The Nova Scotia Communications and Information Centre was established by legislation in 1972. The centre provided a centralized information service for all government departments, agencies, boards and commissions; the dissemination, communication, and transmission of information products within and outside the public service; an enquiry service for the general public covering government policies, programs, and services; information outlets making available government publications and information; and advice on the development of communications hardware systems. In 1980, the centre became the information services division of the newly created Department of Government Services.

Eric Reginald Dennis was the founding Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Communications and Information Centre in 1972 and remained in that position until his retirement from the Nova Scotia public service in 1982 when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. In retirement he was a public relations and publicity consultant and authored The Dennis Saga a genealogical work. Born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, he grew up in Agassiz, British Columbia. His great uncle, Senator William H Dennis, was the publisher of the Halifax Herald and invited him to work for the newspaper, which he did for more than 35 years serving primarily as a correspondent in Washington, London (England) and Ottawa between times in Halifax. From 1958 to 1961 he was Editor of the Chronicle Herald. He was married to Maxine Maybee and then to Margaret Stonehouse who outlived him. He died on 11 January 2011 at Oakville, Ontario where he had lived for a number of years.