Business News - July 2019

Help wanted

Immigrants will play a vital role in Newfoundland and Labrador’s future prosperity Page 14

JULY / AUGUST: 2019

VOLUME 34: #2 | 0702-2019

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BUSINESS NEWS

SUMMER: 2019 | VOLUME 34: #2

Business News is a publication of the St. John’s Board of Trade.

Reproduction of any material contained in Business News is permitted provided written approval from the St. John’s Board of Trade.

We encourage you to support the business leaders whose names and products you see advertised in this issue as well as throughout our entire membership.

The Board reserves the right to edit submissions.

DIRECTORS ST. JOHN’S BOARD OF TRADE Executive: Janis Byrne: Chair Andrew Wadden: Senior Vice Chair Justin Lahda: First Vice Chair Norm Dimmell: Second Vice Chair Jennifer Clement: Treasurer Directors: Kevin Casey Debra Feltham Alex Gibson Glenn Janes Heather Stamp-Nunes Leigh-Anne O’Neil Joann Slaney Doug Wright STAFF Nancy Healey: Chief Executive Officer Rhonda Tulk-Lane: Director of Business Solutions Jackie Bryant-Cumby: Member Relations Administrator Brendan Hagerty: Manager of Labour Market Solutions Jennifer Chaytor: Manager, Finance & Compliance Brandon Ellis: Policy and Advocacy Researcher Ziyi Qian: Membership Executive 34 Harvey Road P.O. Box 5127 St. John’s, NL A1C 5V5 Canada Tel: 709.726.2961 E-mail: mail@bot.nf.ca

www.stjohnsbot.ca Business News is published by The SaltWire Network Custom Publishing Department Project Manager: Lindsey Bunin Editor: Nicole Gnazdowsky Layout & Design: Peter Ross Contributing Writers: Mark Romoff, Joey Fitzpatrick, Brandon Ellis, Carol Dobson Cover photo: Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism/ Egzi Polat Sales Enquiries: 709-748-0829 Printed by: Bounty Print Copyright 2019 by SaltWire Network.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without expressed written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Disclaimer Business News magazine makes no warranties of any kind, written or implied, regarding the contents of this magazine and expressly disclaims any warranty regarding the accuracy or reliability of information contained herein. The views contained in this magazine are those of the writers and advertisers; they do not necessarily reflect the views of Business News magazine, The St. John’s Board of Trade or its publisher The SaltWire Network.

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In this issue: 3 Members in the news ............................. 6 Business Solutions .................................. 8 Around the board ................................ 10 Trends ...................................................... 12 Help Wanted .......................................... 14 Chair’s Message ........................................

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Immigrants will play a vital role in Newfoundland and Labrador’s future prosperity

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St. John’s firms on leading edge of health care revolution

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CEO’S MESSAGE

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Welcome to the new and improved Business News W

NANCY HEALEY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE ST. JOHN’S BOARD OF TRADE

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e are delighted to enter into this partnership with SaltWire Network to bring you original content — news from the business community you can’t get anywhere else and information on Board of Trade advocacy, events, programs and services to help your business grow. Our reach is now greater than ever, not only will Business News magazine go to all Board of Trade members, but the content will be repurposed on The Telegram website and appear in a newsprint supplement in The Telegram.

Each issue will feature independent articles written by SaltWire journalists on topics unique to Newfoundland business. This month we feature a story about the importance of immigration to business continuity.

We also tell the story of two Newfoundland businesses having success in the Untied States in the health care field. Many of their services could be introduced here to help lower the costs of health care delivery.

Our “Members in the news” section is a great way for members to celebrate their success and share promotions. At the Board of Trade, we are committed to helping businesses and we are your go-to place for business solutions. In extending our reach through our partnership with SaltWire we can help you get your message out to thousands of decision makers.

I hope you enjoy this edition.

- Nancy

BUSINESS NEWS

Best of

VIETNAM & CAMBODIA 11 DAYS | 17 Oct 2019

CANADA | HANOI | HALONG | HANOI | DANANG HOI AN | DANANG | SAIGON | SIEM REAP | CANADA TOUR SUMMARY:

This tour begins in the country’s capital Hanoi, before heading to Halong Bay to sail on board a Junk and marvel at breathtaking views of the Bay. The tour then travels to the center of the country to visit the UNESCO heritage towns of Hoi An. Guests can wander through the cobbled streets of Hoi An and enjoy its ancient buildings before flying to the bustling southern city of Saigon. In Saigon guests will have a fully guided city tour and visit the nearby villages dotted along the Mekong River. The tour continues with a flight to Siem Reap/Cambodia, where guests will visit the breathtaking Temples of Angkor Watt in one of the most important archaeological sites of Southeast Asia.

Per person on twin sharing basis:

JULY / AUGUST 2019

CAD $3298 – Member CAD $3498 – Non - Member

For reservation and booking contact: Christine Little, Membership Development & Marketing Manager Fredericton Chamber of Commerce Tel: 506.458.8006 Email: membership@frederictonchamber.ca

Single Supplement:

CAD $699

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MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Members in the news

New Habitat ReStore now open on Kenmount Road

Investing in aquaculture

The Provincial Government, through the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA), is investing just over $588,000 to develop labour market information tools and products for the province’s aquaculture industry. “Aquaculture is the fastest growing protein production industry in the world, a leader in environmental responsibility and sustainability,” says Mark Lane, Executive Director of NAIA. Our industry enables hard-working Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to do what they love doing in a place they love living. Our most important asset to growing our industry is its human resources.

Through this initiative with the Provincial Government we will be positioned to succeed in providing additional year-round employment to dedicated farmers of the sea in rural coastal communities.” Through the Way Forward and the Aquaculture Sector Work Plan, government has committed to achieving industry growth and food self-sufficiency targets of 50,000 metric tonnes for salmon and 10,750 metric tonnes for mussels. By 2022, targets for growth are expected to generate 1,100 person years of employment and support the province in increasing food self-sufficiency from 10 to 20 per cent.

Brewery Lane

Bill and Bernadette, store owners of Brewery Lane in Newfoundland and Labrador, have been helping people craft professional quality wine since 1993. This year they’ve moved to a modern new facility to offer their customers the convenience of having their wine made on site. Brewery Lane has a reputation for supplying only the highest quality products and their expert friendly staff is unparalleled. Our climatically controlled underground fermenting cellar is unique.

Your wine is protected from harmful sun rays and we can maintain uniform fermentation temperature even during the hottest and coldest days of the year, making sure that your wine is made to the highest standards. Our open concept mixing and bottling area is bright, lively and inviting.

There’s always lots of laughter and banter making it a fun place to be. Our expert, knowledgeable staff will help you choose your perfect wine. We offer customized labels and we can personalize your wine to suit your taste. Using our state-of-the-art professional bottling and bagging systems you can have your wine packaged and ready to go in as little as 10 minutes! No appointment required, visit them today! www.//bit.ly/2Ysrp0n

Habitat for Humanity Newfoundland and Labrador (Habitat NL) is proud to announce the opening of their new Habitat ReStore at 323 Kenmount Rd., near Kelsey Drive in St. John’s. The Habitat ReStore accepts donations of quality new and used furniture, building materials, appliances and other goods from individuals and businesses, and sells them to the general public at the ReStore. All proceeds from the Habitat NL ReStore support Habitat for Humanity builds in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Habitat ReStore reuses and recycles goods by diverting products from the Robin Hood Bay landfill, helps families attain home ownership and offers great bargains on great goods. Double the size of their previous St. John’s ReStore location, Habitat for Humanity is excited to open their new store and raise more funds for its future home builds for Habitat partner families!

Freshii is expanding in St. John’s

Exciting news! Freshii has recently opened a new location in the east end of St. John’s on 70 White Rose Dr. to compliment the existing west end location on 673 Topsail Rd. And it keeps getting better. We are also opening in the St. John’s International Airport this year! We are so excited to offer lots of delicious, healthy options to travellers including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan options.

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In April, Noseworthy Chapman was pleased to receive Canada’s Top 100 SME Employer Award. This is the fourth year that Noseworthy Chapman has received this distinctive award.

BUSINESS NEWS

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2019 Golf Classic Thursday, July 11, 2019 Clovelly Golf Course, St.John’s JULY / AUGUST 2019

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BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

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Business solutions It’s like having your own department of getting an edge

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ncluded in your membership at the St. John’s Board of Trade is a team of people who want to grow your business as much as you do.

You power the economy. We are here to power you.

St. John’s and surrounding area is home to a number of resources that support entrepreneurs. Business owners work around the clock and do not have time to be familiar with all the resources available to grow their business.

The St. John’s Board of Trade has created a single point of contact for all your business needs. We are the “GO TO” place for business. We have built a coordinated network of resource partners that will quickly route you to valuable information, programs, experience and expertise to help grow your business.

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Our latest tool is the Business Investment Assistant (BIA). Get all the information you require to invest in St. John’s; How-To, Indicators, Maps, and Connections.

“We cannot wait to welcome you to the business community.” www.stjohnsbot.ca/invest-st.-johns

It is easy — schedule a one-onone visit with a member of our team.

Confidentially discuss your operations, your requirements and your plans for the future.

We’ll review your information and connect you with the appropriate resources and individuals within the St. John’s business community.

Rhonda Tulk-Lane, Director of Business Solutions solutions@bot.nf.ca 709-351-0291

Knowledge is power, and missing access to an available resource can mean the difference between success and failure.

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Around the board

Megan Morris, Executive Director, Association of New Canadians NL Constanza Safatle, Newbornlander

Pitch to the Puffins Conference

Pints & peers is a great networking event.

Small group size ensures richer interactions

Tim Powers, Prajwala Dixit Dr. Tony Fang, Deidre Ayre & Dr. Rob Greenwood

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In May we supported the Atlantic Immigration Summit with the Atlantic Ballet

BUSINESS NEWS

Chair Janis Byrne did the media rounds after the provincial budget was delivered

Pitch to the Puffins Panel: Cathy Bennet, Dorothy Keating Lisa Browne, Carmichael Polonio

Seamus O’Regan, the Member of Parliament for St. John’s South Mount Pearl took questions from members at a town hall event in April

JULY / AUGUST 2019

Chair Janis Byrne discusses the impact the Provincial budget will have on business on VOCM.

A town hall with the Mayor and Councilors provide a great exchange of ideas as to how we can ensure St. John’s is friendly to business

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TRENDS

Making use of P3s How public private partnerships offer a bold direction for building infrastructure in N.L.

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By Mark Romoff

W

ithin the next decade residents in Newfoundland and Labrador will see the delivery of several major infrastructure projects, including centres addressing community health care and the needs of seniors.

These projects in Corner Brook, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and St. John’s are major assets for all Newfoundlanders and will be built using the public-private partnership model, or P3.

The use of P3s will ensure projects get delivered on time and on budget, transfer key risks to the private sector, ensure the assets are well maintained over the life cycle and provide the government with financial flexibility and certainty in the long run.

The public-private partnership model has been successfully used across Canada for close to 30 years, building critically needed infrastructure that has transformed communities, saved lives, jump-started the economy and created tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

In fact, the “made in Canada” P3 model — which Newfoundland and Labrador will employ — is considered best in class globally, with more than 280 projects valued at more than $136 billion in operation or under construction across the country. It’s been used to build everything from highways and bridges to courthouses, hospitals, and water and wastewater treatment facilities.

It’s important to realize that P3s are simply a procurement model. Notably they are not a panacea, but when used for the right projects the results have been very impressive, saving governments more than $27 billion over the years.

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We encourage the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to ask questions about the process to ensure they understand what is happening and how it provides the best value for money. But it’s also important to put politics, rhetoric and ideology aside, to separate the fact from the fiction.

“The public-private partnership model has been successfully used across Canada for close to 30 years, building critically needed infrastructure that has transformed communities, saved lives, jump-started the economy and created tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.”

Both the Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties have at various times voiced support for using P3s in Newfoundland and Labrador. And earlier this year, the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE) said it’s willing to bend on its traditional opposition to P3s to get the province’s new replacement prison built “as long as the transparency is there and people understand how it’s funded.”

P3s were first created to offer a better alternative to government projects that regularly blew through budgets and construction timelines. They are fixed-price contracts with penalties imposed if deadlines aren’t met and agreed upon outcomes aren’t realized. Most importantly — the facilities built remain publicly owned and controlled.

What is critical to remember is that because the private sector is taking on significant risk and providing upfront financing, they have true skin in the game, which in turn ensures they perform.

We also know governments don’t have a strong track record of maintaining their infrastructure assets over the long term.

Maintenance is often deferred or ignored as part of budget cost-cutting measures — a loss that leads to more expensive problems down the road. P3 projects require the private sector to deliver the assets back to government in virtually “like new” condition at the end of their contract. If not, again penalties apply.

Using P3s is a new approach for Newfoundland and Labrador but the province isn’t going at it alone. There is a wealth of expertise available across Canada — expertise that can be tapped to work in partnership with local companies to create jobs and build provincial P3 capacity.

Ultimately, the province is in control in this public-private partnership model. It holds the purse strings and sets the specifications required for these projects. However, the most successful P3 projects are those where a strong partnership exists between both parties, where risk is taken on by the most suitable partner and the reward is shared by a community being able to access a much-needed facility that greatly benefits the public good. ■ BUSINESS NEWS

JULY / AUGUST 2019

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COVER STORY

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BUSINESS NEWS

Help wanted Immigrants will play a vital role in Newfoundland and Labrador’s future prosperity

By Joey Fitzpatrick

T

here’s a large “help wanted” sign hanging in Newfoundland and Labrador — and it’s going to get larger. A recent labour market survey predicts 65,000 job vacancies in the province by 2025. This looming labour shortage cuts across every sector from health-care professionals, to engineers and food service workers. It’s the result of a number of converging trends, says Nancy Healey, CEO of the St. John’s Board of Trade.

“We’ve had out-migration for decades,” Healey says. “We have an aging population, and we now have more people set to retire than ready to enter the labour force.”

Canada accepts more than 250,000

immigrants each year and responsibility for immigration is shared between the federal and provincial/territorial governments.

While immigration will play a critical role for the entire Canadian economy in the coming years, the issue is even more vital for Newfoundland and Labrador as the province undergoes significant demographic changes. The province has the lowest fertility rate in Canada and the death rate surpasses the number of births. At 45 years, it has the highest median age of any province and this is expected to continue for the next two decades. These demographic trends carry implications for everything from the provincial economy and tax base, to the ability to deliver basic services.

Newfoundland & Labrador Tourism/Egzi Polat

JULY / AUGUST 2019

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COVER STORY

William Perugini/123rf

“That’s why we need immigration,” Healey adds. “We believe we will need 5,500 newcomers per year in this province just to maintain the status quo.”

As do a number of other provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador has a Provincial Nominee Program designed to assist skilled immigrants who want to come live and work in the province. Applicants must have a job or job offer, the ability to establish themselves economically and the intent to reside in the province. Applicants are provided with a dedicated immigration officer who will explain the program requirements and help them through the process of obtaining permanent residence status. Employers who are experiencing local, individualized labour market shortages can use PNP. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot helps employers hire foreign skilled workers who want to immigrate to Atlantic Canada, as well as international students who want to stay in the region after they graduate.

Participating employers must meet certain requirements, including a commitment to help the newcomers and their families as they integrate into their new lives. A two-year extension of the program was announced on March 1 of this year.

The ability to recruit and hire immigrants has been vital to the success of Genoa Design,

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which provides 3D modelling, detail design and lofting services to the shipbuilding and offshore industries. Shipbuilding in Canada has been undergoing a renewal over the last decade, partly as a result of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. This has been a boon for the sector, but has also put a strain on the human resources in the industry, says Kevin Kelly, COO with Genoa Design.

“We believe we will need 5,500 newcomers per year in this province just to maintain the status quo.”

– Nancy Healey, CEO,

St. John’s Board of Trade

“We’ve been able to draw from other countries that have a strong, established history of shipbuilding,” Kelly says. “It helps us address skills gaps that currently exist in our industry.”

While shipbuilding is one of mankind’s oldest trades, shipbuilding in the 21st Century is a highly advanced technological endeavour. It takes a number of years to develop a workforce in this specialized field.

“Skills development in any country is cyclical,” Kelly points out. “We’re just at a point in time when there are not as many people with this skill set and we’re just building it again.”

Genoa Design has hired professionals from various countries, including Brazil, Ukraine and Russia.

“We’re continuing to expand our scope and looking to see where the best talent is,” Kelly says.

The St. John’s Board of Trade has a number of initiatives underway to demonstrate to companies how advantageous it can be to have a diverse labour force. Workers with an international background bring cultural richness to the workplace. These workers can often provide new contacts and sales leads, and introduce fresh and innovative approached to problem solving.

“Having a different perspective is extremely helpful when you’re trying to solve problems,” Healey points out.

As well, many immigrant employees speak languages other than English and have experience with other cultures. These attributes can help open doors to new markets and attract new customers.

Based on preliminary data, in 2018 some 1,525 individuals became permanent residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Way Forward on Immigration in BUSINESS NEWS

Newfoundland and Labrador is the name of a five-year action plan for increasing immigration to 1,700 newcomers by 2022.

It contains a number of initiatives including: · Establishing an introductory orientation to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Indigenous peoples. · Supporting migrant workers in their efforts to become permanent residents. · Collaborating with industry and sector organizations to promote entrepreneurship categories in the province’s nominee program · Promoting mentorship opportunities between employers facing workforce shortages and employers who have successfully used immigration programs.

Also included in The Way Forward are a number of innovative graduate internships and international student placements in the local labour market. The province has an enormous resource in Memorial University of Newfoundland, which has some 1,500 international undergraduate students and approximately the same number of graduate students from outside the country. These are people who have already made a commitment to the province and have put down at least temporary roots. Creating opportunities for those people to stay after graduation will be an important piece of the immigration puzzle.

“I think we need to be recruiting students in the fields where we’re going to have the gaps and the vacancies, in fields like medicine and engineering,” Healey says.

“We need to be more deliberate and intentional.”

Support and settlement services are essential for helping newcomers adjust to their new lives. The Association for New Canadians, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, provides a number of services for newcomers across the province.

Assistance is provided in a number of areas including help in accessing the health care system, banking and budgeting, housing, laws, rights and responsibilities.

“We’re also reaching out to businesses to let them know that we’re here to help them,” says Jean Graham, communications coordinator with the Association. The Association provides no-cost workplace diversity training workshops to employers.

“It can sometimes be disconcerting in a workplace if you have a new employee who would like to have Friday off for religious purposes, but is totally happy to work on Christmas,” Graham adds.

On April 17 and 18, St. John’s hosted the Atlantic Immigration Summit where people from across a range of sectors came together for dialogue and information exchange on immigration. Appropriately titled “The Power of Inclusion,” the event featured speakers and roundtable sessions focused on strengthening the immigration system and building inclusive communities.

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Contributed

2019 Atlantic Immigration Summit

“The energy and diversity in the room was so much greater than I had anticipated, It was a group of people coming together with the common goal of figuring out how we’re going to sustain this place.”

–

Charlene Brophy, CEO, Fonomed

A key component of the event was the sharing of best practices and experiences.

This was one of the most beneficial aspects of the Summit, according to Kelly.

“That’s certainly one of the reasons we attended — to learn from government, NGOs and other like-minded businesses.

It’s always helpful when you can leverage the knowledge of others,” Kelly says. “Businesses are kept very busy looking after their own concerns, so we don’t often get an opportunity to come together as a group to look at our shared needs.”

“The energy and diversity in the room was so much greater than I had anticipated,” says Charlene Brophy, who was honorary chair of the Summit, “It was a group of people coming together with the common goal of figuring out how we’re going to sustain this place.”

As CEO of the telemedicine company Fonemed, Brophy has seen first-hand the importance of immigration to the province.

Fonemed is a world leader in remote health management, using technology to extend the reach of health-care professionals. The 25-member staff at Fonemed’s St. John’s office includes immigrants from Nigeria, Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil. Their presence has been an enormous asset to her company, Brophy says.

“It’s been without a doubt one of the greatest things our organization has done,” she says. “It has changed the culture of our organization. It makes you want to learn so much more about how the rest of the world lives.”

The conversation about immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador has been happening for a number of years, Brophy adds, but only in the past few years has the issue really been put on the front burner.

“The mindset is changing — the decision makers are listening and understanding the urgency. We can all feel first-hand the impact that a declining population and an aging workforce is having,” she says. “The commitment is there. We now have to make sure we follow through.”

Attracting newcomers is just the first step. Retaining them is equally important, and this can only happen when newcomers feel a sense of belonging. Inclusion is the key word, Healey believes. It’s vitally important that newcomers feel welcome in their new community, and that they are invited to be a part of local cultural events such as regattas, Canada Day celebrations and the George Street Festival.

“It’s nice to be invited to the party.

But it’s when you’re asked to dance that you know you’re being included,” Healey says.

“We need to ask more immigrants to dance with us.” ■

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HEALTH CARE SERVICES

Outsourcing success St. John’s firms on leading edge of health care revolution Dan Stevens/unsplash

By Joey Fitzpatrick

T

he provision of health care services in Canada and around the world is changing irrevocably. The twin pressures of aging populations and budget restrictions are overwhelming the current model, and health care providers the world over, both public and private, are being forced to adapt.

“Bricks and mortar health care is no longer working,” says Charlene Brophy.

“We need a new model of care.”

Increasingly this new model of care involves outsourcing in areas such as remote medicine, and the application of the latest technology to the vast information processing requirements of the healthcare sector.

This has opened up new opportunities for visionary entrepreneurs.

Brophy is the CEO of Fonemed, a world leader in the rapidly expanding field of telemedicine. Launched in 1998, Fonemed’s first client was a physician practice in Oregon that was in need of an after-hours nursing service. Since then the company has grown from having one client group serving 350 people to 2,400 client groups serving a population of 12 million.

Some 25,000 to 30,000 health information calls are received by Fonemed each month.

All incoming calls go to one of the company’s four contact centres in St. Anthony, Cornerbrook, Stephenville and St. John’s.

“Whether it’s somebody calling with a headache, a sore throat or a mental-health

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crisis that requires assessment, we have people answering the phones 24-7,” Brophy says.

“We provide a full continuum of care without the patient ever having to leave home.”

By redirecting patients away from emergency rooms and acute care facilities, and helping them manage their own care from home, telemedicine allows for enormous cost savings for both private and publicly funded healthcare systems.

“The decision makers are starting to listen, they’re asking questions about what has worked elsewhere, and what lessons can be applied here.”

– Charlene Brophy, CEO, Fonomed Telemedicine also allows health care practitioners to be more proactive. Rather than wait for people to get to the stage where they require acute or emergency care, patients can be monitored in their homes through the use of biometric devices and issues can be addressed sooner rather than later.

Ten years ago Fonemed went from being a service company to being a technology company, Brophy recalls.

“The platform we were using didn’t give us the capacity to grow the operation to where we wanted to go,” she says.

“We wanted to expand into areas such as chronic disease management and biometric monitoring.”

Fonemed hired a team of software engineers to develop a proprietary platform to run all its clinical programs.

“We’ve got thousands of clinical algorithms built into that software with the ability to receive and send alerts from individuals anywhere in the world.”

The company now monitors patients across the U.S. using a range of biometric monitoring systems.

“The reading will come in to St. Anthony, for example, and the agent will cue that reading for a nurse in whatever state the patient is in, and the nurse will complete an assessment,” Brophy explains. “If a prescription is required we will make the connection with a physician, and we also have relationships with pharmacies in the U.S. that will deliver medication to the patient’s home.”

The software is now used by the province of Saskatchewan to run its health services lines, and it is also in use in Venezuela, Peru and multiple sites throughout the Caribbean.

With a total workforce of approximately 200 people, Fonemed employs some 140 people in Newfoundland and Labrador and is active in every U.S. state and most Canadian provinces.

It was almost two decades ago that BUSINESS NEWS

St. John’s entrepreneur Maria French recognized an opportunity in the medical transcription sector. Medical transcription is the profession that transcribes voice recorded medical reports that are dictated by physicians, nurses and other health care practitioners. The sector is estimated to be worth $5 billion annually on a global level.

French and her partners launched Terra Nova Transcription in 2001, and she recalls how her new company broke into this industry.

“We went to the Medical Transcription Association’s annual conference in Toronto and set up an exhibit booth,” French says.

“The learning curve was 90 degrees straight up.”

They made a connection with a health care provider from Atlanta, who became their first major client, and in the early years roughly 70 per cent of their business was in the U.S. with 30 per cent coming from Canada. Those percentages have since been reversed.

Medical transcription is an industry where both speed and accuracy are absolutely essential. French estimates that 90 per cent of the work flow goes through a speech recognition engine, which produces a draft document. A transcriptionist reviews it and makes any corrections, and then the completed document goes through the company’s quality control process. The turnaround time for this entire process is less than 24 hours.

“For most of our customers in Canada we’ve taken them from an eight to 10 week turnaround to 16 hours,” French points out.

Timely turnarounds have major implications for health care costs. If patient records are not updated promptly, tests and procedures can end up being redone unnecessarily causing a vast waste of resources.

Terra Nova Transcription boasts a 99.7 per cent accuracy rate, which is vital as errors in transcription can have life or death consequences in patient care.

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“We’ve got to do it better. If we can save money by outsourcing some of this work to a reliable partner, then maybe we can have more money for clinical care. Maybe we don’t have to close some of those beds.”

– Maria French, President and CEO, Terra Nova “90 per cent might be a good result on a test score,” French says. “But these are medical records. You can’t be right just 90 per cent of the time.”

With its head office in St. John’s, Terra Nova Transcription now has 180 employees throughout Canada and the U.S. Canadians hold our publicly funded health care system near and dear to our hearts — and rightly so. It’s a point of national pride that no Canadian faces financial ruin because of medical bills. But our single payer system can be slow to adapt to new realities. Using technology to outsource many of the services and information processing requirements of health care provides

an opportunity for significant cost savings.

“We’ve got to do it better,” French says.

“If we can save money by outsourcing some of this work to a reliable partner, then maybe we can have more money for clinical care.

Maybe we don’t have to close some of those beds.”

Canada lags behind the U.S. in outsourcing, as health boards in this country do not face the same bottom line pressures as do private providers in the U.S. But that is beginning to change, Brophy points out.

“The decision makers are starting to listen,” Brophy says. “They’re asking questions about what has worked elsewhere, and what lessons can be applied here.” ■

ANC and its Satellite Offices provide help, without cost, for: ANC and its Satellite Offices ANC and its Satellite Offices ANC and its Satellite Offices • Employers seeking provide help, without cost, for: provide help,provide without cost, for: help,AIP without cost, for: designation

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Offices in St. John’s Grand Falls-Windsor Offices in Brook Corner St. John’s 1-833-222-0991 Labrador City Grand Falls-Windsor St. John’s Grand Falls-Windsor 709-722-9680Corner Brook information@ancnl.ca Happy Valley-Goose Bay Corner Brook Forteau/The Straits 1-833-222-0991Labrador City Happy Valley-Goose Bay Labrador City | 19 information@ancnl.ca Forteau/The Straits Happy Valley-Goose Bay

JULY / AUGUST 2019

WORKING FOR YOU

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Drowning in debt The era of fiscal responsibility has escaped us

By Brandon Ellis

Policy and Advocacy Specialist St. John’s Board of Trade

W

hat has happened to the fiscally responsible politician? As we look at the current state of Canada, we have a Finance Department that is not projecting a balanced budget until 2040/2041. For those counting, that’s another 21 years of deficits.

And that date is contingent on no major economic disruptions.

Fiscal responsibility is not traditionally a partisan issue. It is an issue of responsible governance. After massive public debt was accumulated in the ’80s and early ’90s, the Chretien government decided to tackle the debt in the mid 1990s. They put an emphasis

“As we look at the current state of Canada, we have a Finance Department that is not projecting a balanced budget until 2040/2041.

For those counting, that’s another 21 years of deficits.”

on reducing spending, making government lean and efficient and providing tax relief which helped the economy get moving for the next ten years. The succeeding Martin government and the early years of the Harper government also saw a priority placed on debt reduction.

With a booming economy once again, Canada is in an enviable position on the world stage. But things are different this time around. Instead of putting money away and paying down the debt during the good times, we are spending at astronomically high levels. In this year’s budget alone, there was more than $40 billion in new spending measures introduced. This is not a sustainable or even remotely responsible way to run a country. We have gone from an era of fiscal

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BUSINESS NEWS

ocusfocus/123rf

responsibility to fiscal recklessness. This is not just the federal government, but it is seen across many provincial government’s as well. The desire to live within our means and give the taxpayers more for their dollar has escaped the modern politician.

The St. John’s Board of Trade recently conveyed these thoughts on Parliament Hill while providing testimony to the House of Commons Finance Committee. This is the time that we must use to pay down our debt and immediately cease deficit spending.

Its not about liberal or conservative approaches, its about good government and respecting the taxpayer’s dollar. We know that high deficits today mean higher taxes tomorrow. We do not want to get to the point in the 1990s where one out of every three dollars is going to paying the interest on the debt.

As taxes rise, Canada’s international competitiveness will fall. Good government that pays down our public debt and provides tax relief will elevate it. The choice is simple. ■

7808695

JULY / AUGUST 2019

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PROFILE

Recruiting for the rock The challenges of an aging population and the efforts underway to change things

By Carol Dobson

I

t’s a pattern that keeps repeating itself in the Atlantic Provinces. Young people are born in a small community, go away to a larger town or city to receive an education and keep moving on to other centres, rarely returning to their home communities. Those moves mean that rural communities are left with an aging population and shrinking tax base to provide the amenities required to live there.

Wanda Cuff-Young, the Vice-President of Operations at Work Global Canada Inc., has seen it first-hand and is working to reverse the trend.

“I grew up in Bonavista and moved to St. John’s when I was 16,” she says. “I’ve been lucky to travel all around the world, but I don’t think I could move back there. The

work was seasonal — you worked in the crab plant or in the cod fishery until the moratorium and then lots of people left. The only people in town who had year-round work were the bankers, teachers and R.C.M.P. officers.”

One of the challenges is trying to entice people to come to a province that has expensive food thanks to the cost of having to truck it in from the mainland, little reliable public transportation outside of main centres, a dearth of stores for shopping and isolation due to the distances between communities. If you need to get from place to place, being able to drive and own a car is essential.

“When I go to visit some clients, I’m looking at a 16-hour drive,” she says. “In the same time frame, I can go to Moncton.”

She built a successful consulting business

through the years and in 2012 branched into recruiting immigrants “I was a good friend of the minister of immigration at the time and he thought I was the perfect person to help address the labour shortages,” she says. She obtained her immigration license and set up the business.

Today she has agents in 60 countries assisting people who want to come to Canada as permanent residents.

Part of her business is recruiting high school students to come to Newfoundland and Labrador to complete high school and move on to university.

“If they come here to study, they’re more willing to stay in the province after graduation.”

She has had particular success in attracting people from the Philippines. Filipinos can be found all over the world, working

Are you an employer in Atlantic Canada?

Do you want to hire and retain skilled foreign workers and international graduates?

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot may be exactly what you are looking for.

Canada.ca/Atlantic-immigration

Rhonda Tulk-Lane

Tulk-Lane GET CONNECTED CONNECTED Rhonda Director Solutions GET Director of of Busniness Business Solutions St. John’s Board of Trade

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BUSINESS NEWS

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YOUR GO TO PLACE FOR BUSINESS 709.726.2961 | 709.351.0291

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solutions@bot.nf.ca YOUR GO TO PLACE FOR BUSINESS

Contributed

Work Global Canada Inc. is supported by a multicultural staff, with members from France, Philippines, China, Bangladesh, Jordon and India, including Vice President of Operations, Wanda Cuff-Young, second from left.

11 months of the year, sending most of their money home and only seeing their families sporadically. Cuff-Young offers them a chance to change that paradigm.

“When these immigrants come to Newfoundland, she says, they come as a family and as they get established more members of the family will join them, creating a cohesive unit that will blend into the community where they live and become active participants.” (This is true also in Halifax where it’s not uncommon to see Filipinos participating in the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.)

One of the major issues is having adequate housing and Cuff-Young says she wants to work with communities to ensure this is in place.

“We aren’t talking about large homes — people don’t want them anymore,” she says.

“We need smaller homes that are in the range of $100,000 that are accessible for

people to buy. For many of the immigrants this is a possibility they’ve never had in their homeland.”

Many of the clients she recruits are destined to work in the hospitality industry.

She says she’s being contacted by people looking to hire workers for the coming tourism season. The people she recruits are not temporary foreign workers who come into Canada under different rules, they are potential permanent residents and the process can take several months.

“They really need to be looking ahead towards people for next year’s tourist season,” she says.

Programs like the Atlantic Immigration Pilot haven’t been as effective as they could be. Cuff-Young says these programs need to be changed so that spouses and families can also come to Canada with the main income earner.

“I was at a panel discussing immigration with one of my employees, James, who is Filipino, has worked here and become a Canadian citizen,” she says. “When he was listening to the panel talk about immigration issues, he turned to me and said, ‘It’s ironic; I’m an immigrant, I’m not on the panel and no one is asking me what I think.

They aren’t asking questions of the right people’.”

Another part of her practice is recruiting Francophones from French speaking countries, such as Morocco, France and Mauritius to fill gaps in French speaking parts of the country. As well, she recently received her license to operate in Nova Scotia and will be doing more work in the Maritimes going forward.

Wherever she is working, her goal is simple — find people who want to stay in this region, raise a family and build a life. ■

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JULY / AUGUST 2019

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Mark Bowden /123rf

Find your calling Atlantic School of Theology offers various learning opportunities Contributed

A

tlantic School of Theology is in the business of shaping and forming leaders for today’s society, and for the world that is unfolding. A North American leader in distance, online and summer intensive learning, we specialize in courses and programs that are focussed on enhancing skills, deepening knowledge and transforming students’ lives, careers and vocations. We are an accredited public university dedicated to serving the common good.

Who studies at AST? Most of our students are mature individuals ready for the next challenge in life. Many have already worked in a career for several years. Some come straight out of an undergraduate program. An increasing number study online with us, leveraging the convenience of at-home study and the lower cost of distance learning. About one third of our graduate-level students work in their home communities and combine online courses

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“What do we offer?

Two graduate degrees, one graduate certificate, three diploma programs and multiple short-term opportunities — online and in person — that stretch the imagination, strengthen community service and deepen the spiritual life.” with on-campus opportunities in the summer. Both part-timers and full-time students are welcome. Some are seeking a professional credential and others study out of sheer interest.

What do we offer? Two graduate degrees, one graduate certificate, three diploma programs and multiple short-term opportunities — online and in person — that stretch the imagination, strengthen community service and deepen the spiritual life. Financial assistance is available.

We warmly invite you to explore our website for programs and learning opportunities that might appeal to you. If we may add you to our mailing list, we’ll reach out to you with news and possibilities. Find us on Facebook and Twitter. In fall 2019, look out for choices ranging from the challenges of leadership, to reformation history; from Holocaust studies to contemporary faith development, and more.

Are you ready to learn more, grow more, serve more and discover more? ■ Please contact our Recruitment Coordinator, Dr. Susan MacAlpine-Gillis, at smacalpinegillis@astheology.ns.ca or call her at 902-430-7580.

BUSINESS NEWS

LEADERS SHAPING LEADERS

Arla Johnson Halifax Distilling Co, Owner Licensed Minister, First Baptist Halifax AST class of 2020

Leaders come in many forms. AST develops leaders to meet the theological and ethical challenges of today’s world.

JULY / AUGUST 2019 astheology.ns.ca

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Apply today! Distance courses available online.

THE ECONOMY

By the numbers

Current Month

Same month last year

Change

Population January 2019 .................................................................... 523,800 ................... 527,600 ................................ -0.70% Employed April 2019 ........................................................................... 228,800 ................... 222,900 ..................................2.60% Unemployment rate April 2019 .......................................................... 11.7 ......................... 14.5 ...................................... -2.80% Average weekly earnings .................................................................... 1,038 ....................... 1,041 .................................... -0.30% Consumer Price Index All Items April 2019 ........................................ 140 .......................... 138..........................................1.50% Retail Trade – Unadjusted for seasonal variation Jan-Feb 2019 ....... 1,555,539,000 ........ 1,166,109,000 ..................... -0.90% New Motor vehicle sales Jan-March 2019 .......................................... 6,919 ....................... 5,865 ......................................0.90%

Housing Starts all areas 1st Q 2019 ................................................................... 58 ............................ 199...................................... -70.90% Median price bungalow St. John’s 1st Q ............................................ 290,791 ................... 303,442 ................................ -4.20%

Labour market tidbits Newfoundland and Labrador

T

acora is set to begin iron ore extraction as planned in June 2019 at the former Scully mine in Wabush, which had shut down in 2014. The mine will have a core workforce of about 360 employees.

Marathon Gold is considering establishing an open-pit gold mine within a few years in the Valentine Lake area near Millertown, which would create 450 jobs at full production. The company continues its exploration of gold reserves in the area.

An increase in sea cucumber processing

in the summer of 2019 at the Clearwater Seafoods plant in Grand Bank will provide work for 19 people. While some of the work will go to existing staff, there will be new positions.

Superior Glove would like to add about 30 additional workers to the 160 people employed at its glove factory in Point Leamington, but a limited labour force makes it a challenge to fill positions.

The company also employs 70 workers in Springdale. ■

PREPARED BY: LABOUR MARKET ANALYSIS DIRECTORATE — Service Canada — April 2019

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Dmitriy Shironosov /123rf

SAFETY, SERVICE & RELIABILITY SINCE 1962 TOLL FREE: 1.877.744.3050 PHONE: 709.744.3050 EMAIL: MOTORCOACH@PARSONSBUS.CA

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BUSINESS NEWS

Commissionaires Newfoundland and Labrador

WE KEEP PEOPLE SAFE! Commissionaires Newfoundland and Labrador is a provincially incorporated not-for-profit Security Services company with a social mandate to provide meaningful employment to veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces, RCMP, and other Police and uniformed services as well as other Canadians interested in the security industry. We are the Consumer Choice 2020 Award winner for the top Security Services Company in the province, a recipient of the Newfoundland and Labrador Employer’s Council Employer of Distinction Award, and we are listed with Forbes 2019 as one of the top employers in Canada.

Our Security Officers are a well-trained diverse team, of primarily former military and police, of all ages. Many of our employees have extensive military and police backgrounds and bring a blend of professionalism, discipline, and maturity to their work. Our clients consistently report their satisfaction with and confidence in our members on our annual client surveys. The Commissionaires brand is known throughout the country and is synonymous with professionalism and dedication to duty. All of our members are trained to the Canadian Standards Bureau national training standard for security professionals, and all are fully insured and bonded for the work they do on behalf of our clients.

At Commissionaires we pride themselves on being responsive to our client’s needs and enjoy excellent relations with all whom we serve. We are ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 14001 certified which is our commitment to quality service. With over 700 employees, we are the largest security company in the province, providing security, investigative and surveillance services to federal, provincial, municipal and private contracts. Our services include Static Security Guarding, Mobile Patrols, By-Law Enforcement, Private Investigative Services, Harassment and Discrimination Investigations, Ink and Roll and Digital Fingerprinting, Police Certificates of Conduct (CPIC) with results returned in less than 15 minutes, Pardons, Employee Background Checks, Financial Checks, Government of Canada Security Screening, internal and external training in a wide range of areas including Crisis Prevention Intervention Training, Harassment/Discrimination Training, Marine Security Training (PWSR & MFSO), Loss Prevention Officer Training, Customer Service Training, Use of Force Training, First Aid Training, as well as a large cadre of in-house Commissionaire training programs.

Our corporate culture is shaped by our long tradition of service to Canada and Canadians built upon a strong commitment to quality and leadership; a loyalty to clients and employees; professional training and supervision; the highest standards of integrity and reliability; and strong workforce discipline. We value our clients, our employees as well as our commitment to excellence. Moreover, we strive to make positive contributions to the communities in which we provide services, ensuring that our actions, services and products are socially responsible.

Contact Commissionaires Newfoundland and Labrador at 709-754-0757, visit our website at www.commissionaires.nl.ca or drop by our office at 45 Pippy Place in St. John’s, NL 7809118

DIRECTORS EDUCATION PROGRAM

Better your skills.

BETTER YOUR BOARD. APPLY BEFORE JULY 22, 2019 FOR THE NEXT ST. JOHN’S OFFERING OF CANADA’S LEADING PROGRAM FOR DIRECTORS. WHY APPLY? “The ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program is one of the best professional development activities I’ve ever undertaken. The role of director is one that requires a specific set of skills, and the DEP has great instruction, superb peer learning opportunities, and clear links to current best practice for boards. The takeaways are tremendous – new friends, an expanded network, and most importantly, a clear understanding of what it takes to make a real contribution to a board of directors. I would highly recommend this to individuals who serve on private, public and not-for-profit boards.”

ANNE WHELAN, MBA, ICD.D PRESIDENT & CEO, SEAFAIR CAPITAL CHAIR, NEWFOUNDLAND POWER DIRECTOR, BANK OF CANADA, CSA GROUP

ATTAIN YOUR ICD.D AND BE MORE EFFECTIVE AS A DIRECTOR. Applications are now being accepted for the next St. John’s offering of the DEP. The program is being offered in collaboration with the Gardiner Centre, Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University.

MODULE I: Sept. 16 -18, 2019 MODULE II: Nov. 29 - Dec. 1, 2019

MODULE III: Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2020 MODULE IV: March 23 - 25, 2020

APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 22, 2019 CONTACT THE ICD AND APPLY TODAY.

The DEP is the only program of its kind in Canada that bears the seal of the director community itself.

DEP Alumni are part of a national network of 5,500 graduates and over 14,000 ICD members across Canada.

A dynamic learning environment rich with peer-to-peer insights, director dilemmas, board and committee simulations, and case studies.

Acclaimed faculty - Taught by national and local academics, seasoned directors and leading governance experts.

Flexible scheduling - Modules may be taken in any of the 11 cities where the DEP is offered (space permitting).

First step towards the ICD.D designation upon completion of a written examination and a board meeting simulation chaired and vice-chaired by some of Canada’s most senior directors.

Non-members of the ICD receive a complimentary one-year membership upon application.

In collaboration with:

1.877.593.7741 x290 education@icd.ca

Jointly developed by:

icd.ca/DEP 7808690