When a Nova Scotia maritime tech firm steps onto a British Columbia stage, it’s worth paying attention — especially when the pitch involves a coast-to-coast safety net for working harbours. That’s exactly what Stellar Futures Inc. brought to the British Columbia Broadband Forum on Thursday, October 8, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time.
Kicking off the meeting as its first presenter, the South Shore Nova Scotia company laid out its developing harbour-intelligence capabilities and called on British Columbia organizations to help shape a practical demonstration tailored to the Pacific coast. The Forum’s mix of public- and private-sector members offers a natural bridge between harbour intelligence and the groups supporting BC’s communities and critical infrastructure.
The presentation, built alongside i-VALLEY Canada, tied together two priorities: giving harbour decision-makers better information, and ensuring dependable communications can carry that information where it’s 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.”
Stellar’s Harbour Atlas™ is being developed to organize information about harbour assets, condition, inspections and maintenance, helping operators establish priorities and prepare stronger cases for capital investment. Harbour Sentinel™ is designed to add active operational awareness, bringing together weather, water levels, vessel activity and local observations to support earlier warnings and timely decisions.
i-VALLEY Canada contributes expertise in broadband and digital infrastructure, supporting the connectivity needed to make harbour intelligence dependable across individual facilities, remote locations and coastal corridors.
The October 8 discussion also introduced the possibility of a Pacific Fisheries Harbour Intelligence Network and Hub. Developed with participating organizations, the concept could connect harbour operators, First Nations, coastal municipalities, infrastructure owners, researchers and public agencies through shared intelligence, training and coordinated services.
A Pacific initiative would reflect British Columbia’s distinctive geography, fisheries, Indigenous rights, governance and operational needs, while preserving local control of operations and sensitive information.
The proposal complements an Atlantic Fisheries Harbour Intelligence Network and Hub concept that Stellar is advancing for discussion in Ottawa later this month. Together, the concepts point toward a longer-term opportunity for compatible harbour-intelligence networks on Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific 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 in technology based on the foundational development of broadband infrastructure. Our 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, which includes 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, 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: Stellar Futures is positioning harbour intelligence as a national priority, not just a local tool. If the Atlantic and Pacific networks move forward, Canadian coastal communities could gain a unified early-warning system for harbour risks — a shift that would touch fisheries, infrastructure investment, and public safety from coast to coast.
