Nova Scotia's population is suddenly booming. Can the province handle it?

This story is part of an ongoing CBC Nova Scotia series examining how the province is managing its record-setting population boom after decades of limited growth.

Kim Fry and her family had been thinking about moving away from Toronto for years. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it clarified some of their long-term priorities and they finally decided to make the leap.

But first, they had to figure out where to go.

Nova Scotia ranked high on their list of possibilities.

They have family here, they were impressed with the province's COVID-19 response and felt the pace of life was more in line with what they were looking for.

But it was the perceived affordability of Nova Scotia that really helped swing their decision in the province's favour.

"We didn't own a home in Toronto and that was never going to be a possibility for us," Fry says. "When we first started imagining that we were going to move to Nova Scotia, I think we thought we would be able to afford to buy something. 

"That quickly evaporated as we saw that we were not the only people who had this idea."

Indeed, they were far from alone. Nova Scotia's population has surged in the past few years, driven largely by immigration and people moving here from other provinces.

The shift has been relatively sudden and somewhat surprising after about two decades of stagnant or even decreasing population figures and dire warnings about the province being on the brink of an extended period of decline.

Since 2015, Nova Scotia has added nearly 111,000 new residents — or more than 10 per cent of the current population, which as of April 1, 2023, was 1,047,232. Growth over the past year has been the fastest on record since 1951.

The boom has resulted in benefits, such as greater diversity, economic growth and stronger rural communities, but it has also posed challenges. 

An already overburdened health-care system has become even more stressed. An education system that was once shuttering schools due to declining enrolment is now seeing some schools bursting at the seams, with portables and modulars spilling into parking lots. And more Nova Scotians are struggling to find housing they can afford, both within the rental and ownership markets.

For Fry, her partner and their six-year-old child, their 2021 move to Halifax has been overwhelmingly positive. However, Fry has also learned that living in Nova Scotia comes with its share of hurdles.