We are just wrapping up our visit to Austin, Texas - home of the Texas Longhorns and some great tex mex. Austin, the state capital, is very different from Houston and Dallas. It has kept its original charm and small town feel.
Austin has grown from a population of 250,000 in the early 1980's to well over 1.3 million people today. They say it is the fastest growing city in the US. Austin is know as a City of Creativity and is home to Dell Computers. In fact, the world-famous South by South West Conference starts just after we leave; we're sorry we can't be here to participate.
In Austin they don't ask how fast is the "download speed" they ask how fast is the "upload speed". This is something to think about as we build and grow our creative community in Halifax.
We're departing this morning for Denver, Colorado - trading the cowboy boots for snow boots!
From February 25 to March 16, the Canadian delegation is visiting five U.S. cities – Washington, Kansas City, Austin, Denver and San Francisco - to learn about entrepreneurial efforts initiated by women in the U.S. and the influence of social, economic and political factors on U.S. private enterprises.
Nancy Phillips, Director of Investment and Trade at the Greater Halifax Partnership and the Executive Director of the Halifax Gateway Council, is one of six Canadian women who are visiting the United States under the Women in Trade and Entrepreneurship, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
IVLP participants are current and emerging leaders from across the world who are nominated and selected annually by the staff at U.S. embassies. Phillips was invited by the United States Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, to participate in the 21-day professional exchange program aimed at deepening understanding and ties between Americans and citizens of other countries.
The Greater Halifax Partnership team and the Halifax Gateway Council are delighted that Nancy has been selected for such a prestigious program promoting cultural exchange and collaboration between the United States and Canada.
"Given her experience and leadership of the Halifax Gateway Council and the Partnership’s investment and trade efforts, it’s natural that she would be asked to participate in a project focused on women in trade and entrepreneurship," shared Paul Kent, Partnership President and CEO.
From February 25 to March 16, the Canadian delegation will visit five U.S. cities – Washington, Kansas City, Austin, Denver and San Francisco - to learn about entrepreneurial efforts initiated by women in the U.S. and the influence of social, economic and political factors on U.S. private enterprises.
Joyce Carter, Chairperson of the Halifax Gateway Council, says this is "a tremendous opportunity to cultivate lasting relationships with our principal trading partner."
"Nancy is an outstanding ambassador for Halifax," says Joyce. "She will add immense perspective and value to the exchange.”
Nancy is sharing her experiences during the trip. Here are photos and updates from her visit to Washington. Stay tuned for more.
February 25: Today we did some sightseeing with a fabulous historian who's great-grandfather painted the frescoes in the Capital Building. The sites included the White House, the Capitol Building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial. In the afternoon we went to the Holocaust Museum.
February 27: Our days are filled with meetings including officials at the State Department and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and our program coordinators and sponsors. As well, we had a meeting inside the House of Representatives yesterday - what a busy place with all the lobbyists running around! We also visited the beautiful campus of Georgtown University and George Washington University. Today, we are packing up to leave Washington for our next stop Kansas City, MO.
Last week, Metro News Halifax published a series of articles from CityMatters 2012, a citizen survey performed with partners MQO Research
and the Greater Halifax Partnership. Its aim is simple; to ask Halifax residents how they feel about
the city, the economy, and their satisfaction with living in the city and other
key quality of life factors.
The
Greater Halifax Partnership has also published the slideshow from our investor
“sneak peek” and the raw data from the
survey. While Metro News Halifax covered the individual areas, for me the most
interesting thing is looking at some broad themes and how the city is
progressing.
There is a clear mandate for
downtown revitalization.
84% of
residents believe that the revitalization of downtown is important or very
important. Only 14% believe that current efforts are very good. The good news
is many of the intangibles of a vibrant downtown (restaurants and cafes,
safety, arts and culture and tourist-friendliness) are highly rated and a
number of high profile developments have recently been started such as the Nova Centre ($500 million), Central Library ($55 million), TD Centre ($26 million) and RBC Waterside($25 million).
A
concerted effort to encourage more businesses, residents and development in the
downtown, along with improvements in transportation are priority for the
revitalization effort. Groups like the Strategic
Urban Partnership and the Community Design Advisory Committee are focused on similar themes.
There is work to be done to create
confidence in the economy.
Unlike most
Canadian cities, Halifax’s economy grew every year during the recession. The
challenge for most regions that do relatively well during a recession is that
they tend to grow a little slower after. Contracts being negotiated by Halifax
Shipyard for the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy come with silence during the planning stages and public
confidence that swelled has returned to pre-announcement levels. Much of the preparatory work at all levels is
happening now, but without bricks and mortar or job postings, it is difficult
to see it.
In
particular, residents scored good job opportunities as one of their lowest
rated attributes in the city; particularly 18-34 year olds. In order to grow
confidence in our economy, we need to work together to create more and better
opportunities and connect our residents do them.
Despite these challenges, people
love living in Halifax.
At the end of the day, people feel like Halifax is a safe place to
raise kids, a friendly city with a high quality of life and good health care. We
know this from the Halifax Index
too and our measures of quality of place. Largely, people would recommend Halifax to others as a good
place to live. These are all really
positive attributes for a community to build on into the future.
David is the Junior Economist and Project Development Coordinator at the Greater Halifax Partnership. He studied Economics and Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island, and has experience working with private, public and non-profit organizations.
I am very excited to be back in Beijing after three years, and this time for a different reason. On behalf of the Greater Halifax Partnership, I join the Council of the Federation (COF) trade mission to China from September 10 to 20 - a delegation of nine premiers and over 100 government, education and business leaders from across Canada.
After a 14 hour flight, we arrived at the Beijing Airport yesterday afternoon. It was a beautiful, sunny and humid day in China's capital city. It took about two hours to travel from the airport to the hotel and on the way I saw so many cars and people. Beijing is bustling and so is the rest of the country.
China is the world's largest exporter and second largest importer, representing a fast-growing segment of Canada’s global trading market. It is now Canada’s second largest single-nation trading partner with two-way trade reaching almost $65 billion in 2011.
Canada is well suited to do more business with China. A recent study on the benefits of trade between our two countries found that there is great potential to increase trade in energy, high end manufacturing, natural resources, ocean technologies, environmental services, and education. It concluded that Canada and China should continue to deepen and strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties.
The objective of this trade mission is to do just that. Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter is the chair of the COF 2012 and the official spokesperson of this mission. The mission will include stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong and representation at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin. A series of political and business meetings have been confirmed, and of course economic cooperation will be high on the agenda.
Jackie Guo is the Coordinator of International MBA Student Connector Program. In addition to his work at the Partnership, Jackie is an active volunteer for Halifax United Way.
Nova Scotia has received another positive outlook on its economic future. BMO Capital Markets released a special report today on Halifax, and they see big things coming; more production, employment and housing starts.
Source: BMO Regional Close-up
In the short-term, preparatory work at Halifax Shipyard and major projects across the province should boost real GDP growth from 0.3% in 2011 to 2.3% in 2013. This is expected to ramp up by 2016, with over 12,000 jobs added and Halifax's unemployment rate dropping to 4%. Major employment growth is expected to trigger plenty of consumer demand, including housing starts and sales, and retail markets getting a boost. While a hot housing market generally means increased prices, housing remains relatively affordable in Halifax in comparison to other major cities and has room to grow.
Population growth has slowed but continues to be above national averages. Buoyed by international immigration, Nova Scotia continues to add to its population, although outflows to Alberta and other provinces present a cause for concern, particularly if those outflows are in skilled labour.
This brings us to the “what does this mean to me?” portion of this piece. First, BMO is urging Halifax businesses to get their share of capital available in the market to make the investments in people and equipment necessary to maximize growth. Furthermore, government programs are available to provide assistance in developing your workforce or for making capital investments.
Second, I urge you to take a look at the economic impact work that the Greater Halifax Partnership completed on the shipbuilding contract. The breadth and depth of a major project like this has significant impact in a large number of industries.
People typically focus on the direct beneficiaries (the Shipyard, metal workers, defence), however understanding how indirect and induced economic activity works should make a range of folks excited. A few examples:
More businesses and greater activity means a need for accountants, IT companies, lawyers, banks and other professionals;
More employment and wages lead to more spending within the local economy; that means more haircuts, dry cleaning, cars, houses, groceries and nights out at a restaurant or taking in a show.
So when considering how major projects in Nova Scotia are driving economic growth, consider whether this is the time for your business to take that next step even if you aren’t building a ship. Expansion within an expanding market makes a lot of sense, and our SmartBusiness team can help you understand what might be available to you and how you can take advantage.
Author: David Fleming
David is the Junior Economist and Project Development Coordinator at the Greater Halifax Partnership. He studied Economics and Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island, and has experience working with private, public and non-profit organizations.
We’re one week away from the release of The Halifax Index (Halifax’s new economic progress tool). As the lead researcher and writer, I thought I’d explain where this project came from, why I think it’s important and what you can expect from the first Index.
When AGREATERHalifax, Economic Strategy for 2011-16 was being developed, the vision and values that were behind it were different than your typical economic strategy. Ideas and actions around sustainable environment, social capital, and building a diverse and vibrant community emerged from the collaborative development process. As such, it is evident that simple economic indicators like jobs and the amount of production were not going to tell the story of our community's progress. We had to build something different.
Take population growth as an example. When someone is choosing where to live, a number of key questions drive their decision:
Will I find a good job?
Will I find affordable housing?
Is the local community welcoming?
Will I be safe and healthy?
Is there a vibrant arts, culture and recreation community?
Are there better opportunities in other communities?
The Index’s four sections, “People,” “Economy,” “Quality of Place,” and “Sustainability,” represent a more comprehensive approach to measuring economic progress. Working with local organizations, governments and consulting a variety of publications from other communities, we’ve built a set of indicators that represent the best data available to tell that story. The Index will get better each year as we harness more of the collective wisdom of the community and build strong research relationships between government, non-profit, academia and the business community.
The first Index is about setting a benchmark for progress. We’ve identified key opportunities and challenges around immigration, our regulatory climate, urban area growth and a cultural change we need to make that will help our community progress towards its goal. We’ll unveil these findings, and others, at the first annual Halifax State of the Economy Conference on May 23rd-24th, 2012.
Remember that the Economic Strategy is just a blueprint. It requires action from everyone to realize our vision for Halifax. If we do the right things and continue to work together, the Halifax Index will tell a story of a community that’s vibrant, diverse, healthy and full of opportunity for many.
Author: David Fleming
David is the Junior Economist and Project Development Coordinator at the Greater Halifax Partnership. He studied Economics and Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island, and has experience working with private, public and non-profit organizations.
With the federal budget set to be tabled this afternoon, how expenditure review will roll out regionally should be on the minds of business and government in Halifax. Good fiscal numbers recently have reduced the likelihood of massive cuts. However, there will be some cuts as government reallocates funding to priority areas.
Rumblings of major federal employment and reallocation of efforts to national priorities harkens back to the mid-1990s when deep and disproportionate federal spending cuts significantly undercut Nova Scotia`s economy.
A tale of two cities
In the early 1990s close to 6000 federal jobs and about a quarter of a billion dollars in annual income and consumer spending disappeared permanently from the province. These cuts continue to have a big impact on Nova Scotia`s economy even 15 years later. Now that we seem headed into another period of belt tightening, it’s worthwhile to understand what happened last time when a surprisingly high percentage of cuts and resulting pain came to Nova Scotia.
In 1990, over 21,000 federal public servants were employed in Nova Scotia, compared to 104,000 in Ottawa in the national capital region. As expenditure review took hold, federal employment fell to a low of 91,000 in Ottawa in 1997. The low point for Nova Scotia was 15, 730 a couple of years later. By this time Ottawa had begun to rebuild and federal jobs had surged by 4,000…even as cuts were still happening elsewhere in the country.
Over the 1990s (1990 to 2000) Ottawa lost a total of 5,372 jobs, while Halifax lost 5,247. From the low-point of expenditure control in 1997 to 2011, Ottawa added 45,240 jobs, while Halifax added a total of 480.
Even in recent times, Ottawa has continued to add federal employment. In the six years from 2005 to 2011, the National Capitol Region added 24,544 jobs compared to 140 in Halifax over the same period.
It took Halifax 10 years to recover from the federal job cuts. And our recovery came primarily from sustained job creation in the private sector.
If history is any measure, the bottom line for a new fiscal imperative to cut federal jobs doesn’t look very good for Nova Scotia. As deficit reduction efforts roll out, it is my hope that government has a mind to past pain and retaining key regional innovation capacity. Fingers crossed.
Author: Fred Morley
Fred Morley is the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at the Greater Halifax Partnership.
Halifax may seem like a hot bed for strike action if you look at recent media reports. But last week my spidey-sense was telling me that we probably aren’t that far out of whack with the rest of the country. I thought it was time to investigate.
When people want to gauge the weather they look out the window. A meteorologist tends to look at recent and historical weather data. When people want to get a sense of the economy they look at media, they rely on long standing perceptions, or they call a friend. An economist tends to stick their head into the data…analyzing recent data and historical trends.
Looking at HRSDC’s Labour Data Base provides good comparative data on hours lost due to strikes in Canada. Last year, Nova Scotia lost 240 hours….that’s thirty people for a day…30 person days if you will. This compares to close to 1700 person days in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick and 44,000 person days in Ontario. I think 30 vs. 44,000 days lost would tend to indicate that Nova Scotia should not be considered a hot bed of labour unrest…at least not last year.
But what about our track record? Only PEI had fewer hours lost in total and on a per person basis. So overall, Nova Scotia seems to have one of the most stable labour relations environments anywhere despite recent challenges.
Several proposed development projects and Halifax planning initiatives made the headlines last week. In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that show how Halifax is growing – in more ways than one.
Crombie REIT
Crombie Real Estate Investment Trust is positioning itself to take advantage of expected opportunities that stem from Irving’s $25B shipbuilding contract. The company has received inquiries from businesses interested in securing office space in Downtown Halifax, and Crombie says they are actively considering the possibility of adding more floors to their existing Scotia Square property to keep up with potential demand. All-in-all, Crombie says there’s potential to add up to one-million square feet of space to their existing property inventory.
Regional Plan Review
Halifax Regional Municipality has begun the initial phase of a five-year review for the city’s Regional Plan. According to Andy Fillmore, Project Manager - Urban Design, developers in the city currently face policy inconsistencies that can impede projects from taking hold. Fillmore says the review, which may include an update of the outdated policies, will revitalize downtown development and make it easier for Halifax to handle the expected growth resulting from the shipbuilding contract and offshore exploration.
Porter’s Lake Construction Boom
Porter’s Lake may soon see a huge construction boom of its own. Plans have been announced to build more than 600 homes over the next ten years in a massive project that’s expected to cost $160M. Seven Lakes Development, the group spearheading the project, says that while the development is large in scope they hope to build sustainable ‘low-impact’ homes that will leave the majority of the land undisturbed. They also plan to incorporate the existing community into the review process in an attempt to minimize the potential invasiveness of such a large project. Seven Lakes hopes that a development agreement can be reached in the fall, with construction beginning early next year.
So in case you missed it, you're now in the know. You can stay up-to-date on Halifax business news by subscribing to the daily newsfeed.
Author: Mike MacKenzie
Mike is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student. A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.
Several proposed development projects and Halifax planning initiatives made the headlines last week. In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that show how Halifax is growing – in more ways than one.
Crombie REIT
Crombie Real Estate Investment Trust is positioning itself to take advantage of expected opportunities that stem from Irving’s $25B shipbuilding contract. The company has received inquiries from businesses interested in securing office space in Downtown Halifax, and Crombie says they are actively considering the possibility of adding more floors to their existing Scotia Square property to keep up with potential demand. All-in-all, Crombie says there’s potential to add up to one-million square feet of space to their existing property inventory.
Regional Plan Review
Halifax Regional Municipality has begun the initial phase of a five-year review for the city’s Regional Plan. According to Andy Fillmore, Project Manager for HRMbyDesign, developers in the city currently face policy inconsistencies that can impede projects from taking hold. Fillmore says the review, which may include an update of the outdated policies, will revitalize downtown development and make it easier for Halifax to handle the expected growth resulting from the shipbuilding contract and offshore exploration.
Porter’s Lake Construction Boom
Porter’s Lake may soon see a huge construction boom of its own. Plans have been announced to build more than 600 homes over the next ten years in a massive project that’s expected to cost $160M. Seven Lakes Development, the group spearheading the project, says that while the development is large in scope they hope to build sustainable ‘low-impact’ homes that will leave the majority of the land undisturbed. They also plan to incorporate the existing community into the review process in an attempt to minimize the potential invasiveness of such a large project. Seven Lakes hopes that a development agreement can be reached in the fall, with construction beginning early next year.
Majora Carter’s emotional and inspiring TED Talk in 2006 was one of the first I saw and one of the ones that started the TED Talk phenomenon. Her visionis one that I think all Haligonians (or Atlantic Canadians) can identify with:
“I believe that you shouldn’t have to leave your neighbourhood to live in a better one.”
AGREATERHalifax, Halifax’s Economic Strategy for 2011-16, has a similar vision of a Halifax where people live, work, play and thrive in a diverse, vibrant and sustainable community. The economic strategy goals are not just about GDP growth or jobs (although both are still important), but about broader, sustainable community progress that attracts newcomers and encourages residents to stay in Halifax.
This focus on broader community and economic progress will be on display when we launch the 1st annual Halifax Index at the Halifax State of the Economy Conference May 23 and 24, an innovative look at the relationship between the people, economy and place that make us who we are and tells us where we’re headed. We’re excited to present our findings and spur meaningful, productive discussions on how best to continue collaboratively growing our community.
Carter’s recent comments on Halifax’s shipbuilding opportunity show the relevance of her presentation in our current economic climate and her understanding of the opportunity in front of all of us:
“The shipbuilding contract offers your city a rare opportunity to fill the expected shortage of skilled workers by getting training programs in place now and to re-engage some of those people who’ve found themselves on social security or suffering from substance-abuse issues,” said Carter.”
Marjora Carter will present her keynote on Thursday, March 8, at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Road, 6:00-8:00 pm.
Author: David Fleming
David is the Junior Economist and Project Development Coordinator at the Greater Halifax Partnership. He studied Economics and Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island, and has experience working with private, public and non-profit organizations.
The Greater Halifax Partnership welcomes contributions from staff and guest authors. The opinions expressed by individual authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of the Partnership.
