Shediac, New Brunswick
Introduction
The Town of Shediac is a waterfront community of close to 5,000 people located a short 15 minutes commute from Greater Moncton. The town’s population has been growing strongly in recent years outpacing both Greater Moncton and the province of New Brunswick.
In terms of business, Shediac also features a number of other important industries including manufacturing and several high tech firms.
The Government of Canada is also a major employer with over 500 employees at its Public Works and Government Services Canada facility in the town. Shediac is also adjacent to the Scoudouc Industrial Park with one of the largest concentrations of manufacturing employment in Atlantic Canada.
Sheidac is a popular tourist destination with its close proximity to a number of New Brunswick’s top tourism attractions including the most frequented warm water beach in eastern Canada, Parlee Beach, and other attractions such as the Sandspit Amusement Park and is qualified as the “lobster capital of the world”.
Shediac — A Magnet for Workers
In addition to the core population of Shediac, companies moving into the community could also seek workers from the 150,000 persons living within a 30 minutes commute.
From the 2001 Census, 41% of the population aged 5 years and older had lived in a different residence in the past five years indicating a high level of mobility into the community.
A Quality Labour Force
Shediac has continuously attracted workers from across Southeastern New Brunswick and supplied workers for adjacent communities. Yet the Town still shows room for growth as employment and participation rates are slightly lower than in Greater Moncton.
Shediac is among the most bilingual communities in New Brunswick. Almost 70% of the population speaks both English and French – a very important feature for companies that want to cover both markets in Canada.
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. Sackville is exemplary in these respects.
Industry Overview
Shediac has a diversified industrial base with a number of seafood and wood products manufacturing firms, a large tourism infrastructure and a significant government services presence.
Shediac is also home to several IT firms such as InteliSys Aviation Systems Inc., one of the leading providers of airline management systems in the world.
Companies looking to establish operations in Shediac will be joining a community with a number of highly successful, globally exporting firms.
Selected Major Employers
| Organization: | Industry: | Employees: |
|---|---|---|
| Paturel International Co. | Seafood Production | 700 |
| Government of Canada | Business Services | 500 |
| Shediac Lobster Shop | Seafood Production | 180 |
| Great Circle Marine Svcs | Production Labour | 100 |
| Glenwood Kitchen Ltd. | Wood Products | 85 |
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 Town of Shediac 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 (5 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 (10 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 (15 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 (15 & 20 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 Shediac are locating in a community that is known to have a high quality of life. Many of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs and community leaders have homes on Shediac Bay. The region offers beautiful waterfront views, fine restaurants and a number of cultural and recreational venues.
Cost of Living
One of the reasons why Shediac 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 Shediac is almost 20% lower than in the Greater Halifax area.
Village Infrastructure
The Town of Shediac offers companies a well-developed infrastructure.
Downtown
With close to 50 businesses in this area, downtown Shediac is bustling with activity. The town’s retail sector is varied and grounded with two adjacent mini-malls, a host of restaurants and shops for personal services.
Residential Growth
Being a coastal community, it is a natural magnet for new residents. Indeed, Shediac boasts and average of 45-50 new units per year, ranging from $125,000 to $130,000 per unit.
Commercial Space
Two areas have been identified as interesting assets to be developed. First there is the vacated Post Office building and secondly, there is a lot of land on Ohio road, which is adjacent to Main Street and minutes away from the Highway.
Tax Rates (2006)
Provincial: $2.25/$100 evaluation Municipal (residential): $1.4784/$100 evaluation Municipal (commercial): $2.2176/$100 evaluation
Tax Base (2006)
Over $300 million.
Major Developments
The Tait house, a historical Victorian structure, has been renovated to be the home of a modern French restaurant with local flavors.
New annexation of over 70 acres of land to the Town, which may serve as potential condos, gas bar, restaurant, hotel and residential unit areas.
The new DSS Building (3-4 Million $) has created an additional 300 federal jobs for the Town.
The Town has identified and acted upon interest shown in the arts and cultural industries and ordered a feasibility study in process, in order to build an Art and Cultural centre valued at $3-4 million.
One can also underline new commercial activities along Ohio Road.
Investment Opportunities
The Town of Shediac and Enterprise South-east, the
regional economic development agency, have identified
several types of companies they are looking to attract to
the region. The sectors and areas of demand identified
include:
- Residential growth
- Commercial development on Ohio Road and Lino Road
- Boutique retail/factory outlets along Highway 15
- High end Summer Market
- Call centre
- Multi-functional room
- Niche information technology opportunities
Source of data for charts: Statistics Canada 2001 Census.