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]
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 munipalities 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.
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]
National Wildlife Areas and National Migratory Bird Sanctuaries administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service; and provincial nature reserves, game sanctuaries, nature reserves, and wildlife management areas
Provincial Wilderness Areas regulated by the Wilderness Areas Protection Act under the responsibility of Nova Scotia Environment and are areas where resource extraction, development, use of vehicles and similar activities are prohibited. Hunting, trapping and fishing are permitted.[12]
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:
^ ab"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.
