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Authority record
Corporate body · 2003- .

The Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs was provisionally established in 2003 in response to the Final Report on Consultations with the African Nova Scotian Community (July 2001). Amendments made to the Public Service Act in 2004 and proclaimed in January of 2005 officially established the Office whose object and purpose is to create and promote an integrated approach to matters relating to the African Nova Scotian community; to represent Nova Scotia in intergovernmental and other initiatives and negotiations on matters integral to the African Nova Scotian community; to provide the minister responsible with research analysis and policy advice on African Nova Scotia issues; to develop cooperatively communication strategies and public education in order to improve general understanding and appreciation of African Nova Scotia culture, heritage and community identity; and to advocate for the interests and concerns of the African Nova Scotian community. Wayn Hamilton was appointed as the Office’s Chief Executive Officer in September of 2005. In January 2011 the Office was integrated into the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage for administrative purposes through legislative amendments under the Government Administration Amendment (2011) Act which removed the Office as a separate and distinct public body. In 2022 three new regional offices were established, in Digby, New Glasgow and the Preston area.

Corporate body · 1759-1879

Prior to 1879 local government in Nova Scotia was the responsibility of the appointed Court of General Sessions of the Peace, which was composed of all those who held commissions as justices of the peace within a particular county. The Annapolis County Court of General Sessions of the Peace began with the creation of the county in 1759. Meeting two or more times a year, the court had both administrative and judicial functions. It was empowered to appoint local officials, who had been nominated by the Grand Jury; levy county and poor rates; exercise control over roads, bridges, prisons, hospitals, and other public works; regulate animals, weeds, fires, taverns, and the inland fisheries and perform other duties assigned by statute. It could also sit as a court of justice, with limited criminal jurisdiction, using the Grand and Petit Jury system from England. The Grand Jury decided whether a charge should proceed to trial. The Petit Jury decided on an accused’s guilt or innocence. Jury members were selected by lot from a list of male residents who either owned land or held a minimum amount of personal wealth. In 1800 Annapolis County was divided into eastern and western districts and the Court of General Sessions was required to sit twice a year in each district. In 1837 the Western District became Digby County and was subsequently under the jurisdiction of its own court. The passage of the County Incorporation Act in 1879 replaced the administrative functions of the Court of General Sessions with an elected municipal council. Its judicial function was assumed by the Supreme Court on County Circuit.

Corporate body · 1896-

Ashburn Golf and Country Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a members-only private club for recreation, began in 1896 under the name Halifax Golf Club. They leased land from the Studley Grounds and rented a house on Le Marchant Street to act as a club house. Officially formed as the Halifax Golf and Country Club in 1922, their first permanent 18-hole golf course was designed by architect Stanley Thompson in 1922 on 142 acre site close to the city. In 1952 the name was changed to Ashburn Golf and Country Club. When a public highway was being built through part of the golf course in 1958, the Club purchased a 600 acre site near Kinsac Lake in Fall River NS. The new course was designed and built by Geoffrey Cornish, a Canadian Golf Hall-of-Fame member, in 1968 and officially opened in 1970. The Club has hosted many provincial and national championships including Crown Life Pro-Am, Cunningham Trophy, Captain’s Cup, the Mixed Lettuce Bowl, the Fall Classic, and Web.com Tours. As of 2024, Ashburn operates 2 golf courses, the “Old Ashburn” and the New.

Corporate body · 1976-1983

The Association of Outdoor Nova Scotians was founded in 1976. Its aims were to distribute information on education, industry and research related to the out of doors; to promote ecology conservation and the wise use of our natural resources, to encourage the exchange of information between regional, national and international groups with similar interests of hiking, camping and other outdoor activities, and to promote awareness of environmental issues. The organization ended in approximately 1983.

Avon Gold Mines Ltd.
Corporate body · 1903-1955

Gold was first discovered at Oldham, Nova Scotia in 1861, and was actively mined by a group of British capitalists under the name Oldham Sterling Gold Company from 1870 until it went into insolvency. The mine was then bought by Mr. B.G. Gray of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in 1903 acquired by William Arthur Brennan (1851-1916), a journalist and publisher from Summerside, Prince Edward Island. W.A. Brennan managed the mine via correspondence with hired supervisors, including his younger son Charles Victor Brennan in 1908-1909. Upon William Brennan’s death in 1916, the mine was inherited by his wife and 2 sons, Rosara Lefurgey Brennan (1858-1942), Arthur Roland Brennan (1882-1951), and C. Victor (1887-1961), with Rosara’s interests later passing to her daughter, Dorothy J. Sharp (b.1888). At the time of his father’s death, Victor was a mining engineer in British Columbia so the mine was managed by Arthur R. with his brother’s advice. The mine operated sporadically under the name Acadia Gold Mines Ltd. in the 1920s but suffered financial difficulties. After a few attempts, the family sold shares in the property to a Montreal group of investors under the name Avon Gold Mines Ltd. in 1935, to raise operating capital. Arthur R. Brennan continued as mine manager, with brother Victor’s advice, and corresponded with on-site personnel while operating his Journal Publishing Company in Summerside, PE. In 1943, Avon Gold Mines Ltd. ceased operations due to wartime labour shortage and inability to pay their bills. In the early 1950s, ownership of the mining properties at Oldham reverted back to Arthur’s son William R. Brennan, who was unable to find new investors. By 1955 the mine was closed, and assets sold.

Corporate body · 1968-1996

The Black United Front arose out of a meeting held on 30 November 1968 in Halifax to discuss the creation of an organization to act as an advocate and resource agency for the black community in Nova Scotia. An interim committee was established to secure funding. On 15 August 1969 the federal government announced its financial support, leading to the creation of the Black United Front (BUF). It was incorporated under the Societies' Act on 13 January 1970. The new organization was to be governed by a Provincial Council composed of elected representatives from each black community and an appointed Executive Director with support staff. Among the objectives of the new organization were: obtaining economic and political power for Blacks, promoting black history and culture, assisting in the development of a positive black self-image, developing leadership and community organization skills and providing resources through which the black community could access self-help programmes. Throughout its twenty-seven year history BUF accessed or created numerous government and private programmes in order to benefit the black community. It assisted clients in finding employment through such federal programmes as LIP, SEED, LEAP, Outreach, OYC, Community Student Service Program, and CEIC funding. It also provided legal assistance, publicized human rights concerns of individuals and communities, and offered mediation services and race relations counselling to schools, employers, and government departments. Since most of the black communities in the province were underdeveloped and without services, BUF's community and outreach workers assisted in securing adequate water supplies, solved many housing problems and land clarification issues, and provided social services assistance to clients requiring affordable housing and health resources. The isolation of these communities was also reduced through a communications network consisting of provincial council meetings, meetings with community workers, and circulation of BUF newspapers, newsletters and circulars. BUF was one of the first advocates for a Black Cultural Centre (established in 1983) through its promotion of black culture and history via cable television programmes, black cultural expos, black history month and similar methods. It also conducted several demographic profiles of black communities to obtain little-known statistics on black populations. In late 1983 a funding crisis occurred when the provincial government withdrew its financial support due to what it considered to be funding irregularities. On 10 October 1984 funding was restored after an acceptable interim organization was created to restructure the organization. The reconstituted organization continued to promote earlier BUF objectives and also paid greater attention to education and literacy, affirmative action, and provision of legal services. By early 1996, however, a negative media profile plus continuous under-funding and a lack of accountability and government commitment led to the disbandment of the organization.

Corporate body · 1964-1965

The national Commission to Inquire into the Problems of Marketing Salted and Cured Fish Produced in the Atlantic Provinces, also referred to as the Atlantic Salt Fish Commission, was created by Privy Council Order-in-Council (PC#1964-1672) dated October 29, 1964. Dr. D.B. Finn, former Deputy Minister of Fisheries for Canada, was appointed sole Commissioner. His mandate was to inquire into and report upon the export marketing problems of the salt fish industry in the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec, and the advisability of establishing a marketing board to control exports of cured fish. Commissioner Finn made a detailed study of existing reports, especially the Newfoundland Salt Fish Marketing Report 1963. He held public hearings in St. John’s NF, Halifax NS, Fredericton NB, and Quebec PQ from February 1 to 15, 1965. He submitted his final report to the Governor General of Canada in 1965 and the Commission disbanded.

Corporate body · 1937-1940

The national Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations was established by Privy Council Order-in-Council (P.C.1908) on August 14, 1937 under Prime Minister William L. Mackenzie King. Chief Justice Newton W. Rowell of Ontario was appointed chairperson, subsequently replaced by Professor Joseph Sirois of Laval University Quebec City in 1938, with Justice Thibaudeau Rinfret of Supreme Court of Canada, John Wesley Dafoe, lawyer of Winnipeg MB, Professor Robert Alexander Mackay of Dalhousie University Halifax NS, and Professor Henry Forbes Angus of University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC appointed as co-commissioners.
Its mandate was to examine the divisions of power and revenue between the federal and provincial governments; investigate the current taxation system for efficiency and equity; examine the public spending accounts and debts; and to investigate the existing system of federal grants and subsidies paid to the provincial governments. Their goal was to determine the facts of the situation and make recommendations for stabilizing government finances and strengthening the federation of Canada.
The Royal Commission made visits to each provincial premier in September and October 1937 before conducting 85 days of public hearings at Ottawa and at each provincial capital city starting in Winnipeg, MB on November 29, 1937 and ending in Ottawa on December 1, 1938. Only governments, recognized public organizations, and selected individuals were eligible to appear at hearings and/or submit briefs. The Commission collected over 10,000 pages of evidence, 427 exhibits, and 154 briefs.
At the same time as hearings were being conducted, they launched a detailed research programme on the economic history of Dominion-provincial relations including the national income, the financial history of Canadian governments, the economic effects of the Canadian taxation system, the role of municipalities, transportation, social welfare services, and labour legislation. In addition, they researched constitutional and legal matters such as the historical context of Confederation and the growth of governmental functions from 1867 to 1940. They also conducted a comparative study of public finances from questionnaires sent to all provincial Ministers of Finance covering 1915 to 1940.
Professor Joseph Sirois submitted their final report to Prime Minister William L. Mackenzie King on May 3, 1940 and the Royal Commission disbanded.

Corporate body · 1935

The national Royal Commission on Financial Arrangements Between the Dominion and the Maritime Provinces was created by the Committee of the Privy Council’s Order in Council (P.C. 2231) on September 14, 1934. Sir Thomas White, lawyer of Toronto, was appointed chairperson of the Commission, with Justice John Alexander Mathieson, Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, and Edward Walter Nesbitt of Woodstock, Ontario as co-commissioners. It was set up at the request of the three Maritime Premiers of the day: L.P.D. Tilley of New Brunswick, Angus L. Macdonald of Nova Scotia, and W.J.F. MacMillan of Prince Edward Island. Its mandate was to deal with the recommendation of the national Royal Commission on Maritime Claims of 1926 (also called the Duncan Commission), to change the financial arrangements under which the Maritime Provinces joined Confederation. The aim was for a more equitable sharing of revenues between the Maritimes and the rest of Canada. Sir White submitted their report to the Rt.Hon. R.B. Bennett, Prime Minister of Canada, on February 9, 1935. A dissenting opinion was submitted by Commissioner John A. Mathieson on February 16, 1935, and the Royal Commission disbanded.

Corporate body · 1926

The national Royal Commission on Maritime Claims, also referred to as the Duncan Commission, was created by Prime Minister Mackenzie King by Privy Council Order on April 7, 1926 (P.C. 505). It was established in response to the claims of the Maritime Rights movement. Sir Andrew Rae Duncan, British expert on coal industry regulation, was appointed Chairperson along with Hon. William Bernard Wallace, Justice of the County Court of District One in Nova Scotia, and English Professor Cyrus Macmillan from Prince Edward Island, working at McGill University in Montreal, as co-commissioners. (Professor Macmillan would later become federal Fisheries Minister.) The Royal Commission’s mandate was 1) to examine and make recommendations to address the Maritimes’ grievances against higher costs for transporting goods by the Canadian National Railway (freight rates), formerly called the Intercolonial Railway, as compared with other parts of Canada; 2) the lack of overseas shipping of Canadian trade goods through Maritime ports; and 3) the lack of action on economic policies promised at the time of Confederation. Public hearings were held in Halifax NS, Saint John NB, Charlottetown PE, Sydney NS, Amherst NS, Yarmouth NS, and in Montreal PQ from July 21 to August 31, 1926. In addition, many informal visitations to local Boards of Trade in the 3 provinces were made, along with a visit to Winnipeg to investigate the transport of grain, and private meetings held in Montreal and Ottawa ON. Evidence was received from over one hundred witnesses, including representatives from Government, trade, commerce, railway administration, and private citizens. The final report, submitted on September 23, 1926, recommended freight rate reductions, an increase in federal payments to the provinces (equalization payments), and new port management for Halifax and Saint John New Brunswick. After fulfilling its duties, the Commission ended.