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Port Elgin, New Brunswick

Introduction

The Village of Port Elgin is conveniently located at the intersection of the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island, the Nova Scotia border, all with highway access and in proximity of the Greater Moncton region.

In terms of business, Port Elgin has its share of success stories that includes Atlantic Windows, which continues to grow as a premium quality vinyl doors and windows company, with exports that span across North America.

The presence of Rehau Industries, specialized PVC industrial and commercial products is another indication of the economic vitality and viability of the region.

Being near the coast also means that the wharf generates considerable economic activity and that South Shore Trading Company is able to thrive as a world exporter of specialized transformed eel products.

The Village is home to the Monro Heritage Centre, Fort Gaspereau, and the Raceway and Exhibition Grounds. Port Elgin is neighbour to Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, Murray Beach Provincial Park, Fort Beauséjour and is part of the Trans-Canada Trail. All of this with breath-taking scenery makes Port Elgin an attractive place work in.

Port Elgin — the Workforce

In addition to the core population of Port Elgin, companies looking to establish in the community may draw workers from the 150,000 persons within 30 minutes commute. The 2001 Census indicates that a good part of the population is of prime working age: 25-54. Furthermore, the low mobility rate of Port Elgin is testimony to the presence of a stable workforce.

A Quality Labour Force

Port Elgin can attract workers from across Southeastern New Brunswick. The Village still shows room for growth as employment and participation rates are slightly lower than in Greater Moncton.

In general, the New Brunswick workforce is known to have relatively low rates of worker absenteeism and among the lowest rates of workforce turnover in North America. Port Elgin is exemplary in these respects.

Industry Overview

Port Elgin has a diversified economy based on a mixture of manufacturing, services and tourism industry.

Port Elgin relies on big employers such as Atlantic Windows, but is expanding with venture such as the Winegarden Estates Ltd. The distillery produces first rate schnapps, specialty liquors with maple flavors and berries.

Companies looking to establish operations in Port Elgin will be joining a community with a growing number of unique entrepreneurs, some of which have made it to the world stage.

Selected Major Employers

Organization:	Industry:	Employees:
Atlantic Windows	Manufacturing	175
Rehau Industries	Manufacturing	13
Winegarden Estates Ltd.	Agri-food	25
Timber River Eco Farms	Agri-food	15
South Shore Trading Co.	Seafood Production	15

Cost Environment

As Greater Moncton has among the lowest operating costs in North America, nearby Memramcook also offers a highly competitive cost environment to its community.

Operating Cost Index*

City	Back Offices/ Call Centres	Mfg. Facilities	Software Dev.
San Jose, CA	118.5	109.1	109.0
New York, NY	116.1	109.2	107.9
San Diego, CA	109.6	103.4	103.4
Boston, MA	108.6	103.7	102.8
Chicago, IL	108.5	101.2	102.0
Atlanta, GA	99.3	97.7	99.0
Phoenix, AZ	97.9	100.1	100.0
Toronto, ON	95.1	94.0	94.8
Vancouver, BC	93.2	97.2	96.0
Moncton, NB	82.0	92.0	92.2

Source: KPMG Competitive Alternatives — The CEO's Guide to International Business Costs, G7-2004 Edition.

* Business costs are expressed as an index, with the United States being assigned to the baseline index of 100.0.

Regional Economic Assets

The Village of Port Elgin offers all of the lifestyle and cost advantages of a small, waterfront community while at the same time its proximity to Greater Moncton provides companies with close access to a number of world-class economic assets including:

The Scoudouc Industrial Park (35 min. drive)

One of the province’s most important industrial parks, the Scoudouc Industrial Park is home to a number of highly successful manufacturing companies such as North America’s largest private label beverage manufacturer, Cott Beverages Canada and the world's largest maker of glass containers, Owens-Illinois. The park features over 300 acres of available, low cost land and rail access.

Greater Moncton Int. Airport (40 min. drive)

Offers multiple daily flights to Canadian and U.S. destinations.

Mount Allison University (20 min. drive)

One of the highest rated universities in Canada, Mount Allison is located in the nearby community of Sackville, NB.

Université de Moncton (45 min. drive)

A French-language university with over 7,000 students, U de M provides a pool of professional workers for the region.

Two New Brunswick Community Colleges (40 & 35 min. drive)

The community colleges in Moncton and Dieppe graduate hundreds of skilled, technical workers each year that feed into the region’s manufacturing and high tech industries.

Quality of Life

Companies that establish in Port Elgin are locating in a community that is known to have a high quality of life. The region offers beautiful waterfront views, fine restaurants, a network of outdoor amenities and cultural and recreational venues.

Cost of Living

One of the reasons why Port Elgin has a competitive operating cost environment is the relatively low cost of living for local residents. For example, the cost of housing — the largest cost of living expense — is much lower than would be found in larger urban centres. The monthly cost of owning and maintaining a house is Port Elgin is almost 20% lower than in the Greater Halifax area.

Village Infrastructure

The Village of Port Elgin offers companies a welldeveloped infrastructure. They do have broadband access.

The village has all the desired amenities to cater to its business and residential population.

From libraries to nursing homes, Port Elgin is equipped to nurture, develop and care for its own. Port Elgin's rapid growth and prosperity led to it becoming New Brunswick's first incorporated village in 1922.

Tax Rates (2006)

Provincial: $2.25/$100 evaluation
Municipal (residential): $1.2736/$100 evaluation
Municipal (commercial): $1.9104/$100 evaluation

Tax Base (2006)

Over $17.7 million.

Investment Opportunities

The Village of Port Elgin and Enterprise South-east, the regional economic development agency, have identified several types of companies they are looking to attract to the region.