The Halifax Regional Municipality is governed by a mayor (elected at large) and a sixteen-person council.

Councillors are elected by geographic district, with municipal elections occurring every four years. The
current mayor of Halifax is Mike Savage. The Halifax Regional Council is responsible for all facets of
municipal government, including the Halifax Regional Police, Halifax Public Libraries, Halifax Fire and
Emergency, Halifax Regional Water Commission, parks and recreation, civic addressing, public works,
waste management, and planning and development.[102] The provincial legislation that provides
governance oversight to the municipality is the Halifax Regional Municipality Charter.[102] The
municipality has a proposed operating budget of $869 million for 2015–2016.[103]

The municipality also has four community councils that consider local matters. Each community council
comprises five or six regional councillors representing neighbouring districts.[104] Most community
council decisions are subject to final approval by regional council.[102]

As the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax is also the meeting place of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the
oldest assembly in Canada and the site of the first responsible government in British North
America.[105] The legislature meets in Province House, a nearly 200-year-old National Historic Site in
downtown Halifax hailed as one of the finest examples of Palladian architecture in North America.[106]

Education

Main article: Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Established in 1818, Dalhousie University is among the oldest English-language post-secondary

institutions in Canada.

Halifax has a well-developed network of public and private schools, providing instruction from grade
primary to grade twelve; 135 public schools are administered by the Halifax Regional Centre for
Education, while eight public schools are administered by the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial.[107]
The municipality's fourteen private schools are operated independently.

The municipality is a centre for university education in eastern Canada. It is home to the following post-
secondary educational institutions: Dalhousie University, University of King's College, Mount Saint
Vincent University, NSCAD University, Nova Scotia Community College, the Halifax campus of Université
Sainte-Anne, Saint Mary's University, the Atlantic School of Theology, and several private institutions.
The largest of these, Dalhousie University, is Atlantic Canada's premier research-intensive university. This
school is host to most of the province's professional schools, while other institutions focus primarily
though not exclusively on undergraduate education. The sizeable population of university and college
students contributes to the vibrant youth culture in the city.
Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Air

Halifax Stanfield International Airport serves Halifax and most of the province, providing scheduled
flights to domestic and international destinations. The airport served 3,107,425 passengers in 2022,
making it Canada's sixth busiest airport by passenger traffic.[108] Shearwater, part of CFB Halifax, is the
air base for maritime helicopters employed by the Royal Canadian Navy and is located on the eastern
side of Halifax Harbour.

Cycling

An asphalt bike lane on Lower Water Street in downtown Halifax. The general traffic lanes and car
parking spaces are to the left of the bike lane. The bike lane itself is at the same level as the sidewalk, on
the right.

Dedicated bike lane in downtown Halifax

Main article: Cycling in Halifax, Nova Scotia

In recent years, the municipality has also begun to place increased emphasis on developing bicycling
infrastructure. Halifax has developed 100 km (62 mi) of bikeways, 89 km (55 mi) of which are dedicated
bicycle lanes.[109]

Road

The urban core is linked by the Angus L. Macdonald and A. Murray MacKay suspension bridges, as well as
the network of 100-series highways which function as expressways. The Armdale traffic circle is an
infamous choke point for vehicle movement in the western part of the urban core, especially at rush
hour.

Public transit

Public transit is provided by Halifax Transit, which operates standard bus routes, regional express bus
routes, as well as the pedestrian-only Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry Service. Established in 1752, the
municipality's ferry service is the oldest continuously running salt water ferry service in North
America.[110]

Halifax has the most heavily used public transit system in Atlantic Canada. The city has been adding
dedicated and part-time bus lanes along some major road corridors in order to improve the reliability of
the system and reduce delays. In addition, a new fast ferry service to Bedford is under planning.
Rail

The Port of Halifax is North America's first inbound and last outbound shipping gateway to Europe.

The Halifax Port Authority's various shipping terminals constitute the eastern terminus of Canadian
National Railway's transcontinental network. Via Rail Canada provides overnight passenger rail service
from the Halifax Railway Station three days a week to Montreal with the Ocean, a train equipped with
sleeper cars that stops in major centres along the way, such as Moncton. The Halifax Railway Station also
serves as the terminus for Maritime Bus, which serves destinations across the Maritimes.

Water

Halifax Harbour is a major port used by numerous shipping lines, administered by the Halifax Port
Authority. The Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard have major installations along
prominent sections of coastline in both Halifax and Dartmouth. The harbour is also home to a public
ferry service connecting downtown Halifax to two locations in Dartmouth. Sheet Harbour is the other
major port in the municipality and serves industrial users on the Eastern Shore.

Sister cities

Japan Hakodate, Japan (1982). The cities chose to twin because they both have star forts and are both
maritime ports. Halifax has donated many fir trees to the annual Hakodate Christmas Fantasy
festival.[111][112]

Mexico Campeche, Mexico (1999). Campeche was chosen because, like Halifax, it is "a capital of a state"
and is "a city of similar size to Halifax on or near the coast having rich historical tradition".[113]

United States Norfolk, Virginia, United States (2006). Norfolk was chosen because, like Halifax, its
economy "depends heavily on the presence of the Armed Forces, and both cities are very proud of their
military history".[114]

United Kingdom Portsmouth, England (2023). Halifax and Portsmouth signed a sister city agreement in
early 2023. They chose to twin as both cities are historic naval and shipbuilding centres. Additionally,
both cities are centres for university education.[115][116]

Notable Haligonians