Rottnmom, thank you for posting that link. It's funny when there are 25 to 50 reports every year, the the Department of Natural Resources denies the are cougars in the NS area.
The one in my area, two of my neighbours have seen the black cougar up close. One couple when they were pulling into their driveway late at night and it ran out in front of their car (this was a couple years ago). My other neighbour (last summer) as she was riding her horse along the side of her property. The cougar jumped out of the bushes right in front of her and scared her house. She was lucky she wasn't injured.