Post by
CansoJim on Nov 13, 2022 4:43pm
Trillion dollar Spaceport gets built in Canada
The Spaceport will welcome the world to Canso, Nova Scotia.
Business owners in the Canso area said they hope the project will spur new opportunities in the community, which was hard hit by the downturn of the groundfishing industry about two decades ago. “We’re still hanging on. We’re definitely ready for a boost,” said restaurant owner AJ Taylor. “I think everybody is waiting to see if it’s actually going to happen. When you’re down and out for so long, you don’t want to get your hopes up too much.” Tammy Ehler, who owns the Last Port Motel just outside of Canso, said she is cautiously optimistic that the project will attract young families to help restore the area’s declining population. “It would be nice if it does happen,” Ehler said. “There’s no big employers around or anything, so it would be nice to have something because there’s supposed to be a lot of jobs, but I don’t know how many are going to be just everyday people.” Vernon Pitts, warden of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough that includes Canso, said despite some residents’ doubts, the project is on track to create new jobs and revitalize the tourist industry. “We have to go down (that road) to see if the tree is going to bear fruit. All we can do is keep fertilizing it and keep watering it,” Pitts said in a phone interview on Sunday. Pitts said project managers have worked to keep the community in the loop as development progresses, and are consulting with fishermen to make sure their plans do not disrupt local industry. He said when he first heard about the proposal to build a spaceport, he was so taken aback he nearly fell off his chair, but the more he learned about the project, the more he felt that Canso might be a perfect fit. The now-defunct town has an abundance of land but could use more people, Pitts said, and an influx of rocket scientists could be the boost the community needs. “People come in from ... outside the province or even outside Canada, they’re going to have to live somewhere,” he said. “We’re more than happy to open our doors to anyone that wants to become a resident in the municipality.”