About the Hants RDA

The Hants Regional Development Authority is a forward-looking organization established to support and advance community economic development in Hants County. From its offices in Windsor and Elmsdale, the Hants RDA works with businesses, community groups and all three levels of government to champion the interests of Hants County locally, regionally and internationally.

The Hants RDA is one of 13 Regional Development Authorities in Nova Scotia. It was incorporated in 1997 under the Regional Community Development Act at the request of the four municipal governments in Hants County. Governed by a volunteer board of directors, we receive funding from the municipalities of East Hants and West Hants; the Towns of Windsor and Hantsport; the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; and the provincial departments of Economic & Rural Development and Community Services.

Our key task is to develop and implement a regional strategy. The current strategy, “Connected. 2008-2011.”, was developed in 2008 through extensive public and stakeholder consultation. It focuses the Hants RDA on “making the connections that help Hants County achieve sustainable prosperity.” To this end, we connect new tourists, residents and entrepreneurs to Hants County through Regional Promotion. We connect our clients to new skills and resources through Community Development and Business Development. And we connect Hants County to outside decision makers through Advocacy.

The Hants RDA is committed to transparency and accountability. We are an ISO 9001:2000 registered organization, which means that we have adopted policies and procedures that meet international standards for continuous quality improvement. Our ISO registration is maintained through an annual external audit. In October 2008, we introduced our first quarterly “performance scorecard”. These new quarterly reports build upon our ISO system to provide the board, funders, and stakeholders with reliable and balanced information on the organization’s performance. The Hants RDA is the first RDA in Nova Scotia to report performance on a quarterly basis.