Municipal councillors in Antigonish Co. have decided to stay with the Eastern Strait Regional Enterprise Network for the time being.
They voted to remain in the REN for another year at Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting; Antigonish town councillors previously stated their commitment.
Officials in the Town of Port Hawkesbury and the Municipalities of the Districts of Guysborough and St. Mary’s are still considering their options.
Owen McCarron, the warden of Antigonish Co., tells The Hawk they had some concerns with funding and communication, but REN officials addressed those concerns, and presented some new ideas during a meeting Jan. 8.
“After a lot of deliberation, council decided that we would give the REN another opportunity,” he says. “Having said that, we’re certainly going to put some conditions in there, and we’re going to have some checkmarks that we need to make sure are fulfilled between now and, say, December.”
McCarron says they consider their continued partnership a one-year trial period to make sure Antigonish Co. taxpayers are getting bang for their buck.
The REN’s chief executive officer says he’s very pleased Antigonish Co. officials are sticking around.
John Beaton says they adjusted the focus of their model at the request of their municipal partners.
“It’s more focused on specific local initiatives as opposed to regional ones, although we still have to do regional benefits as a result of our agreement with the province,” he says. “We have focused more on local projects as well that respond and align well with municipal priorities.”
Beaton says there have been a lot of hours put in since officials with the five municipal units submitted their notice of intent to withdraw in March.
He says they’ll continue to listen to their remaining municipal partners still deciding if they’ll remain part of the REN, and try to find common ground.
