Insight fall 2017

FREDERICTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Special Canadian Chamber of Commerce Conference issue

FALL 2017

ADVOCACY UPDATES | THE BUZZ | NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS | CHAMBER EVENTS COMMUNITY PROSPERITY THROUGH BUSINESS

FREDERICTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Contents Creative Direction and Graphic Design by Pete Stafford, Cambridge Pen & Design Publisher – Pete Stafford, Cambridge Pen & Design Printer – KKP Kwik Kopy Printing Project Manager and Advertising Consultant – Wendy Morrell Contributors – Perrin Beatty, Matt DeCourcey, MP, Premier Brian Gallant, Mayor Mike O’Brien, Keir Clark, Karen Grant, Krista Ross, Morgan Peters, Christine Little, Tanya Senechal, Janet Moser, Layla Rahmeh, Krisha Kaitan, Anna Schneider, Robert Burroughs, Debbie Perry, Erin Flood , Heather McLean, Meaghan Seagrave, Sonya Gilks, Peter Corbyn, Matt LeBlanc, Clarissa Harris-LeBreton, David Zilbert, Opportunities NB

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FREDERICTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE President – Keir Clark, keir.clark@scotiamcleod.com Chief Executive Officer – Krista Ross, kristar@frederictonchamber.ca Policy and Research Manager – Morgan Peters, advocacy@frederictonchamber.ca Membership Development & Marketing Manager – Christine Little, membership@frederictonchamber.ca Event Manager – Tanya Senechal, events@frederictonchamber.ca Operations and Communications Manager – Wendy Morrell, fchamber@frederictonchamber.ca Bookkeeper – Brianne Phillips, bookkeeper@frederictonchamber.ca INTERCULTURAL BUSINESS CENTRE Director - Fredericton Immigrant Business Services – Janet Moser, janetm@frederictonchamber.ca Succession Specialist – Layla Rahmeh, succession@frederictonchamber.ca Office Administrator – Monique Hong, successadmin@frederictonchamber.ca All content, copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

This publication may not be reproduced, all or in part without written consent from the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all content in this publication, however the publisher nor the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce will be held responsible for omissions or errors.

Please address all editiorial and advertising inquiries to the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, 364 York Street, Suite 200, Fredericton, NB E3B 3P7, Canada. The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is not held responsible for loss, damage or any other injury to unsolicited material (including but not limited to manuscripts, artwork, photographs, and advertisements). Unsolicited material must be included with selfaddressed, overnight-delivery return envelope, postage prepaid.

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce will not give, nor rent your name, mailing address, or other contact information to third parties.

Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

364 York Street, Suite 200 Fredericton, NB E3B 3P7 Tel: (506) 458-8006 fchamber@frederictonchamber.ca frederictonchamber.ca @fton_chamber facebook.com/frederictonchamber Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

Keir Clark Message 3 Hon. Perrin Beatty Message 3 Premier Brian Gallant Message 4 Matt DeCourcey Message 5 Mayor Mike O’Brien Message 6 Karen Grant Message 6 Krista Ross Message 7 Advocacy Update 8 Intercultural Business Centre 10 Say Hello To Our Newest Chamber Members 12 Your Bottom Line 13 Fashion and Forestry 15 Attracting International Students 16 Physician Recruitment 19 Economic Impact for International Students 20 10+ Things to do this Fall in Fredericton 22 Fredericton: A Perfect Marriage of Beauty and Brains 24 Start-Up City 25 Innovating in our Traditional Industries 27 Why Global Leaders Choose New Brunswick 29 NBCC Oasis Entrepreneurial Mentorship Program 31 UNB: Making New Brunswick the Best Place to do Business 33 Energy Efficiency Opportunities 34 Art comes to life in Fredericton 35 The Lighting Gallery 37 Policy Alert 38 The Beaverbrook Art Gallery 39 M2M Discounts 40 Chamber Buzz 41 Thank you to our Sponsors 42

Front Page Photo Acknowledgements: Photos by Stephen MacGillivray, Rob Blanchard (photos left to right) Photo 1 - Annual Curling Funspiel Photo 2 - Business Immigrant Mentorship Program Graduation Photo 3 - Business Excellence Award Recipients Photo 4 - Tri-City Business Connection Photo 5 - Annual Golf Tournament Photo 6 - Networking Photo 7 - Business Over Breakfast Photo 8 - Committee Meeting Photo 9 - State of the Province Address Photo 10 - State of the City Address Photo 11 - Town Hall with Prime Minister Trudeau

Pete Stafford | 506.472.4230 petes@nbnet.nb.ca | cambridgepen.com

A Message from the President Keir Clark, President 2017-2018

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ot only do we have six days of the fabulous Harvest Jazz & Blues festival to enjoy this September, but it will be followed by another exciting event in our business community. Fredericton is very proud to host the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce from September 23rd to 25th.

I encourage all who are interested in expanding their business to come out to welcome and network with our guests from across Canada.

If you are a delegate at the 2017 Canadian chamber’s AGM, welcome to Fredericton! I’m excited to have you here to experience the charms of our beautiful and vibrant community. Count on many from the Fredericton business community to be recruiting you to stay as long as you want.

We have a lot to be proud of here in Fredericton and we can’t wait to share it with you. Beyond being the seat of our provincial government, Fredericton is home to University of New Brunswick, Canada’s most entrepreneurial university. St Thomas University, a top ranked liberal arts school, and a beautiful New Brunswick Community College campus where the focus is on job-ready training and employee development.

We are also home to the world-class College of Craft and Design as well as one of Canada’s premiere online universities, the University of Fredericton.

While responsibly developing our natural resources is a priority for us at the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, we are also working hard with the community to expand our population while helping business owners successfully sell their businesses to new owners.

Succession Connect is an innovative project that we are particularly proud of. Please take the time to learn more about that exciting work while you’re here.

Finally, while you’re in Fredericton take a few minutes to stop and smell the roses. The lifestyle we enjoy here is second to none. When you get a break, take a few minutes and stroll along our riverfront walking trail, stop at one of our great restaurants, or drop into one of our many unique downtown shops. It’s all here in Fredericton and it’s available for you to enjoy.

Welcome to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 AGM and Convention!

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n behalf of the Board of Directors and staff of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, I am delighted to welcome you to the Canadian Chamber’s AGM and Convention in beautiful Fredericton.

Our AGM and Convention is our largest and most prestigious event of the year, bringing together over 320 chamber of commerce executives and community business leaders to discuss the economic and political issues that affect the prosperity of Canadian business, enabling our member chambers to become more relevant and successful advocates for their communities. It is also the opportunity for chambers of commerce to present their member businesses’ key concerns to our cross-country network. The resolutions that we will adopt to suggest ways to foster a stronger economic environment for business will be presented to the federal government and shape our public policy objectives for the upcoming year.

While a lot of work takes place at our AGM and Convention, is it an important occasion for our network to celebrate our accomplishments from the past year and recognize excellence within our community of chamber of commerce executives.

I want to thank our host, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, and our local and national sponsors for their generous support. This support and the dedication of our local chambers’ staff and volunteers enable us to produce first-rate events, like our AGM and Convention. This year’s event will surely impress!

Thank you for your commitment to building a stronger and more successful Canada. I wish you an enjoyable and productive conference.

Hon. Perrin Beatty President and CEO The Canadian Chamber of Commerce Keir Clark, President 2017-2018, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

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Matt DeCourcey Member of Parliament for Fredericton, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Député de Fredericton, et Secrétaire parlementaire de la ministre des Affaires étrangères.

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n behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend a warm welcome to all new and returning delegates to the 2017 Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM and Convention. Led by our Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, the wonderful capital city of Fredericton, NB is proud to host you this year.

Since the early 20th Century, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has served its purpose by connecting businesses from coast to coast to coast and advocating for better policies that will continue to develop stronger and more prosperous communities across Canada. Like other Chamber events, your AGM and Convention will facilitate new partnerships and provide a wealth of knowledge to all attendees. I encourage everyone to take full advantage of the excellent three-day program, get to know the talented Fredericton Chamber of Commerce team, and see some of what Fredericton has to offer.

I look forward to continuing to work with Canada’s most influential business association and its leaders in the years to come. Together, we can develop a stronger economic environment which not only benefits Canadian businesses but our communities as a whole.

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u nom du gouvernement du Canada, je souhaite la bienvenue à tous les nouveaux délégués, et à ceux qui sont de retour, à l’assemblée générale annuelle et au congrès de la Chambre de commerce du Canada de 2017.

L’événement est organisé par la Chambre de commerce de Fredericton, dans la belle capitale du Nouveau-Brunswick, et nous sommes fiers de vous accueillir cette année.

Depuis le début du XXe siècle, la Chambre de commerce du Canada remplit son rôle en regroupant les entreprises de l’ensemble du pays et en défendant l’établissement de meilleures politiques qui rendront nos collectivités plus fortes et plus prospères. Comme les autres événements de la Chambre de commerce, l’assemblée générale annuelle et le congrès vous permettront de créer de nouveaux partenariats et d’acquérir une foule de connaissances. Je vous encourage tous à profiter pleinement de notre programmation de trois jours, à apprendre à connaître la talentueuse équipe de la Chambre de commerce de Fredericton et à voir ce que la ville a à offrir.

Je me réjouis à l’idée de continuer à travailler avec l’association de gens d’affaires la plus influente du Canada et avec ses leaders au cours des prochaines années. Ensemble, nous pouvons améliorer le contexte économique du pays, ce qui profitera non seulement aux entreprises canadiennes, mais aussi à nos collectivités.

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Mayor’s Message

Welcome

Mayor Mike O’Brien, City of Fredericton

Canadian Chamber Conference Chair – Karen Grant, Kiers Marketing

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n behalf of my City Council colleagues and the citizens of Fredericton, I am honoured to welcome delegates attending the Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM to our wonderful city.

Fredericton is a diverse and welcoming community rapidly growing as we welcome new residents from across Canada and newcomers from around the world. You will find our urban spaces are intertwined with lush natural landscapes.

We balance increasing development in our city with our preserved heritage streetscapes. We have countless arts, culture and recreation opportunities (which we hope you can take advantage of during your stay!)

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Our knowledge-based economy is nurtured with postsecondary education institutions such as the University of New Brunswick, Canada’s oldest university and one of its most entrepreneurial, and more than 60 research institutions and labs.

We have an incredibly collaborative business community led by our award winning Chamber of Commerce. A strong entrepreneurial spirit in Fredericton that helps keep us on the forefront of Canada’s innovation economy. In fact, we are Canada’s Startup Capital, having been named the 2016 Startup Community of the Year by Startup Canada. Our city has its own ultra high-speed gigabit fibre network that offers the best value commercial internet connectivity in Canada. Combined with other elements of our intelligent infrastructure, this has enabled companies large and small to use Fredericton as a living lab, and a launch pad to test and develop innovative digital products and services.

Our community is one that cherishes our heritage and embraces the future, offering the charm and ease of small-city life with the sophistication and global focus of a major centre.

Our municipality is proud of our long-standing and close relationships with the organizations that represent our business community, including the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

We value having such an active and engaging Chamber to work with to help businesses in our community succeed.

I hope you are able to take some time from your busy schedule to experience some of what our city has to offer. We are proud to host you and wish you a most enjoyable and memorable stay in Fredericton!

Michael G. O’Brien Mayor of Fredericton

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he Fredericton Chamber of Commerce was excited to be chosen to host the 2017 Canadian Chamber Conference, not only as an opportunity to showcase our city to visitors, but also to help our business community. Our mission is “Community Prosperity Through Business”. The economic impact of having approximately 400 delegates from across Canada visiting our city, staying in our hotels, eating at our restaurants, shopping in our stores and visiting our attractions, is a huge boost to local businesses.

Planning for the 2017 Canadian Chamber AGM and Conference began in January 2015 with the preparation of the bid to host.

As many delegates would be visiting Fredericton for the first time, or haven’t been to Fredericton in a while, we wanted our event to be enjoyable and memorable, and make visitors want to come back and enjoy more of what Fredericton has to offer.

Our event, the Maritime Kitchen Party, is going to be a lot of fun, with various food stations, craft brew tastings, games, music, and of course, networking. Our companion program is full of activities to keep the delegates’ companions engaged during their time here.

Our event sponsors were eager to support this great event. Like us, they realize the benefit of hosting an event attended by business people from across Canada to our City. Thank you for your support!

Presenting sponsor, Opportunities New Brunswick Gold Sponsors: Aditya Birla - AV Group, Elliott McCrae Hill, and Ignite Fredericton Silver Sponsor: NB Liquor Bronze Sponsors: Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, City of Fredericton, Crowne Plaza Fredericton, DP Murphy Hotels and Resorts, Investors Group – Todd Holmes, Irving, Kiers Marketing, Naveco Power, NBCC Oasis, NB Power, and YFC Fredericton International Airport Hosting an event like this involves a lot of people. Thank you to the staff at Fredericton Chamber, City of Fredericton, and the many committee volunteers. Your help and commitment is much appreciated.

For those visiting our city and attending the conference – welcome! Enjoy your visit, and please, come back again.

Fredericton has a lot more to offer!

Karen Grant, Local Conference Chair

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A Message from the CEO Krista Ross, CEO

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elcome delegates to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce 2017 annual meeting. The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce and the city of Fredericton are so proud to host you here! Thanks to the many members of our chamber that have supported our efforts from preparing the bid back in 2014; securing and announcing it in 2015; planning, preparing and organizing in 2016 and 2017; to now, September 2017 - the culmination of our collective efforts - the conference is finally here! The nearly 950 members of our chamber offer a warm welcome to the delegates to the conference who are attending from coast-to-coast!

In this issue of Insight Magazine, we wanted to share with you the vibe and the great buzz that we are feeling in our city and in our region - we want the country to hear our story. Stories

about innovative startup businesses, stories about students and post secondary institutions, our own innovative new projects like Succession Connect, along with stories about some of the businesses and industries that are unique to Fredericton and New Brunswick! These things, sprinkled with cultural, artistic and tourism stories will give you a picture of what we - and our members - are all about. Of course, we included some stories about our Chamber activities as well to round things out!

To our members who are reading this edition of Insight - we hope you enjoy having a look at this special issue of our magazine and perhaps seeing our business community with fresh eyes - we have a lot to be proud of and we hope that you enjoy a little bit of us tooting Fredericton’s - and our region’s horn!

If you have ideas for your Chamber, whether it be advocacy related, an event idea, or a business we should have as a member… get in touch - I’d love to hear from you!

Krista Ross, CEO Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

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Our policy priorities in 2017-18 are: Competitive Business Environment Traditionally, cost competitiveness had been an advantage that we have in New Brunswick, but this has been consistently eroded over the past few years. Over the past two years, NB businesses have seen increases in minimum wage, property tax, corporate tax, HST, EI rates, land transfer tax and WorkSafeNB premiums jumped 33% in 2017 (amongst other costs). An unknown carbon tax and CPP hikes are looming in 2018 and 2019 respectively WorkSafeNB premiums will in all likelihood jump even higher in 2018. All the while, we are seeing economic growth around 1% annually - and are actually happy to see even that minimal growth. While decreasing the province’s small business tax is helping, those benefits are being swallowed up on multiple fronts.

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by Morgan Peters, Policy & Research Manager, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

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he vision of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce is Community Prosperity Through Business. As members of our chamber, board of directors and staff are primarily local residents, we recognize the symbiotic relationship that exists between business, the community and the citizenry. Citizens support local business, which creates jobs, grows the economy and provides government with the resources to provide the social programs, recreational activities and infrastructure needed in our communities. Our mission is: Help Businesses improve, innovate and grow through networking, shared services advocacy and events. The Fredericton chamber’s vision and mission, along with our close connection to the community guides every decision we make as an organization, particularly our policy and advocacy work. initiatives announced (infrastructure, immigration, venture capital, skills training) that could have a positive impact on our region, depending on how funds are allocated. With almost no new spending introduced, the document in large part further defined money allocated in the 2016 budget (or put new names on the same funds). Direct cost increases to employers were minimal except a $0.05 increase in EI premiums (which we hope is meant to fund some of the skills training initiatives). Our news release is on our website here - www.frederictonchamber. ca/communications/media/media-releases-2017.

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The chamber believes that all steps should be taken to prioritize efficiencies within government, while rationalizing public assets and services to reflect current realities. The only way to sustainably improve the economy is through consistent business growth and we work with all three levels of government to advocate for the best possible conditions for success. The four policy priorities that follow are inhibitors to driving this growth.

Provincial Debt New Brunswick’s net debt is nearing $15 billion, or $20,000 for every person living in the province - effectively doubling in the past decade. The province spends $700 million per year in interest payments alone - $80,000 every hour. These numbers do not include NB Power’s $5 billion debt or the $3-5 billion that will be spent on the Mactaquac Dam in the near future. Our population is shrinking and aging - making it increasingly difficult to credibly address the situation in any meaningful way. The debt restricts the province’s ability to make investments to drive growth, provide services and keep costs to businesses and citizens manageable.

We have recommended that the government do a comprehensive tax policy review to ensure that the province is following jurisdictional best practices and that New Brunswick’s tax structure is aligned with and an extension of the Province’s economic development policy. More than anything, individuals and businesses want to know that their tax dollars are being

put to good use. After a two-year Strategic Program Review and a steady stream of tax and cost increases over that time, we would have expected some progress to be made on the debt.

We welcome your thoughts and ideas regarding out policy priorities, contact us at advocacy@frederictonchamber.ca

As a key part of Canada’s and New Brunswick’s economic mix, any serious plan for creating jobs, greening our economy and reaching out to new markets has to place the competitiveness of the resources sector at its core. These projects - or natural resource development generally - aren’t the only answer, but they are opportunities that we cannot afford to ignore.

Fredericton International Airport Expansion As an airport designed to accommodate 200,000 annual passengers, the Fredericton International Airport has seen steady growth, reaching 378,000 passengers in 2016. To continue this growth, we are advocating to the federal and provincial governments that the airport must be expanded.

Local airports facilitate economic growth in a number of ways for a region focused on the global economy. New Brunswick is already the most export-dependent province in the country and our next major wave of exports will likely be services. Success in sectors such as biosciences, information and communications technology, engineering and many others means that the Fredericton Region is creating a hub of expertise that we can bring to the world.

The Fredericton airport is one of 26 airports that form what’s called the national airport system. These airports have been identified as being strategically important to the country’s air travel system. However, NAS airports are excluded from ACAP funding - which was established to help airports with fewer than 525,000 annual passengers with capital project funding.

Fredericton is one of six such airports that are small enough to otherwise need and receive ACAP funding but for this policy.

Workforce Development New Brunswick’s declining population is one of the greatest threats to sustained economic growth moving forward and the Fredericton chamber addresses this issue primarily through working closely with New Canadians and post-secondary students/institutions. On the immigration side, we run three government- and private-sector-supported programs to assist entrepreneurial newcomers get their businesses off the ground.

The chamber advocates on the provincial nominee program, express entry program, startup visa and others. We also actively work to connect post-secondary students with local businesses and the community generally by working with businesses, our economic development organizations, post-secondary institutions and students themselves. There is substantial alignment of goals between these four groups and the chamber works to connect them and advocates for policies that put this alignment into practice.

Of course, many issues arise during the course of a year that affect chamber members that may not fit neatly into one of these five priorities. We still always respond to matters of importance to our members, but prioritizing our policy areas allows us to be more efficient in our work and give members more value for their membership. As always, please contact Policy and Research Manager Morgan Peters anytime to discuss any policy/advocacy issues your business may be facing advocacy@frederictonchamber.ca or (506) 451-9742.

Natural Resource Development Natural resources are, by far, Canada’s largest export sector and as a key part of Canada’s and New Brunswick’s economic mix, the chamber believes that any serious plan for creating jobs, greening our economy and reaching out to new markets has to place the competitiveness of the resources sector at its core.

Natural resources provide crucial high paying jobs for people in rural areas, but urban areas benefit as well. Through their extensive supply chains, natural resource firms are important customers of manufacturers and service providers in cities that are miles from the forest, farm or mine site.

The Sisson Project mine, Energy East Pipeline and natural gas development are near-term opportunities that we must seize.

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Top left: Hong Yan, Yuan Pei, Xinchao Liu, Mohamed Khirallah, Zhongdong Zhao, Janet Moser (Director), Shahram Ghanbari, Layla Rahmeh (Succession Connect Specialist), Lijun Yuan, Xiuming Xuan, Mojgan Malmir Zadeh Bottom left: Yinling Peng, Xia She, Hamdi Fannoush, Sunny Hwang, Monique Hong (Office Administrator), Xiaolin Wang

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by Janet Moser, Director Fredericton Intercultural Business Centre and Layla Rahmeh, Succession Specialist

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ew Brunswick and Atlantic Canada as a whole have been lagging behind the rest of Canada in terms of attracting and retaining immigrants for generations. It is one of the reasons that our region has dwindled as a portion of the Canadian population during this time. After years of stagnant population growth, New Brunswick’s population has actually been declining over the last three years. This problem has been well-documented and represents the biggest threat to our province in both the immediate- and long-term. Bringing in and retaining more immigrants - including refugees - isn’t a social question, it’s an economic one. It isn’t a magic bullet that will solve all of our problems, but it isn’t optional either - it’s required for our survival.

We need to increase our population by about 1% per year in order to keep pace with the country and grow the economy according to economist Richard Saillant. That’s about 7,500 people. Our population has declined for the past three years.

Right now we are bringing in around 1,000 per year under the our primary immigration mechanism - the Provincial Nominee Program. On average, New Brunswick couples are having 1.6 children. Our economy has been stagnant at best for nearly a decade. We need people. A lot of them.

Recognizing the opportunity with this challenge nearly a decade ago, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce dove head-first into this issue and we haven’t stopped since on the

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idea that the right mix of immigration, entrepreneurship and support can help drive population growth in the region.

We launched our first program, the Business Immigrant Mentorship Program (“BIMP”), in 2009. BIMP enriches Fredericton’s social and economic development and cultural diversity by integrating immigrants into the local business community. Newcomers, immigrant entrepreneurs, and international students who want to start or grow their business in Fredericton are encouraged to join the six-month process.

During their time in the program, mentors help guide mentees to develop a business venture and establish a network.

Mentees are also involved in training on “Doing Business in New Brunswick”.

The program works with people who want to mentor newcomers, local business owners who are looking to sell their business, or those pursuing business succession.

BIMP offers amazing benefits such as: • One-on-one mentoring • Discussions about owning and growing a business • Networking events and opportunities • Information about local business opportunities • Promotion and advertising for mentees • Access to Planet Hatch, the economic development centre in Fredericton • Accelerator programs

Training Programs - Mentees are offered an entrepreneurship training session which covers entrepreneurship, business practices, laws, and regulatory bodies in New Brunswick.

Mentors are given a training session where they learn both about cultural diversity and their role and responsibilities as a mentor.

Mentoring - BIMP mentors are entrepreneurs with years of business experience who are prepared to work new Fredericton entrepreneurs. Mentorship is a vital part of business, as it increases the mentee’s likelihood of success, and increases their overall income. Mentors benefit from growing their leadership and coaching skills while providing a new learning experience for their staff.

Building on the success of BIMP, we launched a full-service incubation program for newcomers called The Hive, which offers a shared space for immigrant investors to launch their business ideas while immersed in the flourishing eco-system of the Fredericton business development network. We are creating excellence in our city and the Hive is a critical piece of the startup movement and our population growth strategy.

Located in Knowledge Park, the Hive has office space that allows newcomer investors the chance to immerse themselves in the centre of Fredericton’s business development ecosystem.

This key location also offers opportunities such as networking, training, and mentoring through a partnership with Planet Hatch and Ignite Fredericton.

Those involved with the Hive Incubator Program receive benefits such as access to BIMP, access to working space, peer-to-peer support activities, on-site administrative support, business networking, and general support.

Business incubation is especially important for newcomer business startups as it helps remove newcomers from the silo of creating a business startup on their own. Incubators also help newcomer with networking, immersion into the local business startup ecosystem, and cultural inclusion. With the Hive Incubator Program, newcomers also gain a complimentary full membership the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

These three complementary programs are designed to assist newcomer entrepreneurs in various stages of preparedness for opening a business in Canada. The Business Immigrant Mentorship Program starts with business basics and business culture in Canada while Succession Connect matches those newcomers ready to purchase a business with a local owner interested in selling. The small size of our office and the dedication of our staff and volunteers allows us to provide timely and personalized service to each client, depending on their individual needs.

Because of their effectiveness, these programs are getting recognition from across North America. In 2014, BIMP and Hive placed 3rd in a North American-wide competition through Chamber Master for innovation in programming. Succession Connect was a finalist at the 2017 KIRA Awards. And Program Director Janet Moser has been invited to speak at national conferences by the Conference Board of Canada - which also recently included Succession Connect in a recent report as a model program to implement nationally.

For the Fredericton chamber and our staff, entrepreneurial immigration support has become much more than way to grow our population and economy. The passion our newcomers have for Fredericton and Canada is inspiring and that fuels our efforts daily. When they are able to succeed, we all win.

Our experience with BIMP and Hive allowed us to identify a gap in services for newcomers - an easy way to buy turn-key businesses. This is particularly important under the Provincial Nominee Program as newcomers are motivated to start a business within two years of arrival, lest they lose their sizeable deposit. That’s why we launched Succession Connect in 2016.

Located adjacent to Planet Hatch in Knowledge Park, Succession Connect is housed within the chamber’s Hive Incubator. Recognizing that immigration is a key component to New Brunswick’s economic success, Succession Connect serves both current owners nearing retirement or otherwise trying to sell their business as well as New Canadian investors seeking to purchase turnkey operations. Facilitating these connections within the region will enable businesses to continue, preserving jobs and the related economic impact on our community.

Succession Connect Launch October 11, 2016.

L to R: Krista Ross, Mayor Mike O’Brien, Matt DeCourcey, MP, Stephen Horsman, Deputy Premier, Janet Moser, Michael Shin

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SAY HELLO TO OUR NEWEST CHAMBER MEMBERS

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Eyesover Technologies 414 York Street Fredericton, NB E3B 3P7 Tel: (506) 478-7141 info@eyesover.com eyesover.com Main Contact: Craig Leonard

Tommy’s Flooring Canada PO Box 1581 Fredericton, NB E3B 5G2 Tel: (506) 450-1313 mark.howe@bellaliant.com tommysflooring.com Main Contact: Mark Howe

Connors Stillwell 212 Queen Street, Suite 406 Fredericton, NB E3B 1A8 Tel: (506) 455-2152 karen.stillwell@connorstillwell.com connorsstillwell.com Main Contact: Karen Stillwell

Holland Home Renovations 475 Glengarry Place Fredericton, NB E3B 5Z8 Tel: (506) 470-0137 hollandhomerenos@gmail.com Main Contact: Steve Holland

Autism Intervention Services 1666 Lincoln Road Fredericton, NB E3B 8J6 Tel: (506) 455-7048 danielle.pelletier@aisfredericton.ca Main Contact: Danielle Pelletier

Fredericton Mitsubishi 327 St. Mary’s Street Fredericton, NB E3A 2S5 Tel: (506) 457-1000 kate@frederictonmitsubishi.com frederictonmitsubishi.ca Contact: Kate Manuel

Rocky Road Auto Ltd. 124 Rocky Road Keswick Ridge, NB E6L 1V2 Tel: (506) 363-3596 rockyroadauto@gmail.com Main Contact: Lucenda Richard

The UPS STore 101 operated by MFCIC Business Services Inc. 527 Dundonlad Street Fredericton, NB E3B 1X5 Tel: (506) 451-0889 store101@theupsstore.ca theupsstore.ca/101 Main Contact: Kinh Dong Huynh

Perfect Forestry and Environmental Solutions - PFES 290 Parkside Drive, Unit 10 Fredericton, NB E3B 5V7 Tel: (506) 206-2005 perfesolutions@gmail.com Main Contact: Dr. Bedarul Alam

Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce 1273 Main Street, Suite 200 Moncton, NB E1C 0P4 Tel: (506) 857-2883 sleblanc@gmcc.nb.ca gmcc.nb.ca Main Contact: Shaun LeBlanc

Volvo Cars New Brunswick 349 St. Mary’s Street Fredericton, NB E3A 2S5 Tel: (506) 457-4500 nancy@volvocarsnb.com volvocarsnb.com Main Contact: Nancy Didiodato

Don’t Dis-my-ability Consultation 241 Canada Street Fredericton, NB E3A 4A1 Tel: (506) 238-0271 shawn@ddmacs.ca ddmacs.ca Main Contact: Shawn Smith

Rotary Club of Fredericton Sunrise PO Box 212, Station A Fredericton, NB E3B 4Y9 Tel: (506) 206-0623 ric@greennexxus.com frederictonsunriserotary.com Main Contact: Ric Cuthbertson Saint John Region Chamber 40 King Street Saint John, NB E2L 1G3 Tel: (506) 634-8111 dfolkins@thechambersj.com sjboardoftrade.com Main Contact: Dylan Folkins

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Hive Engineering Limited 88 Randolph Street Fredericton, NB E3G 0H5 Tel: (506) 260-8912 tom@hiveeng.ca hiveeng.ca Main Contact: Tom MacNeil Tweedside Road Home Decor 1299 Hanwell Road, Unit 3 Fredericton, NB E3C 1A6 Tel: (506) 471-8660 info@tweedsideroad.com tweedsideroad.com Main Contact: Krista Nestoruk Yanky Sports International Inc. 165 Kings College Road Fredericton, NB E3B 2E6 Tel: (506) 478-8072 Email: ryan@yankysports.com Website: yankysports.com Main Contact: Ryan Jacobson Continues on page 17

Your Bottom Line, the Overall Economy and Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation

by Heather McLean, Marketing Lead, CyberNB

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ith just under four billion internet users in the world, the digital economy continues to grow exponentially. With that level of growth, there are unlimited business opportunities as well as threats that have the power to significantly impact local, regional, national and the international economy.

Facilitating the Future Governments must play a significant role in creating policy, legislation and models of collaboration in order to protect individuals, businesses, as well the overall economy. The Province of New Brunswick has taken a leadership role by creating Canada’s first comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In May 2016, Opportunities NB launched CyberNB, under the leadership of Allen Dillon, for just this purpose.

One of the key priority areas for CyberNB in its purpose-built strategy was to identify a certification standard and set of tools designed specifically for helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) mitigate the risk of cyberattacks.

While there are options such as ISO 27001, they are much more complex, take significantly longer to complete and can cost more than $50,000 to obtain.

A Solution for Canadian Small and Medium Enterprises Cyber Essentials Canada is the solution for SMEs. It is the first easy-to-use and cost-effective solution for Canadian SMEs. It is a set of best practices and certification standards specifically for mitigating up to 80% of common internet threats. The toolset, The Cyber Highway, is a guided resource to help you inventory digital assets, build policies and identify gaps in your organization’s overall awareness, training, policies, processes, etc.

Obtaining Cyber Essentials certification significantly increases awareness in your

organization of the various risks that you are exposed to. In addition, upon successful completion of certification, your organization will receive either a Cyber Essentials (basic) or Cyber Essentials Plus certification badge.

Displaying your certification badge demonstrates to your clients that you take cybersecurity seriously and that you are taking extra steps necessary to protect their data as well as your overall business continuity.

Changing Canadian Legislation that Will Impact Your Business Taking the steps necessary to protect your client’s data is more critical than ever. It is anticipated that regulations related to mandatory data breach notification, record keeping of breaches and fines of up to $100,000 will come into effect this year.

To help you meet these regulatory requirements and protect client data, Cyber Essentials Canada certification concentrates on five key controls that cover up to 80% of common internet threats: 1. Boundary Firewalls and Internet Gateways - to help prevent unauthorized access to/from private networks.

2. Secure Configuration – to help ensure that systems are configured in the most secure way for the organization.

3. Access control – ensures only those who should have access to the systems, do.

4. Malware protection – helps ensure that virus and malware protection is installed and is up-to-date.

5. Patch Management (perhaps one of the biggest gaps for companies as evidenced by WannaCry and Petya) - helps ensure the latest supported version of applications is used and all necessary patches supplied by the vendor are applied.

To learn more about CyberNB or Cyber Essentials Canada, please contact us at info@cybernb.ca Did you know 91% of attacks by cybercriminals start through email?

(Source: Cybersecurity Ventures) Did you know that 77% of SpearPhishing attacks are directed to SMEs? Did you know this past July a Canadian company paid $425,000 in ransom to restore is computers systems after being held ransom? (Source: IT World) Did you know 60% of small businesses go out of business within six months of a cyberattack? (Source: US National Cybersecurity Alliance)

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AV Group NB – Fashion and Forestry have more in common than you might think

by Krisha Khaitan, VP & CFO, AV Group NB Inc.

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ditya Birla Group arrived in New Brunswick in 1998 and today AV Group NB is the biggest producer of viscose rayon pulp in Canada. Aditya Birla group has significant presence and investment in New Brunswick under AV Group NB Inc. AV Group NB operates two rayon pulp mills in New Brunswick and manages over 1.6 million acres of sustainable forest.

more wearing comfort, in addition to vibrant and cheerful colors. Aditya Birla Group is the largest producer of viscose fiber in the world.

We are New Brunswick

From forests, to pulp and non-woven fiber, AV Group NB is part of a global chain that benefits from Aditya Birla’s inhouse research and development centers spread across the value chain. AV Group NB’s Atholville and Nackawic mills produce high content dissolving pulp or specialty cellulose for the manufacturing of natural-based, viscose staple fibre used to make rayon in the apparel and home textile industry. Our natural-based fibre is designed specifically for apparel and home textile applications.

With 1100 employed across two mills at Nackawic and Atholville and forestry operation and another 2.5x indirectly, AV Group NB is one of New Brunswick’s largest employers and economic drivers. Mike O’Blenis, CEO of AV Group highlights that entering our 20th year of operation, we are positioned for continued growth and increased contribution to the province. We are continuously investing in New Brunswick, our facilities, our people and local communities. From supporting cross country ski trails, partnering Ducks Unlimited, restoring and running an historical local sugary, to donating a building for local child care, we find different ways to strengthen our communities.

We are New Fibre

We are New Opportunity

From NB forest to Saint John port, our pulp takes a few turns before becoming high grade textiles used in the manufacturing of fashion apparel and home textiles brands all over the world.

AV Group’s patent, Aditya Birla Group gives it unprecedented access to global market.

Viscose fiber processed by using rayon pulp from two NB mills of AV Group is a natural fiber, with an array of choices to meet customers’ needs. Viscose is completely biodegradable.

In comparison to cotton, it is softer, more absorbent and more comfortable to wear and environment friendly. Viscose finds application primarily in women clothing, shirts, trousers, diapers, sanitary napkins, tissues, wipes, knitwear, towels and bed linen. It absorbs twice as much moisture as cotton, ensuring

We are the new generation of forestry and #Fibreforward. AV Group CFO, Krishna Khaitan states that we are creating new innovation and new opportunity with continuous investment in business and people. We created opportunity by reviving two struggling paper pulp mills by investing in technology and business and converting theses mills to rayon pulp mills and build sustainable long term business. Our employees stay on the leading edge with access to Harvard and Cornerstone e-learning program, Six Sigma training and on-the-job mentoring. Our team is talented, diverse and growing. We are judged as one of “Atlantic Canada Top Employer” for 2016 and 2017. By investing in future and innovation, we are creating new opportunity.

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Attracting and retaining international students through canadian work experience

by Morgan Peters, Policy & Research Manager, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

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urisdictions across Canada are searching for ways to attract and retain more international students. A significant impediment to these efforts are policies that make it more difficult for these students to obtain work experience while attending Canadian post-secondary institutions or immediately after graduation. These restrictions have both (a) legal ramifications: example: permanent residency / citizenship requirements; and (b) practical implications: example: connecting with the student’s host community, making postgraduation career contacts, and gaining work experience which employers are increasingly demanding from graduates.

Canada needs to grow its population, lower its average age, and increase the number of skilled workers to fill key positions that enable business growth. Indeed, the latter has been a Canadian chamber priority for several years and is an issue in every province and territory. Per the chamber’s 2015 Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness: “Currently Canada is not producing enough graduates with the skills needed for its economy. Canada has shortages and high demand forecast in a wide range of occupations, from heavy equipment operators to information technology professionals, and its immigration policies are hindering employers’ abilities to meet those needs in the short term.”

Immigration has been long been identified as a key component to present and future growth. This was borne out in the latest census data: Canada added approximately 1.7 million people between 2011 and 2016, with two-thirds of this increase attributable to immigration..

The timing of a renewed Canadian effort to become a destination of choice for international students may never be better. With nationalist sentiments emerging and anti-

Insight Fall 2017

globalist governments assuming control in some of Canada’s top competitors for international students, we are in a position to capitalize on the increasingly attractive quality of Canadian post-secondary education. Post-secondary institutions have recognized this opportunity and are redoubling their efforts to attract more international students to their schools. The Advisory Panel on Canada’s International Education Strategy states “International students in Canada provide immediate and significant economic benefits to Canadians in every region of the country.” The panel advocates for a doubling of the number of international students studying in Canada over the span of a decade, from just under 240,000 in 2011 to over 450,000 in 2022.

Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act, which passed the Senate (with amendments) on 3 May 2017, will partially address some of the pertinent issues for international students, for example: • International students will be able to count each day spent during their studies as a half day towards their permanent residency or citizenship requirements (up to a maximum of one year) • Permanent residents will only have to be in Canada for 3 of the preceding 5 years to qualify for citizenship (down from 4 of 6).

Bill C-6 is a start, however, international students will still face significant barriers to working while attending a post-secondary institution and getting on a clear path to permanent residency.

Some of the employment-based barriers faced by international students in Canada include: • Ineligible for the Canada Summer Jobs program

• Co-op terms and internships require a separate work permit for international students • After graduation, international students have only 90 days to find employment before requiring a cumbersome bridge extension study limit outside of Atlantic Canada • Bill C-6 will count the time spent as an international student count towards citizenship eligibility at a rate of one half day for each full day of studies (previously this was zero) International students are particularly desirable immigrants because of their age, skills and their economic impact (as students). Global Affairs Canada estimates that international students spent $11.4 billion on tuition, accommodation and discretionary spending in 2014, creating almost 125,000 jobs across the country. At this time they represented about 9% of the college student population and 8.8% of the undergraduate student population in Canada - leaving room for significant growth.

That international students are allowed to work at all in the country is a relatively new development. Following a pilot program offering a work permit to international students at select institutions in Alberta, the Government of Canada formalized this work permit option in 2006. As a result, international students were allowed to work up to 20 hours per week while in-study and fulltime during study breaks, such as winter or summer holidays. However, these rules only apply to full-time students; part-time international students are still ineligible to work in Canada.

The implications for business and the economy are clear. The country needs the next generation of consumers to sustain growth and the next generation of taxpayers to support our aging population. Businesses need skilled workers to innovate and grow. The 2015 Top 10 Barriers document reports that the persistent skills gap costs $24 billion per year in Ontario alone.

Increasing the number of international

students at Canadian institutions represents an opportunity to address all of these concerns, but the employment restrictions detailed above are a barrier to fully realizing Canada’s potential as a destination of choice.

In September, delegates attending the Canadian chamber annual general meeting in Fredericton will vote on policy resolutions from chambers across Canada. Our submission is based on trying to attract and retain more international students. We are recommending that the federal government: 1. Allow international students to qualify for the Canada Summer Jobs program.

2. Modify student permits to allow international students to participate in co-op terms and internships without obtaining a separate work permit.

3. Extend post-graduate job-search period from 90 days to 6 months, thereby eliminating the need for a ‘bridge’ extension study permit.

4. Count all time spent in Canada as an international student towards citizenship eligibility (i.e. increase from half time to full time).

5. Change the length of time for which a post-graduation work permit can be valid to five years (from the current three years), regardless of the program of study, so long as it was at a recognized Canadian academic institution.

6. Expedite the process for international students to receive visas as well as the processing times for their permanent residency applications so long as they graduated from a recognized Canadian institution and are currently employed within Canada.

If two-thirds of delegates are in agreement, these recommendations become part of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s advocacy efforts. We think the recommended changes will have a positive impact across Canada, but particularly in Atlantic Canada where retention rates for international students hover around 40%.

WMA Wellness 30 Hughes Street, Suite 2 Fredericton, NB E3A 2W3 Tel: (506) 455-6514 chelsea@wmawellness.com wmawellness.com Main Contact: Chelsea Kirby Second Showing Boutique 1299 Hanwell Road Fredericton, NB E3B 1A6 Tel: (506) 458-1305 secondshowing@nb.aibn.com Main Contact: Cees Brouwer Beam Diversity Consulting 35 Lian Street Fredericton, NB E3C 0A8 Tel: (506) 292-4653 aj@beamdiversity.com beamdiveristy.com Main Contact: A J Ripley Citslinc International Inc. 108 N Ynez Avenue, Suite 205 Monterey Park, CA 91754 Telephone: (625) 571-0616 citslinc@yahoo.com Main Contact: Leo Liu Espanada Cultural Imports PO Box 30088 Fredericton, NB E3B 0H6 Tel: 999-0652 adela.espanada@gmail.com Main Contact: Adela Bayo Sael My Closet Consignment Inc. 280 Main Street, Unit #5 Fredericton, NB E3A 1C9 Tel: (506) 471-3321 mycloset280@gmail.com Main Contact: Betty Blanchard Daibes Holdings Ltd. 385 Victoria Street, Unit 400 Fredericton, NB E3B 1W5 Tel: (506) 440-5689 jchepperle@gmail.com Main Contact: Carole Hepperle

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Physician Recruitment Supported by Committed Community Members

by Morgan Peters, Policy & Research Manager, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

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hen you ask most people what they consider government’s most important service they will tell you health care. Businesses have told us time and again that when they are recruiting employees, one of the first questions they ask is whether they will be able to get a doctor for their family. Its also a consideration for business owners and managers considering setting up shop in New Brunswick.

This intersection of business and personal matters is one of the reasons the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce’s vision is Community Prosperity Through Business and why we’ve been involved in physician recruitment for nearly a decade.

This experience has lead us to home in on two areas that the chamber is particularly well-suited to engage: networking/ welcoming and business skills training. We believe that helping young medical residents and physicians make connections in the community will help them choose Fredericton to base their practice. Assisting them as they become small business owners makes it more likely they will stay for the long term. Young physicians receive scant business training during their studies and our members have been generous in providing workshops, seminars and professional development opportunities. Access to primary health care is a community problem and takes a community solution - there are many groups and individuals involved. The chamber tries to leverage our particular expertise and connections as a tangible contribution.

These efforts are fully supported by our membership and we have received amazing assistance over the years from a wide range members - all industries, sizes, startups, national chains and everything in between. Over the past several years, three sponsors in particular have stepped up to support our efforts.

Elliott McCrea Hill (“EMH”) - a local law firm, their involvement with our Physician Recruitment & Retention Committee have been spearheaded by chamber past president Stephen Hill. Stephen has sponsored every recruitment and retention event that we have hosted over the past five years.

From cash sponsorships, door prizes and gift certificates to time and energy, Stephen and EMH are true community champions.

EMH is also a founding sponsor of our practice management series, which focuses on the business skills that medical residents need most but do not receive as part of their training.

owners when they begin their practice. We hope this series smooths that transition for the new doctors. TSD has also consistently been involved with our receptions and networking events over the past several years and both they and EMH have agreed to sponsor the practice management series for the next three years!

TD Wealth, Private Investment Advice (“TDW”) - an international firm with a local touch, their physician recruitment & retention efforts are lead in Fredericton by Tim Nowlan. TDW sponsors our recruitment and retention events each year and provide valuable insight to the committee.

Part of the attraction for a physician to choose Fredericton is the balance of a career and lifestyle that is second-to-none.

Tim and the team at Brian S. Jones Wealth Management understand this and provide financial services that give clients the advice and tools to be able to focus on work and home life without spending a lot of time worrying about the investment and wealth management side of things. We would not be able to run these events without great sponsors like TD and Brian S. Jones Wealth Management!

Teed Saunders Doyle (“TSD”) - a local accounting and business advisory firm is the other founding sponsor of our practice management series. Kenny Kyle, a partner at TSD has been instrumental in connecting his firm with the city’s newest doctors. The majority of family doctors in New Brunswick are ‘fee-for-service’, meaning they instantly become small business Insight Insight Fall Fall 2017 2017

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Economic Impact for International Students 20

by Robert Burroughs, Executive Director, NB Student Alliance

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redericton is a student-driven economy. Postsecondary education is the lifeblood of this city; it lives and dies with the economic well-being of young people. More than simply a zoning issue or a noise complaint, students are Fredericton’s most important economic sector. Yet, the ways in which students constitute an integral component of Fredericton’s economy continue to be underappreciated and unexpected.

Over the past three years, the New Brunswick Student Alliance (NBSA) has fostered a close partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, a relationship built on intersecting interests. Our Alliance represents three student associations in Fredericton and through them almost 10,000 postsecondary students in the city. 1 in every 7 residents in Fredericton is a postsecondary student. They are customers, patrons, business owners (past and present), and artists, all working to make our community more vibrant.

The Chamber’s holistic approach to economic development recognises the full impact of postsecondary education on the city’s economy. Its leadership on this front has not only ensured that the business community’s voice is at the heart of the decision-making process in the city, it has also enabled student voices to be involved in this conversation.

The understanding that students are the past, present, and future of Fredericton is fundamental to the advocacy and legislation of student-friendly policies, which is at the core of the NBSA’s work. As a key interlocutor for students with Insight Fall 2017

the city, the Chamber serves an important role in helping the city administration and elected officials understand the value of students and the necessity to engage and welcome them.

Fredericton’s most valuable asset is our human capital, which we are able to attract and retain through postsecondary education. However, Fredericton must adapt progressive measures to better integrate students in meaningful ways.

One way that the Chamber has proposed, as detailed extensively in its policy recommendation for the Canadian Chamber’s Annual General Meeting here in Fredericton in September 2017, is to work on facilitating the integration of international students. International students, who constitute roughly 10% of the total postsecondary student body in New

Brunswick, contribute almost $200 million in GDP outputs and more than 1,000 jobs in this province. These students are not only integral to New Brunswick’s cultural and educational diversity, but they present a very real solution to the looming demographic crises facing our province and this region.

However, international students who choose to study in New Brunswick must be treated as if they are our own -- the more they are made to feel “foreign” or “other”, the more they will likely seek opportunities post-graduation in larger municipalities that are more accommodating in terms of cultural diversity and inclusivity, such as Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. For this reason, the NBSA fully endorses the Fredericton Chamber’s recommendations to the Canadian Chamber. Additionally, we applaud the Chamber’s leadership for their support of our efforts to have basic provincial medicare coverage extended to the international students in New Brunswick. After three years of hard work, the Alliance heartily welcomed the provincial government’s decision to approve this initiative. This is the first step to demonstrating to international students that they are not only welcomed in New Brunswick, but can find a home for themselves here.

young and early entrepreneurs in North America.

Research, development, and innovation. The diversity of the type of postsecondary institution and the students that they help to develop is also key to Fredericton’s success. These students are armed with the skills and talents to create cultural industries and commercial enterprise -- the kinds that the University of New Brunswick produces, for example -- that are central to new economic opportunity for the city. Fredericton’s decision-makers and residents need to start seeing students in that light; not as couch burners necessarily, but as economy drivers.

Public engagement. This can be arguably one of the public postsecondary sector’s greatest contributions to our community. Universities and colleges alike offer the space and thought-power necessary to expand our collective imagination. This fundamental visioning capacity offers the City an opportunity to examine its role not just in providing public services for its residents, but also its role in helping to build a New Brunswick more reflective of ‘how it can or should be’. Said differently, the

postsecondary sector pushes progressive and productive ways to realise a more contemporary Fredericton and New Brunswick; one that is prosperous and diverse.

A Fredericton of the future requires a deep trust in the people -- who sometimes will be students -- leading us in ways we have not done in the past. Previous expectations of young people may have been modest, but it is increasingly evident that whatever “Millennial dream” our generation was supposed to embrace, is no longer our reality. The implications of this economic failure may be profound for Fredericton: if the solution to our provincial malaise must necessarily be an economic one, then pure and simple job creation is not the right path. Instead, we need to be creating opportunities to accumulate wealth while ensuring its fair and just distribution. Students and recent graduates are ready to help carry Fredericton through the first half of the 21st century, but the city itself needs to welcome, value, and engage with them.

Robert Burroughs is the executive director of the New Brunswick Student Alliance.

This same logic can and should be applied to the student body writ-large both here in Fredericton. Postsecondary education offers three unique advantages for the City: Teaching and learning. New Brunswick, thanks in large part to its public postsecondary sector, is driven by a knowledge-based economy. That Fredericton can boast the wealth of resources and talent, housed in a comprehensive, research university; a leading liberal arts institution; a community college; and a craft and design college, has helped to facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to growth for the City. It has also fueled a start-up culture that has made Fredericton one of the most attractive municipalities for

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10+ Things to do this Fall in Fredericton

by Debbie Perry, Fredericton Tourism

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ith the warm and lazy days of summer in our rear view mirror it’s time to get out our favourite sweater and start planning a “Fall Bucket List”! And why not?

There’s some pretty cool things to do in Fredericton, and with the fresh, crisp fall air, it’s the perfect time of year to get the most out of being outside.

Reaping the “Harvest” In Fredericton, the “unofficial” beginning of Fall is the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival! From September 12-17 enjoy the best international festival experience on Canada’s East Coast, with the sounds of jazz, blues and world music taking centre stage.

For full line up and ticketing info, visit harvestjazzandblues.com.

Lord Beaverbrook would be proud!

It’s the city’s most anticipated expansion, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery! You’ve seen the improvements in progress, the impressive new addition with sweeping windows and you’re probably wondering, “What is going on in there? Well, in a word: Lots! The staff at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery are very excited to open its doors to the public, to proudly show off what has been going on behind the scenes for the last 18 months!

Essentially it is an addition of 14,000 square feet of interior space. New features include a café, artist in residence area, new exhibition and programming spaces over three levels. We are very much looking forward to the big reveal, and if you haven’t already visited the gallery now is the time to do it! Projected expansion opening is slated for the public on October 15.

Beer & Bikes? Yes, it’s a thing!

Fredericton is certainly drawing its line in the sand when it comes to the craft beverage industry – it’s a booming business Insight Fall 2017

and what better way to showcase the many taprooms in Fredericton than to pair it with our amazing bike trails! Some tasting rooms are off the trail network, so in that case we suggest hitching a ride on a city bus (they are equipped with special racks for your bikes). With cooler weather, it is the perfect pairing that gives you a “taste” of our craft beer/cider industry as well as Fredericton’s trail system.

See some of the Maritimes best fall foliage One of the nicest and most colourful driving routes to see fall colours in New Brunswick is on Highway 105 North to Keswick Ridge (Burtts Corner turnoff on Route 104). The dazzling array of reds, oranges and yellows quite literally takes your breath away. But don’t limit yourself to this driving route; there are so many areas to choose from. Follow New Brunswick’s fall foliage map to find out the best spots and the best time.

Swing from the trees!

If you haven’t been to Treego Mactaquac yet, what are you waiting for? This aerial adventure within the beauty of Mactaquac Provincial Park awaits you, complete with swinging ropes, zip lines, and the occasional “OH MY GOODNESS!” It is a fun, adrenaline-inducing way to spend the morning or afternoon. The best time to do the course at TreeGo is the fall. The temperature is perfect and what better way to view the world…from up high! TreeGo’s season ends on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend. Register in advance by calling 1-877-707-4646 to hold your spot, or visit their website.

Step back in time!

Immerse yourself in another era – once you find yourself at Kings Landing you will literally feel like you stepped back in time. Tour this 19th century village and pitch in – learn to make butter, cook on an open hearth, be a part of the classroom (make sure you aren’t picked to wear the dunce cap!) You can easily spend a day being a spectator or participant, your choice! Kings Landing is open 10am-5pm and wraps up their season with special Thanksgiving festivities on October 9.

Running the Trails Fredericton is a runners dream. But what makes a run “good” and what makes a run “great” depends largely on time of year.

Fall is the ultimate time of year to run. There is low humidity, the temperatures are just right, you’ll be pleasantly distracted by the fall colours and in most places you’ll be running right alongside the lovely Saint John River. There are an infinite number of trails in Fredericton (88 km to be exact); a good portion of the trail is paved, but if you are into trail running, head to Killarney Lake or Odell Park. Be sure to pick up a copy of the Fredericton Trail Map! Apple Picking Apple picking is most definitely synonymous with Fall! The Fredericton region has a good selection of apple u-picks.

Make an outing of it, bring your camera and some sturdy bags and get ready to pick the best ones in the orchard. For a complete list of apple u-picks in the Fredericton area visit TourismFredericton.ca.

Troll the Farmers’ Markets Markets are great places to visit but don’t forget to bring your appetite! Why? Because you don’t want to miss any of the goodies on offer – from samosas to gyros to baked goodies; and the best part? Fresh, seasonal produce grown locally!

From one of Canada’s top farmers markets, the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market, to the Fredericton Northside Market, to Moxon’s Country Pumpkin, the Cultural Market and more – you can find a full market listing on our website or read our market blog post.

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Geocaching In the mood for a treasure hunt? Geocaching is the modern day version of this! All you need is a map, a GPS and a sense of adventure! Want to find the road less traveled? Check out the Fredericton Geocaching Tour on the Fredericton Tourism website which identifies 24 hidden gems divided into 3 categories: cultural, historical, and vistas. It’s a great way to explore Fredericton!

Soccer, Silver Wave & Spirits!

October and November in Fredericton brings with it some pretty cool events. Fredericton will be hosting the U17 National Soccer Championships from October 4-9 and will welcome approximately 500 athletes as they compete for the national title. The month after, the Silver Wave Film Festival brings over 100 films by local, national and international filmmakers across multiple venues in the city. Later in November, Canada’s oldest spirits festival, the New Brunswick Spirits Festival, will take place from November 22-26. Over 275 of the world’s finest spirits along with guest speakers, dinners, tastings and more during this popular annual event.

If you have a spirit for adventure and a love of the outdoors, spending time in Fredericton during this colourful time of year should definitely be on your to do list!

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not by accident; our city works diligently to be collaborative in supporting businesses, regardless of stage of growth or sector.

Fredericton takes pride in supporting startups, as seen by the Startup Fredericton Network, a group of over 20 strategicallyaligned entrepreneurial organizations. These organizations are aligning their services based on the phases of business: ideation, validation, growth and maturity. This model has been coined the ‘Subway’, and essentially it does not matter where the entrepreneur stops along the Subway, as they can be easily transferred to other tracks/required service agencies based on their needs. This group has also established a common calendar platform where the community can access all entrepreneurial related programming and event information. Thanks to the Fredericton Startup Network, our city achieved its vision of Startup Capital of Canada in 2016, awarded by Startup Canada.

Our ability to support businesses reaches far beyond those in the startup phase; Fredericton is the most cost-competitive city for business in Canada and one of the best value jurisdictions in North America (KPMG Competitive Alternatives 2016).

Our labour costs are some of the lowest in North America, yet Fredericton boasts the fourth most university educated population in the country. Low lease costs, corporate tax rates, and utilities combine to make Fredericton one of North America’s most cost advantageous regions.

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Fredericton: A Perfect Marriage of Beauty and Brains

by Anna Schneider, Business Intelligence Coordinator, Ignite Fredericton

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pon arriving in Fredericton, your eye will first be caught by the historic Georgian and Victorian architecture, crowned by the spire of one of the nation’s finest Gothic Revival cathedrals. The darkly majestic St. John River will take your breath away as it meanders calmly and powerfully through the city centre.

But look deeper past the acres of green space, under the canopy of stately elms, and you’ll discover a pulsing city with one of the most educated, loyal and driven labour forces in Canada. You’ll be swept up in a culture of entrepreneurialism so pervasive that it has produced over $1 billion in start up exits in the past decade. In 2017, our grand city was recognized by fDi Magazine as the #1 Micro City in North America for fDi Strategy, #1 for Human Capital and Lifestyle, and #7 overall in the Micro Cities category. These awards and recognitions are Insight Fall 2017

As New Brunswick’s Capital City, businesses have access to a sphere of influence with key government decision-makers readily accessible. The municipal and provincial governments work closely together to ensure Fredericton’s business ecosystem remains attractive and competitive. The majority of Fredericton’s 60+ research institutes and organizations are also clustered within a two-kilometer radius, making collaboration and cooperation a way of life. The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), located a short walk from the heart of the Innovation District, has invested over $62 million in the last five years in New Brunswick startups and research and development with commercialization potential.

Fredericton has one of the best micro-city talent pools in North America. We enrol over 10,000 students per year and produce over 2,800 graduates annually from four universities and seven training colleges. Fredericton’s talent pool continually refreshes its diversity, skill, and creativity with influxes of college and university graduates, immigrants, and transient workforces. We consistently attract more than 30% of the province’s immigrants every year, adding to the already sophisticated and global cultural fabric.

In Fredericton, you’ll find a place that cherishes its past but embraces the future. You’ll find charm and ease of life of a small city and the sophistication and global focus of a major centre.

But most importantly, you’ll experience a kinship and spirit of collaboration that tells of a people that views your success as a community.

Start-Up City

by Erin Flood, Chair of the StartUp Fredericton Task Force

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t’s hard to describe the energy of the startup community until you’ve stepped into it yourself. Whether you’re new to New Brunswick, or consider yourself to be a certified local, the energy is evident and progress is full-steam ahead. The buzz of this energy can be felt everywhere, from coffee shops, to park benches along the St. John River, our thriving innovation districts, world-renowned academic institutions and beyond.

Once you’ve arrived, it’s inescapable, and positively contagious.

In this past decade alone, the entrepreneur community has produced over $1 billion in startup exits.

Perhaps the success to date can be directly attributed to the humble and supportive spirit of our maritime people, paired with the unmatched ability to collaborate to build smarter, healthier communities. The community embraces diversity when it comes to entrepreneurship, and proudly support programs that cater to entrepreneurs and companies of all shapes and sizes. Looking to grow your social venture? Look no further than the Pond Deshpande Centre’s “B4C: Be For Change” accelerator. Interested in learning more about energy, smart grid, cleantech and cyber security? Energia Ventures is happy to help. Bio-NB will open your eyes to the world of opportunity in the bioscience sector. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur with an idea, in need of some sounding boards, take a step into the Planet Hatch Accelerator for access to resources for growing every stage of your business. The inclusive nature of the New Brunswick ecosystem has resulted in nationally recognized immigration programs, such as, Fredericton Chamber driven “Succession Connect”, a pilot program created to match immigrants with local turnkey businesses. Fredericton has attracted 30% of all immigrants to New Brunswick- the most of any city in the province. Most recently, through innovation driven by Fredericton’s economic development agency, Ignite Fredericton, Fredericton was coined # 1 for “foreign direct investment strategy” by fDi Magazine’s 2017/2018 American Cities of the Future.

The aforementioned organizations and resources only scratch the surface of the opportunities and support initiatives available to entrepreneurs, and also happen to be vital members of the Startup Fredericton Task Force. The task force, made up of a number of organizations built to support the entrepreneurial region, working together to drive the innovation agenda forward, together. The collaborative nature of the startup task force speaks volumes for driving progress and economic growth forward, and in 2016, the task force was named the National Startup Community by Startup Canada, exceeding their vision 2020 goal by a landslide! Since then, momentum has continued and Opportunities New Brunswick recently launched a number of new startup task forces across the province. The success to come is inevitable, and the ambitious, persistent attitudes found in our people, will be the engine driving success for years to come.

25 While the above offers a bird’s eye view into the New Brunswick entrepreneurial ecosystem and it’s vast amount of opportunities and support, you may ask yourself how or where an entrepreneur would start. This was a question asked by our very own entrepreneurs, and a problem the ecosystem was eager to solve. Development of the “Subway Model” has since begun, a platform to guide and assist entrepreneurs in navigating their immediate needs, from early stage all the way through to the mature stages of their company lifecycle.

The model will serve as a tool for entrepreneurs to maximize their success, while collecting valuable metrics around the entrepreneur needs, to help drive and inform smarter economic investments in our region. The entrepreneurs innovating in our region today range in diversity in the world-changing problems they are solving, and continually set the bar high and challenge the status quo for the rest of the world.

If you’re still need convincing, look no further than to Fredericton’s innovation district, a 2km radius with 60+ research institutions and labs, making up 75% of the province’s publicly funded research. As an entrepreneur in New Brunswick, I’ve been fortunate to be exposed to the extreme opportunity wealth in the province found in our people, resources and overwhelming community-wide support. We look forward to having you catch the #NBProud buzz.

-Erin Flood, proud Fredericton Chamber of Commerce Board Member, chair of the Startup Fredericton Task Force and Founder of The Go Do Project

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As hewers of wood and drawers of water, we are a province built on innovating in our traditional industries

by Meaghan Seagrave, Executive Director, BioNB

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he room erupts with applause as Pfera Inc. is announced as the grand prize winner of NBIF’s Breakthru Competition on March 23rd. Horse breeder and civil engineering grad, Lisa Pfister accepted a well-earned victory.

It was at that moment we realized that three New Brunswick biotechnology companies swept the podium at Canada’s largest startup competition.

You could say things have changed. As New Brunswick’s bioscience agency, BioNB has kept a close eye on the growth and activity in the province’s bioscience sector and there is no doubt in our minds that “bio” is growing. Companies with bioscience solutions are scooping up more regional and national business awards and getting accepted into more international accelerators (Terra Accelerator in San Francisco, RebelBio in Ireland, Ecofuel in Montreal, to name a few) than ever before.

Since 2013, the number of biotechnology companies in the province has doubled and an average of six highly-skilled job openings pop up every month in this sector alone. Over half of these companies are what we call “natural resource tech”– using technology to transform our natural resources, make processes more efficient and innovate within our traditional industries.

At BioNB, we think biotechnology will be an essential part of our provincial and national economic future. We work closely with companies like WEnTech and HIL Group to find the business and R&D resources they need to commercialize technologies that add value to our natural resources. As hewers of wood and drawers of water, our province’s history is based on innovation in our traditional industries. It seems only natural to build our economy on our assets, strength in research and development, and use modern IT solutions to accelerate these industries. A few examples of this include: Fredericton based Remsoft, a 100+ employee company that has developed a data analytics platform for managing and harvesting forests.

They are standing tall and strong as a market leader with other companies like Sylvar Technologies, an international competitor in the biopesticides space and Fredericton based clean water experts LuminUltra Technologies who recently opened a new office in the South Pacific to support their clients located in over 56 countries. A few local startups are also turning heads in the animal health sector, SomaDetect and Pfera, for their sensors and algorithms that are saving industries time and money.

Right now, BioNB is working with partners in industry and government to attract more investment and support for cleantech, natural resource tech, and life sciences. Our finger is on the pulse for global trends in the bioeconomy so that we can remain at the top of our game. The bioeconomy, sometimes called “circular economy” or “green economy”, is the prevailing vision for our sustainable future here in New Brunswick and aligns well with the region’s Atlantic Growth Strategy and the country’s focus on a low-carbon economy.

New Brunswick’s biotechnology sector is growing in terms of number of companies, jobs, awards, media interest, and overall visibility. It’s an exciting time and there are many ways to get involved. BioNB is always seeking new biotech innovators and business professionals who have the ambition to start a new company. If entrepreneurship isn’t your “thing”, we invite you to be a progressive voice on discussions around our natural resources, technologies, and policies that support the bioeconomy.

A great place to start is to sign up for BioNB’s newsletter at BioNB.org, or find us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bionewbrunswick/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biosciencenb/ Twitter: @BioscienceNB - https://twitter.com/BioscienceNB LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/bioatlantech

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Why Global Leaders Choose New Brunswick

by Opportunities NB

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any of the world’s most successful companies are taking advantage of New Brunswick’s nearshore value proposition. Our location is naturally strategic, enabling companies to work with all of North America and Europe in the same business day. Combine that advantage with a world-class telecommunications infrastructure and affordable real estate and everything is here to make an expansion easy and profitable.

Additionally, KPMG’s Competitive Alternatives 2016 named two of New Brunswick’s cities as the most cost-effective locations in Canada and the U.S. among featured cities. New Brunswick locations also out-performed many municipalities throughout the G7. As verified by KPMG, our province offers both lower labour and facility costs.

The Opportunities NB Advantage Opportunities NB (ONB) is New Brunswick’s lead economic development corporation and your single point of contact for expanding or locating operations in the province.

ONB goes above and beyond to ensure their clients’ success in New Brunswick via: • Talent Recruitment Executives offering immigration assistance, training consultation, and recruiting expertise.

ONB understands the critical importance of accessing great talent and is the only economic development organization in Canada to offer this value-added service.

• Access to CyberNB, an ONB initiative focused on world-class cybersecurity innovation, research, and industry collaboration.

• A personal Business Development Executive providing turnkey services including the sourcing of realtors, developers, contractors, shippers, and utilities.

• Customized training programs within our community college network.

• Competitive tailor-made financial incentive packages designed to address all aspects of a business’ needs.

• Partnerships with academia, provincial and municipal leaders, and other essential organizations and decision makers.

In July, Toronto-based fintech company Dream Payments announced it would move its Development Centre to New Brunswick. With support from ONB, eight families from both Russia and Vietnam have already immigrated to Moncton, with more Dream Payments employees on the way.

“We really wanted to bring our offshore operations nearshore to increase functional efficiency. When investigating Atlantic Canada we looked at several potential locations. Ultimately, New Brunswick had the right combination of infrastructure and quality of life we felt would be ideal for existing employees.

New Brunswick made sense from both a cost perspective and an immigration perspective.” said Long Van, Dream Payments’ Chief Technology Officer.

Innovation Lives Here While new players arrive, homegrown companies like Fredericton’s Blue Spurs are busy winning awards for innovative new products.

In June, Blue Spurs captured the Global City on a Cloud Innovation Award from Amazon Web Services. Their winning product is the ‘Blue Kit’, an Internet of Things (IoT) educational starter kit allowing middle and high school students to understand the fundamentals of the IoT. The Blue Kit is a collaborative effort with the province’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, and CyberNB. CEO Mike LeBlanc says New Brunswick represents the perfect environment to build, test and deliver products and services.

“Not only is it easier to leverage relationships and expertise, but because the province is smaller in size it is extremely easy to scale a product or service roll out. It is a powerful ecosystem to operate from.”

Small and medium-sized businesses are responsible for 92 per cent of all private sector employment in New Brunswick. ONB helps these businesses by supporting upgrades to their facilities and equipment so they can be more productive, efficient, and globally competitive. Learn more about growing your business in New Brunswick at ONBCanada.ca.

ONB has had great success in recent months, bringing new companies to the province while supporting homegrown businesses with innovation.

New Arrivals in New Brunswick Cardinal Path is an international digital analytics consulting firm with corporate offices in Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, and New York City. In May, the company announced a five-year plan to create up to 100 new full-time jobs in Saint John with support from ONB. “Our rigorous assessment of New Brunswick’s infrastructure, coupled with the active engagement of all civic partners, made selecting Saint John as our east coast business hub an easy choice.” noted Alex Langshur, Cardinal Path Founder & Co-CEO. Insight Fall 2017

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CORY

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NBCC’s OASIS mentors and mentees celebrate at the NBCC Moncton Campus. The entrepreneurial mentorship program expands to NBCC Fredericton Campus this fall.

Find a home in Oasis: NBCC entrepreneurial mentorship program helps small business grow

by Clarissa Harris-LeBreton, Coordinator, Entrepreneurship, NBCC Are you a small business owner? Do you need support and guidance to reach your business goals?

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ew Brunswick Community College is expanding its entrepreneurial mentorship program, OASIS, to Fredericton. This community-based small business mentorship program is unique in both delivery and scope. The program’s success is based on tactical mentorship activities, professional development and community networking opportunities. OASIS matches small business owners with experienced mentors through a unique, structured, and multileveled mentorship process.

Fredericton is the fourth region to benefit from OASIS. Over the past 24 months, 43 small business owners in Miramichi, Moncton and Saint John have been supported in addressing specific business challenges. The pre- and post-OASIS business results reports by small business owners speak for themselves:

• 96% reported increased sense of leadership as a business owner • 96 % reported increased self-confidence as a business owner • 57% reported increased revenue • 56% reported increased social media exposure • 45% have seen their client base rise

cycle, participants receive access to coordinated mentorship, professional development and networking opportunities, allowing them to work ‘on’ their small business while continuing to work ‘in’ their establishment.

Small and medium businesses represent 98% of all businesses across Canada. Research shows that 70% of small businesses survive at least five years with mentorship support and also shows that lack of mentoring is one of the major barriers that young people identify when starting a business1. Mentoring makes a difference. OASIS mentors will nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs. Being mentored by someone who has expertise in an area of your need will help you gain experience and knowledge to see you through the challenges of owning your own business.

Further information about the program, as well as applications can be found online. Check us out online at www.nbcc.ca/ entrepreneurship or for more information or call our program coordinator at 506-778-6746.

Futurpreneur Canada

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OASIS also boasts an 88% satisfaction rate amongst its participants. There is no fee to be a part of the OASIS mentorship program. Mentees are asked to identify a specific area of need for their business (ie: marketing assistance, accounting help, networking) and a mentor will be chosen to help them based on the area of expertise indicated by the mentee.

As a community outreach initiative, OASIS answers to the needs of the small business owner. OASIS mentees are regularly surveyed to ensure they are receiving relevant information to support their entrepreneurial journey. Within a 12-week Insight Fall 2017

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UNB: Making New Brunswick the Best Place to do Business

by Sonya Gilks, Director, Communications UNB

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ever has there been a better time to do business in New Brunswick – and UNB is taking the lead in making that happen.

At UNB, we understand that applied research drives economic development; that innovation translates into mutually beneficial partnerships with government, industry and private business.

As the province’s premier research university with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, UNB supports both the New Brunswick Growth Plan and the Atlantic Growth Strategy in ways that are vital today and in the future. We generate new business, strengthen companies, attract investment and drive job and wealth creation.

UNB contributes $1. 2 billion annually to the New Brunswick economy and is responsible for nearly 75 per cent of university research in the province. The groundbreaking work of our exceptional researchers is attracting national and international investment and industry, as well as students, professors and researchers from all over the world.

Dr. Ali Ghorbani, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity, is developing techniques and tools to identify cyberthreats and cybercriminal activity before they can cause harm in our rapidly evolving, data-intensive world. The work of his team recently attracted a partnership with a major Israeli cybersecurity initiative that is expected to create even greater innovation and economic opportunities for New Brunswick.

UNB has also launched the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity.

The Institute provides consultancy services and training to government and businesses, and is currently performing cybersecurity support for IBM’s artificial intelligence “Watson” project.

Named Canada’s most entrepreneurial university by Startup Canada in 2014, UNB offers an outstanding environment for fostering entrepreneurship. Since 2013, we have incubated more than 70 startups. In 2013-2014 alone, UNB-affiliated startups and spinoffs contributed $48 million to the provincial economy, the equivalent of 1,000 jobs.

At the forefront of this impressive entrepreneurial ecosystem is Dr. Dhirendra Shukla, the Dr. J. Herbert Smith/ACOA Chair in Technology Management and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Shukla’s work examines and responds to the impact of technology on the productivity, efficiency and competitiveness of systems, organizations and people.

In UNB’s faculty of engineering – the first in Canada – researchers have helped create some of Atlantic Canada’s most successful companies and industries. Our strength as a national research leader in biomedical engineering, advanced materials, highway construction and pavement research, satellite navigation, transportation and technology management and entrepreneurship, coupled with our capacity for strategic engineering consulting, have helped to build the foundations of the Atlantic region’s economy. Our R & D partners include Cisco Systems, the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, Emera, Google, Irving Oil Limited, J.D. Irving, Limited, NB Power, Siemens Canada and NASA. At UNB, we know that a healthy province with a robust economy and good public policy that supports business growth is good for everyone – from big industry to individuals. And we are harnessing the power of big data to help inform important public policies.

Dr. Monica Wachowicz, UNB’s Cisco Systems Chair for Big Data, is developing algorithms and services for analyzing information to extract value from big data. This helps New Brunswick’s tourism, transportation and municipal planning sectors make informed decisions on policies and procedures.

UNB aims to improve the lives of our citizens through health and social innovation, developing solutions to New Brunswick’s health and social challenges which can be exported to other jurisdictions.

Dr. Shelley Doucet is the Jarislowsky Chair in Interprofessional Patient-Centered Care at UNB Saint John, a position established to enable leading edge research in the health sciences, and provide an opportunity to directly impact the lives of New Brunswickers and Canadians through innovative improvements to health-care delivery and patient care. Dr. Doucet recently collaborated with a colleague at Mount Allison University to create NaviCare, a virtual centre that will help the families of children with complex health conditions navigate the maze of health care needs.

Our province’s greatest natural resource is the innovation, loyalty and determination of New Brunswickers. At UNB, we are fostering innovation that creates transformative change by maximizing the economic and human potential of our province and its people.

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A New Way of Finding Energy Efficiency Opportunities

by Peter Corbyn, CIO, SimpTek

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or decades, commercial, industrial and government property owners have sought to reduce energy costs for purely economic reasons. Today, building owners are still motivated to lower energy costs, but also want to realize additional benefits, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing property value resulting from lower utility bills.

This process has typically consisted of large capital projects like replacing light fixtures and heating, ventilating and cooling (HVAC) systems. One of the hurdles towards implementing expensive capital projects is that owners want to know if the cost is justified. Does the payback fall within a predictable and acceptable threshold? SimpTek Technologies created a platform to solve these barriers and promote an efficiency revolution.

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SimpTek was founded in 2014 by Asif Hasan, Keelen Gagnon, and Lionel Fernandes while still electrical engineering students at the University of New Brunswick. The company received support from the Smart Grid Innovation Network (SGIN), an organization founded by UNB, Siemens and NB Power to help grow smart grid-focused companies by providing research and development assistance along with utility use validation. Working with partners such as the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), SGIN is playing a significant role in developing a cluster of businesses, like SimpTek, who offer smart grid solutions.

SimpTek provides a unique platform that brings together energy efficiency-focused products and services for property owners who need a turnkey platform to improve their building’s energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.

By monitoring real-time energy data, the SimpTek platform can identify the right products, service providers and utility/ government incentives to help property managers, building owners, municipal utility operators and electrical utilities efficiently reduce energy costs.

Unlike its competitors, the SimpTek platform does not require energy expertise on their client’s staff. SimpTek acts as a Virtual Energy Manager (VEM) that takes clients through the journey of measuring, analyzing and responding by using big data. Other energy monitoring software programs typically require an energy manager or team to understand complex data, the ability to program software, and the experience to analyze and implement a variety of energy and demand savings actions. Unfortunately, few companies have the luxury of these in-house resources.

Commercial property owners without these in-house resources retain SimpTek to manage energy measurement, analysis and identifying energy savings opportunities and access to utility incentive programs.

Denise McNabb, the property manager for State Street Property Management, says, “Implementing the SimpTek measure, Insight Fall 2017

analyze and act approach to energy management not only gave us less than a one-year payback, but also helps us identify ongoing low-cost opportunities that we wouldn’t be able to identify and implement with any other energy management partner.”

“By using the cloud-based real-time energy dashboard and leveraging their in-house VEM, we can more easily justify projects, as well as measure and verify the results immediately.

We don’t have to wait for the next utility bill. We know what the value is right away,” she says.

The SimpTek approach also provides valuable insights for utility clients. Virtually all North American utilities need to focus on energy efficiency. They need to mitigate these inefficiencies by lowering their peak energy generation, and moving towards a resilient smart-grid, while broadening their range of renewable energy generation capacities. By aggregating anonymous realtime sub-metered energy data and analysis, utilities can target clients with specific products and services. For example, why promote a heat pump to a client who already has a heat pump?

Asif Hasan, CEO of SimpTek, is excited about the future of the smart grid community in New Brunswick, and especially about the future of SimpTek. “Big data and, more importantly, big analysis, coupled with falling hardware costs and experienced energy experts gives our clients a cost-effective energy efficiency solution,” says Hasan, “the support of UNB, Siemens, NB Power and other organizations has helped us get to the point where we are now exporting to other regions, such as the Middle East.”

The future of the smart grid and focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions is in good hands in New Brunswick, and companies like SimpTek are leading the charge.

Art comes to life this November in Fredericton

by Matt LeBlanc, President and Creative Director, Fusion Productions LeBlanc’s original vision was to host FUSION productions as a way to promote his art, but as the audiences grew and the productions became larger and more elaborate, he realized it was no longer just about him, but also about the incredibly talented people, both on and off stage. The 2016 edition of FUSION, for example, included more than 75 people — from performers and backstage crew to promoters and designers.

Having a visual artist as the creator and artistic director of the productions offers a different perspective on the traditional meaning of art. LeBlanc spends hundreds of hours creating and painting costumes, props, set designs and other visual elements, making the show a one-of-a-kind visual experience .

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es Productions FUSION Productions has been bringing works of art to life in its Moncton shows since 2011.

And, for the first time, FUSION is bringing art to life in Fredericton this November.

The increasingly popular annual FUSION show, have had six consecutive sold-out shows with over 1,200 in attendance in Moncton. This year, Dieppe abstract artist and show creator, Matt LeBlanc, is expanding his vision for his company’s multimedia extravaganzas.

While these productions have always been inspired by the artist’s work, they also showcase amazing local talents who excel in a variety of artistic disciplines. Every show has a cast of about 60 local creative artists. The story is developed and told through a series of videos and artistic expression such as dance, singing, gymnastics, live music, acrobatics and other live performances.

LeBlanc himself is part of the cast, creating a piece of art — live before the audience — with throbbing beats and a stunning light show as his muse.

“Each show has fifteen or twenty things different performances, and audiences are blown away each year,” says LeBlanc.

“FUSION is unique, there’s no other show like this anywhere in New Brunswick.”

This year, Les Productions FUSION Productions is preparing to bring its biggest show ever to New Brunswick’s capital. The production, entitled TUUKO, offers an engaging plot and a multitude of characters, such as swamp creatures, dark invaders, an ice goddess and the colorful inhabitants of TUUKO — the TUUKANS! The story takes place on a planet billions of light years from Earth where the TUUKANS live happily under the watchful eye of TUUKO, the guardian spirit of the planet. But they are threatened by Dark Invaders and it is up to their leader and one of the main characters, Abrielle, to bring peace back to her planet.

While FUSION shows have attracted incredibly loyal followers who help the show to sell out in days in Moncton, LeBlanc’s has never allowed himself to rest on his laurels. His newest challenge is bringing his production to those who haven’t ever attended a FUSION event. He plans to harness the power of social media to ramp up awareness for FUSION in Fredericton. Watch for videos featuring the artists who star in the show, and the behind-the-scenes production process to see the magnitude of this show. LeBlanc says, “I want to pique people’s interest and make TUUKO irresistible to them. Because, once someone sees a show, they’re hooked, and want more!”

Matt LeBlanc and team are working steadily on TUUKO, which premieres September 23rd at Casino New Brunswick in Moncton. A second, family-oriented show, will be held at Moncton’s Capitol Theatre on October 7th. The Fredericton show takes place on November 18th at the Convention Center.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the show’s website at www.FusionEvent.ca.

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picking up their goods at our store. On our site you can narrow your search in multiple ways from including price, style, color, size etc... This service also shows real time inventories and up to date retail pricing so you know what is being selected is in stock and ready to ship. When it comes to price, we display our suppliers MSRP but it is our policy to match or beat any “online retailers” or “brick and mortar “ web based stores pricing. We will never be undersold on price!

Shop local and online at lightinggallery.ca

by David Zilbert, President, The Lighting Gallery

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s Chamber members, I like to think we do our utmost to support local businesses whenever possible. We all know the importance of keeping our money in the Fredericton community. As a local businessman, I make every effort to buy from local sources while supporting the local community.

But the fact is, people like the convenience and ease of using the internet for products, solutions and information, even though we are sending our local dollars to other domestic and international locations. To solve this issue and to satisfy demand, The Lighting Gallery recently launched a new “shop online” website in an effort to compete and offer solutions to locals who like to shop on-line but also want to support local business.

We are very proud of our evolution. It has changed the way we do business. The results are amazing as we have seen a huge increase in shopping volume on our site, and customers are ordering directly through our site and bringing their wish lists into our store for further consultation. One of our most pleasant surprises are the orders we are receiving from around Canada.

Our local customers love the fact that there are no hidden costs ie; freight, duty & brokerage, exchange rates etc... as the price we quote is the price they pay...guaranteed. Our contractors and designers love the ability to send their customers to our site and narrow lighting options for upcoming projects, or to get specialized LED information. We even have a large interactive terminal setup in our showroom for customers to browse while in store to check styles, trends and pricing.

I believe all local entrepreneurs can learn from this progressive business strategy. Evolving with the business trends has made a significant impact on us. We know too well what happens to businesses that don’t change with the times.

No one industry is insulated from this increasing trend. The lighting business is no exception, as we are saturated with national online retailers like Wayfair, Amazon and Houzz. These companies lure shoppers with aggressive pricing, social media campaigns, and favorable shipping terms, making it easy for customers to see potential savings and realized convenience. The truth is that there are always hidden costs, both financial and otherwise, to shopping online for lighting. We’ve heard stories time and time again from our customers who ordered online, only to be hit with duty or brokerage by the transport company when goods arrive, or fee charges AFTER checkout with certain online retailers. Glass gets broken, color lots don’t match, wrong fixtures are sent, and defects are common. These issues are common when ordering from a faceless computer.

To evolve with the times and deal with this increasing trend, we recently hired a lighting specific tech company to provide a web based shopping platform with real time inventories from all major participating lighting suppliers in North America. This partnership provides a platform for Atlantic Canadian customers to shop local and online with our Fredericton based business.

This “mobile enabled” service allows local customers the ability to shop, create wish lists, design and order through the online platform or in person, and then enjoy the security and safety of

David Zilbert, President, The Lighting Gallery

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Policy Alert: Finance Canada Is Considering Major Changes to How Corporations Are Taxed

by Morgan Peters, Policy & Research Manager, Fredericton Chamber of Commerce

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he Department of Finance Canada is considering major changes to how corporations are taxed. The proposed rules could have a significant impact on many Canadian businesses: potentially raising taxes, increasing the administrative burden on SMEs and heightening the impact on family-run businesses.

On July 18, Finance Canada launched a consultation on how “tax-planning strategies involving corporations are being used to gain unfair tax advantages.” The document contains proposed policies to close these “loopholes.” There are four key changes that will affect business: 1. Sprinkling income using private corporations: The government wants to tighten rules to prevent a business owner from unfairly transferring income to family members who are subject to lower personal tax rates. In certain circumstances, owners would have to demonstrate that wages and dividend payments are “reasonable.”

2. Multiplying the Capital Gains Exemption: When an individual sells a small business, the first $850,000 of capital gain is exempt from taxes. The government wants to prevent tax planning structures that enable multiple family members to use their exemptions.

3. Reducing the tax deferral advantage on portfolio investment inside a corporation: Currently, an owner can accumulate portfolio earnings inside a corporation and pay corporate income tax rates (which are generally much lower than personal rates). The owner defers paying personal income or dividend taxes until the money is taken out of the business. The government is considering alternatives that would reduce this tax advantage.

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4. Converting a private corporation’s regular income into capital gains: Income is normally paid out of a private corporation in the form of salary or dividends that are taxed at the owner’s personal income tax rate. In contrast, when a business is sold, it is taxed as a capital gain, where only one-half of capital gains are included in income, resulting in a significantly lower tax rate on income that is converted from dividends to capital gains. The government wants to tighten the rules to prevent certain tax planning structures, but it is open to more favourable treatment for genuine family business transfers.

The documents and draft legislation seem to focus disproportionately on tax rates alone and indicate a lack of understanding of the other costs of doing business and the risks involved with entrepreneurship. The proposed changes will also disproportionately affect small- and medium-sized businesses in any industry.

As we prepare our response, chamber members are asked to contact Policy & Research Manager Morgan Peters with any input or feedback on these proposals, including how they might affect your business. Morgan can be reached at advocacy@ frederictonchamber.ca or (506) 451-9742.

If you would prefer to respond to the Department of Finance directly, should email the department at fin.consultation.fin@ canada.ca by October 2, 2017. More information can be obtained at www.fin.gc.ca

It’s hard to miss the exciting changes at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

by Jeremy Elder-Jubelin, Manager of Communications, Beaverbrook Art Gallery, with contributions from Meghan Callaghan, Communications and Marketing Assistant.

Our new pavilion is the culmination of years of effort and planning, which will all come together in an exciting weekend on October 14 and 15, 2017.

The new expansion will give the Gallery more exhibition spaces, learning and event spaces, and even a café. With those spaces come new opportunities for members, visitors, and our community to engage in the visual arts. The café will be great to take a break and soak in all the artwork you’ve just seen on your visit; it’s also accessible to the public without admission to the Gallery to grab a coffee and enjoy the artistic atmosphere.

The inside of the Gallery is also changing: the East Wing is being reinvented as the International Wing. This newly-modernized space will feature bold splashes of colour to highlight the artworks on display, a selection of the Gallery’s international masterworks, decorative arts objects, and the Lucile Pillow Collection of English Porcelain 1743 – 1840. Guests will get a first look at this space on the same weekend as our pavilion opening.

Celebration weekend – October 14-15 We’re kicking things off with Party at the Pavilion on Saturday evening. Ticketholders will celebrate the new space during this once-in-a-lifetime gala evening that will feature the musical stylings of songstress Holly Cole with Allen Cole, as well as dancing throughout the evening with Fredericton’s own The Thomists. Then on Sunday, we throw open our doors and invite everyone to join us for an art, activity, and celebrationfilled day featuring artist demonstrations and workshops, performances, tours, and more.

More exhibitions and more artworks to see Even before the pavilion opens, we’ll have plenty of art to look forward to. Our fall exhibition season kicks off on September 23, when we open two major retrospectives in our existing building. Then, starting in October, visitors will see some brandnew exhibitions, as well as the return of some old favourites: Starting September 23: • Oscar Cahén: More than a decade of curatorial work culminates in a major retrospective, featuring rarely-seen works by this highly influential abstract artist, a founding member of the Painters Eleven group. (Until January 21, 2018) • Marlene Creates: Places, Paths, and Pause: The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is the first stop for this touring retrospective exhibition, offering viewers a comprehensive and immersive experience of nearly four decades of the artist’s unique activities. (Until January 21, 2018)

Starting October 14, 2017 • Thaddeus Holownia: Walden Revisited: 24 Tree Studies for Henry David Thoreau, 2001-2003: Renowned New Brunswick artist Thaddeus Holownia turns a photographic eye to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden experience in this exhibition from Corkin Gallery, Toronto. (Until January 18, 2018) • Masters of Modernism: Selections from The Currie Collection: This exhibition brings together exemplary abstract paintings from the mid-to-late 20th century loaned from a private collection, beautifully showcasing this important and revolutionary period in art history. (Until January 21, 2018) Ongoing, from October 14 • Permanent collection: The Gallery gives some of its most beloved masterworks new space in the International Wing, while Dalí’s Santiago el Grande will have a dedicated home in the pavilion. Plus, works by New Brunswick artists, prints and drawings on paper, Atlantic Canadian folk art, and more will be on view throughout the building.

Opportunities to engage with art, artists, and scholars On the lower level of the new pavilion, guests will find new opportunities to engage with art and artists in our Bruno Bobak artist-in-residence studio and the RBC Learning Centre, expanding the Gallery’s capacity for programs.

Our program team has been hard at work to ensure a full roster of programming throughout the fall to learn, create, and be inspired by. Art instruction for all ages continues, in addition to a series of art talks running throughout the fall featuring a number of art scholars and artists, and pARTage, our French-language art conversations, resumes September 17.

Join in the fun With so much happening this fall in your newly revitalized Gallery, we hope you’ll join us in enjoying the visual arts and celebrating the conclusion of a project that we’ve been looking forward to for a long time.

Visit the exhibitions, participate in a program, become a member, or host an event here: Opportunities abound to make this celebration your own.

Limited time offer: Membership experience at a special price!

Until October 22, try out being a Gallery member with a special 150-day membership offer for only $20 (individual) or $25 (family).

More information about all of these events, exhibitions, and programs will be available on the Gallery’s website, www.beaverbrookartgallery.org.

Insight Fall 2017

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Here are some of the savings the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce helps you and your employees to save on costs and encourage local shopping. For the complete list of savings, check out business.frederictonchamber.ca/marketspace

Degree Technologies Receive a 5% discount on your first service. Discounts must be mentioned at the time of purchase, and cannot be issued at a later date.

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Flow Cleaning Services Chamber Members receive a very special rate of $20/hr for their first cleaning (minimum 3 hrs). A great way to try us out! Feel what it’s like to come home at the end of a busy day to a home that’s fresh and sparkling clean ~ top to bottom! Call or text 506-470-3561 or email service@flowcleaners.com

Rod Hussey’s Auto Repair/OK Tire & Auto Service Receive a 5% discount on the next tire and steel wheel purchase (labour not included).

Gorham Real Estate Save 15% off your entire stay when you purchase or sell your home with Gorham Real Estate.

Main Street Veterinary Hospital Receive a 5% discount on all consultations.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 4 Receive a 10% discount for booking of all catered staff Christmas parties or catered business meetings or luncheons.

Optimum Translation Receive a 10% discount on your first job (for new customers only).

Frantically Atlantic Entertainment $40 off entertainment fee www.franticallyatlantic.com 30% off personalized cartoon illustration www.michelledaigle.artweb.com 30% off Don Rigley’s Fine Art www.donrigley.com Insight Fall 2017

Precision Pilates Receive a 15% discount on group class package pricing.

Scott’s Nursery Ltd. Receive 10% off regularly priced items.

Does not include bulk items or already discounted items.

PHOTOS 1. Your Mental Health Matters was held at RPC, the morning of May 4th.

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2. Our May Business After Hours was hosted by The Cultural Centre.

3. The Chamber hosted Michael Tetu for a talk on Canadian Business Owners and Access to Online Electronic Tendering Services.

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4. Our May Business Over Breakfast was held at NBCC Fredericton Campus.

5. The Lunch & Learn Webinar for May was hosted by Lynn Thier and the topic was Business & Careen Values : The Driving Force Behind Behaviour.

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6. The Summer Biz Bash was hosted by Sunpoke Energy Systems, and had a great turnout!

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7. The Cyber Security Awareness , Education & Solutions Workshop, and the Intellectual Property Seminar were both held at the Crowne Plaza Fredericton in June.

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8. The AGM swore in 7 new board members, and welcomed our new President Keir Clark.

9. The Parliamentary Breakfast, with MP for Fredericton Matt DeCourcey, was held at the Fredericton Convention Centre in June.

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Insight Fall 2017

Thank You!

To all local sponsors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Conference 2017 PRESENTING SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSORS

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SILVER SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSORS

Insight Fall 2017