by Neville Gilfoy

After seeing so much regional progress over the years, I get frustrated when I see unnecessary lapses of confidence.

Occasionally our default into focusing on negatives is understandable, but it doesn’t mean it is legitimate. Focusing on the positives builds layers of confidence that are unassailable. Let me give you an example.

A major positive is our geography. The Atlantic region is ideally located near Quebec and Ontario, the U. S., Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. And the region is blessed with multi-use ice-free ports, airports, and highways. There are many individual locations throughout the region that could, and should, take better advantage of their geographic opportunity.

One such place is East Hants, N.S. Never heard of it? Well, if the people who live there do it right, you’ll soon know more about it.

East Hants is a municipality that starts at Enfield and ends just south of Truro. After years of talking about trade corridors, East Hants was one of the first communities to “get it” and begin strategizing around its corridor location between Halifax and Truro.

East Hants is starting to think like a gateway.

The community has plenty of serviceable land and it is located minutes from Halifax Stanfield International Airport (HSIA). Provincial Highway 102 runs right through it; it has rail access, including a 3,000-metre-long straight siding; and there is a glimmer of interest from some community leaders in developing East Hants as a business destination.

It has begun to develop partnerships with the federal and provincial governments, the Port of Halifax, HSIA, CN, supply chain and logistics companies, and financial partners. Some of these players believe East Hants could become an “inland port” where oceangoing containers can be marshalled and transloaded. Others are not so sure.

But one thing is absolutely sure. With plenty of land, an international airport and seaport networked to the rest of the world, and a railway and highway connected to the rest of North America, something significant should take place in East Hants. Attracting international manufacturing and value-added distribution centres, for starters.

East Hants is a microcosm of our entire region. We have everything you could possibly imagine to create prosperity—except sometimes the confidence to believe it to be true.