Administrative divisions of Nova Scotia

Map showing locations of all of Nova Scotia's municipalities
Distribution of Nova Scotia's 49 municipalities by municipal status type; villages are not shown as they are subdivisions of county or district municipalities

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.

  1. ^ Municipal Statistics Annual Report (PDF). Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing. ISSN 0383-4840. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Municipal Government Act" (PDF). Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of Nova Scotia Published by Authority of the Speaker of the House of Assembly Halifax. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  3. ^ "The Provincial-Municipal Fiscal Review". Association of Municipal Administrators Nova Scotia. Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities. 2013.
  4. ^ Beesley, Paul; Lowe, Kaitlynne; Quigley, Kevin (November 2019). "Cultural and Recreational Infrastructure in Nova Scotia: Future Investments and Governance" (PDF). Dalhousie University. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  5. ^ Plunkett, TJ. "Municipal Government in Canada". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  6. ^ Tolley, Erin; Young, William (2001). "Municipalities, the Constitution and the Canadian federal system (BP-276E)". publications.gc.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 30 July 2021.