In 1859, a preliminary decision was made to establish in Halifax a society to discuss and promote the subjects of literature, science, political economy, commerce, statistics and the arts. The goal was to promote learning and foster a new appreciation for scientific advancements. In 1862 the Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science was actually formed, with a mission to encourage the study of natural science and all of its branches. In its first year officers were elected and by-laws were established. In January 1863 the institute began to hold monthly meetings to read and discuss scientific papers. Although those who made presentations were both professionals and amateurs, in the early years the amateurs outnumbered the professionals. The institute also decided to hold at least four field meetings annually to examine findings in the province. However, there were difficulties in arranging these meetings and they were held only sporadically. In 1874, it was decided that the institute should be divided into three sections, Natural History, Ethnology and Technology. The by-laws for these three sections were revised in 1884. In 1890, the organization changed its name to The Nova Scotian Institute of Science. In 1918 the institute decided to limit its geographic scope to papers on Nova Scotia. This decision in 1918 had to be amended in 1930 because of the shortage of material. By 1939 the papers being presented were almost all by professionals and could no longer be understood by most amateurs. Perhaps to compensate for this the institute gave popular lectures at different times during the year. These lectures were almost universally well received and attended, but were discontinued in 1931. In the first century of its operations, the institute also held two free scientific exhibitions, in 1926 and 1928. The Nova Scotian Institute of Science also aided with the establishment of the Provincial Museum in 1868. The institute still acts as a meeting place for Nova Scotians interested in science. It offers public lectures, runs a mentorship program and an annual scientific writing competition for university students, as well as financially supporting regional science fairs in Nova Scotia.
Beginning in 1989 writer and broadcaster Marjory Whitelaw undertook a women's oral history project which she conducted in Nova Scotia. A similar project, the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick's Women's Oral History Project, began in 1988, and was organized by oral history archivist Janet Maclellan Toole. Both projects were assisted by the Council of Maritime Premiers; the Nova Scotia project was encouraged by the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture, the Nova Scotia Cabinet Secretariat and the Women's Directorate of Nova Scotia. The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick provided transcription, supervision and fundraising assistance during the course of the project which appears to have ended in 1992.
The Women's Directorate was established in 1988. It functioned as the secretariat of the provincial government's Interdepartmental Committee on the Status of Women (renamed the Interdepartmental Committee on Women's Issues in 1992). The directorate was created to deliver services which neither the Interdepartmental Committee nor the Advisory Council on the Status of Women provided. The directorate acted as a coordinating unit to advise and assist government departments in their delivery of programs and services affecting women, to improve the condition of women in the public service, and to maintain a record of the government's accomplishments on behalf of women. The directorate reported to the chair of the Interdepartmental Committee on the Status of Women. In August 1996, the Women's Directorate was merged into the Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
In 1919 the NS Legislature passed the Water Act (SNS 1919 Chapter 4), which established the Province's control over the use of water and water courses and allowed it to license uses such as diversions for irrigation, the transportation of timber and wood in log drives, dams for power and the extraction of water from streams and lakes for domestic and industrial purposes. In the same year the NS Power Commission was created to generate and distribute electrical power to municipalities, industry and individual users. The Power Commission chiefly generated electrical energy from a number of hydro-electric facilities, but had administrative capacity and engineering expertise which allowed it to advise the Minister in Charge of the Water Act regarding water use applications. In essence the Minister delegated much of his power under the Act to the Power Commission. In 1963 chapter 42 of the Statutes of Nova Scotia transferred active responsibility for the Water Act to a board of commissioners constituted as the Nova Scotia Water Authority and expanded their powers to include the regulation of water and sewage systems and the ability to protect bodies of water and water courses from pollution. The original Water Act had less scope to regulate pollution and was limited to the regulation of obstructions to the flow of water such as the deposition of sawdust and waste wood. In 1973 the Water Authority was folded into the newly created Department of the Environment, with an Environmental Control Council created as an advisory body on applications and other matters submitted to it by the Minister.
The Nova Scotia Voluntary Planning Board (VPB) was established in 1963 as the Voluntary Economic Planning Board to assist and advise the Minister of Finance in the development and implementation of measures to increase the rate of economic growth in the Province by means of "voluntary economic planning." A Board of Directors was in charge of recruiting and directing planning projects in primary economic sectors.
In 1970, the Board's mandate expanded well beyond economic planning to embrace most areas of public policy in the Province, including the environment and tourism, and it was renamed the Voluntary Planning Board. More recently, the VPB have provided the Premier and Cabinet with volunteer-driven, citizen-based advice through the work of its sector committees. Projects were developed as requested by the Provincial Government, seeing sector committees working for a set period of time to engage citizens and experts in the production of reports presenting findings and recommendations.
In 1999, the sector committees were discontinued, though they were temporarily reinstated between 2001-2004. The VPB Board of Directors undertook a strategic review in 2004-2005 which resulted in the permanent discontinuation of the sector committees. In December 2010 the Voluntary Planning Board office was closed and staff moved to a new Public Engagement Support Unit under the Treasury Board, and subsequently under the Office of Policy and Priorities.
The Nova Scotia Teachers' Union traces its history back to 1895 when representatives from the Provincial Education Association (PEA) proposed a "Teachers' Protective Union" with the dual mandate of protecting the economic welfare of teachers and fostering professionalism. Robert MacLellan, principal of Pictou Academy, was elected first president. In 1896 the Nova Scotia Teachers' Union (NSTU) adopted its first constitution and bylaws during the annual PEA meeting in Truro. By 1921 the NSTU had ratified a new constitution and had begun publication of the Bulletin of the Nova Scotia Teachers' Union. In 1928 the Teachers Pension Act came into effect and that same decade the government amended the Education Act to provide increases in the grant of provincial aid paid to all teachers. An act to incorporate the Nova Scotia Teachers' Union was passed in 1932. In 1953, the NSTU opened its first general office on Barrington Street. The office moved to South Park Street in 1959 and finally to the present location at 3106 Joseph Howe Drive in 1969. The Nova Scotia Teachers Union maintains its original objectives: to unify and promote the teaching profession; improve the quality of education; provide a voice for teachers to the public and legislature; improve the salaries and working conditions of teachers; and provide protection for its members. The union is governed by a provincial executive and serves its members through district local unions and special associations.
An act to establish a normal school for the training of teachers in Nova Scotia was passed in 1854 and a year later the school was established in Truro. In 1908 the name changed from Normal School to Normal College. From 1949, the college was a division of the Department of Education under the direction of the minister. A new building was opened on 23 February 1962 and the name changed to Nova Scotia Teachers College. The college was closed in 1997.
In late 1987, the Task Force on AIDS was established to conduct a wide-ranging, full-scale review of all matters relating to AIDS and HIV in Nova Scotia. The task force was to identify and prioritize issues of concern, hear input from individuals and organizations across the province, and make recommendations to government. Three working groups were established within the task force to study three areas of concern: the legal and ethical issues surrounding HIV-positive persons and persons with AIDS; public information and education programs; and the impact of AIDS on private and public health care. The twenty-one member task force, chaired by W. Andrew MacKay, held public hearings throughout the province in March 1988. Task force members visited England, Australia, New Zealand, Boston, San Francisco, and Vancouver to examine AIDS policies. In September 1988 the task force submitted its final report to the Minister of Health. The report contained forty-seven recommendations relating to AIDS education, care and financial support of HIV-infected persons and ensuring the rights of HIV-infected persons.
The Nova Scotia Talent Trust was established in Halifax in 1944, primarily to assist the career of Truro born singer, Portia White. Since 1949, the trust has provided financial assistance to support the education and advancement of artists in the field of dance, music, theatre, visual arts, literary arts, and film. In 1959, in cooperation with the Nova Scotia Department of Education, the talent trust began organizing annual summer school benefit concerts featuring performances by professional artists and previous scholarship recipients.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Although court houses were available in Yarmouth, a supreme court sitting was not established there until 1834, two years before Yarmouth became a separate county in 1836.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Baddeck was added to the supreme court circuit in 1851, when Victoria was separated from Cape Breton County.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Although Shelburne County had been established in 1784 and court houses had been erected, the supreme court circuit sitting was not established until 1816. The circuit served all of present day Shelburne and Yarmouth counties until a Yarmouth circuit was set up in 1834.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. A sitting of the supreme court was established at Arichat shortly after Cape Breton Island was reannexed to Nova Scotia in 1820. Richmond became a separate county in 1835.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. The supreme court circuit in Queens County (sitting at Liverpool) was established by statute in 1816.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two of more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. The supreme court sitting at Pictou was established in 1805, in what remained a district of Halifax County until 1835, when Pictou became a separate county.
After the Supreme Court was established in 1754 there was some demand to accomodate cases outside of Halifax. Between 1774 and 1816 a circuit system was established throughout the province, with individual circuit courts having all the powers of the Supreme Court at Halifax excepting those of appeal.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Lunenburg County was one of the five counties established in 1759. However a supreme court sitting was not established there until 1805, likely owing to the proximity of Lunenburg to Halifax by sea. Although both Lunenburg and Bridgewater have court houses, there is only one record keeping system for the county.
In its first two decades of existence the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia functioned only in Halifax. In 1774 the legislature passed an act providing for the court to add two sessions a year in each of Kings, Annapolis and Cumberland Counties. These courts were invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court at Halifax. Meeting first at Horton, the Kings County circuit court had jurisdiction over present day Kings and Hants counties until 1781, when Hants became a separate county with its own court. In the 1841 legislation revising the courts of the province, Kentville became recognized as the court's seat.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. In 1834 a supreme court circuit sitting was established at Port Hood, which became the shire town when Inverness became a separate county the following year.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. With the creation of Hants County in 1781, Windsor was established as a sitting place for the supreme court on circuit.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Supreme court circuit sittings were established at Guysborough in 1834, in what was the lower district of Sydney County until Guysborough became a separate county in 1836. As the sessions had earlier been split between Guysborough and Antigonish, a court house was already available. When Guysborough County was divided into the Guysborough and St. Mary's districts in 1840, another sitting location was added at Sherbrooke, but no separate records were generated by those sittings.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. The supreme court sitting at Digby was established in 1838, a year after Digby became a separate county. Although in 1861 the county was divided into two districts, Digby and Clare, with each district holding one sitting, this did not result in separate record keeping systems.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Amherst was one of three initial supreme court circuit sites established in 1774. At times sessions were held in River Philip, until a court house was erected in Amherst in 1840. Destroyed by fire in 1887 the wooden court house was replaced by the present brick structure in 1888.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Sittings in the District of Colchester (part of Halifax County until Colchester became separate in 1835) were established in 1802. Although initially in Onslow, the court's place of sitting moved to Truro in 1804.
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Cape Breton Island, as a separate colony from 1784 to 1820, had its own supreme court which sat at Sydney. With reannexation in 1820, supreme court circuit sessions were established at Sydney. The circuit initially served the area of present day Cape Breton, Inverness and Victoria counties. In 1834 a circuit court sitting was established at Port Hood to serve the area of Inverness, which became a county the following year. The area of the Cape Breton circuit was further reduced in 1851, when Victoria became a separate county with its own circuit court.