Town News
House of Birria welcomed to downtown Amherst
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Flavour. Quality. Consistency. Tacos. These are just some of the words people are associating with House of Birria – one of Amherst’s newest restaurants.
Mayor Small and Councillor McManaman popped in to the Prince Arthur Street establishment not long ago to see for themselves and congratulate restaurant owner Teilor Gibson by presenting a new business certificate.
During their visit, they asked Teilor what helped her decide to set out on this journey. It all started when she discovered birria tacos online one day and asked her mom, Tina, to make them for her.
“Birria is a Mexican beef or chicken stew,” Gibson explained. “Since my first experience, I’ve tried birria tacos from Halifax to Florida and they don’t compare to what we serve here. I’m hard to please when it comes to food.”
Having high standards and operating with consistency is very important for both Teilor and Tina, so when Teilor decided to open a restaurant, it was a natural decision to invite her mom to work alongside her.
“The opportunity was there and I thought it would be good for me,” Gibson shared. “Opening a restaurant is something my mom always wanted to do, too – and she never had the chance; I had that opportunity and we both love to cook. We both have high expectations with our food, so I think we can please the majority of people.”
“She keeps me on my toes, too – which is nice,” Gibson added with a laugh.
TAX SALE, TOWN OF AMHERST, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2025
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Public Notice is hereby given that lands and premises hereinafter described are liable to be sold for taxes due to the Town of Amherst as indicated in the sum set under the description of said lot and unless such taxes, interest and expenses are paid, the Town will proceed to sell the land and/or premises at public auction at the Town of Amherst, Town Hall, Council Chambers, 98 Victoria St., Amherst, NS on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 10:00 o’clock in the forenoon according to law, with bidding registration being at 9:30am.
The Town of Amherst makes no representations or warrantees to any purchaser regarding the fitness, geophysical or environmental suitability of the land(s) and/or premises offered for sale for any particular use and are being sold on an “as is” basis only. Prospective Purchasers are responsible to conduct their own searches and surveys or other investigations. Commercial and land is subject to HST.
TERMS: Payment must be made at the time of sale by cash, debit card, bank draft or lawyer’s trust cheque, plus $445 to register the Certificate of Sale and Prepare Tax Deed.
Any person desiring a more complete description of the property to be sold may call Ann Estabrooks, Revenue Officer at 902-667-3352 for this information.
Three People Charged Defrauding Vulnerable Person
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Amherst Police Department
After a 13-month investigation, the Amherst Police Major Crime Unit has laid charges of fraud over $5,000 against three individuals.
In November of 2023, a female victim who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, reported to Amherst Police that a large amount of money was missing from her bank account. The victim, who cannot move, requires several hours of care each day from a variety of care workers. The victim was provided with government funding to allow her to stay in her home.
Investigation into the matter revealed that three staff members assigned to provide care for the victim had removed large sums of money from the victim’s bank account, allegedly to cover hours they had worked. The investigation indicated there were discrepancies between the hours of work reported and the actual hours that had been worked.
Clara Harvey, age 29 years, Stacy Leblanc, age 41 years and Gracie Meisner, age 20 years have all been charged with fraud over $5,000.
Harvey, Leblanc and Meisner were arrested in December 2024 and appeared in court on February 3rd, 2025. All three adjourned their pleas and will next appear in Amherst Provincial Court on March 17th, 2025.
Anyone with further information related to this incident is asked to contact the Amherst Police Department at 902-667-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
APD Media Contact:
Cpl. Tom Wood – APD Major Crime Unit
E-mail:
PH: 902-667-8600
Amherst Celebrates African Heritage Month 2025
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The Town of Ahmerst hosted a flag raising and proclamation ceremony on Monday morning to mark the beginning of African Heritage Month.
Mayor Small read the official proclamation, then those gathered heard a message from Tammy Gero - Vice-Chair of the Board of the Cumberland African Nova Scotian Association (CANSA) before raising the Pan-African flag.

Emergency Watermain Repair - Boyleston Ave
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An emergency watermain repair is underway on Boyleston Avenue, between Elmwood Drive and Milford Street.
Traffic will be disrupted in this area - motorists are advised to plan an alternate route.
Water service will be interrupted during repair work, which will be completed as soon as possible.
Questions can be directed to Town Hall at 902-667-3352 or
January 27, 2025 Amherst Town Council - Meeting Highlights
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On Monday night, Amherst Town Council voted to adopt the 2024-2028 Strategic Plan. This new tool will be used to guide Council in decision making during their term, and provide staff with direction in developing and implementing their budgets and work plans. The plan establishes Economic Prosperity and a Vibrant Community as our two main priorities, and includes outcomes and initiatives established to work towards these priorities. pdf The new plan is available on our website(8.66 MB) .
Salary Administration Policy
The new strategic plan will have a number of impacts on the distribution of work for Town staff; Council approved several recommendations to realign our resources to effectively implement the new plan, which required amendments to the Salary Administration Policy. The Procurement Coordinator position was eliminated; a new Marketing and Communications Strategist position was created; Director of Planning & Strategic Initiatives was renamed to Director of Planning & Economic Development; Business Development Officer was renamed to Economic Development Officer; Director of Communications, Procurement, and IT was reassigned to the new Deputy CAO; and, the CAO’s office was added to the Salary Administration Policy, with the following positions: Deputy CAO, Marketing and Communications Strategist, Communications Officer, Municipal Clerk, and Administrative Assistant – Clerk’s Office. While many changes have occurred, there is no net increase in staff positions.
Financial Policies
A number of financial matters were brought before Council on Monday. It is mandated under the Municipal Government Act and the Financial Reporting and Accounting Manual (FRAM) for the Province of Nova Scotia that, by January 31 following an election held under the Municipal Elections Act, the Expense Reimbursement Policy, the Hospitality Policy, and the Audit Committee Terms of Reference Policy shall all be reviewed. Council accepted recommendations to update the Expense Reimbursement Policy and the Hospitality Policy to correct minor grammatical errors, update reporting and review requirements; no updates were recommended for the Audit Committee Terms of Reference Policy.

