Municipality of the District of Chester

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

Chester
Municipality of the District of Chester
Official seal of Chester
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; -64.3
CountryCanada
ProvinceNova Scotia
CountyLunenburg
IncorporatedApril 17, 1879
Electoral Districts    
Federal

South Shore—St. Margaret's
ProvincialChester-St. Margaret's / Lunenburg
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Council
 • Municipal SeatChester
 • WardenAllen Webber
Area
 • 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 code902
Dwellings6,482
Average Income*$47,360 CDN
WebsiteOfficial website
  • Average 2020 total income

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

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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

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Council Sessions

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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

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There are four departments in the district:[10]

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

Demographics

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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

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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

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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

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

Arts, Culture & Recreation

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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

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  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.

44°39′N 64°18′W / 44.650°N 64.300°W / 44.650; -64.300