The Department of Public Works of the Government of Nova Scotia is responsible for transportation, communications, construction, property, and accommodation of government departments and agencies in the province.
Kim Masland is its current minister.[1] The department has over 2,000 employees responsible for implementing its mandate.
History
The department was established in 1918 as the Department of Highways. In 1926, the Provincial Highway Board was abolished, and the Department of Highways took up responsibility for road building, traffic management, as well as tourism.[2]
In 1939, the department assumed responsibility for government property, and was renamed Department of Highways and Public Works. It was renamed Department of Transportation in 1979.[2]
It was renamed several times thereon, to Transportation and Communications (1987); Transportation and Public Works (1996), when it absorbed functions of the former Department of Supply and Services; and Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (2007).[2]
In early 2021, the then-Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) was renamed to Department of Transportation and Active Transit (TAT).[3] After the election of the Houston government in 2021, the department was given its present name.