Ecum Secum
Ecum Secum is a rural community on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in both the Halifax Regional Municipality and Guysborough County.[1] Located along the shores of Ecum Secum Harbour, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the community is located roughly 46 km (29 mi) east of Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, 37 km (23 mi) southwest of Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia, and approximately 160 km (99 mi) east of Downtown Halifax along the Marine Drive on Trunk 7.[2] Several communities along the western shore of the harbour also share the name, including Ecum Secum Bridge and Ecum Secum West.[3][4]
Etymology
The origin of the name Ecum Secum is unclear.[5] The name is thought to be a corruption of a Mi'kmaq language term, with previous spellings of the name including Ekamsagen and Ekemsikam.[5][6] The spelling had changed to its current form by the time a post office was established there in 1873,[5] or as early as 1845.[6] Some have disputed the name's Mi'kmaq origin; according to Robert MacGregor Dawson in his 1960 paper on Nova Scotia place names, the Mi'kmaq referred to the area as Megawasagank, meaning "a red house".[7] In Place-Names and Places of Nova Scotia, the Mi'kmaq name for the area is listed as Agwaseegunk or Megwasaagunk, with the same meaning given.[6] The Mi'kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas, released in 2015, provides the Mi'kmaq language name for Ecum Secum as Mekwe'saqnuk, translating to "at the red bank".[8]
Climate
| Climate data for Ecum Secum | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15 (59) |
22.5 (72.5) |
26.1 (79.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
28.9 (84.0) |
25 (77) |
21.7 (71.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
32.2 (90.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.6 (30.9) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
6.6 (43.9) |
11.2 (52.2) |
16 (61) |
19.2 (66.6) |
20.6 (69.1) |
18.1 (64.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
7.4 (45.3) |
2.4 (36.3) |
9.6 (49.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.7 (14.5) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
3.2 (37.8) |
7.6 (45.7) |
11.5 (52.7) |
12.6 (54.7) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4 (39) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
1.4 (34.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −26.1 (−15.0) |
−33 (−27) |
−28.5 (−19.3) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
2 (36) |
1 (34) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−7 (19) |
−15 (5) |
−25 (−13) |
−33 (−27) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 145.1 (5.71) |
106.3 (4.19) |
132 (5.2) |
119.9 (4.72) |
133.3 (5.25) |
121.6 (4.79) |
121.3 (4.78) |
124.8 (4.91) |
98.1 (3.86) |
122.4 (4.82) |
145.6 (5.73) |
170.9 (6.73) |
1,541.3 (60.68) |
| Source: Environment Canada[9] | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ "Ecum Secum". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "Ecum Secum Harbour". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "Ecum Secum West". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ "Ecum Secum Bridge". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Hamilton, William B. (1996). Place Names of Atlantic Canada. University of Toronto Press. pp. 320–321. ISBN 978-0-8020-7570-3.
- ^ a b c Fergusson, C. Bruce (1967). Place-Names and Places of Nova Scotia. Halifax, N.S.: Public Archives of Nova Scotia. p. 193. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Dawson, Robert MacGregor (2000) [1960]. "Place Names in Nova Scotia". Onomastica Canadiana. 82 (2). Canadian Society for the Study of Names: 81. ISSN 0078-4656.
- ^ "Mekwe'saqnuk: Ecum Secum, Guysborough County". Mi'kmaw Place Names Digital Atlas. Ta'n Weji-sqalia'tiek. 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 16 July 2009