The Canadian province of Nova Scotia is divided into 49 municipalities, of which there are three types: regional (4), town (25), and county or district municipality (20). [1]
A municipality's purposes is to provide services [2] such as drinking water, planning, recreation, and fire protection. [3]
Demographics have been a catalyst of change, with population growth occurring only in Halifax and Hants, and the viability of depopulated areas threatened. [4] Since 1995 about 15 municipalities have been dissolved and their territory merged with larger municipalities. [5]
The Constitution of Canada gives provinces exclusive jurisdiction over municipalities [6] and in Nova Scotia these are defined by the Municipal Government Act. [2]
Areas outside of standard municipal jurisdiction include Canadian Armed Forces military bases, Indian reserves, national parks, provincial parks, and national wildlife areas.
Governed by an elected council, one councillor being elected for each district, and an at-large mayor. There are four: Cape Breton, Halifax, Queens, and West Hants. Regional municipalities are incorporated via the merger of existing municipalities. In 1992 the provincial government decided to reduce the number of municipalities in the province [7] and forced amalgamations.
County and district municipalities are often described collectively as rural municipalities. Governed by an elected council, one councillor being elected for each district, one of whom is selected by the councillors to take a leading role as warden. A county municipality typically covers the area of its eponymous historical county, minus any incorporated towns [8] while a district municipality may be based on a former subdivision of a county.
The county municipalities are: Antigonish, Colchester, Cumberland, Inverness, Kings, Pictou, Richmond, and Victoria.
The district municipalities are: Argyle, Barrington, Chester, Clare, Digby, East Hants, Guysborough, Lunenburg, Shelburne, St. Mary's, and Yarmouth.
Villages exist within some rural municipalities to provide additional services and governance in built-up areas. [9] These elect commissioners (but not a warden or mayor), and can levy property taxes, and spend money on some local services. A village provides municipal services to a defined area within a larger county or district municipality. [8]
Nova Scotia has 21 villages: Aylesford, Baddeck, Bible Hill, Canning, Chester, Cornwallis Square, Dover, Freeport, Greenwood, Hebbville, Kingston, Lawrencetown, New Minas, Port Williams, Pugwash, River Hebert, St. Peter's, Tatamagouche, Tiverton, Westport, and Weymouth [10]
A town is an incorporated area governed by an elected council, one councillor being elected for each district, and an at-large mayor.
Nova Scotia has 26 towns: Amherst, Annapolis Royal, Antigonish, Berwick, Bridgewater, Clark's Harbour, Digby, Kentville, Lockeport, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, Middleton, Mulgrave, New Glasgow, Oxford, Pictou, Port Hawkesbury, Shelburne, Stellarton, Stewiacke, Trenton, Truro, Westville, and Wolfville.
Census Canada divides the province into census divisions and subdivisions, population centres, and economic regions (Cape Breton, North Shore, Annapolis Valley, Southern, and Halifax).
The Nova Scotia Health Authority divides the province into four areas: [11]
There are 39 Indian reserves in Nova Scotia.
There are 11 Canadian Forces bases in Nova Scotia.
In 1759 the Nova Scotia peninsula is divided into counties. [3] Though no longer relevant politically, many of their borders continue to be used as census divisions, and their names continue as the names of county and district municipalities derived from them. In 1879 the County Incorporation Act created 24 rural municipalities run by elected councils. [13] Timeline:
Central Nova is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 until 1996. In 1996, Antigonish County and part of Guysborough County were placed with Pictou County in a new electoral boundaries configuration to form the electoral district of Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough. A new version of Central Nova was established in 2003 and — in conjunction with the Pictou-Antigonish-Guysborough iteration — represented a significant electoral boundaries change with specific reference to Antigonish County. Between 1867 and 1997, Antigonish County was not in a riding that included Pictou County; rather, it comprised either its own electoral district (Antigonish), or part of other districts shared with Eastern Nova Scotia (Antigonish-Guysborough) and Cape Breton Island communities. In 2013, part of Antigonish County was "placed back" with communities in the electoral district of Cape Breton Canso, a riding which had emerged in part from the former Cape Breton Highlands Canso riding in 1996. The current version of Central Nova includes Pictou County, parts of Antigonish and Guysborough Counties and extends into Halifax Regional Municipality.
Petroleum pricing in Nova Scotia is based on the Petroleum Products Pricing Act which governs the wholesale and minimum and maximum price of gasoline and diesel fuels that are authorised in Nova Scotia.
Scouting in Nova Scotia has a long history, from 1908 to the present day. There is early record of Boys' Brigade scouts, Canadian Boy Scouts and Salvation Army's Life-Saving Scouts in Nova Scotia. Scouting in Nova Scotia is currently conducted by local Scout groups and various associations including Scouts Canada, L'Association des Scouts du Canada and Canadian Federation of Independent Scouts affiliates such as BPSA - Nova Scotia.
The 1925 Nova Scotia general election was held on 25 June 1925 to elect members of the 38th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Liberal-Conservative party.
The 1882 Nova Scotia general election was held on 20 June 1882 to elect members of the 28th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Liberal Party, their first of ten consecutive wins that would see them retain power until 1925. The Conservatives were the only one-term government in Nova Scotia until 2013 when the NDP lost.
The 1878 Nova Scotia general election was held on 17 September 1878 to elect members of the 27th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Liberal-Conservative Party.
The 2007 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election was held on April 27, 2007 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, following the resignation of Francis MacKenzie, shortly after failing to win a seat in the 2006 election. This was the third leadership convention for the Liberals since 2002. In addition to the leadership convention, the party will hold its Annual General Meeting including the election of officers, adoption of policies, and potential constitutional amendments. It was won by Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil.
The 18th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between the 1847 and 1851, its membership being set in the August 5th, 1847 Nova Scotia general election.
Soccer Nova Scotia is the governing body for soccer in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The body is a member association of the Canadian Soccer Association. It has jurisdiction over the Nova Scotia Soccer League.
Broadband for Rural Nova Scotia was a government initiative intended to provide broadband services to 100% of civic addresses in Nova Scotia, Canada. The initiative was a public private partnership co-funded by the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia, and three Internet service providers. The Motorola Canopy fixed wireless 900 MHz system was selected in 2006–7 to provide the service. Prior to this program it had not been deployed in Nova Scotia.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nova Scotia:
The Nova Scotia Health Authority is a provincial health authority serving Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the largest employer in the province, with more than 23,000 employees, 2,500 physicians and 7,000 volunteers working from 45 different facilities. Its largest hospital is the Halifax Infirmary which is part of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.
A township in Nova Scotia, Canada, was an early form of land division and local administration during British colonial settlement in the 18th century. They were created as a means of populating the colony with people loyal to British rule. They were typically rural or wilderness areas of around 100,000 acres (400 km2) that would eventually include several villages or towns. Some townships, but not all, returned a member to the General Assembly of Nova Scotia; others were represented by the members from the county. Townships became obsolete by 1879 by which time towns and counties had become incorporated.
Municipal elections were held in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on October 17, 2020. Here is a summary of the mayoral results in the largest municipalities in the province and the council results for Cape Breton and Kings County. Elections were also held for the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial school board.
The Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency (NSPHA) is a Crown corporation responsible for administering public housing in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was formed in 2022 through a merger of five regional housing authorities.