Support program extension provides ‘stability’
Federal grant to continue for three more years
Nova Scotia wine producers will continue to have access to grants as a federal program is extended for three more years.
Kings-hants MP Kody Blois has announced Friday a $177-million extension of the Wine Sector Support Program, adding there is about $6.7 million available for research, some of which will be done in Kentville. Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence Macaulay made the same announcement in the middle of Ontario’s wine country, Niagara-on-thelake.
“It’s a major help to how we can continue to grow. It takes money to make money and it takes grapes to make wine,” said Karl Coutinho, Wine Growers of Nova Scotia board chairperson. “This allows us to do both.”
Steve Ells, president of the Grape Growers Association of Nova Scotia, said the good news will provide a level of confidence to people in the “vibrant and important” industry.
“Having the stability that these programs bring … allows us to continue to invest in our vineyards and make them as healthy, sustainable and resilient as possible,” he said. “It really allows us to look into the future and know the next three to five years are a little more secure.”
Blois said the lion’s share of the Nova Scotia wineries are located in the Annapolis Valley.
“It’s a source of pride for our communities. And it’s also important jobs,” he said.
There are more than 20 wineries in Nova Scotia, which employ more than 1,100 people, and contribute more than $245 million annually to the economy.
“We want to double that,” Coutinho said. “We can do that with steps like this.”
The sector also attracts more than 150,000 visitors to the province annually. Blois said he sells the region when he’s in Ottawa and around the world.
“When I talk about Kingshants ... I say you should see our burgeoning wine industry.”
Coutinho called the wineries “engines of growth and prosperity” where worldclass wine is being made. He said they are crafting experiences for visitors and weaving stories.
“Nova Scotia vineyards, they’re not just patches of land. They’re canvases. They are where tradition meets innovation.”
HOW IT WORKS
Wineries will be able to apply for non-repayable grants for the next three years based on their production of bulk wine fermented in Canada from domestic and or imported primary agricultural products. Payments are determined based on the eligible litres of wine produced.
Seventeen Nova Scotia wineries have received funding through the program since it was created in 2022.
Applications for 2024-25 will open April 8 and close May 24.
Blois accompanied Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in announcing the new program in August 2022 at Domaine de Grand Pré. At that point, it was $166 million over two years. Friday’s announcement added three years at an additional cost of $177 million.
Blois said federal departments would have a projection of the amount of fresh fruit in the country that will be fermented at tank and noted weather events in 2023 have had impacts across the country.
“The number that was presented today would be a reflection of the amount of fresh fruit that we think can be produced over the next three years,” Blois explained.
RESEARCH
The research funding included two initiatives led by the Canadian Grapevine Certification Network to increase the sector’s competitiveness. It included $5.9 million under the Agri-science Program and up to $836,220 under the Agriassurance Program. Some of the work will be done at the Kentville Research and Development Centre.
“The work they do is extremely important,” Blois said. “The research that happens is crucial.”
Coutinho said the industry believes it can continue to grow.
“We’re strong, we’re resilient, we’re dedicated to our craft, we’re proud of each other and we do things the right way,” he said. “Even the toughest fighters … always had people in their corner and today we’re proud to say that the federal government continues to be in our corner.”