Former premier Darrell Dexter among Order of Nova Scotia recipients

By Rick Conrad.
 Date: Jan. 1st, 2026 - 11:24 AM

Five people, including Darrell Dexter, have been appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia. (Office of the Lieutenant Governor)

Queens County’s Darrell Dexter is among five Nova Scotians given the highest honour in the province.

Dexter has been appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia.

He led the NDP to a historic provincial election win in 2009, forming Nova Scotia’s first New Democrat government.

As premier, he led a government that tried to tackle the province’s debt and deficit, improve protections for private-sector trade union members, raise the minimum wage and lobbied successfully for the Churchill Falls hydroelectric project and a  multi-billion-dollar federal shipbuilding contract for Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding.

His government also bought the assets of the closed Bowater Mersey paper mill in Brooklyn in 2012. It was a deal that helped secure pension benefits for former Bowater workers.

Dexter served as a Dartmouth city councillor from 1994 to 1996. He was an NDP MLA for the Dartmouth area from 1998 to 2013.

A former lawyer, he is a graduate of Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College. He grew up in Milton. Since his resignation as NDP leader in 2013, after the party was defeated in that year’s election, he has worked as a political commentator and a lobbyist for the cannabis industry.

He and his family have moved back to Queens County.

Other recipients of the 2025 Order of Nova Scotia are:

  • John George (Jack) Flemming, Halifax – a philanthropist and entrepreneur recognized for his contributions to local charities
  • Rankin MacSween, Ironville, Cape Breton Regional Municipality – a business and community leader and from 1995 to 2021, president and CEO of New Dawn Enterprises, the oldest community development corporation in Canada
  • Joel Plaskett, Dartmouth – a celebrated singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist
  • Carolyn G. Thomas, East Preston – an educator and human rights and community advocate; recognized for her contributions to education, government and community development.

A ceremony will be held at Government House in Halifax in the spring. Lt.-Gov. Mike Savage will present the new members with their awards.

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