Imagine it.
It’s the year 2030 and the Halifax Gateway stands proudly as the preferred eastern gateway for the international movement of goods and people to and from North America.
As a result of transportation efficiency improvements and the introduction of supportive government policies, the Halifax Gateway is competitive and recognized as a valuable national asset, driving economic growth in Atlantic Canada and Canada as a whole.
This is the ultimate vision for the Halifax
Gateway.
This week,
the Halifax
Gateway Council (HGC) released its new 2010—2015: Strategic Plan: Building the Halifax Gateway articulating this new vision and outlining the strategic issues and goals they need to achieve to make
it a reality.
Every day, Halifax Gateway businesses and organizations welcome the
world to our doorstep – by air, sea, road and rail. The HGC’s new
plan highlights the Gateway’s role as a key
transportation hub and as an essential ingredient in growing
Canada’s economy. It will guide our work
over the next five years as we implement initiatives to improve the way we move
both cargo and people to and from the east coast of North America and the world.
To realize
our vision, the HGC will focus on achieving five strategic goals:
1. Ensuring the Halifax Gateway offers efficient
transportation networks to meet shipping and travel needs;
2. Improving Halifax Gateway infrastructure to capitalize
on gateway related business opportunities;
3. Ensuring government policy supports gateway
development and that barriers to trade and travel are minimized;
4. Establishing the Halifax Gateway brand
nationally and internationally; and
5. Coordinating with the myriad of gateway councils
and organizations in Atlantic Canada and supporting the Atlantic Gateway Strategy.
For those of you who aren’t
familiar with the Halifax Gateway Council, it was established in 2004 to
provide a forum for transportation providers and stakeholders in the Halifax
region to work together to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the
Halifax Gateway. Since 2008, the HGC has
been managed on a day-to-day basis by the Greater Halifax Partnership. As the catalyst for economic growth and confidence in Greater Halifax, the Partnership recognizes the significant economic and social
impact the Gateway produces for Halifax, Atlantic Canada and Canada as a whole. The Gateway has a total economic
impact of over $3 billion a year and employs over 23,500 people in Nova Scotia.
Supporting the Halifax Gateway and helping the HGC achieve its goals and objectives
is a priority initiative for the Partnership as we work to grow the economy in Greater Halifax,
the economic hub of Atlantic Canada.
As the HGC looks ahead to 2015 and beyond, we look forward to working in partnership with Gateway members and transportation providers to realize our shared vision for the Halifax Gateway.
Nancy Phillips is the Director, Investment and Trade, for the Greater Halifax Partnership and Executive Director for the Halifax Gateway Council.