Nova Scotia's Lost
Century

Nova Scotia is a place shaped by its rich history, its people, and their stories. Few understand this better than Ian Thompson. As both a student and teacher of Nova Scotia, Ian has spent his life investing in this place — helping chart its course, elevating its voices, and telling its stories. His work reflects a deep respect for the province's past and a clear-eyed vision for its future. There is still more to uncover, more to reflect on, and more to share. Ian is taking us there.

Ian Thompson's valuable book will be useful to all of us who are trying to make Nova Scotia an even better place to live and work. In his multiple careers, he has thought about, and written about, Nova Scotia's strengths and weaknesses and the gap between our province's potential and what we have been able to achieve. Ian has distilled a lifetime of experience into a no-nonsense look at the barriers that have prevented progress in the past as well as the opportunities to do things differently in the future.

This book will help paint a picture of what Maritimers must do to achieve greater prosperity. Maritimers need to take stock of their economic circumstances, ponder how the economic future is taking shape, and how we can best position our region to meet emerging challenges. Ian Thompson answers the call, bringing important insights to this discussion from his time as a business leader, journalist and as somebody with an insider's understanding of government. Thompson's book is a valuable contribution to our collective life in the Maritimes.

I can't think of a better person than Ian Thompson to have written this book about Nova Scotia's triumphs, challenges and opportunities. And he has hit the nail on the head in positing that Nova Scotia, and indeed all of Atlantic Canada, are in a perfect time and place to become the global ‘go to’ region for ocean science and technology. As the world finally wakes up to the fact that the ocean is critical for planetary well-being, this book will help instill the confidence of Nova Scotians to grab the lead and move forward.

Ian Thompson has done a great job telling Nova Scotia's COVID-19 story as it was seen by those of us on the inside. Without question, the COVID-19 fight, compounded by other Nova Scotians tragedies, was the most difficult period of my public life. But it was also reassuring. Nova Scotians again proved to me that they can confront and overcome challenges as well as anybody, and better than many. The COVID-19 story is a story of both tragedy and triumph.

For decades, Nova Scotia's paddlers have done something remarkable — competing against the best in the world and winning, again and again, from a province with a fraction of the resources. That didn't happen by accident. It came from belief, culture, and a relentless commitment to excellence. In this insightful book, Ian Thompson makes the case that what we've built on our lakes can now be built on our oceans and beyond — that Nova Scotia, and all of Atlantic Canada, is ready to compete, and win, on a much bigger stage. Ian leaves no doubt: we've done it before — and we're ready to do it again.