Nova Scotia requires members of its Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to disclose property they own, sources of income and investments. These disclosure forms are publicly available. 

The Maple has gone through each of these disclosure forms and identified what MLAs fit into one or more of the following categories:

  • 1) “landlord”; 
  • 2) “non-residential property” (owning any property other than their personal residence or recreational property); 
  • 3) “other real estate investment” (such as investments in real estate investment trusts). 

These MLAs, along with their constituency and political affiliation, have been listed in the chart below. If your MLA does not appear in the chart, they did not meet the criteria. This chart is based on the most recent disclosure these MLAs made as of April 23, 2026, and their situation may have changed since. 

Each MLA has also been categorized in the chart based upon which of the three cases above they best fit into. Some fit into multiple categories, and in that case they are categorized according to the earliest option. For example, an MLA who is a landlord but also has farmland would be categorized as “landlord.” 

We took all items in the disclosure forms into consideration for this article.

In addition to the table, The Maple has listed all relevant details from each MLA’s disclosure form and provided a link back to it. 

It’s important to note that unlike all other provinces, Nova Scotia does not make disclosure reports for MLA’s spouses available. This means that an MLA with no real estate investments who has a landlord partner would not appear in this article, unlike all other provinces, where they would. 

When sharing anything from this article, please do link back to it. In addition, consider becoming a Maple member and/or making a one-time donation so we can continue putting out this sort of valuable resource. 

Here’s what we found.

A table of Nova Scotia MLAs invested in real estate. Click on the image to redirect to a searchable copy

Disclosures for 54 of Nova Scotia’s 55 MLAs were available at the time this data was collected. (Dianne Timmins’s disclosure form was not available.) 

About 20 per cent of Nova Scotia’s MLAs with disclosure forms available met the criteria for inclusion in this article (11 of the 54 MLAs), including Premier Tim Houston and 15 per cent of cabinet. 

Here is a breakdown by party:

  • NDP: 2 MLAs included (22 per cent of caucus)
  • Progressive Conservative (PC): 8 MLAs included (20 per cent of caucus)

Disclosure Excerpts

Danielle Barkhouse | David Bowlby | Adegoke Fadare | Krista Gallagher | Lina Hamid | Tim Houston | John Lohr | Leah Martin | Brad McGowan | Kent Smith | Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin

Danielle Barkhouse

  • “250 Chester Shore Rd., Chester NS B0J 1J0”
  • Source

David Bowlby

  • “14 acres land, Aylesford - farmland”
  • “7 acres land, Aylesford Mountain - farmland”
  • Source

Adegoke Fadare

  • “Sydney Cape Breton - Rental Property”
  • Source

Krista Gallagher

  • “2916 Joseph Howe drive - Co-owed with Leander Armstrong” 
  • Source

Lina Hamid

  • “182 Darlington Drive, Middle Sackville - Rental Property”
  • “111 Waxwing Lane, Middle Sackville - Parents’ Rental Property”
  • Source

Tim Houston

  • “Bell Aliant | Bell Mobility Inc. ℅ Real Estate Services PO Box 880, Halifax, NS B3J 2W3, Attention: Real Estate Manager | Landlord”
  • “Property: Trenton, Nova Scotia - Owner”
  • Source

John Lohr

  • “116 Bessie North Road: 46 Acre Woodlot”
  • “1093 Kars St: 50% owner with Julie Lohr”
  • Source

Leah Martin

Brad McGowan

  • “87 Pebblecreek Cres (Unit 502) Dartmouth - Investment property”
  • Source

Kent Smith

  • “23555 Hwy 7, Watt Section, NS - Rental Property”
  • “Lot D2, Watt Section, NS - Vacant Land”
  • “Lot 4A, Mayfield, PE - Vacant Land”
  • “Beaver Dam, NS - Vacant Land”
  • Source

Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin

  • “Cameron Beach, NS - Shared family cottage (with siblings and cousins)” 
  • Source
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In March 2021, The Maple became the first publication to make the housing investments of elected officials across the country more accessible to the public. We’ve been examining and analyzing the data on an annual basis since then, and publishing it for all to see, with no paywalls.

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