Joint federal-provincial initiative

The federal government and provincial governments have launched an Atlantic Growth Strategy to spur research, innovation and entrepreneurship as well as tackling persistently high unemployment rates. Led by a Leadership Committee comprised of four premiers and five Cabinet ministers, the strategy has been rolling out since July with short-term initiatives launched through to December and longer-term actions from January to July, 2017. If adjustments are required, they will be made following consultation with an Atlantic Growth Advisory Group comprised of regional business and other leaders.

While each of the Atlantic provinces has its own innovation strategy, the intent of the growth strategy is to take a whole-of-region approach bolstered by federal dollars that flow through funds like the Atlantic Innovation Fund, managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

The strategy has a set of key strategic deliverables aimed at the academic, business and public sectors with a range of economic and social objectives:

• Support research and innovation in areas such as biosciences, aquaculture, ocean technology, renewable energy, fisheries, agriculture and forestry;

• Better coordinate support for high-impact firms and innovation clusters;

• Strengthen work-integrated learning in education and training facilities;

• Improve alignment of federal and provincial skills training investments;

• Support regional electricity grids and renewable power generation, and the ongoing work of the Atlantic Energy Gateway;

• Support small company exporters through greater export awareness, better market planning, enhanced trade training, and more targeted trade missions; and,

• Develop Indigenous businesses;

Unemployment rates range from 8.4% in Nova Scotia to 12.8% in Newfoundland, the latter hard hit by the dramatic decline in oil prices.

Atlantic Canada also lags other provinces in the numbers of new immigrants arriving in Canada, adding to a growing skills shortage. To increase the region's attractiveness for immigrants, the strategy will include a three-year employer-driven pilot aimed at admitting 2,000 immigrants and their families in 2017 and increasing the following two years "depending on performance".

The pilot's key characteristics include: better coordination among key players; enhanced employer engagement to develop a retention-focused, wrap-around settlement approach; enhanced flexibility to focus on current labour market challenges in priority sectors tailored to each province's unique needs; speed and space including priority processing to ensure that identified labour market needs and shortages are addressed in a timely manner; and, robust measurement/reporting with a particular emphasis on measurement of key indicators.

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