The 2010 Atlantic Business Summit was the site of some open and frank discussion about the employment and economic outlook for the East Coast. At the centre of those discussions was Kevin Stolarick, Research Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute. His opening keynote address, “The Future Prosperity of Atlantic Canada,” was a wide-ranging and candid conversation. Stolarick tackled trends in North American professional and economic development, and pointed to the ways the Atlantic provinces could capitalize on a pervasive new attitude. Read more

On the morning of June 18, at the MaRS Centre in Toronto, some of Atlantic Canada’s best minds met with their counterparts from Ontario for a day of discussion, networking, and debate about “The Road to Prosperity” in the Atlantic region. The 2010 East Coast Connected Atlantic Business Summit got off to an enthusiastic start. The introductory speeches to this third Summit shone through with a commitment to the future prosperity of Atlantic Canada, but also contained a sober recognition of the challenges facing the eastern provinces. Read more

ECC President Chris Crowell recently penned a column for The Chronicle Herald, urging Atlantic Canadian governments, business and organizations to nurture and maintain ties with Maritimers and Atlantic Canadians who have moved away from the east coast. Calling expatriates a "renewable resource", he asserts expatriates "do not want to be an observer of the success of Atlantic Canada; they want to be a part of the story:" Read more

One question that every East Coast Connected member asks themselves is, “As someone who has left the region, or with stakes outside of it, how do I participate at a greater level with the Atlantic provinces?” Some people are looking to return to that place, but are unaware of particular opportunities, while others look to strengthen their ties with their region of origin through investments or research. On June 5 at the Atlantic Business Summit, East Coast Connected asked some distinguished thinkers “To what extent should governments support the establishment of expatriate community hubs?”. Read more

On June 5, the Rotman School of Management saw a distinguished panel of speakers from Atlantic Canada come together to bring attention to a changing Atlantic Canadian economy. The 2nd Annual Atlantic Business Summit was host to what Macleans National Editor and moderator Andrew Coyne called a “tag-team” panel discussion, where a speaker from each Atlantic Canadian province brought an “industry guest” of their own. This format gave the conversation great depth, with each representative of the various governments able to provide successful examples of adaptation. The dialogue and questions were wide-ranging, and focused mostly on several topics: tax reform, access to information networks, global market positioning, educational opportunities, adaptability to market changes, transformation of industry, and the need for long-term vision. Read more

The shots came fast and furious at Grace O’Malley’s Pub on September 23 in Toronto as an eager crowd heard an “off the record” discussion panel featuring Collen Jones, Rick Vaive, Mike McPhee, and Fred MacGillivray. Hosted by East Coast Connected with the support of FastLane, “Drop the Puck” targeted the challenges and advantages of advancing sports culture in the unique markets of the Atlantic provinces. Read more

Tim Coates, executive director of 21 Inc., addresses this question in a recent Telegraph-Journal column, People Climate or Business Climate? In his column, he furthers the conversation made possible at East Coast Connected's Atlantic Business Summit in a panel entitled "Making Atlantic Canada the work destination of choice for talented people": Read more