Inclusion Means Everyone

We are accepting applications for a newly-established regional committee. The Lunenburg County Anti-Racism & Anti-Discrimination Advisory Committee (ARADAC) is in place to advise the administrations and elected bodies of the Town of Lunenburg, Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Municipality of Chester, Town of Bridgewater and Town of Mahone Bay to advance, strengthen, support, and unify the five municipal units in adopting and implementing Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination initiatives throughout Lunenburg County.

The ARADAC is an advisory body and is an opportunity to provide valuable perspectives and recommendations for consideration of each respective Council. The ARADRC is supported by a Regional Coordinator. If this is of interest to you, please visit https://chester.ca/government/committees-and-appointments or access the application form at https://portal.laserfiche.ca/p7156/forms/0ezmt and apply by December 3.

If you own a business in the Municipality of Chester and would like to chat about how to approach or advance your equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practices, please join us at one of our casual meetings to discuss how the Municipality can assist. You will meet with EDI lead and Communications Officer, Jennifer Webber, and Community Economic Development Officer, Ashley Marlin, who will be on hand to discuss existing resources and opportunities, challenges and solutions, and how the Municipality can work for businesses.

Dates and locations:

November 18: Western Shore & Area Improvement Association, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
November 18: Western Shore Legion, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

November 19: Savary Plate, Hubbards, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
November 19: Municipal Office, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

November 22: Municipal Office, 8:00-9:00 a.m.
November 22: Black Harbour Distillers, Hubbards, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

November 28: The Hearth Room Cafe, Ross Farm, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
November 28: New Ross Family Resource Centre, 6:00-7:00 p.m.

The Municipality of Chester (MOC) is proud to announce the completion of Phase One of Three at Wild Rose Park in Western Shore. Two newly renovated, fully accessible washrooms are now open for use, setting a new standard for inclusivity and accessibility within the community.

In 2020, the Municipality received a grant through the Enabling Accessibility Fund, administered by their federal partners in Employment and Social Development Canada. Due to the pandemic and supply chain issues, the work was paused until last year. This $60,000 grant enabled the Municipality to upgrade the current washroom facilities to meet accessibility needs. The buildings were completely reconfigured from the original gendered facilities to universal washrooms designed to accommodate people of all ages, genders, and abilities, providing privacy and functionality for everyone.

Upgrades include a new concrete pad, providing a smooth, continuous transition into the washrooms; hands-free fixtures, including soap and paper-towel dispensers; power-operated entries widened to 36”; power operated adult change table; accessible toilets that are installed at the proper height to meet accessibility standards; and baby change tables. Renovations adhere to the CSA/ASC B651:23 standards and the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC), guaranteeing they meet the highest benchmarks for accessibility. Total cost of the project was $80,000.

Because accessibility is more than just meeting standards, the MOC team consulted with a community member with lived experience of disability to ensure upgrades were suitable.

Phase 2 will include paving and line painting the four parking areas, a new accessible ramp to the beach with roll-out mats for wheeled access to the water, a partial 6’ wide concrete walking path through the park, and accessible seating. Phase 3 will include completing the remainder of the concrete walkway and landscaping. For information on Phases Two and Three, please look here for future updates.

Staff and Council were excited to take part in the 2nd Annual South Shore Pride Parade to kick off Pride Week. The Parade was on Sunday, July 7 in hot, but beautifully summery weather.

Later in the week, the Municipality was happy to host its 5th Annual Pride Flag Raising Tuesday, July 9 at the Municipal Office. We were joined by representatives from Lunenburg County Pride and about 50+ residents and visitors!

On June 20, 2024, Municipal Council adopted a land acknowledgement that represented months of deliberation, reflection, and education. Thanks goes to Shawn Feener for his time and knowledge and the members of our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Committee for their introspection and sharing.

The Acknowledgement is at the top of our page and will be read at events, presentation, and special occasions. We will also read a shorter acknowledgement at other regular meetings.

The Office of Equity and Anti-Racism (OEA) works with partners and communities to help support government's anti-racism initiatives. They help us identify where government can improve their policy, legislation, programs and services. Their responsibilities encompass*:

• Making sure government identifies and addresses underlying and systemic differences that people experience with access to opportunities and resources
• Building relationships with underrepresented and underserved communities to help inform government.
• Creating equity impact assessment tools to guide decision-making processes that support anti-racism, accessibility, gender equity, social equity and inclusion in government budgets, policies and programs.
• Working with communities to help improve education, health, social and economic equity for all people within the community.
• Developing policies and programs to help combat racism and inequity and resolve inherent biases and institutional processes that result in systemic racism and inequity.
• Working with partners and communities to develop processes to collect, measure and report data that helps inform and support equity.

To view a copy of the OEA's Equity and Anti-Racism Strategy, please click here.

*taken from the engagement website for OEA (https://www.oeaengagement.ca/). Please visit for more information.

How do we, a municipal government, bridge gaps within our organization and our communities to make sure that all of our staff, residents, visitors, and businesses are being served with dignity and equity?

• We can address inequalities, biases, discrimination, and barriers within our own workplace.
• We can respond to community’s needs through fair policy.
• We can provide programs and services that are all inclusive.
• We can build partnerships and relationships with groups outside of our organization so we can all succeed.

To begin this work, Council appointed members to an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Committee in January of 2022. This Committee meets once a month and includes representation from the community and Council with support from staff.

The EDI Committee developed an Action Plan, adopted by Council, that is a list of actions we can start working on right away and over the next year or so. We will add, replace, and reprioritize often, and we are asking our communities to forward their questions or suggestions. The Action Plan is in the Resource Library section of this website.

Council adopted a recreation-based anti-racism charter created by Recreation Nova Scotia and endorsed by our Recreation Services. The Charter was formed by professionals in the recreation field, including our own staff, with the intention of creating safe and inclusive spaces, supporting individuals and communities facing racism, and providing unifying guidelines for the recreation sector.

The Charter acknowledges racism - and the harm that stems from it - that exists in our province and offers actions to stand against it.

The commitments that the Municipality made when endorsing the Charter are:

1. To acknowledge and address racism, committing to zero tolerance of all forms of racism.
2. To provide ongoing training and educational opportunities.
3. To build racially representative communities, proactively including first-voice representation.
4. Design equitable and inclusive opportunities for racialized people to take on leadership and decision-making roles.

To read the Anti-Racism Charter, visit our Resource Library.

The Municipality of Chester became a member of the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities in 2022. The Coalition is a network of municipalities that want to improve their policies against racism, exclusion, and intolerance under the umbrella of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Membership gives the Municipality a broader voice and provides us with supports and resources to help us in our efforts. To learn more about the Coalition and UNESCO, please visit https://en.ccunesco.ca/.