Currently you will find the 2010 Economic Assembly Factbook, Bill McEwan’s speech,  Thomas Homer-Dixon’s speech, and articles from The Casket and the Chronicle Herald.

Check back often as we will be adding more items!

Please leave a comment with any additional ideas/actions/strategies that you would like to be included in our analysis. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can send them to officemanager@antigonisharea.com

We look forward to the ongoing process and continuing the efforts of the Assembly!

The data is focused on four “Quad” counties (Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, and Richmond) which have closely interwoven economies. There is a significant trading and mobility relationship between all four counties — this is an economic map, not a political one.

The Factbook will be available in print form to all delegates at the Assembly.

Download the 2010 Regional Factbook – web version!

Dr. Joan McArthur Blair, CEO of Nova Scotia Community College

Sean Murray, CEO, Advocate Printing

Peter Moreira, Author of Backwater: Nova Scotia’s Economic Decline

Frazer Hunter, Owner of Knoydart Farms

Moderated by Phil Davison, StFX Extension Department, our panel will share and discuss their ideas about regional economic growth with each other and with the delegates. Following the discussion will be an interactive Q &A session from the delegation to the panel.

We are delighted to invite you to become a delegate for the 2010 Economic Assembly, an event which has been created as a catalyst for cooperation within our region. Now is the time for you to step up and join your fellow citizens as we work together to secure our collective futures here in this wonderful part of the world. If you have a passion for the future of our region and want to take part in an exciting process to add momentum and direction to our economic growth and sustainability, then we want you!

The Assembly is seeking delegates from all over the region and from all walks of life. The registration fee of $150 covers all Assembly events, materials and amenities including the Keynote Luncheon and the 2010 Economic Assembly Factbook.

Delegates may register on the Internet here.  Space is limited, so act now!

The Assembly day begins with an opening keynote address by Bill McEwan, President & CEO, Sobeys Inc. As the leader of one of Canada’s most successful companies, Mr. McEwan brings a unique combination of knowledge and experience to the Assembly. Between 1989 and 2000, Mr. McEwan held a variety of progressively senior marketing and merchandising roles in the consumer packaged goods industry with Coca-Cola Limited and in grocery retail with A&P both in Canada and the United States.
He served as President of A&P’s Canadian operations before his appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of the company’s U.S. Atlantic Region, the position he held immediately prior to joining Sobeys Inc. Since joining Sobeys Inc. in 2000, Mr. McEwan has overseen the development of the company’s long-term strategic plan, built a leadership team and, with that team, has driven the execution of Sobeys’ food-focused growth plans

Following Mr. McEwan’s address, a panel of four regional leaders drawn from both the private and public sectors will share and discuss their ideas about regional economic growth with each other and with the delegates in a moderated panel discussion followed by a Q & A session open to all delegates. The panel session will be moderated by Phil Davison, Senior Associate, StFX Extension Department. Two panelists are confirmed to date. They are Dr. Joan McArthur-Blair, President & CEO, Nova Scotia Community
College, and author Peter Moreira. His recent book, Backwater: Nova Scotia’s Economic Decline, has sparked vigorous debate about the economic future of the province. More panelists will be announced shortly.

Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon will present his keynote speech at the luncheon. Dr. Homer-Dixon is one of the world’s leading experts on the intricate links between nature, technology, and society. He held the George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto before taking on his new role as Centre for International Governance Innovation Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ontario. He is also a
219 Main Street, Suite 202, Antigonish, NS B2G 2C1 Canada Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo. His research focuses on threats to global security in the 21st century and on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological, and technological change. His book The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization, was the winner of the 2006 National Business Book Award. His previous book, The Ingenuity Gap won the 2001 Governor-General’s Award for Non-fiction.

The afternoon will be the focused work period for the delegation. The session will be facilitated by Dr. Homer-Dixon. Along with the information delivered by the keynote speakers and panelists during the morning, the delegates will be armed with the comprehensive 2010 Economic Assembly Factbook, a
collection of descriptive information, facts, and figures about the region. The information assembled in the Factbook is employed to provide analysis of some of the most important forces that currently affect the region’s economy and that suggest trends that signal both opportunities and challenges into the future. The delegation will be asked to address this information and suggest strategies and actions that will help the region move into the future based on real information and achievable goals.

The Assembly is grateful to our generous sponsors whose leadership has made this important event possible. We thank NewPage, Nova Scotia Community College, Nova Scotia Business Incorporated, Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority, Strait Area Chamber of Commerce, and Michelin. More sponsors will be announced very soon.

The 2010 Economic Assembly is a joint project of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce and the Antigonish Chamber of Commerce. Project management and development of the Assembly knowledge-base, the 2010 Economic Assembly Factbook, is provided by the Antigonish Area Partnership.

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Thomas Homer-Dixon holds the Centre for International Governance Innovation Chair of Global Systems at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Canada, and is a Professor in the Centre for Environment and Business in the Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo.

He was born in Victoria, British Columbia and received his B.A. in political science from Carleton University in 1980 and his Ph.D. from MIT in international relations and defense and arms control policy in 1989. He then moved to the University of Toronto to lead several research projects studying the links between environmental stress and violence in developing countries. Recently, his research has focused on threats to global security in the 21st century and on how societies adapt to complex economic, ecological, and technological change.

From http://www.homerdixon.com/biography.html

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Thomas Homer-Dixon is the best-selling author of The Upside of Down, The Ingenuity Gap, and Carbon Shift.

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Podcasts

Subscribe to Thomas Homer-Dixon’s podcasts on iTunes or download selected podcasts below.

Speech to a conference on “The Great Transformation: Climate Change and Cultural Change” (part 1 of 2)

Speech to a conference on “The Great Transformation: Climate Change and Cultural Change” (part 2 of 2)

ELAC Podcast “Uncertainty, Lags and and Nonlinearity: Challenges to Governance in a Turbulent World”

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For more information on Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon, please visit his website.