Halifax Partnership Reimagines Halifax at its Annual General Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Halifax, NS, October 7, 2020 – Halifax Partnership held its Annual General Meeting today virtually and in‐person at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront with over 200 Investors, business leaders and community members in attendance.

Halifax Partnership shared highlights from their 2019‐20 results and hosted a Reimagining Halifax discussion with private, public, and community stakeholders focused on building a stronger, more inclusive, and resilient Halifax as the city recovers from the economic and social impacts of COVID‐19.

“Halifax Partnership had a very successful year in attracting new companies and talent to Halifax, and helping our businesses and residents grow and thrive in our city,” says Halifax Partnership’s CEO and President Wendy Luther, “I’ve been inspired everyday over the past year by our Halifax Partnership Board members, Investors, partners and staff – especially through these challenging months. COVID‐19 has had an incredible impact on our city, our businesses, and our residents. Halifax Partnership is leading economic recovery efforts with Halifax Regional Municipality and our many partners to safely reopen our city, restore Halifax’s economy and build a better Halifax.”

“This has been a bruising time, and it’s not over, but Halifax will demonstrate its resilience. We will again welcome newcomers and tourists from around the world. We will still be a centre for research and innovation. We will continue to be a centre of shipbuilding excellence, regain the successes of our Port and our international airport, and support startups and entrepreneurs,” says Halifax’s Mayor, Mike Savage.

The Partnership’s Chief Economist, Ian Munro, provided an update on Halifax’s economy and Ross Jefferson, President and CEO of Discover Halifax, shared an overview of the Tourism sector consumer campaigns and strategies. During his presentation, Mr. Munro introduced the Partnership’s new COVID‐19 Recovery Tracker, which identifies the depth of COVID‐19 economic impacts, the degree to which Halifax has recovered, potential risks to continued recovery, and the differential impacts seen across groups and sectors. For example, employment figures show almost 24,000 jobs were lost in Halifax from January to May and by August employment was back to 99% of January’s level. Halifax’s labour force in August 2020 was 0.3% larger than in August 2019, but employment was 4.6% lower. Data in this tracker is updated monthly and quarterly, depending on the source agencies.

The Annual General Meeting, led by Board Chair, Rob L’Esperance, included the appointment of the 2020‐21 Board of Directors as well as remarks from Wendy Luther, Halifax Partnership President & CEO, Mayor Mike Savage, Halifax Regional Municipality, and Pat Ryan, Founder and President of NeoCon. Halifax Partnership is governed by an 18‐member Board of Directors representing a diverse cross section of Halifax business, government and community leaders.

Members of the 2020‐21 Board of Directors:

• Ron L’Esperance, Group ATN, Chair of the Board
• Rob Carruthers, Deloitte, Vice Chair of the Board
• Beste Alpargun, Seamark Asset Management Ltd.
• Donna Alteen, Time + Space Media
• Cory Bell, Lindsay Construction
• Margaret Brigley, Narrative Research
• Patrick Fitzgerald, Cox & Palmer
• Monica Foster, Nova Scotia Community College
• Louis Lawen, Lawen Group (newly appointed)
• Winston Morton, SimpTek Inc.
• Chris Ronald, RBC Royal Bank
• Anita Swamy, Medavie Blue Cross (newly appointed)

Representing Halifax Regional Council

• Shawn Cleary, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Waye Mason, Halifax Regional Municipality

Observers to the Board

• Mayor Mike Savage, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Jacques Dubé, Chief Administrative Officer, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Chuck Maillet, Vice President, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency ‐ Nova Scotia Region
• Captain Sean Williams, Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic (newly appointed)

To download the Halifax Partnership’s 2019‐20 Annual Report, visit: www.halifaxpartnership.com

Media Contact:
Alison Gillan
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Halifax Partnership
902.719‐6797
[email protected]

About the Halifax Partnership
The Halifax Partnership is Halifax's public‐private economic development organization. The Halifax Partnership drives and accelerates economic growth by selling and marketing Halifax to the world, helping businesses reach their full potential and tracking Halifax's economic progress. The Halifax Partnership's network of influential and globally connected Investors and partners are committed to building a thriving, prosperous Halifax. www.halifaxpartnership.com