Message from Andrew Button, Executive Director

I was very excited to present my first report as Executive Director of the Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency in February. 2011 is off to a blazing start marked by several key partnership initiatives and significant activity on our community development, business development and immigration files. Perhaps the most significant of these initiatives, however, was the initiation of a five-year repositioning plan for the organization. In January, with significant support of all six municipal units in the region as well as ACOA and NSERDT, we engaged Grant Thornton to assist the organization in the development a five-year plan.

This exercise will realign the LQRDA’s focus and priorities to better match the changing economic landscape and the opportunities for growth throughout the region. We are at a key turning point in the LQRDA’s development and I am very encouraged and optimistic about what the future holds for our organization and our region!

Through my work in Lunenburg Queens over the past several years I have come to believe that people are genuinely devoted to working more closely together for the benefit of the entire region. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the Partnering for Regional Prosperity session hosted by the LQRDA on February 3rd in Bridgewater. The feedback we have received on this session has been extremely positive and we have already heard of several organizations that made strategic connections that day. I look forward to reporting on the results of this session in future Executive Director’s reports.

Within days of this partnership effort we came together with several of our municipal partners to discuss the potential of three regional projects: business asset mapping, industrial/commercial property and regional marketing. I believe these projects have the potential to have a significant impact on the economic development of Lunenburg-Queens and we will be looking to engage other partners in the discussion in the near future. 

Over the past several months we have heard of the skilled labour challenges that companies are facing in many different circles. It seemed to be the right time to get folks together to talk about ways we can begin to address the issue collectively and collaboratively at a regional level. The LQRDA, in partnership with the Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, did just that; facilitating a discussion with seven of the regions largest manufactures. We had a very productive discussion and I believe we came away with the beginnings of what will be a regional strategy to address the short and long-term skilled labour challenges.

Needless to say, we have had a fantastic start to 2011. We are committed to keeping our momentum going forward as we complete the 2010-11 fiscal year and set the stage for a realigned focus in 2011-12 and beyond.

Andrew Button

Executive Director
Lunenburg Queens Regional Development Agency