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Photo by Handout/Millbrook First NationA long-discussed, $100 million inland port could turn a Nova Scotia transportation legacy into a bigger economic opportunity.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe central Nova Scotia community of Truro – known as the Hub Town – and surrounding Colchester County have been built around moving things by rail and by road.For generations, the area has served as a transportation centre connecting the provincial capital and port city of Halifax to the rest of the Maritimes and beyond.ScotiaPort, a proposed 2,300-acre inland port at nearby Onslow, would ramp that up, creating a major transportation and logistics hub connecting central Nova Scotia directly to the Port of Halifax and, through it, markets across Canada, the United States and overseas.SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of FP West: Energy Insider will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“The idea of a port outside the city, and en route to the rest of Canada, the U.S. and across the ocean, makes perfect sense,” said David Phillips, CEO of the Truro and Colchester Partnership for Economic Prosperity.“The Truro-Colchester region has a long history in the transportation, distribution and warehousing sector. It’s a big, big win for the community and an important and efficient way to store and transport goods.”The multi-phase project, originally pegged at $100 million, would include an intermodal transportation hub, rail yard, container terminal and warehousing and distribution park.Plans call for a roughly 800-hectare development, more than four kilometres of rail track and rail sidings extending more than three kilometres, with cranes and warehouse infrastructure allowing containers to be sorted, transferred and distributed inland.The project would sit at a strategic point where the province’s major transportation routes converge: near the intersection of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 102 to Halifax and alongside CN’s main rail line, which ends in the capital city.The inland port would be less than 10 kilometres from an industrial park and airport in Debert and about 65 kilometres from Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The PSA Atlantic Hub container terminal in Halifax. Photo by PSA HalifaxA new highway interchange near the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and the 102 is also part of the vision.Phillips said the potential economic impact goes well beyond the terminal itself. He sees ScotiaPort as a project that could build on an existing economic strength rather than create an entirely new one.He noted that Truro and surrounding areas have a transportation-oriented workforce and complementary businesses. The project is expected to create about 300 jobs.“It’s certainly going to build on the strengths of the community,” Phillips said. “We have an existing labour force. We have complementary businesses in Debert Business Park, in Truro and all over the region. It’s going to create jobs. There’ll be commercial, industrial, possibly even residential elements to it.”Nova Scotia relies heavily on the Port of Halifax as an international gateway. Containers arriving at Halifax could be moved to ScotiaPort, where they could be transferred to trucks, stored, sorted or distributed to customers across Atlantic Canada and beyond.Phillips said the potential of rail is particularly significant.“We really do see ourselves as the gateway to North America for goods coming into the continent from Europe and other parts of the world through the Port of Halifax,” he said.“And I’m one of those people who think the best days of rail are ahead of us. The potential for increased rail activity and maybe getting some of those trucks off the road would also be a big win for the community.”The link by rail to Halifax Port Authority’s PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub offers a more efficient way to move cargo away from the waterfront and reduce congestion caused by truck traffic at the Halifax docks and through the narrow streets downtown.The Halifax Port Authority sees the project in much the same context.“ScotiaPort has the potential to complement activity at the Port of Halifax by enhancing inland logistics capacity, strengthening rail connectivity and supporting the efficient movement of goods through the broader supply chain,” port authority spokesperson Lori MacLean said in an email.“As Canada’s Atlantic Gateway, the Port of Halifax supports initiatives that strengthen transportation networks, improve supply chain resilience and create opportunities for sustainable economic growth.”ScotiaPort is a joint venture between the Millbrook First Nation and Edmonton-based Endurance Equities. The project was first introduced in 2023.The proposed terminal has been given a name rooted in the region’s Indigenous history: We’kopekitk, a Mi’kmaq word meaning “end of the water’s flow.”Significant work remains before the terminal can be operational. A previous partnership with transportation logistics company Canadian Rail Equipment Works and Services ended, although the rail terminal remains part of the ScotiaPort vision.In May, ScotiaPort issued a request for proposals seeking a lead developer to participate in the advancement, structuring, development and long-term execution of the project. A rendering of the proposed 2,300-acre inland terminal envisioned as a major transportation and logistics hub to be built in Onslow, N.S. Photo by Millbrook First NationAttempts to get a comment from Millbrook were unsuccessful.Phillips said the project is moving forward, while acknowledging its scale.“It’s a big project. It takes time. You need support from all levels of government,” he said. “There’s a consortium of people working on it with Millbrook as the primary stakeholder.“It’s building on an existing strength that we have in the community. We really punch above our weight. We are on the most important trade route in Eastern Canada. It poses a significant opportunity, the kind of facility that opens us up to attract more business.”ScotiaPort will require significant investment to turn the concept into infrastructure.Some of that support could come from the federal government through its $5-billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund.Announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney in March, the program is designed to support nation-building trade infrastructure, including ports, railways, inland terminals, airports and highways, with the goal of improving Canada’s connections to global markets.The Halifax Port Authority confirmed in May that it was invited to apply for federal funding for a major terminal expansion project through the Trade Diversification Corridors Fund.The fund, the feds say, will “accelerate nation-building projects at ports, railroads, inland terminals, airports and highways and unlock access to new global markets.”ScotiaPort can become an impetus for investment across central Nova Scotia, Phillips said, by combining transportation infrastructure with large-scale industrial land, warehousing and distribution capabilities.“It could be a catalyst,” Phillips said.“It’s another facility that will be able to attract business. Business begets more business.” Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.