Kevin Latimer, KC

Kevin is the former Managing Partner of Cox & Palmer, Halifax (2012-2018) and was appointed by the Province of Nova Scotia to act as Transition Coordinator for the Windsor / West Hants municipal consolidation project (2018-2020).  He was appointed Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 2004.

Kevin has worked for more than 30 years with government, business and public administration on matters related to local governance, land use planning, and regulatory issues. He has written and spoken extensively on issues facing municipal governments and those who deal with municipal governments. Kevin is both creative and pragmatic, attributes that are often key to addressing what otherwise may appear to be intractable problems.

As a senior business leader, Kevin has direct experience in strategic planning, financial systems and reporting, management information systems, organization studies, operational reviews, project evaluations, executive searches, mergers, acquisitions, business plans, and as a trusted advisor to clients. His experience is broad, serving a wide range of business and industry, governments, not-for-profit organizations, universities, and associations.

Kevin leads Cox & Palmer’s municipal advisory group and is counsel to the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities. He is the 2024 recipient of the CBA Municipal Law Award of Excellence. Kevin is recognized by the Best Lawyers in Canada for his practice in the areas of Labour & Employment Law, Administrative & Public Law, Municipal Law, and Corporate & Commercial Litigation. In 2018, he was named Best Lawyers’ “Halifax Administrative and Public Law Lawyer of the Year”.

Experience

• Special advisor to Cape Breton Regional Municipality to establish a governance structure/cost recovery model to support CBRM’s wastewater service delivery (2023-2024);
• Special advisor to New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local Government with regard to implementation of New Brunswick’s local government reform legislation (2022-2023);
• Project Manager for purpose-built multi-disciplinary team selected by the Municipality of the County of Cumberland to address a host of governance and organizational design issues resulting from dissolutions of the Towns of Parrsboro and Springhill within Cumberland County (2022);
• Lead negotiator for the three Cumberland municipalities (Amherst, Oxford, Cumberland County) on sale of the region’s solid waste management system to GFL (2021-2022);
• Interim solicitor for the Municipality of the County of Annapolis to resolve a variety of challenges and claims related to activities of the former administration (2020-2021); and
• Transition Coordinator appointed by the Province of Nova Scotia for the Windsor / West Hants municipal consolidation project (2018-2020).

Recent Litigation

• Successfully appealed Town of Kentville Council refusal of LUB zoning amendment to NSUARB on behalf of Brison Developments Ltd. to support a 50-acre development in the Town of Kentville (Brison Developments LTD. (Re), 2024 NSUARB 81);
• Successfully challenged resolutions of outgoing municipal council for non-compliance with the Municipal Elections Act and Municipal Government Act provisions governing the transition of power following a municipal election, bringing clarity to the legislative scheme (Annapolis (County) v. E.A. Farren Limited, 2021 NSSC 327);
• Successfully appealed HRM Council refusal of a land-use by-law amendment on behalf of a major developer (Armco Capital Inc. (Re), 2021 NSUARB 147);
• Transition Coordinator for the Windsor-West Hants consolidation, brought an application to establish the polling districts and composition of NEW council in the amalgamated municipality (Coordinator for Region of Windsor (Re), 2019 NSUARB 112);
• Represented Halifax Regional Water Commission on application for approval of adjustment to Bedford West Capital Cost Contribution charge (Halifax Regional Water Commission (Re), 2019 NSUARB 166 (CanLll)); and
• Represented St. Mary’s University on appeal by Ashcroft Homes Inc. from decision of HRM Council refusing to issue a development permit for a proposed student residence (Ashcroft Homes Inc. (Re), 2017 NSUARB 4).