South Shore (Nova Scotia)

For other uses, see South Shore (disambiguation).

Map of the South Shore region

The South Shore is a region of Nova Scotia, Canada. Although it has no formal identity and is variously defined by geographic, county and other political boundaries, it is generally understood as the Atlantic coast running southwest from Halifax Harbour to the end of Shelburne County. Some would define it as going as far around as Yarmouth but that conflates all of Southwestern Nova Scotia or as it is colloquially called just "Southwest Nova". One reason some include Yarmouth is an historical sea tie to Bar Harbor, Maine and Portland, Maine which brought Americans to South Shore Nova Scotia in recent decades. However there is presently no regular ferry.

The South Shore is an important area for tourism in the province. It has a higher than average proportion of cottages, hotels, and tourist attractions. The provincial scenic travel way, the "Lighthouse Route" runs on Trunk 3 through most centres along the shore. The tourism industry is concentrated in the towns of Lunenburg, Chester, Mahone Bay, Liverpool, the five beaches surrounding Riverport[1], and the fishing community of Peggy's Cove. The largest community in the region is the town of Bridgewater, which is the commercial and industrial centre, although not a major tourism draw. Shelburne is second largest, with Liverpool and Lunenburg next. Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the host to several major music festivals and arts events, plus the Bluenose II, is generally considered to be the cultural capital of the South Shore, with Bridgewater its industrial centre. However, that is over-generalized, as several key industries, notably shipping and aerospace and software, have a presence in Lunenburg that exceeds that in Bridgewater.

Politically defined

Politically, the South Shore is sometimes defined as part of the Halifax West, South Shore—St. Margaret's, and West Nova ridings at the federal level, or as the western rural part of the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg and Queens County, Nova Scotia, and Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. There were five MLAs elected from this region in recent Nova Scotia provincial elections, when the region shifted from the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia to the more left-leaning New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia. It is generally considered to be a "swing" region that has changed political leanings in the recent past, and a key target for campaigning.

South Shore St. Margaret's MP Gerald Keddy is best known for handing out gigantic cheques with the Conservative Party of Canada logo on them, and printing almost-as-large (poster size) constituent updates to brag about it. In one such update letter he claimed (in huge type rivalling the size of tabloid newspapers) to have brought over C$20,000,000 in federal spending to the South Shore. Comedian Rick Mercer satired this practice of Keddy's with himself playing the character "Checky the Giant Cheque", a big friendly cheque written for tiny amounts. Keddy won re-election in 2011 and previously in 2008 by under 1000 votes each time, with the vote badly "split" between the Liberal, NDP and Green candidates (the sum of any two of which in either election would have been sufficient to beat Keddy).

In part due to this national attention, the South Shore is not regarded for its high political integrity or open political processes. However, in recent years the rise of the NDP and Greens has kept most elections competitive. Lunenburg County for instance as of 2011 had a Conservative MP, a former provincial Liberal finance minister Don Downe as Mayor, entirely NDP MLAs, and Councillors of all of these affiliations.

History

The South Shore was one of the first areas of North America to be colonized by Europeans following the French settlement at Port-Royal in 1605. The region, without good agricultural land, was only sparsely inhabited by the Acadians, although several settlements were established in present-day Shelburne County and the Lahave River valley. When the British took control of the region in 1713, they initiated a program of importing colonists from continental Europe, known as the Foreign Protestants, mostly from Germany and Switzerland. To this day the South Shore retains many German place names and surnames as well as a distinct accent compared to the New England settlers' influence in the Annapolis Valley or the Highland Scots' influence in northeastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island.

On Dec. 19, 1906, the Halifax and Southwestern Railway opened between Halifax and Yarmouth, finishing a project that had begun in 1885, and bringing more reliable land transport to the region. Although the South Shore did not play a major role during the First World War, the area saw significant military activity during the Second World War and the ensuing Cold War, as Shelburne and Mill Cove became home to Royal Canadian Navy bases, and a Pinetree Line radar station was established by the Royal Canadian Air Force at Baccaro. In 1966, Canada's first satellite communications (SATCOM) earth station began operations at Mill Village. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Highway 103 arterial highway was built.

During the 20th century, the South Shore became the centre of Nova Scotia's fishing industry, as fishermen in small boats operated from numerous tiny villages dotted along the coast. The larger communities also had fish plants and port facilities for larger off-shore trawlers, which began to see increased use following the Second World War. During the 1960s and 1970s the impact of offshore processing and increasingly larger trawlers was being felt in communities, and the way of life on the South Shore was altered. As in many parts of Nova Scotia, many South Shore fishing communities all but disappeared as residents moved to larger urban centres in search of new opportunities. The decline in the fishery coincided with growth in the service industry, and specifically tourism.

The culture and economy along the South Shore gradually changed as the scenic area became a more common tourist destination. As more tourists came to appreciate the beauty and culture of the region, coastal land prices rose, small businesses catering to the industry sprouted up, and a vibrant art community took root.

External links

• Southwest Nova Scotia Tourism: South Shore
• Register of The Foreign Protestants of Nova Scotia (ca. 1749-1770)
• Checky on RMR
• Giant cheque