Sunrise or sunset for our province and its towns?

Agar Adamson

What the future holds for the province and for municipal governments within the province are questions many in Nova Scotia seem to be ducking.

A lot of time has gone by since the report by John Deutsch on Maritime Union was published and the same can be said of the 1974 Graham Report on local government and education in Nova Scotia. Though it may be painful, perhaps it is time that these two subjects are re-examined, not only by the House of Assembly, but also by the citizens of Nova Scotia.

Municipal government has been given scant scrutiny by the province since the days of John Savage. During his term as

premier both the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) came into existence. At about the same time the County of Queens and the town of Liverpool became one entity. There were other discussions around the province, but these came to naught, except in Kings County where the county and the towns developed a structure to deal with a number of services including garbage and recycling.

The boundaries of the HRM were perhaps an error - what do Hubbards and Dartmouth have in common? In the CBRM, the Savage reforms maybe did not go far enough and all of Cape Breton should have been under one municipal roof. It is interesting to note that school administration boundaries have been altered, but governmental boundaries have been virtually untouched.

Rural Nova Scotia, except for the Halifax-Amherst corridor and the 100-kilometer arc around Bedford Basin, are losing population including school-aged children. How many towns like Wolfville no longer have a high school? How many existing high schools like in Lunenburg are in danger of closing? How many town centres like Kentville have been ‘hollowed-out’ as business move to the adjoining county? How many villages like New Minas have a population and assessment base greater than the near by towns?

Why is it that the province provides many services to the counties but not to the towns?

At a recent public meeting in Wolfville, a participant asked why taxes in the town are so much higher in Wolfville than in the county? The chair replied using the example of a new traffic light installed in New Minas, noting that all the taxpayers in Nova Scotia paid for that light, but if Wolfville wished to install a traffic light on Main Street, which is also Highway 1, only the ratepayers of Wolfville would pay for that light. One could go on and name other services including police, snow removal and road maintenance. One must ask the question, is this treatment of the towns by the provincial government fair and equitable? Of course it is not!

Wolfville, like other towns, is currently re-examining its zoning regulations and land-use policy. This is a very good exercise in democracy and one that should be encouraged. After all, many families’ largest investment is their home. But, are these residents barking up the wrong tree? The residents of Wolfville, like those in every town in Nova Scotia, should be asking one question and that is, should we not ask the courts to permit us to become villages? If the towns of the Annapolis Valley became villages like New Minas the province would have to pay for the services which they now do not provide. Possibly there is a Charter case here? Perhaps residential taxes might even decline, or at least not continue to climb with the rapidity that they are doing at the moment.

Turning to the Maritimes, we see many of the same problems as we do at the municipal level. Outward migration has always been a problem at both the municipal and provincial levels. Many of those who migrate are young and well trained. Many communities are becoming a sort of ghetto of the elderly. The costs of government continue to increase, but there are fewer taxpayers available to shoulder this increased burden.

The recent census statistics illustrates the problems the Maritimes face. These are not new problems. Going down the road has been with us since the days of Sir John A. New Canadians would arrive on a Halifax pier and jump onto a CNR train heading west. Sir John’s national tariff clobbered our industries and our greatest single natural resource was taken by the British Navy to build ships. As one commentator put it, the only time we had full employment in the Maritimes was during American prohibition.

By virtue of the Constitution Act (1867) our representation in the House of Commons, currently 21, can only shrink to 20; the same as the number of Senators we currently have, though at the moment there are a number of vacancies. But, the membership of the House of Commons, unlike the American House of Representatives, is not frozen. Thus, the percentage of members from the Maritimes will diminish over time. The centre of Canadian politics, like business, is shifting to the West.

Governments of Nova Scotia have always seen their province to be the first among equals in the Maritimes. One wonders if this is still the case? Have a look at New Brunswick, its energy developments, its transportation system including better highways, its industrial growth, and its proximity to the central provinces and New England.

When John Deutsch published his report, the three premiers of the day -- Campbell, Hatfield and Regan -- developed a system of intergovernmental cooperation. What has happened to that spirit? Is it dead or just in a coma? Frank McKenna ran circles around the other two premiers. John Savage tried to shake us out of our lethargy and for his troubles his party hounded him from office.

If our politicians are not going to discuss the need to re-examine our municipal and provincial governmental systems, then who will? Currently, we are like the stationmaster - asleep at the switch when the express train goes through town and the ticket-holders (our children) missed the train. Will it be sunrise or sunset for our province and its towns?

On a final note, we should congratulate the provincial government for introducing the new cell phone regulations, a necessary reform frequently mentioned in this space.