Board Of Trade Says 2012 Was A Challenge For Local Businesses

Saint John's unemployment rate has been on the rise this year and, at 9.3 per cent, is second highest among all the major cities surveyed by Stats Canada behind that of Windsor, Ontario. 

The President of the Board of Trade, Imelda Gilman concedes this year has been challenging for businesses in the city which wasn't hit has hard by the 2008 recession.

She points out over half a billion dollars has been spent on major projects over the past few years in Saint John and not all of that has been on roads with new buildings constructed at U-N-B Saint John and the community college.

Gilman can see encouraging signs especially by what she sees happening at the port and the commitment on the part of municipalities in the region to put in place a strategy for growth starting early in the new year.