The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board ("NSUARB" or "Board") is required by the Municipal Government Act to conduct periodic reviews of the number and boundaries of municipal polling districts and the number of councillors. The NSUARB must consider the number of electors, relative parity of voting power, population density, community of interest and geographic size. The NSUARB also hears applications respecting the dissolution of towns, the amalgamation of municipalities and/or towns, and the annexation of a municipality or town with the whole or part of another municipality.
Applications for the next periodic review of municipal polling districts must be filed by the end of 2022. Applications for the CSAP review must be filed by 2023.
The Board expects variances for relative parity between polling districts to be within +/-10%, only allowing variances up to +/-25% in extraordinary circumstances where the Municipality, Town or CSAP has provided a detailed written explanation confirming that factors such as community of interest or geography clearly justify the necessity of an increased variance in a polling district. In such cases, it is incumbent upon an affected municipal unit or CSAP to clearly explain the reasons for such a high variation. The greater the variation, the greater the burden to justify the high variance from the average number of electors. Even with very extensive and detailed justification, the Board will approve a variation of +/-25% or more only in very extraordinary circumstances. For more information on this issue, please refer to the Board's analysis in its 2004 decision in Re Halifax Regional Municipality.
The Municipal Government Act, the Education Act, together with the Board's Rules governing the practice and procedure respecting such applications can be accessed through the Statutes, Rules & Regulations page.
For further information on the conduct of an application to the Board respecting a municipal boundary review, please visit the Municipal Boundary User Guide.
Also, decisions of the Board can be accessed through the Decision Archive.