The Regional View

One way to do that, says MacNeil, is to take a regional approach to attracting the life sciences industry. Besides the Maritimes region, why not include parts of the Northeast United States? That is the thinking behind the International Northeast Biotechnology Corridor, an affiliation of the life science industries of the four Atlantic Canada provinces as well as Quebec and Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut in the U.S.
        Surely, these very states and provinces compete among themselves and cross-border for biotech business. But that may change as the importance of industry clusters dawns on the parties concerned. "Our competition isn't really with each other, but with other parts of the world," says MacNeil. "If we can find a way to attract people to this part of the world, then we should be able to share in the benefits." Some businesses may need to locate in the United States rather than in Canada, she realizes. Others may prefer to locate in Canada. "But some of our existing companies can benefit from that, because we may have customers that support them or potential partners."
        Stephen Dempsey, executive director of the Greater Halifax Partnership, concurs. "Halifax exists as a city in the northeastern part of North America, which includes part of Canada and part of the U.S. Things that are happening in Maine, for instance, in aquaculture and marine biosciences are of interest to us here, and we are starting to see some collaboration. I am optimistic that we will see a greater integration of our sectors in the region."
        Besides life sciences, energy and ICT are critical to Nova Scotia's -- and the region's -- economic future, says Dempsey. "Each of the sectors is at a different stage of development, with the life sciences being the emerging sector, the energy sector a growing one and the ICT sector the most mature of the three. But they all support each other." The ICT sector is challenged by circumstances that exist outside the community as is the case in most other places in North America, says Dempsey. "But it remains a critical part of the community."
        What's happening offshore is about as important as what's happening on the mainland in terms of business expansion. "The main driver of the business climate at this time is the energy sector, which is benefiting from a surge in exploration and development activity in addition to continued production of existing discoveries," says Dempsey. "The 9/11 situation has drawn more attention to the importance of having strategic and secure resources for energy, and that fits our profile here. Given our close proximity to the northeastern U.S. -- there's no one closer with gas reserves than us -- it seems logical that we would see activity in that area, and that is what's happening."