Whether it’s Moncton the “smart”, or Saint John the “energetic”, or Fredericton the “wise”, or Miramichi the “hopeful”, New Brunswick’s metropolitan areas are proving that they have the right stuff to compete in a global, knowledge-loving world. The proof is in the economic pudding: rising employment, an expanding creative class and international attention. Take note, Canada.
Greater Moncton: Where minds thrive
Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc laughs when he recalls former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna’s famous comment about New Brunswick’s “urban hub”: It’s the Timex City because it takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
That was more than a decade ago. Today, Greater Moncton (which comprises the municipal communities of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe) is home to 125,000 people, the lowest unemployment rate in the province (less than six per cent), the highest job participation rate in the Atlantic region (more than 67 per cent), the most robust commercial and real estate market east of Montreal, and the highest per capita income in the Atlantic provinces outside of The Halifax Regional Municipality.
It’s not a bad record for a city that, only 25 years ago, faced a fretful future following the closure of its historic and signature industries: regional retail and railway manufacturing enterprises. But, as LeBlanc says, “It really is no surprise that our motto is ‘resurgo’, which is Latin for ‘rise again’. Overcoming challenges is one of the things we do best. The fact is that we are a small city that exceeds expectations.”
On the other hand, he says, “We also know we can’t rest on our laurels. We have to keep going, keep pushing. We must never forget what it means to be a true city of choice. And this is quality of life, sustained prosperity and low cost of living.”
To secure these civic bounties, Greater Moncton’s three municipalities have focussed on information and communications technology as key to the future. At the same time, private companies have collaborated in its growth as a telecom-centric economy, adding more 20,000 management, finance, health services, technology, and education jobs since the early 1990s.
All of which has produced a greenfield of knowledge, innovation and technical wizardry. The private-sector list of achievements and ventures is as long as it is varied.
Rogers, for example, is one of Canada’s largest multi-faceted communications companies, specializing in cable television and wireless services. It operates a 700-person, national back office and contact centre in Moncton’s downtown core, employing state-of-the-art technology and round-the-clock customer care.
Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which manages the Atlantic region’s gaming industry, is a world leader in technical advancement. It was the first company of its kind in the country to introduce barcode readers/wands to validate tickets. It was also the first in the nation to develop a PC-based lottery terminal and an IP-based terminal network.
Indeed, from wired water meters to WiFi Internet service on city buses, from digital entrepreneurship to bold initiatives in e-health, e-learning and e-commerce – the community is rapidly becoming one of the world’s savviest cities. That is, if we are to believe the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), an international think tank, based in the United States, which studies economic and social development.
The organization recently ranked Greater Moncton among the top seven of 21 “smartest” cities in the world. This was after more than 400 communities spent months vying for the “Intelligent Community of the Year” designation.
As for taking a licking, this city is clearly punching above its weight class.
Saint John: Where energy drives
Not long ago, former Saint John Mayor Norm McFarlane spoke about his beloved city of 122,400 souls the way every civic booster speaks about his home town: glowingly. “I don’t think there is any doubt that Saint John is the province’s economic dynamo,” he said in 2007. “We’ve become New Brunswick’s ‘go-to’ community in a lot of ways. And that’s related to the fact that there is a lot going on here.”
Flash forward two years, and the picture forms just a little differently. Last July, Irving Oil and British Petroleum announced that they would not proceed with building a second refinery in the city, dashing hopes of a $7-billion boon to the economy and a jobs bonanza not seen since Irving Shipbuilding won the federal contract to build the navy’s frigates in the early 1990s.
