Feel The Momentum In A Region That Is Always Moving Forward
Whether you are taking in hidden gems along the Bay of Fundy coast or inland waterways, experiencing a homegrown music festival surrounded by shipping containers, feeling inspired through education programs that are producing top-class talent, or witnessing the growth and development on the waterfront and at Port Saint John – it’s hard not to feel energized by the Saint John Region’s rich history of successes, and invigorated by its fresh vision for the future.
The Saint John Region’s new brand promise – Always Moving Forward – was built on and validated by the region’s proven track record of forward-thinking, with Canada’s first incorporated city at its core and many notable firsts to its name (Canada’s first bank, newspaper, and electric 20-foot transit bus – to name just a few). People here love to get things done – providing a legacy of success that gives us an outsized advantage in building for the future.
It’s the people in the Saint John Region that are driving growth. People that visualize and invent – working to make plans a reality.
People like Dr. Petra Hauf, Vice President Saint John at the University of New Brunswick (UNB). Petra is driving the game-changing Integrated Health Initiative (IHI) on campus, which will shift the way we develop talent in the region and will catalyze meaningful change across the health sector.
“Through the IHI, we are training the health care leaders of tomorrow, today. The IHI focuses on interdisciplinary education, collaborative research, and knowledge transfer. It prioritizes an active learning environment, where students and researchers collaborate and problem-solve together to address gaps in the current system, and strengthen health talent and policy for the future,” explained Dr. Hauf.
The IHI is one part of the Saint John Region’s cutting-edge health cluster that is bringing together research, training, and infrastructure. Attracting more than 500 students annually to study in Saint John, it is building capacity for the health, research, and technology workforce in New Brunswick for today, and for the future.
People like Ray Gracewood, the mastermind behind AREA 506. Gracewood took a passion project that was designed to celebrate all things New Brunswick and developed a signature event and staple brand for the Saint John Region – and province of New Brunswick – attracting residents and visitors to experience music, culture, and goods.
Most recently expanding AREA 506’s footprint with the Waterfront Container Village – Gracewood explained how this new asset is not only something for the city – it’s also by the city.
“It’s not a development company from Dubai or Toronto flying these containers and dropping them down,” Gracewood said. “Every container was painted by someone in Saint John, all the electrical, all the carpentry, all the welding, all of the engineering and the design, everything was done locally, right here in our region.”
In 2022, AREA 506 saw the highest attendance since the event started in 2016, representing a 30% increase over 2019.
As the people within the Saint John Region continually look ahead to a bigger, brighter future – Port Saint John is leveraging its strategic location. As the largest port by volume in Atlantic Canada, offering global connections for 500 ports worldwide, and with a quarter-billion-dollar investment currently underway to support increased cargo traffic, Port Saint John is going places.
Most recently, the port and its partners reached an important milestone of 100,000 TEUs so far in 2022, which is more throughput than Port Saint John has ever experienced on an annual basis.
“Some of the best cities around the world are port cities – with thriving waterfronts and good paying jobs for citizens,” explained Craig Bell Estabrooks, CEO of Port Saint John.
“Sustainable careers on the waterfront are a priority for us and through the Workforce Partnership between provincial government, employers, labour representatives and others, we plan to maximize employment and economic development opportunities expected to result from the increased capacity at the port in the years to come.”
Capacity volumes at the port are expected to reach 800,000 TEUs upon completion of construction at the container terminal in the next couple of years.
With multiple billion-dollar companies headquartered in the Saint John Region, and ambitious entrepreneurs who roll up their sleeves to get things done – it’s easy to feel the distinctive spirit of growth potential.
“The Saint John Region is the powerhouse that will drive growth for New Brunswick,” said Paulette Hicks, CEO of Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency.
“When we look at our natural assets and lean into our unique resources – it’s easy to see how the region is emerging as one of the best places in North America to invest, live and visit.”
The Saint John Region – Always Moving Forward.
This story was sponsored by Envision Saint John: The Regional Growth Agency.