Municipality of the District of Chester

Provides local government to the rural residents in part of Nova Scotia, Canada

District municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada
Official seal of Chester
Seal
Motto: 
Nova Scotia's Treasure
Location of the Municipality of the District of Chester
Location of the Municipality of the District of Chester
Coordinates: 44°39′N 64°18′W / 44.65°N 64.3°W / 44.65; -64.3CountryCanadaProvinceNova ScotiaCountyLunenburgIncorporatedApril 17, 1879Electoral Districts    
Federal
South Shore—St. Margaret'sProvincialChester-St. Margaret's / LunenburgGovernment
 • TypeMunicipal Council • Municipal SeatChester • WardenAllen WebberArea • Land1,122.11 km2 (433.25 sq mi)Population
 (2021)
 • Total10,693 • Change 2016-21
Increase3.7%Time zoneUTC-4 (AST) • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)Area code902Dwellings6,482Average Income*$47,360 CDNWebsiteOfficial website
  • Average 2020 total income

The Municipality of the District of Chester is a Nova Scotia district municipality occupying the northeastern half of Lunenburg County, Canada.

The district boundary was originally drawn for court sessional purposes,[2] before the existence of elected local government. In 1879 it became a district municipality, to provide local government to the residents who live outside incorporated towns.[2] under the authority of the Municipal Government Act of 1998.[3]

The Municipality of the District of Chester is also a census division for Statistics Canada.[4]

Municipal Council

The Municipality of Chester has a town council that consists of 7 councillors and a warden who is appointed by the council, the municipal council was incorporated and founded in 1879. Elections to the council occur every four years unless there is a vacancy. If there is a vacancy in a district, a by-election occurs and the person who is elected will serve their term until the next scheduled election in the four-year cycle.[5]

Municipal Districts

Council Sessions

The current warden of the Municipality is Allen Webber, and the current deputy warden is Floyd Shatford[6]

Current Council Session, 2020-2024[6]
Party District Name
No Affiliation 1 Andre Veinotte
No Affiliation 2 Floyd Shatford
No Affiliation 3 Derek Wells
No Affiliation 4 Allen Webber
No Affiliation 5 Abdella Assaff
No Affiliation 6 Tina Connors
No Affiliation 7 Sharon Church

*Following the 2021 Nova Scotia general election, District 3 councillor Danielle Barkhouse was elected as MLA to the riding of Chester-St. Margaret's. Following her election, she tendered her resignation from the municipal council, triggering a special election where Derek Wells was elected councillor, for the remainder of the 2020-2024 council session.[7]

2016-2020 Council Session[8]
Party District Name
No Affiliation 1 Andre Veinotte
No Affiliation 2 Floyd Shatford
No Affiliation 3 Danielle Barkhouse
No Affiliation 4 Allen Webber
No Affiliation 5 Abdella Assaff
No Affiliation 6 Tina Connors
No Affiliation 7 Sharon Church

Nova Scotian Municipal politics do not have party affiliations.[9]

Departments and services

There are four departments in the district:[10]

  • Community Development & Recreation
  • Corporate & Strategic Management
  • Financial & Information Services
  • Infrastructure & Operations

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
198110,230—    
198610,579+3.4%
199110,762+1.7%
199610,602−1.5%
200110,781+1.7%
200610,741−0.4%
201110,599−1.3%
201610,310−2.7%
202110,693+3.7%
Source: Statistics Canada:[11][12]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Municipality of the District of Chester had a population of 10,693 living in 5,028 of its 6,482 total private dwellings, a change of 3.7% from its 2016 population of 10,310. With a land area of 1,120.61 km2 (432.67 sq mi), it had a population density of 9.5/km2 (24.7/sq mi) in 2021.[12]

Mother tongue language (2006)[13]
Language Population Pct (%)
English only 10,145 95.40%
Other languages 365 3.43%
French only 110 1.03%
Both English and French 15 0.14%

Parks, playgrounds and open spaces

The municipality operates 46 kilometres (29 mi) of trail on the former railway from Martins River to Hubbards. The trails are open to walkers, off-road vehicles, cyclists and horseback riders.[14]

Parks and outdoor areas include Anvil Park in Chester Basin, East River Property, Village of Chester Gazebo, Wild Rose Park in Western Shore, a Green Gym Park in Chester Basin, Castle Rock in East River.[15] There are six beaches along the coast, public wharves and launches, and several islands preserved for public use (including four owned by the Municipality of Chester).[16]

The Municipality of the District of Chester also has two playgrounds; Croft Road Playground located in Chester Basin and Gold River Playground located at the former Gold River Elementary School.[17]

Within the Village of Chester there is a skate park that was opened in 2009 after five years of planning and fundraising.[18]

Schools

The Municipality of the District of Chester has five schools within its boundaries. All five are open to the public for community use.[19] These schools are Forest Heights Community School (FHCS)[20] in Chester Grant; Aspotogan Consolidated Elementary School (ACES) [21] in Mill Cove; Chester Area Middle School [22] in Chester; Chester District Elementary School [23] in Chester, and New Ross Consolidated School [24] in New Ross.

Economy

The Municipality identifies five sectors: arts, culture & recreation; business services; construction; green industries; and niche manufacturing.[25]

Arts, Culture & Recreation

The Municipality has a high concentration of arts, entertainment, and recreation workers with artist-in-residents programs, galleries, a theatre, golf courses, museums, marinas, and the first and only Nordic spa in Nova Scotia. Productions filmed in the Municipality include:

References

  1. ^ 2011 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Chester Municipal District, Nova Scotia
  2. ^ a b "The Establishment of Elective Rural Municipal Government in Nova Scotia" (PDF). Government of Nova Scotia: Department of Municipal Affairs. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  3. ^ "Municipal Government Act, Part XVII: Municipal Incorporation". Office of the Legislative Counsel. April 22, 1999. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  4. ^ "Interim List of Changes to Municipal Boundaries, Status, and Names: From January 2, 2014 to January 1, 2015 (Table A: Census subdivision types by province and territory, as of January 1, 2015)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  5. ^ "Government". Municipality of The District of Chester, Nova Scotia. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  6. ^ a b "Council". Municipality of The District of Chester, Nova Scotia. 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  7. ^ "District 3 Special Election". Municipality of The District of Chester, Nova Scotia. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  8. ^ News. "RESULTS: 2016 Municipal and School Board Election". CKBW. Retrieved 2022-01-05. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ "Nova Scotian Municipal Government Act" (PDF).
  10. ^ "Administration". Chester. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  11. ^ 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  12. ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Nova Scotia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  13. ^ 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Chester Municipal District, Nova Scotia
  14. ^ "Municipality of the District of Chester - Trails in the Municipality". chester.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Municipality of the District of Chester - Parks & Open Spaces". chester.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Municipal Islands | Municipality of The District of Chester, Nova Scotia". chester.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  17. ^ "Municipality of the District of Chester - Playgrounds". chester.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Municipality of the District of Chester - Chester Skate Park". chester.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  19. ^ "Municipality of the District of Chester - Community Schools". chester.ca. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  20. ^ "Home". forestheights.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  21. ^ "Aspotogan Consolidated Elementary School | Mill Cove, Nova Scotia". www.aces.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  22. ^ "Chester Area Middle School". cams.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  23. ^ "Chester District School". Chester District School. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  24. ^ "New Ross Consolidated School | Empowering and supporting youth in education". www.nrcs.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  25. ^ "Key Sectors of The Municipality of Chester". www.investchester.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  26. ^ Cooke, Stephen. "Nova Scotia-shot series Moonshine returns in October, season 3 underway | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  27. ^ Staff, OtakuKart (2021-10-02). "'Moonshine' CBC Filming Locations: Where Is The Canadian Drama Shot? - OtakuKart". otakukart.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  28. ^ Cooke, Stephen. "Don't get on the bad side of Moonshine's family in Hubbards-shot CBC comedy | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  29. ^ "'The Sinner' Season 4 Filming Location Was Not Hanover Island". Decider. 2021-10-14. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  30. ^ Cooke, Stephen. "The Good House feature film brings Hollywood to Chester | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  31. ^ "TIFF 2021: Sigourney Weaver got a warm Nova Scotia welcome filming 'The Good House' with Kevin Kline". ca.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  32. ^ Candles on Bay Street (TV Movie 2006) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-15
  33. ^ Christmas with Holly (TV Movie 2012) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-15
  34. ^ Dolores Claiborne (1995) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-15
  35. ^ Haven (TV Series 2010–2015) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-15
  36. ^ "Oak Island". Tourism Nova Scotia, Canada. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  37. ^ The Healer (2016) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-15
  38. ^ Two If by Sea (1996) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-11-15
  39. ^ Cooke, Stephen. "New South Shore-set comedy-drama series Feudal begins production in Nova Scotia | SaltWire". www.saltwire.com. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
Places adjacent to Municipality of the District of Chester
Municipality of the County of Kings Municipality of the District of West Hants
Municipality of the District of Lunenburg
Municipality of the District of Chester
 Halifax Regional Municipality
Atlantic Ocean
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44°39′N 64°18′W / 44.650°N 64.300°W / 44.650; -64.300

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