Local Fire Department Seeks Richmond County's Help In Handling Brush Build-Up

ARICHAT - With wildfires still burning out of control in several parts of mainland Nova Scotia, the Isle Madame Volunteer Fire Department sought the assistance of the Municipality of Richmond County to deal with a build-up of tinder-dry brush on fields owned by several island residents. 

The Isle Madame department's secretary-treasurer, Norma Boudreau, sent a letter to the municipality in early June, just as mass evacuations were taking place in the Halifax Regional Municipality community of Tantallon and several parts of Shelburne County, where record-setting wildfires were destroying thousands of hectares' worth of forests and hundreds of homes in the affected areas. 

According to District Two councillor Michael Diggdon, much of the organic material found on the properties in question may have been leftover from clean-up efforts by several organizations, particularly in the late-September/early-October aftermath of Hurricane Fiona. 

"If you pass through anyone's property, you might have seen Nova Scotia Power or BellAliant or anybody that was cutting or clearing, or Department of [Public Works] - it was all stuff that was left behind," Diggdon told the June 12 meeting of council's Committee of the Whole. 

"I guess it's something that we really can't police, and I don't know that we really want to...It's almost something that [the property owners] can take care of themselves. Maybe if they want to contact the municipality, we could provide the names of contractors in their area that could help them out."

Councillors eventually agreed to contact Boudreau and her fire department colleagues to outline the limitations of the municipality to take action on private properties. 

Also on this week's episode of TELILE 24/7:

* 1:39 - Save Pondville Beach Provincial Park community campaign leader Lisa Boudreau makes her pitch to the municipality to consider joining forces with local interests to make a pitch to Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) to provide upgrades to the popular Isle Madame beach. 

* 15:02 - The Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council joins forces with the Isle Madame Garden Club to co-host a public meeting at Centre La Picasse in Petit de Grat, to provide information on such invasive plant species as Woodland Angelica.