News release

Municipal Government Act Amendments

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (Oct. 2000 - March 2014)

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) will be able to fund the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial and continue to reduce property taxes for some residential property owners.

Amendments to the Municipal Government Act were introduced today, May 10, by Richard Hurlburt, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations.

HRM already provides supplementary funding to the Halifax Regional School Board, but may not have the authority to provide similar funding to Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, the French-language school board. The legislation would clarify HRM's authority to provide either a share of existing funding to Conseil acadien, or to provide additional funding, as it sees fit.

Another amendment would authorize HRM council to continue a residential property tax relief measure first introduced last year. The municipality could reduce the property tax payable on a residential property if the assessed value of the property increased by more than a specified percentage.