Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 6

187 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 6 in a lot of groundwork as far as infrastructure upgrades.” The Town of Antigonish and the surrounding County continue to work on ways to encourage population growth in their area. Recently, the Municipality erected a new water tower and completed a critical water line looping project. “We’ve been continually expanding our infrastructure in anticipation of that increased push on our population,” McCarron explains. Given the Town’s limited footprint, a lot of the growth they’re looking to accommodate is being planned for the fringe area of Antigonish, just outside the Town’s boundary. “We’re fortunate to be part of a region that’s thriving, especially in a rural province like Nova Scotia,” says Town Mayor Laurie Boucher. The County also has built strong relationships with the local First Nations Community, Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation. Over the past five years, we have gathered our elected leadership and senior staff together to co-learn, to build our relationship, and discuss areas of collaboration. In 2018, Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation and the County of Antigonish celebrated the signing of our historic Friendship Accord, Anku’kamkewey. Anku’kamkewey is an expression of commitment to collaborate and support one another as neighbors on community, economic, and social development. The area has strong ties to the land and sea and Antigonish is better known for its fishing, forestry, and farming. Its major stakeholders are the university and hospital, while in-town businesses are mostly the offspring of its small- scale economy. Located a 15-minute drive from the ocean in any direction, Antigonish is also home to St. Francis Xavier University (StFX). A primarily undergraduate institution of around 5,000 students, StFX is known for its national outlook, with over half its student population coming ANT IGONI SH , NOVA SCOT I A Warden for the Municipality of the County, Owen McCarron