FALL RIVER: The local councillor brought a lot of information to a discussion with members of the Fall River business community recently.
Cathy Deagle Gammon, who represents Waverley-Fall River-Musquodoboit Valley, spoke to members of the Fall River and Area Business Association (FRABA) at Good Day Café in Fall River.
She spoke to the group about the HRM budget that was recently passed; about the committees she is on with HRM as part of her council duties; development issues; and answered questions as she could from them.
It appeared to have been an informative session for all involved with much discussion over the almost one-hour presentation.
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Deagle Gammon told the crowd about the RCMP community policing office coming to the community to be co-located at the Gordon R. Snow Community Centre in Fall River. That is where the discussion is currently pointed.
“It doesn’t mean a detachment but a community office with six officers,” she said. “But six officers really don’t mean you’re going to see six police cars because it’s a 24/7 model.
“It means probably one or two, but there will be a more significant police presence in the community. It would be an office that somebody can go to and if you need to get fingerprinting done or if you need to get a vulnerable records check or criminal records check, something like that. That those are the kinds of things that we think they’ll be able to provide.”
She said she will be holding a community town hall with the RCMP to hear from the community on what they would like to see and because the RCMP work in work shifts the community will need to say when the officers would need to be here such as Monday to Friday during the day, do they need to be here on the weekends.
“Where is it that you think that the RCMP presence is needed the most and when,” she asked. “The RCMP will then design the shifts according to what the community need is.”
The community office will cover Waverley, up to Wellington and maybe just a little bit into Grand Lake.
“That will be one of the things that we’ll be talking about,” said Deagle Gammon.
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She spoke about the committees she is on, on top of her council duties for the communities she represents.
Besides regional council, she is the current chairperson for North West Community Council.
She also sits on the following committees with HRM:
Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee Vice Chair
- Audit and Finance Standing Committee – Chair
- Community Planning & Economic Development Standing Committee Chair
- Executive Standing Committee
- Halifax Water Commission Vice Chair
- Canadian Capital Cities Organization
- Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Deagle Gammon also spoke of the Aerotech transit pilot project she made a motion for with a staff report expected back this fall, which will tell them more.
Currently, Fall River is not in the transit service boundary so that is one of the hold ups in any attempt to bring transit here, but is one of the main things she continues to work on as hard as she can.
She also spoke about a new 12 townhouse development near the Fourth Lock that was just approved by NWCC. It will have an on-site septic system.
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Deagle Gammon was asked about the proposed 7-8,000 homes for the development in Wellington near the new Aerotech Connector.
“Clayton Developments and Marchand Homes have land up at the top, and they have what’s called phase five of the regional plan proposal,” she said. “It is in no way completes. It’s at this point a concept and, even the numbers are not finalized.
“We do not know what that is or isn’t, they just have the concept in phase five of the regional plan.”
Members of FRABA wondered if they would get that many more units out this way if that would mean more funding for firefighters or police in the area.
“Density will determine whether or not you get a fire station or a community building, or what community value a developer might bring,” said Deagle Gammon. “It’s too early to make a comment about what it is or what it wouldn’t be.
“There are five other communities within HRM that are in desperate need of a fire station, and we’ve only built one.”
A short question and answer period occurred and then the meeting wrapped up just after supper time.
