Team Canada Atlantic Travels to New England

Representatives of 10 Nova Scotia companies and Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser will join their colleagues from across the Atlantic region for a Team Canada Atlantic trade mission in Boston next Monday to Wednesday.

The purpose of the trade mission is to introduce Atlantic Canadian companies to export opportunities in New England and to boost trade and investment between the two regions.

Participating Nova Scotia companies are Acorn Timber Frames of Hantsport; Atlantic Hearth Designs of Middleton; Benjamin Heating Products of Springhill; Fraser's Wide Plank Flooring of Musquodoboit Harbour; Kenomee Log Homes of Economy; G. LeFort Woodworks of Hammonds Plains; Premium Seafoods of Arichat; Dover Mills Ltd. of Halifax; Steel and Engine Products of Halifax; and Vantage Communications of Halifax.

Kimberley Reagan of Acorn Timber Frames in Hantsport said the Boston market is an ideal one for her company. "Beyond our historical trading ties, New England and Nova Scotia share many other similarities, including architectural styles. That's important for a firm like mine in marketing our high-quality Unique and Heritage Timber Frame Structures product line. This trade mission gives our company an opportunity to meet with U.S. architects to build constructive and professional relationships."

Gordon Balser, Minister of Economic Development, will be joined by Robert Thibault, Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and by his provincial colleagues Peter Mesheau, New Brunswick Minister of Investment and Exports; Michael Currie, Prince Edward Island Minister of Development and Technology and Beaton Tulk, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.

"We made a commitment in our economic growth strategy to help Nova Scotia companies expand their markets by helping them identify more opportunities for export. And that's just what we're doing," said Gordon Balser, Minister of Economic Development. "We're helping our own Nova Scotia businesses to prosper, grow and increase their exports by maximizing their visibility."

More than 70 per cent of all Nova Scotia exports are destined for U.S. markets. About half of those exports are bound for New England, making the area one of Nova Scotia's top trade priorities.

This 2001 Team Canada Atlantic mission is being organized by ACOA, the four Atlantic provinces, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.

For more information on the mission, please consult the Team Canada Atlantic Web site at: www.TeamCanadaAtlantic.com .