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October 2, 1997
(Executive Council)

Atlantic Vision speakers confirmed

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 conference gets underway on Thursday, October 9 at the Hotel Beausejour in Moncton, New Brunswick.

The conference will be launched with two speeches on the topic of "Atlantic Vision: The Economic Setting," on Thursday, October 9. 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.

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.

O'Neil is executive vice president of the Bank of Montreal and Harris Bank. He took that post in 1994, after being president of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. He taught economics at St. Mary's University in Halifax as well as 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, North Carolina. 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 all conference participants.

"Information Technology and Atlantic Futures" will be the first panel session on Thursday afternoon. Bill Stanley of Saint John, chief executive officer of Fundy Cable Ltd., will speak on Information Technology Trends.

Stanley has a long and distinguished career in communications, which began in 1961 when he founded, and was technical director of, the campus radio station at the University of New Brunswick. He has worked as a consultant and executive in the cable television communications industry in both Canada and the United States. He returned to New Brunswick in 1970, and since that time has 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 centers 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.

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 the University of Montreal, and is a member of numerous scientific societies. He has written close to 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 Corporation, Toronto, will speak on Tourism Trends.

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 later earned him several marketing and service awards, including the Retail Council of Canada's Innovative Retailer of the Year. Cooper now devotes his full 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.

Parr-Johnston is president and vice-chancellor of the University of New Brunswick. She is a widely recognized economist, and was a senior policy analyst and director of government affairs for Inco Ltd., and held several senior positions with Shell Canada Ltd. Johnston 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.

Media Contact: Patrick Lacroix, Economic Development and Tourism (506) 457-7340. For logistical or accreditation information, contact Howie Trainor, Communications New Brunswick (506) 453-2240.