Business View - November 2015 167
be much growth in the area. It would be a deterrent to a
company coming in to set something up. So, this is kind
of the first step of what we hope will be a larger economic
strategy for the area.”
Rennie Bugley is also keen on pursuing projects that have
the potential of attracting economic activity to Cumber-
land. He sees the Pugwash Water Supply Project as a key
enterprise because he believes that it’s easier to develop
other initiatives when a basic core infrastructure, like a
municipal water supply, is already in place. “It’s not just the
water,” he says, “although that is a key to moving forward.
The Pugwash area has some very high potential projects
in terms of population and economic development. We’re
working on a Pugwash waterfront development project,
and we’re also looking at a new community center/library
complex, as well. That basic infrastructure, together with
all those other potential development initiatives, should
help to attract industry, generate opportunities for tour-
ists, and have people move back to the Pugwash area.
So, we like to think we’re doing it for all the right reasons.”
Finally, Bugley narrates his vision of Cumberland County
as the world’s next green-energy capital: “A number of
years ago,” he begins, “we recognized that climate change
and green-energy development was on the provincial and
national agendas, and, in fact, on the world agenda and
we knew that we had tremendous potential for energy
development in Cumberland County.” So, in 2012, the
Cumberland Energy Authority was formed to explore and
promote regional energy development. Bugley continues:
“We engaged a consulting firm to assess the potential en-
ergy development in the county, and to develop a strategic
plan for us. The results of that study were extremely posi-
tive; they identified some very significant opportunities for
energy development. What the strategic plan told us is
that we’ve got the highest tidal power energy potential on
the planet.”
In fact, recent research corroborates Bugley’s assertion:
There is more than 7,000 megawatts of potential in the
Minas Passage, 2,500megawatts of which can be extract-
ed without significant effects. Models indicate upwards of
50,000 megawatts of energy exists in the entire Bay of
INFRASTRUCTURE
