Tick Research Announcement

Yesterdays announcement is a big one for Acadia University, for the Annapolis Valley, and for Nova Scotia.

More than a year ago, I had the opportunity to spend time on campus watching this research firsthand, learning about the work being done and the potential it held. I left convinced that this was exactly the kind of research and innovation we should be investing in and advocating for here at home.

Yesterday, Minister Brian Wong, MLA for Waverley, Fall River, Beaver Bank announced a $1.2-million investment through Research Nova Scotia to support the work of the new Canadian Tick Research and Innovation Centre at Acadia University. The funding will help researchers develop and test new tick-control and repellent technologies, strengthen surveillance, detect emerging tick-borne pathogens and, importantly, move discoveries from the laboratory toward products that can actually be used by Canadians.

I have to brag a little about Dr. Nicoletta Faraone and her team.

Nicoletta is doing extraordinary work right here in Wolfville. She is an Associate Professor of Chemistry and now Director of the Canadian Tick Research and Innovation Centre, the first facility of its kind in Canada. Her research has already earned national recognition. In 2025, she received the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation, one of only 11 researchers selected nationally from thousands of projects, for work that led to Canada's first all-natural, long-lasting fabric spray tick repellent.

I also want to acknowledge Dr. Laura Ferguson and Dr. Kirk Hillier who are quite humble about their contributions, but have also worked to support this incredible project and opportunity.

What does that mean for us?

For our region, it means world-class research, highly skilled jobs, opportunities for Acadia students and partnerships with companies happening right here in the Annapolis Valley.

For Nova Scotia, it means building expertise in a growing life-sciences sector while tackling a very real public-health challenge. Blacklegged ticks can transmit Lyme disease as well as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus. This investment is about turning Nova Scotia research into practical tools that can help protect people and animals while creating economic opportunities at home.

And for Canada, Acadia is filling an important research gap. Until now, Canadian researchers have had to import laboratory ticks from the United States at about US$5 per tick, and those ticks can differ genetically from Canadian populations. The new Centre will establish a Canadian "tickery," breeding locally relevant ticks and providing researchers, governments and industry with a Canadian source for the specimens needed to develop and test new solutions.

This is why I believe so strongly in getting onto our campuses, meeting our researchers and seeing what they are building. More than a year ago, I was watching this work, asking questions, learning about its possibilities and advocating for investment.

And now, we're investing $1.2 million to help take it further.

There is incredible talent at Acadia. There is incredible talent in the Annapolis Valley. When we recognize it, invest in it and help turn research into real-world solutions, the impact can reach far beyond our region.

Thank you to my colleagues Minister Brian Wong, MLA for Waverley, Fall River, Beaver Bank  and Melissa Sheehy-Richard, MLA Hants West for being on campus to share this announcement.

This is something we should be very proud to have happening right here at home.