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Granted, Greene has never included Newfoundland and Labrador in his vision of a Maritime Union, but his central point applies: “Doesn’t it make some kind of good sense to do more things together and integrate further?”
Whatever the political entity — union, or lack thereof — what will really make the region hum is an entrepreneurial spirit.
And so, Cardy said, spitballing ideas, the moment has come to think outside the box: Air Canada isn’t flying into Fredericton, so why not attract other companies to do it, or encourage new homegrown ones, something similar to Eviation Aircraft Ltd., the Israeli aerospace startup hoping to bring an electric commuter plane into service in 2023.
Going green is the way forward, Cardy believes, and not in a wild-eyed, ban-all-fossil-fuels way, but as a goal to achieve through increments and innovation.
This is a time for us to figure out what we want to do — and get to it
Dominic Cardy
“I would love to encourage investment in companies that want to do innovative, cool things, things that people haven’t thought about yet,” he said.
The alternative is holding on to “stodgy economic development plans” and giving tax dollars to the same companies that have always received them.
“There is never going to be another opportunity like this,” Cardy said. “This is a time for us to figure out what we want to do — and get to it.”
Some already are getting to it, including Pat Whalen, chief executive of LuminUltra Technologies Ltd., a Fredericton-based biotechnology company.
Whalen was in Toronto for meetings on March 12, and nixed a plan to continue on to New York right before the proverbial “sky collapsed,” catching an afternoon flight back to Fredericton instead.
