An established settlement since 1749, Halifax stands as the provincial capital of Nova Scotia. Whenever a capital is brought up, many people assume that the city will be the most advanced of its area, with all of the major businesses converging in the city, pumping money in to allow for rapid expansion, growth, and development.
These days, modern cities don’t necessarily see growth in the form of expanding boundaries or new towers: the modern aspects of everyday life come from the widespread adoption of new technologies. Known for its fishing, forestry, agriculture, natural gas, and mining industries, the regional municipality of Halifax may not be considered modern by many, especially as there are so many historical points of interest dotted around.
However, as the capital of Nova Scotia, with the largest urban area in Atlantic Canada, the infrastructure and economy are in place for Halifax to be a modern city. The lifestyle of Halifax is described as offering a mix of Canadian history and modern living. So, from the technology being utilized by every day Nova Scotians in Halifax to the modernization of key areas, we’re exploring how far Halifax can be considered a modern city.
Using the modern way to pay and play
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An image of Bitcoin in use on mobile, an apparent manifest from the mysterious inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, and a physical representation of the cryptocurrency.
To fully utilize modern technology, an area has to have strong internet connection capabilities. Too much is based online or requires an internet connection for any jurisdiction without high-speed internet to be classed as modern. As is the case the world over, the more urbanized areas of Halifax have long boasted superb internet connections, and now, high-speed internet is being rolled out across the rural parts of Nova Scotia, including rural Halifax.
When it comes to modern payments, eWallets have been around for a while. But right now, the infamous cryptocurrency Bitcoin is stepping to the fore in this regard. The peer-to-peer payment system turned investment opportunity has slowly started to return to its roots as a way for people to pay for goods and services. In fact, the very purpose of Bitcoin’s creation was to enable a fair and balanced currency that couldn’t be corrupted by the central banks of the world. Through the use of its pioneering blockchain, Bitcoin is one of the safest and most modern ways to pay anyone willing to accept the cryptocurrency.
Across Canada, including in Halifax, people have been jumping at the opportunity to use Bitcoin as a method of payment, which is why Neteller has become so popular in sectors where the method is available for use. The Canada-founded e-money transfer service not only allows you to make deposits in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, but its platform also facilitates the purchasing of cryptocurrencies from Canada.
Not everywhere caters to Neteller due to them trailblazing so many novel payment option solutions. Still, the one industry that consistently does, to appease the tech-savvy habits of people across Canada and in Nova Scotia, is iGaming. With Halifax being so well connected to the internet, the complete online casino Canada offering is just a few clicks away. All of the most popular games can be played via a Neteller deposit, allowing the gaming platform to become popular in our neck of the woods.
As you would imagine, the iGaming industry as a whole is very tech-forward, embracing any opportunity to deploy new and useful tech to help its players. While the scene has adopted many innovations in recent times, such as the live-streamed, real-time tables of the live casino section and the Megaways functions in slot gaming, it’s fully secure and trustworthy payment methods that underpin it all. This is the exact reason why the online casino has adopted the Halifax-favourite e-money transfer service.
So, in regards to popular pastimes, entertainment platforms enjoyed by the masses, and the payment methods preferred in the area, Halifax can most certainly be classed as a modern city.
Technological brainpower at the heart of Halifax
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A look at one of the many buildings helping to give Halifax a modern aesthetic.
Halifax will always be aligned with the sea, boasting one of the largest natural harbours and, subsequently, a massive fishing industry to boot. However, the region has undergone a tremendous amount of change over the last few decades, with the dwindling fisheries of Atlantic Canada setting the local focus on tech-powered sustainable development.
Government support has helped, but Halifax’s own low cost of living, availability of tech-savvy talents, competitive business costs, and research and development tax incentives have also helped to drive the Canadian tech industry to the urbanized areas.
According to the 2019 Scoring Canadian Tech Talent study, which ranked 20 Canadian cities per their appeal to tech talents and employers, the likes of Toronto and Ottawa led the rankings with scores of 88.1 and 73.1, respectively. However, Halifax managed to claw in at 11th, just behind Edmonton, Hamilton, and Quebec City.
Halifax boasts tremendous appeal to tech companies in North America, with the right infrastructure and support in place to help to continue to grow the modern scene of business.
Modernizing the famous and historic Halifax harbour
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An image of the glowing Halifax skyline from across the water.
A few years ago, Halifax embarked on a $4.52 million project to invest in Halifax harbour, transforming a section of the waterfront into a state-of-the-art ocean technology facility. The project commenced the build of the Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE). It continued an epic overhaul of the harbour, creating the world’s most innovative ocean tech incubators on the other side of the most modern shipyard on the continent.
The mission of COVE is to support ocean technology commercialization in the area, with the entrepreneurs who have already set-up shop in the Halifax hub having already produced some exciting tech. As recently as last summer, companies from 12 other nations flocked to the area to see the showcase of ocean tech being created. But it’s not just COVE that’s received a considerable grant to help propel innovation, with Halifax’s marine technology firm Enginuity receiving $40,000 a few years back.
Halifax is certainly known for its historical side, and much of the economy is propped-up by industries that wouldn’t be deemed ‘modern’. Still, with a concerted effort to infuse tech-facing companies into urban areas, and the widespread availability of the internet opening up the online entertainment space, it’s certainly fair to say that Halifax is, at the very least, striving to become a modern city.
