The review of governance arrangements and polling district boundaries is a routine process for Nova Scotia municipalities. Section 369(1) of the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act states that in the year 1999, and in the years 2006 and every eighth year thereafter, all municipal councils in the province shall conduct a study of the number and boundaries of polling districts in the municipality, examining their fairness and reasonableness, and the number of councillors to serve.

The Province of Nova Scotia requires its municipalities to review their council size and electoral boundaries every eight years (specifically, in 2006, 2014, 2022, and so on) to consider possible changes to the number of Council representatives and adjust boundaries to account for ongoing changes in population distribution. The Province’s objectives are to ensure municipal governance arrangements reflect the preferences of community members and to ensure the number of electors (i.e., eligible voters) is balanced across electoral districts within each municipality.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB) oversees council size and boundary reviews for the Province. The NSUARB User Guide recommends a two-phased process broken down as follows:

Phase 1 – Number of Councillors … the desired style of Council, the governance structure of Council, and a determination of an effective and efficient number of councillors … should not be decided by council until adequate public consultation has occurred.

Phase 2 – Boundaries and Polling Districts … the task becomes one of distributing the polling districts to satisfy the objectives … of the Act. Just as with determining the desired number of polling districts, public consultation is essential to a successful process of setting boundaries.

Stantec Consulting Limited, which the Municipality of the County of Antigonish has engaged to conduct its Electoral Boundary Review, will follow the two-phase process as prescribed to ensure its acceptance by the Board.

The Antigonish County Electoral Boundary Review will be the twentieth similar review Stantec has been involved with in the past eleven years. Our extensive experience and procedural knowledge have refined our approach to public consultation, research and data analysis, and the creation of boundary options that align with NSUARB standards.

In the first phase of the process, we will reach out to the public through an online survey and at least one public meeting. The objective of phase work will be to determine the number of council members preferred by the public in order to develop appropriate boundary options for Phase 2.

The number of Council sizes to consider can range from one to many more although we prefer to keep to three or, at most, four options to ensure focused response. The number and type of options will depend on Council and public input. Survey responses will identify preferred Council sizes and we will typically recommend developing boundary scenarios for sizes with substantial support. We can also develop scenarios based on different approaches such as mixing suburban and rural communities versus developing specifically suburban and rural districts.

In Phase 2, we will present boundary options to the public through a second online survey that will incorporate maps of each scenario and solicit views on the preferred scenario and potential adjustments to boundaries in any scenario that should be made before they are approved.

We will take boundary proposals and the results of the online survey to public meetings distributed within the County. We have currently planned three meetings, but the number can be increased or decreased depending on Council’s perception of the need.

We will make a recommendation to County Council based on public input. Council will consider our recommendation and may accept it, adjust it, or reject it in favour of an alternative it prefers. Council must then apply to the NSARB for approval. The Board will consider Council’s application in light of our report and its criteria for assessing governance and boundary issues, and determine the size and boundary arrangement they deem most appropriate for Antigonish County.

The County of Antigonish has a ten-member Council. Councillors are elected from ten districts shown on the map to the right. As in most rural municipalities in Nova Scotia, Council is chaired by a Warden who is chosen by the Councillors from among themselves.

In the three Council size and boundary reviews completed since the adoption of the current legislation in 1999, Antigonish County has maintained ten members. The boundaries of the polling or electoral districts from which Councillors are elected have, however, been gradually adjusted to recognize shifts in population within the County.

Ten Councillors places Antigonish County in a tie for seventh place among 20 rural municipalities (i.e., counties and municipal districts) in Nova Scotia. The average land area of County electoral districts is 145.3 square kilometres, which is 16th and 60% of the average for all rural municipal councillors in the province. The average County Councillor represents 1,513 constituents, which ranks ninth just below the average of 1,630.

Reasons for changing council size are varied. The most obvious is population change. If the local population is growing, increasing the size of council may be justified. If it is in decline, some may argue for reducing council membership. Arguments are also made for increasing or decreasing council numbers based on the perceived dynamic within a council. Some people argue that a smaller group will make decisions more efficiently, while others may counter that more members can represent a wider range of perspectives. Others may contend that a smaller council will save money, but many will also argue that council members are cost-effective and reducing their number will reduce the level of service constituents can expect to receive from their representatives.

The three Council size and electoral boundary review processes completed in Antigonish County since 1999 were generally uneventful, although in the 2000 boundary review the Councillor representing District 1 objected to an adjustment to the boundary of her district approved by Council and submitted to the NSUARB for approval. The Board accepted her position and the boundary of her district was maintained while the Board made alternative boundary adjustments.

Changes to district boundaries are to be expected through most reviews. Regardless, of whether population is growing, declining, or stagnating, it normally shifts to at least some degree within a municipality. People come to different areas and leave from other areas and move from one location to another within the community. Boundary changes are needed in these circumstances to maintain a balanced number of electors in each electoral district so that residents have reasonably equal representation.

The Board has established a standard for assessing balance. They require that the number of electors in each district should be within +/-10% of the average number of electors in all districts. Until 2008, the standard was +/-25%, but it was reduced at that time. Meeting the requirement is a critical consideration for every boundary review. A municipality can have districts where the number of electors falls outside the recommended range, but any substantial variation must be explained and justified.

Can the County have a Mayor?

The County can have a Mayor. Among 20 rural municipalities, the Counties of Colchester and Kings, and the Municipal District of Lunenburg are now led by mayors. According to the NSUARB Municipal Boundaries User Guide, however, “For the purposes of an application under the Act, the position of mayor is not included in the number of councillors and, accordingly, does not fall within the scope of the review conducted by the Board.” A separate process is required for the County to make the move from a Warden to a Mayor and once the decision is made to change to a mayor, it cannot be reversed.

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Must Council accept Stantec’s Recommendation?

No. Like staff employed by the County or other consultants conducting studies for the County, Stantec is advising Council. We will present a report at the close of Phase 1 and at the end of Phase 2 to close the project. The first report will recommend the Council size or sizes to be considered in the second phase. The second report will recommend a single Council size and the electoral district boundaries from which council members will be elected. In each case, Council will consider our recommendation and may accept it, modify it, or reject it and make an alternative recommendation.

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Is Council’s decision final?

No. Council’s interim decision concerning the consideration of Council size will be final, but its final decision concerning the Council size and electoral district boundaries to be applied in the 2024 election must be approved by the NSUARB.

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What decision(s) can the NSUARB make?

The Board may accept the Municipality’s application without change. It may, alternatively, modify the Municipality’s application by changing the size of Council and the boundaries from which Councillors are elected or accept the proposed size of Council but change the boundaries of the electoral districts from which Councillors are to be elected. If the Board feels the procedure followed for the review process was inadequate (e.g., not enough public consultation sessions), it may also choose to reject an application and direct the Municipality to repeat the process observing the Board’s requirements.