Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 18th, 2011

[Helen Jean Newman]

We also can't forget the role of social media. We are being very aggressive. The Canadian Tourism Commission has helped us a great deal with the social media campaign. We are working with social media experts, and our message is going everywhere. It's been very viral. That sort of thing is happening. For example, we have a time planned when both of our premiers will be sending out emails to all civil servants in the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia asking them to vote and to tell their friends and families.

Later today we're hoping to capture media attention and MPs' attention when Minister Moore is going to be receiving a bottle that we have here. It contains messages from school children along the Bay of Fundy that basically ask for help and support.

When we talk about Air Canada and VIA Rail, they are also sending emails to their databases telling people about the competition and encouraging them to vote.

We don't deny that we need more help. Budgets are always interesting. We have really maximized the budget that we have, doing everything we strategically and possibly can within the budget we have. It's now over to people like you to help us spread the word even more through the channels you have, whether you have a newsletter going out to your constituents, an email database, or friends who own companies. It is whatever you can do.

There is a nice little toolkit available on votemyfundy.com to make it really easy for you to plug into some things you can do.

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Thank you.

I'll pass the rest of my time on to my colleague.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

Could you give more details about the very entertaining history of mud in the Bay of Fundy?

I think that we could improve service to the francophone community. I don't think that the Acadian community around the Bay of Fundy is very large, unless I am mistaken. Would there not be a francophone representative who could develop the significant French TV network available in Quebec, that covers all of the Canadian francophonie? We could imagine a major mud battle in a television show.

[Helen Jean Newman]

We actually have been working with celebrities and do have a gentleman in Quebec. He is a young gentleman, a very vibrant entertainer. His name is Jean-François Breau, and he is our spokesperson. He has been raising the profile of the Bay of Fundy. He's often asked to host television shows or to be on shows like Salut Bonjour, etc. So we certainly are engaging the Quebec market as well as the market in France.

Talking about the history, the first permanent settlement in North America was started in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain and Sieur de Monts on Dochet Island. They had a bitterly cold winter there and later moved to Port Royal, which became the first permanent settlement. The Saint John River was named by Champlain, I believe, and there is a very vibrant Acadian history on both sides of the bay. Grand Pré is a national historic site.

So there is a great connect to the francophone and Acadian communities with this whole initiative, and it has caught on quite strongly. As a matter of fact, we are doing some initiatives in France between November 4 and 10. We're going to be in London and then we're going to be in France, again promoting this whole connection. The francophones do see the Bay of Fundy as part of their heritage, because when the ships came over, they left from Deauville outside of Paris and actually sailed directly to the Bay of Fundy on that historic voyage.

[Pierre Nantel, NDP, Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC]

So do you think that Jean-François—

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Time's up for this round, but we can get that in the next round.

Thank you, Mr. Benskin, and Mr. Nantel.

Mr. Cuzner.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you very much.

And thank you for being here today, and thank you to the committee for allowing me to sit in on this.

Thank you for clearing up the fact that my colleague, Mr. Brown, thought that Chaka Khan was one of the actual seven wonders of the world. I appreciate your clearing that up.

I too stood on Table Mountain this past year when I was at a CPA conference. I went up in the lift with Joe Preston, a colleague of ours. He's one of the great storytellers, and I'd encourage my Conservative colleagues to get that story from Joe about his trip up in the tram car.

You made the comment that this whole process has been beneficial regardless of the outcome. Certainly we want to see a positive outcome, but regardless of that, it has been of benefit because I think that in the east, we're notorious for trying to get as many tourists as possible on the ground there. We will fight over the tourists rather than trying to grow the pie. This seems to be a really positive opportunity to grow that pie.

You mentioned incidentally that you're seeing some benefit already in the numbers now. We're not seeing that. This past year has been desperate in Cape Breton. Typically at the fortress at Louisbourg we would see 160,000 to 180,000 visitors per year, and we're going to be lucky to hit 90,000 this year.

What would be the profile? Is it too early to give us an overview of the profile of the tourists and what their increased numbers will be? Where are they coming from and what type of tourists have you attracted with the excitement that's been generated through the campaign, and what are they doing when they're there? Where are they going and what are they doing?

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

We're waiting for the final results of our exit surveys. We won't have a really good picture of that until the season is over.

Overall visitation is down by about 3% across the province. What we are hearing, though, in the areas around the Bay of Fundy in particular, is anecdotal information from operators who are saying they had a stellar year and that their rooms are full.

So depending on where you are in the province, there certainly are differences. But again we won't know the full picture until the season has wrapped up.

[Helen Jean Newman]

We're the same as Stacey in terms of getting our final numbers. But, for example, at the Roosevelt cottage on Campobello Island, their numbers are up 25%. Numbers at the Hopewell Rocks are up 7% to 8%, and that is after some pretty dismal weather in July, but the numbers in September and October have been very strong.

I think the profile of the visitors who are coming and whom we intend to attract with this initiative is that they are highly educated people. These are people who spend a lot of money. These are not people who are going to go to McDonald's; they are going to want to experience Fundy seafood. They are going to want to buy local, authentic crafts; they are not going to want those made in China, or that sort of thing. In working together, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have a fairly detailed profile of the type of visitors whom we want to attract with this.

I think we also have to be honest. With the Bay of Fundy being a finalist for the new seven wonders, we want to be up there with the Rockies and Niagara Falls. It's kind of like our saying, “Hey guys, don't forget about us in Atlantic Canada“, that we're worthy by virtue of the fact we are one of the new seven wonders finalists. We are worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as the Rockies.

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

That profile gives us an opportunity that we really need not only to attract them to the Bay of Fundy but even to put Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, the Maritimes, on the map.

[Helen Jean Newman]

It's not a magic bullet. It's going to take a little bit of time, but by working together and being strategic we really believe that we'll have a significant impact. And we will have mechanisms in place to monitor and measure that impact.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

I find there are two aspects of a successful tourism industry that have to be identified and must continue to be pursued, and these are programming and promotions. When people come over to my place for a visit, they don't come over to look at the furniture. They want to engage, they want to do something, they want an experience.

We had a good tourist trade during the fall colours in Cape Breton, but we know that was enhanced by doing the Celtic Colours International Music Festival around it. If I could throw the question out, do you see additional programming opportunities coming out of this?

The other one is the promotional side of it. You get the buzz. Have both provinces made a commitment to continue? We were identified as the top island in North America, the most beautiful island in North America. There was a little bit of fanfare, they rolled the meatballs, had a little reception, and a press release, and there was nothing after that. As I said, our numbers are down this year because it was an incredibly desperate July. But there didn't seem to be any horsepower in the wake of the designation, which should have been ridden hard. We didn't seize the opportunity, I don't think.

Could you talk about the programming opportunities and where some of the money might come from to support that? And with the promotional opportunities, what's the plan going forward from there?

[Helen Jean Newman]

I know from New Brunswick's perspective that we are certainly committed to the Bay of Fundy, and have been for a number of years. When we look at our promotion, we see four major pillars that differentiate New Brunswick from other destinations, and we are working in partnership with our other maritime provinces.

Clearly, the Bay of Fundy is a differentiator. A second differentiator for us is our amazing Acadian experience. Our third pillar is around beaches; New Brunswick has the warmest salt water beaches in Canada. Then, fourth, is our amazing river system. So it is cast in--

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

So the Bay of Fundy is the lower piece and then you fill in with the other--

[Helen Jean Newman]

Exactly. So we are committed.

We're already working on programming along the Bay of Fundy. Right now we're working with ACOA on an amazing project happening in Alma, which they're also hoping to roll out through the rest of the Maritimes. It's called the VEOC project, and they're using Alma as the pilot, improving and enhancing that community for the visitor experience. Alma probably wouldn't have been the pilot if it weren't for the new seven wonders competition.

We have product people on the ground. Terri also plays a big roll, too, working with our industry to ensure that they know about the Bay of Fundy and are trained about the Bay of Fundy. A known fact in the tourism business is that people need four hours of activity for every hour they drive. If they drive an hour and don't have four hours of activity, they're going to think, “What am I doing here? It wasn't worth the trip”. That's one of the things that I know we're both working very hard to do—and Stacey can tell you more about Nova Scotia.

We have two full-time people working along the Bay of Fundy with the operators to enhance their programming. It often isn't about big bucks and bricks and mortar; it's just about programming, the idea of having things for people to do.

[The Chair, Conservative, Rob Moore]

Thank you.

I haven't been too strict, but we try to keep a relative amount of time. If there are things you want to say, we'll have a bit of a wrap up.

Mr. Young.

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you for coming here today and for your excellent presentation. Congratulations on getting into the top 28. Everybody here wishes you the best of luck.

Just hearing your comment a minute ago, I realize now what I've been doing wrong on motor trips. I've been driving too much and not having enough activity.

Terri and Stacey, could you please take a minute each and tell people what unique regional activities visitors and travellers can do when they arrive in the region?

[Terri McCulloch]

I only have one minute? Oh, dear.

I'll take my favourites, then. One, for me, is walking on the ocean floor. It's a rare opportunity that we have to be 53 feet below sea level. You do not need scuba gear for this. The tides recede—and where I live, they actually go out five kilometres—and fully expose the ocean floor, with the ecology that ensues. This can be done for free; it can be done by children. It's one of the most extraordinary things you can expose your children to at a young age, to be able to see nature in its entirety in that regard. It's a rare opportunity.

I guess my second favourite thing to do would be sea-kayaking at high tide over the same spot where I was just walking on the ocean floor.

Those would be my top two.

[Stacey Jones-Oxner]

We took Measha Brueggergosman and our premier on a tidal bore rafting trip just outside Truro, Nova Scotia. If you haven't experienced that, it's the most thrilling ride of your life and the most fun you'll ever have. The tide comes in and mixes with the current, creating these ten-foot standing waves that you ride into on a raft. It is a thrilling adventure.

We talk about the products we have. We have fantastic product in Nova Scotia. This campaign is about highlighting those. That's just one example.

I went to Hopewell Rocks. I'm usually on the Nova Scotia side, because that's my job, but I stood and looked at Hopewell Rocks. They took my breath away. Seeing those rock formations that have formed over hundreds of years and a beautiful archway called the Lover's Arch is truly breathtaking.

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

That is very persuasive. Thank you.

You mentioned the UNESCO-designated sites. Could you please tell the committee about what they are and what a geopark is?

[Terri McCulloch]

I can give you an overview of the UNESCO sites.

There are two biosphere reserves on the Bay of Fundy. One is in southwest Nova at the southern tip of the Bay of Fundy on the Nova Scotia side. There's also a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the upper Bay of Fundy on the New Brunswick side; it stretches from the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia border down to St. Martins, outside of Saint John.

We also have the Joggins fossil cliffs, which are also a UNESCO world heritage site. The Grand Pré National Historic Site is in the very final stages—within a month or so, I think—of being declared a world heritage site as well.

Helen Jean, I'll let you describe a geopark.

[Helen Jean Newman]

A geopark is a designated area. There are none in North America at this time other than the one in New Brunswick. There are 160 in the world.

These are areas in the world that have a unique and fascinating geological history but that also provide an opportunity for potential economic development in terms of tourism around their geological history.

Called Stonehammer Geopark, the first one was designated, as I mentioned, at a conference in Greece last spring. It's the first one to qualify. There's a rigorous process to go through to have that designation. It is not a UNESCO designation but is recognized by UNESCO. It includes the area around Saint John; it goes to Lepreau Falls and down to St. Martins.

If you look at the Bay of Fundy on both sides, the first part of the Bay of Fundy is very much the marine part of it, as we call it, which is where you have the whales, the birds, et cetera. Then, further down the bay is the geological side of it, where you have the really unusual rock formations and cliffs. When you get to the end of the bay you see the tides, which is where you can do rafting in the tidal bore and walk on the ocean floor.

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

There are 12 species of whales in the Bay of Fundy. Is that right?

[Helen Jean Newman]

Yes.

[Terence Young, Conservative, Oakville, ON]

You mentioned one that was rare, with only 350 of them left in the world. Could you please tell me how important whale watching tourism is and what is unique about that whale, if anything?