December 2013
| Business World Magazine | 79
T
here is a common refrain among
Halifax residents that they cannot
decide whether they live in a small
big city or a big small city. Statistically, Hali-
fax - home to just under 400,000 residents –
is relatively small for a provincial capital; and
its population grows at the relatively slow rate
of 1% per year, on average. When these num-
bers are set against the population explosion in
Western provinces, such as Alberta (which, ac-
cording to the 2011 census, boasted increases
of 12.6 and 12.1% in Calgary and Edmonton,
respectively), Halifax’s rate of growth could
appear to be lackluster. The truth of the mat-
ter, though, is that Halifax’s government spon-
sored, industrial, and private development in-
dicates a seismic change for the better in the
way port, and in fact all, cities could grow.
Situated on a clear channel to the Atlantic,
Halifax has always been an invaluably located
city. Its natural harbor, the second largest in
the world, operates currently as the east coast
port of the Canadian Navy and a docking sta-
tion for the vibrant cruise ship industry. All
