Tribunal to weigh pay of Nova Scotia’s provincial and family court judges

On Sept. 29, the Provincial Court Judges’ Salaries and Benefits Tribunal of Nova Scotia will discuss the appropriate salary level for the Provincial Court and Family Court judges, including each court’s chief judge and associate chief judge. 

According to a notice posted by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society on behalf of the province’s justice department, the tribunal will also consider the following issues at hearings starting at 9:00 a.m.: 

• the appropriate level of per diem payments for judges presiding in the Provincial Court or Family Court, if those judges do not get salaries 
• the appropriate vacation and sick leave benefits for Provincial Court and Family Court judges 
• pension benefits, long-term disability benefits, salary continuation, life insurance benefits, and health and dental benefits for Provincial Court and Family Court judges 
• the respective contributions of the province and its judges for these benefits 
• other non-discretionary benefits for Provincial Court and Family Court judges 

The tribunal, created under Nova Scotia’s Provincial Court Act, will hold the hearings addressing these matters at Summit Place, 5th Floor Hearing Room, 1601 Lower Water Street, Halifax. 

The tribunal will then make recommendations, effective from Apr. 1, 2026, to Mar. 31, 2029. According to the notice, when developing these recommendations, the tribunal should consider numerous factors under s. 21E(3) of the Provincial Court Act, including: 

• Canada’s constitutional law 
• the need to uphold judicial independence 
• the interest in attracting excellent candidates for appointment 
• the unique nature of the role of judges 
• a comparison with judicial compensation packages in the federal jurisdiction and the country’s other jurisdictions 
• the provincial economy 
• Nova Scotia’s cost of living 
• increase or decrease in real per capita income 
• the nature of the court’s jurisdiction and responsibility 

Submissions

In the notice, Nova Scotia’s justice department invited interested persons or groups to provide written submissions on the issues identified by 4:00 p.m. on Aug. 29. The tribunal will receive submissions at its address. 

The tribunal is also accepting submissions emailed to Prov_Ct_Judges_Compensation_Tribunal@novascotia.ca 

Those interested can learn more in the notice here. They can also access the tribunal’s previous report and a summary of the current salaries and benefits for Provincial Court judges on the provincial justice department’s publications page.