Poppies Tax Exemption

Seems it was all a misunderstanding. The Municipality of Lunenburg was asked for a letter of support regarding a request to the Prime Minister to exempt Legions from paying the 5 percent GST on the purchases of red lapel poppies. The initial request came from St. Catharine's City Council. However, further clarification was sought and Mayor Don Downe says it was determined that there is no sales (HST/GST) charged by Dominion Command to Provincial Commands and Branches. There is HST charged on the manufacturing of Poppies but this is paid by Dominion Command at the time of purchase. Further, poppies are not sold, monies received are donations which are then deposited in the Poppy Trust Funds for the benefit of veterans and their families across Canada.

Service Capacity/Operational Review for MODL

Ramp Up Consulting of Halifax, the winning proposal to conduct a Service Capacity/Operational Review for the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. Council budgeted 35 thousand dollars for the review in the 2010.11 operating budget and has received 10 thousand in funding from the province for completion of the project. Seven proposals were submitted and based on the evaluation criteria, Ramp Up Consulting although not the lowest price, scored the highest. Council awarded the proposal at a cost of 43 thousand 300 dollars. Three councillors and the C-A-O will work with the consultant. A preliminary report is expected by December.

Trucking Services for LRCRC

Maughan's Construction of Bridgewater has been awarded a two year contract to supply on-site trucking services for the Lunenburg Regional Community Recycling Centre. Four bids were received but two were rejected because they were incomplete. Lunenburg Municipal Council awarded Maughan's the tender for 44 thousand 827 dollars, 53 hundred under budget.

SCHOOL TRIPS SCALED BACK

Students on the South Shore now have a quota on their field trips.

The South Shore Regional School Board has limited the number of bus trips per day.

Only eight extra-curricular treks will be provided by Transportation Services.

Organizers will also have to give a full weeks notice and trips will be granted on a first come first served basis.

School Board member, Gary Mailman says the new rules could be problematic for sports teams who can't give full notice or for students in rural districts who rely heavily on provided transportation.