Bill 253: Service Efficiency Act

The bill touches a wide range of Nova Scotia businesses and professionals. Municipalities, villages, and Halifax Regional Municipality will need to ensure their auditors are qualified chartered professional accountants under the Chartered Professional Accountants Act — affecting accounting firms that do municipal audit work. Condominium corporations face clarified voting thresholds (80% approval) for non-substantial common element changes that require a declaration amendment, which affects condo boards and their legal and property management advisors. Recreational fishing guides, fishing licence vendors, and organizers of fishing derbies or tournaments will operate under a consolidated regulatory regime now housed in the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act rather than the Wildlife Act. Farmers and veterinary practices in Nova Scotia that participate in livestock health subsidy programs will transition to a new legislative framework under the Livestock Health Services Act, with existing agreements terminated on proclamation. Electrical utilities acting as inspection agencies under the Technical Safety Act will have their permit and inspection fees set by the Nova Scotia Energy Board rather than by ministerial regulation, which matters to utilities and the electrical contractors whose compliance costs are tied to those fee structures.