By Bastien MacLean
ANTIGONISH: On October 19 the Town of Antigonish along with municipalities across Nova Scotia will be holding local elections.
In Antigonish, the new town council will consist of a mayor and six councilors, picked from a pool of two mayoral contenders, Sean Cameron and Emilie Chiasson. A total of eleven would-be councilors are running.
On October 1st at 6:00 pm the Antigonish Chamber of Commerce is hosting a panel with town candidates at the Claymore Inn. For County Council it’s on October 3rd at 5:30 pm at the Antigonish County Volunteer Fire Department in Greenwold.
Councilor Andrew Murray is running for his third consecutive term. Murray, also known as the “Downtown Councilor”, captured the most votes of any councilor in the 2020 election and in 2016 was the first openly gay councilor ever elected in Antigonish.
A native of Antigonish, Murray moved back home in 2001 and joined two Town committees- beautification and planning. This experience encouraged him to try his hand at Council.
He said if elected to a new term he would work on affordable housing, transportation, entertainment services and more, but states that his “number one priority is the infrastructure in this town which needs huge attention… I’m as interested in what’s going on underground as the beauty above ground”.
Andrew Murray is running for re-election to Antigonish Town Council.
Murray points to the town’s sewage treatment plant and cracked roads as key issues. Murray specifically highlighted the redevelopment of Chisholm Park as something he would work on.
Councilor Diane Roberts is running for her 8th term on Antigonish town council, having served on council for 26 of the past 30 years.
Diane Roberts.
Roberts “did not run in 2012 as I thought maybe I should retire [but] my four years away from council was a challenge for me in that I really missed the municipal world”.
She says it “has been suggested over the years (that she) run for Mayor” but that she prefers her role which she believes allows her to better connect with the people in Town.
Roberts will work “to address the sewer and streets issue we face here in Antigonish Town. I believe we need to bring back the committee on public property and streets. This is where the work should happen in conjunction with the engineering department and the town’s CAO. I would be very happy to sit on this committee along with other Councilors”.
Sarah Armstrong was the former owner and editor of the Highland Heart newsletter, served as the longtime chair of Friends of the Antigonish Library, as well as working with the Antigonish Community Energy Cooperative, the Antigonish Bicycle Project, the St James Hot Meal event and the Antigonish Coalition to End Poverty.
Sarah Armstrong,
Armstrong notes that “our community is growing and that our services need to grow along with it. Traffic comes up as an issue to everyone – pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, wheelchair users. Power outages and electric line maintenance are a stressor as hurricane and blizzard seasons approach”.
Armstrong is committed to “making town decisions more transparent by ensuring public access through town halls and Zoom broadcasts”.
She wants to grow cultural events like the Highland Games, the Paqtnkek Powwow and the Special Olympics while supporting a new arts centre and a recreation facility.
StFX English professor Dr. Kara Kilfoil says she has “always looked for other ways to put my skills to use in the community”. Kilfoil graduated from StFX in 1998 with honours, both her parents went to StFX and met there while studying.
“Good recreation facilities are the cornerstone of communities,” she says, explaining that this is something she would be interested in working on, “(but) recreational facilities aren’t cheap… it would have to be a joint venture… in practice, it’s a lot of work”.
Kara Kilfoil.
Kilfoil states that the Town must “update the sewer to meet the demand… [and also] communicate to people A) why the sewer smells B) who we’re hiring to help us understand why the sewer smells C) who were hiring to help us get the sewer to stop smelling”.
Kilfoil is also interested in affordable childcare and promoting community events.
Leon MacLellan worked as director of facilities at StFX for 32 years, during which “StFX reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40%”. He is also a director with the Antigonish Highland Society and an elected councillor at Engineers Nova Scotia. MacLellan, a lifelong resident of Antigonish, is running for Council “ to celebrate and promote community engagement, recognize the diversity of people and cultures, continue cooperation with the County, maintain the services and infrastructure of the Town, and reduce the carbon footprint.” He says the Town needs to “ fix the sewage treatment plant and we need more water sources to adequately supply the town and county” as well as work to improve roads, sidewalks and bridges.
Leon MacLellan.
MacLellan looks forward to recognizing important events and activities in town, like National Day of Truth and Reconciliation at Chisholm Park on September 27.
Patrick McKenna, a former councilor in Comox, BC from 2018- 2021, is currently employed with a non-profit working to build affordable housing in Antigonish.
In order to fix the infrastructure issues in Antigonish McKenna, an Antigonish native and StFX alumnus, backs “A combined response of The Town of Antigonish, The Municipality of the County of Antigonish as well as the Provincial and Federal governments … to ensure not only repair and replacement of infrastructure but also to employ a strong plan of regular auditing and maintenance.”
Patrick ‘Pat’ McKenna.
McKenna is a local musician, playing with Hammer Down and Fairmont Road, and says he sees “the arts as an economic engine” that can boost tourism.
McKenna would work with the Chamber of Commerce and the Antigonish Tourism Association to bolster economic activity in the winter months, when the community is less active.
Coline Morrow, daughter of former town mayor Colin Chisholm, has sat on the boards of “the Saint Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation, the Antigonish Highland Games ,a daycare, the Antigonish art fair and art house and the Saint Ninian Parish Foundation.
Coline Morrow is a candidate for Antigonish Town Council. (The Notebook).
Morrow was “dismayed” during an Antigonish Town Council meeting in July to hear “the town engineer advise that the town dredges the lagoon every 10 years and that the 10th year would be next year… This was very difficult to accept as a resident sitting at the meeting as the stench is not acceptable and has not been acceptable for at least three years.”
She is also concerned with the “significant increase in the electric rate over the last year… The current Antigonish utility rate is 16.051 cents per kilowatt. Last year the Town utility rate was 13.435 cents per kilowatt[ NS power rate is 17.703 cents per kilowatt]”. Morrow also highlighted plans for roads, community events and more.
Juanita Pelly has lived in the Town of Antigonish for over 40 years. She has served on the board of directors of Laurentia Housing Corporation and worked with local Autism Support Initiatives.
Juanita Pelly.
Pelly says her experience advocating for her son, who has autism, has “led to experience within many systems surrounding Education, Community and Healthcare”. She decided to run after “conversations with residents and small business owners… people have stated that they wished to see Councilors who are willing to speak to residents and provide open and honest communication.”
Pelly continues “having systems like the sewage treatment plant updated will be the top of my priority list. There is constant concern regarding the state of our streets. Paving is essential.”
Pelly would work towards providing residents with more activities and “to ensure my grandchildren’s generation will enjoy [Antigonish] just as much [as I have].”
Jack Sullivan, who served as Antigonish Town Councilor from 1997-2004, says he’s getting back involved in municipal politics because “there are some issues that have come to the forefront”. Sullivan, who served on the Strait Regional School Board, St Ninian’s Parish Council and Steering Committee for the Construction of the Antigonish Education Center, continues “There’s a lot of talk about housing… but to have housing you need infrastructure… your nose will tell you what infrastructure we need to fix.”
Jack Sullivan.
Sullivan admits that fixing the sewage system will be challenging and requires “serious planning”. He would work on the services the town provides, saying “We have a small town feel but we have plenty to offer and a lot going on.”
On affordable housing, Antigonish native Sullivan mentioned a conversation with Housing Minister Sean Fraser, where Sullivan said “We have great developers in the community that need room to grow… to be able to create that housing… [we need] to partner with the feds and provincial government.”
Antigonish Town Hall. (Antigonish).
