SmartCity Blog

In Case You Missed It: Meeting the Talent Demand

By Mike MacKenzie

This has been a promising week for labour market development news. The announcement of several initiatives and strategies aimed at both engaging underemployed workers and connecting segments of the labour force with non-traditional careers is a step in a positive direction.

In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that made headlines this past week:

Exploring how to encourage more women to adopt skilled-trade careers will be on the agenda when Halifax plays host to a conference put on by the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology. The conference, taking place May 3-5, will focus on improving access to skilled-trade education and removing barriers that often stop women from considering non-traditional career options. It’s no coincidence that this year’s conference is being held in Halifax. With Irving’s $25B shipbuilding program in the works, the demand for skilled labour in the region is expected to increase steadily for the next number of years.

The federal government also announced last week that it’s providing over $600,000 to help injured and disabled workers get back on the job. TEAM Work Co-operative, the recipient of the funds, is putting the money towards existing projects that help workers improve their skills and find relevant employment in their home communities, including Halifax. It is estimated that the funds will help over 120 people return to the workforce.

Finally, the provincial government announced this week that it intends to lobby for an increase in the quota of immigrants it is allowed to accept each year as part of the Provincial Nominee Program. A joint provincial-federal initiative, the program allows provincial governments to nominate immigrants who have the skills to make an immediate economic contribution to the province that nominates them. Nova Scotia is currently able to nominate up to 500 immigrants under the program, which officials say is not enough to meet the upcoming demand for labour in the province.

So in case you missed it, you’re now in the know.

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.

Economic development matters more than ever

(Originally published in the January/February 2012 edition of Business Voice) 

One of the things most commented on since Irving Shipbuilding won the right to build Canada’s next generation of combat vessels is the unprecedented level of support, enthusiasm and commitment that burst out in every part of our city and province.

As business people, politicians, civil servants, workers, and citizens, we saw – and felt – firsthand what confidence – real confidence – can do and just how strong a motivator self-belief can be. 

So, as Irving negotiates the fine details of the contract with the federal government, we at the Partnership are focusing on how to make the most of this new-found confidence as we identify and capture future opportunities to grow.

And, make no mistake; there are sound reasons to keep a beady eye on the future.  Economies from around the world are suffering the jitters – again. Growth forecasts in Canada and abroad is single digit at best.   We recognize that we have significant fiscal challenges ahead which must be met if we are to maintain the standard of living we enjoy today.

And this is why we are redoubling our efforts to put in place HRM’s Five Year Economic Strategy.  This plan was built – like the shipbuilding effort – by tapping into an equally unprecedented level of collaboration and alignment between the private and public sectors. 

Measuring Our Progress

The Halifax Index is how we will measure the economic progress of the region as well as the progress and impact of the Economic Strategy.  The Index, to be launched in May 2012, will provide a yearly overview of our challenges, make suggestions for action and inform of any necessary modifications to the Economic Strategy’s Action Plans. 

The Halifax Index is not just one number that tells us how we’ve fared in the past year. It will contain a comprehensive set of key indicators - people, business, culture, environment, activity and quality of place - that make Halifax what it is and make us who we are as citizens.  The Index will provide deeper insight into what’s happening in our community than anything currently available in any other city in Canada.

The Power of Partnership

We are convinced that rewards of partnership and collaboration will become increasingly evident as we implement our economic strategy and grow the confidence we have in our collective future.   

I hope we continue – at every level of our community and our province – to work together and to wring out every ounce of opportunity that this great city has to offer our people and the world.

For more information on the Strategy and implementation visit: agreaterhalifax.com. 

 

Paul A. Kent is the President and CEO of the Greater Halifax Partnership

 

Arts will thrive in wake of Ships

On behalf of the staff, many volunteers and legions of artists that we celebrate each year throughout Halifax and the province, the Greater Halifax Arts Coalition (GHAC) would like to congratulate Irving Shipbuilding and its partners, including the province of Nova Scotia, on the successful bid to Build Ships Here!

GHAC is made up of the leaders of 18 professional arts organizations that are dedicated to supporting our community through the presentation of world-class events, bringing the artistic culture of our region to audiences around the world and to creating a vibrant environment to live, work and play.

We recognize that a strong economy is essential to ensuring that those who breathe creative life into communities throughout the region are able to thrive and flourish. The spin-off benefits of this historic contract will impact suppliers, fabricators, other business and the lives of so many around the region – including those in the Arts.

Now, as we all start to gear up for growth and innovation, we see a prominent role for the professional arts community and look forward to playing our part. Nova Scotia’s artists create great work and inspire creativity, innovation, and excellence. Our theatre companies travel the world. Our musicians are broadcast across the country. Our audiences, whether they are long-time Nova Scotian residents or newcomers to our communities, experience a sense of pride and social cohesion as they join us in celebrating the diverse and vibrant lifestyle Nova Scotia has to offer.

Winning this contract means we can look forward to increases in population, disposable income and prosperity throughout the region. We look forward to the future, and working together to see our wonderful city and province and the entire Atlantic region grow and prosper.

Members of the Greater Halifax Arts Coalition:

• Christian Barry, 2b Theatre Company
• Gregor Ash, Atlantic Film Festival Association
• Brookes Diamond, Brookes Diamond Productions
• Heather McGean, Dalhousie Centre for Arts
• Laurie Gillis, Debut Atlantic
• Charlie Rhindress, Eastern Front Theatre
• Jonny Stevens, Halifax Pop Explosion
• Heather Gibson, JazzEast
• Paul Caskey, Live Art Dance
• Jim Morrow, Mermaid Theatre
• Sara Coffin, Mocean Dance
• Scott Long, Music Nova Scotia
• Amy Melmock, Neptune Theatre
• Maggie Stewart, Onelight Theatre
• Elizabeth Murphy, Shakespeare By The Sea
• Erika Beatty, Symphony Nova Scotia
• Christopher Shore, Theatre Nova Scotia
• Susan Leblanc Crawford, Zuppa Theatre

 

About GHAC:

Halifax is a hub for performing arts and culture in the province, and our professional arts organizations are leaders in Atlantic Canada. The 18 professional arts groups in GHAC employ more than 900 people, engage another 2500 volunteers, and perform for more than 933,000 audience member every year. Our cumulative annual budgets are over $22 million, and almost all of this is spent in Nova Scotia.

Other links:

• Ships Start Here: Next 30 by Erika Beatty

 

Bringing Research to Life

Transforming great ideas and innovations into commercially viable products can be challenging without the right supports, connections and partnerships.    

Recognizing this issue, Atlantic Canadian universities partnered six years ago to create Springboard Atlantic, a strategic network that maximizes the commercial potential of the research coming out of the region’s universities, and also links higher education expertise and facilities with the region’s industries.

Today the successes are evident and Springboard has expanded and evolved to include 19 university and college partners with an increased emphasis on industry collaborations that will bring innovations to the marketplace. Springboard participants include about 50 professionals who have a mix of industrial and research expertise - typically staff or heads of university or college technology /industry liaison offices.

Two local success stories – one from Dalhousie University and the other from St. Mary’s University – demonstrate the Springboard effect.

 

Just-in-time-Support

Dalhousie University’s Measurement of Accuracy when Resin Curing system (MARC) is a good example of Springboard Atlantic’s commercialization mission in action.  

Developed by Dr. Richard Price, a practicing dentist and professor in the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie, and his assistant, Christopher Felix, MARC provides a solution to a problem that has troubled dentists for decades – getting just the right amount of energy from a bright blue UV light to cure and harden filling resin. MARC solves the problem by using custom-designed software to measure the light output, factor in variables like tooth location and the resin type, and calculate the precise output.

Dr. Price knew that MARC could be a very valuable instrument but he didn’t know all the steps to get it into the hands of dental professionals.  He approached Dalhousie University’s Office of Industry Liaison and Innovation, and Director Kevin Dunn was able to mobilize funding quickly from Springboard just in time to produce high-quality prototypes to take to a major U.S. dental conference.  Springboard also supported the formation of a new venture, Blue Light Analytics, to develop and market MARC.

 

Expecting the Unexpected

Retired St. Mary’s University economics professor Andy Harvey, spent over 30 years studying the movements of people in cities.  The Halifax Space-Time Activity Research (STAR) project began in 2005 with Dr. Harvey as the Principle Investigator. It collected data from more than 2,000 households across HRM using GPS technology to learn more about neighborhoods, including the nature, timing and location of the activities of residents.

With ACOA funding received through its Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) program, the STAR project team developed a complex suite of geographic information systems (GIS) software that had serious commercial potential.  That’s where Nova Scotia-based IT solutions company Britech Information Systems came in.

Britech recognized the potential of STAR right away. With assistance from Springboard Atlantic and St. Mary’s Industry Liaison Office, Britech is packaging STAR as a traffic-flow management system for the trucking and transportation business and is considering other commercial applications. The suite of products is being sold under the brand name Nomad.

The partnership between Saint Mary’s and Britech exemplifies a level of collaboration that benefits both organizations.

 
Springboard’s Strengths and Success Factors

• identifying new ideas and concepts that have real potential as products or services
• making  direct connection between industry and higher education research and facilities
• being at the front end of the innovative process
• working with a number of innovation partners, including the federal research funding councils (NSERC, CIHR, SSHRC), the National Research Council, and Innovacorp
• marketing and licensing technologies to industry and entrepreneurs
• supporting the creation of new companies based on platform technologies

 

Halifax is Canada’s smart city.  We have one of the largest concentrations of universities and colleges in North America and one of the best educated workforces in all of Canada.  This series explores and celebrates the numerous post-secondary assets in Halifax; the sector’s impact on our economy and community; research and commercialization; and partnerships between post-secondary and business.

This post was contributed by Springboard’s Central Office Team in Halifax, located in the InnovaCorp Enterprise Centre, at a new building on the Dalhousie Campus.. For information contact info@springboardatlantic.ca

Women today - the Face of Small Business

Guest blog post by: Kathy Murphy, President & CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED)

While driving home yesterday, a commentator on CBC was discussing the advancement of women in employment and education. Apparently, there are more women graduating with degrees from universities than men, and that women are also representing larger and larger percentages of the workforce. I say – Yeah!

From a small business point of view, at CEED, approximately 57% of our loan clients are women. Women business owners are continuing to dominate the small business market and consistently, numbers have been increasing over the past decade. At CEED, we’ve seen that women have been gaining ground for over five years running as the majority of start ups.

Business start ups include both home based “mompreneur type businesses” (a female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur: Entrepreneur.com), to professional services outside of the home, in the fields of accounting, health care, and hospitality, etc. Many argue it’s unnecessary for a special term for mothers working from home – aside from maybe “superwoman." Mompreneurs juggling the full time job of taking care of a family and household, combined with a home based business - requires both a thick skin and dogged persistence and should never be underestimated!

We see no limit to creativity with  female business start-ups. CEED clients such as Breathing Space Yoga, to Atlantic Cirque – are all great examples of women entrepreneurs who have created unique, sustainable and marketable businesses. Michelle Strum runs a business with a social enterprise focus, and at Halifax Backpackers Hostel, she encourages and supports development and employment in her community in a thriving and changing region of Gottingen Street. Driven to growth, these women have expanded their businesses and have shown lasting, staying power. Jenny Keirstead, from Breathing Space Yoga, has branched out to three locations while introducing new classes and opportunities for workshops on health and wellness with increasing demands for her services.

April Glavine’s unique and innovative company – Lean Machines –a healthy vending option for snacks and drinks- has expanded to include services nationally, to businesses and educational institutions. A healthy approach to vending food selection has proven to be a valuable service in a fast food market, and the ability for April to repurpose unused vending machines provides the important environmental link to a socially conscious - green business – a great way to build brand equity.

Some Recent Facts on Women Entrepreneurs

• Women-owned businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the business sector in Canada. The number of women entrepreneurs grew by 8% between 1996 and 2001 compared with a 0.6% increase for men. Between 1981 and 2001, the number of women entrepreneurs in Canada increased 208%, compared with a 38% increase for men.
  
• There are more than 821,000 women entrepreneurs in Canada, who annually contribute in excess of $18 billion to Canada's economy.
  
• 47% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's) in Canada have at least one female owner.
  
• Women-led firms provide jobs for 1.7 million Canadians-more than the Canadian Business Top 100 companies-and are creating new jobs at four times the rate of the average firm.
  
• In a 2004 survey, 82% of women small business owners said that if they had it to do over again, they would definitely open their own businesses.

Source -  Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

In spite of the progress, traditional barriers for female entrepreneurs still exist, and there are still many obstacles and challenges for entrepreneurs-  regardless of gender. Women still shoulder a great deal of responsibility at home including household chores and family responsibilities. Managing cash flow, accessing capital and achieving a reasonable work life balance are continued stresses for women. In spite of the challenges, we continue to see resilient, social and health conscious concepts coming forth from innovative women right here in our communities. And with the progress women in business have made over the last decade, there should be excellent opportunities for  women entrepreneurs in developing innovate solutions that speak to the  evolving needs of a variety of consumer groups.  

At CEED – we’ll continue to “bank on it!”

                              
Kathy Murphy, MBA, CHRP
President & CEO, CEED

CEED is devoted to helping people discover and use entrepreneurship as a vehicle to become self-reliant. We have a vision of a vibrant entrepreneurial culture for all of Atlantic Canada.

We are pleased that CEED is a Greater Halifax Partnership investor.

Connector idea is taking off

I just found out this week the Connector Program is being replicated in other cities across Canada.  We are thrilled the simple but effective referral process, originated by the Partnership less than a year ago, is catching on!

Corinna Carson, Project Administrator, Niagara Immigrant Employment Council (NIEC) told me this week, how impressed they were with the Partnership’s Connector Program, and the high results of New Canadians finding employment in their industries.  They are looking forward to launching a pilot project of Connector based on this unique concept in the fall.  

This programs’ success is directly related to the 130 connectors who have dedicated their time and resources to help immigrants jump start their business network.  Connectors are established business professionals in the community varying from all different industries such as Information Technology, Finance, Manufacturing, Marketing and Communications, Aerospace, Engineering, and people like you.  

We all know that networking is important to career development.  This program allows immigrants to have a starting point and begin to get to know contacts in their field. 

From an initial 30 minute meeting, a door opens to a basic network of business contacts.

Contact me to find out how you can be part of this unique initiative.

Cindy Dean

Project Coordinator, Connector Program
Greater Halifax Partnership
1969 Upper Water Street
Purdy's Tower II, Suite 2101
Halifax, NS
B3J 3R7
(p) 902.490.6049
www.greaterhalifax.com

Cindy Dean is Project Coordinator for the Halifax Connector Program, a Greater Halifax Partnership Initiative. Program partners are the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration, The Maytree Foundation and the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation.

 

A Sustainable, Greener Economy can Differentiate us in the Marketplace

As the planning gets underway for the renewal of the economic strategy for HRM I have heard talk that it may include a focus on development of a Green Economic Development Strategy. I think that this is important for the Greater Halifax Partnership and our business community. There are some pretty cool strategies out there, Toronto has one http://www.toronto.ca/business/green-economic-development.htm and so does Vancouver http://www.vancouvereconomic.com/page/green-economic-development and congratulations to both cities for moving these forward.  Halifax needs to show leadership as the economic hub of Atlantic Canada and set the pace in developing a focus on sustainability and green economic development.

In two weeks we will have the opportunity to build our knowledge in sustainable economic development through our work within the World Energy Cities Partnership (WECP) www.energycities.org. The WECP is an organization which Halifax has belonged to for almost a decade. The WECP is led by the Mayor’s of 15 of the world’s leading energy producing cities. On February 15, Stavanger Norway is hosting the first Academic Exchange between energy cities and their respective academic institutions.  The Greater Halifax Partnership will be attending along with the College of Sustainability at Dalhousie University – who better to have involved!

The WECP has been mainly a route to partnerships in petroleum-related activities. All the energy cities however are now meeting new challenges related to the environment, changes in the petroleum sector and the need to develop sustainable ways of producing and using energy.

We need to begin to think about a culture where we work to retain, grow and attract companies with green and sustainable philosophies. Being focused on green and sustainable strategies may be the differentiator that will set us apart from all the competition out in the marketplace. Many companies large and small want to do business with businesses and communities that are green and sustainable – the Walmart’s of the world have a lot of influence on suppliers to change their habits.

Halifax has a lot to offer and a unique offering – some of our companies are leading in the creation of renewable energies – such as Emera and Ocean Nutrition. As well, HRM is striving to be one of the greenest municipalities in Canada. 

As the economic development organization that connects all players together including business, government and education, we have a responsibility to ensure that we begin to build a plan now for a sustainable future economy. As the economic hub of Atlantic Canada we need to lead the way and be at the forefront of this challenge!

 

Nancy Phillips is the Director, Investment and Trade, for the Greater Halifax Partnership and Executive Director for the Halifax Gateway Council. 

Guest SmartCity Blog post: "And How Was Your Meal Tonight?"

Guest blog post:

As you finish your meal at most restaurants, the staff will ask you how your meal was. Standard operating procedure for them and it makes absolute sense...get feedback in case something went wrong and perhaps they might be able to fix it before you leave and spread the negative reviews. Additionally, not asking would be implying they didn’t care about the customer’s experience. Seems smart doesn’t it? Yet most business other than the hospitality industry forget to ask (or worse, forget to listen) “how they did and how they are doing”. By setting up a twitter search filter within their Twitter program and using Google Alerts, a business can take care of such issues. Not only does it give you a heads-up as to what your customers really think, but it shows that your company cares when you publicly and proactively take care of complaints.

Recently I rented a vehicle for a shoot. When we picked up the vehicle, they asked our plans and they upgraded the rental (at no additional charge) to a model that would better suit our needs. During the last part of the rental, however, the rear hatch failed and we had to do our loading and unloading through the passenger doors for a day- not a huge deal. Upon returning the vehicle, they asked how everything went and I explained it was great except for the hatch. They promptly gave us a day off our rental contract for the minor inconvenience. Fantastic! That afternoon, I tweeted about the experience and thanked the company using the "#" (also known as the hash tag) in front of the name. Within five minutes I had a direct tweet back from the company with a thank you.  Shocking!  I decided to do some research and discovered they were following their name in Twitter and actively responding to comments and complaint issues (and in the open!).  SMART!

A few days later, I received a call from my computer suppliers Customer Support.  Having dealt with their support before I was mildly curious as to why they were calling.  The conversation started by the rep asking me if I was happy with my system and if I had experienced any problems during the past year. Ah! Finally they were showing me they care (in the past dealing with them was like getting a root canal)! I went over the small issues I’ve had and the work-arounds (using posts from other users and not from the company's site) and expected to hear how they have some solution for me…To my dismay, the call quickly moved to a sales pitch for the extended warranty!  I emphatically told them I was not interested. We went back and forth and I explained how I didn’t need the $400 extended warranty at which point she went into full script mode for 3 minutes without letting me get a word in. I put the phone on hands free and went back to what I was doing before she called. Eventually she hung up. I twitted the experience expecting to get a response like I did from the rental company! Surely a computer company would be as or more advanced than a vehicle rental company! Nope. Nothing. Now what was supposed to increase this companies revenue has only succeeded in further frustrating a customer. FYI, a few days ago they called again…I explained they had already called me and I wasn’t interested….they hung up. Wow, not smart, but it appears that’s “standard operating procedure” for them!

Coincidently in the same week I sat down with friend for a beer. We started talking about my recent experiences with companies using Twitter as a customer support tool and he told me one of his experiences with his cellular supplier. He tweeted about being dissatisfied with a support call on his account….and know who contacted him back via Twitter offering help?  His cellular suppliers’ competition! Now that’s taking it to the next level.

It takes all of a few seconds to do a Twitter search and just a little longer to set up a Google Alert. Not following your brand and company on Twitter and via Google Alerts is the same as saying “I don’t care about what my customers experience with my company.” Why? You’re not listening to what they have to say about the experience! It would be the same as the waiter not asking how your meal was. So, on that note, how did you enjoy this blog today? Can I get you anything else?

SW

With over 25 years of award winning experience in television, film, video, marketing, communications, web, radio, print, and events, Scott Westerlaken has the ability to maintain focus on the big picture and offer a wide range of solutions appropriate to the clients message and budget. He has been recognized with dozens of awards in business, communications and film making from around the world. For the client, this means a truly unique balance of hands on technical knowledge and high level strategic experience that always leads to unique and creative solutions.

Read PHI Group's blog.

PHI Group has been an Investor in the Partnership since 2001.

The views and opinions expressed in this entry are those of the author alone, and may not necessarily reflect those of the Greater Halifax Partnership and those affiliated.

Halifax's Hub City Assets

By Fred Morley

 
Halifax is Nova Scotia’s and Atlantic Canada’s Hub City, one of 9 in Canada identified by the Conference Board.  What this means is that a healthy growing Halifax economy helps the economies around it succeed and they, in turn, help Halifax grow.  It’s a healthy symbiotic relationship.  A stronger Halifax means a stronger Nova Scotia and a stronger Nova Scotia means a stronger Halifax.  It’s not rocket science, but it’s a concept that didn’t carry much weight in Nova Scotia until lately. 

Halifax Stanfield International Airport is one of those hub city assets that make the concept real.  Stanfield accounted for over $1.27 billion in economic activity last year (2008), 11% of all economic activity in Nova Scotia.  The airport handles more passengers than all other airports in the region combined.  With about 5500 direct employees it’s larger than many towns with many of the same services, retailers, hotels, cargo, even a church. 
 
The Halifax airport is an important enabler for many sectors of the province’s economy.  It generates 55% of the province’s tourism revenue, many of them business travelers flying to and from Atlantic Canada’s business hub.   It is critical to our high growth and high wage sectors like banking, insurance, IT and aerospace and defense.  In short the airport connects us to the world and is one of the sectors that give us our Hub City status.

Next….more hub city assets, the port, the health care sector, universities, our regional and head offices.

What do think makes Halifax work as a hub city?

Fred Morley is the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at the Greater Halifax Partnership

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