Welcome!

Every eight years, all Councils in Nova Scotia are legally required to conduct a Municipal Governance & Electoral Boundary Review. More information about what constitutes a Review, what is required, and why it is required is available in the Background document available on this project page and via the link to Nova Scotia and Utility Review Board's (NSUARB) Municipal Boundaries User Guide.

The Municipality of Chester's 2014 Review, approved by NSUARB, recommended no changes to the size and structure of Council or to the polling district boundaries.

So far for the 2022 Review process, Council reviewed and discussed available data regarding:

1. No changes to the size and structure of Council.
2. Possible minor adjustments to the boundaries of Polling Districts 1, 2, and 3 to meet NSUARB direction on relative parity of voting power among districts. (More information as to what relative parity of voting power means and why it's important is available on this Voices & Choices project page.)
   
   

The next step is community consultation. NSUARB states that "consultation should be of a type and degree which allows members of the public an opportunity to express their views on the size of their council [and] upon the location of boundaries for town wards or municipal polling districts" (Municipal Boundaries User Guide). To that end, Council invites all electors in the Municipality to complete a brief Resident Survey available on this project page or, for those who prefer print, available in the September/October issue of Municipal Insight. The Survey closes October 28, 2022.

The intent of the Resident Survey is to gather a representative sampling of electors' thoughts on the effectiveness and efficiency of the existing size of Council and of the proposed adjustments to polling district boundaries. This consultation will provide Council with an understanding of the expectations of constituents before providing direction for the formal application and study to the NSUARB.

Feel free to post any questions on this project page or to contact jmeakin@chester.ca directly.