Atlantic Growth Advisory Group

The Government of Canada and the four Atlantic Provinces are working together to build a vibrant economic future for Atlantic Canada by focussing their efforts and resources to stimulate the region's economy, support the middle class and address both longstanding and emerging regional challenges.

A Leadership Committee of federal Ministers and the four Atlantic premiers has been established to oversee the implementation of the Strategy. The Leadership Committee will be supported by an Advisory Group made up of prominent Atlantic Canadians.

On January 27, 2017, federal ministers and Atlantic premiers announced the appointment of Henry E. Demone - Chairman of High Liner Foods Inc. - as the Chair of the new Atlantic Growth Advisory Group. On April 28, 2017, they announced the composition of the group.

Chair

Henry E. Demone

Henry Demone is a native Nova Scotian, who grew up in Lunenburg and graduated from Acadia in 1976. He is Chairman of High Liner Foods and serves on the boards of Emera and Saputo. He is Chairman of Eosense, a successful Nova Scotian technology company, focussed on the measurement of environmental gas flux. He serves on the Board of Governors of Acadia University and was an active member of the One Nova Scotia Commission. He has held leadership positions in many volunteer organizations over the course of his career, including Young Presidents' Organization, the National Fisheries institute in Washington DC, the Groundfish Forum and Fisheries Council of Canada.

Members

Zita Cobb

Zita Cobb is co-founder and CEO of the Shorefast Foundation and founder and innkeeper of the Fogo Island Inn. Prior to taking on this role, she was the Chief Financial Officer of JDS Fitel, and Senior Vice President of strategy for fibre optics manufacturer JDS Uniphase, where she contributed to building the company into one of the most successful high-tech innovators in history. Zita retired from her business career in 2001 and returned home to Fogo Island and co-founded the Shorefast Foundation, a registered charity of Canada with an integrated approach that employs business-minded means to achieve social ends. In 2016, Zita was awarded the Order of Canada in acknowledgement of the work of Shorefast Foundation in collaboration with the community of Fogo Island to help secure a more resilient future for this singular rural place.

Glenn Cooke

Glenn Cooke is CEO and co-founder of Cooke Aquaculture Inc., an Atlantic Canadian family owned company and North America's largest independent salmon farming company. He is also the President of Cooke Seafood USA Inc. and his family now owns seafood companies in the USA and South America. He was born and raised in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick. Glenn's vision, entrepreneurship and business savvy have been recognized by the business community in Canada and overseas. In 2007 he was named Entrepreneur of the Year for Atlantic Canada and has been named as one of Atlantic Canada's top 50 CEOs for several consecutive years. On May 20, 2011 Glenn received an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree from the University of New Brunswick in Saint John.

Esther J. Dockendorff

Esther Dockendorff is President and CEO. of P.E.I. Mussel King Inc., the most established mussel company in the Canadian industry. The Dockendorff Family's group of companies comprise one of North America's largest mussel farming operations, and the most modern processing facility in the industry. With over 30 years of experience in the seafood industry, Esther has extensive experience in both the growing and processing aspect of cultivated mussels. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Fisheries Council of Canada from 2004-2011. She was President of the Seafood Processors' Association of Prince Edward Island from 2004-2008 and continues to be an active member. Esther is involved in numerous community organizations. She is past President of the Morell Consumers Co-operative and past Vice President of the North Shore Funeral Home.

Pernille Fischer Boulter

Ms. Fischer Boulter is the founder of Kisserup International Trade Roots Canada Inc., Kisserup Europe and Kisserup Arctic. She has over 25 years of business experience providing advisory services, project management, trade training and consulting services to public and private sector organizations worldwide. She has worked on projects in over 90 countries, on 6 continents and in 25 sectors. She is frequently retained as a keynote speaker on international trade, investment and entrepreneurship in both private and public sector and she is an internationally recognised Subject Matter Expert on SME development. Originally from Denmark, Pernille immigrated to Canada in 1998. She has a Master's of Business from the Copenhagen School of Business; she is a Certified International Trade Professional, CITP by the Forum for International Trade Training in Ottawa, Canada and holds a Certificate in Project Management from Saint Mary's University, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Chief Brian Francis

Chief Brian Francis was first elected Chief of the Abegweit First Nation in August 2007. He was re-elected in 2011 and 2015. Chief Francis was born in Lennox Island, Prince Edward Island. After receiving his early education in Lennox Island and Summerside, he completed four years of apprenticeship training and became a journeyman carpenter. He was the first Aboriginal person in PEI to receive his inter-provincial red seal trade certificate. He worked in several departments, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Human Resources Development Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, prior to his election as Chief and Band Administrator for Abegweit First Nation. Among his most notable accomplishments are being appointed to the Independent Senate Advisory Board and the executive of the Fathers Of Confederation Building Trust. In addition, Chief Francis was elected to the executive of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs and the Ulnooweg Economic Development Financial Board. Chief Francis is also a proud recipient of the Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Anne Hébert

Anne Hébert is the CEO of Bingham Law. Ms Hébert has a Bachelor of Psychology, a Law degree and an MBA from the Université de Moncton. She has been a member of the New Brunswick Bar since 1993. Prior to taking on the role as CEO of the largest independent law firm in New Brunswick, she was the first woman CEO of the Conseil économique du Nouveau-Brunswick, a position she held between 2006 and 2016. She has actively participated in the economic development of the province's Francophone community. She has served on a number of economic and socio-economic committees, and she holds a seat on the board of directors of Le Pays de la Sagouine, as well as the board of directors of the Canadian Bar Association, New Brunswick Division.

Dean MacDonald

Dean MacDonald is the Chair of Tuckamore Capital, a diversified company that invests in successful Canadian private businesses and also the Executive Chair of ClearStream Energy Services, an oil and gas services company which operates in Western Canada. Dean has had a long and successful career as an operating executive and entrepreneur, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Rogers Cable and Chief Executive Officer of Persona Communication. In addition to sitting on the Boards of numerous businesses in which he is a prime investor, he is also owner and CEO of Deacon Investments Ltd., a company which invests in commercial real estate and operating businesses across Canada.

Mr. MacDonald has also served as Chairman of Newfoundland and Labrador Energy Corporation, which manages the province's oil and gas assets. Mr. MacDonald is also the founder of the ClanMac Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to helping improve the health and well being of those in need in his home province.

Robert Niven

Mr. Robert Niven is the Founder of CarbonCure Technologies and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. He is a pioneer in the creation of a new class of clean technologies in the global race to develop scalable CO2 utilization technologies for the concrete sector. As the leader of CarbonCure Technologies, he has overseen the technology development through commercialization and expansion into international markets. His work in the climate change field has been recognized by invitations to present his research and perspective at numerous international conferences, including the United Nations climate change conferences. Mr. Niven holds a M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering from McGill University and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Victoria.

February 2018

Recommendations of the Atlantic Growth Advisory Group - February 2018

• The Atlantic Growth Strategy Leadership Committee responded to the Atlantic Growth Advisory Group's recommendations.
  To read that commentary, click here.