Halifax, Nova Scotia

Halifax
Regional municipality
Halifax Regional Municipality
From top, left to right: Downtown Halifaxskyline, Macdonald Bridge, Crystal Crescent Beach, Peggy's Cove, Central Library, Sullivan's Pond
Flag Coat of arms Logo
Motto(s): " E Mari Merces" ( Latin) "From the Sea, Wealth"
Location in Nova Scotia
Halifax Location in Canada
Coordinates:44°38′51″N63°35′26″W / 44.64750°N 63.59056°W /44.64750; -63.59056[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Town	1749
City	1842
Regional municipality	April 1, 1996
Named for	George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax
Government
• Type	Regional municipality
•Mayor	Michael Savage
• Governing body	Halifax Regional Council
•MPs	List of MPs Andy Fillmore(LPC) Lena Diab(LPC) Darren Fisher(LPC) Darrell Samson(LPC) Rick Perkins(CPC)
•MLAs	List of MLAs Barbara Adams Patricia Arab Gary Burrill Claudia Chender Keith Colwell Lena Diab Rafah DiCostanzo Tim Halman Larry Harrison Bill Horne Tony Ince Ben Jessome Brad Johns Labi Kousoulis Susan Leblanc Brendan Maguire Kevin Murphy Iain Rankin Kelly Regan Lisa Roberts Dave Wilson
Area
•Regional municipality	5,475.57 km2(2,114.13 sq mi)
• Urban	238.29 km2(92.00 sq mi)
• Metro	7,276.22 km2(2,809.36 sq mi)
Highest elevation	241.9 m (793.6 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2021) [2] [3] [4]
•Regional municipality	439,819 (13th)
• Density	80.3/km2(208/sq mi)
•Urban	348,634
• Urban density	1,463.1/km2(3,789/sq mi)
•Metro	465,703 (12th)
• Metro density	64.0/km2(166/sq mi)
• Change2016–2021	9.1%
• Census ranking	13 of 5,162
Demonym	Haligonian
Gross Metropolitan Product
• HalifaxCMA	CA$24.4billion (2020)[5]
Time zone	UTC−04:00(AST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−03:00(ADT)
Postal code span	B0J, B3A to B4G
Area codes	902,782
Website	halifax.ca

Halifax(Scottish-Gaelic:HalafacsorAn Àrd-Bhaile) is the capital and most populous municipality of theCanadian provinceofNova Scotia, and the most populous municipality inAtlantic Canada. As of 2023, it is estimated that the population of the HalifaxCMAwas 518,711,^[6]with 348,634 people in itsurban area.^[3]The regional municipality consists of four former municipalities that wereamalgamatedin 1996:Halifax,Dartmouth,Bedford, andHalifax County.

Halifax is an economic centre of Atlantic Canada, home to a concentration of government offices and private companies. Major employers include theDepartment of National Defence,Dalhousie University,Nova Scotia Health Authority,Saint Mary's University, theHalifax Shipyard, various levels of government, and thePort of Halifax. Resource industries found in rural areas of the municipality include agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry, and natural gas extraction.

The Mi'kmaq name for Halifax isKjipuktuk, pronounced "che-book-took".^[7]The name means "Great Harbour" in theMi'kmaq language.^[8]

The first permanent European settlement in the region was on theHalifax Peninsula. The establishment of theTown of Halifax, named after the2nd Earl of Halifax, in 1749 led to the colonial capital being transferred fromAnnapolis Royal.

The establishment of Halifax marked the beginning ofFather Le Loutre's War. The war began whenEdward Cornwallisarrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports and a sloop of war on June 21, 1749.^[9]By unilaterally establishing Halifax, the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mi'kmaq (1726), which were signed afterFather Rale's War.^[10]Cornwallis brought along 1,176 settlers and their families. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax(Citadel Hill)(1749), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1749), Dartmouth (1750), andLawrencetown(1754), all areas within the modern-day Regional Municipality.St. Margaret's Baywas first settled by French-speakingForeign ProtestantsatFrench Village, Nova Scotiawho migrated fromLunenburg, Nova Scotiaduring the American Revolution.

December 6, 1917 saw one of the great disasters in Canadian history, when theSSMont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying munitions, collided with theBelgian ReliefvesselSSImoin "The Narrows" between upper Halifax Harbour and Bedford Basin. The resulting explosion, theHalifax Explosion, devastated theRichmond Districtin the North End of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring nearly 9,000 others.^[11]The blast was thelargest artificial explosionbefore the development of nuclear weapons.^[12]Significant aid came fromBoston, strengthening thebond between the two coastal cities.

The four municipalities in the Halifax urban area had been coordinating delivery of some services through the Metropolitan Authority since the late 1970s, but remained independent towns and cities until April 1, 1996, when the provincial governmentamalgamatedall municipal governments withinHalifax Countyto create the Halifax Regional Municipality. The municipal boundary thus now includes all of Halifax County except for several First Nation reserves.^[13]

Since amalgamation, the region has officially been known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), although "Halifax" has remained in common usage for brevity. On April 15, 2014, regional council approved the implementation of a new branding campaign for the municipality. The campaign would see the region referred to in promotional materials simply as "Halifax", although "Halifax Regional Municipality" would remain the region's official name.^[14][15][16]

Halifax has ahumid continental climate(KöppenDfb), with warm summers and relatively mild winters, which is due toGulf Streammoderation. Theweatheris usually milder in the winter or cooler in the summer than areas at similar latitudes inland, with the temperature remaining (with occasional notable exceptions) between about −8 and 28 °C (18 and 82 °F).^[17]January is the coldest month, being the only month with a high that is slightly below freezing at −0.1 °C (31.8 °F), while August is the warmest. The sea heavily influences the climate of the area, causing significantseasonal lagin summer, with August being significantly warmer than June and with September being the third mildest month in terms of mean temperature.^[18]

Precipitation is high year-round. Winter features a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow with frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Snowfall is heavy in winter, but snow cover is usually patchy owing to the frequent freeze-thaw cycles, which melt accumulated snow. Some winters feature colder temperatures and fewer freeze-thaw cycles; the most recent of which being the winter of 2014–2015, which was the coldest, snowiest and stormiest in about a century. Spring is often wet and cool and arrives much later than in areas of Canada at similar latitudes, due to cooler sea temperatures. Summers are mild and pleasant, with hot and humid conditions very infrequent. Warm, pleasant conditions often extend well into September, sometimes into mid-October. Average monthly precipitation is highest from November to February due to intense late-fall to winter storms migrating from the Northeastern U.S., and lowest in summer, with August being the year's warmest and driest month on average. Halifax can sometimes receive hurricanes, mostly between August and October. An example is whenHurricane Juan, acategory 2storm, hit in September 2003 and caused considerable damage to the region.Hurricane Earlgrazed the coast as acategory 1storm in 2010. In 2019,Hurricane Dorianmade landfall just south of Halifax as a post-tropical storm with an intensity equivalent to a category 2 hurricane and caused significant damage across Nova Scotia. In 2021Hurricane Idahit the region with minor damage. In 2022,Hurricane Fionahit as a category 2 storm, although damage was relatively minor in Halifax, with downed trees and widespread power outages for days.^[19]Atlanticsea surface temperatureshave risen in recent years, making Halifax and the coast of Nova Scotia somewhat more susceptible to hurricanes than the area had been in the past.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Halifax was 37.2 °C (99.0 °F) on July 10, 1912,^[20]and the lowest temperature recorded was −29.4 °C (−20.9 °F) on February 18, 1922.^[21]TheMarch 2012 North American heat wavebrought unusually high temperatures to the municipality of Halifax. On March 22, the mercury climbed to 28.2 °C (82.8 °F) at the Halifax Windsor Park weather station,^[22]and 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) atHalifax Stanfield International Airport.^[23]In spite of the possibility of high temperatures, in a normal year there are only three days that go above 30 °C (86 °F).^[24]Halifax also has a modest frost count by Canadian standards due to the maritime influence, averaging 131 air frosts and 49 full days below freezing annually.^[24]On average the frost-free period is 182 days, ranging from May 1 to October 31.^[24]

As of the2021 Canadian Census, theHalifax Census Metropolitan Area(Metropolitan Halifax) is coterminous with the Municipality of Halifax and theMunicipality of East Hants. The total land area of Metropolitan Halifax is 727,622 hectares (7,276.22 square kilometres; 2,809.36 square miles)^[45]

The metropolitan area grew between the2016 Canadian Censusand the2021 Canadian Census. Before the2021 Canadian Census, Metropolitan Halifax covered 549,631 hectares (5,496.31 square kilometres; 2,122.14 square miles)^[46]After the addition of theMunicipality of East Hants, the metropolitan area's land area expanded by 177,991 hectares (1,779.91 km²) to its current land area.^[45]

This section needs additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this articlebyadding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:"Halifax, Nova Scotia"–news·newspapers·books·scholar·JSTOR (March 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Halifax has two distinct areas: its rural area and its urban area. Since 1 April 1996, the entirety of theCounty of Halifaxand all of its places (cities, suburbs, towns, and villages) were turned into communities of a larger single-tier municipality called Halifax Regional Municipality. As of 2021, the total surface area of the municipality is 5,475.57 km²(2,114.13 sq mi).^[2]

The Halifax Regional Municipality occupies an area comparable in size to the total land area of the province ofPrince Edward Island, and measures approximately 165 km (103 mi) in length between its eastern and westernmost extremities, excludingSable Island. The nearest point of land to Sable Island is not in HRM, but rather in adjacentGuysborough County. However, Sable Island is considered part of District 7 of the Halifax Regional Council.

The coastline is heavily indented, accounting for its length of approximately 400 km (250 mi), with the northern boundary of the municipality usually being between 50 and 60 km (31 and 37 mi) inland. The coast is mostly rock with small isolated sand beaches in sheltered bays. The largest coastal features includeSt. Margarets Bay,Halifax Harbour/Bedford Basin,Cole Harbour,Musquodoboit Harbour, Jeddore Harbour, Ship Harbour, Sheet Harbour, and Ecum Secum Harbour. The municipality's topography spans from lushfarmlandin theMusquodoboit Valleyto rocky and heavily forested rolling hills. It includes a number of islands and peninsulas, among themMcNabs Island,Beaver Island,Melville Island,Deadman's IslandandSable Island.

The Halifax Regional Centre includes theHalifax Peninsula, andDartmouthinside the Circumferential Highway. The new inner urban area covers 3,300 hectares (33 square kilometres; 13 square miles)^[48]and houses 96,619 people in 55,332 dwelling units as of the 2016 Census.^[49]The Regional Centre has many public services within its boundaries, and it hosts large entertainment venues (Scotiabank Centre), and major hospitals (Dartmouth General Hospital, theQEII Health Sciences Centre, andIWK Health Centre).

Halifax is geographically large, and there are over 200 official communities and neighbourhoods within the municipality. They vary from rural to urban. The formertownofBedford, and the former cities ofDartmouthandHalifaxhave maintained their original geographic names. Furthermore, communities that weresuburban, or evenruralbefore 1996, now have become more urban and have attainedcommunitystatus (e.g.Cole Harbour,Lower Sackville,Spryfield, et cetera).^[50]These community names are used on survey andmappingdocuments, for9-1-1service, municipal planning, and postal service.

Before theamalgamation of Halifax in 1996, and since its restructure as amunicipality, the growth of Halifax has gradually increased. Many of the present day communities within theconurbationhave morphed from being primarily rural in the recent past, to now primarily urban. With the demographic change and growth of many communities within urban Halifax, their function and role within theconurbationhas changed. With this continuous growth, many of the current communities have developedde factobusiness districtswhere residents of their respective communities (and their respective environs) can access products and services without travelling long distances (e.g. toDowntown Dartmouthor toDowntown Halifax).

Currently, the municipality is divided into 21 community planning areas which are further divided into neighbourhoods.^[51]The regional municipality has taken steps to reduce duplicate street names for its 9-1-1 emergency dispatch services; at the time of amalgamation, some street names were duplicated several times throughout the municipality.^[52]

Current planning areas:

• Beaver Bank, Hammonds Plains, and Upper Sackville
• Bedford
• Cole Harbour/Westphal
• Dartmouth
• Eastern Passage/Cow Bay
• Eastern Shore (East)
• Eastern Shore (West)
• Downtown Halifax
• Halifax
• Lawrencetown
• Musquodoboit Valley/Dutch Settlement
• North Preston, Lake Major, Lake Loon, Cherry Brook, and East Preston
• Planning Districts 1 & 3 (St. Margaret's Bay)
• Planning District 4 (Prospect)
• Planning District 5 (Chebucto Peninsula)
• Planning Districts 8 & 9 (Lake Echo/Porters Lake)
• Planning Districts 14 & 17 (Shubenacadie Lakes)
• Regional Centre Plan Area
• Sackville
• Sackville Drive
• Timberlea/Lakeside/Beechville

Halifax is centred on the urban core and surrounded by areas of decreasing population density. Rural areas lie to the east, west and north of the urban core. TheAtlantic Oceanlies to the south. Certain rural communities on the urban fringe function assuburbanorexurbanareas, with the majority of those residents commuting to and working in the urban core.

Farther away, rural communities in the municipality function like any resource-based area in Nova Scotia, being sparsely populated and their local economies based on four major resource industries:agriculture, in the Musquodoboit Valley,fishing, along the coast,mining, in the Musquodoboit Valley^[53]and inMoose River Gold Mines^[54]andforestry, in most areas outside the urban core. Also, thetourismindustry is beginning to change how some rural communities in Halifax function, particularly in communities such asHubbards,Peggys Cove, with its notable lighthouse^[55]andLawrencetown, with Lawrencetown Beach.^[56]There are two other large beaches along the coast, Martinique Beach, nearMusquodoboit Harbour^[57]andTaylor Head Beach, located inSpry Bay, within the boundaries ofTaylor Head Provincial Park.^[58]

The northeastern area of the municipality, centred onSheet Harbourand the Musquodoboit Valley, is completely rural, with the area sharing more in common with the adjacent rural areas of neighbouringGuysborough,PictouandColchestercounties. Most economic activity in the Musquodoboit Valley is based on agriculture, as it is the largest farming district in the municipality.^[59]Most coastal communities are based on the fishing industry. Forestry is active in this area as well. It is also prevalent in the Musquodoboit Valley, but it takes a backseat to the more prominent agricultural industry.^[59]

At 23,829 hectares (238.29 square kilometres; 92.00 square miles), Halifax'surban area(defined aspopulation centreby Statistics Canada) is less than five percent of the municipal land area.^[60]The area surroundsHalifax Harbourand its main centres areBedford,Dartmouth, and Halifax (and their respective environs).

Between the2016 Canadian Censusand the2021 Canadian Census, thebuilt-up areaof Halifax grew by 357 hectares (3.57 km²) from 23,472 hectares (234.72 km²) in2016^[61]to 23,829 hectares (238.29 km²) in2021.^[60]

This section needs additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this articlebyadding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Halifax is a major cultural centre within theAtlantic provinces. The municipality has maintained many of its maritime and military traditions, while opening itself to a growing multicultural population. The municipality's urban core also benefits from a large population of post-secondary students who strongly influence the local cultural scene. Halifax has a number of art galleries, theatres and museums, as well as most of the region's national-quality sports and entertainment facilities. Halifax is also the home to many of the region's major cultural attractions, such asHalifax Pop Explosion,Symphony Nova Scotia, theArt Gallery of Nova Scotia,The Khyber, theMaritime Museum of the Atlanticand the Neptune Theatre. The region is noted for the strength of its music scene and nightlife, especially within the urban communities; seeList of musical groups from Halifax, Nova Scotiafor a partial list.

Halifax hosts a wide variety of festivals that take place throughout the year, including; the largest Canada Day celebration east of Ottawa, theAtlantic Film Festival, the Halifax International Busker Festival, Greekfest, Atlantic Jazz Festival, the Multicultural Festival,Natal Day,Nocturne Festival, theHalifax Pop Explosion, periodic Tall Ship events, theRoyal Nova Scotia International Tattoo, and Shakespeare by the Sea—to name a few.Halifax Prideis the largest LGBT event in Atlantic Canada and one of the largest in the country. Many of Halifax's festivals and annual events have become world-renowned over the past several years.

Halifax is home to many performance venues, namely the Music Room, theNeptune Theatre, andRebecca Cohn Auditorium. The Neptune Theatre, a 43-year-old establishment located on Argyle Street, is Halifax's largest theatre. It performs an assortment of professionally produced plays year-round. TheShakespeare by the Seatheatre company performs at nearbyPoint Pleasant Park. Eastern Front Theatre performs atAlderney LandinginDowntown Dartmouthwhich can easily be accessed via theHalifax Transitferryservice. There are smaller performance venues at theHalifax Central Library,Citadel High School(Spatz Theatre), andHalifax West High School(Bella Rose Arts Centre).

Halifax has also become a significant film production centre, with many American and Canadian filmmakers using the streetscapes, often to stand in for other cities that are more expensive to work in. TheCanadian Broadcasting Corporationhas its Atlantic Canada production centres (radio and television) based in Halifax, and quite a number of radio and television programs are made in the region for national broadcast. In 2020, filming began on the series Pub Crawl, which explores the historically significant bars of Halifax.^[62]

The newHalifax Central LibraryonSpring Garden Roadhas received accolades for its architecture and has been described as a new cultural locus, offering many community facilities including a 300-seat auditorium.

Halifax's urban core is home to a number of regional landmark buildings and retains significant historic buildings and districts. Downtown office towers are overlooked by the fortress ofCitadel Hillwith its iconicHalifax Town Clock.

The architecture of Halifax'sSouth Endis renowned for its grand Victorian houses while theWest EndandNorth End, Halifaxhave many blocks of well-preserved wooden residential houses with notable features such as the "Halifax Porch".Dalhousie University's campus is often featured in films and documentaries. Surrounding areas of the municipality, including Dartmouth and Bedford, also possess their share of historic neighbourhoods and properties.

The urban core is home to several blocks of typical North American high-rise office buildings; however, segments of the downtown are governed by height restrictions, known as "view planes legislation", which prevent buildings from obstructing certain sight lines betweenCitadel Hilland theHalifax Harbour. This has resulted in some modern high rises being built at unusual angles or locations.

The Halifax area has a variety of public spaces, ranging from urban gardens, public squares, expansive forested parks, and historic sites. The original grid plan devised when Halifax was founded in 1749 included a centralmilitary paradesquare, theGrand Parade. The square hosts the City Hall at one end, and is a popular site for concerts, political demonstrations, as well as the annualRemembrance Dayceremony at the centralcenotaph. Another popular downtown public space is the timberHalifax Boardwalk, which stretches approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) and is integrated with several squares and monuments.

TheHalifax Common, granted for the use of citizens in 1763, is Canada's oldest public park.^[63]Centrally located on the Halifax peninsula, the wide fields are a popular location for sports. The slopes ofCitadel Hill, overlooking downtown, are favoured by sunbathers and kite-flyers. TheHalifax Public Gardens, a short walk away, are Victorian era public gardens formally established in 1867 and designated aNational Historic Sitein 1984.Victoria Park, across the street, contains various monuments and statues erected by theNorth British Society, as well as a fountain. In contrast to the urban parks, the expansivePoint Pleasant Parkat the southern tip of the peninsula is heavily forested and contains the remains of numerous British fortifications.

Located on the opposite side of the harbour, theDartmouth Commonsis a large park next toDowntown Dartmouthlaid out in the 1700s. It is home to the Leighton Dillman gardens and various sports grounds. Nearby, the Dartmouth waterfront trail stretches from Downtown Dartmouth to Woodside. Among residents of central Dartmouth, the area aroundSullivan's PondandLake Banookis popular for strolling and paddling. The forestedShubie Park, through which the historicShubenacadie Canalruns, is a major park in suburban Dartmouth.

Mainland Halifaxis home to several significant parks, includingSir Sandford Fleming Park, gifted to the people of Halifax by SirSandford Fleming. It houses the Dingle Tower, dedicated in 1912 by theDuke of Connaughtto commemorate 150 years of representative government in Nova Scotia. The Mainland Common, inClayton Park, is a modern park home to various sports and community facilities.Long Lake Provincial Park, comprising more than 2,000 hectares, was designated in 1984 and affords Halifax residents access to a scenic wilderness in close proximity to the urban communities.^[64]

Halifax's tourism industry showcases Nova Scotia's culture, scenery and coastline. There are several museums and art galleries in downtown Halifax. TheCanadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, an immigrant entry point prominent throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, was opened to the public as aNational Historic Site of Canadain 1999 and is the onlynational museumin the Atlantic provinces. TheMaritime Museum of the Atlanticis amaritime museumcontaining extensive galleries including a large exhibit on the famousTitanic, over 70 small craft and a 200-foot (61 m) steamshipCSSAcadia. In summertime the preserved World War IIcorvetteHMCSSackvilleoperates as a museum ship and Canada's naval memorial. TheArt Gallery of Nova Scotiais housed in a 150-year-old building containing nearly 19,000 works of art.^[65]TheBlack Cultural Centre for Nova Scotiain Dartmouth reflects the region's rich ethnic heritage.

Halifax has numerousNational Historic Sites, most notablyCitadel Hill (Fort George). Just outside the urban area, the iconicPeggys Coveis internationally recognized and receives more than 600,000 visitors a year.^[66]

The waterfront in Downtown Halifax is the site of theHalifax Harbourwalk, a 3-kilometre (2 mi)boardwalkpopular among tourists and locals alike. Many mid-sized ships dock here at one of the many wharfs. The harbourwalk is home to aHalifax Transitferry terminal, hundreds of stores,Historic Properties, several office buildings, theCasino Nova Scotia, and several public squares wherebuskersperform, most prominently at the annual Halifax International Busker Festival every August.

Downtown Halifax, home to many small shops and vendors, is a major shopping area. It is also home to several shopping centres, includingScotia Square, Barrington Place Shops, andMaritime Mall. Numerous malls onSpring Garden Road, including thePark Lane Mall, are also located nearby. The area is home to approximately 200 restaurants and bars, offering a wide array of world cuisines.^[67]There are also more than 60 sidewalk cafes that open in the summer months. The nightlife is made up of bars and small music venues as well asCasino Nova Scotia, a large facility built partially over the water.

Cruise ships visit the province frequently. In 2015, the Port of Halifax welcomed 141 vessel calls with 222,309 passengers.^[68]

Halifax is the Atlantic region's central point for radio broadcast and press media.CBC Television,CTV Television Network(CTV), andGlobal Television Networkand other broadcasters all have important regional television concentrators in the municipality.CBC Radiohas a major regional studio and there are also regional hubs for Rogers Radio and various private broadcast franchises, as well as a regional bureau forThe Canadian Press/Broadcast News.

Halifax's print media is centred on its single daily newspaper, the broadsheetChronicle Heraldas well as two free newspapers, the daily commuter-oriented edition ofMetro Internationaland the free alternative arts weeklyThe Coast.

Halifax has severalonline daily newspapers.allNovaScotiais a daily, subscriber-only outlet which focuses on business and political news from across the province.^[69]CityNews Halifax, associated with theCJNI-FMradio station, was created from a merger of the former News 95.7 andHalifaxToday(previouslyLocal Xpress) news websites. TheHalifax Examinerwas founded by the former news editor ofThe Coastin 2014 and, likeallNovaScotia, is supported through subscriptions.

From 1974 to 2008, Halifax had a second daily newspaper, the tabloidThe Daily News, which still publishes several neighbourhood weekly papers such asThe Bedford-Sackville Weekly News,The Halifax West-Clayton Park Weekly Newsand theDartmouth-Cole Harbour Weekly News. These weekly papers compete withThe Chronicle-Herald's weekly Community HeraldsHRM West,HRM East, andHRM North.

Halifax is represented by two professional sports teams, with teams in theNational Lacrosse League(NLL) andCanadian Premier League(CPL). Also, Halifax has asemi-professionalsports team in theQuebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League(QMJHL), which is part of theCanadian Hockey League(CHL).

The city is also home to four universities that have athletic programmes.

The city's major sports venues include theScotiabank Centre(formerly the Metro Centre^[70]), theHalifax Forum, theWanderers Groundsand various university sports facilities, such asHuskies Stadium.

Halifax is home to theHalifax Mooseheadsthe semi-professionalmajor juniorhockeyclub of theQuebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League(QMJHL). Founded in 1994 and began play in the Dilio Division of the QMJHL from the1994–95 season,^[71]the Mooseheads were the first team fromAtlantic Canadato join the QMJHL. In 2013 the Mooseheads capped a 74-win season (going 74-7-3-1^[72]) with a QMJHL'sPresident's Cupchampionship. Following the President's Cup, while hosting the tournament, the Mooseheads also won the CHL's2013Memorial Cup.^[73]They have appeared in the President's Cup Finals four additional times:2003,2005,2019and2023. They also hosted theMemorial Cuptournaments two additional times in2000and2019.

TheHalifax Thunderbirdsis the city'sNational Lacrosse Leagueteam. Relocated in September 2018 fromRochester,^[74]the Thunderbirds are Halifax's newest professional team. Unfortunately on March 12, 2020, during their inaugural year, the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[75]Although the team didn't have the chance to finish their season, they were awarded two league awards: Defensive Player of the Year and Executive of the Year.^[76]After the 2020–2021 season was fully canceled,^[77]the team returned for their 2021–2022 season which they reached their first playoffs, where they were defeated by theToronto Rock14–13 in overtime^[78]in the conference semi-final.

Halifax's second professional sports team are theHFX Wanderers FCand are part ofCanada's primary national soccer league, theCanadian Premier League. On May 25, 2018, the team was officially announced^[79]and that they would be playing at a temporary stadium on Halifax'sWanderers Grounds. They played their first league game on April 28, 2019, in 1–0 away loss toPacific FC.^[80]

Current professional/semi-professional sports teams in Halifax

Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Championships
Halifax Mooseheads	QMJHL	Major Junior Hockey	Scotiabank Centre	1994	1 (last in2013)
Halifax Thunderbirds	NLL	Box Lacrosse	Scotiabank Centre	2019	0
HFX Wanderers FC	CPL	Soccer	Wanderers Grounds	2018	0

The city had a team in theNational Basketball League of Canada(NBL Canada) called theHalifax Hurricanes. The team succeeded theHalifax Rainmenwho had previously played in theAmerican Basketball AssociationandPremier Basketball Leaguebefore joining the NBL Canada and later declaring bankruptcy in July 2015.^[81]The Hurricanes won the NBL Canada championship in their inaugural season. Unfortunately the Hurricanes have since ceased operations, and as of November 2021,^[82]the team has left the NBL Canada.

Between 1971 and 1993, Halifax was home to three separate teams in theAmerican Hockey League. TheNova Scotia Voyageurs(Montreal Canadiensaffiliate), theNova Scotia Oilers(Edmonton Oilersaffiliate) and finally, theHalifax Citadels(Quebec Nordiquesaffiliate). They played from 1971 to 1984, 1984 to 1988, and 1988 to 1993, respectively.

TheHalifax Crescents, an amateur and later, professional ice hockey team challenged for theStanley Cupin1900but lost to theMontreal Shamrocks.

Halifax is home to seven degree-grantingpost-secondaryeducational institutions with four of them having athletic programmes. Two of the schools,Dalhousie UniversityandSaint Mary's Universityare part of theU Sportsleague, whileMount Saint Vincent UniversityandUniversity of King's Collegeare a part of theCanadian Collegiate Athletic Association(CCAA).

Dalhousie University's varsity team goes by the monikerTigers. They have teams for basketball, hockey, soccer, swimming, track and field, cross country running, and volleyball. The Tigers garnered a number of championships in the first decade of the 20th century, winning 63 AUS championships and two U Sports championships.^[83]

Halifax's other U Sports university, located in close proximity to Dalhousie University, is Saint Mary's University with the moniker of theHuskies. Known for their football programme, the Huskies play atHuskies Stadiumand won back-to-backCanadian University Football Championships(2001 & 2002), only the third university to do so.^[84]Huskies Stadiumwas used on June 11, 2005, and again on July 29, 2023, to host an exhibition game of theCanadian Football LeaguecalledTouchdown Atlantic. The games were played between theHamilton Tiger-Catsand theToronto Argonautsand theSaskatchewan RoughridersandToronto Argonauts, respectively.

Finally, two of Halifax's smaller universities are part of theCanadian Collegiate Athletic Association(CCAA).Mount Saint Vincent University, home to the Mystics, competes in theAtlantic Collegiate Athletic Association(ACAA), a member of the CCAA, in Women's & Men's Basketball, Women's & Men's Soccer, Cross Country and Women's Volleyball.^[85]The Mystics hold a championship titles in all sports, making them the most acclaimed team of the ACAA division.University of King's Collegeis also a member of the ACAA. The varsity athletics teams at the University of King's College are named the Blue Devils.^[86]Sporting teams include men's and women's basketball, soccer, badminton and rugby, and women's volleyball.^[87]

From 1984 to 2007, the region was home to theCIS Men's Basketball Championship; the tournament was moved toOttawa,Ontario, from 2008 to 2010 and returned to Halifax in 2011 and 2012.

Over the past several decades, Halifax has hosted many major sporting events, including the following:

• 1999 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
• 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship
• 2003 Nokia Brier
• 2004 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships
• 2005 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials
• 2007 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship
• 2008 IIHF World Championship(Co-hosted withQuebec City)
• 2011 Canada Winter Games
• 2020 IIHF Women's World Ice Hockey Championships(Co-hosted withTruro, Nova Scotia) Although, the tournament was cancelled due toCOVID-19.
• 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships(Co-hosted withMoncton, New Brunswick)
• 2023 North American Indigenous Games

Halifax was selected in 2006 as the host municipality in Canada's bid for the2014 Commonwealth Gamesbut withdrew on March 8, 2007, citing ballooning costs from final estimates of $1.7 billion up from $785 million.^[88]

Halifax is also home to several rugby clubs; the Dartmouth PigDogs, the Eastern Shore Rugby Football Club, the Halifax Rugby Football Club, the Halifax Tars, and the Riverlake Ramblers. The Halifax Gaels are the localHurlingandGaelic Footballteam that compete inCanadian GAAevents.

Halifax has various recreational areas, including ocean and lake beaches and rural and urban parks. It has a host of organized community intramural sports at various facilities. Public schools and post-secondary institutions offer varsity and intramural sports.

At thecensus metropolitan area(CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Halifax CMA had a population of465,703living in201,138of its211,789total private dwellings, a change of9.1% from its 2016 population of426,932. With a land area of 7,276.22 km²(2,809.36 sq mi), it had a population density of64.0/km²(165.8/sq mi) in 2021.^[89]

Historical populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1851	39,914	—
1861	49,021	+22.8%
1871	56,963	+16.2%
1881	67,917	+19.2%
1891	71,358	+5.1%
1901	74,662	+4.6%
1911	80,257	+7.5%
1921	97,228	+21.1%
1931	100,204	+3.1%
1941	122,656	+22.4%
1951	162,217	+32.3%
1961	225,723	+39.1%
1971	261,461	+15.8%
1981	288,126	+10.2%
1991	332,518	+15.4%
1996	342,966	+3.1%
2001	359,183	+4.7%
2006	372,858	+3.8%
2011	390,096	+4.6%
2016	403,131	+3.3%
2021	439,819	+9.1%
Prior to 1996, the figures are for Halifax County. From 1996 onwards, the figures are for Halifax Regional Municipality. Source:Statistics Canada

In the2021 Census of Populationconducted byStatistics Canada, the Halifax Regional Municipality had a population of 439,819 living in 190,512 of its 200,473 total private dwellings, a change of9.1% from its 2016 population of 403,131. With a land area of 5,475.57 km²(2,114.13 sq mi), it had a population density of80.3/km²(208.0/sq mi) in 2021.^[2]

The2021 censusreported thatimmigrants(individuals born outside Canada) comprise 50,595 persons or 12.6% of the total population of Halifax. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were United Kingdom (6,345 persons or 12.5%), India (4,785 persons or 9.5%), China (3,740 persons or 7.4%), United States of America (3,545 persons or 7.0%), Philippines (3,415 persons or 6.7%), Syria (2,085 persons or 4.1%), Nigeria (1,625 persons or 3.2%), Lebanon (1,340 persons or 2.6%), South Korea (1,020 persons or 2.0%), and Iran (980 persons or 1.9%).^[90]

Panethnicgroups in the Regional Municipality of Halifax (2001−2021)

Panethnic group	2021[90]		2016[91]		2011[92]		2006[93]		2001[94]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
European[b]	345,735	79.43%	336,375	84.65%	339,705	88.39%	336,395	91.1%	327,325	91.98%
African	20,565	4.72%	15,085	3.8%	13,780	3.59%	13,270	3.59%	13,080	3.68%
South Asian	16,765	3.85%	6,555	1.65%	3,995	1.04%	2,900	0.79%	2,345	0.66%
Indigenous	16,615	3.82%	15,735	3.96%	9,585	2.49%	5,230	1.42%	3,460	0.97%
East Asian[c]	12,895	2.96%	8,690	2.19%	5,755	1.5%	4,135	1.12%	3,255	0.91%
Middle Eastern[d]	11,160	2.56%	8,725	2.2%	6,730	1.75%	4,510	1.22%	3,360	0.94%
Southeast Asian[e]	6,345	1.46%	3,440	0.87%	2,220	0.58%	1,185	0.32%	1,195	0.34%
Latin American	2,255	0.52%	1,210	0.3%	1,025	0.27%	695	0.19%	415	0.12%
Other/Multiracial[f]	2,965	0.68%	1,585	0.4%	1,535	0.4%	960	0.26%	1,440	0.4%
Total responses	435,290	98.97%	397,395	98.58%	384,330	98.52%	369,265	99.08%	355,870	99.1%
Total population	439,819	100%	403,131	100%	390,096	100%	372,679	100%	359,111	100%
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses

Mother tongue language (2021)^[95]

Rank	Language	Population	Pct (%)
1	English	380,140	86.43%
2	French	13,920	3.16%
3	Arabic	8,595	1.95%
4	Mandarin	6,355	1.44%
5	Punjabi	3,755	0.85%
6	Tagalog	2,930	0.66%
7	Hindi	2,485	0.56%
8	Spanish	2,295	0.52%
9	Korean	2,215	0.50%
10	Russian	1,655	0.37%

St. Paul's Churchis the oldest Christian church in Halifax. Halifax is a religiously diverse municipality, and has several landmark religious institutions:^[96]

• St. Mary's Basilica (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
• The New Horizons Baptist Church
• St. George's (Round) Church,
• United Rockingham Church
• St. Andrew's United Church
• the Ummah Mosque and Community Centre
• the Centre for Islamic Development
• theNew Apostolic Churchcongregation
• the Vedanta Ashram Hindu Temple
• the Atlantic Theravada Buddhist Temple
• The Maritime Sikh Society
• Beth Israel Synagogue
• theShaar Shalom Synagogue
• and theUniversalist Unitarian Church.

Halifax also houses theAtlantic School of Theologyfor religious studies.

Religion (2021)^[95]

Religion	Population	Percentage (%)
Buddhism	2,195	0.5
Christianity	231,255	53.12
Hinduism	6,840	1.57
Indigenous Spirituality	210	0.04
Irreligion	173,005	39.74
Islam	13,220	3.03
Judaism	1,750	0.4
Sikhism	3,495	0.8
Other religions and spiritual religions	3,315	0.76

Historical urban area population

Year	Pop.	±%
1996	270,047	—
2001	276,221	+2.3%
2006	282,924	+2.4%
2011	304,979	+7.8%
2016	317,334	+4.1%
2021	348,634	+9.9%
Before 1996, figures were from Halifax County. After 1996, figures onwards are for Halifax Regional Municipality. Source:[97][98][99][100][101]

As of 2021, the population centre (urban area) of Halifax housed 348,634 people living in 154,883 of its 162,336 total private dwellings.^[3]The human population density of Halifax's population centre was approximately1,463.1/km²(3,789.3/sq mi).^[3]

Between 2016-and-2021, the urban area (population centre) and municipal areas experienced strong growth. Over that time-frame; the municipality added 36,688 people (an increase of over 9.1%), and the urban area (population centre) added 31,300 people (an increase of over 9.8%).

The urban area of Halifax is a major economic centre in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Halifax serves as the business, banking, government and cultural centre for the Maritime region. The largest employment sectors within the municipality include trade (36,400 jobs), health care and social assistance (31,800 jobs), professional services (19,000 jobs), education (17,400 jobs), and public administration (15,800 jobs).^[102]The Halifax economy is growing, with theConference Board of Canadapredicting strong 3.0% GDP growth for 2015.^[102]

Major employers and economic generators include theDepartment of National Defence, thePort of Halifax,Irving Shipbuilding, theNova Scotia Health Authority, IMP Group,Bell Aliant,Emera, theBedford Institute of Oceanography, government, banks, and universities.^[103]The municipality has a growing concentration of manufacturing industries and is becoming a major multi-modal transportation hub through growth at the port, theHalifax Stanfield International Airport, and improving rail and highway connections. Halifax is one of Canada's top four container ports in terms of the volume of cargo handled.^[104]A real estate boom in recent years has led to numerous new property developments, including thegentrificationof some former working-class areas.^[102]

Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of the municipality. Halifax's largest agricultural district is in theMusquodoboit Valley; the total number of farms in Halifax is 150, of which 110 are family-owned. Fishing harbours are located along all coastal areas with some having an independent harbour authority, such as theSheet HarbourIndustrial Port,^[105]and others being managed as small craft harbours under the federalFisheries and Oceans Canada.

Other resource industries in Halifax include the natural gas fields off the coast ofSable Island, as well as clay, gold, gypsum, limestone, and shale extraction in rural areas of the mainland portion of the municipality. Limestone is extracted in the Musquodoboit Valley and gold is extracted inMoose River.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is governed by amayor(elected at large) and a sixteen-personcouncil. Councillors are elected by geographic district, with municipal elections occurring every four years. The current mayor of Halifax isMike Savage. TheHalifax Regional Councilis responsible for all facets ofmunicipal government, including theHalifax Regional Police,Halifax Public Libraries,Halifax Fire and Emergency,Halifax Regional Water Commission, parks and recreation, civic addressing, public works, waste management, and planning and development.^[106]The provincial legislation that provides governance oversight to the municipality is the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.^[106]The municipality has a proposed operating budget of $869 million for 2015–2016.^[107]

The municipality also has fourcommunity councilsthat consider local matters. Each community council comprises five or six regional councillors representing neighbouring districts.^[108]Most community council decisions are subject to final approval by regional council.^[106]

As the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax is also the meeting place of theNova Scotia House of Assembly, the oldest assembly in Canada and the site of the firstresponsible governmentin British North America.^[109]The legislature meets inProvince House, a nearly 200-year-oldNational Historic Sitein downtown Halifax hailed as one of the finest examples ofPalladian architecturein North America.^[110]

Halifax has a well-developed network of public and private schools, providing instruction from grade primary to grade twelve; 137 public schools are administered by theHalifax Regional Centre for Education, while eight public schools are administered by theConseil scolaire acadien provincial.^[111]The municipality's fourteen private schools are operated independently.

The municipality is a centre for university education in eastern Canada. It is home to the followingpost-secondaryeducational institutions:Dalhousie University,University of King's College,Mount Saint Vincent University,NSCAD University,Nova Scotia Community College, the Halifax campus ofUniversité Sainte-Anne,Saint Mary's University, theAtlantic School of Theology, and several private institutions. The largest of these,Dalhousie University, is Atlantic Canada's premier research-intensive university. This school is host to most of the province's professional schools, while other institutions focus primarily though not exclusively on undergraduate education. The sizeable population of university and college students contributes to the vibrant youth culture in the city.

Halifax Stanfield International Airportserves Halifax and most of the province, providing scheduled flights to domestic and international destinations. The airport served 3,107,425 passengers in 2022, making it Canada'ssixth busiest airportby passenger traffic.^[112]Shearwater, part ofCFB Halifax, is the air base for maritime helicopters employed by theRoyal Canadian Navyand is located on the eastern side of Halifax Harbour.

In recent years, the municipality has also begun to place increased emphasis on developing bicycling infrastructure. Halifax has developed 100 km (62 mi) of bikeways, 89 km (55 mi) of which are dedicated bicycle lanes.^[113]

The urban core is linked by theAngus L. MacdonaldandA. Murray MacKaysuspension bridges, as well as the network of100-series highwayswhich function as expressways. The Armdale traffic circle is an infamous choke point for vehicle movement in the western part of the urban core, especially at rush hour.

Public transit is provided byHalifax Transit, which operates standard bus routes, regional express bus routes, as well as the pedestrian-onlyHalifax-Dartmouth Ferry Service. Established in 1752, the municipality's ferry service is the oldest continuously runningsalt waterferry service in North America.^[114]

Halifax has the most heavily used public transit system in Atlantic Canada. The city has been adding dedicated and part-time bus lanes along some major road corridors in order to improve the reliability of the system and reduce delays. In addition, a new fast ferry service to Bedford is under planning.

The Halifax Port Authority's various shipping terminals constitute the eastern terminus ofCanadian National Railway'stranscontinental network.Via Rail Canadaprovides overnight passenger rail service from theHalifax Railway Stationthree days a week toMontrealwith theOcean, a train equipped with sleeper cars that stops in major centres along the way, such as Moncton. The Halifax Railway Station also serves as the terminus forMaritime Bus, which serves destinations across the Maritimes.

Halifax Harbouris a major port used by numerous shipping lines, administered by theHalifax Port Authority. TheRoyal Canadian Navyand theCanadian Coast Guardhave major installations along prominent sections of coastline in both Halifax and Dartmouth. The harbour is also home to a public ferry service connecting downtown Halifax to two locations in Dartmouth. Sheet Harbour is the other major port in the municipality and serves industrial users on theEastern Shore.

• Hakodate, Japan (1982). The cities chose to twin because they both havestar fortsand are both maritime ports. Halifax has donated many fir trees to the annual Hakodate Christmas Fantasy festival.^[115][116]
• Campeche, Mexico (1999). Campeche was chosen because, like Halifax, it is "a capital of a state" and is "a city of similar size to Halifax on or near the coast having rich historical tradition".^[117]
• Norfolk,Virginia, United States (2006). Norfolk was chosen because, like Halifax, its economy "depends heavily on the presence of the Armed Forces, and both cities are very proud of their military history".^[118]
• Portsmouth, England (2023). Halifax and Portsmouth signed a sister city agreement in early 2023. They chose to twin as both cities are historic naval and shipbuilding centres. Additionally, both cities are centres for university education.^[119][120]

• Halifax (federal electoral district), a federal electoral district since Confederation
• Halifax Regional Search and Rescue
• Halifax West, a federal electoral district since 1979
• List of municipalities in Nova Scotia

• Laffoley, Steven(2007).Hunting Halifax: In Search of History, Mystery and Murder. Pottersfield Press.ISBN978-1895900934.
• Parker, Mike (2009).Fortress Halifax: Portrait of a Garrison Town. Nimbus Publishing.ISBN9781551094946.
• Poole, Stephen (2012).Halifax: Discovering Its Heritage. Formac Publishing Company Limited.ISBN9781459500525.
• Soucoup, Dan (2014).A Short History of Halifax. Nimbus Publishing.ISBN9781771081849.
• Tattrie, Jon (2013).Cornwallis: The Violent Birth of Halifax. Pottersfield Press.ISBN9781897426487.

• Official website