http://www.sjport.com/english/ http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=216 For Immediate Release Port of Saint John Welcomes 1.5 millionth Cruise Guest During Norwegian Dawn Call Just two years after welcoming the millionth cruise guest to the Port of Saint John (Helen Camper on August 6, 2008), the Port of Saint John is set to welcome its 1.5 millionth cruise guest during the disembarkation of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Dawn at Long Wharf on Wednesday, October 6, 2010. New President & CEO of Saint John Port Authority Jim Quinn is delighted to be present to welcome the special guest and their travelling companion(s). "It is amazing that it took only two years to add an additional half million cruise visitors to the total who have come to Saint John over the past 21 years. Dramatic results such as these are evidence of the appeal of the region and the hard work and commitment of those developing and marketing the local tourism product, as well as those who work on the water and shore-sides of marine vessel operations." "We are pleased to celebrate this milestone with a Norwegian Cruise Line guest as NCL have been a long-standing client of the Port of Saint John and have shared our commitment to growing the Bay of Fundy product on the Canada New England itinerary," added Betty MacMillan, Manager of Business Development with the Port Authority. The lucky passenger who disembarks as the 1.5 millionth cruise visitor to Saint John tomorrow morning will be treated to a private guided limousine tour of Saint John and surrounding areas including lunch courtesy of the Caves Restaurant in St. Martin’s. They will also be given a gift basket full of special mementoes from Saint John and visit the Mayor in the Red Room at City Hall. The 2010 season has been a banner year for cruise in Saint John with 77 vessel calls scheduled and in excess of 200,000 guests. The season will continue through to the end of the month. After tomorrow’s triple-ship day, there will be an additional 16 vessel calls (including the October 11th double-ship day and the October 12th triple-ship day) remaining before the season closes with the Queen Mary 2 on October 29th. Full schedule details are available at www.cruisesaintjohn.ca. - 30 - MEDIA ATTENDANCE CONTACT: Media who wish to attend the welcoming celebration for the 1.5 millionth guest at Long Wharf are invited to attend but must contact Paula Small at 650-5288 (cell) to gain admittance to the site. Expected time of celebration is between 10:00 am and 10:30 am. Alternately media may also visit with the special guest during the meeting with the Mayor in the Red Room on the 8th Floor of City Hall at 3:30 pm. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Paula Small, Saint John Port Authority, (506) 636-5377 or Cell (506) 650-5288. http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=216 Wed, 6 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=214 OTTAWA, September 27, 2010 – The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2010 National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Toronto Star. The Awards have been presented since 2003 by the TIAC to recognize the best of Canada’s tourism industry, and to reward those people, places, organizations and events that have gone above and beyond to offer a superior tourism experience to travelers in Canada. "We are very proud of this outstanding list of finalists for this year’s Awards," said TIAC President and CEO David Goldstein. "This impressive collection of tourism businesses - and the people who make them thrive - demonstrates the wealth of ingenuity, enthusiasm and perseverance in our sector. There are great tourism successes stories all across our country, and we are very pleased to recognize the organizations and individuals who help make Canada a world-class destination." Three finalists were named in each of the 14 award categories. Among the finalists are individuals and organizations from across the country. The National Awards for Tourism Excellence, presented by The Toronto Star, will be presented at a gala dinner in Gatineau, Quebec on November 2, 2010 as part of The Tourism Summit, TIAC’s annual national tourism policy conference. The finalists are: / Les finalistes sont : AIR CANADA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD – SINGLE-UNIT / PRIX DE L’ENTREPRISE DE L’ANNÉE D’AIR CANADA – UNITÉ SIMPLE •CN Tower (Toronto, Ontario) •Estrimont Suites & Spa (Orford, Québec) •The Wickaninnish Inn (Tofino, British Columbia) HILTON FAMILY OF HOTELS CANADA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD – MULTIPLE-UNIT / PRIX DE L’ENTREPRISE DE L’ANNÉE DE HILTON CANADA– UNITÉS MULTIPLES •COWS Inc. (Cavendish, Prince Edward Island) •RCR Hospitality Group (Halifax, Nova Scotia) •Sépaq (Québec) DELTA HOTELS & RESORTS NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE LA NOUVELLE ENTREPRISE DE L’ANNÉE DE DELTA HOTELS & RESORTS •Gasoline Alley at Heritage Park Historical Village (Calgary, Alberta) •Le Jardin des glaciers (Baie-Comeau, Québec) •UrbanQuests.com Inc. (Ottawa, Ontario) DELOITTE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE L’INNOVATEUR DE L’ANNÉE DE DELOITTE •Canadian Badlands Ltd. (Southeastern Alberta) •Tourism Moose Jaw (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan) •Wine Trail Rides – WindsorEats.com (Windsor, Ontario) STARWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE INC. CORPORATE PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE L’ENTREPRISE PARTENAIRE DE L’ANNÉE DE STARWOODS HOTELS & RESORTS WORLDWIDE INC. •Canada Safeway Limited (Calgary, Alberta) •The Halifax International Airport Authority (Halifax, Nova Scotia) •Waterfront Development Corporation (Halifax & Lunenburg, Nova Scotia) TOURISM TORONTO TRAVEL MEDIA AWARD / PRIX DES MÉDIAS DE VOYAGE DE TOURISM TORONTO •D. Grant Black (Wakaw, Saskatchewan) •Canadian Geographic Travel –March 2010 Edition (Ottawa, Ontario) •Barbara Radcliffe Rogers and Stillman Rogers (Richmond, New Hampshire) VIA RAIL CANADA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DU BÉNÉVOLE DE L’ANNÉE DE VIA RAIL CANADA •The Saint John Meet & Greet Committee (Saint John, New Brunswick) •Sheila Smyth, Proprietor, A Suffolk House Bed and Breakfast (Edmonton, Alberta) •Harley Tingley, Chairman of the Board, Cape Enrage Interpretive Centre (Quispamsis, New Brunswick) FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE LA CAMPAGNE DE COMMERCIALISATION DE L’ANNÉE DE FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS •Olympic Marketing Initiative, Pan-North Marketing Consortium (Representing Canada’s three Northern Territories) •Live! With Regis & Kelly, Prince Edward Island Department of Tourism and Culture (Charlottetown, PEI) •It’s OK to Cheat on Your City, Tourism Toronto and Tourisme Montréal (Joint Submission) (Toronto, Ontario / Montréal, Québec) METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE L’ÉVÉNEMENT DE L’ANNÉE DU METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE •Canada Day at Canada Place – Canada Place Corporation (Vancouver, British Columbia) •Grand Chief Membertou 400 – Mi’kmaq Association of Cultural Studies (Halifax, Nova Scotia) •Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon (Halifax, Nova Scotia) WESTJET ONLINE MARKETING CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE LA CAMPAGNE DE COMMERCIALISATION EN LIGNE DE L’ANNÉE DE WESTJET •China Online Marketing Platform – Banff Lake Louise Tourism (Banff, Alberta) •Halifax Sociable! – Destination Halifax (Halifax, Nova Scotia) •I Want to be a Snow Bum! – Tourism Sun Peaks (Sun Peaks, British Columbia) CTHRC AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT / PRIX DE L’EXCELLENCE DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DES RESSOURCES HUMAINES DU CCHRT •The Fairmont Winnipeg (Winnipeg, Manitoba) •The Prince George Hotel (Halifax, Nova Scotia) •Rodd Hotels & Resorts (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD / PRIX DE L’EMPLOYÉ(E) DE L’ANNÉE DU INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS GROUP •Debbie Aldous-Ibbitson, Tourism Saskatoon (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) •Marian Perrett, Tour Guide, Ô TOURS (Winnipeg, Manitoba) •Guy Thériault, Parks Canada (Gatineau, Québec) PARKS CANADA SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD / PRIX DU TOURISME DURABLE DE PARCS CANADA •Au Diable Vert - Station de montagne (Glen Sutton, Quebec) •The Joggins Fossil Institute Association (Joggins, Nova Scotia) •The Links at Crowbush Cove (Lakeside, Prince Edward Island) NATIONAL CULTURAL TOURISM AWARD / PRIX NATIONAL POUR LE TOURISME CULTUREL •Celtic Colours International Festival (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia) •Confederation Centre of the Arts (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) •Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre (Whistler, British Columbia) For more information, please contact: Kevin Desjardins, Director, Communications Tourism Industry Association of Canada Phone: 613.238.6251 Mobile: 613.240.7225 Email : kdesjardins@tiac.travel http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=214 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=213 (Saint John) – The Saint John Port Authority is pleased to announce the appointment of James Quinn as President and Chief Executive Officer. Jim brings over 30 years of experience in the marine and public sectors. Jim began his career on ships out of the Port of Saint John in the mid 1970s. In 1981, he re-joined the Canadian Coast Guard where he was promoted to leadership positions including Regional Director of the Central and Arctic Region and Director General, Marine Programs. Jim’s Coast Guard experience took him to ports across Canada and around the world. After 23 years with the Coast Guard, Jim joined the Privy Council Office’s Machinery of Government Secretariat and Social Development Policy Secretariat as a Senior Advisor. In 2002, Jim joined Indian and Northern Affairs Canada as Director General of Lands and was promoted through several leadership positions culminating in the Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Deputy Minister role. Jim has recently assumed the same role in the Canadian International Development Agency. Jim is a graduate of Dalhousie University (BSc), and holds the professional designation of Certified Management Accountant (CMA). "The Board of Directors was delighted to have attracted such a high-calibre professional for the critical leadership position of President & CEO of the Saint John Port Authority," stated Stephen Campbell, Chairman of the Port Authority. "Completing the CEO search early allows for a seamless transition in leadership between the CEOs, and the Board of Directors appreciates Captain Soppitt’s tireless and commendable dedication to the organization and the Port of Saint John throughout his career." Jim is thrilled at the opportunity to return home to Saint John and to continue his family’s tradition of work in the Port of Saint John. Jim and his wife, Lynn, also look forward to creating a new home base in Saint John for their three grown children. Jim will assume his new duties September 20, 2010, while Captain Soppitt will remain with the Port Authority assisting the new CEO during the transition period leading up to his planned retirement date in June of 2011. Captain Soppitt is very pleased with the Board of Directors’ choice of new leadership of the Port Authority and stated, "I extend a warm welcome to Mr. Quinn and look forward to assisting in a smooth transition as he assumes his new duties. The Port has a bright future and will fare well under Jim’s leadership." - 30 - For more information, contact: Paula Small Saint John Port Authority 506-636-5377 psmall@sjport.com http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=213 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=212 Signs of recovery from the economic downturn experienced in global markets in late 2008 and through 2009 are now being experienced at the Port of Saint John. Mid-year traffic results indicate that overall tonnage, at 15.9 million metric tonnes of cargo by June 30, was 17% higher than during the same period last year. In specific cargo sectors these recovery points were in liquid bulk (+14%) primarily over private facilities, dry bulk (+316%) and containers (+8%). The dramatic change in the dry bulk sector is largely attributable to potash and salt exports which have recovered from uncharacteristically low levels in 2009. By end of June this year, the tonnages for dry bulk cargoes had reached 537,000 metric tonnes. When compared to 2009 this represents a year-to-date increase of 316%. If compared to a more typical year such as 2008, the increase would have been 19%. Cargo volumes in the breakbulk sector were the one traffic area which experienced a loss over the previous year (-34%). The loss of AV Nackawic cargo provided a challenge for port tonnage statistics in this category, with only 39,000 tonnes forest products cargo moving over docks in Saint John during the first 6 months of the year. This compares to 110,000 during the first 6 months of 2009. The cruise sector, now the Port Authority’s second largest revenue stream, is in full-swing and running smoothly with one-fifth of the cruise calls having already taken place. The bulk of the cruise season is still to come with more than 210,000 passengers expected for this year. The Port of Saint John is a commercially viable, self-sufficient business enterprise and a cornerstone of the local economy. It is a critical component of the region’s transportation infrastructure essential to many of New Brunswick’s major industries engaged in international trade and provides deep-water, ice-free access to shipping year round. - 30 - For More Information, contact: Paula Small Saint John Port Authority 506-636-5377 psmall@sjport.com BACKGROUNDER Total Port Tonnage Statistics – Port of Saint John Liquid Bulk 2009 13.3 million metric tonnes 2010 15.1 million metric tonnes Dry Bulk 2009 129,000 metric tonnes 2010 537,000 metric tonnes Breakbulk 2009 130,000 metric tonnes 2010 85,000 metric tonnes Containers 2009 125,000 metric tonnes or 21,700 TEUs 2010 135,000 metric tonnes or 22,400 TEUs Total 2009 13.7 million metric tonnes 2010 15.9 million metric tonnes http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=212 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=211 Business New Brunswick / Office of the Premier Work set to begin on container terminal refurbishment NB July 6, 2010 SAINT JOHN (CNB) –The Saint John Port Authority has begun issuing tenders to ensure renovations to the Rodney Container Terminal begin as quickly as possible. The Saint John Port Authority has begun doing so thanks to a recent funding agreement with provincial government. The announcement was made by Supply and Services Minister Ed Doherty; Energy Minister Jack Keir; Stephen Campbell, chairman, Saint John Port Authority; and Gordon Cole, general manager, Tropical Shipping of Canada. "This project will help the Port of Saint John provide even better service to the many shipping and trucking companies that depend on the port for business," said Doherty. The tender announced today is to replace and refurbish decking, piles and pile caps at the terminal, located on the west-side of the Saint John Port Authority property. Work is expected to begin in mid- to late-July. This tender represents about half of the $1.4-million project, which is expected to be completed by September 2011. Premier Shawn Graham announced the provincial government's agreement with the Saint John Port Authority during an address to the cruise industry in Saint John on June 10. The provincial government has agreed to invest $700,000 in the project which, next year, will entail the replacement of the asphalt on the port's west-side access road and container terminal entrance. Campbell said the renovations will make the Rodney Container Terminal a more attractive location for major container shipping lines, and this will provide New Brunswick exporters and importers even more options with direct access to global markets. "Rodney Terminal at the Port of Saint John is New Brunswick's only container terminal," said Campbell. "We are confident this project will help attract new business and more work to the port, generating more spin-off benefits to the city and the province as a whole." The project is intended to improve the container terminal to the benefit of port users, including Saint John-based shipping and stevedoring companies as well trucking interests provincewide "Tropical Shipping is pleased that both the Province of New Brunswick and the Saint John Port Authority are investing in improvements to the terminal," said Cole. "This will help our company continue to provide a premium service for our customers shipping to and from Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean." MEDIA CONTACTS: Ashley Bursey, communications, Business New Brunswick, 506-461-0942, ashley.bursey@gnb.ca, Paula Small, communications, Saint John Port Authority, 506-636-5377. http://www.sjport.com/english/news_events/article.asp?PressID=211 Tue, 6 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST