Bill 198 "Financial Measures Act"

A comprehensive update to the Act covering three main areas: electronic service of assessment notice (with owner consent), full gender-neutral language modernisation throughout and correction of cross-references and typographical errors.

Inplications: Enables paperless delivery of assessment notices, saving municipalities up to $1.3M annually. No substantive policy changes – primarily a modernisation and accessibility upgrade.

Originally proposed to allow the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to terminate community easements on grounds of severe hardship and to authorise the Minister of Natural Resources to enforce easement obligations. Following strong public pushback, including submissions from conservation groups and individual landowners, the governement withdrew these clauses.

Implications: WITHDRAWN. The changes, if passed, would have created a new route to extinguish community easements protecting lands held in trust for future generatiosn. The withdrawal preserves existing protections.

Mirrored the proposed Community Easements Act changes: Supreme Court termination of conservations easements in cases of severe hardship, simplified process when an easement holder dies and ministerial enforcement authority. Also withdrawn after public committee hearings.

Implications: WITHDRAWN. Organisations such as the Nova Scotia Nature Trust successfully argued these changes could undermine decades of private land conservation. Status quo maintained.

Grants the Minister of Natural Resources power to issue or renew timber and resource licences for up to five years without Governor in Council (GIC) approval, or up to ten years with GIC approval. Adds a definition for “wood-processing facility”. Empowers conservation officers to remove and impound vehicles found on Crown land in violation of rules, at the owner’s expense.

Implications: Streamlines timber licensing administration and reduces bureaucratic bottlenecks. The vehicle impoundment power strengthens enforcement agaisnt unauthorised recreational access and protester encampments on Crown land – a politically contested provision given recent protests.

Updates department and minister references. Adds a definition of ‘forest property’. Requires owners of forest land being used in commercial carbon sequestration transactions to file a detailed report with the Minister (including parcel IDs and forestry operations). Authorises the Minister to direct disclosure and share information with other parties. Expands GIC regulation-making powers.

Implications: Imposes new reporting requirements on landowners whose forests are used as commercial carbon sinks. The practical effect is that carbon-sink forestland will be taxed at a higher rate than actively harvested land, incentivising logging over conservation. Controversial among private woodlot owners and environmental advocates.

Exempts casinos and proposed casino developments from deed transfer taxes. Separately, exempts casinos from requiring development permits under the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter and the Municipal Government Act, provided a formal agreement has been executed with the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation.

Implications: Reduces cost and regulatory friction for casino construction or renovation, with implications for the proposed new Halifax casino. Removes municipal planning oversight for eligible casino projects — a significant shift in local accountability.

Creates entirely new legislation dissolving the Halifax-Dartmouth Bridge Commission. All staff and operations are absorbed into Link Nova Scotia. The board is abolished; the CEO position is retained under a new title and at the same salary. The move follows the government’s earlier decision to remove bridge tolls.

Implications: Consolidates bridge operations under a single infrastructure authority, expected to reduce administrative duplication and improve capital planning and procurement. The only immediate structural change is board dissolution; further staffing decisions rest with Link Nova Scotia management.

Four distinct changes: (1) aligns the personal foreign tax credit with current federal rules; (2) allows the corporate foreign tax credit to auto-update when applicable corporate rates change; (3) extends the Capital Investment Tax Credit sunset from December 31, 2029 to December 31, 2035 and moves the definition of ‘government assistance’ to regulation; (4) raises the Financial Institutions Capital Tax from 4% to 6%, effective for tax years ending on or after November 1, 2026.

Implications: The capital tax hike on financial institutions is the most significant revenue measure, expected to generate substantial additional provincial revenue. Extending the capital investment credit to 2035 supports long-term business investment. Foreign tax credit alignment reduces double-taxation exposure for individuals and corporations operating internationally.

Permits insurers to send various required notices — including policy termination notices — by electronic means, where the insured has consented to electronic communications.

Implications: Brings insurance notification procedures in line with modern communication practices. Reduces administrative cost for insurers. No change to consumer rights; electronic delivery requires prior consent.

Transfers oversight of Nova Scotia’s representation on the Maritime Provinces Harness Racing Commission from the Council of Atlantic Premiers to the provincial Minister of Agriculture. The Minister gains powers over appointments, budget approval, financial assistance, auditor selection, and annual reporting.

Implications: Repatriates decision-making authority from a multi-provincial council to a single provincial minister, increasing Nova Scotia’s direct control over harness racing governance and public funds directed to the Commission.

A substantial overhaul enabling a risk-based meat inspection model at provincially licensed abattoirs. Key changes: introduces the role of ‘authorized meat plant representative’ (designated by the licensee, authorised by the administrator) who can carry out inspection duties; allows pre-slaughter inspection to be waived by regulation; empowers administrators to impose, suspend, or revoke licence conditions; updates references from the old Meat Inspection standard to the federal Safe Food for Canadians Act.

Implications: Shifts from a mandatory government-inspector-present model toward a risk-calibrated approach, allowing licenced abattoirs to use trained plant-side representatives for certain functions. This is designed to address inspector capacity constraints and reduce costs for small abattoirs — but critics note it reduces direct provincial oversight of meat safety.

Explicitly vests ownership of all gypsum on or in Crown lands in the Province — both existing Crown lands and any lands that become Crown lands in future. Shortens the standard mineral lease renewal period from 20 years to 5 years and introduces criteria leaseholders must meet to qualify for renewal. Removes the grace period that gave expired lease-holders exclusive first right to re-apply. Adds tailings and waste rock to the definition of mineral resources. Expands GIC regulation-making authority.

Implications: Strengthens the Crown’s hand in gypsum extraction on public lands — particularly relevant given Nova Scotia’s significant gypsum deposits. Shorter lease renewals and new eligibility criteria give the province greater leverage over resource management. Removing the lapse grace period eliminates a procedural loophole for under-performing operators.

Clarifies that the most recent assessment roll is used to determine assessed value for tax purposes. Moves exemptions from the statute to regulations (allowing easier future adjustment). Adds broader regulation-making powers.

Implications: Increases administrative flexibility for managing non-resident property purchase tax exemptions without requiring legislative amendments each time. The shift to regulation-based exemptions could make it easier to tailor or expand exemptions in response to market or policy changes.

Updates the titles of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities and the Minister of Service Nova Scotia to reflect current naming. Allows the CEO to appoint a designate as a non-voting member of the PVSC Board.

Implications: Housekeeping amendments ensuring the Act accurately reflects current organisational titles. The designate provision adds operational flexibility for board participation without altering governance.

Adds a definition of ‘Crown’ to the Act. Transfers fee-setting authority from GIC regulations to the Minister of Natural Resources directly. Empowers conservation officers (and other ministerially appointed persons) to remove and impound vehicles found in provincial parks or park reserves in violation of the Act, at the owner’s expense. Repeals regulation-making authority that is superseded by these amendments.

Implications: Gives the Minister direct, more agile control over park fees without requiring regulatory amendment. The vehicle impoundment power mirrors the Crown Lands Act change and is intended to enforce park rules more effectively — consistent with the government’s broader stance on unauthorised use of public lands.

Extends the mandatory review period for the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Plan from every five years to every seven years. An indexing review remains required every five years. The next scheduled full review is set for 2029.

Implications: Reduces the frequency of full plan reviews, lowering administrative burden. However, it means the plan’s fundamental structure will be scrutinised less often, which could affect how quickly the plan adapts to demographic or actuarial changes.

Introduces a new biennial levy on electric and hybrid passenger vehicles: $500 every two years for electric vehicles and $250 every two years for hybrid vehicles, effective October 1, 2026.

Implications: Designed to compensate for fuel tax revenue lost as the EV fleet grows. Critics argue it penalises early EV adopters and undercuts climate incentives. At the same time, it establishes a principle that EV owners contribute to road maintenance funding — consistent with policies introduced in several other provinces and U.S. states.

Allows the Provincial Tax Commissioner to refuse to issue, or to cancel or suspend, a retail permit for contravention of the Tobacco Access Act (which governs age restrictions and display rules).

Implications: Creates a stronger enforcement tool linking permit status to compliance with youth access and display rules, providing a financial deterrent beyond existing penalty structures.

Removes Nova Scotia’s standalone provincial vaping product tax and replaces it with a requirement that vaping products bear federal excise stamps under the federal Excise Act, 2001. Grants compliance officers broad enforcement powers: entry to business premises, search and seizure of excise stamps, vehicle detention. Increases penalties for tobacco tax offences (subsequent convictions raised from 3× to 5× the evaded tax). Provides for repeal of the old vaping tax provisions by regulation once the federal system is fully operational.

Implications: Harmonises Nova Scotia with the federal vaping tax framework, enabling the province to capture an estimated $11.7M annually from online vaping product sales — revenue previously lost because only brick-and-mortar sales were captured. The move simplifies compliance for retailers while giving the province new enforcement infrastructure.

Updates definitions of ‘electricity cost’ and ‘residential electricity customer’ to refer to ‘electric energy’ rather than ‘electric current’, and extends the HST point-of-sale rebate on residential electricity to customers of retail electricity suppliers (not only traditional utility customers).

Implications: Ensures that customers purchasing electricity from competitive retail suppliers — including some renewable energy providers — qualify for the same HST rebate on home electricity as those served by Nova Scotia Power. Improves equity across electricity consumers as the retail market evolves.

Establishes a framework for designating independent dispute resolution services for investment-related complaints. Designated services have authority to make binding decisions. Firms in the securities industry would be required to participate in and comply with decisions of designated services.

Implications: Creates a binding, accessible alternative to courts for retail investors pursuing complaints against securities dealers or advisers. This mirrors approaches in other Canadian jurisdictions and is expected to improve investor protection and confidence in Nova Scotia’s capital markets.