Government of Nova Scotia gov.ns.ca
gov.ns.ca Government of Nova Scotia Nova Scotia, Canada
 
Heritage Property Program

In 1980, the Government of Nova Scotia passed the Heritage Property Act to help identify, protect and rehabilitate built heritage throughout the province.  The act is administered by the Heritage Property Program, part of the Nova Scotia Heritage Division, Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

Under the act, which was amended in 1990 and 2010, a property that has heritage value may be considered for registration under the Provincial Registry of Heritage Properties or a Municipal Registry of Heritage Properties. Consideration may include individual properties, structures or buildings, public-building interiors, collections of buildings such as a streetscape, and larger areas of property such as a cultural landscape or a municipal heritage conservation district. 

The Heritage Property Program offers five types of protection:

Heritage Property Act Amendments 2010

Effective December 10, 2010, amendments to the Heritage Property Act were passed by the Government of Nova Scotia.  For details about the review process and an overview of the amendments, please see the Heritage Property Act Amendments 2010 webpage.

The Provincial Registry of Heritage Properties

The Provincial Registry of Heritage Properties is a list of properties that possess provincial heritage value.  This includes buildings and structures, publicly accessible interiors of a building owned by the Government of the Province, and cultural landscapes of provincial significance.  Heritage value may include architecture, setting, or historical associations, which are important representations of Nova Scotia’s history. If a property was destroyed or its heritage value significantly altered, an important connection to the province’s past would be lost. Once properties are added to the list, they are afforded protection under the Heritage Property Act.

To register a property, obtain and submit an application to the Heritage Property Program, part of the Nova Scotia Heritage Division, Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. Following historical research and architectural evaluation, an accepted application is reviewed by the Minister’s Advisory Council on Heritage Property, a province-wide body composed of individuals representing a range of expertise. If the proposed property meets established criteria and is found to have a provincial level of heritage significance, a recommendation is made to the minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage that it become a provincially registered heritage property. The final decision to place a property on the provincial registry rests with the minister.

For more information, or to request an application form, please contact the Heritage Property Program office at (902) 424-5647.

Heritage Conservation District

A Heritage Conservation District is a selected area of a municipality that has unique heritage value for the community. Regulations are developed to ensure the heritage character of the district is preserved, while accommodating new development. Under the Heritage Property Act, applications to create a district are initiated by the municipality, and involve preparing a background study, public consultations and the development of a heritage conservation plan and bylaw. Communities that have a concentration of historic buildings, a cohesive architectural character and a strong commitment to heritage are well positioned to establish a district.

As of April 2010, there are seven communities with approved Heritage Conservation Districts in Nova Scotia: Maitland, Grand Pré, Yarmouth, Truro, Lunenburg, Cape Breton Regional Municipality and Halifax Regional Municipality.

For more information, or to request a copy of the document, please contact the Heritage Property Program office at (902) 424-5647.

Financial Assistance Programs for Heritage Property Owners

While no financial assistance program is guaranteed, the Province of Nova Scotia does offer financial grants to owners of provincial or municipal heritage properties. These grants include Conservation Work Grants, Conservation Advice Grants, and Material and Labour Grants. A general overview of the grants offered to registered municipal and/or provincial heritage properties are provided in the following tables; Grants Table for Municipal Property Owners and Grants Table for Provincial Property Owners. For more information, please contact the Heritage Property Program at (902) 424-5647.

In addition, the Department of Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations also offers a Provincial Tax Rebate (under the Sales Tax Act). This program provides heritage property owners a full rebate of the provincial sales tax paid for materials used on the exterior of the building.

For more information, please review the introduction to the Heritage Property Rebate and the Application Form. To contact Service Nova Scotia, please call 1-800-565-2336.

Nova Scotia Historic Places Initiative (2003 - 2010)

For seven years, the Nova Scotia Historic Places Initiative (NSHPI) raised awareness about historic places and the influence they have had on this province. In an effort to foster a culture of conservation and to provide valuable information, the program developed two tools:

Canadian Register of Historic Places

Developed collaboratively by federal, provincial, and territorial governments, the Canadian Register of Historic Places provides on-line access to listings of formally recognized historic places across the country.

The Canadian Register provides a searchable database containing information about our historic places. It serves as a tool for Canadians to identify and promote historic places in Canada, and assists travelers in locating places of interest across the country. It also offers detailed information about historic places to planners, heritage professionals, policy-makers, developers, industry, community organizations, and academics and students.

For more information about this pan-Canadian conservation tool, please contact the federal office at 1-866-632-6183.

Additional Resources:

Heritage Places in Nova Scotia...What you need to know
A print friendly introduction to the Heritage Property Act, the Special Protection Places Act, the Cemeteries Protection Act, and the related programs, managed by the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage that help to preserve the province’s rich history.

For more information, please contact the Heritage Property Program office:

Kevin Barrett
Coordinator, Heritage Property Unit
Heritage Property Program
Phone: (902) 424-6396
Facsimile: (902) 424-0560

Mary-Louise Hartigan
Administrative Assistant
Phone: (902) 424-5647
Facsimile: (902) 424-0560

or by mail,

Heritage Property Program
1747 Summer Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada  B3H 3A6