History of Nova Scotia in Timeline

Nova Scotia is a Canadian province on the east coast, one of the three Maritime provinces. It's the most populous in Atlantic Canada (over 1 million residents as of 2024) and the second-smallest province by area, yet also the second most densely populated. It includes the Nova Scotia peninsula, Cape Breton Island, and numerous coastal islands. Nova Scotia is connected to mainland Canada via the Isthmus of Chignecto, which forms its land border with New Brunswick.

1908: Erection of Dingle Tower

In 1908, the erection of Dingle Tower commemorated Nova Scotia's achievement of establishing representative government in 1758.

1913: Evangeline

In 1913, feature filmmaking in Canada began with the Canadian Bioscope Company's production of Evangeline in Halifax. The company released six films before closing, and the film "Evangeline" has since been lost.

December 1917: Halifax Explosion

In December 1917, approximately 2,000 people were killed in the Halifax Explosion.

1917: Halifax Explosion 1917

In 1917, the Halifax Explosion occurred. This event has been the subject of literary works such as Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917 by Laura MacDonald.

May 1926: First Airing of CHNS-FM

On May 12, 1926, Nova Scotia's first radio station, CHNS-FM, aired for the first time from the Carleton Hotel in Halifax by World War I Signal Corps soldier William C. Borrett.

January 1977: Brian Ahern marries Emmylou Harris

On January 9, 1977, music producer Brian Ahern married Emmylou Harris at his home in Halifax.

1988: Establishment of Nova Scotia Community College System

In 1988, the Nova Scotia Community College system was established by amalgamating the province's former vocational schools.

1991: Offshore oil and gas become important

Since 1991, offshore oil and gas has become an important part of the economy in Nova Scotia.

1992: Trade numbers roughly equal

From 1992 until 2004, the export and import numbers were roughly equal.

1992: Loss of jobs in the fishery

In 1992, the collapse of the cod stocks and the closure of this sector resulted in a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs.

April 1996: Regional Municipality Amalgamations

Halifax and Region of Queens Municipality amalgamated into their present regional municipality form of government on 1 April 1996.

1998: Municipal Government Act Enacted

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) was enacted in 1998.

April 1999: Municipal Government Act

The Municipal Government Act (MGA) of 1998 came into force on 1 April 1999, while towns, county municipalities and district municipalities are continued as municipalities under the MGA.

2000: Impact on Mi'kmaq People

Around the year 2000, Nova Scotia's Mi'kmaq People were marginalized due to Loyalist land grants encroaching on native lands.

June 2002: Acquisition of Halifax Gazette

In June 2002, Library and Archives Canada acquired a single copy of the first issue of the Halifax Gazette from the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston.

April 2004: Invitation to Turks and Caicos Islands

In April 2004, the Nova Scotia legislature adopted a resolution inviting the government of the Turks and Caicos Islands to explore joining Canada as part of Nova Scotia.

2004: Trade numbers roughly equal

From 1992 until 2004, the export and import numbers were roughly equal.

2004: Cirkut moves to Toronto

In 2004, Grammy winning songwriter and music producer Cirkut moved to Toronto from Halifax.

2006: Manufacturing sector GDP

In 2006, the manufacturing sector brought in over $2.6 billion in chained GDP, the largest output of any industrial sector in Nova Scotia.

2006: Provincial Budget

In 2006–07, the province passed a budget of $6.9 billion, with a projected $72 million surplus.

2008: Tourism campaign

A 2008 Nova Scotia tourism campaign included advertising a fictional mobile phone called Pomegranate and establishing a website.

2010: Cruise ship passengers

In 2010, the Port of Halifax received 261,000 cruise ship passengers and Sydney 69,000.

2011: Largest denominations

According to the 2011 census, the largest denominations by number of adherents in Nova Scotia were Christians with 78.2%. About 21.18% were non-religious and 1% were Muslims.

2012: Exports and Imports

In 2012, exports from Nova Scotia were 12.1% of provincial GDP, while imports were 22.6%.

2013: Halifax Mooseheads win Memorial Cup

In 2013, the Halifax Mooseheads became the Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup Champions.

2014: Nova Scotia Open

In 2014, the Nova Scotia Open was a professional golf tournament on the Web.com Tour.

2015: Circulation of The Chronicle Herald

In 2015, The Chronicle Herald had a circulation of 91,152 weekday customers, increasing to 93,178 on Saturdays. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in Atlantic Canada.

2015: Nova Scotia Open

In 2015, the Nova Scotia Open was a professional golf tournament on the Web.com Tour.

2015: Elimination of tax credits to film production

In 2015, the government of Nova Scotia eliminated tax credits to film production in the province.

2016: Ethnic groups in Nova Scotia

According to the 2016 Canadian census the largest ethnic group in Nova Scotia is Scottish (30.0%), followed by English (28.9%), Irish (21.6%), French (16.5%), German (10.7%), First Nations (5.4%), Dutch (3.5%), Métis (2.9%), and Acadian (2.6%).

2016: Nova Scotia's per capita GDP

In 2016, Nova Scotia's per capita GDP was CA$44,924, significantly lower than the national average of CA$57,574.

2016: Halifax Hurricanes League Champions

In 2016, the Halifax Hurricanes of the National Basketball League of Canada were league champions.

2017: Arthur Joseph LeBlanc

Arthur Joseph LeBlanc was the 33rd Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2024.

2017: Median family income in Nova Scotia

As of 2017, the median family income in Nova Scotia was $85,970, below the national average of $92,990.

2018: Gaelic vehicle licence plate

In 2018, the government launched a new Gaelic vehicle licence plate to raise awareness of the language and help fund Gaelic language and culture initiatives.

2019: HFX Wanderers FC established

In 2019, professional soccer came to Nova Scotia with the establishment of Canadian Premier League club HFX Wanderers FC.

April 2020: Deadliest rampage in Canada's history

In April 2020, a killing spree occurred across the province and became the deadliest rampage in Canada's history.

August 2020: High overnight low in Grand Étang

On August 12, 2020, the community of Grand Étang recorded a balmy overnight low of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F).

2021: Religious groups in Nova Scotia

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Nova Scotia.

2021: Most Spoken Languages

As of the 2021 Canadian Census, the ten most spoken languages in Nova Scotia included English (99.59%), French (10.39%), Arabic (1.23%), Hindi (1.06%), Spanish (0.91%), Mandarin (0.89%), Punjabi (0.7%), German (0.7%), Miꞌkmaq (0.59%), and Tagalog (0.59%).

2021: Halifax Population

As of the 2021 census, Halifax was home to over 45% of Nova Scotia's population. Halifax is the twelfth-largest census metropolitan area in Canada, the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada, and Canada's second-largest coastal municipality.

2021: Canadian census showed a population of 969,383

The 2021 Canadian census showed a population of 969,383 in Nova Scotia.

2021: Premier of Nova Scotia

Tim Houston became the Premier of Nova Scotia since 2021.

July 2022: Regulation of online gambling

On 21 July 2022, Nova Scotia became the second province in Canada to regulate online gambling by launching its own online casino through the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC).

September 2022: King Charles III

King Charles III became sovereign on 8 September 2022.

2022: Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition

Zach Churchill became the Leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 2022–24.

July 2024: Investment in telecommunication towers

In July 2024, the provincial government committed CAD$18.6 million to build 27 new telecommunication towers to upgrade cellular service province-wide.

2024: Arthur Joseph LeBlanc

Arthur Joseph LeBlanc was the 33rd Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2024.

2024: Population estimate of over 1 million

In 2024, Nova Scotia had an estimated population of over 1 million, making it the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. It was also the second-most densely populated and second-smallest province by area in Canada in 2024.