ARICHAT - The commanding office for the Richmond District RCMP is suggesting that the construction of a new central location may be more practical than carrying out renovations on the detachment's existing locations in Arichat and St. Peter's.

Delivering an update to Richmond Municipal Council as part of Monday's regular monthly meeting at the Richmond Municipal Building in Arichat, Staff Sgt. Ed Nugent remarked that the two main RCMP offices for the county have been refurbished on several occasions over the years but may have reached the stage of their lifespan that precludes another physical overhaul. He added that he has felt since his arrival just over three years ago that Richmond County's RCMP needs would be best served by a single detachment in a central location, with the smaller RCMP office at Potlotek First Nation serving as a satellite office for the rest of the county's policing needs. 

Warden Amanda Mombourquette agreed that the existing police facilities do not adequately served the needs of the public. She noted that her years of work with the restorative justice process in Richmond County have driven home the lack of truly private space for such efforts, and added that the St. Peter's and Arichat facilities do not meet the county's accessibility goals or requirements. 

Prior to Sgt. Nugent's arrival, the November 28 council meeting also heard from Olivia Melnick, a Strait Region representative for the Nova Scotia Early Childhood Intervention Society, who warned that Richmond County frequently ranked the highest among the four counties within the Strait Regional Centre for Education regarding vulnerability factors for the children entering Grade Primary within the region.

Among other discussions held in Arichat last night, Warden Mombourquette updated council on the Strait Area's presence at last week's three-day Marine Renewables Canada Conference in Halifax. Mombourquette and Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton joined industry leaders from the region to co-present at the conference, which provided opportunities for municipal and economic representatives to discuss the Strait's growing presence within the wind energy and green hydrogen sectors for Nova Scotia in particular and Atlantic Canada in general.