News Release Archive
PREMIER'S OFFICE--Atlantic Vision Speakers Confirmed
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Four guest speakers will address the Atlantic Vision Conference
next week on a variety of topics, including information
technology, value adding in the resource economy, tourism, and
human resources development.
The two-day conference, to be held at the Hotel Beausejour in
Moncton, N.B., will be launched Thursday, Oct. 9, with speeches
on the topic of Atlantic Vision: The Economic Setting.
The speakers for this segment will be Elizabeth Beale, president
and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Provinces Economic
Council (APEC), and Tim O'Neil, executive vice-president, Bank of
Montreal and Harris Bank.
Ms. Beale is a native of Edinburgh and holds an MA in economics
from Dalhousie University. She spent nine years as a consulting
economist with many of Canada's leading research agencies and
firms. Her policy and research interests include regional
development strategies, interprovincial and external trade, and
labour market topics. She was appointed president and chief
executive officer of APEC in 1996.
Mr. O'Neil assumed the post of executive vice-president of Bank
of Montreal and Harris Bank in 1994, after serving as president
of APEC. He taught economics at Saint Mary's University in
Halifax as well as at the University of Prince Edward Island. He
holds a BA from St. Francis Xavier University, an MA from
University of British Columbia, and a PhD from Duke University,
N.C. Mr. O'Neil has extensive experience in all aspects of the
North American economy, in teaching, research and consulting.
The conference opening will be followed by four 90-minute panel
sessions, which 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 conference
participants.
Information Technology and Atlantic Futures will be the topic of
the first panel session Thursday afternoon. Bill Stanley of Saint
John, chief executive officer of Fundy Cable Ltd., will speak on
information technology trends.
Mr. Stanley has a long and distinguished career in communications
that began in 1961 when he founded and was technical director of
the University of New Brunswick campus radio station. He has
worked as a consultant and executive in the cable television
communications industry in Canada and the United States. He
returned to New Brunswick in 1970 and has since developed Fundy
into a cable television company that now serves 98 per cent of
cable customers in New Brunswick. Fundy has also established a
leading-edge fibre optics network serving all of New Brunswick
and major centres in Nova Scotia. He holds a BSc in electrical
engineering from the University of New Brunswick.
Thursday's second panel session will be Value Adding in the
Resource Economy. Michel Desrochers, director general of the
National Research Council's Biotechnology Research Institute in
Montreal, will speak on resource trends.
Mr. Desrochers worked in the private sector as a research
scientist and research director before joining the National
Research Council in 1993. He holds a PhD and MSc in microbiology
from University of Montreal and is a member of numerous
scientific societies. He has written nearly 100 communications
and publications in the areas of bacterial genetics, enzymology
and fermentation.
Friday's first panel session will be Tourism --The Atlantic
Adventure. Donald Cooper of the Donald Cooper Corp. of Toronto
will speak on tourism trends.
Mr. Cooper holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
He worked for 18 years at Cooper Canada, the world's leading
manufacturer of hockey equipment. He later became a successful
entrepreneur, establishing Alive & Well Fashion Store, a venture
that earned him several marketing and service awards, including
the Retail Council of Canada's Innovative Retailer of the Year.
Mr. Cooper now devotes his time to helping companies redefine and
reinvent their business.
The final panel session of the conference will be People and
Skills for the 21st Century. Elizabeth Parr-Johnston, president
and vice-chancellor of the University of New Brunswick,
Fredericton, will speak on human resource development trends.
Ms. Parr-Johnston, a widely recognized economist, was senior
policy analyst and director of government affairs for Inco Ltd.
and held several senior positions with Shell Canada Ltd. She
holds a BA from Wellesley College and an ME and PhD in economics
from Yale. She is a frequent speaker and writer on higher
education in Canada, public policy issues, the impact and
implications of information technology, women in management, and
general management issues.
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Contact: For media inquiries,
Patrick Lacroix
N.B. Economic Development and Tourism
506-457-7340
For logistics and accreditation information,
Howie Trainor
Communications New Brunswick
506-453-2240
NOTE TO EDITORS: Media accreditation is required prior to the
conference. Nova Scotia media may contact:
Sheliah Bennett or Carla Burns
Communications Nova Scotia
902-424-2698/2876
E-mail: bennetsa@gov.ns.ca
AU CHEF DES NOUVELLES: Pour version francaise, appeler
902-424-4492 ou c. elec. rossng@gov.ns.ca.
ngr October 2, 1997 3:15 pm
