Last updated: 9 July 2020 at 15:35 pm
Income assistance support is available for extended hours in the evenings and weekends through a toll-free phone number.
| Hours of operation | Phone number |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm | Toll-free: 1-877-424-1177 |
|
Monday to Friday 4:30 pm to 7 pm Saturday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Sunday 10 am to 2 pm |
Toll-free: 1-833-722-1417 |
Government employee, retiree and member employer benefit applications and changes may experience a delay. If you can, send your form to the Benefits Unit by email. For the Life Insurance Beneficiary Nomination Form, you need to send it by both email and mail.
Property Tax Rebate for Seniors rebates may experience a delay if your rebate isn't setup for direct deposit.
In-person hearings, mediation meetings, case management conferences and interviews (like exams) for April and May 2020 are suspended until further notice. You need to file documents by email (not fax, mail or courier) until further notice.
Contact the Nova Scotia Works Employment Services Centres before visiting a centre. In-person services are available by appointment. Telephone and video conferencing options are also available.
Annual Information Returns, Audited Financial Statements and Actuarial Valuation Reports due 31 March or 30 June 2020 have a filing extension until 31 August 2020. The extension is automatic (plan administrators don’t need to apply for the extension). If you have questions, including other filing deadlines, email Pension Regulation.
Pesticide Applicator Certification and Business Operator Certification that expires between 1 December 2019 and 1 December 2020 is extended for 1 year at no charge. If your certification expires before 1 December 2019 or you’ve never been certified, you need to submit an Application for a Pesticide Certificate Form (PDF) before you can schedule and write a pesticide certification exam.
Traffic Control Person Certification and Temporary Workplace Signer Certification that expire 1 January 2020 or later are valid until further notice.
All in-person hearings at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal are postponed until further notice. Alternative hearing options, like written and telephone hearings, may be available. Some appeals may be rescheduled to a later date. The tribunal is continuing to operate and will contact anyone with a scheduled hearing to discuss options.
The Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award program is suspended until 2021. If you submitted a nomination for 2020, your submission will be considered for the 2021 awards.
Provincial Volunteer Awards are rescheduled to 28 September 2020.
Permanent Accessible Parking Identification Permits (blue permits) are valid until 31 August 2020.
Driver licences that expire in March, April, May, June and July 2020 have a 5-month extension from the original expiry date.
| Month driver licence expires | Extension |
|---|---|
| March 2020 | August 2020 |
| April 2020 | September 2020 |
| May 2020 | October 2020 |
| June 2020 | November 2020 |
| July 2020 | December 2020 |
Road tests for driver licences (including booking new tests) are unavailable until further notice. If you booked a road test that was cancelled due to COVID-19 Registry of Motor Vehicles will contact you to rebook your test (you don’t need to call Access Nova Scotia to rebook).
Motor vehicle inspections that expire in March, April and May 2020 are valid until 30 June 2020.
Non-essential Registry of Motor Vehicles services (like buying handbooks or getting personalized or antique licence plates) are unavailable until further notice. In-person services are also available by appointment at Access Nova Scotia. Before making an appointment, check service changes and deadline extensions. If you have questions about services, check the Registry of Motor Vehicles online inquiries service. If you still need to make an appointment, call 1-800-670-4357.
Out of province and foreign licence plates and driver's licences that are in use within Nova Scotia are valid until 31 August 2020.
Temporary (Vehicle) Permits that expire in March 2020 or later are extended until 31 August 2020.
Vehicle registrations that expire 31 December 2019 and later are extended until 31 August 2020 and can be renewed online any time before 31 August 2020.
The Becoming an Outdoors Woman Fall 2020 Workshop is cancelled.
Food hygiene (food handler) training courses are suspended until further notice.
Hunter, trapper, guide and bowhunter courses are cancelled until further notice.
Insurance agent licensing exams are suspended until further notice.
Nova Scotia Student Loan repayments are suspended until 30 September 2020. You don't need to make payments and your loan won't accrue interest. The suspension is automatic (you don't need to apply for repayment assistance).
In-person Pesticide Applicator Certification exams are suspended until further notice. Online exams are available. Check the pesticide certification exam schedule (PDF) for online exam dates and registration details.
Public schools are closed for the rest of the school year.
In-person Water and Wastewater Operator Certification exams are suspended until further notice. Operators in training can register for online exams. If you had a certification that expired in the last 3 years, you can apply for recertification.
You need to send a request to submit a pharmaceutical product for review by email until further notice. Send the request to ns.interchangeability.committee@medavie.bluecross.ca using the subject line "REQUEST to SUBMIT". In the body of the email, only include the product name, Drug Identification Number and submission type (for example, full, expedited or notice of change). The Nova Scotia Drugs and Therapeutics Committee notifies manufacturers that it's received the request and provides details on how to make a submission.
If you receive benefits from the Nova Scotia Insulin Pump Program and you've lost income, contact the program coordinator for a financial reassessment.
MSI reception location at 230 Brownlow Avenue (Dartmouth) is closed until further notice.
Optometrists can submit a claim to MSI for certain services provided by phone or virtual care.
Dentists can submit a claim to MSI for certain services provided by phone or virtual care.
Adult correctional facilities and youth correctional facilities are closed to visitors and volunteer organizations until further notice.
Court services and scheduling changes are available at Nova Scotia Courts.
Provincially operated shooting ranges are closed until 30 June 2020 (ranges reopen 1 July).
Approved option period expiry dates are suspended until further notice.
Fishing licences are not available at Access Nova Scotia or the Department of Lands and Forestry until further notice. Licences are available through other fishing licence vendors. Many vendors receive new inventories of licences daily. If you have questions, including where to buy a licence, email inland@novascotia.ca.
All smallmouth bass and chain pickerel tournaments are suspended until further notice. All trout derbies scheduled for 2020 are cancelled.
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (Halifax) is closed until further notice.
Nova Scotia Archives (Halifax) is closed until further notice.
Provincially operated museums are closed until 30 June 2020 (some museums reopen 1 July).
Nova Scotia Legislature (Province House), including building tours and the legislative library, is closed to visitors until further notice.
In-person services are also available by appointment at Access Nova Scotia. Before making an appointment, check service changes and deadline extensions for Registry of Motor Vehicles. If you have questions about Registry of Motor Vehicles services, check the Registry of Motor Vehicles online inquiries service. If you still need to make an appointment, call 1-800-670-4357.
In-person business registration services are available by appointment. Contact the Business Registration Unit to make an appointment or call 902-424-3369.
Conciliation and Mediation Services is operating remotely until further notice. You can apply by email or fax for conciliation, grievance mediation, conflict coaching, relationship development programs or to have an arbitrator appointed. Responses to applications may be delayed.
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) requests may experience a delay. If your request isn't urgent, consider postponing the request.
In-person services at Land Registration are suspended until further notice.
The office of the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board isn't accepting applications until 13 July 2020.
Insurance agent, agency and adjuster licences that expire in April and May 2020 are extended for 60 days. Insurer licences that expire after 31 March 2020 are extended until 30 June 2020. Approved Level 1 general insurance agents can work remotely to provide supervision and security measures. If you have questions, or need to reach the office, email Insurance.
In-person services are unavailable until further notice.
If you’re calling Public Enquiries (Contact Centre), you may experience longer wait times. If you have questions about Registry of Motor Vehicles services, check the Registry of Motor Vehicles online inquiries service.
In-person services at Registry of Joint Stock Companies are suspended until further notice. You can send copies of signed forms by fax and email or submit them online (for some tasks).
In-person services are also available by appointment at Access Nova Scotia. Before making an appointment, check service changes and deadline extensions for Registry of Motor Vehicles. If you have questions about services, check the Registry of Motor Vehicles online inquiries service. If you still need to make an appointment, 1-800-670-4357.
Applications to the Director of Residential Tenancies can be dropped off at Access Nova Scotia (except Lower Sackville). Landlords and tenants need to drop off the Application Drop-off Payment Form with their applications.
Year-round Visitor Information Centres in Amherst and the Halifax Stanfield International Airport are closed until further notice.
In-person services at Vital Statistics are unavailable until further notice. If you have an urgent request for a marriage licence, you need to contact Vital Statistics for assistance. Private Deputy Issuers who are registered with Vital Statistics are not issuing marriage licences until further notice.
