Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston returned to the provincial legislature on Friday after missing four of the nine days of fall legislative session travelling to Toronto for the a national investment summit hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Houston was joined by some provincial business leaders and other proponents behind 20 projects that were introduced to investors at the summit. But when questioned by opposition about any specific investments or new dollars tied to the summit, Houston could only talk of the potential and the opportunities to build on. Houston says that doesn’t mean the trip was unsuccessful and suggest there was great interest in what the province has to offer and suggested projects like the Wind West offshore electrical generation project and the Maritime Launch commercial spaceport drew investor interest. But opposition leaders questioned the results from the two-day summit which kept Houston from the government business that was being debated over the short fall legislative session. NDP leader Claudia Chender questioned why the PC party would schedule an early fall sitting at province house knowing the premier would be missing nearly half of the parliamentary sitting. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt also attended the summit in Toronto, arguing that the work to attract investment is well underway and that investment will come as more conversations are made. For now, the summit appears to be about opening doors, rather than closing deals for these two maritime provincial leaders. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
