CANSO – The Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board is examining whether it has the authority to act on a request tied to property tax treatment in the former Town of Canso following its 2012 dissolution, The Journal has learned.
In an email to the newspaper last week, communications officer Rebecca Brown said the board is considering whether it has any “residual authority” to address the issue, which involves different tax rates in the former town compared with the rest of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
“At this stage, we have received the inquiry and are looking into [the] question asked,” she said.
The inquiry was submitted March 1 by Rob Carter, who identified himself as a member of the Eastern Guysborough County Ratepayers Association. In his email to the board, Carter asked for “guidance on how to proceed with a ‘revisit’ of a board order,” referring to the 2012 decision that dissolved the Town of Canso and merged it with the municipality, and citing ongoing concerns about its financial and tax implications.
Carter’s request did not seek a formal reopening of the order, but direction on how such a process might be pursued. He cited ongoing differences in property tax treatment between the former town and other parts of the municipality, an issue that has drawn sustained complaints since amalgamation.
Internal correspondence from the Board shared with The Journal indicates the inquiry was forwarded for review and that “some research will be required” before a response is provided.
“I can confirm that the Board received an inquiry about the 2012 Canso dissolution and whether the Board has any residual authority to consider the request, which involves different property tax treatment in the former town of Canso versus the rates that apply in the remainder of Guysborough Municipality,” Brown said.
Bill Bond, president of the Eastern Guysborough County Ratepayers Association, confirmed that Carter had sent the inquiry “out on my behalf.”
Last week, The Journal reported council approved a reduction in that rate for a small number of properties on Durrell’s Island as part of the 2026-27 budget while leaving the broader structure unchanged.
“I’m happy for them – it’s a start,” Bond said of the reduction on Durrell’s Island. “But it should have been across the board for all of Canso, not just a selective few. It’s a slap in the face to the rest of the people in Canso.”
