The Saint John Board of Trade is Excited to Welcome BP to our Community

The Saint John Board of Trade welcomes the announcement that Irving Oil Limited will work together with BP on the next phase of engineering, design, and feasibility for the proposed Eider Rock refinery in Saint John.

“This is exciting news as it is a crucial next step in the further development of the proposed 2nd refinery” said Nathalie Godbout, Chair, of the Saint John Board of Trade.  “We would like to extend a warm welcome to BP, their employees and families to our community.”

This next phase will support the further development of the New Brunswick energy hub and the refining industry on the east coast, as well as our province’s goal of self-sufficiency.

“BP is an international company with a renowned reputation for environmental performance and for working with the communities where it operates.  We are excited to have a company of this calibre being a part of our community, and we congratulate Irving Oil on their efforts to bring them to Saint John” continued Ms. Godbout.

Change to Health Care System Unsettling says Saint John Board of Trade

The Saint John Board of Trade has reservations regarding some of the transformational changes announced earlier this week by the Minister of Health, The Honourable Michael Murphy.  “We are pleased that the consolidation of selected non-clinical services under a new public sector company.  That will most certainly build efficiencies into the health system and reduce infrastructure costs” said Nathalie Godbout, Chair of the Saint John Board of Trade.  “We do, however, have some concerns surrounding the announced changes to the way health care will be administered in New Brunswick.”

“This move from eight to two Regional Health Authorities within several months is an unsettling measure that is going to be challenging and problematic” Godbout stated.  “As a business community, we need more detail regarding how this governance structure will meet the present and future needs of the Saint John community and its medical professionals” said Godbout.

“With no local Board or CEO, we are concerned that these changes will mean a loss of local autonomy for this region’s hospitals” continued Godbout.  “Meanwhile, doctors and medical staff who require rapid responses to unique situations will face challenges if reporting to a centralized body in another part of the province, with no clear explanation as to how this will improve efficiency and cost.  Whatever the details are surrounding this plan, one must take into consideration the very basic need for local autonomy in the day-to-day management of hospitals.”

The Board of Trade is also seeking clarity on other related issues, such as:
• The impact this could have on recruitment and retention of doctors and other health professionals;
• Potential impact on the new Anglophone medical school;
• How the implementation of the new trauma system may be impacted;
• The impact on community foundations and fundraising efforts should be clarified, as fundraising efforts are ongoing.  Several large events are held each year in support of the Regional Hospital and St. Joseph’s.  What will happen to these funds:  will they stay in the community or will they be divided among various hospitals in the region?  Community fundraising, through the support of the Foundation, the Board and administration, has helped make our regional hospital a leader in innovation and patient care;
• What will be the requirements for, and application process of the Health Council members?
• Do the savings the government is proposing ($20 million in 5 years on a $2.2 billion budget=1%) warrant such a drastic move?

Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation is an integral part of our community and our largest employer.  The answers to these questions are crucial with the anticipated growth that is projected for our community.  “Our members need to know that this new system will work effectively for greater Saint John before we are prepared to support it.”

North of Union project an excellent opportunity, should lead to creation of urban plan-says Saint John Board of Trade

The Saint John Board of Trade sees the development of the North side of Union Street as a tremendous opportunity for positive growth in our community.  The Board is encouraged by the ongoing community consultation process and looks forward to the report on the outcome.  It is important that this development reflect the needs of the City and that a timely decision is made.

“This development, if done correctly, could be the platform to spur future growth and investment.” said Nathalie Godbout, Chairperson of the Board of Trade.  “However, the recent debate has highlighted an inescapable factor regarding business development in Saint John:  the need for an updated urban plan. This community has the opportunity to design a comprehensive urban plan that will reflect our anticipated future needs, designate specific areas of the city for targeted growth, and promote further development for the entire city.  This plan would then be the roadmap for future development and identify opportunities to potential developers.” 

“Also important in this process is the need to monitor the cost of such development to the City, and to ensure that sufficient funds are available.” Ms. Godbout continued “Any plans for major development should also include a plan to protect residents and business owners from tax increases.  We are confident that City officials will keep this fiscal responsibility top of mind in their plans.”

Saint John Board of Trade pleased with Premier Graham's announcement that Community Colleges will run independently & UNBSJ will remain as a university

SAINT JOHN, NB: The Saint John Board of Trade is very pleased with Premier Graham's announcement last evening at the State of the Province dinner, that UNBSJ will remain as a university and will become a "Centre of Excellence" for applied courses in the province. The Board is also pleased to see that the Community Colleges will run independently and be removed from government.

"This is a tremendous announcement from Premier Graham and Minister Doherty," said Nathalie Godbout, Chair of the Saint John Board of Trade. "We are very encouraged with this renewed commitment to existing programs at UNBSJ, as well as to focused growth in applied learning in response to emerging economic opportunities."

The Board of Trade is also pleased that government will see the creation of a new Commission, designed to review the relationship between the UNB campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, and would propose to play a key role in providing feedback and guidance to this Commission. In particular, the Board remains concerned that there be a timely response to Post-Secondary Education reform on matters of both governance and funding for UNBSJ.

The Board of Trade looks forward to the report that will be forthcoming from the Premier?s Working Group, comprised of university presidents and community college principals, to include more comprehensive recommendations on cooperation between universities and community colleges, new approaches to apprenticeship training, and reducing student debt.

"As I mentioned back in October 2007, education is our future. These new announcements suggest that we are moving in the right direction to ensure the business community is prepared for the anticipated economic growth in our region. We need an accessible, innovative, quality post-secondary framework to reinforce and retain workforce development right here in our city," said Godbout.

The Board of Trade is also encouraged by the other initiatives and benchmarks mentioned in the Premier?s speech. "Our region is significantly impacted by the crisis unfolding in the forestry sector. We are encouraged that the provincial government is consulting with the foremost experts on this issue in order to respond appropriately," said Godbout.

New Courthouse can be anchor to responsible future development says Saint John Board of Trade

The Saint John Board of Trade is pleased with today's announcement by the Provincial Government to construct a new courthouse in Saint John on the site of the old YMCA-YWCA building.

This new courthouse along with the City of Saint John's plans for a new police facility, parking garage, pedway, and investment in the Saint John Arts Centre and public spaces is an integrated approach to development. The Board of Trade encourages city staff and officials to make these investments responsibly with a keen eye to cost efficiency.

With this in mind this platform for urban renewal north of Union Street can spur potential future development for the uptown while protecting businesses and residents from future tax increases.

The Board of Trade is looking forward to the consultation process and encourages citizens to participate in the public sessions.

Saint John Board of Trade Retail Forum encourages Saint John consumers to consider the Hidden Costs to Cross Border Shopping

SAINT JOHN, NB – Members of the Saint John Board of Trade’s Retail Forum are asking consumers in Saint John to think carefully about the issue of cross-border shopping. The recent value of the Canadian dollar has led to a large increase in shopping trips across the border. The Retail Forum recognizes many consumers are attracted by the excitement of all the ‘bargains’ across the border or on-line. However there are costs to cross-border shopping and they should be considered.

Daryl Wilson, Retail Forum Chair says, “Beyond the costs of meals, gas and accommodations there is the cost of time, with some of the closest shopping involving at least 6 hours of driving time. And then there is the wait time at the border.” Consumers must also consider the ability to make exchanges and the applicability of warranties on goods purchased stateside.

The Retail Forum also asks consumers to think about your local retailers. Whether they are locally owned or National chains, all of them are trying to react as quickly as they can to a very difficult situation. They are being asked to discount their products, and yet are still expected to pay their employees (often our sons and daughters in part-time positions), taxes, rent, heat and hydro, give to charities, and sponsor teams and special events.

And finally the Retail Forum asks that consumers consider the impact on the environment of driving for six hours and idling at the border for several more.

The Saint John Board of Trade is dedicated to fostering an economic climate that enhances growth, prosperity, and an improved quality of life in the community. With more than 1,000 members, representing 600 small, medium, and large businesses and organization and therefore, the interests of more than 30,000 citizens, the Board is a dynamic advocate and the principal voice for the business community of Greater Saint John. It offers a variety of programs, activities, services, and networking opportunities designed to enhance the business prospects of members and the overall business climate of the area.

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For more information contact:

Imelda Gilman, President
Saint John Board of Trade
Tel: (506) 634-4157

Daryl Wilson, Retail Forum Chair
Saint John Board of Trade
Tel: (506) 633-1500

Outstanding Business Achievemnet Awards Recipients Announced

The Saint John Board of Trade has announced the recipients of its 2007 Outstanding Business Achievement Awards. At its 23rd awards dinner, Maritime Rescue and Medical Inc. was honoured with the award for Emerging Enterprise, and Canadian Cable Systems Alliance Inc. accepted the Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. In the Business Excellence category, the award went to East Point Inc.

The Board of Trade also presented silver and bronze awards. In the Emerging Enterprise category, the silver award was presented to Avant Garde Construction and Management Inc. In the Entrepreneurial Achievement award category, silver was awarded to Galbraith Florists. The silver award in the Business Excellence category was given to AnyWare Group, with bronze awarded to Fundy Linen Service Inc.

In the Emerging Enterprise category, Maritime Rescue and Medical Inc. took top honours.
Maritime Rescue and Medical was carved out of a larger company that was offering Red Cross training programs in the local area when, in November 2003, Michael Currie, a trained paramedic, and Scott O'Brien bought out that aspect of the business which they were already operating. The young partners continued to offer Red Cross training programs from their homes but, in making sales calls on business and industry, soon learned that there was a pressing need for additional training services in specific areas such as confined space rescue technicians and high angle rescue training. These services are highly technical, governed under the Workplace Health and Safety Commission and, at the time, were only offered by out-of-province firms.

After extensive research, the partners decided to get into the field of industrial safety training and brought in an Ontario firm to train its first 15 people as Confined Space Rescue Technicians. Maritime Rescue was now in the business of Industrial Rescue training and opened its first office. The client list grew rapidly and requests began to come in to provide additional services.

A contract at the LNG site led to the hiring of paramedics and the purchase of an ambulance. Contracts for Confined Space Rescue technicians in Newfoundland and for high angle rescue training for Fire Departments in New Brunswick led to more rapid expansion, new larger offices, a physician consultant and a Mobile Confined Space Training Simulator, the only one in the province.

Employees now number five full time and 40 part time, with the Saint John staff the backbone of the company, involved from the initial call through scheduling, site set up and working the site, no matter where the job is located. Maritime Rescue is now the number one company in its field in Saint John.

The Canadian Cable Systems Alliance was established in 1994 by Barb Stanley and Alyson Townsend, both lawyers at Fundy Cable, as a "union" of independent cable operators to improve their bargaining position with the large television programming distributors.

Interest from small cable operators across Canada was immediate but CCSA's first task was to convince the rapidly consolidating media companies to deal with it rather than with the individual operators. Understanding that being the single payment source for programming wholesale fees would give it more clout, CCSA made participation in its automated payment system a condition of membership. While few distributors would deal with CCSA for the first few years, by providing value to members and suppliers alike, CCSA gradually grew its credibility and its volume-based purchasing business. The result was substantially lower costs for small operators across Canada.

Recognizing the value to all parties of its collection/payment services, CCSA took the bold step of charging signal suppliers a contract administration fee. That fee helps defray CCSA's operating expenses and reduce members? annual dues. CCSA also established a hardware purchasing business and now manages contracts for virtually all hardware items regularly used by small cable systems. With the rapid technological change expected in the industry, CCSA anticipates additional opportunities from emerging communications platforms and services.

When the 50 year old Canadian Cable Television Association dissolved in 2006, CCSA quickly stepped into its role of regulatory advocate and lobbyist for Canada?s independent cable companies, playing a major role at CRTC hearings and winning several regulatory changes in favor of the small cable operators.

CCSA's current team of 14 full time employees has strong business and family roots in the Greater Saint John area. Though the business has grown exponentially, it plans to maintain its headquarters here for the foreseeable future.

East Point Inc. believes that retail shopping is all about the experience and creating that unique experience is what East Point Shopping is all about.

East Point Shopping is the vision of local developer Troy Northrup. His goal was to create an open air retail centre in one of the most visible areas in Saint John. This has positioned Saint John as a major retail and commerce centre and as a retail destination of choice for both residents and visitors. East Point wants to continue to play a pivotal role in helping transform Saint John from a drive-by city, to a drive-in city.

Home Depot was the first major retailer at the site and serves as an anchor for the development. Many exciting new fashion retailers are now open for business. And so is Saint John's first new hotel in nearly 20 years, the Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton. Under construction are New Brunswick's first free-standing Starbucks and the province?s first Indigo Books & Music store with its award winning building design.

Construction extends beyond the actual development. The public/private partnership between the City of Saint John and East Point Inc. resulted in Retail Drive, a new, four-lane connector between Rothesay Avenue and Westmorland Road. This provides service to East Point Shopping and much needed access between two of the city's busiest roadways.

East Point is also committed to protecting the environment. A unique water retention basin was constructed beneath the parking area to manage storm water run-off from the site, a design first for Atlantic Canada. The development includes an abundance of treed green spaces, energy control systems for lighting and heating, a retailer recycling program and many other environmental features.

East Point sees quality retail services not as a luxury, but as an essential community service ? essential in supporting the True Growth initiatives of our region.

This year's recipient of the "Young Entrepreneur" award is Ji Li of HugoLee International Trade Ltd.. This award recognizes young business leaders (30 years and under) just beginning to make their mark.

The Board of Trade presented this evening for the fifth year "The Big Heart" Award. The recipient of this award is The Carpenters Training Centre of NB Inc.

Also this evening, Board of Trade Chair, Nathalie Godbout presented The Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative Inc. with the Chair's Award. This marks the fourteenth year in which a deserving individual or organization has been selected by the Board's Chairperson for their achievements within, and contributions to, the community.