ARICHAT - Two Strait Area municipal leaders are hopeful that concerns raised at a recent conference involving Nova Scotia's municipal units can be addressed in the short and long terms.

The latest regular meeting of Richmond Municipal Council included a discussion about the municipality's participation in the recent Fall Conference for the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities. Warden Amanda Mombourquette, District Two Councillor Michael Diggdon and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Troy MacCulloch attended the Halifax-based conference on the county's behalf. 

Speaking at the November 20 council meeting in Arichat, Mombourquette and Diggdon each suggested that registration for the NSFM conference should be shared between two or more delegates. They felt that this would allow more representatives of cash-strapped municipalities to attend the event, as opposed to asking municipal councillors - who often have a separate day job - to commit to a four-day out-of-town conference schedule. 

This year's Fall Conference coincided with the end of Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton's one-year term as NSFM president. The post is now in the hands of Lunenburg District Mayor Carolyn Bollivar-Getson. However, Chisholm-Beaton will remain on the NSFM executive as Past President. 

When questioned about the Richmond contingent's concerns, Chisholm-Beaton said she agreed with many of the issues presented at the Richmond council session and pledged to take them back to the NSFM executive for consideration. 

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

* 1:37 - Richmond officials are hopeful that a new provincial funding program for municipalities can pick up the estimated $244-million price tag for sidewalk extensions in Arichat. 

* 11:57 - Port Hawkesbury Town Council is investigating two new avenues to spark housing development. However, town officials are concerned that inaccurate information is found within a housing needs assessment conducted for the town by provincial officials. 

* 24:15 - Amendments to the Isle Madame Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law could allow recreational vehicle owners and small campsite-operators to repurpose their facilities for short-term housing use. 

* 34:12 - Port Hawkesbury officials praised public works staff and water-treatment-plant employees for containing a serious water main break on MacDonald Street. At the same time, the town hopes to revamp the water-quality testing it currently carries out near the Strait Area Yacht Club on the town's waterfront. 

* 36:55 - Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette, who is also the co-chair of the Bras d'Or Lake Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative (CEPI), is hoping a recent conference on the stewardship of the lake's watershed can launch a new approach to guarding these Cape Breton waters.