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Order of Nova Scotia Regulations
made under Section 24 of the
Order of Nova Scotia Act
S.N.S. 2001, c. 9
O.I.C. 2026-66 (effective March 3, 2026), N.S. Reg. 62/2026
Table of Contents
Please note: this table of contents is provided for convenience of reference and does not form part of the regulations.
Click here to go to the text of the regulations.
Chancellor may appoint additional officials
Recommendations and appointment to Order
Termination of membership and resignation
Request for termination of membership
Grounds for termination of membership
Actions of Secretary upon receiving request for termination
Actions of Advisory Council upon receiving request for termination
Resignation of member who is subject of request for termination
Member to make representations in writing
If member fails to reply to notice
Secretary to send documentation to Advisory Council
Consideration of request to terminate membership in Order by Advisory Council
Actions of Chancellor upon receiving report
Notice of termination of membership
Schedule A: Seal of the Order of Nova Scotia
Schedule B: Full-Size Insignia of the Order of Nova Scotia
1 These regulations may be cited as the Order of Nova Scotia Regulations.
2 In these regulations,
“Act” means the Order of Nova Scotia Act;
“insignia” means insignia as defined in the Order of Nova Scotia Insignia Regulations made under the Act;
“member” means a member of the Order;
“ordinance” means an ordinance made under subsection 3(2).
3 (1) The Chancellor is a member of the Order and is responsible for the administration of the Order.
(2) The Chancellor may make an ordinance respecting any of the following:
(a) the administration of the Order;
(b) the insignia;
(c) the termination of a person’s membership in the Order.
4 (1) The President of the Executive Council may designate a person in the public service as the Secretary of the Order.
(2) The Secretary is responsible for all of the following:
(a) maintaining the records of the Order and the Advisory Council;
(b) receiving nominations for membership in the Order;
(c) receiving requests for the termination of a person’s membership in the Order;
(d) making the necessary arrangements for appointments to the Order;
(e) performing any other functions respecting the Order the Chancellor or the Advisory Council may require.
Chancellor may appoint additional officials
5 The Chancellor may appoint any additional officials for the Order as the Chancellor considers advisable.
6 (1) The Seal of the Order, depicted in Schedule A, must be kept in the custody of the Chancellor.
(2) No appointment to the Order, termination of membership or ordinance has effect unless it has been sealed with the Seal of the Order.
7 (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), any person with a substantial connection to the Province may be appointed as a member.
(2) A person who holds any of the following offices is not eligible to become a member while in office:
(a) a member of the Senate, the House of Commons or the House of Assembly;
(b) a member of a municipal council;
(c) a judge of any court in Canada.
(3) A person may be appointed a member posthumously if the person is nominated within 1 year of the date of their death.
(4) Only 1 person may be appointed posthumously each year.
8 (1) A person or organization may nominate an individual to become a member.
(2) A nomination must be submitted to the Secretary.
(3) The Advisory Council may select a maximum of 10 candidates each year for membership in the Order from the nominations it receives.
Recommendations and appointment to Order
9 (1) The Chancellor may appoint as a member any of the candidates selected by the Advisory Council under subsection 8(3).
(2) An appointment to the Order is made by an instrument signed by the Chancellor and sealed with the Seal of the Order.
(3) Unless otherwise provided in the instrument of appointment, an appointment takes effect on the date on which the instrument of appointment is sealed.
(4) Notice of a person’s appointment to the Order must be published in the Royal Gazette.
10 A member is entitled to do all of the following:
(a) wear the insignia of the Order, including the full-size and miniature insignia, lapel pin and ribbon of the Order;
(b) place after their name the letters “O.N.S.” or “O.N.É.”
11 (1) The full-size and miniature insignia must meet all of the following requirements:
(a) it must be in the form of a stylized mayflower with the Shield of Arms of Nova Scotia at its centre surmounted by St. Edward’s crown;
(b) it must be worn from a ribbon that is 36 mm wide, blue in colour, with a 5-mm red stripe in the centre and bordered on each side by 2 mm of white, 2 mm of blue and 1 mm of gold, or a ribbon that is 16 mm wide and has the same proportions and colours;
(c) it must conform with any ordinances;
(d) it must be generally in accordance with the depiction in Schedule B.
(2) The lapel pin of the Order must be in the form of a stylized mayflower with the Shield of Arms of Nova Scotia at its centre.
Termination of membership and resignation
12 (1) A person’s membership in the Order ceases when any of the following occurs:
(a) the person dies;
(b) the person provides notice of their intention to resign in accordance with subsection (2);
(c) the Chancellor makes an ordinance terminating the person’s appointment to the Order on the recommendation of the Advisory Council.
(2) A member who seeks to resign from the Order must give signed, written notice of their intention to resign to the Secretary.
(3) A person who ceases to be a member must immediately return to the Secretary any documentation of membership in the Order and the insignia of the Order that were presented to that person on their appointment.
Request for termination of membership
13 (1) A person may request in writing to the Secretary that the Advisory Council consider the termination of a person’s membership in the Order.
(2) The Secretary may initiate a request for termination on their own accord.
(3) A request for termination made under subsection (1) or (2) must describe the grounds upon which the termination is sought.
Grounds for termination of membership
14 All of the following are reasonable grounds for terminating a person’s membership in the Order:
(a) the person has been convicted of a criminal offence;
(b) the person’s conduct
(i) constitutes a significant departure from generally recognized standards of public behaviour that is seen to undermine the credibility, integrity or relevance of the Order, or detracts from the original grounds upon which the person’s appointment was based, or
(ii) has been subject to official sanction, such as a fine or a reprimand, by an adjudicating body, professional association or other organization.
Actions of Secretary upon receiving request for termination
15 On receiving or initiating a request for termination of membership in the Order, the Secretary must determine whether the request contains allegations of fact that, if true, may constitute reasonable grounds for termination of a person’s membership in the Order and take 1 of the following steps:
(a) if the Secretary determines that the request does not contain allegations of fact that, if true, constitute reasonable grounds for termination, the Secretary must notify, in writing, the person who made the request;
(b) if the Secretary determines that the request contains allegations of fact that, if true, constitute reasonable grounds for termination, the Secretary must forward the request to the Advisory Council for its consideration.
Actions of Advisory Council upon receiving request for termination
16 (1) On receiving a request for termination of membership in the Order forwarded by the Secretary under clause 15(b), the Advisory Council must determine whether the request contains allegations of fact that, if true, may constitute reasonable grounds for termination of a person’s membership in the Order and take 1 of the following steps:
(a) if the Advisory Council determines that the request does not contain allegations of fact that, if true, constitute reasonable grounds for termination, the Advisory Council must direct the Secretary to notify, in writing, the person who made the request;
(b) if the Advisory Council determines that the request contains allegations of fact that, if true, constitute reasonable grounds for termination, the Secretary, on behalf of the Advisory Council, must send by registered mail a written notice advising the member that termination of their membership is under consideration on the basis of the allegations of fact set out in the notice.
(2) A notice provided under clause (1)(b) must
(a) specify the allegations of fact upon which the termination is being considered;
(b) advise the member that they may
(i) resign from the Order, or
(ii) make representations respecting the matter under consideration or any allegation of fact set out in the notice;
(c) prescribe a deadline by which the member must respond; and
(d) notify the member that the termination process will continue even if they fail to reply by the deadline.
Resignation of member who is subject of request for termination
17 (1) A member who chooses to resign from the Order in response to a notice sent by the Advisory Council under clause 16(1)(b) must do so in accordance with subsection 12(2) and by the deadline prescribed in the notice.
(2) Upon receipt by the Secretary of a member’s notice of intention to resign, the member’s name must be struck from any list held by the Order.
Member to make representations in writing
18 If a member who is the subject of a request for termination chooses to make representations respecting the matter under consideration or any allegation of fact set out in the notice, the member or their representative may, by the deadline prescribed in the notice or as otherwise authorized by the Secretary, make representations in writing or as authorized by the Secretary.
If member fails to reply to notice
19 If a member who is the subject of a request for termination fails to reply to a notice by the deadline prescribed in the notice, or as authorized by the Secretary, the Secretary must request that the Advisory Council begin reviewing the matter.
Secretary to send documentation to Advisory Council
20 The Secretary must send all relevant documentation, including any representations made by a member or their representative, to the Advisory Council for its consideration.
Consideration of request to terminate membership in Order by Advisory Council
21 (1) When considering a request for termination, the Advisory Council must determine the facts that it considers relevant to its recommendation whether to terminate the person’s membership in the Order.
(2) After due consideration, the Advisory Council must prepare a report containing its recommendation whether to terminate a person’s membership in the Order, which must be based on evidence and guided by the principle of fairness.
Actions of Chancellor upon receiving report
22 On receiving the Advisory Council’s report, the Chancellor may do any of the following:
(a) direct the Secretary to notify the person that they remain a member in good standing;
(b) make an ordinance terminating the person’s membership in the Order.
Notice of termination of membership
23 Notice of a person’s resignation or termination from the Order must be published in the Royal Gazette.
Seal of the Order of Nova Scotia
Full-Size Insignia of the Order of Nova Scotia
Legislative History
Reference Tables
Order of Nova Scotia Regulations |
N.S. Reg. 62/2026 |
Order of Nova Scotia Act |
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Note: The information in these tables does not form part of the regulations and is compiled by the Office of the Registrar of Regulations for reference only. |
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Source Law
The current consolidation of the Order of Nova Scotia Regulations made under the Order of Nova Scotia Act includes all of the following regulations:
N.S. |
In force |
How in force |
Royal Gazette |
62/2026
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Mar 3, 2026 |
date specified |
Mar 20, 2026 |
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The following regulations are not yet in force and are not included in the current consolidation:
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Royal Gazette |
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*See subsection 3(6) of the Regulations Act for
rules about in force dates of regulations.
ad. = added |
fc. = fee change |
rep. = repealed |
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Note that changes to headings are not included in the above table unless specifically referenced.
Editorial Notes and Corrections
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Repealed and Superseded
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Note: Only regulations that are specifically repealed and replaced appear in this table. It may not reflect the entire history of regulations on this subject matter.