Administrative divisions of Nova Scotia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Rural municipalities
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
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]
Towns
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.
