News & Announcements
Richmond Municipal Council District Boundaries Tweaked – Council Size Maintained
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- Category: News & Announcements
For Immediate Release
Richmond County, NS – On October 4, 2023, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board issued its written decision to maintain a Council size of five Councillors for Richmond County. They also agreed to the changes suggested by Council that made slight changes to the five districts to accommodate for communities of interest.
Every eight years, municipalities are required to conduct a study of the boundaries of polling districts in the municipality, their fairness and reasonableness, and the number of councillors. The last boundary review process in 2014 reduced the number of Councillors from ten to five, representing a major shift in the local governance of the County.
The final decision in a boundary review process is made by the Utility and Review Board, often based on the recommendation of municipal councils. The Board prioritizes voter parity, contiguous geography, communities of interest and community consultation in its decision. In January 2023, Richmond County Council made a unanimous recommendation to maintain a 5-member Council with minor changes to the boundaries of each district following a period of public consultation and research that spanned seven months.
Council considered all of the input received from surveys, conversations, and information sessions. “Voter parity is a fundamental principal in a democratic society, but had to be viewed through a lens of what makes the most sense for the people living in each district. It’s about more than just numbers – it’s about ensuring that people are represented and connected to communities that make the most sense, and doing so in a financially responsible way,” noted Warden Mombourquette.
The boundary changes will take effect in the 2024 municipal election and will primarily impact some residents in District 2 in Arichat who will move to District 1, residents of Lennox Passage who will move to District 3, some residents in Thibeauville and Grande Greve who will move to District 4, and residents in Lynches River who will move to District 5. The changes will mean that Isle Madame retains two councillors, and that Grande Greve will no longer be split between two districts along the Grande Greve Road which had caused some confusion in the last election. “These are small changes that we feel will make a difference to the constituents in these areas who have expressed feeling disconnected from communities in which they vote,” explained Warden Mombourquette.
More information and details on the adjusted boundaries in Richmond County can be accessed at: www.richmondcounty.ca.
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Water & Sewer Connections Application Deadline for 2023
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- Category: Announcements (Public Works)
NOTICE
The Municipality of the County of Richmond Public Works Department advises residents of Richmond County that the deadline for the submission of Water and/or Sewer Connection Applications for 2023 is Friday, October 6, 2023.
Applications are available by clicking on https://www.richmondcounty.ca/documents/forms/1915-water-sewer-application-2022/file or by visiting the Municipal Administration Building in Arichat.
Plan Richmond County Fact Sheets
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- Category: News & Announcements
Plan Richmond County - Fact Sheets
The updated draft Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw are now online. To view the draft documents click here.
The project team has also developed a series of Fact Sheets that give a summary of the policy directions that the draft documents take regarding a few key topics like housing, agriculture and recreation & tourism, as well as more general project information and frequently asked questions about planning. Visit the project website at www.planrichmond.ca to view the Fact Sheets, read the draft planning documents or view the proposed zoning for your property using the online mapping tool. You can submit any comments or questions using the online feedback form, by emailing the project team at or by mail at UPLAND Planning + Design, 1489 Hollis Street Level 2, Halifax NS, B3J 3M5”
Submit your feedback on the updated draft documents!
This will help inform any final changes before the documents go to Council to begin the formal adoption process in late 2023. The formal adoption process will include a Public Hearing. To guarantee your feedback is considered in the next draft, please submit your feedback by 11:59pm on October 8th.
Fact Sheets
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Plan Richmond County Introduction(880 KB)
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Environment
(1.91 MB)
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Tourism(2.58 MB)
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(1.91 MB)
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Housing(426 KB)
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(1.91 MB)
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Agriculture(2.46 MB)
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(1.91 MB)
Plan Richmond County Project Update - Submit Your Feedback
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- Category: News & Announcements
Plan Richmond County
Plan Richmond County is a project to create a Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law for all areas for the Municipality of the County of Richmond.
In 2018, the Provincial Government passed Bill 58, an amendment to the Municipal Government Act that requires every municipality to develop and adopt planning.
Currently, the municipality of the County of Richmond has six plan areas and a plan related to large-scale wind turbines, but there remain areas that are unplanned.
This project focuses on developing planning documents for those parts of the Municipality that currently have no planning in place.
The second Draft Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw have been updated based on public feedback obtained last year and we are inviting residents to review
them at this time. Residents are invited to share their feedback until Sunday, October 8th, 2023 at 11:59 PM.
A mail out is in progress to the residents in unplanned areas.
You can view the documents and submit feedback on the project website using the online feedback form at www.planrichmond.ca or you can submit your comments to us by email at .
If you do not have internet access, you can call the project team at (902) 423-0649 to inquire about the proposed zoning on your property.
Please see the attached document for more information and frequently asked questions.
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Plan Richmond County Mail Outs 2023(1.68 MB)