Halifax Gateway Council

The Greater Halifax Partnership is the catalyst for economic growth and confidence in Greater Halifax, the economic hub of Atlantic Canada.
www.greaterhalifaxpartnership.com

The HPA is a local port authority with a mandate "to develop, market and manage its assets in order to foster and promote trade and transportation and serve as a catalyst for the local, regional and national economies."
www.portofhalifax.ca

At Clarke Inc., we are focused on one overarching goal in everything we do: uncovering and creating long-term shareholder value and profitable growth. Clarke Inc. is the Halifax-based parent company of a number of wholly-owned operating companies and divisions, and is an activist catalyst investor with a diversified portfolio of investments. Clarke has operating companies in the transportation services business and from time to time, Clarke also participates in joint ventures when they offer the opportunity to create shareholder value.

Clarke invests in undervalued businesses and participates actively where necessary to enhance performance and increase returns. Our investment strategy includes an ongoing evaluation of the market, and continuous adjustments to align our activities with market realities. When conditions permit, Clarke will realize on those investments that have matured where appropriate value can be obtained.

Established in 1969, Halterm is a full-service, year-round, 72-acre, container terminal and cargo handling facility in the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, operating under a land lease agreement with the Halifax Port Authority.

The terminal is capable of handling post-Panamax class vessels with three deep-water berths, ranging in depth from 14 meters to 16 meters at mean low water (“MLW”). Halterm is equipped with six ship-to-shore gantry cranes, including two ZPMC super-post Panamax cranes and has the capacity to handle 700,000 twenty foot equivalent units (“TEU”), with room for expansion.

Located within one hour of the Great Circle Route, the shortest shipping route between Europe and the East Coast of North America. Halterm is well situated to service the needs of major international shipping lines on these trade lanes.

In 2007, Halterm was purchased by Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, one of many large infrastructure funds managed by Macquarie Group of Australia.

Destination Halifax is a partnership of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Province of Nova Scotia, Hotel Association of Nova Scotia, World Trade and Convention Centre, and participating industry members. Since its inception in 2002, Destination Halifax has operated with a mandate of promoting the Halifax Regional Municipality as a year round destination of choice for business and leisure travelers.

The Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) manages two key pieces of transportation infrastructure in the province: the Angus L. Macdonald and A. Murray MacKay bridges.

Every year, more than 32 million crossings are made across the two suspension bridges and on most weekdays, the average number of crossings is well above 100,000.

There are 35 permanent employees working for HHB and this number grows to almost 100 during the spring and summer with the painting and gardening crew. Another 50 members of the Corps of Commissionaires manage the bridge operations including cash toll collection and bridge security.

HHB is a provincial agency that reports to the Minister of Finance. All revenue generated through tolls is dedicated to the ongoing maintenance and operations of the bridges to ensure a safe, efficient and reliable passage for the public.

For more information, please visit www.hdbc.ca.

In the early 1930’s, Gordon Armour began hauling hay and gravel from Taylor Village, a small farming community just outside of Moncton, NB. Today, Armour Transportation Systems transports goods across North America, from Cape Breton to California.

The company, now operating from its Moncton headquarters by Gordon’s son Wesley, is the 11th largest carrier in Canada. It has become one of Canada’s largest LTL carriers and has a fleet that has grown from the original two trucks to more than 3,500 well-maintained pieces of equipment.

Armour can also tell its customers where their package or freight is at any given moment. All of their trucks are equipped with satellite technology, which allows drivers to enter their location and delivery details from the road.

Armour is known for having one of the safest and most modern fleets in the trucking industry and some of its safest drivers.  Their drivers have collectively travelled nearly 500 million accident-free miles, making Armour a company with one of the largest collections of Million Mile Drivers in North America.

The company is very proud of the national and regional recognition they have received from the industry and community alike. Armour is a multiple winner of the Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies Award and the Shipper’s Choice Award. The company was recently recognized as a “Carrier of Choice” and was named the 18th Top Company in Atlantic Canada by Atlantic Progress.

For further information, please visit www.armour.ca

By working with diverse communities to develop and diversify local economies and by championing the strengths of Atlantic Canada, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) works to create oportunities for economic growth in Atlantic Canada by helping businesses become more competitive, innovative and productive. ACOA has many partners in economic development and together, they work to strengthen the Atlantic economy through:

• Enterprise development – helping improve the business climate and lending a hand for individual business start ups, modernizations and expansions.
• Community development – working with communities to nurture economic growth, improve local infrastructure and develop opportunities in the local economy.
• Policy, advocacy and co-ordination – being a champion for Atlantic Canada by representing the region’s interests at the national level in areas such as policy development, research and analysis and in work with other departments to ensure coordination of policies and programs.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is an amalgamation of four municipal governments. The HRM is a regional municipality comprising of approximately 200 individual communities, occupying an area of 5,577 square kilometres. The HRM is governed by an elected mayor and a 23-person council who are elected every four years by geographic district during municipal elections.

Halifax Stanfield International Airport is Atlantic Canada’s gateway to the world. It is the region’s principal full-service airport providing passengers and cargo clients with access to markets across the country, the United States and Europe, and the only airport in Atlantic Canada to offer Canada Customs services on a 24 hour/seven days a week basis, and U.S. preclearance. Halifax Stanfield welcomes over 3.5 million passengers annually and is an internationally recognized leader in customer service, having received first place awards in the global Airport Service Quality program for the past six years. Operated by Halifax International Airport Authority, the Airport contributes over $1.27 billion to the provincial economy and is responsible for over 12,500 direct and indirect jobs.

The Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) is the first point of contact for local companies that want to grow in Nova Scotia, and for international companies that have heard about the province and want to know more.

NSBI promotes the competitive advantages of doing business in Nova Scotia through five business units: trade development, business advisory services, business financing, venture capital and investment attraction. NSBI was created in 2001 as Nova Scotia's business development agency led by a private-sector board of directors.

Since then, NSBI has welcomed world-renowned companies such as BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) and Citco Fund Services, the number one hedge fund administrator, to the province. NSBI has also assisted local companies like electronics manufacturer C-Vision in Amherst and AG Research, a Sydney-based advanced software engineering firm.   

The Halifax Chamber of Commerce is a best-practice, business-advocacy organization that continuously strives to make Halifax an even more attractive city in which to live, work and play. Together the 2,000 member-businesses and their 93,000 employees act as a single, powerful voice through the Chamber to promote local business interests. The Board of Directors, made up of volunteers from within the Chamber membership, oversees the operations of the Chamber. Volunteer committees and task forces, supported by 14 staff members, drive the actions of the Chamber and carry out many of the initiatives and special projects on behalf of the membership.

With roots dating back to 1750, the Halifax Chamber of Commerce is recognized as the first chamber established in North America. In 1999, the Chamber was certified to the ISO 9002 international quality standard, becoming the first Chamber in North America to receive this accreditation. In May 2002, this designation was upgraded to ISO 9001:2000. The Halifax Chamber was selected by the Canadian Medical Association to receive the 2004 CMA Award for Excellence in Health Promotion.

CN is a leader in the North American rail industry. Following its acquisition of Illinois Central in 1999, WC in 2001 and GLT in 2004, as well as its partnership agreement with BC Rail in 2004, CN provides shippers with more options and greater reach in the rapidly expanding market for north-south trade.

We are a more efficient railroad: CN has one of the best operating ratios in this industry and is committed to moving more freight, faster and with fewer assets.

We are a more connected railroad: CN is the only railroad which crosses the continent east-west and north-south, serving ports on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts while linking customers to all three NAFTA nations.

We are a more diverse railroad: CN revenues derive from the movement of a diversified and balanced portfolio of goods including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, intermodal and automotive.

Oceanex Inc. has been providing intermodal transportation services to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for almost 100 years. The company operates two ice-class, Ro-Ro vessels and one ice-class, container vessel, two marine terminals in St. John’s and Corner Brook, and a fleet of over 2,500 containers of varying types and sizes. Oceanex also handles third-party vessels at its Newfoundland terminals. In addition to the marine services, Oceanex, through its inland division, coordinates the movement of cargo to and from its piers for distribution throughout the province.

Services provided include year-round weekly service from any point in North America to Newfoundland via Montreal, with two ships calling St. John’s; and via Halifax, with one ship calling St. John’s and Corner Brook.

Oceanex handles any type of freight - any size - be it general cargo, roll-on, roll-off equipment, LTL shipments, containers ranging in size from 20’ to 53’, and any type of non-containerized freight.

Through its extensive intermodal network, Oceanex provides door-to-door service and carries approximately half of all freight to Newfoundland. Its clients represent all sectors of the economy including retail, wholesale, building materials, project cargo, and consumer and industrial products. With the ability to move cargo from anywhere in North America, Oceanex provides a seamless transportation solution for its clients to any destination in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Cargo can be picked up around the continent and consolidated at either Montreal or Halifax for shipment to the province.

As a leading provider of intermodal transportation solutions to Newfoundland from anywhere in North America, Oceanex continues to set the pace in service efficiency, safety and reliability.