2026-06-10 Audit Committee Meeting

Published: June 05 2026 17:54

The Chester Village Commission's second Audit Committee Meeting of this year is scheduled for June 10, 2026 at 6:30 pm. The agenda(173 KB) is now available. 

Under the Municipal Government Act, villages and municipalities are required to appoint an audit committee, which must meet at least two times a year. This meeting is to review the completed Financial Statements for the 2025/26 audit. The 2025/26 Financial Statements will also be presented at the Village Commission's Annual General Meeting on June 17, 2026 at 6:30 pm.

The Audit Committee meeting will be held in person at 63 Regent Street, Chester, and online at the following links:

Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87285179907?pwd=b7C6AX5ImcJwxgW8N0F7ia8gb0NOzK.1 
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/@villageofchesterns

The public is welcome.

Call for Volunteers: Visitor Information Centre

Published: June 02 2026 09:00

If you enjoy meeting new people and helping them find their way, the Village of Chester would love to have your help at our Visitor Information Centre!

We are looking for people who are willing to do three-hour shifts... with an honorarium per shift! We will of course work with your availability. The VIC is located at the Old Chester Train Station, next to Station Antiques.

If you're interested, please contact us at 902-275-4482 or . You can download the Volunteer Application(77 KB) , pick one up at our office (63 Regent Street, inside the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library), or dictate your answers to us over the phone - whatever is most convenient for you.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Village Newsletter - Summer 2026

Published: June 01 2026 13:00

Coming to your mailbox this week: the Summer 2026 issue of the Chester Village Commission's quarterly Newsletter. The Newsletter updates residents about our latest community activities.

This issue: We continue to introduce you to your elected representatives on the Village Commission, featuring Commissioner Laura Mulrooney; public notices on the AGM and Election; and all the dates/times for the upcoming summer season services including the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library, the Lido Pool for public swims and lessons, the Visitor Information Centre, downtown flower baskets, the Public Washroom, and community events. 

Comments/suggestions? Contact us here.

Download: Village Newsletter - Summer 2026(1.87 MB)
Newsletter archive: Newsletter

Village Election 2026: Call for Nominations

Published: June 01 2026 11:30

> Interested in helping out your community?
> Interested in promoting the Village?
> Interested in local government?

Ever considered running for office with the Village Commission? There is one three-year term seat up for election this year.

The deadline for candidate nominations is 5:00 pm on Wednesday, Jun 10th. See our Elections page for nomination packages and information.

If you would like to confirm that you are on the List of Electors, please contact the Returning Officer at or 902-275-4994.

Notice of Annual General Meeting 2026

Published: May 27 2026 08:00

TAKE NOTICE THAT the Village of Chester’s annual meeting of electors is being held on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 6:30pm at St. Stephen's Community Centre (Tuck Hall), 54 Regent Street, Chester.

At this meeting, the audited 2025/26 Financial Statements will be presented as well as an overview of Village Commission activities the previous year. The public is welcome and encouraged to join us!

The meeting agenda will be posted closer to the event. It will be held in person and online.

Livestream links:

• Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86996806954?pwd=DIgZXN0xwaQv1dkipaKtAfjN3WkBON.1
• YouTube Live https://www.youtube.com/@villageofchesterns - the archival video will be posted here post-meeting

The Straight Goods on the Zoé Vallé Library

Published: May 22 2026 10:00

As the reopening of the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library approaches, we wanted to share our excitement. We are thrilled to have been entrusted with shepherding this community treasure and we cannot wait to welcome the community back inside. None of this would be possible without all the volunteer hours and hard work of community members and to you and to them we say thank you!

We know the change in stewardship of the ZVL has been unsettling for some. We hear the concerns about the village offices moving into the space, about the need for accessibility and questions related to the Village of Chester’s qualifications for running a community library. We understand the many volunteer hours have gone into this space over the last number of years and that some are feeling left out or unheard through this change. Please know we are listening and we are working hard to respond to your concerns and questions. We so appreciate the hard work that so many put into the ZVL and the sense of ownership some feel for this special space. We hope that this message can provide some assurances, answer questions and start to bring our community back together with a shared goal of celebrating the re-opening of this special treasure.

The Village of Chester was awarded the “governance and operations” of the ZVL through an open and transparent RFP process lead by the Municipality of Chester. The Village has the management experience and expertise to manage a public space as demonstrated through 88 years of managing the Chester Volunteer Fire Department and its continued ownership and operation of the Lido Pool.

Over the last few months and with the guidance and professional expertise of South Shore Public Libraries, an enormous amount of work has been done to get the space ready to re-open to the public. We have reconfigured shelving and layout and increased both the square footage of public space and better accessibility to all books. As before, we have installed free public Wi-Fi and computers and printers for public use. As an official Branch of SSPL, new books will be arriving regularly and access to all SSPL services such as borrowing from other branches, research materials, and eBooks will be available. A professional librarian will also be employed four half-days a week to serve the public.

We also welcome anyone who would like to join us in a volunteer capacity at the library. Please reach out.  

The public space of the library will grow, not shrink.  The Village Clerk/Treasurer’s office has been situated upstairs in the former caretakers’ residence. This was previously not a space open to the public. Our long-serving part-time administrative assistant has a small nook in the Club Room so as to ensure consistent open library hours for the public. No library space has been or will be sacrificed. 

In keeping with the provisions and obligations of the ZVL deed to provide a “public library and community and civic centre”, we are and will continue to host groups and meetings with Community partners such as the Chester Art Centre, Municipality of Chester Recreation, Our Health Centre and the Garden Club. Workshops, speakers, and social gatherings are being added to the program calendar. Anyone is welcome and we encourage the public to contact us to arrange use of the space.

We also have put together a plan to ensure both the washroom and an entrance are made fully accessible well before the provincially-imposed 2030 deadline, while respecting the heritage designation of the building.

The Village of Chester is fully committed to transparency and ensuring the public understands how the ZVL endowment funds are being allocated. As per the ZVL Warranty Deed the ZVL endowment fund will continue to pay for capital costs – meaning anything that stays with the property like walkways, lighting fixtures, building upgrades – and for library services. The Village of Chester will cover all building and grounds operational costs from its own budget – utilities, internet, maintenance and repairs, security systems, insurance, etc. In addition, the Village of Chester is contributing 50% of the cost of librarian services for the 2026-27 fiscal year. 

Finally, the Village will be working with the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia – an established charitable giving facilitator – to ensure the endowment is invested wisely. 

The Village Commission and the ZVL will soon commemorate their Centennial anniversaries. One hundred years in this fast new world is no small achievement. This partnership is not only logical but allows for a continuity that can carry us forward for another hundred years. Though the faces will change, the groundwork and mission laid out so perfectly by the founders will continue. 

Spring is here, the doors will open soon, there will be old books and new books, there will be computers to work on, printers to print on, rooms to meet in, coffee to be drunk, and a garden to enjoy. We are not reinventing the wheel, but we are happy to lead it into the future. We hope you will join us in celebrating the re-opening on June 1st, all will be welcome!

Thank you,

The Village of Chester Commission
Laura Mulrooney
Tom Mulrooney
Gloria Nauss
Randall O’Malley, Vice-Chair
Geraldine Pauley, Chair

2026-05-20 Audit Committee Meeting

Published: May 17 2026 12:55

The Chester Village Commission's first Audit Committee Meeting of this year is scheduled for May 20, 2026 at 5:15 pm. The agenda(176 KB) and agenda package(914 KB) are available.

Under the Municipal Government Act, villages and municipalities are required to appoint an audit committee, which must meet at least two times a year. This meeting is the official kick-off to the 2025/26 audit, which is currently in progress. The second meeting will be held when the audit is completed to review financial statements. The 2025/26 Financial Statements from the audit will be presented at the Village Commission's Annual General Meeting on June 17, 2026 at 6:30 pm.

The Audit Committee meeting will be held in person at 63 Regent Street, Chester, and online at the following links:

Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82849580400?pwd=5QahfoePFkP6ggUecQq2oTdZLbfErz.1
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/@villageofchesterns

The public is welcome.

2026-05-20 Monthly Village Commission Meeting

Published: May 15 2026 21:15

The Chester Village Commission's May Monthly Meeting agenda(169 KB) and agenda package(2.27 MB) are now available.

Items of interest to the public include: a request from the Chester Fire Services Committee to approve/guarantee a loan for the build of the new fire station; annual review of tax exemptions offered to homeowners and non-profit organizations; and preparation for the June 17th AGM, June 23rd Election, and the start of summer services. The meeting will be held in-person at the Zoé Vallé Library (63 Regent Street) and online at 6:00 pm. The public is welcome to join us!

Livestream links:
> Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87180167457?pwd=Ma5lAKteLeQwXVpaiIWpsWUajUZU2C.
> YouTubeLive https://www.youtube.com/@villageofchesterns (the meeting video will also be archived here)