Tim Houston: Nova Scotia has immense economic potential. Here’s how we can unlock it

Premier Tim Houston answers questions at the West Bedford Transitional Health Centre after a tour of a new wing at the facility on April 1, 2026. Photo by Ryan Taplin/The Chronicle Herald

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By Tim Houston

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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.”

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Twelve years later, has anything improved in our country?

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The honest answer is: not enough. But it’s coming. It has to.

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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.

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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.

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Nova Scotia had bans on entire industries, including uranium exploration and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. These bans sent a message to companies that Nova Scotia was not a place that they could do business.

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As a result, resource development stayed out West and many Nova Scotians moved out to find work, either full-time or to raise their families on a two-week rotation.

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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.

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Those experiences should not hold us back. They should guide us forward.

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Our traditional industries of fishing, farming and forestry will always be critical to our economy. But today, we are strengthening new pillars that will define our future.

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As Canada’s capital of defence, Nova Scotia is at the centre of a growing and evolving sector. With the most defence spending per capita in Canada, the sector is responsible for 17,000 private-sector jobs and $2.6 billion in GDP.

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Our provincial defence leadership roundtable is working closely with NATO’s North American Defence Innovation Centre in Halifax and its more than 130 innovative companies, senior leadership from all branches of the forces and the federal government, to better understand needs, strengthen commitments and keep Nova Scotia on the leading edge.

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More than $3.2 billion in investments have already been announced, including projects that will see Nova Scotia serve as an Air Force drone base and a rocket launch location.

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Our naval investments remain vital to national security.

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In critical minerals, we see the potential to advance four new mining projects this year alone. Last summer, NexGold Mining Corp. 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.