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{{Infobox City|official_name = Halifax Regional Municipality|other_name = (HRM)|native_name = |nickname =|motto = "E Mari Merces"(Latin)"From the Sea, Wealth"]|subdivision_name = Canada|subdivision_name1 = [Nova Scotia|leader_title = [List of mayors of Halifax Regional Municipality|leader_name = Peter J. Kelly|leader_title1 = Governing body|leader_name1 = Halifax Regional Councils|leader_name2 = {{Collapsible list|title = List of MPs|title_style =|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;|1 = [Alexa McDonough|3 = [Michael Savage (politician)|4=Peter Stoffer)|6=([Gerald Keddy)])|8=|9=|10=-->|leader_title3 = Nova Scotia House of Assemblys|leader_name3 = {{Collapsible list|title = List of MLAs|title_style =|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;|1 = Barry Barnet|3 = [Darrell Dexter|5=[Howard Epstein|7=[Len Goucher|9=[Joan Massey|11=[Percy Paris|13=[Michele Raymond|15=[Brooke Taylor|17=[Dave Wilson (politician)|18=Trevor Zinck-->], 1996|area_blank1_km2 = 5528.25|area_blank1_sq_mi =|area_metro_km2 =|area_metro_sq_mi =|blank_name = Total Coastline|blank_info = 400 km (250 mi)

|population_as_of = [Canada 2006 Census|population_footnotes =|population_note =|settlement_type = Regional Municipality)|population_density_km2 = 67.9|population_density_sq_mi =|population_metro = 404807|population_density_metro_km2 =|population_density_metro_sq_mi =|population_urban = 282,924|population_density_urban_km2 = 1077.2|population_density_urban_mi2 =|population_blank1_title = Rural|population_blank1 = 89755|population_density_blank1_km2 = 16.23|population_density_blank1_sq_mi =|timezone = [Atlantic Standard Time Zone|utc_offset = -4|timezone_DST = Atlantic Daylight Saving Time|utc_offset_DST = -3|latd=44 |latm=45 |lats=56 |latNS=N|longd=63 |longm=16 |longs=52 |longEW=W|elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = 0 – 145|elevation_ft = 0 – 475.6|postal_code_type = |postal_code =|area_code = Area code 902|website = Halifax Regional Municipality|footnotes =-->

Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada of Nova Scotia, making it the Seat (legal entity) of the Monarchy in Nova Scotia. The municipality is commonly called HRM or simply Halifax ().

The population in 2006 was 372,679; the Halifax urban area had a population of 282,924, giving the municipality the largest urban area in the Maritimes and largest population centre in Canada east of Québec City, Quebec.

The first permanent European settlement in the area was the establishment of the City of Halifax in 1749, with other towns and villages were settled throughout the region in the decades that followed. In 1996 the provincial government amalgamated all municipal governments within Halifax County to create HRM, a regional municipality comprising approximately 200 individual neighbourhoods and communities (place-names) for civic addressing grouped into 18 planning areas for zoning purposes.

The Halifax urban area is a major economic centre in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Major employers and economic generators include the Canadian Forces, various levels of government, and the Halifax Port Authority. Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of HRM.

Geography The Halifax Regional Municipality occupies an area of 5,577 square kilometres (2,353 Square mile), (approximately 10% of Nova Scotia) comparative to the province of Prince Edward Island, and measures approximately 165 kilometres (102.5 Mile) in length between its eastern and western-most extremities.

The coastline is heavily indented, accounting for its length of approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi), with the northern boundary usually being between 50-60 kilometres (30-37 mi) inland. The coast is mostly rock with small isolated sand beaches in sheltered bays. The largest bays include St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia, Halifax Harbour/Bedford Basin, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Musquodoboit Harbour, Jeddore Harbour, Ship Harbour, Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, and Ecum Secum, Nova Scotia Harbour. The municipality's topography spans from lush Farmland (farming) in the Musquodoboit Valley to rocky and heavily forested rolling hills.

Urban-rural characteristics The region is large in physical area, centred on the urban core and surrounded by areas of decreasing density the farther the community is from the core.

Unlike most municipalities with a sizable census metropolitan area, Halifax Regional Municipality's suburbs are completely incorporated into the entire municipality, with the urban area including the urban core, suburban communities and a rural commuter shed that encompasses almost half the municipality's landmass.

The urban area of HRM (2006 pop: 282,924) is located in the western end of the municipality, fronting on Halifax Harbour. The dense urban core is centred on the Halifax Peninsula and the area of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia inside of the Nova Scotia Highway 111. The suburban area stretches beyond Mainland Halifax to the west, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia to the east, and Bedford, Nova Scotia, Sackville, Nova Scotia and Windsor Junction areas to the north.

This urban area constitutes the most populous urban area on Canada's Atlantic coast, and the second largest coastal population centre in the country, after Vancouver, British Columbia, British Columbia. HRM currently accounts for 40% of Nova Scotia's population, and 15% of that of the Atlantic provinces.

The north eastern area centred on Sheet Harbour and the Musquodoboit Valley is completely rural, with more in common with adjacent rural areas of neighbouring counties.

HRM's boundary includes all of Halifax County except for several First Nation reserves. Statistics Canada identifies HRM as a census subdivision while Halifax County is listed as a census division, despite the fact that both geographic areas differ by only several dozen hectares. Statistics Canada also lists the dissolved municipalities of Bedford , Dartmouth and Halifax, describing them as "Dissolved (municipalities) having undergone an amalgamation/dissolution)." 

Neighbourhoods and communities The Halifax Regional Municipality is an amalgamation of four municipal governments in the urban and rural areas, therefore its composition of neighbourhoods and communities is unlike other municipalities such as a city.

There are over 200 official rural and Urban area Community (disambiguation) within Halifax County that have maintained their original geographic names (including the dissolved cities of Halifax and Dartmouth and the town of Bedford). These community names are used on survey and mapping documents, for 9-1-1 service, municipal planning, and postal service.

HRM is divided into eighteen community planning areas which are further divided into neighbourhoods or villages. Several communities or neighbourhoods that were amalgamated by the former constituent municipalities in previous decades are starting to see their names gain increased use. The regional municipality has taken steps to reduce duplicate street names for its 9-1-1 emergency dispatch services; at the time of amalgamation, some street names were duplicated several times throughout HRM.

The Halifax urban area is a term used to roughly describe the urban concentration surrounding Halifax Harbour in the western part of the municipality, and includes the Halifax Metropolitan Area, the Dartmouth Metropolitan Area, and the Bedford-Sackville areas.

Rural areas lie to the east, west and north of this urban core. Certain rural communities on the urban fringe function as suburban or exurban areas, with the majority of those residents working in the urban core. Farther away, rural communities in HRM function much as any resource-based area in Nova Scotia, being sparsely populated, with their local economies developing around four major resource industries: agriculture, fishing, mining and forestry. It should be noted that the tourism industry is beginning to change how some rural communities in HRM function, particularly in coastal areas such as Hubbards, Nova Scotia, Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia and Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia

Climate HRM's climate is heavily influenced by its location on Nova Scotia's Atlantic Ocean coast. The weather is usually milder or cooler than that of central Canada, with the temperature remaining (with occasional notable exceptions) between about -15°Celsius and 35°C (5°F to 95°F) inland but the coast can be milder in the winter and cooler in the summer with the maritime influence.



Economy The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major economic centre in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Halifax serves as the business, banking, government and cultural centre for the Maritime region. Major employers and economic generators include the Canadian Forces, as well as the Halifax Port Authority. The municipality has a growing concentration of manufacturing industries and is becoming a major multi-modal transportation hub through growth at the port, the Halifax International Airport, and improving rail and highway connections. A real estate boom in recent years has led to numerous new property developments, including the gentrification of some former working-class areas.

Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of HRM. The majority of agriculture & forestry of the Halifax Regional Municipality is the Musquodoboit Valley. The total number of farms in HRM is 150, of which 110 are family owned and as of the 2001 Census. Fishing harbours are located along all coastal areas with some having an independent harbour authority, and others being managed as small craft harbours under the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Other resource industries in HRM include the natural gas fields off the coast of Sable Island, as well as clay, shale, gold, limestone, and gypsum extraction in rural areas of the mainland portion of the municipality.

See also: List of foreign consulates in Halifax

Government The Halifax Regional Municipality is governed by a Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality (elected at large) and a twenty-three person Halifax Regional Council, who are elected by geographic district; municipal elections occur every leap year. HRM has established Halifax Regional Community Council where three or more councillors agree to form these councils to deal primarily with local development issues. Most community council decisions are subject to final approval by regional council. The current Lord Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality is Peter Kelly.

The Halifax Regional Council is responsible for all facets of municipal government, including the Halifax Regional Police, Halifax Public Libraries, Halifax Fire and Emergency, Halifax Regional Water Commission, parks and recreation, public works, waste management, and planning and development.

Education The Halifax Regional Municipality has a well-developed network of public and private schools, providing instruction from primary to grade12; one hundred and fifty public schools are administered by the Halifax Regional School Board, as well as three public schools administered by the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial, whereas the fourteen private schools are operated independently.

The municipality is also home to the following post-secondary educational institutions: Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Mount Saint Vincent University, the Halifax campus of Université Sainte-Anne, University of King's College, Atlantic School of Theology, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and the Nova Scotia Community College. The presence of so many university and college students contributes to a vibrant youth culture in the region, as well as making it a major centre for university education in eastern Canada.

Culture The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major cultural centre within the Atlantic Canada. The municipality's urban core also benefits from a large population of post-secondary students who strongly influence the local cultural scene. HRM has a number of art galleries, theatres and museums, as well as most of the region's national-quality sports and entertainment facilities. The city is home to many performance venues, namely the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, the Neptune Theatre, and The Music Room. HRM also is the home to many of the regions major cultural attractions, such as Symphony Nova Scotia, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Neptune Theatre.

In the heart of the downtown you'll find art galleries, museums, historic sites and churches, shopping, sidewalk cafés and friendly nightclubs. Lively pubs and livelier entertainment and a nightlife that doesn't quit, spectacular shows, first class sporting events, riveting live theatre on both sides of the harbour, scrumptious dining and

The region is noted for the strength of its music scene and nightlife, especially in the central urban core. See List of musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia for a partial list.

HRM plays host to a wide variety of festivals that take place throughout the year, including: The Atlantic Film Festival, The Halifax Busker Festival, Greekfest, Gay Pride week, The Atlantic Jazz Festival, The Multicultural Festival, periodic Tall Ship events, and Shakespeare by the Sea, to name a few. Many of these celebrations have become world renowned over the past several years.

HRM has also become a significant film-production centre, with many American and Canadian filmmakers using the streetscapes, often to stand in for other cities that are more expensive to work in. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has its Atlantic Canada production centres (radio and television) based in Halifax, and quite a number of radio and television programs are made in the region for national broadcast.

As for general culture, the Halifax Regional Municipality is considered by many to be the cultural heart of the Maritime Provinces. The city has been able to maintain many of its maritime traditions, while opening itself to its ever-more multicultural population. The culture of HRM and of Nova Scotia in general has and continues to be strongly influenced by the sea. There is a strong military presence in Halifax due to large naval and army bases in and around the city.

Sport The Halifax Regional Municipality is home to a number of outdoor recreational opportunities, including numerous ocean and lake beaches, as well as rural and urban parks. The municipality has a host of organised community intramural sports, as well as varsity and intramural sports offered by public schools and post-secondary institutions and has extensive facilities.

The region is home to several professional and semi-professional sport franchises, such as the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as a newly-announced Halifax Rainmen of the American Basketball Association (21st century) (see also Sports teams in the Halifax Regional Municipality).

The region has also hosted several major sporting events, including the World Junior Hockey Championship, 2003 Nokia Brier, the 2004 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships, and the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. From 1984 to 2007 , the region had been home to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball champions, however the tournament will be moved to Ottawa, Ontario starting in 2008.

Halifax was selected as Canada's bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in 2006 but withdrew from the international competition in advance of the November 9, 2007 selection date on March 8.

The municipality was selected as the host community for the Canada Games in February 2007.

Media HRM is the Maritimes' centre for broadcast and print media. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CTV Television Network and Global Television all have regional television hubs in the municipality. CBC Radio has a major regional studio and there are also regional hubs for Rogers Radio and various private broadcast franchises, as well as a regional bureau for the Canadian Press/Broadcast News. The HRM has two rival daily newspapers, the broadsheet Halifax Chronicle-Herald, the tabloid Halifax Daily News. The latter also publishes several neighbourhood versions of its daily content such as the Sackville Weekly News, the West End Weekly News. In addition the city also supports an alternative arts weekly, The Coast. Frank Magazine provides the region with a weekly satirical and gossip magazine.



Transportation The Halifax Regional Municipality is served by all modes of transportation.

Halifax Harbour is a major Canadian port used by numerous shipping lines, as well as the navy and coast guard and hosts a public ferry service connecting the urban core. Sheet Harbour is the other major port in the municipality and serves industrial shippers on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia).

The Halifax Port Authority's various shipping terminals constitute the eastern terminus of Canadian National Railway's transcontinental network. VIA Rail Canada provides overnight passenger rail service six days a week to Montreal, Quebec with its train the Ocean (passenger train).

Halifax Stanfield International Airport serves HRM and most of the province, providing scheduled flights to domestic and international destinations. CFB Shearwater, an air force base, is located in the urban core on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour but is presently being decommissioned for fixed-wing aircraft.

The municipality's urban core is linked by the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge and A. Murray MacKay Bridge suspension bridges, as well as a network of 100-Series Highways which function as expressways. The Armdale traffic circle is a notorious choke point for vehicle movement in the western part of the urban core, especially at rush hour.

The urban core of HRM is served by Metro Transit (Halifax), which operates standard bus routes, bus-rapid transit routes, as well as the pedestrian-only harbour ferries. Established in 1752 , the city's ferry service is the oldest continuously running Seawater ferry service in North America.

Buildings and structures HRM's urban core has a high proportion of historic buildings, however, municipal heritage laws do not prevent but only delay demolition and the municipality has no protected heritage districts. Preservationists and heritage advocacy organisations have attempted to prevent the demolition of the pockets of heritage buildings which survived urban renewal and high-rise development. Such groups have been criticised by development advocates for stunting the centralisation of urban growth and for stopping buildings from being built on empty land to preserve views from Citadel Hill.

Buildings of particular interest in the downtown core include:



The architecture of Halifax's south end is renowned for its Victorian houses. Dalhousie University's campus is often featured in films and documentaries. Dartmouth also has its share of historic neighbourhoods.The urban core is home to several blocks of typical North American high-rise office buildings, however the waterfront of the Halifax Peninsula is governed by height restrictions which prevent buildings from obstructing certain sight line between Citadel Hill and Halifax Harbour and Georges Island, Halifax. This has resulted in some modern high rises being built at unusual angles or locations.

as seen from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Demographics The Halifax Regional Municipality is comprised of 372,679 residents (2006 census). Approximately 18% of the population is under the age of 14, while 11% are 65 and older.

Ethnic origins {| class="wikitable sortable" align="right" style="text-align:right;"|- bgcolor="#cccccc"! Ethnic origin !! Population !! % of total|align="left"| Demographics of Canada || || 44.95|align="left"| English people || || 30.81|align="left"| Scottish people || || 27.06|align="left"| Irish people || || 22.43|align="left"| French people || || 16.57|align="left"| Ethnic German || || 10.64|align="left"| arabs || || 4.95|align="left"| Dutch people || || 3.74|align="left"| Black Canadian || || 3.64|align="left"| First Nations || || 2.67|align="left"| Welsh people || || 1.72|align="left"| Italian people || || 1.37|align="left"| Poles || || 1.13|align="left"| Ukrainians || || 1.01|align="left"| Acadian || || 1.00

|}The information regarding ethnicities at the right is from the 2001 Canadian Census. 2001 Canadian CensusThe percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "French-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "French" and the category "Canadian".) Groups with greater than 3000 responses are included.

Religious belief

Sister cities

Major parks , a popular forested seaside park on peninsular Halifax.

Consular representation

Notables See also

References External links






{{Infobox City|official_name = Halifax Regional Municipality|other_name = (HRM)|native_name = |nickname =|motto = "E Mari Merces"(Latin)"From the Sea, Wealth"]|subdivision_name = Canada|subdivision_name1 = [Nova Scotia|leader_title = [List of mayors of Halifax Regional Municipality|leader_name = Peter J. Kelly|leader_title1 = Governing body|leader_name1 = Halifax Regional Councils|leader_name2 = {{Collapsible list|title = List of MPs|title_style =|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;|1 = [Alexa McDonough|3 = [Michael Savage (politician)|4=Peter Stoffer)|6=([Gerald Keddy)])|8=|9=|10=-->|leader_title3 = Nova Scotia House of Assemblys|leader_name3 = {{Collapsible list|title = List of MLAs|title_style =|frame_style = border:none; padding: 0;|list_style = text-align:left;display:none;|1 = Barry Barnet|3 = [Darrell Dexter|5=[Howard Epstein|7=[Len Goucher|9=[Joan Massey|11=[Percy Paris|13=[Michele Raymond|15=[Brooke Taylor|17=[Dave Wilson (politician)|18=Trevor Zinck-->], 1996|area_blank1_km2 = 5528.25|area_blank1_sq_mi =|area_metro_km2 =|area_metro_sq_mi =|blank_name = Total Coastline|blank_info = 400 km (250 mi)

|population_as_of = [Canada 2006 Census|population_footnotes =|population_note =|settlement_type = Regional Municipality)|population_density_km2 = 67.9|population_density_sq_mi =|population_metro = 404807|population_density_metro_km2 =|population_density_metro_sq_mi =|population_urban = 282,924|population_density_urban_km2 = 1077.2|population_density_urban_mi2 =|population_blank1_title = Rural|population_blank1 = 89755|population_density_blank1_km2 = 16.23|population_density_blank1_sq_mi =|timezone = [Atlantic Standard Time Zone|utc_offset = -4|timezone_DST = Atlantic Daylight Saving Time|utc_offset_DST = -3|latd=44 |latm=45 |lats=56 |latNS=N|longd=63 |longm=16 |longs=52 |longEW=W|elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = 0 – 145|elevation_ft = 0 – 475.6|postal_code_type = |postal_code =|area_code = Area code 902|website = Halifax Regional Municipality|footnotes =-->

Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada of Nova Scotia, making it the Seat (legal entity) of the Monarchy in Nova Scotia. The municipality is commonly called HRM or simply Halifax ().

The population in 2006 was 372,679; the Halifax urban area had a population of 282,924, giving the municipality the largest urban area in the Maritimes and largest population centre in Canada east of Québec City, Quebec.

The first permanent European settlement in the area was the establishment of the City of Halifax in 1749, with other towns and villages were settled throughout the region in the decades that followed. In 1996 the provincial government amalgamated all municipal governments within Halifax County to create HRM, a regional municipality comprising approximately 200 individual neighbourhoods and communities (place-names) for civic addressing grouped into 18 planning areas for zoning purposes.

The Halifax urban area is a major economic centre in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Major employers and economic generators include the Canadian Forces, various levels of government, and the Halifax Port Authority. Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of HRM.

Geography The Halifax Regional Municipality occupies an area of 5,577 square kilometres (2,353 Square mile), (approximately 10% of Nova Scotia) comparative to the province of Prince Edward Island, and measures approximately 165 kilometres (102.5 Mile) in length between its eastern and western-most extremities.

The coastline is heavily indented, accounting for its length of approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi), with the northern boundary usually being between 50-60 kilometres (30-37 mi) inland. The coast is mostly rock with small isolated sand beaches in sheltered bays. The largest bays include St. Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia, Halifax Harbour/Bedford Basin, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Musquodoboit Harbour, Jeddore Harbour, Ship Harbour, Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, and Ecum Secum, Nova Scotia Harbour. The municipality's topography spans from lush Farmland (farming) in the Musquodoboit Valley to rocky and heavily forested rolling hills.

Urban-rural characteristics The region is large in physical area, centred on the urban core and surrounded by areas of decreasing density the farther the community is from the core.

Unlike most municipalities with a sizable census metropolitan area, Halifax Regional Municipality's suburbs are completely incorporated into the entire municipality, with the urban area including the urban core, suburban communities and a rural commuter shed that encompasses almost half the municipality's landmass.

The urban area of HRM (2006 pop: 282,924) is located in the western end of the municipality, fronting on Halifax Harbour. The dense urban core is centred on the Halifax Peninsula and the area of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia inside of the Nova Scotia Highway 111. The suburban area stretches beyond Mainland Halifax to the west, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia to the east, and Bedford, Nova Scotia, Sackville, Nova Scotia and Windsor Junction areas to the north.

This urban area constitutes the most populous urban area on Canada's Atlantic coast, and the second largest coastal population centre in the country, after Vancouver, British Columbia, British Columbia. HRM currently accounts for 40% of Nova Scotia's population, and 15% of that of the Atlantic provinces.

The north eastern area centred on Sheet Harbour and the Musquodoboit Valley is completely rural, with more in common with adjacent rural areas of neighbouring counties.

HRM's boundary includes all of Halifax County except for several First Nation reserves. Statistics Canada identifies HRM as a census subdivision while Halifax County is listed as a census division, despite the fact that both geographic areas differ by only several dozen hectares. Statistics Canada also lists the dissolved municipalities of Bedford , Dartmouth and Halifax, describing them as "Dissolved (municipalities) having undergone an amalgamation/dissolution)." 

Neighbourhoods and communities The Halifax Regional Municipality is an amalgamation of four municipal governments in the urban and rural areas, therefore its composition of neighbourhoods and communities is unlike other municipalities such as a city.

There are over 200 official rural and Urban area Community (disambiguation) within Halifax County that have maintained their original geographic names (including the dissolved cities of Halifax and Dartmouth and the town of Bedford). These community names are used on survey and mapping documents, for 9-1-1 service, municipal planning, and postal service.

HRM is divided into eighteen community planning areas which are further divided into neighbourhoods or villages. Several communities or neighbourhoods that were amalgamated by the former constituent municipalities in previous decades are starting to see their names gain increased use. The regional municipality has taken steps to reduce duplicate street names for its 9-1-1 emergency dispatch services; at the time of amalgamation, some street names were duplicated several times throughout HRM.

The Halifax urban area is a term used to roughly describe the urban concentration surrounding Halifax Harbour in the western part of the municipality, and includes the Halifax Metropolitan Area, the Dartmouth Metropolitan Area, and the Bedford-Sackville areas.

Rural areas lie to the east, west and north of this urban core. Certain rural communities on the urban fringe function as suburban or exurban areas, with the majority of those residents working in the urban core. Farther away, rural communities in HRM function much as any resource-based area in Nova Scotia, being sparsely populated, with their local economies developing around four major resource industries: agriculture, fishing, mining and forestry. It should be noted that the tourism industry is beginning to change how some rural communities in HRM function, particularly in coastal areas such as Hubbards, Nova Scotia, Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia and Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia

Climate HRM's climate is heavily influenced by its location on Nova Scotia's Atlantic Ocean coast. The weather is usually milder or cooler than that of central Canada, with the temperature remaining (with occasional notable exceptions) between about -15°Celsius and 35°C (5°F to 95°F) inland but the coast can be milder in the winter and cooler in the summer with the maritime influence.



Economy The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major economic centre in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Halifax serves as the business, banking, government and cultural centre for the Maritime region. Major employers and economic generators include the Canadian Forces, as well as the Halifax Port Authority. The municipality has a growing concentration of manufacturing industries and is becoming a major multi-modal transportation hub through growth at the port, the Halifax International Airport, and improving rail and highway connections. A real estate boom in recent years has led to numerous new property developments, including the gentrification of some former working-class areas.

Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of HRM. The majority of agriculture & forestry of the Halifax Regional Municipality is the Musquodoboit Valley. The total number of farms in HRM is 150, of which 110 are family owned and as of the 2001 Census. Fishing harbours are located along all coastal areas with some having an independent harbour authority, and others being managed as small craft harbours under the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Other resource industries in HRM include the natural gas fields off the coast of Sable Island, as well as clay, shale, gold, limestone, and gypsum extraction in rural areas of the mainland portion of the municipality.

See also: List of foreign consulates in Halifax

Government The Halifax Regional Municipality is governed by a Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality (elected at large) and a twenty-three person Halifax Regional Council, who are elected by geographic district; municipal elections occur every leap year. HRM has established Halifax Regional Community Council where three or more councillors agree to form these councils to deal primarily with local development issues. Most community council decisions are subject to final approval by regional council. The current Lord Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality is Peter Kelly.

The Halifax Regional Council is responsible for all facets of municipal government, including the Halifax Regional Police, Halifax Public Libraries, Halifax Fire and Emergency, Halifax Regional Water Commission, parks and recreation, public works, waste management, and planning and development.

Education The Halifax Regional Municipality has a well-developed network of public and private schools, providing instruction from primary to grade12; one hundred and fifty public schools are administered by the Halifax Regional School Board, as well as three public schools administered by the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial, whereas the fourteen private schools are operated independently.

The municipality is also home to the following post-secondary educational institutions: Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Mount Saint Vincent University, the Halifax campus of Université Sainte-Anne, University of King's College, Atlantic School of Theology, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and the Nova Scotia Community College. The presence of so many university and college students contributes to a vibrant youth culture in the region, as well as making it a major centre for university education in eastern Canada.

Culture The urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality is a major cultural centre within the Atlantic Canada. The municipality's urban core also benefits from a large population of post-secondary students who strongly influence the local cultural scene. HRM has a number of art galleries, theatres and museums, as well as most of the region's national-quality sports and entertainment facilities. The city is home to many performance venues, namely the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, the Neptune Theatre, and The Music Room. HRM also is the home to many of the regions major cultural attractions, such as Symphony Nova Scotia, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Neptune Theatre.

In the heart of the downtown you'll find art galleries, museums, historic sites and churches, shopping, sidewalk cafés and friendly nightclubs. Lively pubs and livelier entertainment and a nightlife that doesn't quit, spectacular shows, first class sporting events, riveting live theatre on both sides of the harbour, scrumptious dining and

The region is noted for the strength of its music scene and nightlife, especially in the central urban core. See List of musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotia for a partial list.

HRM plays host to a wide variety of festivals that take place throughout the year, including: The Atlantic Film Festival, The Halifax Busker Festival, Greekfest, Gay Pride week, The Atlantic Jazz Festival, The Multicultural Festival, periodic Tall Ship events, and Shakespeare by the Sea, to name a few. Many of these celebrations have become world renowned over the past several years.

HRM has also become a significant film-production centre, with many American and Canadian filmmakers using the streetscapes, often to stand in for other cities that are more expensive to work in. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has its Atlantic Canada production centres (radio and television) based in Halifax, and quite a number of radio and television programs are made in the region for national broadcast.

As for general culture, the Halifax Regional Municipality is considered by many to be the cultural heart of the Maritime Provinces. The city has been able to maintain many of its maritime traditions, while opening itself to its ever-more multicultural population. The culture of HRM and of Nova Scotia in general has and continues to be strongly influenced by the sea. There is a strong military presence in Halifax due to large naval and army bases in and around the city.

Sport The Halifax Regional Municipality is home to a number of outdoor recreational opportunities, including numerous ocean and lake beaches, as well as rural and urban parks. The municipality has a host of organised community intramural sports, as well as varsity and intramural sports offered by public schools and post-secondary institutions and has extensive facilities.

The region is home to several professional and semi-professional sport franchises, such as the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, as well as a newly-announced Halifax Rainmen of the American Basketball Association (21st century) (see also Sports teams in the Halifax Regional Municipality).

The region has also hosted several major sporting events, including the World Junior Hockey Championship, 2003 Nokia Brier, the 2004 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships, and the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship. From 1984 to 2007 , the region had been home to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball champions, however the tournament will be moved to Ottawa, Ontario starting in 2008.

Halifax was selected as Canada's bid for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in 2006 but withdrew from the international competition in advance of the November 9, 2007 selection date on March 8.

The municipality was selected as the host community for the Canada Games in February 2007.

Media HRM is the Maritimes' centre for broadcast and print media. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CTV Television Network and Global Television all have regional television hubs in the municipality. CBC Radio has a major regional studio and there are also regional hubs for Rogers Radio and various private broadcast franchises, as well as a regional bureau for the Canadian Press/Broadcast News. The HRM has two rival daily newspapers, the broadsheet Halifax Chronicle-Herald, the tabloid Halifax Daily News. The latter also publishes several neighbourhood versions of its daily content such as the Sackville Weekly News, the West End Weekly News. In addition the city also supports an alternative arts weekly, The Coast. Frank Magazine provides the region with a weekly satirical and gossip magazine.



Transportation The Halifax Regional Municipality is served by all modes of transportation.

Halifax Harbour is a major Canadian port used by numerous shipping lines, as well as the navy and coast guard and hosts a public ferry service connecting the urban core. Sheet Harbour is the other major port in the municipality and serves industrial shippers on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia).

The Halifax Port Authority's various shipping terminals constitute the eastern terminus of Canadian National Railway's transcontinental network. VIA Rail Canada provides overnight passenger rail service six days a week to Montreal, Quebec with its train the Ocean (passenger train).

Halifax Stanfield International Airport serves HRM and most of the province, providing scheduled flights to domestic and international destinations. CFB Shearwater, an air force base, is located in the urban core on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour but is presently being decommissioned for fixed-wing aircraft.

The municipality's urban core is linked by the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge and A. Murray MacKay Bridge suspension bridges, as well as a network of 100-Series Highways which function as expressways. The Armdale traffic circle is a notorious choke point for vehicle movement in the western part of the urban core, especially at rush hour.

The urban core of HRM is served by Metro Transit (Halifax), which operates standard bus routes, bus-rapid transit routes, as well as the pedestrian-only harbour ferries. Established in 1752 , the city's ferry service is the oldest continuously running Seawater ferry service in North America.

Buildings and structures HRM's urban core has a high proportion of historic buildings, however, municipal heritage laws do not prevent but only delay demolition and the municipality has no protected heritage districts. Preservationists and heritage advocacy organisations have attempted to prevent the demolition of the pockets of heritage buildings which survived urban renewal and high-rise development. Such groups have been criticised by development advocates for stunting the centralisation of urban growth and for stopping buildings from being built on empty land to preserve views from Citadel Hill.

Buildings of particular interest in the downtown core include:



The architecture of Halifax's south end is renowned for its Victorian houses. Dalhousie University's campus is often featured in films and documentaries. Dartmouth also has its share of historic neighbourhoods.The urban core is home to several blocks of typical North American high-rise office buildings, however the waterfront of the Halifax Peninsula is governed by height restrictions which prevent buildings from obstructing certain sight line between Citadel Hill and Halifax Harbour and Georges Island, Halifax. This has resulted in some modern high rises being built at unusual angles or locations.

as seen from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Demographics The Halifax Regional Municipality is comprised of 372,679 residents (2006 census). Approximately 18% of the population is under the age of 14, while 11% are 65 and older.

Ethnic origins {| class="wikitable sortable" align="right" style="text-align:right;"|- bgcolor="#cccccc"! Ethnic origin !! Population !! % of total|align="left"| Demographics of Canada || || 44.95|align="left"| English people || || 30.81|align="left"| Scottish people || || 27.06|align="left"| Irish people || || 22.43|align="left"| French people || || 16.57|align="left"| Ethnic German || || 10.64|align="left"| arabs || || 4.95|align="left"| Dutch people || || 3.74|align="left"| Black Canadian || || 3.64|align="left"| First Nations || || 2.67|align="left"| Welsh people || || 1.72|align="left"| Italian people || || 1.37|align="left"| Poles || || 1.13|align="left"| Ukrainians || || 1.01|align="left"| Acadian || || 1.00

|}The information regarding ethnicities at the right is from the 2001 Canadian Census. 2001 Canadian CensusThe percentages add to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "French-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "French" and the category "Canadian".) Groups with greater than 3000 responses are included.

Religious belief

Sister cities

Major parks , a popular forested seaside park on peninsular Halifax.

Consular representation

Notables See also

References External links








Halifax Regional Municipality
Official site. Offers information on regional services, the community, council, legislation, notices, and services as well as visitor information, links, and the Mayor's welcome.

Human Resources Halifax Regional Municipality
Career Opportunities Consider the opportunity. Consider the lifestyle. Find yourself working for HRM. The following position(s) are available and will close at 4:30 pm on the ...

Halifax Regional Municipality - Visitor Information
Explore Halifax. Halifax, the capital region of Nova Scotia, is a lively and colourful combination of urban and rural living at its best. Governor Edward Cornwallis and 2500 ...

Halifax Regional Municipality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the municipality that holds the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, making it the seat of the provincial Crown.

Halifax Regional Municipality - Visitor Information
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Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada is a modern port city teeming with culture and heritage and the perfect place for your next holiday vacation. The entire Halifax region delights with ...

Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
The Halifax Regional Municipality came into existence on April 1, 1996 as a result of the amalgamation of the cities of Halifax and Dartmouth, the Town of Bedford and Halifax ...

Halifax Regional Municipality Website Survey
1: 2: 3: 4: 5 : www.Halifax.ca is informative: www.Halifax.ca is easy to navigate: The search engine worked well: www.Halifax.ca has the information I need: www.Halifax.ca is ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Halifax, Nova Scotia may refer to any of the following: Halifax Regional Municipality, capital of Nova Scotia, Canada. Metropolitan Halifax, urban core area of Halifax Regional ...

Category:Halifax Regional Municipality - Wikimedia Commons
Media in category "Halifax Regional Municipality" The following 72 files are in this category, out of 72 total.

 

Halifax Regional Municipality



 
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