| Order of Nova Scotia | |
|---|---|
 Chancellor's Chain of the Order of Nova Scotia | |
Awarded by thelieutenant governor of Nova Scotia | |
| Type | Order of merit (provincial) |
| Founded | 1 June 2001 |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Founder | Myra Freeman |
| Chancellor | Michael Savage |
| Grades | Member |
| Post-nominals | ONS |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Order of New Brunswick |
| Next (lower) | Order of Newfoundland and Labrador |
 Ribbon bar of the order | |
TheOrder of Nova Scotia[a] is a civilian honour formerit in the Canadian province ofNova Scotia. The order was instituted through the Order of Nova Scotia Act on June 1, 2001, with the first appointments beginning in 2002. The order is administered by theGovernor-in-Council, and is intended to honour current or former Nova Scotia residents who have demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement. The order is described as the highest honour amongst all those conferred by theNova Scotia Crown.
The Order of Nova Scotia was implemented through the Order of Nova Scotia Act, which was grantedroyal assent on June 1, 2001.[1][2] The province first put out a call for nominations on November 21, 2001, but only two nominations had been received by early January 2002. In spite of the initial lacklustre response, the province remained optimistic and expected to receive more nominations before the deadline of March 21, 2002.[3] A total of 13 appointments were made to the order in 2002, including the three surviving prior lieutenant governors:Abraham,Crouse, andKinley.[4] Lieutenant governorMyra Freeman was also appointed to the orderex officio.[5] The first recipients were ultimately chosen from a pool of 200 nominations.[6]
The Order of Nova Scotia is intended to honour any current or former long-term resident ofNova Scotia who has demonstrated a high level of individual excellence and achievement, having "distinguished themselves by an outstanding contribution to the cultural life or to the social or economic well-being of the Province". The order is thus described as the highest honour amongst all those conferred by theNova Scotia Crown.[7] There are no limits on how many people can belong to the order, though inductions are limited to five per year;Canadian citizenship is a requirement, and those who are elected or appointed members of a governmental body are ineligible as long as they hold office.[8]
The process of finding qualified individuals begins with submissions from the public to the Order of Nova Scotia Advisory Council, which consists of a person who serves as the chair, appointed by thepremier; the Chief Justice of theNova Scotia Court of Appeal; the clerk of the executive council and an individual appointed by the clerk; the president of a university in the province; and one person appointed by each of the leaders of the political parties in theHouse of Assembly, all of whom must reside in Nova Scotia.[9][7] This committee then meets at least once annually to make its selected recommendations to the executive council and works with that body in narrowing down the potential appointees to a list that will be submitted to thelieutenant governor; posthumous nominations are accepted up to one year following the nominee's death.[7] The lieutenant governor,ex officio a member and the Chancellor of the Order of Nova Scotia, then makes all appointments into the fellowship's single grade of membership by anOrder in Council that bears theviceroyal sign-manual and thegreat seal of the province; thereafter, the new members are entitled to use thepost-nominal lettersONS.[7]
Upon admission into the Order of Nova Scotia, the lieutenant governor presents the order's insignia to the recipient in a formal ceremony, in the name of the Crown.[8] The insignia, designed by Christopher Cairns, consists of a 61 mm (2.4 in) badge in the shape of amayflower, the official provincial flower. The obverse of the badge isenamelled in white, and bears theescutcheon of thearms of Nova Scotia, all surmounted by aRoyal Crown. The reverse of the badge features a three-digit number. The 32 mm (1.3 in) ribbon is patterned with vertical stripes in red, blue, gold, and white; the badge is attached to the ribbon via a 21 mm (0.83 in) gold loop. Members of the order also receive alapel pin featuring a miniature version of the insignia.[9]
This is a partial list of notable members of the Order of Nova Scotia:[5]
| Awards of valour | |
|---|---|
| National orders | |
| Dynastic orders | |
| Provincial orders | |
| Territorial orders | |
| Other decorations and medals | |
| Canadian honours lists | |
