N.S. premier scraps plan to consolidate Antigonish after community meeting

Following a stormy public meeting, Premier Tim Houston has cancelled plans to consolidate Antigonish, N.S. Community activists are relieved; local politicians are disappointed.

The department of municipal affairs announced on Thursday that Bill 407 — the Antigonish Consolidation Act — will not be proceeding.

The province scrapped plans to consolidate the town and county of Antigonish following a town hall meeting attended by Premier Tim Houston at which hundreds of area residents voiced concerns on the issue.

“It became clear from speaking to people that there was a very broad sense in the community that they didn’t have enough information,” Houston told media Friday.

“So, as I say, when I get more information, I can change my mind.”

N.S. Municipal Affairs Minister John Lohr said that the province respects the work that went into the plans by councils, the mayor and warden, but there was a significant amount of public pushback.

“It’s a very divisive issue in the community, and we didn’t feel that it had broad public support,” Lohr said.

The change came as a surprise to Antigonish’s town mayor and county warden, as the premier strongly supported the viewpoint of the municipalities only days prior.

“If we’re going to believe in the strength of our democracy at its core, then we have to respect the decisions of elected people, even when we don’t like them,” Houston said at the town hall meeting on Tuesday.