Category: News

They tore down the first of 17 houses yesterday which will be demolished because of the Thanksgiving Day flood.

Their insurance company is taking care of the demolition expenses and will pay for construction of a new home elsewhere because CBRM intends to declare that area a no development zone.

Meanwhile, other homeowners who have lost their houses or suffered severe damage are still waiting for the EMO to finish assessments so they can get some compensation.  Some are still in their homes but have no furnace or heat with the cold weather on its way.

The EMO issued a release saying it has added more people to do assessments and speed things up.

The final report of the provincial ombudsman into the expense scandal in Richmond County has now been posted online on the provincial government’s website.

Ombudsman Bill Smith’s report says there is a culture of entitlement in Richmond county, where the warden and chief administrative officer expensed tens of thousands of dollars on travel, meals and alcohol with little documentation or oversight.

Smith told the CBC he removed an earlier recommendation for a forensic examination of the books because RCMP and Elections Nova Scotia are doing audits.  He is also very encouraged by the response of the newly-elected council in Richmond that it intends to follow up on the recommendations.