News release

Province Supports Shared Service Review

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

The province is investing $50,000 in a shared services and governing review by three South Shore municipalities planning for the future.

Today, June 20, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, the Town of Bridgewater and the Town of Mahone Bay announced that they are partnering to explore options to work more collaboratively to deliver municipal services to residents.

"All levels of government are looking for ways to live within their means while still delivering the services and programs that families depend on," said Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister John MacDonell. "Partnering to provide shared services has potential to keep our communities sustainable, and we are pleased to support this review."

The provincial investment covers 50 per cent of the review cost, with the other half shared by the municipal councils.

"We have talked about regional co-operation and governance changes for many years, but we haven't had a single, comprehensive set of facts and figures to see what could be possible," said Don Downe, Mayor of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg. "This review should give us that tool to prepare for the financial and service challenges we see coming for local government."

The province has also invested $100,000 to establish a Towns Task Force, which will study the challenges facing municipalities across Nova Scotia. The task force had its first meeting last week.

"We are already talking with other municipalities, such as Pictou County, to explore even more ways we can keep our local communities sustainable places to live, work and raise families," said Mr. MacDonell.

The review is expected to take six to eight months to complete and will include community consultations.