Nova Scotia · Municipality of Municipality of the County of Cumberland

How to run for School Trustee in Municipality of the County of Cumberland

A plain-English guide to the 2028 cycle — eligibility, deadlines, paperwork, and key local contacts for school trustee candidates in Municipality of the County of Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

Election day: Saturday, October 21, 2028
Population (2021)
19,964
Boards
varies
Term
4 years
Wards
8

Step 1

Are you eligible?

On the day you file your nomination paper for school trustee in Municipality of the County of Cumberland, you must be:

  • A Canadian citizen.
  • At least 18 years old.
  • A resident of Municipality of the County of Cumberland, OR a non-resident owner or tenant of land in Municipality of the County of Cumberland (or the spouse of one).
  • Not legally disqualified from running.
Common disqualifications include sitting judges, sitting MPs / Senators / MPPs (must resign before filing), municipal employees (must take an unpaid leave or resign), and people serving a sentence in a penal institution.

Step 2

What does the school trustee do?

School trustees represent voters on a school board and oversee policy, budgets, and the hiring of senior staff for public schools in Municipality of the County of Cumberland.

RoleSeatsTermNotes
CSAP trusteevaries4 yearsFrench-language only.

Step 3

The nomination process

Filing happens at the municipal Returning Officer, in person during regular office hours and on nomination day until 2:00 PM. You'll need to bring:

  • Nomination paper, signed in the presence of the clerk or a commissioner of oaths.
  • 5 nominators from eligible electors of Municipality of the County of Cumberland.
  • Government-issued photo ID showing your name and qualifying address.
  • Filing fee: $200 (refundable on financial disclosure).

Where to file

Municipality of Cumberland, 1843 Hwy 2, Upper Nappan, NS B4H 3Y4 (Upper Nappan Service Centre). Phone 902-667-2313. Nominations filed in person with the Municipal Clerk.

Step 4

Key dates — 2028 cycle

DateEvent
Aug 29Nomination period opens
Sep 12Nomination period closes (last day to file)
October 21, 2028Election day
November 10, 2028New term of council begins

Step 5

Campaign finance

Outside of Halifax Regional Municipality (which has By-law C-1100), Nova Scotia has no campaign-finance caps. Only contributions over $50 must be disclosed via Form 41.

Local

Specific to Municipality of the County of Cumberland

  • Three-town donut: the County wraps around the Towns of Amherst, Oxford, and Parrsboro — each is a separate municipality.
  • Mayor (since 2020): Cumberland is one of a handful of NS county municipalities that have moved from the Warden model to a directly-elected Mayor; the change was made by local by-law before the 2020 cycle.
  • Voting method 2024: electronic from Oct 10–19; paper polls at four sites (Upper Nappan Service Centre, Murray Community Centre, Parrsboro Service Centre, Pugwash Library).
  • Strong-mayor concerns: in 2025 Cumberland council passed a motion expressing concerns about possible NS strong-mayor legislation.

Ballot

Other roles on the same ballot

Voters in Municipality of the County of Cumberland also choose:

  • Mayor — Elected at-large since 2020 (Mayor model adopted by local by-law).
  • Councillor — One per district.
  • Deputy Mayor — Selected by council from among councillors.

Sources

Official resources

Related guides

Also running in Municipality of the County of Cumberland?

Considering a different office? We have plain-English guides for every position on the Municipality of the County of Cumberland ballot:

This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Always confirm details with the municipal Returning Officer and the most recent provincial candidate guide before filing. Last reviewed 2026-05-01.

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