Regional Accessibility Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Regional Accessibility Advisory Committee is to provide advice to the Municipal Councils and Village Commissions on identifying, preventing, and eliminating barriers to persons with disabilities in local government programs, services, initiatives, and facilities. The Committee also supports efforts to help the regional communities of Colchester become accessible and meet the obligations under the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act.

Membership of the Regional Advisory Committee shall be comprised of one elected official from each of Truro, Stewiacke, Bible Hill, Tatamagouche, and Colchester, along with a minimum of six additional persons. As required under the Act, at least 50% of committee members must self-identify as having a disability or be representatives of organizations that advocate for persons with disabilities, as appointed by Council.

  pdf Truro-Colchester + You. Moving Accessibility Forward Plan(21.73 MB)

The Truro-Colchester + You: Moving Accessibility Forward Plan outlines accessibility improvements across the Truro-Colchester Region. Developed in partnership with the Regional Accessibility Committee, the plan was informed by research and community feedback collected by reachAbility, with the goal of capturing the broad spectrum of disabilities and intersectional barriers. The plan includes recommendations for municipalities and villages in six key areas: Employment, Transportation, Built Environment, Information and Communication, Goods and Services, and Awareness and Capacity Building.

2025 Regional Accessibility Plan

In alignment with the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act, the Regional Accessibility Committee, in collaboration with consultant Left Turn Right Turn Ltd. and regional partners (Village of Bible Hill, Municipality of the County of Colchester, Town of Stewiacke, and Village of Tatamagouche), completed a comprehensive review and update of the 2022 Regional Accessibility Plan.

The updated plan was reviewed by the Regional Accessibility Committee at its February 27, 2025, meeting and presented by the consultant to all participating Councils and Commissions during a regional virtual meeting on March 10, 2025.

All participating municipalities and villages have expressed their support for the updated plan.
Approved by Town of Truro Council on April 7, 2025.

  pdf 2025 Regional Accesibility Plan (2.88 MB)

Truro’s Community Plan is an integrated plan which includes the Community Sustainability Plan, the Municipal Planning Strategy, and the Land Use Bylaw. Truro’s Community Sustainability Plan deals with community values and priorities. It presents action opportunities on issues informed by the Truro, Let’s Connect findings. Truro’s Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law have more specific content, primarily relating to property development, and are governed in scope by the Nova Scotia Municipal Government Act.

The Town of Truro aspires to be a just and vibrant community with a thriving economy and sustainable environment. Sixteen Community Goals have been developed from the Truro, Let’s Connect engagement project to reflect how residents want Truro to realize this vision. The Community Goals form the framework for policies and strategic priorities of the 2023 Town of Truro Community Plan.

A full copy of the Town's Community Plan is available here: Truro's Community Plan

The Community Plan was approved by Truro Town Council in November 2023 and the Province of Nova Scotia in December 2023. The Plan was effective as of January 11, 2024. 

Let's Connect - Public Engagement Campaign

In August, 2021 the Town of Truro launched the Truro, Let’s Connect survey and public engagement campaign to kick off the process of updating the Town’s Community Plan. The campaign focused on 10 themes and 22 questions related to Truro’s key issues, challenges, strategies, and opportunities for growth. .

All responses and feedback were then compiled into the Truro Let’s Connect, Findings Report. This report presents the aggregate data from all of the public engagement efforts. The report also describes other promotional strategies that were used and additional ways the community was engaged.

The full Truro Let’s Connect, Findings Report can be found by clicking this link, Truro Let’s Connect Findings Report.

This report helped guide and provide input to create the new Community Plan for Truro.

Urban Deer Management

The Town of Truro has been working with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables and the citizens of Truro since 2017 to build a strategy to help control the urban deer population in the Town. In early 2021, the Town of Truro formed the Deer Management Working Group to develop a Deer Management Strategy for the Town. The Town’s Deer Management Strategy is an important step toward providing a clear and coordinated approach to deer control within the Town of Truro.

Town Council approved the Deer Management Strategy in September 2021. At that time Council also approved proceeding with an Implementation Plan for a Controlled Managed Hunt to take place within the Town of Truro. A Controlled Managed Hunt was considered to be the most favourable population reduction method, in terms of effectiveness, feasibility, public cost, capacity and time to implement.

The first Controlled Managed Hunt took place in the Winter of 2022. Annual hunts have taken place since this time and are part of the overall Deer Management Strategy. 

The Controlled Managed Hunt program includes partnerships with the Province of Nova Scotia (Department of Natural Resources and Renewables), Millbrook First Nation, Feed Nova Scotia, and Dalhousie University.

The Controlled Managed Hunt program operates on as little waste as possible. Each year, the Town partners with Feed Nova Scotia to have all meat harvested through the program donated to food banks throughout Nova Scotia. All hides are donated to Millbrook First Nation as part of the program, and other parts of the animal are used for Provincial and National research purposes.

Millbrook First Nation also manages select hunt sites and conducts land-based learning programs for community youth and other members to help preserve knowledge related to ethical harvesting and the processing of deer. The program focused on demonstrating proper field dressing, removing a deer from the forest, and tanning of deer hides.

The purpose of the Town's Deer Management Strategy is to reduce the deer population numbers within the Town of Truro for the benefit of natural ecosystems, and citizen landscapes, reducing Deer-Vehicle Collisions (DVC's), public health concerns, the possible presence of deer predators, and an overall reduction of deer human conflict. While residents will need to learn to live with deer long-term, there are several measures that people can take to assist with deer management efforts in Truro and help to bring the urban deer population within a manageable number. The most important management tool for residents is to stop the feeding of deer within and around the Town. 

The approved Deer Management Strategy sets overall goals for mitigating deer-human conflicts and highlights all elements of deer management throughout the Town. This includes management options at the individual level, public education options, as well as population reduction options. Individuals are encouraged to focus on measures on their own individual properties, and the Town will focus on public education and population reduction measures (with oversight and guidance from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables).

Residents are encouraged to visit: Hub Connect - Urban Deer Management to read the Town's Deer Management Strategy and learn more about the efforts of the Working Group.