The following is the column submitted to media by Premier Tim Houston’s office
In 2014, a columnist at the Halifax Chronicle Herald noted the following: “A Montreal shipyard produced a 9,000 tonne merchant ship, from start to finish, in 58 days in the middle of the Second World War. Today, we could not organize public hearings in 58 days.”
Twelve years later, has anything improved in our country?
The honest answer is: not enough. But it’s coming. It has to.
In Nova Scotia, we feel the urgency. Our economy ranks near the bottom in North America based on GDP per capita. We do not belong in the basement, and it is not where we are going to stay.
We have faced real economic setbacks. The loss of major industries had lasting impacts on jobs, wages and growth and, for too long, we struggled to recover. While other regions moved quickly to develop their resources and build new industries, we often found ourselves delayed by debate and uncertainty.
Nova Scotia had bans on entire industries like uranium exploration and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. These bans sent a message to industry that Nova Scotia was not a place that they could do business.
As a result, resource development stayed out west. Many Nova Scotians either moved out west to find work or made a tough decision to raise their families on a two-week rotation.
By lifting these bans and modernizing approvals, we are showing industry that they can be successful here and, in doing so, providing Nova Scotians more opportunities at home.
And industry is taking note. A company led by a Nova Scotian has stepped forward with a bid of more than $210 million to explore oil and gas here in our offshore.
By making Nova Scotia business friendly through cutting red tape and modernizing approval processes, we can grow our economy and create jobs, all while protecting the environment.
When we show the world that Nova Scotia is a place to do business, people listen.
This momentum goes further than just oil and gas. In critical and strategic minerals, we see the potential to advance four new mining projects this year alone. Last summer, NexGold received approval for the Goldboro Mine in Guysborough County that could generate up to 735 jobs and contribute $2.1 billion to Nova Scotia’s GDP.
We’re also seeing companies return. St. Barbara recently received approval to process over three million tonnes of stockpiled ore at their Touquoy Mine site in Moose River, Halifax County. This project has the potential to create up to 197 jobs and generate $151 million in economic activity in Nova Scotia.
This year, Nova Scotia will see progress on Canada’s first offshore wind project, known as Wind West, as well as opportunities for natural gas.
We have invested $30 million through Dalhousie University to work with communities and industry toward safe, sustainable development. The Subsurface Energy Research and Development Investment Program includes $24.3 million in direct reimbursements to support research and drilling.
Government is committed. Many Nova Scotians want to build local energy capacity and reduce reliance on the United States. I am with them.
Nova Scotia’s opposition parties continue to doubt that natural resource projects can get off the ground, but they also doubted that our offshore oil and natural gas call for bids would get any bids.If you can’t imagine success, you’ll never see it.
Previous governments didn’t believe that these projects would be possible here. Their policies and their attitudes reflected that, and investors noticed.
I believe in Nova Scotia and I’m confident we have what it takes and investors are noticing that, too.
Tim Houston
Premier of Nova Scotia
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