Sectors in Pictou County

Pictou County's economy is remarkably diverse. Its natural resources have provided a strong foundation in traditional industries of fishing, farming, mining and forestry; all still active in the region today. The last century saw the addition of manufacturing as a major contributor to the region's industrial and economic position. In recent decades, new facets have been tapped and today the region is home to a significant retail, tourism and service sector and a growing information technology and communications sector.

Telecommunications
Nova Scotia has a thriving telecommunications industry, including more than 40 call centres employing more than 4,000. Large international players like Convergys, AT&T, Scotiabank, Sears and Phonettix Intelecom have chosen Nova Scotia. It is now one of the most effective call-centre locations in North America.

Retail & Wholesale Trade
New Glasgow, the most populous of Pictou County's towns with over 9,400 people, is also the commercial service centre of north-eastern Nova Scotia. The town's services and amenities serve an extended catchment area of 100,000 people, and is located along the major inter-provincial transportation route, providing direct access to annual highway traffic use in the range of 4 million vehicles.

Large retail outlets such as Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Staples, Pennington's, Sears and Zellers are all located here. There are several commercial, service and business districts in the town, which include the Downtown core and two major shopping centres, one each located on Westville Road and the East River Road commercial district.

Manufacturing
The relative strength of manufacturing in Pictou County far outpaces the proportions found in the province as a whole, the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and the adjacent counties of Colchester and Antigonish. Pictou County is home to over 104 different manufacturers from all industry sectors. The three largest manufacturers in the area are Michelin Tire North American (Canada) Inc, Maritime Steel & Foundries and Northern Pulp Ltd.

The Michelin Tire plant, in Pictou County, is the headquarters for all administrative and purchasing for Michelin Tire North America (Canada) Inc.

Maritime Steel and Foundries Limited has been largely based in New Glasgow, Pictou County, an area that has been recognized as the cradle of Canadian Industry. This area is, in fact, the site of the birthplace of Canadian steel making.This is just one demonstration of the pride and attention to quality Pictou County’s labour force has always strived to provide.

Pictou County is home to one of the largest complements of industrial fabricators in the province.

Tourism
Tourism is a major industry in the Nova Scotia with annual revenues in the range of $1.2 to $1.3 billion annually (2003 – 2006, NS Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage). 2007 saw a nearly 2% increase, with revenues topping $1.328 billion. The industry has played a transformative role in the economic, cultural and recreational prospects of Pictou County. Sparked largely by a dramatic waterfront revitalization in Pictou, the late 1980s saw a wave of investment and activity throughout the region that has taken an essentially fledgling industry to one of significance on a provincial scale.

Pictou County is considered part of the Northumberland Shore Region. According to the Pictou County Tourist Association, tourism in Pictou County has seen a dramatic increase over the past decade. Tourism revenues for the region topped $108 million in 2007, up 10% from 2006. Pictou County’s tourism receipts for 2006 were 45.3 million, up from $44.95 in 2005.

Tourism receipts for since 2002 have exceeded $40 million per year, and in 2006 there were 800 direct jobs in the tourism industry in Pictou County . The Pictou County Tourist Association is a partner on the provincial vision team working to double tourism revenues in one decade, by 2013.

A detailed breakdown of Tourism Revenues is available on the sidebar of this page

Construction
Pictou County has experienced a peak in building activity in the past few years. New residential construction and reinvestment in building construction, renovation, and repairs have driven this peak in building activity for 2004 and 2005. Residential construction for 2005 peaked at $12.9 million while new residential construction reached $11.3 million in 2005 in the county.

For detailed information on the industry visit the Construction Portal

Pictou County Establishments by NAICS

Source: Nova Scotia Department of Finance- Statistics Division