Don't Be Left in the Dark

PICTOU, NS - As dusk approaches, a homeowner looks outside of his or her residence and notices that things don’t look quite as bright as they have in the past.

A street light outside of the home is now dark.   Who do they call to have the light repaired? 

The Municipality of Pictou County currently owns and maintains 2250 street lights, but there are many in rural Pictou County that it doesn’t because they are privately or provincially owned which are maintained by Nova Scotia Power.

In 2011, the Nova Scotia Government passed an Energy Savings Roadway Light Act that changed legislation requiring all street lighting be more energy efficient.    As a result, new LED lights were installed and Municipalities across the province were given the option of owning street lights or continuing to have them maintained by Nova Scotia Power.

The Municipality of Pictou County opted to own its lights and hired contractor Black and MacDonald to install the LED lights and maintain them.  The new ownership is seen as a cost-saving measure for the Municipality and its residents. 

What to do if a street light is not working in your district:

-        Call the Municipality of Pictou County at 902-485-1201 to report the non-working street light.

-        The Municipality will take your information and determine if it is a street light it owns or if it is maintained by Nova Scotia Power.

-        If it is owned by the Municipality of Pictou, its contractors will be notified and a repair request will be submitted.  Repair time depends on availability of contractors and the availability of equipment.

-         If it is maintained by Nova Scotia Power,  the homeowner will be asked to contact NSP directly.