Crown corporation expands mandate
Waterfront Development Corp. renamed Develop Nova Scotia
A rebranded provincial Crown corporation will be mandated with leading strategic economic development efforts across the province, particularly expansion of broadband access in rural Nova Scotia.
The province announced Thursday that Waterfront Development Corp. will be renamed Develop Nova Scotia and will be charged with working “with partners, stakeholders and industry to create projects that contribute to economic growth in the province.”
The job of developing and managing an implementation plan to expand high-speed internet in rural Nova Scotia in connection with the Nova Scotia Internet Funding Trust will also fall to it.
“We have a significant investment in broadband and we’re going to bring internet to a lot of Nova Scotians and it’s going to take a lot of money, a lot of planning, a lot of expertise to do so,” Business Minister Geoff MacLellan said in a postcabinet conference call and scrum. “We required a Crown corporation that could usher in that program. … I can tell you, without question, that the broadband program is going to take a lot of time and a lot of resources.”
Jennifer Angel, who was acting CEO of the Waterfront Development Corp., is now head of Develop Nova Scotia. With “waterfront development” in the name, it brought connotations of a downtown Halifaxfocused entity, MacLellan said, but its mandate is now much broader than that.
While Nova Scotia Lands deals with land management issues, this new body has more of an economic development perspective, MacLellan said.
“This is more about creating an environment with respect to
investing, with respect to quality of life,” he said.
Develop Nova Scotia will start by working on an internet implementation plan. The
Crown corporation will begin hiring the technical expertise it need to move quickly on the initiative.
Angel said they are working on the implementation plan now and they anticipate adding 10-15 new employees to tackle the expanded mandate, although she said they are also considering where it may make sense to staff up on a contract or consulting basis.
“The technical skills required, specifically for the internet project, are not nested in our team and may or may not be best fulfilled by full-time fires, they may be better fulfilled by contracted employees,” Angel said.
They have requested an additional $2.5 million in operating funding from the province annually, as well as a $750,000 transition budget, she added.
“Most Nova Scotians recognize we live in a wonderful place, never far from the water’s edge, and rich in tradition and
culture,” Dale Godsoe, chair of the board for Develop Nova Scotia, said in a news release. “What more people are recognizing is that the quality and livability of places can have a significant impact on economic growth. We welcome this opportunity to take the lead and ensure a strategic focus on places that contribute to a vibrant and prosperous future for Nova Scotia.”
Beginning in August, Develop Nova Scotia will meet with municipalities, regional economic development agencies and local industry. The sessions will focus on internet and strategic economic infrastructure.
Develop Nova Scotia is expected to roll out its internet plan later this fall, which is when legislation to formally create the new Crown corporation is also expected to be introduced.