News
Municipality Helps L.A. Animal Shelter Open its New Home
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When supporters of the Lillian Allbon Animal Shelter have needed assistance, the community has always been quick to respond.
Several years ago when the organization shared its vision of a new facility to replace one that was never really build to be an animal shelter, the community again responded and the ribbon was cut on Sunday, June 7, 2026, officially opening the new modern facility on the Smith Road in Upper Nappan.
“It’s a tremendous feeling to see how the community rallied together the way it did to give us the support we needed to get this facility built,” capital committee co-chair Mark Casey said following the ceremony that included tours of the shelter. “This shelter really is the community’s building. It provides a service to people across Cumberland County.”
The $1.3-million capital campaign included a significant commitment of $150,000 from the Municipality of Cumberland as well as a similar contribution from the Town of Amherst and the support of hundreds of individuals, organizations and businesses throughout the county.
Casey said he is most impressed at how quickly the community responded to the ask.
Special Council Meeting on Monday, June 15
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Cumberland Municipal Council will hold a special meeting on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 4 pm in the council chambers at the Upper Nappan Service Centre. The purpose of the meeting is for public hearings relating to several demolition orders.
The meeting will be livestreamed at https://video.isilive.ca/cumberland/live.html
WestCumb Amateur Radio Club Unveils New Communications Trailer With Municipal Support
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The WestCumb Amateur Radio Club recently unveiled an auxiliary communications trailer that’s the only one of its kind in the Maritimes and was developed with financial support from the Municipality of Cumberland, the Town of Amherst and the Christie-Smith Community Fund.
“Across the country various radio clubs have had these for many years, but this is the first one in the Maritimes,” Steve Orr said. “Moncton and Halifax have something similar, but it’s more for equipment and you can’t go inside it. There’s no other trailer like this that other amateur radio clubs in the Maritimes have.”
Hurricane Dorian in late 2022, the wildfires in HRM and Barrington in 2023 and in the Annapolis Valley last summer are examples of the extreme weather and natural conditions being faced by first responders and emergency management officials in Nova Scotia.
Orr said residents expect communications to be there no matter the conditions, but with the increased frequency of severe weather, things like phone, internet and other communications tools may not be available.
That’s what makes units such as this so important.
“We always like to think that the internet will always be there and that cellular phones will always be there, but the reality is that we know from previous experiences they can be affected,” he said. “As much as the province has a terrific TMR system, weather and the environment can still get you. The concept is if all those services go down, amateur radio operators can bring their unique set of skills to continue communications in a disaster.”
Council News in Brief from May 27, 2026
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Municipality not interested in acquiring former Springhill school properties
Cumberland municipal council has approved a motion directing the chief administrative officer to advise the province that the municipality has no interest in acquiring the former West End-Memorial and Junction Road elementary school properties.
The two former schools were replaced by the new Springhill Elementary School in 2024.
Nova Scotia Department of Public Works had advised that the properties are surplus to their needs. They have canvassed all provincial government departments and agencies, and no interest has been expressed in either property.
As the next step in their process, they had offered the properties to the municipality.
All municipal operating departments have been canvassed and none have expressed an interest or a viable potential use for the properties. Given the age of the buildings, the unknown environmental condition and the likely significant cost of demolition and/or redevelopment the municipality would be assuming significant financial, operational and environmental risk by agreeing to reassume control of the properties.
Job Posting: Administrative Assistant
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The Municipality of the County of Cumberland is currently accepting resumes for an Administrative Assistant.