News release

Amendments to Municipal Government Act and Halifax Regional Municipality Charter

Municipal Affairs and Housing

Government is removing red tape for municipalities so they can provide services more efficiently to Nova Scotians. Amendments introduced today, Feb. 26, to the Municipal Government Act and Halifax Regional Municipality Charter will remove unnecessary approvals by the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

"We continue to modernize our legislation to make it easier for municipalities to work on behalf of their citizens,” said Chuck Porter, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “These changes recognize municipalities as independent levels of government and will provide them with greater authority to make decisions in the best interest of their community.”

The amendments will remove:

  • the need to approve lease arrangements that a municipality enters into, or to approve financial commitments beyond the current fiscal year
  • the need to approve municipal bylaws that have already been approved by another minister

Quotes:

“These amendments empower Nova Scotia municipalities to oversee our own decisions and recognize that we are an order of government. The results of this work will save time for municipal governments and make operations easier for Nova Scotia municipalities.”

– Pam Mood, president, Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities

Quick Facts:

  • currently municipalities need ministerial approval for commitments that exceed $100,000
  • currently Halifax Regional Municipality needs ministerial approval for commitments that exceed $500,000
  • currently the minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing must approve bylaws under the Heritage Property Act, which also requires the approval of the minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage and the Police Act which requires approval of the minister of Justice

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act can be found here:
https://www.nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/municipal%20government.pdf

Halifax Regional Municipality Charter:
https://www.nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/halifax%20regional%20municipality%20charter.pdf