Bill 253: Service Efficiency Act

A wide range of Nova Scotia businesses are touched depending on their sector. Condominium corporations and their unit owners face new voting threshold rules when making non-substantial changes to common elements that require a declaration amendment — requiring 80% owner approval instead of the previous 66⅔%. Farmers and veterinary practices across rural Nova Scotia are affected by the new Livestock Health Services Act, which replaces the old program structure and terminates existing provider agreements, requiring re-enrolment under new program terms. Recreational fishing outfitters, guides, and licence vendors — many of them small operators — now fall under a consolidated licensing and permitting regime moved from the Wildlife Act into the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act. Municipalities and their auditors must now ensure the appointed auditor holds a Chartered Professional Accountant designation in good standing, which may affect smaller communities currently using non-CPA registered auditors.