CANSO – Spaceport Nova Scotia will generate hundreds of jobs in Nova Scotia and more than 1,600 across Canada during construction, according to an economic report cited by Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish MP Jaime Battiste in the House of Commons last week.
In remarks delivered April 29 during second reading of Bill C-28, the Canadian Space Launch Act, Battiste said the Canso-based enterprise, when at full capacity, would “create 1,600 jobs in my riding… in rural Nova Scotia,” describing it as a significant economic opportunity for the region.
In fact, the May 2023 report by the Conference Board of Canada – now known as Signal49 Research – estimates that construction of Spaceport Nova Scotia would support an average of 1,608 annual full-year jobs across Canada, including 748 in Nova Scotia. Once fully operational, it projects the spaceport would create close to 1,000 annual full-year jobs nationally.
The report also estimates that construction would contribute $143 million in economic benefits in Nova Scotia and $171 million nationally, and that once the facility is fully ramped up, it would add roughly $300 million annually to Canada’s GDP.
In an email to The Journal last week, vice-president of corporate affairs for spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services (MLS) Sarah McLean acknowledged the “1600 number in the key findings page [of the report] which references jobs across Canada.”
She added, “The opportunities in the area will extend well beyond Maritime Launch itself. Many of our clients, suppliers, and contractors are already looking to establish their own facilities on or near the Spaceport. Over time, this will help stimulate a broader space ecosystem, with the Spaceport acting as the anchor that brings it all together.”
The report also notes, “We expect project spinoff benefits to sectors such as construction, transportation, and professional, scientific, and technical services from Spaceport Nova Scotia to spread to other regions throughout Canada.”
Battiste’s comments came as the federal government moved forward with legislation aimed at establishing a legal framework for commercial space launches in Canada – a step proponents say is necessary to allow domestic companies to operate from Canadian soil rather than relying on foreign launch sites.
In his Commons statement, Battiste tied the Canso facility to the broader push to establish what he described as Canada’s “sovereign launch capability,” calling it “not a luxury… [but] a strategic necessity.”
He described the spaceport as “a cornerstone of Canada’s future satellite launches” that would “create good jobs, support innovation and grow Atlantic Canada’s role in a fast-growing global industry.”
In March, the federal government signed a 10-year, $200-million agreement with MLS, under which the Department of National Defence will lease a dedicated launch pad at the site to support military and federal operations.
The deal, retroactive to April 1, 2025, provides $20 million annually to the company. The first payment was due before March 31, 2026. Under the agreement, MLS must spend at least 90 per cent of those funds in Canada, directing an estimated $180 million toward domestic companies and workers.
The announcement followed a series of developments at the site, including a successful suborbital test launch in late 2025 and new public and private investment aimed at advancing construction of the Canso-area facility.
Despite this, some local skepticism about the enterprise – which has spent the past 10 years in pre-commercial business development – remains.
In a recent commentary published by a Halifax news magazine, Canso resident Marie Lumsden, a member of the Action Against the Canso Spaceport group, questioned both the scale of the development and the assumptions underpinning its economic projections.
She described the site as “little more than a concrete slab on a gravel lot,” and raised concerns about what she characterized as gaps in regulatory oversight, including the absence of a comprehensive federal impact assessment despite multiple requests over several years.
Lumsden also raised concerns about potential impacts on nearby communities, noting that “1,100 people live within five and a half kilometres” of the site and pointing to what she described as risks related to safety, environmental impact and the project’s proximity to homes and critical infrastructure.
In a March 20 news release, Maritime Launch Services said, “infrastructure development at Spaceport Nova Scotia is continuing to accelerate” following the federal agreement, adding that it is strengthening internal capacity with an interim senior finance team to support what it described as its “next phase of growth.”
