Exploring the implications of non-resident land ownership in Nova Scotia

This thesis examines issues related to non-resident land ownership and investigates the information on land tenure available in Nova Scotia. Concerns related to non-resident ownership fall under several different themes: the economy, natural resource management, society, and the environment. Countries all over the world and several provinces of Canada have legislation or regulations targeting non-resident owners regulations from selected jurisdictions were examined in detail.The available data on non-resident ownership from the property and assessment databases at the Department of Housing and Municipal Affairs were examined. Nearly one-third of all properties in the province can not be linked with tax accounts and it was not possible to use those properties in this study. Non-resident owners were identified using the mailing address for each property's tax assessment notice. Twenty-three percent of all tax accounts with non-resident addresses did not have property information available. Information on property area was compiled from the remaining tax accounts 4407.03 kmA case study of Richmond County was carried out to allow the issue of non-resident ownership to be explored in a more in-depth fashion. Some areas of the county have a high concentration of non-resident owners. Ambivalent opinions were expressed about non-resident ownership in Richmond County.Better information is needed on the extent and location of non-resident land ownership in the province. The provincial government should take steps to improve the available information. Tools to mitigate some of the negative impacts of non-resident ownership are suggested and should be explored further by the appropriate community group or level of government.