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BUSINESS NEIGHBOR
Pictou County, Nova Scotia is centrally located in the geographic centre of Atlantic Canada, 1.5 hrs north of Halifax, N.S. 2 hours east of Moncton, N.B., 1.5 hours south east of Charlottetown, PEI (by ferry crossing), and 2.5 hrs west of Sydney, N.S. The county contains six distinct municipal units consisting of five towns and a rural municipality. The most populous of the towns is New Glasgow.
POPULATION
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Towns
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% of Total
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New Glasgow
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Trenton
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Stellarton
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Westville
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Pictou
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Total Urban population
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Total Pictou County
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Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census report
The county consists of the “up-river” towns of New Glasgow, Trenton, Stellarton and Westville which together essentially form one contiguous urban area, the Town of Pictou, approximately 10 km north-west and the Municipality of the County of Pictou. Approximately 45% of the total county population live in the “up river” municipalities. Adding the Town of Pictou to this total shows over 53% of county residents making up the fourth largest urban area in Nova Scotia.
ECONOMIC PROFILE
The economy of Pictou County enjoys the stability and economic benefits provided by a number of regional, national, and international companies. At the same time, retail and service oriented businesses continue to invest and reinvest in the local area.
The corporate Head Offices for Sobeys Inc. and the Empire group of companies are located in Pictou County, as is the Sobeys Atlantic Regional office. Sobeys is Canada’s second largest supermarket chain, with 1400 stores across the country. In the last five years, Sobeys Inc. has made significant investment in the construction of a 600 person Administrative Service Centre, as well as an ongoing expansion and improvement program for the five Sobeys supermarkets in Pictou County.
The Real Atlantic Superstore (owned by Loblaws) has invested in a new store in New Glasgow in recent years, and continues to invest in expanding their facilities and offerings in this market. It is also believed that both Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire plan to replace their current New Glasgow stores with significantly expanded and improved stores in the near future. And a Staples office supply store has opened in the last three years. The area continues to enjoy additional investment in food service operations as both a Harveys/Swiss Chalet and Jungle Jims restaurants recently opened.
One of the three Michelin Tire manufacturing facilities in Canada is located in Granton, Pictou County. With 1400 employees, Michelin Tire (Canada) Ltd.’s Granton plant is one of the largest employers in Pictou County. Michelin’s Canadian administrative and purchasing headquarters are also located at its Granton plant. Michelin has recently invested over $100 million in the Granton plant, including the addition of a new tire line and a rubber mixing facility.
Scotsburn Dairy, located in Scotsburn, Pictou County has grown to become Atlantic Canada’s largest dairy products producer. Scotsburn Dairy now ships products, such as ice cream, across the country.
Other major employers in Pictou County include Neenah Paper Nova Scotia (wood fibre pulp production), Trenton Works, A Greenbrier Company (rail car manufacturing), and Convergys (an IT industry contact centre).
The following employers employ approximately 5,500 people or roughly 25 % of the workforce.
Sobeys Inc./Empire Group – Retailing/Real Estate
Michelin Canada – Tire manufacturing
Neenah Paper Nova Scotia – Pulp manufacturing
Scotsburn Dairy – Dairy product manufacturing
Convergys Inc. – IT support centre
PICTOU COUNTY COMPANIES
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Employer
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Business
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Number (#)
of Employees Locally
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Michelin Tire (Canada) Inc.
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Tire Manufacturer
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Sobeys Incorporated
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Grocery Retail
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Trenton Works Limited
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Rail Car Production
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Chignecto-Central Regional School Board
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Education
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Pictou County Health Authority
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Hospital/Health Services
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Convergys Inc.
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Information Technology Support
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Neenah Paper NS
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Pulp Manufacturer
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Nova Scotia Power Corp.
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Electric Utility
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Aliant/MTT
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Communications
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Scotsburn Dairy Group
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Dairy Production
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Advocate Communications
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Communications & Marketing
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Maritime Steel and Foundries
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Iron-Steel Production
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The relative strength of manufacturing in Pictou County can be clearly noted, far outpacing the proportions found in the province as a whole, the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and the adjacent counties of Colchester and Antigonish. As well, the relative importance of the wholesale and retail trade is highlighted.
INCOME
The 2001 Census indicates that Pictou County has income levels that are above Nova Scotian levels. Average full-time income in Pictou County is slightly higher (1.9%) than the average Nova Scotian income, and the large corporate base in Pictou County results in an earnings stability not enjoyed by some other communities in Atlantic Canada.
EDUCATION & SCHOOLS
In the past two years, two new state of the art high schools have been constructed and opened in Pictou County. And the Pictou Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) is currently undergoing a major $11 million renovation and expansion. The project will provide students with a Power Centre for trades and technology programs, new trades shops, expansion of IT programs, the addition of hospitality and culinary programs, and many updated campus facilities. Work on the NSCC Pictou Campus is scheduled for completion in 2006 and will create an additional 364 seats for students in the future.
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
The overall economic development plan for the New Glasgow region will build on and complement the existing profitable and stable business and industry base. As with many Canadian regions, this will result in a move from the traditional resource based and “smoke stack” industries to a more service oriented economy. The role of government services in the local should also increase as the plan to attract such services to New Glasgow and Pictou County is undertaken.
For the first time ever, in 2004, Pictou County was a participant in the KPMG Competitive Alternatives international business cost study. The Competitive Alternatives report provides the most thorough comparison of G-7 business operations ever undertaken, featuring 121 international cities and 17 industry sectors. The 10-month international study compares after-tax costs of starting up and operating a business for a period of 10 years. The analysis takes into account labour, transportation, energy and facility costs, as well as both income-based and non income-based taxes.
Pictou County was rated as the most cost competitive community in Canada in which to do business. The overall cost competitive scoring was better than any of the 23 Canadian communities studied. It also scored better than the 98 international locations studied in 11 industrialized countries.
Furthermore, Pictou County was the most cost competitive location in Canada in 8 of the 17 individual industry sectors studied, showing advantages in traditional industries of machining and precision manufacturing as well as our emerging industries of electronic assembly, software design, multi-media, and back-office support.
TRANSPORTATION LINKS
The location of Pictou County in the centre of Nova Scotia provides access and proximity to a number of major regional, inter-provincial and national transportation routes and facilities.
Trans-Canada Highway 104, the second busiest 100 series highway in Nova Scotia and the primary east-west traffic corridor in the province runs through the middle of the Coounty. Highway 104 is also the main route to the major tourist destination of Cape Breton Island. Highway 104 crosses into Nova Scotia from the New Brunswick border at Amherst, then travels east linking the towns of Truro, New Glasgow and Port Hasting (Cape Breton). The highway services inter-provincial traffic, commercial trucks, tourist vehicles and commuter traffic. Traffic volumes on Highway 104 past the town of New Glasgow average more than 4 million vehicles per year.
Pictou County is just over an hour northeast from the Halifax International Airport. Halifax International is Canada’s seventh largest airport, and it continues to expand and improve as it progresses with its $220 million Airport Improvement Program (September 14, 2004 press release from the Halifax International Airport Authority). Passenger volume continues to increase at the Halifax International Airport, with year to date passenger traffic to the end of August 2004 tracking ahead of the record year experienced by the Airport in 1999 when annual traffic surpassed three million passengers. (Chronicle Herald, October 1, 2004)
The Trenton Municipal Airport, located less than 5 km from New Glasgow, is classified as a "Local Commercial" Airport. It is used on a regular basis by a local small aircraft charter and training company and by numerous corporate aircraft with business connections in Pictou County. The airport has now expanded to include two runways (1 x 5000 ft. and 1 x 2200 ft.), runway lighting system, non-directional beacon, PAPI system, and automated weather reporting system.
The Nova Scotia-PEI ferry operated by Northumberland Ferries Ltd. is one of two major tourist routes to get on and off Prince Edward Island. The ferry service docks at Caribou on the Nova Scotia side, approximately 20 km from the town of New Glasgow. Annual traffic for this ferry service is 500,000 to 600,000 passengers.
TOURISM & PICTOU COUNTY
Tourism is a major industry in the Province of Nova Scotia, providing a considerable boost to the provincial economy. The chart below as produced by the N.S. Department of Tourism and Culture reports indicates that total tourism revenue for years 2000 to 2003 was in the range of $1.2 to $1.3 billion per year.
NOVA SCOTIA TOURISM REVENUES, 2000-2003 - ($millions)
Tourism does not impact all areas of the province equally either in total or in its relative impact to the various local economies. As shown in Table 5, Pictou County is in the top 50% of Nova Scotia Counties when it comes to annual Tourism Revenue by County in recent years.
TOURISM REVENUE FOR NOVA SCOTIA BY COUNTY
According to the Pictou County Tourist Association, “tourism in Pictou County has seen a dramatic increase over the past decade. Tourism receipts for 2002 and 2003 exceeded $40 million per year, and there were 1100 direct jobs in the tourism industry in Pictou County in 2003. The goal of the Pictou County Tourism Association is to double tourism revenue by 2013, including an increase in winter recreation activities.
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