Town council meeting
Canso's new manager quits
CANSO - Turnover in the top administrative job in Canso is continuing to be a problem. After having several town managers leave after short terms in past years, the most recent successful candidate lasted only two weeks.
Gordon Brannen of Port Hawkesbury had been on the job this short time when he left to take another job. During an interview Tuesday, mayor Ray White said Brannen had applied for other jobs as well when he applied for the Canso position, and another offer came through that Brannen felt was a good career move. The matter was discussed at Monday night's regular monthly meeting of town council.
"We plan to advertise immediately for that position," White said. "We are disappointed," he added. "We've faced these kinds of challenges before. We'll go out and advertise and see what happens."
Councillor Fin Armsworthy says he has been pushing for council to hire and train someone from the local area for the past six years, something he says should result in longer-term service in the position.
"I've tried to get that done and it's just never gotten to that stage," Armsworthy said during an interview Tuesday. He said he is becoming quite annoyed at the current council. "We're going about this backwards," he said.
Mayor White noted that three of the town's staff members right now are local. "We consider qualifications. If local residents are qualified, they certainly will be considered. We have to consider someone who is qualified for the job."
White said council has asked Service Nova Scotia to do some training with existing staff to strengthen their skills, and will discuss with them the possibility of future training for a new manager, if it's appropriate.
"They (candidates) have to have an accounting background, and also have to develop a working knowledge of the Municipal Government Act," said White. The mayor has a meeting with Service Nova Scotia scheduled for Wednesday of this week to discuss other matters, and he says he will also discuss the manager position with them at that time.
At Monday's meeting the mayor also gave councillors an update on Barrington Wind's proposed wind farm in Canso. The town has already completed negotiations with the company for the lease of town and private lands for up to eight wind turbines. White said the company also has to negotiate with potential customers and acquire the turbines, which are in increasing demand. He said the company plans to proceed with putting up one turbine next year and one the following year.
Also at the regular monthly meeting, councillor Finn Armsworthy tried to put a motion on the floor to get an auxiliary generator for the town hall as an emergency measures centre, but the motion didn't get a seconder. Finn says EMO co-ordinator Greta Roberts has requested an auxiliary generator. Armsworthy says the current generator hasn't been operational for the past eight months.
According to White, two generators at the fire station will act as a backup while the Public Works Committee tries to determine if the town hall's generator, which appears to need gaskets, can be fixed. They are scheduled to report back to council at January's regular meeting. In the meantime, the fire department has approved use of the fire station as a backup location for an EMO centre. Ray says the department is equipped for the communications they need at an EMO centre.
"It's an issue we take very seriously," says White.
In other town news raised at the meeting, $32,400 has been raised so far through a variety of fundraising initiatives in support of the Canso Arena. Donations are still coming in a month after a telethon in support of the facility. Some groups are still planning fundraising projects for the new year. Funds raised so far have paid off the arena's $22,000 power bill and the balance is being kept for future electrical charges this winter. White noted that electrical costs at the rink amount to about $3,000 a month during the winter months. Any funds raised above those costs will go back to the Canso and Area Arena Commission and may help cover the cost of necessary repairs.
The Friends of Canso account, established through donations to help the town get on more stable financial footing, is now is at about $35,000. About $30,000 of that has been committed to different projects including balancing the budget, helping to finance an economic sustainability long-range plan in conjunction with St. Francis Xavier University, grants to the arena, and other economic development projects. The $5,000 remaining will be used for similar initiatives.
Monday night's meeting also saw the first reading of a proposed noise by-law, which is now available for review at the town office. The proposed by-law will have a second reading at January's regular council meeting.
