Antigonish Regional Development Authority

NOTE: Communications Nova Scotia will be releasing feature stories over the next few weeks, highlighting the newest charter members of the Nova Scotia "Come to life" initiative. Nova Scotia "Come to life" is a public-private sector initiative that markets Nova Scotia as an excellent place in which to live, work, invest, play, and visit. The following feature story was written by Margaret MacQuarrie.

The Antigonish Regional Development Authority (ARDA) understands what it means to be a good neighbour. Whether it's a community group looking to upgrade facilities or launch a new program, whether it's a local business looking to open its doors for the first time or extend its services around the world, ARDA is there to lend a hand.

"We're a resource," says Alisha Grant, ARDA interim director. "We're here to help the Antigonish area develop its full potential."

Like any good neighbour, that help comes in a variety of ways – and it comes often. Take photographer and entrepreneur Cara Jones for example. One of Cara's first connections with ARDA occurred when she took a course on digital media, FilmWorksII, a full-time, 26-week program conceived and organized by the development authority. That program spurred the graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design to open her own business, Intuitive Eye Productions.

Opening a business, of course, requires a great deal of resourcefulness – and resources. ARDA, an economic development agency commissioned by the federal, provincial and local governments and overseen by an independent board of directors, was pleased to offer both. "We are providing incubator space for Cara to use as a studio, and we are renting her equipment until she is ready to go out on her own and spread her wings," says Ms. Grant.

Another example of ARDA's work is the newly renovated St. Josephs-Lakeside Community Centre. Until recently, this community, nestled in the heart of Antigonish County, had only a run-down community hall in which to host events, offer programs, and encourage young people to get involved. The community turned to ARDA. "We were able to help them access the funds they needed, and we helped them through the project from beginning to end – everything from working with designers to managing contractors to celebrating their ultimate success," says Ms. Grant.

Today, the community boasts a modern 9,000-square foot multi-purpose facility that includes a fitness centre, meeting rooms, conference space, and a recreation area. But this is so much more than a building, notes Ms. Grant. "It’s a way for the community to stay connected."

Staying connected – and enhancing quality of life – was the impetus behind another ARDA project: expanding broadband service to roughly half of the county that did not have access to high-speed Internet service. In partnership with Aliant, the leading provider of online services in Atlantic Canada, and all three levels of government, ARDA led the drive to connect communities, and neighbours, to one another with the click of a mouse.

The initiative was warmly embraced. "Uptake – signing on for a new service like this – is generally around 50 per cent. In some cases, we had an uptake of 75 per cent," says Ms. Grant.

There is a double-edged reason for the enthusiasm: business owners and operators are more productive and able to spend more time to spend with family. For many local business people, checking email had meant driving into the office, usually to the town of Antigonish. The trip added unnecessary time to their day for what is considered a routine, albeit essential, business task. The expanded broadband network eliminated the travel time enabling them to get right to the job at hand.

It also means more time breathing in the panoramic vistas Antigonish has to offer. "With the increased broadband service, there is a whole new quality of life," says Ms. Grant. "Business owners and others are able to access their email from their doorsteps. It adds a greater balance to their lives."

That's important to the roughly 19,000 residents of Antigonish County, which is embraced by the warm waters of the Northumberland Strait, St. George's Bay and the Strait of Canso. "We are a close-knit community," notes Ms. Grant. "We depend on one another. That's what makes us strong."

It's what also makes the community and ARDA innovative. While the model used by the regional development association is widely used by other regional development authorities across the province, it is a model founded on customizing and creativity. What works in one community does not necessarily work in another.

"We assess each opportunity in terms of how it would benefit Antigonish County and the people who live here," says Ms. Grant. "There’s a personal stamp to everything we do. We are flexible in choosing the projects that will work best in our community."

Those projects encompass a wide variety of initiatives, many of them linked directly to the historic roots of the area, and many designed to attract more young people to the thriving university town of Antigonish, home of St. Francis Xavier University, rated by Maclean's magazine as the number one undergraduate university in Canada – for five straight years.

All initiatives require creativity and resourcefulness. Looking ahead, ARDA recognizes that tomorrow's success rests in the hands of today's youth – and that means the community must attract more young people and enable those that grew up here to remain. Achieving those goals requires understanding the issues, the barriers and opportunities young people face. For the past two years, ARDA has been conducting high school exit surveys of graduates to learn their perceptions, their concerns and their aspirations.

One thing is already very clear. Many young people want to remain in Antigonish County. "This community supports one another," says Ms. Grant. "All you have to do is pick up the phone. People are here to help."

That is, after all, what great neighbours – and great communities – do.