Administrative law deals with decisions made under statutory authority by government officials, boards, commissions and tribunals. The key question is usually not whether a decision seems wrong in the abstract, but what authority made it and what review route the governing legislation provides.
Publisher source check: September 29, 2026. Legal rules and program requirements can change; use the linked official source for the current text.
Identify the decision-maker and enabling law
A tribunal or public official only has the authority given by legislation. The enabling statute can define jurisdiction, procedural duties, appeal rights, deadlines and the remedies available. The written decision and the statute should be read together.
Different decision-makers have different processes. A benefits decision, licensing decision, professional-discipline matter, tenancy order and municipal decision should not be treated as though they all have the same appeal.
Appeal and judicial review are not interchangeable
Some statutes create a right of appeal to a court on specified grounds. Judicial review is a supervisory process concerned with the legality of administrative action. Nova Scotia Civil Procedure Rule 7 provides procedures for judicial review and certain statutory appeals in the Supreme Court.
The available route, standard of review, record and deadline can be consequential. A person should not file a document labelled “appeal” simply because they disagree with a decision; the statute and rules determine the correct procedure.
Procedural fairness and the record
Administrative decision-making can raise questions about notice, opportunity to respond, impartiality, reasons and whether the decision-maker stayed within its authority. What fairness requires depends on the statutory context and nature of the decision.
Preserve the decision, reasons, notices, submissions, evidence, hearing record and correspondence. Judicial review usually focuses on the decision and record rather than providing an unrestricted second opportunity to build a different case.
Access to information and privacy
Nova Scotia’s access-to-information system is another branch of public law. Current FOIPOP rules govern access to many provincial public-body records and protection of personal information. The Province has passed a new Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that the Information and Privacy Commissioner says is scheduled to come into force April 1, 2027.
Because the transition is pending, access-to-information pages need explicit current-to dates. The applicable statute and review process should be checked for the date of the request or decision.
How to use this hub
Use the broad sections above to identify the legal system that controls the issue, then move to the narrower guides and legislation linked below. Start with the actual document, decision, notice, agreement or event that created the problem. Record the important dates and identify the court, tribunal, regulator, government program or other institution involved.
Where an issue crosses subjects, research each part separately. A workplace discrimination problem can involve both employment and human-rights law; a vessel injury can involve personal-injury and maritime law; a criminal charge can affect immigration status. The topic hubs are designed to connect those systems without pretending that one general explanation answers every part of a file.
Questions people commonly need to answer
Which statute created the decision-maker and what powers, procedures and remedies does it provide?
Does the governing law create an appeal, to whom, on what grounds and within what time?
Is supervisory review available and what does Civil Procedure Rule 7 require?
Was the person given the process required by the statute and the circumstances?
Which access/privacy statute applies to the public body and what review route is available?
Primary and official sources
These links lead to the legislation, court, regulator or government program used to source this hub. They are the place to check for current amendments, forms and procedural changes.
- Courts of Nova Scotia — Civil Procedure Rules
- Nova Scotia Information Access and Privacy
- Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
- Nova Scotia Legislature — statutes