At two separate Special Council Meetings held on Monday, September 13, 2021, both Town and County Councils voted to investigate and gather the information needed to consider consolidating the two municipalities into one regional government.
“The Town and County of Antigonish have a long and proud history of success and providing high quality service to our communities and the people that live and work here,” said Laurie Boucher, Mayor of the Town of Antigonish. “Over the past few years, the Town and County have strengthened that relationship, working together even more closely than before to build on that history of success and service. We’re exploring this now as two strong municipalities, not when one of us is in crisis.”
“Antigonish Town and County have a proven track record of success when it comes to working together and we see consolidating as one opportunity to have a greater community impact to better serve the people that live and work in our communities,” said Owen McCarron, Warden of the Municipality of the County of Antigonish. “By working together, we have been able to invest and build new infrastructure, host large events like the 2018 National Special Olympics, and improve municipal services through greater coordination. Successful partnerships build the foundation of strong communities. We’ve seen that success grow with the relationships the Town and County have built with StFX University, St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation, and community groups like Antigonish Community Transit, Antigonish Affordable Housing, Keppoch Mountain, and the People’s Place Library, just to name a few.”
The exploration phase of a potential consolidation involves assessing if residents, businesses, and communities would be better served by combining efforts on all municipal services such as recreation programs and facilities, events attraction, tourism, land use planning, solid waste management, infrastructure planning, and community economic development.
“There is still a lot we need to determine and investigate further. However, this could have the potential to create the future we want for our communities and one that our residents deserve with high quality service, access to programming, and investments in infrastructure,” said Boucher.
“We are committed to doing our due diligence by engaging the community and keeping them informed on the process as we assess this opportunity further,” concluded McCarron.
To read the full release, click here:
For Immediate Release: Town and County to Explore Consolidation