GUYSBOROUGH – Angie Tavares, Municipality of the District of Guysborough’s (MODG’s) director of recreation and special projects, spoke to council at its regular monthly meeting on Sept. 22, outlining the benefits of changing the Gran Fondo Guysborough to the last Saturday in August. The Gran Fondo is a multi-route cycling event held at the beginning of September, with hundreds of participants.
This year, it overlapped with the Thunder Rally motorcycle event in Canso. And, although both events co-existed without difficulty this year, Tavares said the late August date had several advantages for the MODG. The first would be staffing; in late August, summer employees were still available to help organize the Gran Fondo and work on the day.
Tavares also told council that Bicycle Nova Scotia has no other event scheduled for that day in 2022 nor had it had an event scheduled on that date in the recent past. Changing the Gran Fondo date would not create a scheduling conflict with any other cycling event in Atlantic Canada, Tavares said.
Following Tavares’ report, council unanimously passed a motion to change the date of the MODG Gran Fondo to the last Saturday in August.
In other business, council passed a motion to send a letter to the Department of Transportation and Active Transit, copying Guysborough-Tracadie MLA Greg Morrow, letting it be known that the MODG supports the plan to construct a roundabout in Monastery at the intersection of Hwy 4 and Hwy 16.
MODG warden Vernon Pitts told the media after council that the municipality was in favour of a roundabout versus a T-junction because, “It keeps the flow of traffic going … and there are no hold ups, less chance for accidents.”
The property for the development has been bought by the government and the construction was scheduled for 2021-2022 in the Five-Year Highway Improvement Plan under the previous Liberal provincial government.
Several policy changes were also passed at council’s Sept. 22 meeting, including an amendment to payment of council remuneration from a once a month to a bi-weekly schedule. The rate of pay remains unchanged from the rate instituted in April of 2016: Warden - $38,782, Deputy Warden - $25,209 and Councillor - $21,546.
Another policy on tax exemption and relief was passed to address low income tax relief, tax reduction for property damage, wastewater capital charge low income exemption and land titles clarification tax relief.
As council wrapped up, Deputy Warden Janet Peitzsche added an item to the agenda, putting forward a motion that a letter of thanks be sent to Lloyd Hines for his many years of service to the MODG; first as councillor, then as warden and finally, and most recently, as MLA. The motion passed unanimously.
MODG policies can be found online at https://modg.ca/government/policies.
