Where Goes Atlantica?
Atlantic Business Magazine has invited Dr. Michael J. MacDonald, founder and former head of the Greater Halifax Partnership, to explain how Atlantica fell off course.
 DAWN CHAFE, EDITOR: Dr. Michael J. MacDonald has enjoyed great variety in his career as a university professor, a senior federal public servant, the President of a Canadian consulting group, the founder of a highly innovative private-pubic sector partnership for urban economic growth, and as a consultant with an international clientele.
Dr. MacDonald contributes to national and international publications and symposia, and he is regularly a guest on the national radio of the CBC. He is currently a Partner in Aird Associates, and he maintains an extensive schedule of speaking engagements and media interviews. In 1998 the CBC included Dr. MacDonald in Peter Gzowski’s series Some of the Best Minds of Our Times. He also consults widely in Canada, the United States, Western Europe and Japan on a wide range of economic and urban issues, and on innovative approaches to community economic growth.
In this online discussion forum, Dr. MacDonald defines what Atlantica is, what it isn’t and why it isn’t going anywhere.
My question for the featured expert: These are obviously the comments of a man who is a true Maritimer and has shown extreme vision with his thinking. We should all take advantage of men like Dr. Michael MacDonald and get his advice on things that obviously a few borderline 'Atlantica' supporters are willing to accept help and good solid advice. Future is Now!
My question for the featured expert: Brilliant insight to a confused event and seemingly botched group of people without vision (on both sides). Most Nova Scotians have no idea what any of it was about beyond a protest regarding something military not something business - let alone what Atlantica is, does or stands for. It would appear there remains no meaningful voice outside its founder with the recognition of a "vision lost". Unfortunate but not isolated to business – we should learn from such events - yet we seem destined to repeat them. In my observations to date, this occurs when vision becomes internalized and focus begins to turn toward self perpetuation and legacy as opposed to community growth, development and long term unity (although these are the terms on paper). This seems to occur almost unconsciously. But as it is well known, Action (or lack thereof) speaks much louder than words. Atlantica needs to refocus and educate - its' community and seemingly itself! - as has been recognized in a blink by knowledgeable experienced individuals as Michael MacDonald.
Michael MacDonald: Thank you to both of you. The lesson we have learned across North America is that the NAFTA has changed the rules of the game. For a weak economy in transition trying to re-define itself and create jobs and wealth for its citizens, this requires an understanding of regional economics that ignores national borders and makes new partnerships possible. These new partnerships will take leadership, courage and imagination.
Dr. Michael J. MacDonald Well, the Atlantica conference has come and gone. We have heard from the visiting protesters (who were very pleased with the national press coverage) and from the police (who felt justified in their response). But oddly enough, very little from the conference organizers. Before the meeting there was little consensus on the short and long term goals of the meeting and no clear statement on what Atlantica actually meant. After the conference there was no communiqué, no summary of the discussions and no attempt to list the successes of a June weekend in Halifax.
The end of the Conference probably best sums up what went wrong. Did someone forget to design a communications strategy? Why did conference organizers allow their meeting to become a focus for protests which had little to do with the focus of the conference itself? And what is Atlantica in 2007, and what do people think it might or should become?
I was at the Greater Halifax Partnership in 2000 when some business leaders came from Maine proposing that we had a lot in common and that we should meet. The issue then, and what attracted our attention, was the proposal to build a toll highway from Bangor westwards toward Plattsburg, New York. It did not take a lot of study to realize that this would knock off four hours between Fredericton and Sherbroke, which would be good for Atlantic exports and a boon for the Port of Halifax.
After 9/11 and discussions about security, a continental border and the secondary importance of land crossings, transportation issues took on a new importance. The Northeast, as an international region, was falling far behind other regions because it lacked a NAFTA corridor and easy access to east-west continental links.
Business and governments in our region have always been interested in the American Northeast, especially the market opportunities in New England and New York. But the problem has always been that, beyond the annual Boston Food Show and Christmas Trees, there has not been much interest in us. Boston is more interested in New York, and New York is focused on itself and the world.
The American Atlantica group is really people from Maine, and though we were originally assured that this limitation was actually a doorway into New England, the doorway has not materialized nor provided the access originally promised. Maine is an economic dead-end for us. It has the second weakest economy in the U.S. only outdone by Louisiana which experienced such a cataclysm in Hurricane Katrina.
Northern Maine is an economic basket case, worthy of a Canadian regional development agency, and everything south of Portland is an economic suburb of Boston. Maine may think that it’s how "life should be", but a small population and a weak economic base provide few new opportunities for Canadians. As a matter of fact, Canadians already own a good deal of Maine, and companies like Irving Gas and Oil, Irving Wood Products, McCain, National Sea Products, Emera and Aliant are very important players in its economy.
Why then the controversy over Atlantica, why the protests, and why the mixed messages in the media? If it is about transportation and improving access to U.S. markets, what’s the big deal? NAFTA already provides open access, and it is easier to trade with New England than Quebec. The problem, I would suggest, is that it’s hard to get through Maine into some real economic action. Though I95 almost joins the Trans Canada Highway and Route 9 is greatly improved, Maine’s railways go nowhere following the old Pulp and Paper routes of the nineteenth century, and there are no vital air links. An economy is all about efficient transportation and easy access to markets. If this is the "big business agenda" which the protesters are talking about, then that’s a sensible goal.
Recently I was involved in creating the Southwest Economic Assembly in Ontario. The Assembly brought together all the southwest cities and municipalities from Kitchener, Waterloo through London to Windsor and Sarnia. The political challenges aside, we made little progress until we began to see the Highway 401 network as the NAFTA corridor connecting Mexico and the USA to Canada’s economic heartland. On that spine we were able to construct some common economic goals, and it was not long before common sense dictated that we begin talks with Michigan and the Great Lakes States. Interestingly no protesters have appeared at the annual meetings of the Southwest Economic Assembly, and the major Unions supported the international vision because it was simply good for business.
Throughout the world and within our own country, economies are regionalizing and the most dynamic economies transcend political and cultural lines. The European Union is the best example of the growth of trans-border economic regions despite linguistic, political and cultural differences. Within our own country the economy is booming in economic regions like the GTA, the Vancouver-Seattle loop, the Edmonton-Calgary corridor, the Ottawa region, the Southwest, Greater Montreal and the Beauce in Quebec. Someday it would be great to add the Halifax-Boston axis to that list. And I would hope that this is the long term goal of the Atlantica planners, but after last week’s fiasco in Halifax, I am not confident that a strategy or goal exists.
Atlantica is currently going nowhere. Maybe it’s the name, echoing that fabulous country at the bottom of the sea which no one seems able to find. I wonder if there would be any protests against a meeting of the Northeast Trade Area. Maybe it’s because Atlantica suggests a new political or cultural union, and that is not in the cards on either side of the border. Maybe it’s because of poor communications, the loss of the transportation focus, and the poorly stated goal of getting better access for Atlantic business within the NAFTA.
At any rate, the failure of the Atlantica attempt would be a setback for our region. We need to grow a continental vision of our markets if we are to grow our economies and create good jobs for our fellow citizens. We should not worry about cheap products from China and Asia using our ports as a gateway to North America. Go shopping; it’s already happened everywhere. Given our unique geography, we have to create a transportation vision that goes beyond the Trans Canada Highway and the nineteenth-century CN rail line through New Brunswick and Quebec. That line is an expensive and slow way to get to Chicago, it has no real competition, and it puts too much power in the hands of one company.
But until the Port of Halifax becomes the major port for New England and until we can travel westwards through Maine on something better than Maine’s Route 2, we are in big trouble.
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