Saint John was recently named one of the world’s Smart21 high tech hot spots by a New York-based think-tank, the Intelligent Communities Forum. The ICF seeks to promote the development of broadband technology in communities around the world. Our community is now vying to become one of the world’s Top 7 Smart Cities in 2012.
Our story of innovation began in an earlier era. When the first explorers and settlers came to our shores they discovered a world plentiful in resources, as well as hardships. Life was difficult. Harsh weather, rock and water everywhere – the world’s highest tides and rivers which flowed in both directions! To survive, it required ingenuity, perseverance, and for people to band together. That is how they prospered.
"That explains why to this day the spirit of collaboration, creativity and innovation is part of our DNA."
A couple of weeks ago, I attended an i-CANADA conference in Windsor, Ontario. Hosted by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA), the conference was held to help Canada become an intelligent nation. I was joined by Lisa Hrabluk (lisa@hrabluk.com), a talented storyteller who wrote the Smart21 application and is now writing the more intensive Top7 application. Premier David Alward was the keynote speaker, highlighting New Brunswick’s significant contributions to innovation in ICT.
Here is a video of the Premier speaking with the i-CANADA Chair, Bill Hutchison.
Christine Comeau, Enterprise Saint John and Lisa Hrabluk, WordPhoto attend the i-CANADA conference in Windsor, Ontario, November 16 & 17, 2011.
The GM building dominates the Detroit skyline.
Last week, in partnership with the City of Saint John we assembled 42 people from our own community to share examples of how we have harnessed ICT as a platform for innovation, creativity and advancements in manufacturing, health and life sciences, energy, environmental and social development, delivery of municipal services, poverty reduction, tourism, retail, culture and recreation. The Top7 Application Workshop got people talking. Dozens of stories were shared and everyone walked away with a greater appreciation, awareness and respect for our early adoption and application of technology. It also planted new seeds. New conversations were sparked which I’m certain are the start of a new chapter of Saint John innovation.
Participants share stories in the Top7 Application Workshop, November 24, 2011.
One of the happy outcomes of the application process is that we are beginning to write, for the first time, the full ICT and innovation story for Saint John and, by extension, the region. You can read a small piece of that story here on The Think City site. The Think City is an initiative developed by Enterprise Saint John in partnership with Uptown Saint John () to promote and grow Saint John’s Uptown ICT and professional services sector. Our “campus” is one of North America’s only playgrounds for innovation centred in an urban core. Thanks to Jeff Roach, Sociallogical, for providing strategic guidance and helping us attract people, ideas and investment to the ICT and professional services community.
Here’s how you can help us in our race to the Top7:
Visit www.thethinkcity.caand join our ambassador network – be a part of the conversation and help us share in the vibrancy of our sector “Where ICT Works.”
Promote our community’s Smart21 designation by spreading the word.
Keep the conversation going. If you have stories of innovation that have advanced our economic, social, cultural and economic progress, e-mail me ccomeau@enterprisesj.com or Lisa Hrabluk at lisa@hrabluk.com.
Thanks for reading. You are why we are a Smart21 community!
Christine Comeau is Enterprise Saint John’s Communications Officer. She lives on the shore of the Kennebecasis River with her husband and daughter.
I grew up in Southern Ontario, in a small village near Ottawa. The setting was picturesque and idyllic, the kind of community where everyone knew and looked out for each other; the resulting feeling of security and trust meant us kids were allowed to run wild through the village and surrounding woods at will. That early lifestyle instilled in me a strong sense of connection to nature, and an understanding that without a healthy and productive environment we humans might as well just call it a day. I have become so well known among my friends as “the tree-hugger” that most assume I'll end up living in British Columbia because after all, that's the centre for sustainable lifestyle in Canada, right?
Wrong!
A sustainable lifestyle requires a few key elements, and Saint John has each of them in spades. First, you need a natural environment that is healthy and diverse. Within a fifty kilometre radius of Uptown Saint John there are four rivers with more varieties of fish and shellfish than I can list; the Bay of Fundy (Atlantic Ocean) and it's fisheries, vistas and incredible tides; dense woodlands and mineral resources; lush and productive farmlands; and a plethora of indigenous plant and animal life that nourishes both our bodies and our souls.
The second thing you need is strong social capital – people need to trust each other and have a desire to work together toward a common, greater goal. Here in Saint John we feel empowered and are genuinely engaged in our community and development decisions; public consultation is the norm here, not the exception! Volunteerism is a common and popular activity, and when we have great ideas to make something better we just pick up the phone or drop in on a friend to start the ball rolling. That powerful social capital is the reason Saint John is the origin of some amazing social programs and organizations, like Canada's first YMCA and more recently, Canada's first FUSION chapter.
The final piece of the sustainability puzzle is a diverse economy which serves the needs of the region. Saint John's economic renaissance has resulted in the creation of five unique yet complimentary growth industries (IT, Tourism, Energy, Advanced Manufacturing and Healthcare & Life Sciences), all supported by an established service infrastructure. Our business community is heavily weighted to small- and medium-sized enterprise, so being an entrepreneur is a popular choice among Saint Johners. It also makes “thinking globally, buying locally” really easy. With few exceptions my daily groceries are all sourced from within a thirty-kilometre radius, purchased at the conveniently located farmers market and neighbouring butcher – we have the ability to keep our money recirculating within the regional economy, reinforcing the sustainability of the region and the prosperity of it's residents.
There are so many reasons to choose to live in Saint John – the Life on Your Terms motto is real here. Here I have designed a life of my choosing, without compromise. A case in point, as I write this blog post I sit on my hammock on my beach alongside the St. John River. I'll submit this from my hammock, and later I might make the easy twenty-minute drive to meet a friend on the boardwalk Uptown and watch a cruise ship leave the harbour... or I might just stay here and watch the bald eagles enjoy their evening fishing session.
Guest Post: Sara Stashick is a student, animal lover, wife and proud waterfront owner who has found life on her terms in the Saint John Community.
It’s oft repeated that finding a balance between work and life can be quite a challenge. The experts espouse tips that will allow you to take back control, there are self-help books galore but what if where you lived dictated your work life?
My commute is 20 minutes along a highway which runs parallel a scenic river system towards a City next to the Bay of Fundy. I hear the chime of church bellsmarking my 9:00 am start to work in a heritage building with a contemporary interior. Lunch can be in at an open market, a harbourside boardwalk patio or a walk along the Saint John River as it flows into the Bay of Fundy, I have actually seen a seal swim by!
And day to day work events like meetings do not always take place in boardrooms, sometimes they are held in our homes over tea and freshly baked wild blueberry muffins.
Saint John, New Brunswick and its surrounding communities offer the right perspective on work life balance and it comes with being a resident here, a place where work and life compliment each other. At least that’s been my experience.
Thanks Dianna for the tea and muffins last week – how is that rebranding strategy going?
Guest Post: Gina O'Rourke-McKay is a mother, gardener and workforce development coordinator for Enterprise Saint John.
RE: RE: A meeting with fresh biscuits, blueberry muffins and tea - all while looking over a stunning backyard garden by Christine Comeau on
I was invited too, and I too want to thank Dianna for hosting the "kitchen meeting". A lot can be accomplished over home made biscuits and blueberry muffins!
You’ve held out for months, waiting and watching for some sign to help with your decision...Where should I live? But maybe you’re asking the wrong question. Instead of “Where should I live?” maybe you should be asking "Why you need to live in Saint John?"
So before you break out the credit card to buy that plane ticket, let’s talk about a few reasons to live in Saint John.
Authentic People
As mentioned, I have lived in many different places and the people in the other mentioned cities were all great, however, I have to say the people of Saint John are the friendliest, happiest and most authentic people I have ever met. As a business owner, I think this is a HUGE benefit and why we have a thriving business community here. We appreciate each other.
We feel safe around authentic people, as if we could reveal to them our deepest darkest secrets, as if we could trust them with anything. Now that feels like home. ;-)
For example, you can tour the city in the AM, grab a coffee Uptown and a quick bite at one of our many great restaurants. From there, you can head out to New River beach and enjoy the sun, the waves and our amazing tides. Head back into town to pick up your groceries for supper that night at the City Market. After supper, if you enjoy hockey, you can catch the defending Memorial Cup champions, the Saint John Sea Dogs at Harbour Station.
The simple things in life are truly great!
Best Bang For Your Buck
To borrow a line from Atlantic Lotto. A million spends like a million should here. Although the cost of living has risen recently, it is still the best bang for your buck. Being an entrepreneur this is a HUGE advantage when starting or operating a business. Living in Saint John gives you the opportunity to spread your wings, without having the stress you might have when starting a business in other cities, all usually caused by the cost of living.
In Saint John, you can get paid to be you.
Why do you live in Saint John? Questions? Leave ‘em below and I’m happy to answer.
Oh, did I say it is a great place to raise your family?
After over two hours of cheering, fist-pumping and singing along with U2, they had one last reaction to grab from me. With a “one, two, three, four’, The Edge and Adam Clayton began to play the notes that made me gasp.
“40,” I said to my husband Michael Hawkins and our friend John Martin as we stood (blissfully) on gravel at the base of Magnetic Hill.
In that moment I was transported back to my friend Elaine Cuggy’s bedroom, sitting on the floor next to her turntable as she pulled an album off the shelf, saying; “You’ve got to hear this, Michael just bought it.” Michael Cuggy being her older brother who, in 1984, was into all things Irish, British and angry. This album certainly qualified, with its stark black and white photo of a young boy and the words U2/War written in blood red.
This was the album that brought U2 to the attention of the world, the album of Sunday, Bloody Sunday, New Year’s Day and Two Hearts Beat as One. The album that dislodged Thriller from the #1 spot on the UK charts. War was a different kind of protest album, loud, defiant and oh so cool.
Bono wasn’t looking for answers blowing in the wind; he was raging under a blood red sky and I wanted to be a part of that. But there was, and continues to be, another side to U2, one that is unabashably spiritual and the song 40 is drawn from that canon.
Named for the 40th Psalm, it is the last song on War and for years U2 famously finished their concerts with this slow, soft modern hymn, leaving the stage one by one as the crowd sang the chorus in a loop until the stage was empty.
According to a U2 fan page the band hadn’t performed it live since 2006 but this night in Moncton – July 30, 2011 – was special, even for the band. It was their final night of the 360 Tour, two years and one month after it began in Barcelona, Spain. Family members had flown in, along with famous friends like Pierce Brosnan (yeah, I saw him, snapping pics of Arcade Fire), making the massive, soggy field feel at times a little more intimate.
This was a concert where band and crowd fed off each other. From early hits such as I Will Follow, Pride (In the Name of Love) and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For through mid-career highlights such as Vertigo, Mysterious Ways and Beautiful Day (introduced by Captain Mark Kelly of the International Space Station) to new songs Get on Your Boots and Moment of Surrender, U2 took us on a 30-year tour of theirs and our personal soundtrack.
And that is the magic of a great rock concert – the ability to transport us back and forth through time on the power of a few familiar riffs and a chorus we all can sing.
Guest Post: Lisa Hrabluk is a writer, editor and U2 fan based in Rothesay.
Participants share stories in the Top7 Application Workshop, November 24, 2011.
I grew up in Southern Ontario, in a small village near Ottawa. The setting was picturesque and idyllic, the kind of community where everyone knew and looked out for each other; the resulting feeling of security and trust meant us kids were allowed to run wild through the village and surrounding woods at will. That early lifestyle instilled in me a strong sense of connection to nature, and an understanding that without a healthy and productive environment we humans might as well just call it a day. I have become so well known among my friends as “the tree-hugger” that most assume I'll end up living in British Columbia because after all, that's the centre for sustainable lifestyle in Canada, right?
There are so many reasons to choose to live in Saint John – the Life on Your Terms motto is real here. Here I have designed a life of my choosing, without compromise. A case in point, as I write this blog post I sit on my hammock on my beach alongside the St. John River. I'll submit this from my hammock, and later I might make the easy twenty-minute drive to meet a friend on the 
It’s oft repeated that finding a balance between work and life can be quite a challenge. The experts espouse tips that will allow you to take back control, there are self-help books galore but what if where you lived dictated your work life? 
My commute is 20 minutes along a highway which runs parallel a scenic river system towards a City next to the Bay of Fundy. I hear the chime of 
And day to day work events like meetings do not always take place in boardrooms, sometimes they are held in our homes over tea and freshly baked wild blueberry muffins.
In the end I was 15 again. 
This was the album that brought U2 to the attention of the world, the album of Sunday, Bloody Sunday, New Year’s Day and Two Hearts Beat as One. The album that dislodged Thriller from the #1 spot on the UK charts. War was a different kind of protest album, loud, defiant and oh so cool.