Municipal Transfer Station - Brush Service Restored May 1, 2025

With spring upon us and fire restrictions now in place, the Municipality is please to restore the Brush Service at the Municipal Transfer Station starting May 1, 2025, to help residents safely manage their yard waste. The service is offered at no cost to residents. Only residents of St. Mary’s including year-round residents & seasonal residents may use this service. Residents must provide their residential civic address, name and phone number. This is a residential service only. Commercial brush will not be accepted. Vehicles with attached dump bodies are not eligible. For the month of May, the Transfer Station will be open on May 3, 5, 12, 17, 19, 26 and 31.

Fire Safety Tips

Tips to Help Prevent Wild Fires:The Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s would like residents to please take Fire and Wildfire prevention very seriously.
In Nova Scotia, almost all wildfires are human-caused, so prevention is our first line of defence.

Things you need to know to help prevent wild fires:
1. Please check the Burn Safe Map for daily information and restrictions before any outdoor burning. https://novascotia.ca/burnsafe/
2. Daily burn restrictions are in place from March 15th to October 15th to help prevent wildfires. Under these restrictions, burning is not permitted between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Each day at 2:00 p.m., the Burn Safe map is updated to show the daily restrictions. People can also call 1-855-564-2876 (BURN) for this information.
3. The Province recently announced that the fine for violating the daily burn restrictions has been increased to $25,000 for this wildfire season. The fine amounts are set in the Summary Offence Ticket Regulations. The $25,000 fine also includes HST and a victim surcharge, bringing the total to $28,872.50. Conservation officers, police and other law enforcement officers can issue the fine on the spot in the form of a summary offence ticket.
Additional Fire Safety Tips:

• Prepare an Emergency Kit: Assemble a kit with essential items such as water, non-perishable food, medications, important documents, clothing, and a first aid kit. Keep it easily accessible.
• Protect Your Home from fire: Keep the area surrounding and touching your home clear of debris and unkept vegetation or other flammable materials.
• Do NOT throw cigarette butts or anything with an ember or spark outdoors, eg a cigarette butt thrown from a moving vehicle creates a serious risk of causing a fire.

By following these prevention and safety tips, you can significantly reduce the risk of fires.
Additional information on Fire Safety:

• Fire restrictions - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada - Burn Safe Map
• fire-proclamation_2024-05-15.pdf (novascotia.ca) – Fire Proclamation
• https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/05/16/large-increase-fine-illegal-burning-during-wildfire-season - Fine/Charges Information
• Nova Scotia Government | Facebook – NS Gov Facebook Page

To learn more about fire safety and tips to keep you safe this spring/summer season, please click the link below:
 file:///C:/Users/Office/Downloads/Fire%20Safety.pdf

Employment Opportunity: Public Works Labourer

The Municipality of the District of St Mary’s is seeking an energetic and teamwork-oriented individual to join the Public Works team. This is a permanent part-time position which will report to the Director of Public Works. The Public Works Labourer, in conjunction with public works staff, will work to support all areas of public works including the operations of: the Water Treatment Plant, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, the St. Mary’s Recplex, the Municipal Transfer Station and other maintenance of municipal facilities, municipal properties and parks.

To view the full job description click the links below: 
pdf Public Works Labourer 2025 Full Job Description(137 KB)
pdf Job Ad April 2025 Public Works Labourer(107 KB)

🌟 Do You Know an Amazing Volunteer? 🌟

The Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s is now accepting nominations for our Volunteer of the Year Award!

Every year, we celebrate the individuals who give their time, energy, and heart to make our community a better place. If you know someone who goes above and beyond to help others, now is the time to recognize their efforts!

✅ Nominate an outstanding volunteer from your community
📝 Tell us how they’ve made a difference
📅 Deadline to submit nominations: May 14, 2025

🔗 Nomination Form: https://forms.office.com/r/YF6k4JsMAi

Let’s shine a light on the incredible volunteers who help make St. Mary’s strong, vibrant, and caring.💙

Municipal Low Income Tax Exemption

Municipal Low Income Property Tax Exemption
St. Mary's Municipal Council offers a rebate on property tax bills for those whose income is below a specified threshold. The threshold amount is determined by Council on an annual basis. Review the Low Income Tax Exemption (290 KB)  application to determine if you qualify. A copy of your previous year’s "Notice of Assessment – Canada Revenue Agency" must be included with your application.

The Provincial Property Tax Rebate for Seniors
This program, administered by Service Nova Scotia on behalf of the Department of Community Services, is designed to help eligible seniors remain in their homes by providing an annual rebate on their municipal property taxes. Provincial Property Tax Rebate forms are available at the Municipal Office . The deadline to apply is December 31st, 2024. Call 902-522-2049 for more information

For Immediate Release: Announcing the New Municipal Council

Announcing the New Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s Council

Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia – The Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s is excited to announce the formation of the new Municipal Council.

The Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s Council is composed of 5 dedicated members.
District 1: Councillor, Emma Tibbo
District 2: Councillor, Dana O’Connell
District 3: Deputy Warden, Beulah Malloy
District 4: Councillor, Scott Beaver
District 5: Warden, James Fuller

The inaugural meeting of the Municipal Council has taken place on October 30^th, 2024, at 4:00 pm in the Council Chambers. We invited all residents to join us and share their thoughts and ideas.

Council nominated and then appointed Councillor James Fuller (District 5) as Warden, and Councillor Beulah Malloy (District 3) as Deputy Warden. Council agreed to set the Terms of Warden and Deputy Warden for 2 years.

Image from left to right: Councillor Scott Beaver, Deputy Warden Beulah Malloy, Warden James Fuller, Councillor Emma Tibbo, and Councillor Dana O’Connell.

To see the full press release you can visit the link below:
document 2024 10 30 Inaugural press release(347 KB)