Atlantica Party no longer a political party in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotians will have one less political party on their ballots in the next provincial election.

Elections Nova Scotia released a statement on Wednesday, saying that as of April 30, the Atlantica Party Association of Nova Scotia voluntarily deregistered as a political party in the province.

In March, the now-former party’s leader Kyle Woodbury and treasurer Ryan Smyth released a joint statement, saying that they decided to deregister the party due to challenges of finding volunteers to help.

“The crux of our decision lies in the challenges of sustaining the volunteer-driven momentum necessary for our operations,” the statement said. “The dedication of time and effort, though abundant in spirit, has become increasingly scarce in practice.”

The party was originally created by Jonathan Dean and first registered in 2010, where it ran in a couple of by-elections.

The party then deregistered in 2012 before registering again in 2016. It contested in the 2017 and 2021 elections, never winning a seat in the legislature.