Marketing Greater Saint John

Ask GSJ – JENNA

Jenna is General Manager of Irving Wallboard, representing Greater Saint John’s Logistics and Manufacturing sector.

“Here I have the perfect mix of opportunity, family, and lifestyle.”

Greater Saint John is attracting people like Jenna who could work anywhere in the world; yet, they choose to live here because of our region’s excellent combination of professional and personal appeal.

We want to show you what it’s like to live and work in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Learn more

Saint John is a city in transition. Our economy is moving from one based in labour to one based in knowledge.

More than at any point in our history, the success of the Greater Saint John economy is tied to global supply chains, investment flows and people migration.

It is imperative that Greater Saint John be known both internally and externally as an excellent place to live, work, start a business, invest, attend school, and visit.

Year 1 Target: Collaboration with agencies and municipalities to create a shared marketing toolbox, completing the economic development marketing plan for Greater Saint John, and acquiring resources to implement the campaign.

Year 3 Goal: A more positive image exists of the community and its opportunities, internally and externally, which leads to more people attracted to living and investing in the region.

How Can We Make Progress Towards These Targets And Goals?

We will change the Greater Saint John narrative with authentic stories and examples, to develop a more positive regional image.

Discover Saint John’s #SaintAwesome momentum can be extended beyond tourism.

With a focus on strategic markets, we can highlight Greater Saint John attributes, and leverage the mix of a strong urban core highlights and nearby natural assets.

Greater Saint John can be reintroduced as a major regional urban centre with strategic importance to the national economy.

By partnering with other levels of government and leveraging consulates, we can position Greater Saint John as a great place to live and invest with a bright future for ambitious people and companies looking to set up in North America.

Foundational Strengths

A vibrant uptown urban core
The head offices of multiple large multinational corporations
A rapidly-growing IT cluster with three of the largest IT firms in Atlantic Canada
A large insurance and back office cluster serving North America
Strategic transportation infrastructure
Energy infrastructure and support capabilities
A demonstrated ability to attract talent
12,500 living in Greater Saint John that did not live here in 2011
A history of overcoming challenges

Cost Of Living

One of the reasons we can live life on our terms is because of our very affordable cost of living – it's one of the biggest changes newcomers to the community enjoy.

In almost all cases our cost of living is lower than elsewhere in Canada, and most of the world (10-30% lower than other Canadian cities). Recently rated by 2017 Demographia International Housing Affordability Study as one of the: Top 5 most affordable smaller Canadian cities.

Saint John’s Role In The Provincial Economy

Greater Saint John is too large and too important not to have its economic challenges addressed. If we want sustained economic growth for the province, then we need a strong Greater Saint John.

Over the past two decades there are many examples of New Brunswick’s economic performance mirroring that of Greater Saint John.

Between 1998 and 2008, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in New Brunswick averaged 2.7 per cent per year. Based on estimates from the Conference Board of Canada, GDP growth in the Saint John Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) averaged 2.8 per cent during the same period. For more than a decade, the GDP in New Brunswick and in Greater Saint John grew at almost exactly the same rate.

Between 2008 and 2017, average annual GDP growth in the Greater Saint John area dropped to just 0.4 per cent. It was only 0.5 per cent across New Brunswick. Again, the economies of New Brunswick and Greater Saint John moved almost in parallel.

Another way to look at this is that 20 years ago, the Saint John CMA accounted for 19.7 per cent of New Brunswick’s GDP. In 2017, it accounted for almost the same share, at 19.6 per cent.

Based on the last two decades of data, it is unlikely that New Brunswick will get back to robust GDP growth without a renewal of strong economic growth in Greater Saint John. The economic performance of all communities in New Brunswick matters. However, as an example, Greater Moncton’s economy grew more than three times faster than the Greater Saint John economy between 2008 and 2017, but it wasn’t enough to foster overall robust provincial economic growth.

Emerging Industries

Despite the challenges in many trade sector-exposed industries, several new industries are emerging strong in our region:

Insurance sector employment up 89 per cent between 2006 and 2016
Information technology employment up 50 per cent
Architectural, engineering and related services employment up 21 per cent
Professional services overall up 16 per cent
Accommodation services employment up 11 per cent

A Strong Greater Saint John Economy Is One Where...

The region’s strengths, assets, and attributes are being leveraged by local entrepreneurs and multinational companies to foster economic growth
Companies are adapting to highly competitive markets through product and service innovation
The talent pipeline supplies workers for industries across the labour market spectrum
People attracted to Greater Saint John are coming for economic opportunities (employment and entrepreneurial) aligned with their skills and interests
Significant effort is made to ensure newcomers are engaged and putting down roots in a welcoming community
A positive attitude is helping to strengthen the environment for investment and people attraction

Your premier source for information on living and working in beautiful Saint John, New Brunswick:

Saint John – Life On Your Terms

Marketing Greater Saint John

Ask GSJ – JENNA