It is said that Nova Scotia is Canada's warmest province. This does not mean that Nova Scotia has the hottest summers (it doesn't) or that it has the mildest winters (that distinction goes to southwestern B.C.). What this means is that the average year-round temperatures are the warmest of any Canadian province, when each province is taken as a whole.
Nova Scotia enjoys pleasant, dry summers. Southern Nova Scotia (including the Halifax area) has warmer winters than any area in Canada with the exception of the southwestern corner of British Columbia and the extreme south of Ontario (with which southern Nova Scotia's winters are on par). Autumn in Nova Scotia brings beautiful Indian summers, gorgeous colours and lots of blue sky. Nova Scotia's autumns are the sunniest in Canada.
In other words, those living in southern Nova Scotia can expect winter weather like the warmest winter weather in Ontario, but without the excessively hot and humid Ontario summers. Southern Nova Scotia also boasts one of the longest growing seasons in Canada. Often the first serious snow does not fall in the Halifax area until after Christmas. It is not uncommon for Christmas Day to be green and well above freezing.
Halifax has 166 frost-free days. This places Halifax on par with Hamilton, Ontario (168), and considerably better than most other Ontario centres, including Toronto (149), Ottawa (151) and Kitchener (139). The southern tip of Nova Scotia (around Yarmouth) has in excess of 180 frost-free days. Sable Island, in the Atlantic and moderated by the Gulf Stream, has more than 200 frost-free days. It's true, Sable Island is inhabited only by a small team of meterologists and a herd of wild ponies, but it is part of Nova Scotia!