News
MPS & LUB Review open houses in Southampton and Springhill postponed
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UPDATE: Due to pending weather, the open houses on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Southampton and Springhill have been postponed and will be rescheduled.
Help us shape how your community grows
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Planning shapes how our communities grow.
The Municipality of Cumberland is reviewing its Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw, and we want to hear from you. Your input will help guide future decisions around housing, development, and land use across our communities.
Drop in to one of our open house sessions or take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your perspective.
Visit https://form.jotform.com/FBM_Planning/cumberland-mps-and-lub-review to complete the survey and https://www.cumberlandcounty.ns.ca/mps-and-land-use-bylaw-review.html to learn more about the process and open house sessions near you.
African Heritage Month: Ruddick's music and leadership saved the lives of his fellow miners
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When the deepest coal mine in North America "bumped”, an unlikely hero emerged. Maurice Ruddick was an African Nova Scotian man whose music and leadership saved the lives of his fellow miners.
Maurice Ruddick (1912-1988) was born in Joggins to a coal mining family descendant from Black Loyalists. Upon moving to Springhill, he became known as The Singing Miner.
The Springhill No. 2 coal mine had a “bump” (similar to an earthquake) on October 23 1958, killing 75 men. Seven men (Garnet Clarke, Frank Hunter, Doug Jewkes, Herb Pepperdine, Percy Rector, Maurice Ruddick and Currie Smith) were trapped together around 3 km deep in the mine for 8 ½ days. On a normal workday and occasionally while trapped, Ruddick led hymns and rhythms like “The Old Rugged Cross” to keep others’ spirits up. When he was rescued, he famously said “Give me a glass of water and I’ll sing you a song.”
Being trapped for eight and a half days took its toll on all of them in different ways.
Ruddick said, “I cried in the darkness, but I made sure that nobody else heard me. It might have broken their resolve to live."
Other miners' mothers and wives said that "if it wasn’t for Maurice, they’d all have been dead.”
Ruddick also spent a lot of time nursing Percy Rector, who was dying with the weight of the earth on his trapped arm. All the men in the group tried to help Rector, but they could not free or remove his arm. Rector held on until the fifth day, when he died of his injuries.
Municipality of Cumberland recognizes African Heritage Month with flag-raising, proclamation signing
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Municipality of Cumberland Mayor Rod Gilroy was joined by members of municipal council and the Cumberland African Nova Scotia Association in kicking off African Heritage Month in the municipality.
The mayor signed a proclamation declaring February as African Heritage Month in the Municipality of Cumberland and helped members of council and CANSA raise the Pan-African Flag at the Upper Nappan Service Centre during a ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
“African Heritage Month is an important time to celebrate African Nova Scotians and their rich history, culture, and contributions,” the mayor said. “In Nova Scotia, African heritage is deeply rooted and spans more than 400 years, shaping our communities, institutions, and shared identity.
“This month gives us an opportunity to honour that legacy and to recognize the resilience and achievements of African Nova Scotian communities.”
The story of African Nova Scotians is one of endurance and determination, dating back to the first arrivals in the 1600 to the Black Loyalists from the United States, the Jamaican Maroons and generations that followed.
Participate in Planning and Development Survey
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The Municipality of Cumberland is undertaking a review of its Planning and Development services.
This includes permitting, inspections, planning approvals and related workflows.
JDStrategy consultants have been engaged to conduct this independent service review and are surveying residents and recent permit applicants to capture their experiences and assess clarity, efficiency, timeliness, communication, and service quality.
You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q9JGXXX
It will take 2-3 minutes to complete and closes Feb. 12.
All responses are anonymous and will be reported only in aggregate form.
Survey results will be analyzed alongside interviews with Mayor & Council and staff, stakeholder interviews, and comparative benchmarking with other municipalities. Findings will inform actionable recommendations related to improving this valuable service.
Thank you for your participation.