Federal Minister Pays ‘Virtual Visit’ To N.B. Bakery Getting Into The Rum Business
MIRAMICHI – For the first time on Tuesday, federal small business, export promotion and international trade minister Mary Ng conducted virtual site visits.
“Normally I love visiting businesses and hearing directly from them about what’s working and what’s not. And of course, because of Covid-19, we’re doing this virtually,” says Ng.
Through Zoom, she visited two businesses in Nova Scotia, as well as one in New Brunswick.
She was given a virtual tour by Miramichi MP Pat Finnigan and the owners of Carroll’s Bakery, who were all wearing masks.
The bakery is a long-running family business owned by Eric Carroll. His sons Mathieu and Patrick have launched a new line of business in the form of a distillery. There, they will make rum.
The bakery also turned to making hand sanitizers during the pandemic. Soon, the family plans to expand by serving customers online.
“Especially for the rum cakes, the internet is the next frontier, so we’re thinking to expand that way,” says Eric.
Ng says going digital is one way for businesses to expand into other markets, even during a pandemic, especially because Canada has free trade agreements with all G7 countries.
She says she’s thankful to small businesses, “because, in an effort to flatten the curve, people have had to close their businesses and comply with the health guidelines.”
She says small businesses that have been able to pivot and even expand during the pandemic, like Carroll’s Bakery, shows “Canadian resilience and ingenuity.” So does initiatives like the Atlantic Bubble, she said in an interview with Huddle after the tour.
“The Atlantic Bubble, I commend the provinces for putting this together,” she said. “I think that what is really excellent about this initiative taken by Atlantic Canada is to help small businesses, specifically those in the tourism sector, that are seeing fewer visitors and customers, so I do encourage people to explore their home.”
“The health of Canadians and economic recovery do go hand in hand,” she added.
Overall, she said the federal government’s approach is to provide support broadly. But with the tourism sector hit hard in Atlantic Canada, including because non-essential travel from the U.S. is still prohibited, Ng says the government announced a $16-million funding commitment in June aimed at that sector.
That funding, delivered by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will support 79 tourism initiatives led by communities, businesses and organizations in the region. It also includes approximately $2.4 million investment 10 destination development and marketing projects to help attract visitors.
Ng encourages people to explore their home region and support local businesses.
“This is a time when supporting our local businesses, this year, is more important than ever.”