BILL NO. 158
(as introduced)
1st Session, 65th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
4 Charles III, 2025
Government Bill
Fire Safety and Services Act
The Honourable John Lohr
Minister of Municipal Affairs
First Reading: October 1, 2025
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act to Promote and Encourage
Fire Safety and Fire Services
WHEREAS the governance and administration of fire services in Nova Scotia is highly complex and fragmented, resulting in inconsistent service levels across Nova Scotia and, at times, a lack of coordination;
THEREFORE be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Fire Safety and Services Act.
2 The Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Emergency Management shall develop a legislative framework for fire safety, fire services, fire training and fire certification matters in response to
(a) the recommendations from the 2025 value-for-money audit of the Nova Scotia Firefighters School;
(b) the recommendations from the interim report of the governance review of fire and associated services throughout the Province, requested by the Fire Services Association of Nova Scotia; and
(c) information and feedback received from communities, fire safety stakeholders and members of the public through the public consultation process.
3 (1) The Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Emergency Management shall engage in a six-month public consultation process to establish a new legislative and operational direction respecting fire safety, fire services, fire training and fire certification matters.
(2) The consultation process must address the following topics:
(a) governance and legislation;
(b) fire dispatch and communications;
(c) professional standards, training and certification;
(d) firefighter health, safety and wellness;
(e) sustainable fire service funding; and
(f) volunteer firefighter recruitment and retention.
(3) The purpose of the consultation process is to lay the foundation for future system changes by
(a) building awareness of the benefits of fire safety and fire services modernization;
(b) determining how to best operationalize recommended improvements to governance, administration, training and certification;
(c) clarifying the Government’s mandate for fire safety and fire services;
(d) giving direction for consolidating and updating existing legislative provisions for fire safety and fire services;
(e) examining best practices for service delivery and governance; and
(f) identifying sustainable funding models.
(4) The consultation process must engage communities and fire safety stakeholders, including
(b) public safety entities, such as Emergency Health Services and law enforcement agencies;
(d) volunteer and career firefighters,
to ensure that the new legislative and operational direction that keeps Nova Scotians safe from fire and other hazards is built with and for communities and the professionals that keep them safe.
4 The Minister of Municipal Affairs shall introduce a bill in the House of Assembly before September 30, 2026, implementing the legislative framework developed under Section 2.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2025 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created October 1, 2025. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
