pdf CCBF Year in Review 2022 23 (3.80 MB)

pdf CCBF Year in Review 2021 22 Final Draft March 2022 (474 KB)

pdf GTF year in review 2020 21 (2.09 MB)

pdf Federal Gas Tax Fund year in review 2019 20 (432 KB)

Main Streets represent distinct points of pride and sustainability for Nova Scotian communities. They facilitate safe and comfortable movement of people of all age and abilities, whether they are walking, cycling, driving, or using mobility devices. Shops and services on Main Streets are predominantly locally-owned and clustered together to benefit each other on streets that are vibrant, human-scaled, and express genuine local culture. The Main Street experience responds to local resident needs and attracts visitors and newcomers to explore, spend time, develop roots, and invest in the community.

The intent of the Nova Scotia Main Streets Initiative is to create momentum and identify opportunities for community-based approaches to improve Main Streets, while also providing considerations for government strategies, programs and policies.

Community Main Streets Assessment Method

Published in September 2021 and building on the momentum created by the Community Workbook, Phase 2 of the Main Street Initiative has gone a step further with a Main Street Assessment Method. The goal is to be a resident-friendly self-service tool for community members and leaders to assess Main Street elements in their own community by identifying what’s working well and what could work better. It will be a missing link to guide municipal and community leaders in leveraging their unique community strengths and opportunities.

A series of conversation prompts (in the pdf Conversation Guide and Ideas Book (22.54 MB) ) and worksheets (in the pdf Conversation Worksheets (7.04 MB) ) guide community members to ask themselves realistic and tough questions about what they need to do to strengthen their Main Street areas. This is intended to be a collaborative process bringing together multiple actors to develop a community vision for identified Main Street areas and, based on that vision, prioritize efforts and investments to support placemaking, economic vitality, and connectivity.

Engagement and the development of this project were facilitated by FBM in partnership with the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities’ Active Transportation Committee in 2020/2021. Input was provided by staff at Bicycle Nova Scotia, the Ecology Action Centre, Develop Nova Scotia, and the province of Nova Scotia (departments of Public Works; Public Health; and Communities, Culture and Heritage).

This project is supported by a Connect2 community capacity-building grant. These grants support reductions in Nova Scotia’s greenhouse gas emissions through community initiatives and local projects that promote clean transportation solutions, including active transportation.

The organizations below provided further support in input, with community engagement in Elmsdale, St. Peter’s, Westville, Hubbards, Canning, North Sydney and Sydney Mines.

Community Workbook 

The pdf Main Streets Initiative Community Workbook (13.20 MB) was released on July 6, 2020 (read the news release), It summarizes research and community engagement conducted in early 2020 by a collaborative team focused on the Main Streets in Nova Scotia’s smaller towns, villages and communities, typically with populations of under 10,000.

This project was initiated by the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities Active Transportation Committee, working with FBM Architecture, Interior Design and Planning, and Bicycle Nova Scotia.

Community engagement and research for the Nova Scotia Main Streets Initiative was led by FBM, with assistance from the Ecology Action Centre, Develop Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, and Dalhousie University School of Planning students.

The work and associated engagement was also made possible by support and input from the following organizations: Cape Breton Partnership, Halifax Regional Municipality, Municipality of Chester, Municipality of East Hants, Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network, Municipality of the County of Richmond, St. Peter’s Economic Development Organization, and Town of Westville.

The combined interest of these organizations highlights the multi-faceted importance of understanding and investing in Main Streets in Nova Scotia.

Main Streets Summit

The culmination of the Nova Scotia Main Streets Initiative was a summit of people and organizations working on main street issues throughout the province. The Nova Scotia Main Streets Ideas Exchange happened on April 27, 2023, in Antigonish and was a chance for community leaders, elected officials, advocates, and placemakers to share aspirations and success stories for Main Streets and Downtowns in communities across the province

Agenda and Presentations

Nova Scotia Main Streets Ideas Exchange

Welcome Remarks

Main Streets Health Check

Our introduction to the conference was an opportunity to hear from leading practitioners in the province active in creating Mainstreet strategies. FBM provided an overview of the Nova Scotia Main Streets Initiative and the resulting Workbook and Main Streets Assessment Method, along with examples of other communities taking steps to assess, identify and define their main street visions. Fathom Studios and Upland Planning + Design shared practical examples and lessons learned from main street projects across the province that have helped to reinvigorate main streets with respect to mobility, connectivity, health, and economic resilience.

Morning Keynote

Opening Session – Mobility and Safety for All

With a diverse cross-section of panellist perspectives from the public sector, private sector and local advocacy, we heard about the challenges they have faced as well as the successes as they relate to creating safer streetscapes for pedestrians, cyclists, and/or those with other mobility challenges. The panel discussed how a balance of modes can be achieved while recognizing that traditional vehicle movement is integral to bringing people to and through the main street areas, whether as regional residents or visitors.

Luncheon Keynote

Afternoon Session – Health & Belonging in Main Streets 

Main Streets are more than just places for buildings and streets, they must offer necessary and welcoming spaces for social and emotional connection and belonging. Along with nostalgia, main streets are important for bringing people together and creating a sense of renewal and reinvention, which affects our physical and mental health. Building upon the idea of Mobility and Safety for All, our panelists shared the often hidden value that main streets have in embodying peace and wellness, as well as creating an environment for active lifestyles that benefit our physical health and wellbeing.

Closing Session – Economy of Place – Cultivating Commerce

The economy of place speaks to the value that businesses bring to a community and a main street, where every community has something to market. The closing session looked at the successes and challenges facing local businesses in main streets and how a renewed or reinvented main street can lead to the attraction and retention of businesses. We heard about the importance of business incubation or succession planning and how a vibrant main street environment in smaller communities is necessary to attract new residents, as well as entice passing motorists to slow or stop in the town, when they otherwise may not have. With practical examples, panellists shared positive changes or initiatives in other communities across the province.

Closing Remarks

The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM), in partnership with FBM, hosted the Nova Scotia Main Streets Ideas Exchange on April 27, 2023, on the St. Francis Xavier University campus in Antigonish. This one-day event was the chance for community leaders, elected officials, advocates, and placemakers from across the province to share aspirations and success stories for Main Streets and Downtowns in communities across the province. 

In addition to our two keynote speakers (Antigonish-based Author, Entrepreneur and Chocolatier Tareq Hadhad and Michael von Hausen) the event includes a chance to network and engage in three panel discussions:

• Mobility and accessibility at the core of communities;
• Vibrant Main Streets for health and social connection; and
• Main Streets as Incubators and Catalysts for the Local Economy.

Content from the event is available on the following pages:

• agenda and presentations
• photographs
• pdf attendee survey (850 KB)

The event was organized by NSFM with assistance from FBM Planning, and it follows up on the success of the Nova Scotia Main Streets Initiative body of work. NSFM and FBM acknowledge funding support through a Province of Nova Scotia Connect2 community capacity-building grant. This grant has allowed us to bring the event together and support stipends for community members to attend.