Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
In June 1942, the Government of Nova Scotia appointed a Cabinet Committee to address problems of rehabilitation and development in the Province. Following the recommendations of this Committee, the Royal Commission on Provincial Development and Rehabilitation was appointed on May 12, 1943 with Robert MacGregor Dawson as Commissioner. The new Commission was to continue the work of the Committee in investigating and reporting upon the natural resources and industries of the Province for the purpose of aiding in the rehabilitation of those discharged from the armed forces, those released from war industries which would close with the end of war, and all others who might seek employment. The Commission was to report on the possibility of expanding existing industries and markets in the province, as well as the creation of new opportunities, with a goal to increase employment in Nova Scotia in general.
The Commission assembled the necessary information using a variety of methods: briefs were secured from several government departments, interviews were conducted with Ministers, deputies and their staff, federal officials were questioned, and formal public hearings were held throughout the province where community leaders were invited to promote existing local industry and speculate about potential resources. After this preliminary work was completed, it was determined that the number and complexity of the subjects required additional assistance from subject experts. In the end, separate reports were prepared by these experts for several principal economic activities and essential services of the province, including Agriculture, Fisheries (Stewart Bates), Forestry, Public Welfare Services (George F. Davidson), Education, Minerals, the establishment of a Research and Development Board (H. M. Tory), Provincial Finance (W. R. Maxwell), Manufacturing, Steel Production (Arthur G. McKee & Co.), Tourism, Electric Power (Alexander Brady), Labour Relations (H. A. Logan), Housing, and Transportation. The Commission also produced brief reports on Weather Forecasting, expanding the Provincial Museum, and establishing a Historic Sites and Monuments Board.
The reports of the Royal Commission on Provincial Development and Rehabilitation were published in 1944.