Halifax (Nova Scotia)

When the Halifax Regional Municipality was established, a new Halifax Regional Council was created. This council is made up of a mayor and 23 councilors who are popularly elected to two-year terms. The city of Halifax is also the site of the provincial governing bodies for the province of Nova Scotia.

Called Chebucto (“at the great harbor”) by the indigenous Mi’kmaq (Mi'kmaq) nation, this part of Nova Scotia’s coast remained unoccupied by Europeans until 1749. In that year, British colonel Edward Cornwallis established a settlement and military base on the harbor and named it in honor of the earl of Halifax, a British official who had planned the enterprise. The base was created primarily to defend the area against potential attacks by the French, who had a fortress at Louisbourg on Isle Royale (now Cape Breton Island in eastern Nova Scotia). In 1752 the first newspaper in Canada was established in Halifax, and in 1758 Halifax became the site of the first elected legislature in what is now Canada. During the 19th century, the port emerged as a major center for trade. Halifax was incorporated as a city in 1841.

During World War I (1914-1918) Halifax again became a military bastion. Huge convoys of ships assembled at the inner harbor (Bedford Basin) to prepare for sailing through the submarine-infested North Atlantic. On December 6, 1917, a munitions ship arriving to join a convoy collided with another vessel at the Narrows leading into the Basin. A massive explosion resulted, killing nearly 2000 people and devastating the whole north end of the city.

In World War II Halifax played a vital role in the Allied effort. Many of the supplies and ordnance going to Europe from the Americas were shipped through its port facilities. For both its modern military presence and for its important role during both world wars, Halifax has earned the nickname “Warden of the North.”