NATIONAL EMANCIPATION DAY- AUG.1

This day marks the anniversary date when the British Parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire back on August 1st,1834 and to recognize the heritage and contributions of Canada’s people of African descent have made and continue to make. The NS Black Cultural Centre, in partnership with the Government of Canada, Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs, and HRM, will be promoting a series of events to commemorate Emancipation Day. Details at: www.bccns.com 

NATAL DAY & BUSKERFEST EVENTS

There are plenty events and activities planned for the municipal civic holiday – Natal Day from August 1st - 4th. https://natalday.org/events.php This year the Buskerfest will also be occurring during this same timeframe from July 30th – August 4th. www.buskers.ca  Lots of fun for all! 

SHEET HARBOUR 50th SEASIDE FESTIVAL

The 50th annual Sheet Harbour Lions Seaside Festival will be held from August 8th – 17th with various events and activities throughout this timeframe. To check on their schedule of events, please refer to their Facebook page: Sheet Harbour Lions Seaside Festival for more details.

LAKE AND SHORE DAYS: AUG 15-17

Lake and Shore Days in Porters Lake will be occurring from August 15th - 17th. There will be Scavenger Hunt, Bingo, Street Parade, Adult Masquerade Dance / Beer Garden, Princess High Tea, Kids Carnival, Car Show, and a flotilla of lit-up boats to watch the fireworks over the lake. More details can be found on their Lake and Shore Days Facebook Page and www.PLCSA.ca  website. It’s great to see some new volunteers and sponsors stepping up to help out in with this community celebration.

EASTERN SHORE PRIDE WEEK

Eastern Shore Pride is a community group dedicated to growing 2SLGBTQIA+ pride on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. Over the last few years these volunteers have planned, hosted and organized various events and activities to the point of now having a full Pride Week Festival from August 16th – 24th. For more details, please refer to their Facebook Page: Eastern Shore Pride – Nova Scotia or their website: www.easternshorepride.ca 

45th SANDCASTLE DAY – AUG. 24

The 2025 Annual Clam Harbour Beach Sandcastle & Sand Sculpture Competition will be on Sunday August 24th. Remember to be safe & stay well! This event is rain or shine. Bring sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, water, snacks and appropriate beach attire. Various food vendors will be on-site. Cash only.

www.halifax.ca/parks-recreation/events/clam-harbour-beach-sandcastle-competition 

NATIONAL ACADIAN DAY– AUG. 15 

Everywhere in the world, August 15th is recognized as National Acadian Day. This is a time of celebration for the Acadian community which is also the religious feast day “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary” – the patron Saint of the Acadian people. Be sure to drop by L’Acadie de Chezzetcook Museum and Information Centre at 79 Hill Road in West Chezzetcook. They will be hosting a Kitchen Party and other celebrations on Sunday, August 17th. rom 12 Noon – 4 PM. Check out their Facebook Page and/or their web-site: www.acadiedechezzetcook.ca for more details.

CHEZZETCOOK INLET ACADIAN CENTRE 

The Halifax – Yarmouth Archdiocese has transferred the St. Anselm’s Church and Glebe in West Chezzetcook over to the L’Acadie de Chezzetcook Society to become the Chezzetcook Inlet Acadian Centre (CIAC) to preserve and promote the local Acadian and Mi’kmaq culture and heritage. It is being renovated into a performance and civic ceremony venue. The CIAC Heritage Committee has decided to launch a Capital Sponsorship Campaign to raise funds for this worthy project. It is my privilege to provide $10,000 from the District Capital Fund for this endeavour.  Donations can be directed through their website: https://acadiedechezzetcook.ca/pages/chezzetcook-inlet-acadian-centre-ciac or check their Facebook page for more details. 

HRM TOURISM MASTERPLAN UPDATED

The Halifax Regional Integrated Tourism Master Plan 2030 (ITMP 2030), initially adopted by HRM Regional Council back in 2020, has served as a comprehensive framework for tourism development in HRM. It has supported economic growth by guiding coordinated investment, marketing and community engagement across the municipality. As HRM continues to evolve, an updated plan was needed to reflect new opportunities, emerging challenges, and evolving industry standards. ITMP 2030 builds on the foundation of the original strategy while incorporating a stronger regional focus, clearer infrastructure priorities, and broader engagement. It offers a practical, evidence-based approach to tourism development that supports sustainable growth, enhances the quality of life for residents, and improves the overall visitor experience across the municipality. The ITMP 2030 update was led by Discover Halifax with input from HRM Staff, and representatives from government, business, and community organizations. Development of ITMP 2030 followed a structured, three-phase process. The discovery phase gathered insights from industry and community through surveys, interviews, and workshops. The validation phase confirmed key themes through broader engagement, and the final prioritization phase focused on evaluating and ranking proposed initiatives based on impact and feasibility. With increased municipal funding from the Tourism Accommodation Marketing Levy and a larger contribution from the Special Events Reserve, Discover Halifax has expanded its role. It has created a new Destination Development department to lead this work and is now more involved in planning and coordinating tourism-related initiatives. More details can be found at:

Integrated Tourism Master Plan 2030 Update - July 8/25 Regional Council | Halifax.ca or go to:

https://discoverhalifaxdmo.com/integrated-tourism-master-plan/ 

2025 COMMUNITY GRANTS AWARDS 

The 2025 HRM Community Grants Program received a total of 120 applications of which 31 are ineligible for consideration. From the 89 eligible submissions, a total of 63 awards are recommended at a total cost of $476,430. 

Eastern Shore Family Resource Association –

Chezzetcook – $700 for the purchase of small sound & exercise equipment for youth programs.

Lawrencetown Sew-ciety Guild – 

$750 for the construction of a custom storage container to store donated quilting materials and small equipment.

Royal Canadian Legion Centennial Branch #160 -

Westphal – $1,000 for the purchase of commercial-grade change stations for their Hall.

Sheet Harbour Radio Society –

$9,500 towards renovations and upgrades to the 94.7 FM community radio station. The grant is conditional upon proof of applicable building permit approval.

St. Jame’s Hall Renovations Committee –

Head of Jeddore – $10,000 towards construction of an accessible washroom. 

Porter’s Lake Community Services Association –

$10,425 for cost of replacing exterior entry handrails and replacement of the basement flooring. 

Moser River and Area Historical Society –

$10,600 to fully fund the purchase of thirteen replacement windows and two exterior doors for the McMann House museum.

Petpeswick Yacht Club –

East Petpeswick – $15,000 to purchase three new docks and associated hardware.

Friends of St. James UC Heritage Society –

Spry Bay – $16,388 to fully fund restoration of the St. James Church steeple, a registered heritage property.

Eastern Shore Wildlife Association – 

Sheet Harbour – $16,445 for the roof and siding replacement to the East River Lodge Campground administration building.

Musquodoboit Harbour Lions Club – 

$18,500 for roof repairs to the Lions Hall.

SUPERVISED BEACH CHANGE  

HRM has changed its supervised beach / lifeguard service from Malay Falls off the Lochaber Mines Road outside Sheet Harbour to Taylor’s Head Provincial Park. This was done to provide some additional safety oversight to the amount of beach goers visiting this site instead of the previous location. Malay Falls can still be used but it won’t have any supervision.