in Context the SCotian Shelf - COINAtlantic

ABORIGINAL FAST FACTS
>> The Aboriginal population is much younger than
the general population with a median age of
25.4 versus 41.6 for the total population.
>> 9,557 people (less than 1/3 of the aboriginal
population) live on reserve in Nova Scotia.
>> There are 34 reserve locations across Nova Scotia.
>> A growing portion of the Aboriginal population
resides in Halifax (5,320).
>> 4,980 aboriginal people have knowledge
of an aboriginal language.
NS Office of Aboriginal Affairs 2008
Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (Bear River,
Annapolis Valley, Glooscap, Millbrook, Paq’tnkek,
and Pictou Landing First Nations). In 2006, the
Aboriginal population was comprised of North
American Indian (63%), Metis (31.8%); Inuit
(1.3%) and others (3.8%) (Nova Scotia Department
of Finance 2008).
Other Aboriginal organizations are the Native Council
of Nova Scotia and the Maritime Aboriginal Peoples
Council, which provides a range of services to Aboriginal
people living off-reserve and the Native Women’s
Association which provides Aboriginal women with
a voice in the social, cultural and economic development
of the Aboriginal community (Nova Scotia
Office of Aboriginal Affairs 2011).
3.3 Economic Overview
By improving our understanding of the role of
the ocean in the economy, decision-makers are
more informed when developing policies aimed
at protecting the marine environment, supporting
sustainable activities and communities, and
providing leadership in ocean stewardship. Nova
Scotia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009
was $34 billion (Nova Scotia Department of
Finance 2011). Between 2003 and 2007, the
economy of the province grew by 4.9%. Nova
Scotia’s economy is largely service based, with
76% of its GDP generated by service industries
and only 8% arising from natural resource
based industries. (CBCL Ltd. 2009). Activities
dependent on the ocean make a substantial
contribution to the Nova Scotia economy. In
2005 an overview of the Economic Value of
the Nova Scotia Ocean Sector was prepared
by Gardner Pinfold and subsequently updated
in 2009. Gardner Pinfold (2005) defines the
ocean economy as “all private sector activities
with a direct dependence on the ocean or
ocean resources. This includes extractive uses
(e.g., fishing, oil and gas production) as well as
non-extractive dependence (e.g., shipbuilding,
transportation). It also includes public sector
organizations and agencies with direct ocean
responsibilities.” The direct GDP impact of the
ocean sector in the Nova Scotia economy is
estimated at $2.6 billion and accounts for 8.1%
of the provincial GDP (Table 2; Gardner Pinfold
2009). When spin-off effects of ocean activity in
the broader economy are considered, the GDP
impact rises to just under $5 billion, just over
15% of Nova Scotia’s GDP. The Scotian Shelf
economy has not been separated from the
Nova Scotia ocean economy as a whole.
Household income, a major component of provincial
GDP, also benefits greatly from ocean activity.
Just over 5.7% of provincial household income is
directly attributable to ocean activities. The impact
rises to over 10% when spinoff effects are considered.
Employment impacts are similarly impressive.
With the equivalent of just over 30 000 direct
full-time jobs created, the ocean sector accounts
for about 6.8% of total provincial employment.
The impact rises to just under 14% when spinoff
effects are included (Gardner Pinfold 2009).
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