The town voted at its council meeting Monday night to step back from RENs for a year, and see where the process goes with REN 4 and REN 5, rather than continue discussions.
CAO Kelly Rice said that REN 4, which is proposed to include municipalities in Cumberland and Colchester counties and East Hants, is mandated to promote the corridor between Moncton and Halifax – something they said was of little value to them.
They also noted the high price tag of joining, which was originally set to cost them $8,000, but has since risen to more than $18,000.
Coun. Lennie White, who represents Westville in the process, backed up Rice, and suggested if a viable option transpired from the discussions, they could revisit it then, but said they needed to make a decision now whether they’re in or out.
White said the town isn’t giving up on the REN approach, simply “taking a break.”
“I still think it has merit and value and is a good thing to pursue.”
RENs was first introduced in 2013 after the federal government cut funding to individual regional development agencies that were geared towards promoting economic development in Nova Scotia communities.
