Latest news with #MahoneBay
CBC
13-08-2025
- General
- CBC
Mahone Bay, N.S., introduces new accessibility guidelines for sidewalk patios
Any future sidewalk patio applications in Mahone Bay, N.S., will need to meet new accessibility guidelines following a decision from the town council after the fall of a well-known senior who later died. Council has adopted — several months early — the provincial accessibility standards that are due to come into effect next April, after hearing what it described as a "significant volume" of both support and concern about the structures. The town began a review of its streets and sidewalk bylaw after 100-year-old Barbara Minard fell earlier this summer outside a restaurant patio. She suffered injuries to her hand and died several days later. No connection between the fall and her death has been officially confirmed. "We've heard all voices at the table," said Mayor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft. "So it's something that we thought would help." However, the change is not retroactive, so Eli + Trix on Main Street remains in compliance, Lohnes-Croft said, noting the restaurant has made a number of modifications to its structure since the incident. The new regulations would require any future installations to be wider to make it easier for mobility scooters to navigate, she said as an example. While the town is writing to the restaurant to ask the business to align with the Nova Scotia Built Environment Accessibility Standard, that is simply a request and not mandatory. "We're trying to find a balance," Lohnes-Croft said. "It's challenging for businesses to make these adjustments as well." Minard's family wants the wooden walkway of the patio removed so the sidewalk is restored to its original form. They say council's action does not go far enough. They've been supported by a number of people who signed a petition that was presented to council. Among them is Antony Irving, who said the walkway is narrow and difficult to navigate on his mobility scooter. "I think it somehow slipped through and hasn't had proper analysis of what the implications of it are," Irving said. Ann Crossman presented the petition to council. "This was not blaming anyone or dragging the whole thing through, this was merely safety because Barbara wanted the sidewalk for the people," Crossman said. Eli + Trix owner Danielle King has maintained since the incident that Barbara Minard fell on the sidewalk, not the wooden walkway. But she said she has made numerous adjustments, including widening the walkway's corners to better accommodate scooters, as well as installing signage, reflectors, traffic cones, metal transition plates and extra railings. 'We did all of the right things' The town had full oversight during construction of the structure, King said, adding it is not realistic to request a new set of standards with time running out in the patio season. "The patio took three months to build, it would require at least three or four days to take it apart, and to rebuild it again would certainly take another couple of weeks," King said. "I am $10,000 to $12,000 into this patio for what is a very short season already." The patio, which has 22 seats, is well used and the backlash against her business has had a detrimental impact, she said. "We did all of the right things. Unfortunately, a terrible accident happened," King said.
CTV News
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘All we wanted to do was to bring joy to people's lives'—Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to the community
Magic has increased in Mahone Bay, N.S., thanks to a group of women who wanted to spread some cheer. 'We just wanted to make people happy,' said Kate Cocks, co-founder of the Mahone Bay Faerie Trails. 'Mahone Bay is a magical type of community. There's something really special about this area, the volunteers that give their time freely and willingly to create festivals like the Scarecrow Festival, the Father Christmas Festival, and there's so many other volunteer organizations here, that keep the community, a really friendly, warm and welcoming place to live.' That is the essence of Mahone Bay that Cocks wanted to share with the world when creating the trails. 'We were just overwhelmed. Everybody thought this was just the greatest idea and, encouraged us to forge ahead. So we did.' She laughed. 'It's a heartwarming thing to come onto the trails and into the gardens and look at the children's faces as they go through. And they discover the houses, and they look inside, and they see what's going on, and they talk about the fairies and where the fairies are and where they live and what they're doing and what they can do.' Creating a magical land of imagination was the main goal, for those young and old. 'You find them also wandering through and looking at the houses. I think it brings back their childhood memories, just like mine were. My mother, who was Scottish, encouraged me to believe in the fairies and the little people,' explained Cocks. 'And I think this is what happens to adults who step back into their childhood again. For a few hours.' Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to community. (Brianne Foley/CTV News) Something the Mayor of Mahone Bay doubled down on. 'Oh, people are really excited about it. People are glad to see families, children, adults, I mean, adults are enjoying this as much as children,' said Mayor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft. 'But it's really lovely to have, you know, families together going out and you hear the excitement.' When the women in charge approached the town, it was January, and things were up and running by June. 'I'm a childhood educator, so I really believe in a lot of make believe and play and whatnot for children and using your imagination and creativity,' said Lohnes-Croft. 'And these women are, really the, the root of creativity in Mahone Bay.' Other people thought this was a really wonderful idea and I guess sparked the sense of imagination,' said Cocks of their initial blueprint. 'But then I also do believe that if you want to get something done, give it to a woman. If you want to get something done quickly, give it to a busy woman. So, we had five very busy woman.' Cocks said that her dining room table turned into a faerie creation zone, with an emphasis on the environment for the houses. 'We wanted the houses made from natural materials, recycled materials, repurposed, or reused. So, when you go around, you'll see a combination of some of them are made entirely out of wood and moss and lichens, others have been made out of old enamel coffee pots that are no longer in use have now been converted into faerie houses,' she laughed. 'That was our goal that they all had to be handmade, that they all had to be made out of, natural reused materials and no plastics involved.' From the books in the library to the Adirondack chairs, for the public the beauty is in the details of these tiny houses. But for Cocks, the beauty lies in the imagination. 'I was in the garden one day doing some repair work, and a family came through and there was a three-year-old boy there who could not stop looking into one of the houses,' she explained. 'He stopped and asked me questions about the fairies and how were they able to do this and it was so delightful for me to be able to talk to him in this imaginary world, this imaginary world of fairies, where they can do and accomplish anything and to watch this come alive on this child's face, where he stepped into this area of disbelief or belief and went off into this other world.' 'He continued to walk around the trail in absolute awe of every single little thing he saw.' Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to community. (Brianne Foley/CTV News) With the ban on the woods, Cocks said now was the time some added belief was needed. 'This a difficult time for everybody, which was a big part of the reason why we wanted to do this, because we wanted to create this sense of joy.' 'But if you can step back a few a little bit and look into the eyes of a child, or look into to your own memories, and go back to those days when you when things were just so astoundingly amazing that you have this sense of awe about them and there is a tremendous amount of good in this world.' Inspiring people to add to the faeries or create their own. 'I made little faerie places in my own yard, and we hope that people will take that upon themselves,' said the mayor. 'It's so simple to just make a little door and fasten it to a tree and put some moss around it and so I've had fun with my granddaughters. They like helping me to decorate and take ownership of some fairy houses.' As for the survival of the faeries, well it looks like they will make it through the winter and beyond. 'The trail is hopefully expanding. There's sort of like a three-year plan, I think, for them to extend it, extend it to other streets in Mahone Bay as well, so it will become bigger,' said Lohnes-Croft. That is if the wildlife leaves them alone. 'The people that come through here are very respectful of people's properties. They're very respectful of the fairies,' said Cocks. 'And it just does nothing but bring happiness. The only difficulty that we've had is the with the squirrels. I don't know why they want to sit on our Adirondack chairs, but they're too heavy for them and they keep on smashing them.' Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay Faerie Trails in Mahone Bay, N.S., sprinkle joy to community. (Brianne Foley/CTV News) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CBC
11-08-2025
- CBC
Memorial bench in Mahone Bay in honour of Elaine Mosher
Mahone Bay is an idyllic town, but it's not immune from the epidemic of intimate partner violence. A bench was unveiled there in honour of Elaine Mosher, who was killed by her husband in January. Andrew Sampson has the story.
Bloomberg
11-08-2025
- Climate
- Bloomberg
To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in ‘Living Shorelines'
On September 14, 2022, when Hurricane Fiona battered Nova Scotia with gusts exceeding 100 mph and offshore waves cresting 90 feet, residents of Mahone Bay, on the province's southern coast, watched anxiously to see whether their three historic waterfront churches — flood-prone landmarks whose steeples once guided 19th-century seafarers — would survive. A 'living shoreline' stretching 60 meters (197 feet) had just been established to protect Mahone Bay from just such a storm. Spearheaded by the local environmental nonprofit Coastal Action, the pilot project involved building a layered buffer that starts in the shallows with rock sills, submerged barriers that help break up wave energy. It then proceeded landward with a salt marsh of tidal plants, like smooth cordgrass and seaside lavender. The final component was a vegetated bank, rooted with bayberry and wild rose to stabilize the soil. Unlike hardened 'gray' infrastructure like concrete seawalls or rock armoring — which deflect waves onto nearby roads and shorelines, often worsening erosion — living shorelines absorb and diffuse storm surges naturally.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Mahone Bay, N.S., shops struggle amid year-long construction project
Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, N.S., is under construction as upgrades to its sewer and stormwater systems are underway. It's a project Mayor Suzanne Lohnes-Croft says has been in the works for years and it's the biggest one they have ever done in this area. 'We have funding for $10 million externally for this project that came in this year. Everything aligned, it's been a long time coming. It's necessary from an asset management point of view. We have very old infrastructure, we have to keep up with what the climate change needs are for our town,' says Lohnes-Croft. The project itself will take about a year to complete and is expected to cost between $13 and $14 million. It includes upgrades to the town's existing services and extends them to Kedy's Landing, near Exit 10. It will eliminate the existing straight pipes to protect the harbour. The plan will also revitalize public space and improve active transportation, accessibility and safety. The street has been torn up for several months and many businesses on the street say they are feeling the impact. 'I think it's safe to say that business is down 30 to 40 per cent because there just isn't the foot traffic that you would typically have. It's tourist town, tourist time, and there just aren't that many tourists,' says Jennifer Buchanan, director of sales and marketing for Buchanans House of Music. 'We happen to be in the chunk of the rerouted section, so we don't get the tour buses, the RVS.' The business is also concerned about the dust. They've been forced to bring in clothing that would normally be outside on display and they are constantly cleaning the musical instruments. 'It's dusty, there's like one word to describe it as you can feel it, it's in the air. It's frustrating, it's certainly not nearly as busy as it has been,' says Buchanan. Jo-Ann's Market normally has fresh fruit and vegetables outside on display for customers, but this year they have had to bring them inside. 'The dust has prevented us from utilizing the fresh fruit and vegetables because we can't put them out,' says Scott Myers, owner of Jo-Ann's Market. Jo-Ann's Market Jo-Ann's Market in Mahone Bay, N.S., is pictured. (Source: Emma Convey/CTV News Atlantic) During a normal tourist season, Myers said they make hundreds of thousands of dollars, but so far this season, it's down about 50 per cent. 'Loss of profit, loss of jobs. We have at least 30 per cent less staff than we normally would have. So that's local people working and staying in the town,' says Myers. 'The areas that they currently have closed off is where the bus tours would typically stop but the tours from what I understand have cancelled their stops there until the construction is over.' Lohnes-Croft says she has seen buses coming into town and it seems busy to her, whether it's local or tourist traffic. She emphasizes there are spaces for tour buses to drop off visitors and her team has reached out to the companies to suggest options. 'We would normally get tour buses constantly, they would park up by the three churches or by Rebecca's restaurant and they are the lifeblood of the tourists that come here. We have been told that they have all been for obvious reasons rerouted around so they will go straight to Lunenburg,' says Buchanan. Businesses like Buchanans House of Music feel compensation of some kind is necessary. Lohnes-Croft explains this is out of the municipality's control as it comes down to the province. 'That can only be done through our provincial government through compensation. Currently there is no compensation that the municipalities can do, that's why we are trying to help with signage and parking and trying to do little things to make things a little easier,' says Lohnes-Croft. The construction is expected to be completed by December. Mahone Bay construction Major construction is underway in Mahone Bay, N.S. (Source: Emma Convey/CTV News Atlantic) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
