Eastern PassageHalifax

10,745 people live in this neighbourhood in Halifax. It is one of 36 neighbourhoods of Halifax.

6 places within 19 kmMap →

Photo: ProjectHorizons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Population

10,745

people, Census 2021

Median age

38.2

years · Nova Scotia’s towns: 51.6

Postsecondary

52%

of residents 15 and over hold a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree · Canadian towns: 56%

Walk, cycle, transit

walk, cycle or take transit to work · Canadian towns: 8%

TownGrade

B⁻

#1,478 of 2,556

Is Eastern Passage a good place to live?

An even record, with no subject far from the norm. Cost of living is its weak spot (C+). Health is where it shines (B). Getting around on foot or by bus is easy (B+). All told, that adds up to a B− overall and a rank of #13 of 88 in Nova Scotia. That leaves it better than 46% of Canadian towns. Its other grades sit near the middle: C+ for safety, B− for jobs & income and B− for hazard risk.

Rents here are the metro area's average, shared by every town and neighbourhood in it. Safety less sure: this is the whole city's figure, because the city doesn't publish open neighbourhood crime rates. No School Grade: this province doesn't publish comparable results school by school. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.

What makes Eastern Passage stand out

The 2 things Eastern Passage does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Home value ÷ household income

Housing

2.7 times household income

The middle of Canadian towns: 4.7 times

Median owner’s estimate $250,000, Census 2021; income for 2020.

Residents 65 and over

Who lives here

Only 13% are 65 or over

The median of Canadian towns: 19%

Statistics Canada, Census 2021

How Eastern Passage grades

Each subject compares Eastern Passage with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.

How grading works

WalkabilityEasier than most to get around on footB⁺Open →HealthBetter than most of the towns comparedBOpen →Cost of livingGraded on home prices against local incomesC⁺Open →SafetyBased on crimes reported per residentC⁺Open →Hazard riskNear typical for the towns comparedB⁻Open →Jobs & incomeGraded on incomes, poverty and employmentB⁻Open →

SchoolsNo schools grade in Nova Scotia: the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.–

How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →

Nearby attractions

Shearwater Aviation Museum and 37 more in and around Eastern Passage

Sights in Eastern Passage and close by, ordered by how widely each is known.

All attractions →

MuseumMuseumShearwater Aviation Museumin town

ChurchSt. Mary's Basilica3.4 km outside town, to the west

FortGeorges Island2.4 km outside town, to the west

Historic shipHMCS Sackville3.4 km outside town, to the west

Art galleryArt Gallery of Nova Scotia3.7 km outside town, to the west

MuseumMaritime Museum of the Atlantic3.5 km outside town, to the west

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · ODCAF · federal and Québec heritage registers · CPCAD

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (5)

St. Mary's Basilica: baekken, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Georges Island: Thparkth, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
HMCS Sackville: Bryson109 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia: Skeezix1000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic: Letterofmarque, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Eastern Passage.

Climate

Eastern Passage has milder winters than Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: January lows of −8.3°C

December is the wettest month, with 156 mm of rain and snow on average. Frosty days number 133 in a normal year, close to Nova Scotia’s towns (133) and below Canadian towns (159). Between the last spring frost, 30 April, and the first in autumn, 29 October, lie 181 days. Midsummer afternoons in Eastern Passage peak at about 22.7°C.

22.7°CJuly afternoons

Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

Winter1.5°C

Spring8.8°C

Summer21.6°C

Autumn14.3°C

Normals, 1991–2020	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
July afternoon high	22.7°C	23.1°C	25.5°C
Precipitation a year	1,414 mm	1,393 mm	883 mm
January night low	−8.3°C	−8.9°C	−13.5°C
Snowfall a year	215 cm	215 cm	141 cm

215 cm

of snow a year

133

days with frost a year

181

frost-free days, 30 Apr to 29 Oct

124

days with precipitation a year

Full pageEastern Passage’s climate pageOpen the full Climate page

The yearJuly highs 22.7°C, January lows −8.3°C Rain and snow1,414 mm a year · Canadian towns: 883 mm Snow215 cm of snow a year Weather station2.4 km to the station · Shearwater

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Shearwater)

HealthHealth B

Around Eastern Passage, 51% of adults call their health very good or excellent

Health survey and life expectancy for the Zone 4 - Central

11% of adults smoke, daily or now and then, below Nova Scotia’s towns (15%) and Canadian towns (12%) alike. Women in the region live to 83.4 and men to 79.3, 81.4 years taken together (2022/2024). Closer to home, a hospital is 7.0 km from the average resident of Eastern Passage, further than the usual 3.7 km.

51%very good or excellent healthBHealth Grade

Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised

Eastern Passage51%

Nova Scotia’s towns49%

Canadian towns52%

Health	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Smokers	11%	15%	12%
Chronic conditions (average share)	18%	20%	17%
Life expectancy at birth	81.4	80.0	81.5
Very good or excellent health	51%	49%	52%

81.4

years of life expectancy, 2022/2024

7.0 km

from homes to a hospital, on average

11%

of adults smoke, age-standardised

1.8 km

from homes to a pharmacy, on average

Full pageEastern Passage’s health pageOpen the full Health page

Health survey51% very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised Getting care7.0 km to a hospital · A pharmacy 1.8 km away on average The wider areaLife expectancy: women 83.4, men 79.3 Conditions and habits18% with chronic conditions · adults, age-standardised

Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities

HousingCost of living C⁺

Rent takes more of local pay in Eastern Passage than in Nova Scotia’s towns or Canadian towns: 24% of household income

Just over one in ten households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both Nova Scotia’s towns (13%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers four in five households.

$250,000median home value, 2021C⁺Cost of living Grade

What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census

Eastern Passage$250,000

Nova Scotia$250,000

Canadian towns$406,000

Census 2021	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Rent as a share of income	24%	21%	20%
Households spending 30%+ on shelter	12%	13%	18%
Households owning their home	80%	82%	74%

$1,828

monthly rent for a two-bedroom

Full pageEastern Passage’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting$1,828 a month · A two-bedroom apartment, CMHC’s survey Cost of living2.7 times household income · The median owner’s estimate, $250,000, against the median household income Owners and renters80% own their home

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · The 2021 census asked owners what their home was worth; those values, and 2020 incomes, are what this compares. · Rent as a share of income and monthly rent for a two-bedroom published for the Halifax metro area, not by town

SafetySafety C⁺

Eastern Passage’s grade for safety: a C+

Area-wide: Crime Severity Index, Violent Crime Severity Index, violent crime and property crime per 1,000, counted over the Halifax Metropolitan Area service area

Property crime in its police area ran at 37.3 per 1,000 residents a year, near Nova Scotia’s towns (36.2) and higher than Canadian towns (31.2). Its police area recorded 13.8 violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, about level with Nova Scotia’s towns (14.5) and above Canadian towns (12).

71Crime Severity Index

Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year

202372

202474

202569

2023–2025	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Property crime per 1,000	37.3	36.2	31.2
Violent crime	13.8	14.5	12

non-violent Crime Severity Index

31%

of incidents cleared, 2023–25

Full pageEastern Passage’s safety reportOpen the full Safety report

Safety71 Crime Severity Index · The index weighs each crime Eastern Passage’s police recorded by how serious it is.Questions“Is Eastern Passage safe?”

Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average

Outdoors

Step out of Eastern Passage into McNabs & Lawlor Island Provincial Park

Within 100 km there is no national park. Parks and reserves take up 3.6% of the ground within 10 km, between Nova Scotia’s towns (8.7%) and Canadian towns (2.3%). For a swim, Hangmans Beach is the nearest of 21 beaches within 5 km. 2 mapped walking routes pass within 2 km, among them the Shearwater Flyer Trail and McCormack's Beach Boardwalk.

3.6%of the land within 10 km protected

Protected land · of the land within 10 km

Eastern Passage3.6%

Nova Scotia’s towns8.7%

Canadian towns2.3%

Outdoors	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Protected land within 10 km	3.6%	8.7%	2.3%
Public protected areas within 10 km	6	23.5	4

At the edge

to McNabs & Lawlor Island Provincial Park

beaches within 5 km

public protected areas within 10 km

Full pageEastern Passage’s outdoors pageOpen the full Outdoors page

Protected landof the land within 10 km Protected areas14 protected areas within 10 km · Long Lake Provincial Park National & provincial parksAt the edge to a provincial park · McNabs & Lawlor Island Provincial Park Footpaths & routes2 named routes · Shearwater Flyer Trail

Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches

Who lives here

Eastern Passage: median age 38.2, 4,150 households

First Nations, Métis and Inuit people make up 4.7% of residents, higher than both Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (2.8%). 6.4% of residents belong to a visible minority, between Nova Scotia’s towns (4%) and Canadian towns (15%).

38.2median age

Eastern PassageNova ScotiaCanada

Nova ScotiaCanada

Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021

20%

Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over

No certificate, diploma or degree17%

Postsecondary qualification52%

Women and men · all residents

51.0% of Eastern Passage’s residents are women

By the 2021 count the town had 5,485 women and 5,260 men, while Canada has 50.9% women.

Who lives in Eastern Passage
	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Under 15	20%	14%	16%
15 to 64	67%	62%	64%
65+	13%	25%	19%
No certificate, diploma or degree	17%	18%	16%
Postsecondary qualification	52%	54%	56%

Full pageEastern Passage’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages38.2 median age · 13% are 65 or over Households4,150 households English and French13% speak both · 0.2% speak French but not English

Statistics Canada, Census 2021; Nova Scotia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+

Weather

What November brings in Eastern Passage: 1°C at night, 9°C by day

Over the year, August is warmest at 23°C by day and January coldest at −8°C by night. By December, a normal day reaches 4°C and a night falls to −4°C. About 19 cm of snow falls in a normal November. Expect about 135 mm of rain and snow over November.

9°Ca normal November afternoon

Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020

November9°C

December4°C

January0°C

February1°C

Season	High	Low	Rain and snow
Winter	1°C	−7°C	394 mm
Spring	9°C	0°C	342 mm
Summer	22°C	13°C	297 mm
Autumn	14°C	6°C	382 mm

1°C

a normal November night

135 mm

of rain and snow in a normal November

Full pageEastern Passage’s weather pageOpen the full Weather page

Next 24 hoursTemperature and chance of rain, hour by hour The week aheadECCC’s days ahead, beside the normals The yearWarmest August, coldest January

ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Shearwater); the forecast is on the Weather page

Town hall

Eastern Passage’s MP is Darren Fisher (Liberal Party of Canada), for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour

11 of the 11 MPs from Nova Scotia belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.

Full pageEastern Passage’s town hall & politics pageOpen the full Town hall & politics page

Who runs itRegional Municipality

Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada

Library & civic lifeCivic life grade B⁻

The nearest public library to Eastern Passage is Woodlawn Library, 6.9 km away

The next is Cole Harbour Public Library (Cole Harbour), 7.9 km away.

Full pageEastern Passage’s library & civic life pageOpen the full Library & civic life page

Places to belong1.1 charities per 1,000 residents

Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada

Natural hazardsHazard risk B⁻

Eastern Passage is on Canada’s flood inventory: 1 listed, led by Halifax Regional Municipality

Measured across the Zone 6 health region: radon tests

In Health Canada’s survey, 13% of homes tested in the area exceeded 200 Bq/m³ (6.6% typical). For earthquakes Eastern Passage is middling, $0.018 a year per $1,000 against $0.030 for the typical town. The burn rate around Eastern Passage is 0.06% a year (2.4% of the land within 25 km since 1986), a moderate band. Figures for earthquake risk are published for the city of Halifax as a whole, not for Eastern Passage alone.

Moderatewildfire bandB⁻Hazard risk Grade

Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³

Eastern Passage13%

Nova Scotia’s towns13%

Canadian towns6.6%

Hazards	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Radon tests above the guideline	13%	13%	6.6%
Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year	$0.018	$0.018	$0.030

Moderate

wildfire band

1.0 km

to the nearest land burned since 1986

flood study on the national inventory

Full pageEastern Passage’s flood & hazards pageOpen the full Flood & hazards page

FloodOne flood study on record WildfireModerate wildfire band · 2.4% of the land within 25 km burned since 1986 Earthquakes$0.018 a year per $1,000 · Canadian towns: $0.030 Radon13% of tests above the guideline Be readyAlerts, FireSmart and radon tests

NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory

Work & commuteJobs & income B⁻

Households in Eastern Passage have higher incomes than those in 78% of Canadian towns

On average, the journey to work lasts 24 min. Just over nine in ten commuters drove, in line with Nova Scotia’s towns (92%) and Canadian towns (89%).

7%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2021

Car or van91%

Public transit5%

Walk2%

Bicycle0%

Census 2021	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Average trip	24 min	23 min	26 min
Car or van	91%	92%	89%

$92,300

median household income, 2020

17%

worked from home, May 2021

99%

of commuters work inside the municipality

Full pageEastern Passage’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Unemployment8.6% unemployed · Of the labour force · Canadian towns: 9.9%Getting to work7% walk, cycle or take transit

Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · The 2021 census was taken in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions: more people than usual worked from home or were off work.

Schools

17 schools serve Eastern Passage, 12 elementary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade

In French: one of the 17 schools, where in Nova Scotia the share is 6%. Schooling here is split between 2 boards, above Nova Scotia’s towns (1) but below Canadian towns (3).

17schools within 3 km

School	Level	Students	System
Eastern Passage Education CentreIn Eastern PassageElementary · Grades 6–8	Elementary · Grades 6–8	–	English public
Island View HighIn Eastern PassageSecondary · Grades 9–RG	Secondary · Grades 9–RG	–	English public
École Mer et Monde FrenchTeaches in FrenchAll grades	All grades	–	French public

See all 17 schools →

Schools by system · Schools within 3 km

English public16

French public1

Schools within 3 km	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
School boards	2	1	3

0.8 km

to the nearest secondary school

Full pageEastern Passage’s schools pageOpen the full Schools page

Every school17 schools within 3 km · 12 elementary schools, 4 secondary schools and 1 school for every grade Language1 of 17 teach in French · 6% of schools in Nova Scotia The boards2 school boards · Halifax Regional Centre for Education Questions“What schools are there in Eastern Passage?”

Provincial school lists and results, 2025-26 · Towns in Nova Scotia aren’t in the schools rankings: the province reports its assessments by regional centre, and that series stops in 2019–20.

History

Heritage in Eastern Passage: 10 historic places, one of the highest rank

Among the places are 9 Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings. Fort McNab, begun in 1888, is the oldest by its record.

10historic places

Historic places by designation · inside the town

Highest designations1

Other federal designations9

Provincial and local listings0

Among them

Fort McNab 1888
Casemates 1888
Gun Emplacement, Magazine and Crew Shelter 1 1888
Gun Emplacement, Magazine and Crew Shelter 2 1888

1888

oldest construction date on the record

8.6%

of homes built before 1961 · Canadian towns 18%

Heritage	Eastern Passage	Nova Scotia	Canada
Homes built before 1961	8.6%	28%	18%

Full pageEastern Passage’s history pageOpen the full History page

On the registers10 historic places inside the town Highest designations1 top designation · Fort McNab Older homes8.6% built before 1961 · Canadian towns: 18%Questions“How many historic places does Eastern Passage have?”

Canadian Register of Historic Places, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, Québec’s Répertoire du patrimoine culturel, Wikidata; Census 2021 homes by period

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Eastern Passage

15pages on Eastern Passage

The big questions

SafetyC⁺Crime Severity Index 71 Housing & costC⁺Homes 2.7 × income Property pricesSchools17 schools within 3 km HealthBLife expectancy 81.4 in its region Work & commuteB⁻59% of adults in work Natural hazardsB⁻Wildfire band: moderate

Out and about

Outdoors3.6% of the land within 10 km protected AttractionsClimateJuly afternoons around 23°C WeatherECCC’s forecast, beside the normals

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 38.2 History10 places on the heritage registers Town hallFamous people

Famous people from around Eastern Passage

No notable person born in Eastern Passage is on our list; these were born in the towns around it.

How we find them →

Sidney CrosbyCanadian ice hockey player · born in Cole Harbour · born 1987

Ian HanlinCanadian voice actor · born in Cole Harbour · born 1986

Craig HillierCanadian ice hockey player · born in Cole Harbour · born 1978

Rob DowCanadian soccer coach · born in Cole Harbour · born 1981

Corrine SparksCanadian judge · born in Westphal

Marc CheverieCanadian ice hockey player · born in Cole Harbour · born 1987

Photo credits

Sidney Crosby: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0

Eastern Passage’s neighbours

The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada

Cole HarbourPortland EstatesManor ParkSchmidtvilleWestphalLawrencetownEastern Passage

How the neighbours grade

Town	People	km	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Eastern Passage	10,745	—	B⁻	C⁺	C⁺	B
Cole Harbour	21,627	5.5	B	C⁺	C⁺	B⁺
Portland Estates	10,164	6.1	B⁻	D	C⁺	B⁺
Manor Park	14,148	8.3	C	D	C⁺	B⁺
Schmidtville	18,105	8.4	C⁻	D⁻	C⁺	B⁺
Westphal	4,201	8.9	B⁻	C⁺	C⁺	B
Lawrencetown	3,509	9.3	C⁺	C⁺	C⁺	B

People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.

About Eastern Passage

Neighbourhood in Halifax

Eastern Passage is a neighbourhood of Halifax, built by TownRatings from Statistics Canada’s smallest census areas and named from the city’s map or OpenStreetMap.

Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.

Population: 10,745 (people, 2021 estimate)
Province or territory: Nova Scotia
City: Halifax
Census subdivision: 1209034

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).