History Is Big Business: Saint John Should Profit From Rich Heritage, Just As European Cities Do
Wayne Long is the MP for Saint John Rothesay.
Speaking as your Member of Parliament for Saint John-Rothesay, I believe it is vital that a leader articulates a vision for the riding. Far too often, politicians run and get elected on party talking points – without ever having articulated a vision for constituents. I have a vision – my vision comes with a strategy. Through the lens of my business experience, I see Saint John as a vibrant, dynamic, growing, diversified economy.
So how do we market this business? How do we ensure this business runs with fiscal responsibility? Implementing a strategy involves working with businesses, working the City, and working with the Province to articulate that vision – and working every day to make that vision a reality. The cruise industry has been a boon for uptown – but we need to do more. We need to set the table to enable more businesses to thrive in our riding. This table is set by strategic investment.
We need strategic investments to grow our economy; we need a plan to grow our population. One step in the right direction is diversifying our economy. Saint John has been criticized for being an industrial Irving-based economy. We need industry—but we also need to diversify.
How do we do this? One way is through engaging our significant historic assets. We are north of twenty-five million people by just seven hours. We need to embrace and profit from our history, the way European cities do. History is big business, in other parts of the world. We have an incredibly rich and largely untapped local history. I would like to see Saint John become a historical tourism mecca, where people come from all over the world to experience our rich local history. This means rebuilding and remarketing our historical assets.
In 2015, I didn’t run on party talking points. I had a strategy. My five pillars focused on specific areas of the economy – each pillar containing several key points. Pillar Three dealt with reinvigorating our neglected historical assets, a “growth through tourism” plan I call the Saint John Trail of History. Among my early goals were (quoting my 2015 platform): “to fix the Martello Tower and to expand on Fort LaTour.”
The Carleton Martello Tower has become an essential stop for cruise passengers. One of nine standing Martello Towers left in Canada, it was built as a strategic point of defence against Fenian raids from the United States during the war of 1812. The Carleton Martello Tower also saw active service in WWI and WWII, where it underwent additional construction to serve as a critical military observation post. Unfortunately, the observation deck turned out to be too heavy for the historic stone structure -for years it has been slowly collapsing in on itself.
The previous federal government ignored the urgent need for repairs to the Carleton Martello Tower, although there was funding available for the anniversary of the War of 1812. Other parts of the country benefitted from the 1812 funding, but Saint John, in clear need, was left behind. On the campaign trail I was vocal about the need to fix the CMT. I am proud that our government and Parks Canada saw the importance of our local historic assets, and were able to step in and rescue this important piece of local history.
I am equally proud of the investments we have made in Fort LaTour, which is going up on Portland Point as I write these words. It will be such a great addition to the waterfront – just last week, numerous curious cruise passengers were looking over the work in progress.
In the early 1600s, Fort LaTour and Port Royal (modern-day Nova Scotia) became the two focal points of Acadia. Sworn rivals Charles de LaTour and Menou D’Aulnay held competing titles to govern Acadia. Their rivalry was very destructive to the colony, culminating in the Acadian Civil War. The war, which involved mercenaries and ships from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ended in modern-day Saint John at the Siege of Fort LaTour (1645). Lady LaTour eventually surrendered, after valiantly defending Fort LaTour with a tiny garrison against vastly superior forces.
I worked closely with the Province, the Port, and the Fort LaTour Development Corporation to help make the Fort LaTour project happen. I am equally delighted by investments in the City Market, the Imperial Theatre and most recently in the Old Sydney Street Courthouse (1826) – for its transformation into a brand new modern theatre. Through federal investment, the leadership of Stephen Tobias, and help from key partners, King’s Square will soon be the centre of a bustling uptown theatre district. I couldn’t think of a more dynamic and effective way of engaging this wonderful historic asset, through the living expression of local arts and culture.
Through honouring our past, we are investing in our future. Active historical landmarks make people want to come to our city. Some will come to stay, living and investing in our community. We need more people in Saint John: A vibrant theatre scene is one of the top attractions for people moving to a new city. A thriving arts scene is a great way to induce new Saint Johners to move to our vibrant uptown.
The past Conservative government consistently cut funding to support the Canadian tourism industry. In the decade before 2015, our tourism industry stagnated compared to our competitors, costing Canada thousands of jobs and causing Canada’s share of global tourism to decline significantly. This showed a lack of vision, a failure to make strategic investments at the right time.
Respected economists David Campbell and David Murell have both advised increased investment in tourism as a growth strategy for Saint John and this region. Thankfully, this federal government is committed to working in partnership with the Canadian tourism industry – to increase their competitiveness and ensure visitors from around the world can experience the beauty and excitement of Canada in greater numbers. As promised in my 2015 platform, we have undertaken necessary revitalization and strategic expansion of our neglected historic landmarks.
We are on the cusp of a major economic opportunity in Saint John-Rothesay. Smart investments in our historic assets build our economic base. We give tourists more reasons to get off the cruise ship, the highway, the ferry, or the airplane: to experience the fascinating life and history of our city. We give potential Saint Johners more reasons to come here. These are sound investments: investments in the future of our city, smart investments with a high likelihood of economic success.
This is good business.
Huddle publishes commentaries from groups and individuals on important business issues facing the Maritimes. These commentaries do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Huddle. To submit a commentary for consideration, contact editor Mark Leger: [email protected].