

There are two opportunities to attend.

The first takes place Tuesday, November 3rd, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the D’Escousse Civic Improvement Society Hall, 3276 NS-320 in D’Escousse.

The second is Wednesday, November 4th, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Riverdale Community Centre, 106 Vince McCarthy Drive in Richmond, Subdivision A.

• Doors open at 5:00PM 

• Project overview update presentation at 5:45PM 

• Poster-board viewing and conversations with the project team from 6:30-8:00PM 

EverWind says questions and community knowledge will help inform its planning and ongoing engagement.

Everyone is welcome to attend either session.

Port Hawkesbury residents and motorists are being asked to plan for possible road closures and traffic delays as tree removal and trimming work gets underway October 27.

The Town of Port Hawkesbury says crews will begin work at 9 a.m. with activities potentially continuing into the following day, weather permitting.

Three areas of town will be affected.

• Prince Street: Tree removal 

• Church Street: Tree removal and tree trimming 

• Hemlock Drive: Tree trimming 

The measures are intended to allow the tree work to be completed safely.

The Town says it apologizes for any inconvenience the work may cause and appreciates the patience and cooperation of residents.