In the Annapolis Valley, you can enjoy a rural lifestyle with urban amenities. Whether you'll be working remotely or commuting to work, you need reliable utilities and high-speed internet. Fortunately, you'll find those here.
Utilities
Clean and abundant water. Reliable electricity. Good cellphone coverage. They're all standard in the Annapolis Valley.
Water
Municipalities in the Annapolis Valley operate water utilities to provide clean water to residents. Residents served by a water utility are billed for water. Many rural properties have their own wells and septic systems, so they are not hooked up to town water and not billed for water usage. The Nova Scotia government provides information and guidelines for those whose water supply is from a private well.
Electricity
Nova Scotia Power supplies electricity to most Nova Scotia properties and is transitioning away from coal-powered electricity to cleaner energy. The Town of Berwick operates its own electricity utility. More than 60% of the energy Berwick Electric Commission supplies to its utility customers comes from renewable sources.
Telephone
Several providers offer landline, cellphone, cable TV and internet/WiFi service. These include Bell Aliant, Eastlink, CrossCountry TV (eastern Kings County), Telus, Rogers, Seaside Communications (Annapolis County), and XPlornet. Check before you book, because not all providers offer all services.
Internet
Right now, more than 90% of homes and businesses in Nova Scotia have access to high-speed internet. The Nova Scotia government is working with internet service providers to bring high-speed service to the rest by the end of 2023. Some areas in the Annapolis Valley are not yet hooked up, but you can follow the progress of current high-speed expansion projects in the Annapolis Valley here.
To find out whether a particular address has high-speed internet, you can search on its address. The National Broadband Internet Service Availability Map includes links to internet service providers that operate in the property's area. To see the upload and download speeds, choose the Layer Selector and look at the colour-coded rural road coverage.