By TOM PETERS
June 17, 2009
The Atlantic Gateway Advisory Council has a new executive director. David Oxner, who is the executive director of the Nova Scotia government’s gateway initiative, has been seconded for one year to run the advisory council.
The advisory council, comprising 13 business leaders – 11 from the four Atlantic provinces and two from national corporations – was established in February to advise federal minister Peter MacKay, who is responsible for the Atlantic Gateway program. The council will review applications seeking gateway funding and then advise the minister on the projects it feels will be best suited for the Atlantic region as a whole.
The gateway program is designed to help fund infrastructure projects that will improve Atlantic Canada’s position as a trade corridor for imports and exports.
Mr. Oxner has a great depth of knowledge on the Atlantic Gateway initiatives, as Nova Scotia’s focal point for the Atlantic Gateway since 2006 and the province’s lead representative on the Atlantic Gateway federal-provincial senior officials’ committee since 2007, the advisory council said in a release.
“We are very pleased to have secured the services of David Oxner to support our council,” said Wes Armour, chair of the advisory council. “His knowledge, experience and networks will bring a solid Atlantic-wide perspective to our council.”
Mr. Oxner said in an interview that he has already seen the project list, which is in the vicinity of 400 projects.
He said his job will be to condense the list, simplify it, and then take it to the council for discussion.
“It will be up to them to provide the commentary,” Mr. Oxner said. “I will give support to enable them to utilize their expertise. I really see myself as a facilitator, coming in here and basically doing the same as I did before but on a broader perspective. I will hopefully give them whatever knowledge I have on describing how various elements of this work, utilizing their expertise, and get feedback from them on how to move forward.”
Mr. Oxner will be based in Halifax.
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