The dream that was Energy East has died so what can Saint John and the province do in order to see economic growth.
Provincial economist David Campbell spoke to the Regional chamber on this subject saying cities like Edmonton and Regina benefited from these large energy projects and that could have been the vision for Saint John if projects like Energy East had come to fruition.
“There is only so much you can squeeze out of a lemon that isn’t growing”. David Campbell of Jupia Consultants speaking to a business lunch hosted by the SJ Regional Chamber. pic.twitter.com/QnUMqIjun1
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) November 22, 2017
He says we have to be more deliberate about looking at the Saint John area’s assets, attributes and strengths. Campbell says that is not necessessarily the big investment projects but identify the sectors that have potential for growth and figure what we can do if anything to support that growth.
Campbell says growth can be found in business services, insurance, hospitality and ICT.
— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) November 22, 2017
He says we are starting to see a tightening labour market in areas like ICT so we need to make sure enough people are streaming into those industries in the Saint John area so they can continue to grow.
Campbell: The many organizations involved in economic development need an ecosystem approach where they all work together.
Those agencies include ONB, PETL and Enterprise Saint John. pic.twitter.com/blFawbzQDc— Tamara Steele (@tamarasteele1) November 22, 2017
