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Premier's Speeches
OTANS Annual General Meeting and Dinner
World Trade and Convention Centre, Halifax
Remarks by Premier Rodney MacDonald
February 20, 2007
Thank you Chairman Clouter, honourable colleagues, members of the OTANS Board, Mr. Redhead, Mr. Protti, honoured guests and ladies and gentlemen.
It’s a pleasure to welcome you here tonight. I want to congratulate OTANS on its silver anniversary.
There is an ideal that is central to what the New Nova Scotia represents, and OTANS embodies this ideal. I am talking about a community that is bound together by shared values, one that is building on its strengths, and a community that is seizing opportunities and success.
You banded together in 1982 to create an offshore industry association, and you remain committed to driving our industry forward. My government is proud to be your partner in this mission.
We want companies to know it is easy to come here and to do business. Together, OTANS and the Province of Nova Scotia must always spread the word that Nova Scotia is a great investment destination.
We continue to make information easier to access, and we're making the information publicly available at no cost. Ladies and gentlemen, today Minister Dooks and I are pleased to announce two new steps.
First, the Province is investing an additional $250,000 in the Offshore Energy Technical Research Association. The association will use this investment to make our government-owned Sable area seismic data available online. The same is true for core data, seismic, and well data.
We're taking the lead on this and on the green front. My government recently introduced new renewable regulations, which will push forward new technology such as in-stream tidal.
And tonight I'm happy to announce that my government is making another $250,000 available for a strategic environmental assessment for offshore energy projects.
This will give staff valuable information about where to locate a tidal power demonstration facility, and in-stream developers will find it easier to invest in our world-class resource, creating more opportunities for the local energy sector.
Americans invested almost $30 billion in the alternative energy sector in 2006, which brings new meaning to the term “going green.” While it won’t replace oil and gas any time soon, green energy represents real opportunities to make money and build a healthier province.
Let me conclude with the following: The $500,000 of new investment we have announced today is on top of the $5.2 million my government invested last year. That's when we created two new research associations, and one of them—the Offshore Energy Technical Research Association—is expected to award their first round of geoscience studies next month.
As I have said, Nova Scotia's goal is to put our research and new ideas in front of current explorers and others that we want to attract. We also have to get out to places such as Alberta and Trinidad and Tobago to bring success home.
Not surprisingly, the most recent mission, under the leadership of Minister Dooks, was a complete success. In Trinidad, Minister Dooks profiled Nova Scotia businesses during his speech and interest in our local firms has increased.
I would like to recognize staff from OTANS, NSBI and our Energy Department. It is your efforts, and the efforts of people from EnCana, that led to three Nova Scotian firms (Laurentian Steel Fabricators, Trenton Works, and CTS Containers) recently signing contracts worth more than $5 million with Alberta companies.
The capability of Nova Scotia firms and the people that work for them are clearly outstanding. We want to create more stories like these in the New Nova Scotia, and the story is simple—it is strength through partnership, innovation through partnership, and success through partnership.
I look forward to Mr. Protti’s speech tonight. Nova Scotia has a special partnership with EnCana, as we do with our Sable Partners. I look forward to a long and lasting relationship with his company.
I also look forward to the continued success and health of OTANS. It’s an honour to celebrate with you tonight.
Thank you very much, and enjoy the dinner.