The Region of Queens is getting help from two levels of government with their bottom line.

The federally funded Nova Scotia Safe Re-start program is putting $590,735 into municipal coffers.

Mayor Darlene Norman said the funding is welcome as COVID-19 has upset this year’s budget plans.

“The bulk of the money will be going on the bottom line of this year’s budget in order to meet that projected budget,” said Norman.

The pandemic forced the region to stop operating many of the programs and facilities that make money including closing Queens Place for several months.

“There was no fitness memberships, there was no ice rentals, there were conferences that would’ve been booked there, so that’s lost revenue,” said Norman. “This money will help cover that lost revenue.”

The region estimates losses at Queens Place will be in the neighbourhood of $300,000 this year.

That number could go up as, since this funding was announced, another source of revenue for Queens Place has been shelved. The province has banned sports teams from travelling to and from Halifax. With many of their players coming from the city, the Liverpool Privateers hockey games have been cancelled for now and with them goes the money that comes along with game nights.

According to Norman, Queens Place has never been profitable but the Region backstops the losses as part of the common good the facility brings to the community.

“Municipalities build these facilities for the social enjoyment, the physical enjoyment of people, to stimulate economic growth in your county, that’s what those are built for,” said Norman.

The Safe Re-start funding will also do some good in the community. As a condition of the funding, the province insisted a portion had to support local transit.

Queens County Transit is the beneficiary of that condition and will receive $27,674.

Another stipulation will see $2,020 divided equally between the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities and the Association of Municipal Administrators. The two groups represent municipal interests to the provincial government and have also been unable to hold conferences, which would provide their funding, during the pandemic.

Norman said historically, the Region of Queens has a strong record of managing their finances and meeting their responsibility to the province to produce balanced budgets.

So much so, that even without this funding the municipality would have been okay.

“We would pay our bills. There’s no question of that,” said Norman. “Taking from reserves to meet that would probably be, I’m going to say the first time since amalgamation that that would have ever happened.””

Norman said the Safe Re-start funding should keep the region from dipping into their savings.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson