Monthly Newsletter
April update
Welcome to the April OneNS update
The Good News or the Bad News First?
At OneNS we tend to look for the opportunity in the challenge. Lately, the closer we look the
more successes we find from one end of our province to the other. There are more local business
stories than we ever realized, more start-ups making good, more established companies
investing, and more communities and organizations rising to the challenges issued by the OneNS
commissioners.
It says something that an economic report continues to inspire a healthy debate about how to
achieve what increasingly appear to be goals shared by many Nova Scotians. Most importantly,
that the same report is inspiring action from businesses, governments, non-profits, social
enterprises, individuals and organizations.
What we know for certain is that change is the only way to a better future. Whether the pace of it
is too fast or too slow, or you agree or disagree with the direction, change certainly is in the air
this spring. Something has shifted, and we must continue to welcome all voices to the
conversation and fan the flames wherever they have been lit.
Read: Taking Action Now: The ABC’s of Change
This month, Statistics Canada released numbers showing Nova Scotia’s economy performed
better than the rest of our region in 2014. Real gross domestic product by industry rose by 1.6%.
That’s the biggest jump since 2010. Exports increased by a billion dollars. That’s great news.
What’s not so great is that national real GDP rose by 2.4% and we continue to trail. Also not
great -- climbing out of the economic no man’s land we’ve been in for the last 20 years isn’t
going to happen overnight. And turning around the slowest economic growth of any province
since 1990 isn’t going to be easy. In fact, considering the starting line, it will likely be prolonged
and at times be painful.
At only 5% -- compared to the 19% national average -- our rates of immigration are way too low.
Many municipalities are struggling. About 15% of adults are living in poverty. And far, far too
many of us believe that things will stay the same or actually get worse. With a $97.5 million
deficit and a debt of $14.8 billion (about $15,900 for every woman, man and child) we simply
don’t have the luxury of throwing bigger fists full of money at all our problems.
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Where is the opportunity in that? Our greatest opportunity, our best hope for the future, lies in
each other. In our ability to have the tough conversations, find the middle ground, and work
together toward a common purpose. To collaborate on creative solutions, innovate, and be
willing to try new ideas. To grab the bull by the horns and take action of our own accord simply
because we see a gap and someone needs to stand in it.
Over the next few months we will be breaking down the problem and mapping out the
collaborative solutions we think might work. On the upside, we know what doesn’t work because
Nova Scotia has tried most of it before. We will be looking for help – help to change the way we
see the world and help to ensure the plan is something we can all get behind. We will also be
asking people to increasingly try a new way of doing things and to keep an open mind when the
ideas may be non-traditional or perhaps even a little bit foreign.
We are working to pinpoint the critical pieces of Nova Scotia’s new narrative. To find the parts
that will allow us to image a new future for ourselves and arrive at tangible, believable, inspiring
and measurable actions and outcomes. But as the saying goes, you can bring a horse to water, but
you cannot make him drink. Any plan will never be more than a plan unless we strengthen the
ties that bind and find the common will to make it happen.
We look forward to sharing more with you very soon as we accelerate toward the next milestone.
Action This Month
Brilliant Labs: A program that teaches children science, technology, engineering and math as well as
innovation and entrepreneurial skills through fun, hands on activities – is being launched in eight Nova
Scotia school boards.
Dalhousie Roundtable discussion with the Governor General of Canada: The Governor
General of Canada took part in a round-table discussion with leaders from Nova Scotia’s private,
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public and academic sectors on creating a dynamic industry and university ecosystem. Places
like Waterloo demonstrate that universities play a major role in fostering ecosystems that
encourage innovation.
Getting to Know You: The Halifax business community sat down to dinner with Nova Scotia
newcomers to learn more about each other. The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and the
Multicultural Association of Nova Scotia also revealed a campaign to help welcome newcomers
into our communities.
“I see opportunity here and sometimes money doesn't mean everything. Cape Breton is a
beautiful place. The people are friendly and it's a place I want to be”: Scratch the surface,
and progress is everywhere. Check out this inspirational story about making our own
opportunities and finding a place in this world that aligns with our values
http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1283477-opportunity-knocks-for-young-cape-bretoninvestor
Connecting People to Opportunities & Opportunities to People: We spoke with Nicholas
Wyman, author of Job U - a provocative look at issues around skills development and education
- to get his insights into what is working around the world and what might work here.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/opinion/1282527-a-toolkit-to-close-skilled-labour-gap
A Little Help from Your Friends: Credit Union Atlantic is offering $1,500 Youth Grants to
support start-up or growth of local projects, programs, initiatives or businesses that will be
carried out by youth aged 17-30 http://www.cua.com/grants . The 2015 Social EnterPrize will
honour four of Canada’s leading social enterprises with a prize package that includes $25,000.
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The deadline is May 29. http://tricofoundation.ca/nominations-open-for-the-2015-socialenterprize/
Texas Comes Calling: Executive MBAs from Texas visited Nova Scotia to study the OneNS
movement. They say this kind of effort at the state/provincial level isn’t something you see every
day.
YES NS at SMU: A private sector led initiative, started by a group of successful business
leaders in direct response to the Now or Never Report and aimed at energizing and supporting
youth entrepreneurship across the province, launched at Saint Mary’s University earlier this
month. http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1282075-entrevestor-encouraging-n.s.-youth-to-sayyes
GoFullSteamAhead: Is offering FREE business planning help to all budding Nova Scotia
entrepreneurs. “For the sake of our economy, we need to break down the barriers that are holding
back small business in Nova Scotia,” said Emily Richardson, GoFullSteam’s founder and CEO.
“It’s not enough to say we’re going to encourage entrepreneurship. We need to get specific. We
need to take action.” http://www.voltaeffect.com/empowering-entrepreneurs-in-nova-scotia/
East Coast Lifestyles: Was selected first runner-up in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
http://www.gsea.org/
Nova Scotia Ocean Innovation Centre: This initiative will succeed, says entrepreneur:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1283271-ocean-innovation-centre-will-succeed-saysentrepreneur
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April Focus: Cradle to Career
This month, the OneNS Coalition turned its attention to the theme: Cradle to Career.
Learning is a lifelong process. It begins well before our children go to school and continues well
past their transition into a career. It takes place in schools and formal settings and beyond their
four walls. In today’s knowledge driven economy there is always more to learn – regardless of
your age and where learning takes place.
Just as Nova Scotia businesses must compete in the global marketplace, so too must the
educational outcomes of our students be measured against a world standard. But the world has
changed and so too has what we must know to succeed in it. Today, we need to prepare our
children to be self-starters, lifelong learners, innovators, and creative problem solvers.
“Children need to be creative, nimble, and flexible,” said Rankin MacSween. “They need to
know how to learn over the course of their entire lives and how to not just find, but create
opportunities for themselves.”
Research continues to show that what happens in a child’s early years significantly affects their
future.
“Simply put, a child’s early years lay the foundation for all that is to come. In recent years,
researchers have learned that the human brain develops the vast majority of its neurons, and is at
its most receptive to learning, between birth and three years of age. In fact, the intake of new
information is critical to the formation of active neural pathways” (Shonkoff & Phillips).
More focus on coding and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and
promotion of, and education in, entrepreneurism and innovation can help give our kids the start
and skills they need. Learning in this area has to be built on a foundation of literacy; and learning
will never be optimized if we don’t acknowledge and begin to address the impact of various
socio-economic issues. The Coalition discussed how to ensure no child is left behind and that
they all receive the guidance they need to make good choices about their education and their
future. It is also clear that the education system can’t be expected to accomplish everything. As
with all the goals in the report, many people, communities and organizations will have to work
hand-in-hand to make a difference.
Recognizing the importance of education within the school system and well beyond, the
Coalition is exploring how to bring more focus to this area in its recommendations on how we
can achieve the goal in the Now of Never report.