News
Pugwash's Greg Nix Receives Canada's Highest Honour for Volunteers
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Pugwash’s Greg Nix recently received the country’s highest honour for volunteering, but it almost didn’t happen.
“About two months ago I got an email and it had a code on it that I’d never seen before. It did say something about the award and asked me to fill out some forms. As I read it thought it was too much like a hoax and there’s no way I was going to fall for it. So, I just hit delete,” Nix said. “A month later I got another email from the Governor General’s office saying that I was the only person that hadn’t confirmed and if I was interested in coming to Ottawa to receive the award. I realized then there could be something to this.”
Nix, 64, called the Governor-General’s office, filled out the forms and accepted his invitation to Ottawa, attending the ceremony at Rideau Hall on April 30.
He joked when he arrived in Ottawa, officials at Rideau Hall were very gracious and quipped, “here’s the guy that deleted us.”
The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers is a national award that recognizes the volunteer achievements of Canadians from across Canada in a wide variety of fields. It also pays tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers.
Nix admitted to being very humbled during the ceremony, adding all he could think of were the people who helped him get there.
“It was a proud moment for sure, but there were so many people who played a role in getting me there. I never volunteered alone. I was always with a team, or a group of people – whether it was Scouts, cadets or coaching basketball there was always someone there helping,” Nix said. “Now I’m working with the food bank in Pugwash and there are 47 people helping.
Notice of Council Meeting Change
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Please be advised that the May 2025 regular council meeting of Cumberland Council has been rescheduled.
Regular Council will now take place on Monday, May 26, 2025, at 4 pm
(Committee of the Whole will still take place on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 4 pm)
Atlantic Shell Corporation rezoning request not proceeding
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The landowner associated with the application by Atlantic Shell Corporation to rezone a portion of PID 25066473 on the Smith Road in Upper Nappan to accommodate a crustacean shell drying operation has withdrawn his permission for the application to proceed. The application was to rezone the parcel from Agriculture (AG) to Rural Industrial (RI).
Pursuant to the Municipal Government Act, in order to come into effect, a bylaw to amend the Land Use Bylaw is required to have two readings with a requirement for a public hearing prior to second and final reading. The application to rezone a portion of the property had received first reading at the April meeting of the Cumberland Municipal Council, held on April 23, 2025.
"With the withdrawal of permission by the landowner, the process for this application is at an end and there will be no public hearing nor any council consideration of second reading. Any new applications for alternative parcels for this operation would have to start over again," CAO Greg Herrett said.
"It isn't our normal practice to issue media releases regarding development application status, but there's been a higher than usual level of interest in this application and we want to make sure that the public is aware that the process has ended," he added.
Advocate Harbour community coming together to clean Driftwood Beach
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The shoreline between Parrsboro and Advocate Harbour is renowned for its scenic vistas of the Bay of Fundy with the rugged landscape often compared to Cape Breton’s tourism jewel the Cabot Trail.
A group of volunteers, working with the Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark, have come together to scour the shoreline collecting waste that includes everything from propane tanks to garbage and abandoned fishing gear.
The group came together a couple of weeks ago to celebrate Earth Day with beach cleanups at Driftwood Beach in Advocate Harbour and Partridge Island (Wa’so’q) near Parrsboro.
“It was really impactful because a group of people came together and collected a bunch of stuff that has washed up over the years,” Miriam O’Brien said. “It protects the beach and the marine life that has to swim around the debris.”
O’Brien said approximately 25 people from children to someone over age 90 volunteered to walk the beach and collect waste and other debris that has washed up on the beach.
“We gathered over 2,000 pounds. It’s an incredible boost to the beach and the clean water around us,” she said.
The focus of the cleanup in Advocate Harbour was from the seafood plant to the mouth of the harbour because it’s an area people don’t often get to.
Municipality of Cumberland honours 37 volunteers
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The Municipality of Cumberland honoured more than 30 people during its annual Volunteer Week celebration at the Dr. Carson & Marion Murray Community Centre on Wednesday, April 30.
“Volunteers come from all backgrounds and give selflessly day in and day out to help our communities thrive. They truly are the backbone of our municipality,” Mayor Rod Gilroy said. “Our communities would be a much different place without the contributions of those volunteers who give freely of their time and talents to make this a great place to live.”
The theme for National Volunteer Week 2025 is Volunteers Make Waves. It highlights the power, impact and importance of individual and collective volunteer efforts across Canada. Like a wave, volunteering is movement building.
During National Volunteer Week 2025, communities come together to recognize and celebrate all the ways volunteers make waves from coast to coast to coast.
National Volunteer Week is a chance to highlight the value of volunteers and their positive impact on society.
Valerie Brown has been selected as the municipality’s Representative Volunteer of the Year.