By Bastien MacLean
ANTIGONISH COUNTY – The Antigonish Chamber of Commerce hosted a Q&A on Oct. 3 with candidates vying for spots on county council in the Oct. 19 elections.
The event was held in the county’s volunteer fire department on Sears Ross Dr., and had over 100 attendees. A similar event for town council candidates was held at Dr. John Hugh Gillis High School earlier in the week.
Antigonish County’s last municipal election in 2020 saw seven councilors acclaimed, while districts 2, 4 and 9 had only seven candidates between them. This time around, only three councilors were acclaimed: John Dunbar, Gary Mattie and Harris McNamara from Districts 7, 8 and 9, respectively. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Eastern Councilors’, they represent the eastern part of the county from Bayfield to the Canso Strait. All three voted against consolidation with the Town of Antigonish.
One hundred folks in Antigonish County took in a candidate’s debate this week. (The Notebook).
Despite not having to run a campaign, Dunbar and McNamara both showed up at the Q&A to meet fellow candidates and chat with voters.
Gary Mattie had planned to attend but was unable to. In a phone conversation with The Macdonald Notebook, he spoke about what he called the “biggest turnaround in [the] Antigonish County [Council] in the past 20 years,”
referring to the fact that at least five and up to seven councilors will be newcomers.
Incumbents Mary MacLellan in District 1 and Shawn Brophy in District 4 both are being challenged for their seats.
MacLellan, who has sat on council for 32 years, is facing Jennifer MacEachern, a small business owner who has been on the boards of Maryvale School Parent Advisory Council and the North Shore Volunteer Fire Department. MacEachern spoke in favour of improving relations with businesses and constituents.
MacLellan said “There’s going to be a lot of changes in council, and I feel I have a strong background. With my experience, I can help the community move forward. MacLellan also voted against consolidation.
Shawn Brophy abstained from the amalgamation vote due to a potential conflict of interest, as he works as a supervisor for the Town of Antigonish. His competition in District 4 is Kulbir Singh and Michael MacEachern.
Singh, a surface chemistry scientist with Sona NanoTech, praised the “unique character” of Antigonish, and said, “We need to connect” with businesses in the area to help grow the local economy.
MacEachern, who was unable to attend the Q&A session, has served on several boards in the area, including the Antigonish Tourism Association and the County of Antigonish planning and advisory committee.
District 2:
This appears to be the most hotly contested race in the upcoming election.
Terry Penny, one of the lead organizers of Let Antigonish Decide campaign, worked as a nurse before becoming manager at St Martha’s Regional Hospital, and was interim CEO at the RK Macdonald Nursing
Home. Penny says one way to attract business to Antigonish would be removing bureaucratic hurdles, for example, streamlining permit processes.
Andrea Pumphrey, who couldn’t make it to the meeting, is “a board member of Antigonish Culture Alive and a founding member of Antigonish Vision for the Arts. In an email, Pumphrey said she would want to
support art events and artists to help build the appeal of Antigonish as a tourism destination.
Chris Demers from North Grant, has two and a half decades of experience as a teacher and is committed to making sure constituents feel their voices are heard on council.
Adam Baden-Clay, a native Australian, works at the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University, and has a decade of experience as a volunteer firefighter in the town. He started People for an Antigonish
Rec Centre which is working to bring a multi-faceted community, sports, recreation, and arts centre to Antigonish.
Donald Grady, who wasn’t able to make it to the meeting, works at Antigonish General Trucking.
District 3:
There are three candidates: Bud MacInnis, Richelle MacLaughlin, and Jason Mason.
Mason owns the Next Level Skateboard Shop on James Street and is an instructor at St. FX. He plans to work with developers, financial institutions, and government bodies to address the affordable housing crisis.
MacInnis was the manager at the Antigonish Arena for 26 years and has a long history with the Recreation Facility Association of Nova Scotia where he served as president, vice-president, regional representative,
treasurer and, now, as technical director. Referring to the aging Antigonish sewage plant, MacInnis said “the town and county need to work together to fix infrastructure that needs fixing.”
MacLaughlin, a resident of St Joseph’s, served on the Strait Regional School Board for 10 , and says that allowed her the experience of collaborating with different organizations for the benefit of her community. She would focus on tourism, education and healthcare because they will bring benefits for the whole community.
District 5:
Renée Curry, a mother of eight, highlighted the generous spirit of the community and said while canvassing people would give her children juice boxes and snacks. She said one of the roles of a municipal councilor is to engage with the community at large, and would work to improve information on the county website, as well as getting electronic voting available in the county.
Wayne Melanson, a former volunteer firefighter in Pomquet, demonstrated his commitment by showing up to
the meeting with his wife for their 26th wedding anniversary. Melanson says while he was canvassing, “a variety of concerns came up” like water and sewer, and added he would be available for residents to reach out to.
District 6:
Nick MacInnis and Shane Chisholm are running in Warden Owen McCarron’s current seat.
MacInnis, a farmer and former president of the Antigonish Rivers Association, says that “property valuations are increasing, even without raising tax rates… [and this is] something we have to be very mindful of as councillors.”
Chisholm has worked in construction for more than 30 years and is currently employed at HarbourMac Construction. “My district’s in pretty good shape,” he says, and he wants to keep it that way. “We have a community center, curling rink, post office, and school.”
District 10:
Competing here are Janet Becigneul and Sterling Garvie.
Becigneul has worked with two provincial party leaders and two MPs on Parliament Hill. She has also served on the Antigonish Affordable Housing’s board of directors and St. Ninian’s Parish Council. As
councillor, she would focus on mitigating the damaging effects of climate change, including supporting and strengthening Emergency Preparedness efforts.
Garvie, a long-time worker in the dairy industry, says he would work to support small businesses.
Change ahead?
An idea being floated this election cycle is the possibility of having a mayor in the county instead of a warden. Currently, the warden is picked by councillors during their first meeting and before many know each other. In an earlier conversation with The Notebook, District 2 candidate Terry Penny highlighted part of the Municipal Government Act that reads the council of a county or district municipality may, at any time not less than nine months prior to a regular municipal election, decide that the chair of the council be elected at large.
Several candidates expressed an openness to this possibility.
In a letter to Antigonish County councillors by Harris McNamara on Aug. 22, he proposed that the outgoing council refrain from hiring a new CAO as “the decision is best left to the newly elected council.”
As well, McNamara said instead of picking a warden immediately, “an interim warden’ (should) be appointed, and be one of the re-elected councillors who does not want to offer as warden. With this position, the unwise and dangerous practice of voting without sufficient background information can be minimized.”
A proposed discussion of both proposals was voted down 6-3, with the ‘Eastern Councilors’ together in the minority.
Antigonish County council administrative offices. (The Notebook).
Antigonish County Councillor John Dunbar voted against a merger of town and county in Antigonish. He stands a clear shot of becoming Antigonish County Warden after the October 19th, 2024 vote. (County of Antigonish image).
Antigonish County Councillor John Dunbar stands a good chance to become County Warden. He opposed a merger of Antigonish town and county. (The Notebook).
