Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook

Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook is a large suburban-rural riding east and north of Halifax, stretching from Shubenacadie Grand Lake in the northwest to Three Fathom Harbour in the southeast. It includes Lower Sackville, Middle Sackville, Beaver Bank, Fall River, Waverley, Lake Echo, Porters Lake, Preston, and the Acadian community of Chezzetcook. The riding had a population of approximately 89,500 in the 2021 census.

Candidates

Darrell Samson (Liberal) was the incumbent, first elected in 2015. Born in 1958 in Petit-de-Grat, Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, Samson is an Acadian who earned a Bachelor of Education (1982) and a Master’s in Education (1984) from the Université de Moncton. He spent his career in education, working as a teacher and administrator at Caudle Park Elementary before becoming superintendent of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, Nova Scotia’s Acadian and Francophone school board. He served as the national president and vice-president of all French school board superintendents outside Quebec.

Angela Conrad (Conservative) lived in Beaver Bank with her spouse and three children. She spent 15 years as a marketing and design entrepreneur before turning to community service and political engagement.

Jenna Chisholm (NDP) was a young Mi’kmaw woman from Millbrook First Nation who grew up in Middle Sackville. She studied communications and public policy at Mount Saint Vincent University and had served as Youth Executive for the Board of the National Association of Friendship Centres, working with residential school survivors and their families to address intergenerational trauma.

Earl Gosse (PPC) ran for the People’s Party of Canada.

Anthony Edmonds (Green Party) represented the Green Party.

About the Riding

Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook is one of the most geographically and culturally diverse ridings in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Lower Sackville, approximately 20 kilometres north of downtown Halifax, is the largest population centre—a bedroom community with commercial corridors along Sackville Drive. Fall River and Beaver Bank are growing suburban communities that attract young families seeking affordable housing relative to Halifax proper.

The riding encompasses three distinct cultural communities. Chezzetcook is one of the oldest Acadian settlements in Nova Scotia, with the historic French village of L’Acadie de Chezzetcook featuring a museum and cultural centre. The Preston area—comprising North Preston, East Preston, and Cherry Brook—is home to one of the largest historic Black communities in Canada, with roots dating to the late 18th century when Black Loyalists and later refugees settled in the area. Millbrook First Nation, a Mi’kmaw community near Truro with economic development including a commercial park, also falls within the riding’s broader sphere of influence.

The riding’s economy is predominantly suburban-service oriented, with most residents commuting to employment in Halifax. The Bedford Industrial Park lies at the western edge. Fishing and forestry were traditional industries along the Eastern Shore, but most residents now work in public administration, retail, healthcare, and construction. The Waverley-Salmon River Long Lake Wilderness Area provides significant green space.

In 2021, key issues included housing affordability as prices climbed sharply, infrastructure investment for growing suburban areas, healthcare access, and broadband connectivity for the riding’s more rural eastern communities along the Eastern Shore. The riding’s demographics were 83.0 percent white, 4.3 percent Black, and 4.2 percent Indigenous according to the 2021 census.