Chester | |
---|---|
Municipality of the District of Chester | |
Motto: Nova Scotia's Treasure | |
Coordinates: 44°39′N 64°18′W / 44.65°N 64.3°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Nova Scotia |
County | Lunenburg |
Incorporated | April 17, 1879 |
Electoral Districts Federal | South Shore—St. Margaret's |
Provincial | Chester-St. Margaret's / Lunenburg |
Government | |
• Type | Municipal Council |
• Municipal Seat | Chester |
• Warden | Allen Webber |
Area | |
• Land | 1,122.11 km2 (433.25 sq mi) |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 10,693 |
• Change 2016-21 | 3.7% |
Time zone | UTC-4 ( AST) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-3 ( ADT) |
Area code | 902 |
Dwellings | 6,482 |
Average Income* | $47,360 CDN |
Website | Official website |
|
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]
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]
The current warden of the Municipality is Allen Webber, and the current deputy warden is Floyd Shatford [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]
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]
There are four departments in the district: [10]
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]
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% |
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]
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.
The Municipality identifies five sectors: arts, culture & recreation; business services; construction; green industries; and niche manufacturing. [25]
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:
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