Business View City & Municipal | August 2022

32 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7 which was party-central for Memorial Cup ticket holders in town for the postseason round-robin hockey tournament. “We have major events happening,” promises Hicks. “We’ve not sat idle during the pandemic. We’ve worked a lot of files. We’re working with the gritty go-getters in the community. We’re getting things done.” Envision Saint John is also working closely with the University of New Brunswick – which is spearheading with Canadian firsts in programming – at its unique Tucker Park location in Saint John. “We actually have an amazing health cluster - with the Saint John Regional Hospital, UNB Saint John, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, and our New Brunswick Community College,” says Hicks. “That cluster, all working together, is building out specialized programs, integrated health, and health and technology initiatives. We have a number of these platforms that involve working with key regional leaders to push the files forward. Another example would be our historic courthouse on Sydney Street in uptown Saint John. It was purchased by our local theatre company, who are building it out into an art stage and cultural attraction. We’re working on all kinds of different files that are meaningful, always from a growth perspective.” These collaborations are already showing how collective impact benefits economic growth. When everyone is involved, everyone is part of the solution. Alignment is everything. “The City of Saint John is made up of many firsts,” sums up Hicks. “We were the first incorporated city in Canada. We have a steep, steep history – but we are ‘Always Moving Forward.’ There’s a DNA in this region – like I said, a lot of firsts came out of this place – and we won’t just rest on that legacy.”