Canada's four Atlantic premiers hope to identify the building blocks for a new Atlantic economy at the upcoming Atlantic Vision Conference. The premiers released details today on the conference, which takes place Oct. 9 -10 at the Hotel Beauséjour, Moncton.
Prince Edward Island Premier Pat Binns, Nova Scotia Premier Russell MacLellan, Newfoundland Premier Brian Tobin and New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna noted that the conference objective is "to present a vision of the future of Atlantic Canada as a dynamic region within Canada, as a basis to support and guide additional strategic investments by stakeholders in the region."
The premiers noted that the future well-being of Atlantic Canadians demands a strong economic agenda, focused on the region's emerging strengths in key sectors. The conference will follow a "results-oriented" agenda, which will crystallize federal, provincial and industry participation in the region's vision for its future growth and prosperity.
The conference will open with an introductory session on the current economic circumstances in Atlantic Canada. Guest speakers will be Elizabeth Beale, president and CEO of APEC, and Tim O'Neil, executive vice president of Bank of Montreal and Harris Bank. This will be followed by four 90-minute panel sessions on: Information Technology and Atlantic Futures; Value Adding in the Resource Economy; Tourism - The Atlantic Adventure; and People Skills for the 21st Century.
The panel sessions will begin with the guest speakers providing a 20-minute overview of the state of the sector and current trends. Following this, panelists will present their vision of the future from the perspective of their organizations and regions. The floor will then be open to questions from all conference participants.
After the event, an Atlantic Vision Conference Report will be prepared, based on the ideas and suggestions brought forth by participants. This will provide the basis for a regional economic development strategy.