Canning

Canning is a village in northeastern Kings County, Nova Scotia located at the crossroads of Route 221 and Route 358. The area was originally settled by Acadians, Canning – first called Apple Tree Landing and later Habitant Corner – was settled in 1760 by New England Planters and by the Dutch following World War II. The present name was adopted in honour of British prime minister George Canning.

Canning was also the home of the famous country singer Wilf Carter. He was made an honorary citizen of Canning, Nova Scotia in 1978. Carter was born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, but spend a great deal of his childhood working in and visiting the village and its surrounding farmland.

The village is home to Glooscap Elementary School, an elementary school with a student population of over 200, and NKEC, a middle school/high school with a student population of around 1020.

A lighthouse that once served the port fell into disuse and abandonment but was restored in the 1990s. During 2004 it was moved to its current location behind the villages’ small museum, and the top section was rebuilt by NKEC students.