Wayne Adams


Wayne Adams, CM ONS is a Canadian former provincial politician who was the first Black Canadian member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly and cabinet minister.

Early life

Adams was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Political career

Adams was first elected to the Halifax Municipal Council in 1979 and was re-elected five times. He was deputy mayor from 1982 to 1983.
A Nova Scotia Liberal, he was elected in the 1993 Nova Scotia general election in the riding of Preston. He was the Minister of the Environment, Minister responsible for the Emergency Measures Act, and the Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Boxing Authority in the governments of first John Savage and then Russell MacLellan. He was defeated in 1998 by the NDP candidate, Yvonne Atwell.

Awards and recognition

In 2003, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour.
In 2011, he was invested as a member of the Order of Nova Scotia.