CANSO — The president of a local ratepayers’ group says the Municipality of the District of Guysborough’s (MODG) decision to maintain a long-standing district-specific tax levy is “an insult” to the people of Canso.
“It’s a slap in the face, as far as I’m concerned,” said Bill Bond, president of the Eastern Guysborough County Ratepayers’ Association, in an interview with The Journal. “With the money MODG is making, I don’t understand why they don’t bury the hatchet on this.”
The $1.5145-per-$100 levy applies only to residential/resource properties in District 8 – Canso and area – and is charged in addition to the municipality’s base rates. A $1.3470-per-$100 levy similarly applies to commercial properties in the district. Despite public calls for relief, the surcharge remains unchanged in a newly adopted 2025-26 budget.
“I think it’s an absolute insult to the people of Canso that they can’t see themselves taking that additional $1.51 and getting rid of it altogether,” said Bond. “Because the simple reason why – they don’t need it.”
Municipal officials argue otherwise. Warden Paul Long defended the surcharge, noting that District 8 residents receive enhanced services – such as piped water, sewer, sidewalks and dedicated RCMP coverage – not available in other parts of the municipality.
“At the end of the day, it’s barely covering the cost, if at all, for all the services they are being offered,” he told The Journal. “They’re still paying, on average, four or five hundred dollars less than anybody else in the municipality and get all the services.”
Long added that the surcharge was spelled out during the 2012 amalgamation of the Town of Canso with MODG. “They wanted to keep the RCMP, the sewer, the water, the school – all of it,” he said. “There’s a tax burden wherever you’re at, and it has to be fairly metered out to the residents in that particular area, wherever it is.”
Still, at least one councillor is calling for change. At the March 26 special budget meeting, District 8 Councillor Fin Armsworthy voted against key budget motions, citing the surcharge as one major concern.
“I’ve been on council for 10 years now,” said Armsworthy. “Every year, we’ve asked for a tax break in the Canso area. They just kept on giving us the same tax breakage system at $1.51. That, in itself, deters any business from coming into the community.”
Bond also took issue with municipal spending priorities. While the 2025-26 budget earmarks up to $500,000 from MODG’s capital reserve funds to general operating revenue in the upcoming fiscal year for the Canso and Area Fitness Centre, he said, “They’re spending in every other community, too, especially in the shiretown [of Guysborough] itself.... Ever since [amalgamation], we’ve been paying through the nose.”
Still, Bond said the ratepayers’ association isn’t giving up. “There are things that we got planned. It’s not only going to up to us … the people at Canso are going to have to stand up to these people, too. You know, it’s a battle that we all have to get involved in.”
While he indicated that public protest and media outreach are still on the table, the group’s preference is dialogue. “We’re just hoping that we could maybe come up with a plan … maybe eliminate this $1.51 over the next two, three years, four years, whatever. It would all be appreciated, for sure.”
Bond added, “But, if not, I guess the battle goes on.
“We’re not giving up on it, that’s for sure. If anything, we’ll have to dig our heels.”
