CBRM Economic and Socioeconomic Report Card, HRM Comparison
Unaudited data for Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) and the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
Unemployment Rate
17.4%
2016 census
Child Poverty (Cape Breton)
34.9%
CCPA
Child Poverty (Cape Breton)
Historical Population
CBRM/Cape Breton County
HRM
Census data HRM data for 1986 estimated (1985)
Bankruptcy Rates (Percentage)
CBRM
HRM
Canada
CBRM: Highest Rate in Canada (2018)
Equalization Vs Costs: Yearly Net Gain/Loss (Millions) - CBRM from/to Province
CBRM Provincial Equalization Transfer Received
Provincially Mandated Costs
The revenue from equalization is an "unconditional grant". The CBRM also receives an "HST offset", but this is not included in this data. The provincially mandated costs surpassed the provincial equalization transfer to the CBRM in 2013/2014, and the gap continues to widen. At present, the provincial costs are the highest percentage of the total CBRM budget they have been since 2008-2009.
Provincial Seats Held by Parties (51 total)
PC Party
Liberals
NDP
Tracking the elected goverment from 2006 to 2020.
Unemployment Rate (Percentage)
CBRM
Nova Scotia
Canada
Census data
Tax Base Revenue (Thousands)
CBRM
HRM
Municipal Financial Statements
CBRM Effective Tax Rate - With CAP (2018 data)
1.92%
CAP applied on residential only.
HRM Effective Tax Rate - With CAP (2018 data)
1.45%
CAP applied on residential only. This is the present situation.
CBRM Effective Tax Rate - Without Cap (2018 data)
1.64%
Effective tax rate to generate the same revenue if the CAP was fully removed, ignoring economic changes to tax base that would occur due to changes in the tax environment.
HRM Effective Tax Rate - Without Cap (2018 data)
1.35%
Effective tax rate to generate the same revenue if the CAP was fully removed, ignoring economic changes to tax base that would occur due to changes in the tax environment.
Tax Base Growth Needed for Parity With HRM Tax Base Pressure (Based on the Effective Tax Rates)
There is 32.4% more tax pressure applied to the CBRM tax base to generate its necessary operating revenue compared with the HRM.
The CBRM tax base would need to grow by $1.83 BILLION in order to generate the same revenue at an equivalent tax pressure to the HRM (effective rate of 1.45%). This amount would vary depending on the type of property, and where it was located (i.e. rates vary by location).
Instead of growing the tax base by $1.83 Billion (highly improbable at current growth rates), an increased provincial transfer amount of $26.5 MILLION could bring the CBRM in line with the HRM in terms of the effective tax rate.
Correcting this disparity is a primary objective of the Federal Equalization grant distributed to the province of Nova Scotia.
Newly Constructed Properties
CBRM
HRM
Aggregate New Construction Since 1990
CBRM
HRM
As of 2016, HRM has 4.3 times CBRM's population. HRM's new construction outpaced CBRM's from 1990 to 2016 by a factor of 7.5 times. Despite lower tax rates, the HRM collects 7.1 times more tax revenue than the CBRM. As of 2019 data, the HRM tax base size (including CAPPED assessments) is 9.1 times the CBRM's tax base.
Market Value Property Tax Assessment (Billions)
CBRM
HRM
Open data
CAPPED Market Value Property Tax Assessment (Billions)
CBRM
HRM
Open data
Tax Base Sheltered From Taxation By CAPPED Assessment (Percentage)
CBRM
HRM