Long Lake Provincial Park Association (LLPPA) was formally registered as a non-profit community organization with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies in 1987. LLPPA has been engaged in its registered roles since then. We advocate for conservation of the park and engagement of local communities in park management,
Significant successes have been the creation of a Park Management Plan as well a management agreement with the province for creation and operation of formal trails and parking lots. While the park is a provincial asset, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has recognized that LLPPA provides a public benefit to HRM residents.
LLPPA raises funds by various means for operation of the popular groomed trails accessible from Dunbrack Street and Old Sambro Road. It is hoped that the following will help to improve understanding of the relationships between LLPPA and elected officials at different levels of government.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Levels of government and related electoral districts
Federal Government of Canada
Long Lake Provincial Park lies within the Halifax electoral district of Canada. At the 2025 federal election, Shannon Miedema was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Halifax.

The map above is based on the official Elections Canada map of the Halifax electoral district with annotations added about the park
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Government of the Province of Nova Scotia
Long Lake Provincial Park lies within three electoral districts of Nova Scotia. These districts are Halifax Armdale, Halifax Atlantic and Timberlea-Prospect. Because the park is designated under the Parks Act of Nova Scotia, this is the most relevant level of government regarding the park’s jurisdiction and administration. At the November 26th 2024 provincial election the following were elected as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in these electoral districts:
1. Halifax Armdale
Rod Wilson MLA

LLPPA is grateful for financial support of park operations from the office of Rod Wilson.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Halifax Atlantic
Brendan Maguire MLA
Constituency office
349 Herring Cove Road. Suite C., Halifax, NS, B3V 1R9
Phone: 902-444-0147 Fax: 902-444-8941
E-mail: brendan@brendanmaguire.ca
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Timberlea-Prospect
Iain Rankin MLA
Suite 100, 1268 St. Margaret’s Bay Road, Beechville, NS B3T 1A7
Phone: 902.404-7036
Email: info@iainrankin.ca
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Map of the three provincial electoral districts in relation to Long Lake Provincial Park

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)
Long Lake Provincial Park falls within three electoral districts of HRM. In 2025 the three elected Councillors are Shawn Cleary (District 9), Patty Cuttell (District 11), and Nancy Hartling (District 13). The boundaries of these districts in relation to the northern half of the park are shown in green in the map below.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
District 9 Councillor Cleary

LLPPA is grateful for financial support of active transportation in the park from the office of Councillor Cleary
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
District 11 Councillor Cuttell

LLPPA is grateful for financial support of HRM-related signage from the office of Councillor Cuttell.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
District 13 Councillor Hartling

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Park Governance
Although no people reside in Long Lake Provincial Park, the land and the lakes are still divided among the various electoral districts that exist for the purpose of elections. The lines on maps that define electoral districts are drawn carefully by well-defined legal processes. Representatives who are elected to City Council, Provincial Legislature, or House of Commons, take care to know where these lines lie because our representatives have responsibilities to their electorates. These responsibilities are partly defined by the lines on the maps (see maps above).
While the lands and waters in the park are provincial crown lands, and the park is designated under the provincial Parks Act, there remain concerns that are directly relevant to HRM Council (such as policing, emergency services, and active transportation routes). The park provides several services to the public which overlap with municipal needs, notably for healthy recreation and nature conservation. For these reasons Councillors sometimes provide financial support for specific projects, such as installing signs of relevance to HRM responsibilities or planning active transportation routes in the park.
Members of the Legislature of Nova Scotia are the elected representatives who have the most direct relevance for Long Lake Provincial Park because the park was designated and is managed according to provincial statutes (laws), such as the Parks Act, Regulations under the Parks Act, the Crown Lands Act, and the Wildlife Act. The provincial Department of Natural Resources is responsible for the park, and its management currently falls under the umbrella of the Waverley Office of the Department of Natural Resources.
Currently, Long Lake Provincial Park has three Members of the Legislative Assemby of the Province of Nova Scotia (see above). They are Rod Wilson (Halifax Armdale), Brendan Maguire (Halifax Atlantic) and Iain Rankin (Timberlea-Prospect).
Long Lake Provincial Park Association (LLPPA) has a formal agreement with the Province, through the Department of Natural Resources, to manage trails and parking lots in a portion of the park. This portion lies in the constituencies of Halifax Armdale and Halifax Atlantic.
At the level of the Government of Canada, all of Long Lake Provincial Park currently lies within the constituency of Halifax. Shannon Miedema is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the park. Because the park is provincial, our Member of Parliament is involved mostly through relevant federal laws, such as the Species at Risk Act, Migratory Birds Convention Act, as well health and safety regulations, such as the requirement to use life jackets when boating.
Parks play a very important role in community health. Community health is an issue at all levels of government and requires effective cooperation among the various levels of government so that the outcomes of policies at all levels of government serve the public well. For this reason, all of our government representatives have a role to play in meeting the park’s principal goals.
“Long Lake, a natural park, for all, forever!”
Leave a Reply