The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), and Premier Pat Binns today announced that 11 companies from Prince Edward Island will participate in a Team Canada Atlantic Trade Mission to Washington D.C. from November 2 – 6, 2003. Approximately 50 companies from across Atlantic Canada will participate in the mission.
Team Canada Atlantic Trade Missions are strategically developed to effectively market the products and services of Atlantic Canadian businesses. The core activity for each mission is one-on-one matchmaking sessions between companies from Atlantic Canada and the United States. The mission is also an opportunity for the Government of Canada and each of the four Atlantic provincial governments to pursue investment activities.
"Exporting builds revenues, fuels business opportunities and generates jobs, which is why ACOA continues to help Atlantic companies to pursue new international markets," said Minister Byrne. "Atlantic Canada and the United States are linked by geography, history, tradition and economics, which makes the northeastern and mid-Atlantic US a natural target market for Atlantic Canada. This mission to Washington, D.C. is an opportunity to showcase our ideas, products and services to a targeted group of people in one of the key trade and investment markets in the US."
“Prince Edward Island is proud to be a part of Team Canada Atlantic’s first trade mission to the Greater Washington region,” said Premier Binns. “Our province has long enjoyed positive business relationships with US companies. Over the last five years, two-thirds of Prince Edward Island’s exports have been to the North Eastern US.”
Since the Team Canada Atlantic program began in 1999, there has been a total of seven trade missions to Atlanta, New England and New York. The missions have enabled more than 250 Atlantic Canadian firms to meet with over 1,900 U.S. buyers, agents, and business owners from across the United States, helping to generate more than $20 million in short term sales and more than $80 million in long term sales.
Canada and the United States share the world’s largest, most comprehensive trading relationship. Approximately $2.4 billion U.S. in trade is now crossing the Canada-U.S. border daily.
Atlantic Canada exports to the Mid-Atlantic States (Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia) were valued at $1.5 billion in 2002. This accounted for approximately 7.6% of Atlantic Canada’s total export market.
The Team Canada Atlantic trade mission to Washington is organized by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the four Atlantic provinces, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
For more information on the Team Canada Atlantic Trade Mission to Washington, DC, visit:
http://www.teamcanadaatlantic.com
Complete List of Participating Companies
Newfoundland and Labrador
Telelink (St. John’s); EXCITE (Grand Falls – Windsor); ZeddComm (St. John’s); Infotech Canada
(St. John’s); Newfound Genomics (St John’s); Network Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John’s);
Help Desk Now (Grand Falls-Windsor); Rodrigues Winery (Markland); Nati (St. John’s);
Newfoundland and Labrador Chamber of Commerce (Gander); Systems ‘N’ Solutions (St. John’s); Fogo Island Co-operative Society Ltd. (Fogo Island); Higdon’s Seafood (New Harbour).
Nova Scotia
Abridean Inc. (Halifax); Basebridge.com Ltd. (Bedford);
I.T. Interactive Services Inc. (Halifax); Keane Canada Inc. (Halifax);
Preclarus Technologies Inc. (Truro); Scotia Slate Products Inc.(Rawdon);
Survival Systems Ltd. (Dartmouth); Nova Scotia Agricultural College (Truro); ClearSpan Modular Structures (Milford); Turbo Wing Development Canada Ltd. (Blockhouse); Greater Halifax Partnership (Halifax); Destination Halifax (Halifax); Fisherman’s Market (Halifax).
New Brunswick
Plancher Héritage Ltée (Kedgwick); LearnStream (Fredericton); Merica Furniture (Moncton); MetalTech Ltd. (Dieppe); Ocean Legacy Inc. (L’Etang); Precision Metalworks (Mactaquac);
Bulletproof Solutions Inc. (Fredericton); AnyWare Group (Saint John);
Quartzitec (Sussex); Varcon, Inc. (Fredericton); Forever Tyme (Val D’Amours); Strong Farms (Woodstock).
Prince Edward Island
BCD Automation (Cornwall); DeltaWare Systems Inc. (Charlottetown); Coastal Mapping & Management (Bedeque); Millworks Canada (Charlottetown); Prince Edward Aqua Farms (Kensington); Ravenwood Stairways Inc. (Elmsdale); Spell Read P.A.T. Learning Systems Inc. (Charlottetown); Vision Research Inc. (Charlottetown); Atlantic Mussel Growers Corp. Ltd. (Murray River); Quality Thermoform & Packaging Co. Ltd. (Charlottetown); Foodtrust (Charlottetown).