Born in Nova Scotia, MacKay graduated from Dalhousie University in 1978.
MacKay then graduated from Nova Scotia Community College Centre of Geographic Sciences in 1980.
[4][2] MacKay lives in Glen Haven, Nova Scotia, and has two adult children, Sarah and Kevin.
[2] In October 2019, it was announced Hugh MacKay was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol over the 2019 Thanksgiving weekend.
He was subsequently fined $2,000 and his license suspended for one year after his blood alcohol level was found to be over twice the legal limit.