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. Government in the province has only two tiers: provincial and municipal. The province is divided into 50 municipalities (in some cases called towns, counties, or municipalities).

This article is about the district municipality. For the village, see Chester, Nova Scotia.
Chester
District municipality
Municipality of the District of Chester
Seal
Location of the Municipality of the District of Chester
Coordinates: 44.65°N 64.3°W / 44.65; -64.3
Country Canada
Province Nova Scotia
CountyLunenburg
Founded1759
IncorporatedApril 17, 1879
Electoral Districts    
Federal
South Shore—St. Margaret's
ProvincialChester-St. Margaret's / Lunenburg
Government
 • TypeChester Municipal Council
 • Municipal SeatChester
 • WardenAllen Webber
Area
 • Land1,122.11 km2 (433.25 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total10,310
 • Change 2011-16
2.7%
 • Census ranking
399 of 4,870
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)
Area code(s)902 - 275
Dwellings6,161
Median Income*$42,776 CDN
WebsiteOfficial website
  • Median household income, 2005 (all households)

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]

Districts

The county is divided into seven districts, for the purpose of electing councillors. The communities mentioned below have no separate legal status and are not incorporated towns.

Departments and services

There are seven departments in the district:[5]

  • Community Development
  • Corporate Services (Municipal Clerk)
  • Engineering & Public Works
  • Finance
  • Information Services
  • Recreation & Parks
  • Solid Waste

Demographics

In the 2016 Census of Population, the Municipality of the District of Chester had a population of 10,310 living in 4,769 of its 6,492 total private dwellings, a change of -2.7% from its 2011 population of 10,599. With a land area of 1,122.11 km2 (433.25 sq mi), it had a population density of 9.2/km2 (23.8/sq mi) in 2016.[6]

Parks, playgrounds and open spaces

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.[9]

Parks and outdoor areas include Anvil Park in Chester Basin, East River Property, Village of Chester Gazebo, Wild Rose Park in Western Shore and the Green Gym Park in Chester Basin.[10]

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.[11]

Within the Village of Chester there is a skate park that was opened in 2009 after five years of planning and fundraising.[12]

Schools

The Municipality of the District of Chester has two schools that are also used for community use and open to the public.[13] These schools are Forest Heights Community School (FHCS)[14] which is located in Chester Grant and Aspotogan Consolidated Elementary School (ACES) [15] which is located in Mill Cove. These schools were developed as Community School from the beginning starting in 1992 for FHCS and 2000 for ACES.

Other schools located in the municipality include Chester Area Middle School,[16] Chester District Elementary School [17] and New Ross Consolidated School.[18]

References
  1. 2011 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Chester Municipal District, Nova Scotia
  2. "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. "Administration". Chester. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  6. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Nova Scotia)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  7. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
  8. 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Chester Municipal District, Nova Scotia
  9. "Municipality of the District of Chester - Trails in the Municipality". chester.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  10. "Municipality of the District of Chester - Parks & Open Spaces". chester.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  11. "Municipality of the District of Chester - Playgrounds". chester.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  12. "Municipality of the District of Chester - Chester Skate Park". chester.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  13. "Municipality of the District of Chester - Community Schools". chester.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  14. "Home". forestheights.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  15. "Aspotogan Consolidated Elementary School | Mill Cove, Nova Scotia". www.aces.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  16. "Chester Area Middle School". cams.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  17. "Chester District School". Chester District School. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  18. "New Ross Consolidated School | Empowering and supporting youth in education". www.nrcs.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved 2016-12-02.

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