Saint John Life on Your Terms

INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTWelcome to life on your terms

Saint John

your business

The difference is a great relationship.coxandpalmerlaw.com

TRAMPOLINE BRANDING Contact: Larry Bootland 902 405 4809

Project: 8343C&P Your Business ad PROG

Client: Cox&Palmer

Publication: Progress Mag- Saint John Supplement

Size: 8.1875” x 10.75”

Insertion Date: Feb, 2011

Photos/Logos: Hi res

NOTE: All trapping is the responsibility of prepress

C M Y K

ProCess seParations

www.enterprisesj.com 1

InSaIntJohn,weknowathIngortwo about winning streaks. Over the past decade our economy has developed and diversified, and 2011 is shaping up to be another great year.

This port city continues to lead in the cruise ship industry, last year welcoming our 1.5 millionth passenger. A $14-million expansion to the port’s berthing capacity will allow cruise ship traffic to double to 400,000 passengers annually. Plans are also underway to enhance our waterfront, including new investment in high-end commer-cial, retail, and residential properties, adding even more to our vibrant uptown core and Harbour Passage, our pedestrian-friendly waterfront walkway.

Our IT sector continues to innovate. Through one of our new IT start-ups, a Saint John-area Sobeys became Canada’s first beta-test pharmacy to fill an electronic prescription sent by a local doctor from his iPad. This is just one example of the leading-edge technology we’re cultivating between IT and health sciences, which are centered with our new Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick program, UNB Saint John, and the Saint John Regional Hospital, New Brunswick’s tertiary care hospital.

Our university celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2010, and business icon Wallace McCain recently announced his commitment to its future with a $5-million gift for the McCain Institute, a UNB Saint John-based centre dedicated to supporting and inspiring entrepreneurs.

Building upon these developments is PlanSJ, the city’s new municipal plan process that emphasizes increased urbanization and a commitment to the strategic develop-ment of residential, commercial, recreational, and cultural assets.

Saint John is home to the largest concentration of commercial art galleries in Atlantic Canada. The Trinity Royal district in our historic uptown contains the country’s finest collection of 19th-century urban architecture. This is where the old blends with the new to create a vibrant neighbourhood that hosts our growing creative class and some of the city’s hippest restaurants, bars, and theatres.

If that’s not enough reason to cheer, there’s our new Saint John Mill Rats of the Premier Basketball League and the-top scoring Saint John Sea Dogs, which sit atop the pack in the junior hockey world, leading the QMJHL and ranked as the No. 1 junior hockey team in Canada.

In Saint John, we’re open for business. Home to Canada’s first chartered bank, the Bank of New Brunswick, we’re the birthplace of modern commerce. Our active Saint John Board of Trade is the third-longest continuous running Chamber of Commerce in Canada. More recently, Enterprise Saint John, our region’s economic development agency, won a national leadership award from IPAC-Deloitte, another first in its class for Atlantic Canada.

We invite you to join us for another championship year in Saint John, the original city.

Reason to cheeR

www.enterprisesj.com2


enteRpRising spiRit

In the autumn of 2007, Stephen Kopp and monIca adaIr left their jobs as architects at a large Manhattan firm and wondered what to do with the rest of their lives and where to do it. The couple, who had just turned 30, packed their belongings into a U-Haul, which they decided to store at Adair’s father’s warehouse in Saint John, N.B., until they knew where they were headed.

As it turns out, they went no further than Saint John. After a refreshing camping trip in the surrounding parklands, Kopp and Adair began to take a closer look at the two-century-plus-old port city and liked what they saw: a vibrant friendly community; a growing entrepreneurial spirit; and abundant opportunities for redevelopment. In short, they realized that as young architects they could help mold the city’s atmosphere.

“Our first project was a little wine-bar patio,” says Adair over a lunch of turkey meatloaf at the Opera Bistro in historic uptown Saint John. “You realize that even a little project like that affects the whole public experience of the area. It’s not just architecture, it’s problem-solving for cities. And we want to be part of it.”

In many respects, Saint John is the perfect place for a pair of young architects. First, the city is used to welcoming newcomers and returning expatriates.

Saint John is a kaleidoscopic metropolis with exciting opportunities for new business, a focused community vision, and plenty of authentic culture. these qualities make the area increasingly attractive to mobile young families and immigrants

A growing wave of immigrants and people from other provinces has also been embraced. Consider the Opera Bistro. Started by Axel and Margret Begner, who emigrated from Cologne, Germany, in the early 1990s, the restaurant is known for its inventive European cuisine, adding to the array of the city’s international culinary offerings. It’s located on Prince William Street, in the heart of one of the finest building “stocks” of Victo-rian architecture in North America. The elegant buildings are an exotic and afford-able attraction for newcomers, because they make ideal locations for galleries, retail, restaurants, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested the myriad benefits of working in a beautiful space.


contagIouS WarmthJust down Prince William Street is the office of Anick Michel, the communica-tions director at ARCf de Saint Jean, which represents the city’s 5,500 francophones. She, her husband, and three children recently moved here from Montreal, and she has found a community that’s easy to feel part of and help develop. She enjoys working in a 160-year-old building and helping promote the French language and culture, but what has really struck her is the friendliness of the residents. “Everybody talks to you—on the street, in the stores,”

she says, sitting in a coffee shop across from her office. “They’re so friendly that now I find myself talking to people too.”

That warmth has a role to play in the city’s future economic success. “Saint John has a sense of community in spades—people are genuinely concerned about each other,” says Don Desserud, the executive director of the Urban Institute at the University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ) campus. “When that happens daily, you get a sense of support and belonging. And there’s a transaction cost that’s lowered when people know they can trust the

people they’re dealing with.”Another member of the Prince William

Street entrepreneurial community is a prime example of how this helps the city’s competitiveness. Having grown up in Saint John, Sean Higgins is a co-founder of the IPTV company Encore Interactive, which provides telephone and cable customers with home video software, so they can offer their customers television services. Like the operators of other Saint John start-ups, he says the mentoring he has received within the local business community has been invaluable. “Saint John offers a great quality of life, a very supportive ecosystem for start-up companies, relatively inexpen-sive locations to set up a business, and a strong talent pool in the technology fields to draw upon,” he says.

A collegial atmosphere has long been a hallmark of Saint John, and it’s paying economic dividends like never before. How? Because a city that has historically latched its hopes to a single megaproject—at various times the shipyard, pulp-and-paper mill, and oil refinery—is now realizing that its economic future rests with not a single large scheme but rather a mosaic of economic endeavours. “What I think has changed is there’s an increasing realization that Saint John has much more to offer than a big single project,” says Desserud. “That has led to start-ups and diversification. I’ve never seen a more vibrant entrepreneurial commu-nity here or a greater range of young people doing interesting things.”

As part of its 225th birthday, the city was named one of Canada’s cultural capitals in 2010, and its arts community is thriving. The educational sector is also doing well. A recent boost is that Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick is now offering a medical program at UNBSJ. continued on page 6

Learn more at: www.unbsj.ca/prospective

fuelling new brunswick’s newest health cluster In addition to offering two health sciences degreeprograms and conducting leading-edge health research, UNB Saint John is host to Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick and NBCC Allied Health.

Our province’s next generation of health care professionals are getting their start with us.

Fun FactsCanada’s 1st incorporated city, 1785

Home to Canada’s largest oil refinery

Saint John Sea Dogs: Canada’s #1 Junior hockey team

A top “hot spot” for young talented workers

Home to Canada’s 1st liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal

Home to Stonehammer, North America’s 1st UNESCO Geopark

Canada’s only city on the Bay of Fundy

Happiest city in Canada


“We aim to get kids from cradle to career,” says Tom Gribbons, the new

chair of the Saint John-based Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative

(BCAPI). “We stole that line from somewhere, but I like it,” adds Gribbons,

a branch manager at RBC’s Dominion Securities when he isn’t heading the

group of businesspeople focused on tackling poverty.

Formed in 1997 by retired RBC bank executive Bill Gale, BCAPI partners

with other sectors and contributes business leadership, skills, and resources

to the cause. The aim is to provide children, youth, and families from the

city’s poorest neighbourhoods with the tools of success. Naturally, there’s a

strong focus on education. Early on, volunteers began mentoring in elemen-

tary schools and working with single-parent families. BCAPI currently has

hundreds of volunteers spread across 13 city elementary schools, and it’s

looking at improving the success of youth in junior and high schools. “In five

to 10 years, we want our high school drop-out rates to be the lowest in the

country,” says Gribbons. To that end, a scholarship fund is being established

in Gale’s name to help students get a post-secondary education.

In 2000 the group engaged accounting-and-consulting firm Deloitte to

help them focus on how best to approach their work. Deloitte has recently

been re-engaged to advise on the current focus. “We’re evolving from a

movement to an organization,” says Gribbons. “When BCAPI was founded,

it was a passion of Bill’s. He initially got people involved, but now we’re

talking about longevity.”

The group has already made an impact; the city’s poverty level is down

from 27% to 22%, and child poverty has fallen from 34% to 28%, but

those numbers are still higher than provincial and national averages. The

success is in part thanks to the involvement and generosity of such well-

community solutions

known businesspeople as J.K. Irving, of J.D. Irving, Limited. (JDI) and one

of the first participants in BCAPI. Irving was a founder of the Partners

Assisting Local Schools (PALS) program at Prince Charles School, across

the street from JDI’s corporate headquarters; PALS focuses on helping

students reach their potential.

BCAPI views poverty as a community problem with a commu-

nity solution. Other groups fighting poverty in Saint John include the

Joshua Group, whose founder, Bobby Hayes, was a recent winner of

Champions of Change, CBC’s national volunteer-recognition contest.

“There’s no shame in poverty,” says Gribbons. “There’s shame in a

community that does nothing about it.” n

Strip cutting doesn’t cut it!Secure destruction of confidential information is critical in today’s business environment.

Shred Guard is an Atlantic Canadian company whose strength lies in its service flexibility and its professionally trained, bonded technicians.

Shred Guard guarantees the secure, on-site destruction of not only paper documents, but also electronic data storage including CDs, DVDs and hard drives.

Nationally certified, Shred Guard is your trusted source for on-site document destruction.

Contact us today to discuss your information destruction needs.

1-866-70-SHRED (707-4733)[email protected]

Protect your business


That dovetails nicely with the growing cluster of biotech companies that are targeting inter-national markets. Increased immigration has led to broader multiculturalism, with an array of new businesses and support associations. A range of services encourages and supports newcomers. Saint John Y Settlement Services and Saint John Multicultural and Newcomers Resource Centre (SJMNRC) help people acclimatize, and those hoping to launch their own businesses can find help at with Business Immigrant Mentorship Program, a partnership among the Y, the SJMNRC, the Saint John Board of Trade, and Enterprise Saint John.

Worth noting about these innova-tive developments is that they have grown from the ground up. For example, the region-wide Fusion movement was founded in Saint John as a group of civic-minded young professionals who wanted to promote their city, and it has been repli-cated in such cities as Halifax and Bangor. “There’s no other place in the world with the same level of collaboration and desire to see things happen than Saint John,” says current Fusion chair Sarah Craig. “I believe this is why Fusion was able to start here and why it has remained successful.”

Maybe it’s no coincidence that the winner

of the 2011 national Manulife Financial Champions of Change competition was Saint John’s Bobby Hayes, the founder of the Joshua Group, which helps inner-city youth. Hayes exemplifies the sense of community that is shaping the evolution of Saint John’s civil society and economy.

“The heart of the city is its community,” says Anick Michel. “The city’s success comes from the ground up. The same is true for ARCf and the French community. All of our accomplishments derive from a combined effort and devotion.”

Architects Stephen Kopp and Monica Adair have likewise witnessed local residents supporting those who want to succeed. “We’ve had more of the Medici-type clients than government support,” says Adair. And their practice is thriving, so successful that it has been featured

nationally as an “emerging firm to watch”. They recently won a competition to design artwork for the exterior of Saint John’s new Transit Facility. The project was funded through the City’s “one per cent for public art” policy, which has mandated that appropriate city capital projects would include the creation and installation of public art. To share their experiences they have been visiting professors and guest lecturers at McGill University’s School of Architecture in Montreal.

Currently the husband-and-wife team is working on a project they call New Brunswick House. “We’re still exploring the concept,” says Adair. “That it will be a green home is a given. But it also has to be affordable and tailored to the new lifestyle.” The pair is hoping to incorporate locally produced materials in innovative ways to be used in the construction of the homes. A prototype is in a preliminary stage. Suitably, its design will be inspired by the energy and spirit of their new home. n

“the city’s success

comes from the

ground up. all of

our accomplish-

ments derive from

a combined effort

and devotion”

— anick michel, aRcf de saint Jean


Whether he’s uploading scripts or conducting his day job as

director of operations for Atlantic Hydrogen, John Spurway

needs bandwidth. The senior executive and playwright is

impressed by the speed with which material can be uploaded

and downloaded, as well as the ease with which his new home

and office systems were installed. “When colleagues are travel-

ling, they can access files much faster,” says Spurway. “And

when the people in the lab want to do remote monitoring of our

site, they have a better upload speed.”

Saint John-based Bell Aliant’s new FibreOP Internet 170/30

service has the highest bandwidth capability for sending and

receiving data, and Spurway’s varied needs are typical of the

many ways the new service is being used. At work, Spurway’s

focus is the CarbonSaver, an environmentally friendly technology

that lowers emissions by burning natural gas. As a playwright,

he’s known for theatrical comedies. His latest work, Jessie’s Landing, will premiere at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port

Dover, Ont., this summer.

Before switching to FibreOP, Spurway used the standard

Aliant DSL telephone line. The DSL system uses copper to

disseminate signals. The new network takes fibre optic

cable to each individual location. “This is the most advanced

broadband network available anywhere, and we believe it’s

future ready,” says Kelly Duplisea, Bell Aliant’s VP of FibreOP

and TV.

Bell Aliant is currently being supported by provincial govern-

ments as it expands its new system. In recent months, the

company has connected the cities of Fredericton and Saint John,

marking the first time Canadian cities have been fully linked to

a fibre optic network. Most of Moncton and Sydney are hooked

up, and 160,000 homes and businesses in Halifax will start to

access the service by the middle of 2011. “It’s a big build and

a significant investment for us,” says Duplisea. “In total, we’re

spending about $500 million to connect more than 600,000

homes and businesses by the end of 2012.”

Bell Aliant operates across Ontario and Quebec, as well as

in the Atlantic provinces. The expansion of the new system

will bring benefits to strategic sectors such as telehealth and

distance education, as well as to businesses and individuals

who use the system for telecommuting and entertainment. The

company has been recognized for its work in bringing fibre optic

technology to homes with the North American FTTXcellence

Award, which was presented at the 2010 FTTH Conference &

Expo last September in Las Vegas. n

WiRed FoR WoRk and play

Engineering and EnvironmentalDesign and Consulting

EXPERIENCEVISIONCOMMITMENT

Halifax Sydney Charlottetown Saint John Fredericton Dieppe St. John’s Corner Brook Goose Bay

CBCL Limited is the leading locally owned multidisciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm in Atlantic

Canada. With a staff base of over 300 in our nine offices, we deliver high value and high quality professional services to our

Clients throughout the region.

“Atlantic Canada’sLeading Engineering Firm”

[email protected]

Municipal Services Water & Wastewater

BuildingsIndustry & Manufacturing

Energy & PowerOil & Gas

MarineTransportation & BridgesEnvironment & Planning

Progress Feb 18 2011 PM1801 Saint John Special.indd 1 2/2/2011 9:33:43 AM


JaSon rIchard began to fully realIze the advantageS of starting a business in Saint John when he began getting referrals from some of his clients. In January of 2007, he launched his website, Prop2go.com, which provides software to assist property owners and managers, as well as those searching for homes. Soon after the launch, local property management companies introduced Prop2Go to other local and national property managers, who were soon referring peers in other cities to the company. “It’s all about community here, and everyone is out to help each other,” says Richard. “People don’t want to see what they can get out of you—they approach every-thing from a win-win perspective.”

Four years later, the Saint John start-up has clients across Canada and in the U.S., Britain, Australia, and China. In terms of the number of visitors per day, Prop2Go.com has become one of the fastest-growing websites in Canada.

What Saint John has become is a diverse community of entrepreneurs, with young companies thriving because the city offers a winning mix of mentorship, organizational

a Winning mix

support, and government programs. In particular, the city once known for its industrial economic backbone is becoming a hotbed for start-ups, especially in informa-tion technology and health. These sectors are being nurtured in part because of the local government and business community’s emphasis on best-in-class telecommunica-tions and health care in the region.

In the IT field, Saint John is home to Bell Aliant (formerly well-known as provincial telco NBTel), the region’s largest telecom company, which has helped grow the business environment. Not only

saint John’s burgeoning entrepreneurial class is building a practical knowledge cluster

around local strengths: health-related it, clean tech, and communication technologies.

opportunities for collaboration across disciplines is creating a dynamic business ecosystem

that is supported by local infrastructure, from mentoring to knowledge parks


do former NBTel employees comprise a substantial portion of the entrepreneurs, their mentors, and investors, but it also has helped shape the technological thinking in the community. For example, in 2009 the company announced it would spend $60 million to hook up 60,000 homes in Fredericton and Saint John to a fibre optics network, the first time in Canada this happened. That means Saint John is one big laboratory for IT innovators (see “Wired for work and play,” page 7).

Similarly, the health and bioscience sectors have been aided by the dynamic research community in Saint John. This segment got a huge boost when, in September of 2010, Dalhousie Medical School began offering a program in Saint John in which 30 students a year can study in the city. Not only are doctors now being trained in Saint John, but their accompa-nying R&D work is contributing to the city’s biosciences industry.

This combination of health care and IT has made Saint John a home base to several innovative companies that apply technology to health care. For example, MedRunner Inc. is developing an e-prescription service that will allow doctors to communicate with pharma-cies over their phones, tablets, or personal computers rather than writing paper prescriptions.

Then there’s Clinic Server, a web-based management system for health clinic owners. Its online program allows clinicians to book appointments, maintain patient records, and manage billings, all without installing software or servers. Applepeak is a software firm which produces the Wellness Record, a personal health application. The multi-channel software enables users to embrace their own wellness programs, with seamless connectivity to other members and a health care team. “Personal information is controlled in our secure environment,” says Kerry McLellan, CEO and Applepeak founder.

All of these start-ups have benefited from a wide-reaching network of entre-preneurs and mentors in Saint John. Consider the development of Prop2Go.com. Jason Richard had been working in Halifax before launching his venture, but he longed to live in the city of his birth near friends and family. So in early 2006 he moved back to Saint John and was soon working with various groups that encourage entrepreneurship. Propel ICT helped him with networking, as well assisted with accounting and legal advice—the nuts

and bolts of building a business that don’t come easily or cheaply. Enterprise Saint John helped with seed funding and business training. The Wallace McCain Institute at the University of New Brunswick helped with corporate planning, establishing goals, and raising capital. And the National Research Council helped the young startup so that its software would be robust enough to meet client demand and could be scaled up to service clients across the country.

Propel ICT is a Saint John-based private-sector-funded business accelerator offering select tech start-ups a circle of industry mentors. “Specifically, the accel-erator program puts you in touch with mentors from the business community around New Brunswick,” says Richard. His business benefited from the coaching of serial tech entrepreneur Gerry Pond, who has guided a host of young companies.

“We have received tremendous support from all levels of government: ACOA and NRC at the federal level , BNB at the provincial level, and Enterprise Saint John at the municipal level,’’ says Encore Interactive’s Sean Higgins. “The array of contacts, connections, and resources we have received through these organizations has been invaluable to Encore from its earliest days and continues to this day.’’

These entrepreneurs haven’t forgotten what they have gained from Saint John, and they’re committed to giving back to

their community. “They bring a strong passion and drive for what they’re doing, and like others in their generation, they’re socially committed to the city,” says Sarah Craig, chair of the young professionals group Fusion. “Not only are we seeing them create jobs and economic invest-ment, but they’re also volunteering their time and their businesses’ time to chari-ties, mentoring their peers for success, and committed to seeing Saint John thrive.”

Craig notes that these exceptional individuals are global in their outlook, supply chains, and markets, but they also recognize the unique opportunities Saint John offers. For the first time, the city is pinning its economic hopes on a grassroots diversification rather than on one or two stand-alone megaprojects. Along with the arts community and a wave of immigration, Saint John is hoping to create a mosaic of enterprises that will generate growth for the future.

And it’s working. Prop2go.com recently secured its first customers in China and Australia and is considering opening branch offices in Halifax and the United Kingdom. Says Sean Higgins, “There’s a feeling of energy and optimism on the streets. The community is small enough that we regularly get to meet , compare notes, and discuss opportunities with former colleagues who have gone on to start new ventures.” n

entrepreneurs haven’t forgotten what they have gained from saint John, and they’re committed to giving back


Ever wonder what the effects of birth

control pills are on fathead minnows?

Chris Martyniuk has. The molecular

biologist from Sarnia, Ont., is fascinated

by the effects of a range of human

pollutants on fish and whether those

impacts have any bearing on human

health.

Martyniuk is a scientist at the Univer-

sity of New Brunswick Saint John

(UNBSJ) Canadian Rivers Institute, an

internationally respected establishment

devoted to the health and integrity

of the country’s—indeed, the world’s

—river systems. It’s fitting that such a

prestigious institute is located in a city

whose heritage is linked so closely to the

fact that it lies at the mouth of one of

North America’s greatest river systems.

This clutch of scientists is studying

the molecular ecology of rivers, trying to

determine what pollutants are present

in the water chain and what effects

they’re having on other plants, animals,

and humans that comprise the local

ecosystem.

Martyniuk, who came to Saint John

from the University of Florida, developed

the university’s toxigenomics laboratory

to study how various pollutants affect

fish reproduction. In particular, research

has shown that common drugs such as

Prozac and birth control pills that are

flushed into the sewage systems haven’t

fully broken down by the time they end

up in the surrounding water system.

Martyniuk is researching how these

chemical affect fathead minnows,

“because it is a well-used toxicology

model” and they reproduce quickly in

the lab. He has also done research on

other species as well. “We’re identifying

common patterns of toxicity and corre-

lating it to human health,” he says.

The Canadian Rivers Institute will

expand its capabilities in health-related

research in partnership with Dalhousie

Medicine New Brunswick, also located

on the UNBSJ campus. Already the

institute is attracting researchers from

around the world and is working closely

with researchers from across North

America, Sri Lanka, and Chile. n

studying RiveRs



to marK the 225th bIrthday of SaInt John, Peter Powning and a few hundred helpers are building a monument to honour the 11,000 years that humans have lived at the mouth of the St. John River. The sculptor, who lives in the rural area east of the city, is working on a public sculpture called Shards of Time, which comprises two curved walls of mostly coloured terra cotta with a band of aged bronze. That bronze band incorporates impressions of artefacts supplied by Saint John residents, the New Brunswick Museum, and other historical institutions: old tools, buttons, coins, and other bits of history that families have accumulated over the centuries. “Historical mulch” is what Powning calls it, explaining it will represent everything from stone tools to cellphones.

The sculpture is characteristic of a city that has come to value its arts community and the contribution culture makes to society and the economy. In 2010 the city was designated a “Cultural Capital of Canada,” which brought with it $750,000 in federal funding from Canadian Heritage. Out of this grew Saint John 225, a year-long celebra-tion of arts, culture, and heritage that leveraged the federal contribution into $1.5 million which included $225,000 each from the City of Saint John, the Province of New Brunswick, and corporate sponsors.

“Saint John easily has the most public sculptures of any city in the region,” says Powning, 61, who lives on an organic farm with his wife, the author Beth Powning, and their sword-smith son, Jacob, an artist who forges swords in the Celtic and Nordic tradition and sells them to collectors around the world. “It has a vibrancy that’s impressive,” he says.

In fact, the arts community is being buttressed by a growing realization that cultural enterprises are a vital ingredient in a diversified and entrepreneurial economy. “More and more people here realize that if you want to attract people to your community, you need to have a strong cultural sector,” says Peter Buckland, the owner of the Peter Buckland Gallery in uptown Saint John. Others would agree. Don Desserud, the executive director of the Urban Institute at University of New Brunswick Saint John (UNBSJ), is one of them. “I think that this is the key. It’s part of what gives a person the sense that this is a city you want to do business in.”

The sense of culture begins with the structure of the city itself. It’s recognized for having the most glorious “stock” of Victorian architecture in the continent, and it lends itself to a community of artisans who want to work in spacious old lofts. Plus, the public

cultuRal capital

arts program is making community spaces more interesting and beautiful.

Saint John has a long tradition in the dramatic and visual arts, which is constantly being revital-ized. Three times a year, the city hosts Gallery Hops, in which about 150 people at a time tour its 11 public and private art galleries. The Imperial Theatre is hailed as one of the most beautiful live venues in the region, and the Saint John Theatre Company and Phoenix Dinner Theatre keep the tradition of live drama alive.

The music scene is also bustling, whether it’s the annual Salty Jam music festival or Symphony New Brunswick, which is based in Saint John. The investment from the cultural capital desig-nation has left a legacy for the city, including the Shards of Time sculpture. It also generated discussions on arts policy, funding public lectures on the meaning and necessity of art by such renowned figures as internationally renowned designer Karim Rashid.

Buckland says the city now must figure out how to continue the work done by the Saint John 225 committee and ensure the cultural momentum gained in the last year doesn’t wane. “We know 225 is wrapping up, so what does 226 look like?” says Scott Campbell, a designer-turned-banker who is helping plan the city’s upcoming Arts Summit. “I think 226 will be much more grassroots driven. We need to have much more discussion—in schools, community groups, coffee shops—and keep it going.”

Saint John currently has a critical mass in the arts, but the challenge is to make sure it stays that way. Money isn’t the main factor, says Campbell. The essential ingredient is to make sure the public participates, whether as artists or audience members, and perpetuate the feeling that this city values culture. “The critical factor is how well we facilitate ongoing participation by making the arts inspiring and accessible,” he adds. “Technology will play an increasingly important role in this area.”

Buckland believes Saint John has much to work with and must continue building on the character that exists. “When I speak publically, I always say that I think Saint John is Atlantic Canada’s most beautiful city,” he says. “No one has challenged me on it yet. I know there’s a grittiness here, but that’s part of the charm. Gritty is the new cool.” n

caption


Dedicatedto the Region.Since 1924, Irving Oil has maintained its strong commitment to the Region.

Today, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees, Irving Oil operates Canada’s largest refinery. Ranked 7th of 140 refineries in North America, we produce over 300,000 barrels of finished energy products per day.

In Canada, we’re expanding our operations further into Quebec, Ontario and into New England as far south as Rhode Island and west into Vermont.

Built on a deep respect for our employees and our promise to provide excellent service to our customers, Irving Oil remains committed to reliable, safe and responsible operations.

www.irvingoil.com

Dedicated to the Region ad 8.1875w x 10.75h v11.indd 1 2/23/2011 3:24:34 PM

Documents

Saint John Life on Your Terms