When a maritime tech company rooted in Nova Scotia starts talking about the Pacific coast, it is worth paying attention to what they are carrying with them. On October 8, Stellar Futures Inc. took that conversation directly to the British Columbia Broadband Forum, pitching a vision that could reshape how working harbours on Canada’s west coast monitor risk and plan for the future.
Stellar Futures to Bring Working Harbour Intelligence Vision to British Columbia Broadband Forum
Our goal is to help the people responsible for working harbours on Atlantic and Pacific coasts anticipate risks before those risks become losses. — Gary Stairs, Founder and CEO, Stellar Futures
BLUE ROCKS, NS, CANADA, October 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Nova Scotia-based maritime intelligence company is exploring a British Columbia demonstration and the potential creation of a Pacific Fisheries Harbour Intelligence Network and Hub.
Stellar Futures Inc. is scheduled to present its vision for safer, more resilient, and investment-ready working harbours to the British Columbia Broadband Forum on Thursday, October 8, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific. As the meeting’s first presenter, the South Shore Nova Scotia company will showcase its developing harbour-intelligence capabilities and invite BC organizations to help shape a practical demonstration tailored to the Pacific coast.
The Forum’s membership spans a wide range of public- and private-sector organizations, giving Stellar a direct line to groups supporting British Columbia’s communities and critical infrastructure. The presentation, developed alongside i-VALLEY Canada, ties together two key priorities: improving the information available for harbour decisions and ensuring dependable communications can deliver that information where it is needed most.
“Reliable connectivity can help coastal communities turn better information into safer operations and stronger infrastructure planning,” said Warren Kalyn, Co-Chair of the British Columbia Broadband Forum. “We welcome Stellar Futures’ presentation as an opportunity to explore how harbour intelligence could support British Columbia’s working coast.”
“Working harbours are essential infrastructure for fisheries, coastal livelihoods and local economies,” said Gary Stairs, Founder and CEO of Stellar Futures. “Our goal is to help the people responsible for them anticipate risks before those risks become losses. This discussion is an opportunity to bring our Atlantic perspective to the Pacific coast—and to learn from British Columbia’s communities, operators and infrastructure leaders.”
At the heart of the pitch are two tools in development. Stellar’s Harbour Atlas™ is being built to organize information about harbour assets, condition, inspections, and maintenance—helping operators set priorities and build stronger cases for capital investment. Harbour Sentinel™, meanwhile, is designed to add active operational awareness by pulling together weather, water levels, vessel activity, and local observations to support earlier warnings and timelier decisions.
i-VALLEY Canada brings expertise in broadband and digital infrastructure to the collaboration, supporting the connectivity required to make harbour intelligence dependable across individual facilities, remote locations, and coastal corridors.
The October 8 discussion also introduced the concept of a Pacific Fisheries Harbour Intelligence Network and Hub. Developed with participating organizations, the idea could link harbour operators, First Nations, coastal municipalities, infrastructure owners, researchers, and public agencies through shared intelligence, training, and coordinated services. Any Pacific initiative would reflect British Columbia’s distinct geography, fisheries, Indigenous rights, governance, and operational needs—while preserving local control over operations and sensitive information.
This proposal runs parallel to an Atlantic Fisheries Harbour Intelligence Network and Hub concept that Stellar is advancing for discussion in Ottawa later this month. Taken together, the two concepts point toward a longer-term opportunity for compatible harbour-intelligence networks on both of Canada’s coasts.
“We see a practical path from one demonstration site to a connected coastal corridor,” Stairs added. “The next step is to identify interested partners, agree on the problems that matter most, and demonstrate measurable value for the people who work on the waterfront.”
About Stellar Futures
Stellar Futures Inc. is a maritime intelligence company based on Nova Scotia’s South Shore. The company is developing tools to help working harbours understand their assets, anticipate operational risks, and make better maintenance, safety, and investment decisions. Its mission is to make harbours, boats, and workers safer.
About the BC Broadband Forum
The British Columbia Broadband Forum (BCBF) committee advocates and supports the development of critical broadband infrastructure in underserved regions throughout Canada and the advancement of technology based on the foundational development of broadband infrastructure. Its founding mission supports major projects declared as federal national interest and local strategic initiatives through direct engagement at membership meetings. The BCBF mandate supports all technology advancement, including artificial intelligence and data center development, at a local, provincial, and national level.
The British Columbia Broadband Forum’s membership includes over 50 organizations spanning a broad spectrum of private sector and Indigenous organizations, public sector communities and urban centres, wholesale service providers, non-profit institutions, and major utility and telecommunication incumbents.
Media contact
Gary Stairs
Founder & CEO, Stellar Futures Inc.
gary@stellarfutures.ca; cell: 506.470.1000
Gary Stairs
Stellar RHL
+1 506-470-1000
Why it matters: The push to link harbour intelligence with reliable broadband infrastructure could redefine how coastal communities across Canada manage risk, plan investments, and protect local economies. If the Pacific demonstration moves forward, it could set a precedent for national, coast-to-coast coordination on maritime safety and infrastructure resilience.
