Maritimes Scanning Site
Nova Scotia Government
also including Mutual Assistance and Emergency Operations channels

Last updated February 12, 2008
© 2008, MARITIMES SCANNING SITE, all rights reserved

This is primarily an explanatory page.  Communications of provincial government departments and agencies are overwhelmingly on the Nova Scotia Trunked Mobile Radio System or "TMR".   This system is described separately, and therefore this page does not include any frequency information. To access this information, please go to the TMR information pages.

Most departments and agencies of the government will be of little or no interest to scanner listeners.   Likely the main ones of interest are:  DNR (Department of Natural Resources, which deals with forestry and with wildlife),  Justice, and Transportation.    These three and others are described below.   Provincial policing, hospitals and ambulance services are provided by other agencies and are not described on this page.  For information on these other agencies click here

A. Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Wildlife Enforcement Radios

Wildlife Enforcement Officers are the equivalent of police officers for the purposes of wildlife legislation in Nova Scotia.  They carry sidearms and their vehicles (green with yellow accent) have lights and sirens.   Their communications are digital, and in some cases are encrypted, due to the sensitive nature of their operations.

There are thought to be 9 assigned talkgroups, three for each of the three regions.   What has evolved however is that W3 has become the generally-used talkgroup throughout the province, and is a sort of party line.   Following contact on W3 the units would pick, apparently randomly, another of the channels for the conversation.  In regard to tg id's these are mostly unknown.  There had been speculation that all 9 were in a series beginning with 7248, but with the discovery of 62756 that appears to be an incorrect assumption.

B. Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (in radio circles this is often referred to as TPW or DOT)

Most listeners will be interested in DOT in the winter, when snowplowing is at its height.  It is a great way to find out what is going on with the weather!    Most everyday maintenance duties are handled by "sheds" that have assigned areas, and most talkgroups listed below relate to  these.   There is no central dispatch for DOT as most units are responsible to the supervisor in the local area.