The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board issued a decision approving an application from the Municipality of the County of Antigonish confirming its electoral boundaries and number of councillors at 10.

The Municipal Government Act requires every municipal council to conduct a study to confirm or alter the number of councillors and the boundaries of its polling districts.

The board’s decision stated the municipality’s municipal boundary review and application was originally required to be filed with the Board by December 31, 2022. However, the county wrote to the board on December 10, 2021, requesting an extension to file its municipal boundary review to at least June 30, 2023. The request was made to allow it to investigate and consider a consolidation of the Town of Antigonish and the Municipality, in conjunction with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The Board granted the request for an extension. The county requested and were granted a further extension, and the board asked for a status update by the end of May, 2023.

On April 5th of this year, the Board wrote to the Municipality stating that the Municipality was required to file its municipal boundary review application, adding that Tuesday, June 18th was reserved for a hearing in Antigonish. The Board then received numerous emails from residents concerned about the timeline of the Municipality’s boundary review process, completion of the Board’s hearing process and the release of its decision, in the context of the upcoming October municipal elections. These concerns included the Municipality’s ability to conduct an effective public consultation process before the application was made to the Board.

On May 14th, the Municipality confirmed that Municipal Council passed a motion that evening to apply to the Board “to approve a status quo municipal boundary application for the 2024 municipal election and defer the ongoing boundary review until after that election”.

The board directed the Municipality to conduct a study after the October municipal election into the appropriate number of councillors and polling districts, and the fairness and reasonableness of the district boundaries, and to file its study and an application no later than December 31, 2025.