Nancy Foran Appointed Chair of Sobey School of Business Advisory Council

Nancy Foran BComm’92

The Sobey School of Business is pleased to appoint Nancy Foran BComm’92 as Chair of the Sobey School of Business Advisory Council. With over 25 years of experience spanning numerous industry sectors, Foran brings a focus on sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) to the school’s council of business experts.

“I welcome this opportunity to work with the council to leverage our collective expertise and networks,” says Foran. “My goal is to amplify the voice of the Sobey School of Business, and to support its focus on sustainability in business.”

Foran, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), a Fellow of the profession (FCPA), and a Chartered Director (C. Dir.), is educated in the leading global sustainability standards and frameworks including GRI and TCFD. She is also an FSA Credential Level 2 candidate in ESG with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). In 2021, Foran founded ESG Partners, where she provides guidance to companies and investors, boards of directors and senior leadership teams as they incorporate ESG factors into their organizational strategies and define their purpose to create long-term, sustainable value.

In addition to Foran’s appointment as Chair, Bruce Bowser BA’17 has been appointed as Vice-Chair. Bowser is a highly respected Canadian business leader and CEO of AMJ Campbell Van Lines. A well-known business authority, Bowser is frequently sought out by the media to provide his innovative and entrepreneurial point-of-view. He has also been featured in notable publications such as the National Post, The Globe and Mail, and Business Edge.

The Advisory Council of the Sobey School of Business is a group of notable business experts who lend real-world experience and knowledge to the school, with the goal of providing insight and support to the school. The Advisory Council provides advice that will ensure graduates from the school succeed in the current business world. In addition to the Chair and the Vice-Chair, Martha Casey BA’01, Cynthia Dorrington, Saeed El-Darahali BSc02 MBA’04 and Joanne Hames serve as the other external members of the Advisory Council.

“We are excited to have Nancy Foran appointed as Chair of the Advisory Council,” said Dr. Harjeet S. Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “Her experience in sustainability and ESG is closely aligned with key elements of our strategic plan. Her leadership will help us further our goal of integrating sustainability in our curriculum and other school initiatives.”

Foran is also a speaker at this year’s 4th Annual Responsible Leadership Day event on November 18. This year’s theme is Digital Future: Ethics, Integrity & Values, and Foran will be providing context and sharing her perspective on the Sobey School of Business and ESG. The event will also include a keynote speech by Juliette Powell, a panel on how artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics can support an organization’s climate action initiatives and goals, and a circular economy student challenge.

Recent grad making a splash in the world of entrepreneurship

Combining passion and problem solving is the key to successful entrepreneurship, a mentality that Marlee Armour MTEI’22 embodies daily through her work. Having spent the last decade as a swim instructor, Marlee founded Summer Swim Academy in 2015, providing private backyard swim lessons and on-demand lifeguarding services across Southern Ontario. Through this endeavour, she and her team of instructors noticed a glaring issue with children’s personal flotation devices (PFDs).

“We swim with our arms, but PFDs don’t allow for this horizontal movement,” says Armour. “Typical PFDs train kids to swim vertically in what we call the drowning position. Three years ago, I started cutting the PFDs and turning them around, making it easier for the kids to learn to swim safely and properly from the beginning.” 

Armour entered Saint Mary’s Master of Technology Entrepreneurship & Innovation (MTEI) program as a passionate entrepreneur. Her instructors gave her the knowledge and confidence to solve this problem and make the SwimTrainer a reality. Armour also benefited from the entrepreneurial expertise of the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC), which she says played an integral role in helping her learn to pitch her product, supported her with networking opportunities and broadened her horizons through events.

With over five years of entrepreneurial experience under her belt, Armour has now developed a prototype for SwimTrainer and looks forward to applying her knowledge from Saint Mary's to her business.

Did you know? Each year, the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre organizes a national entrepreneurship competition for post-secondary students across Canada. Modelled after the NCAA basketball competition, March Madness sees 64 participants compete to win $10,000 toward their business. With SwimTrainer, Marlee Armour MTEI’22 tied for third place in the 2022 competition.

Related stories:

• Breaking down barriers for women

• International students connect to the start-up community and industry leaders at Volta Labs

• Double-silver at VCIC: Students’ success highlights a unique entrepreneurial environment

Building more inclusive workspaces

To see the change, you need to be the change. This is the mentality that Dr. Vurain Tabvuma, Sobey Professor in Management, and his PhD student Katelynn Carter-Rogers BA’11 CertHON’12 MSc’15 bring to their teaching and research practices. Their research, focused on understanding how inclusion within organizations can increase well-being and performance, has been built into the Sobey School of Business Management 1281 curriculum —a foundational course for all Bachelor of Commerce students.  

“My research with Dr. Tabvuma has taught me a lot about current practices in organizations and the changes that need to be made to make them inclusive," says Carter-Rogers. "It’s one thing to be included, it’s another thing to feel like you truly belong.”

This addition to the course curriculum reinforces the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in the minds of tomorrow’s business leaders. This is a big step forward in fostering more inclusive workplaces.  

“It’s important that organizations are able and ready to support people who come from very different perspectives, and include people who understand the world in very different ways,” says Dr. Tabvuma.

Did you know? The Sobey School of Business is a proud signatory of the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) initiative. The school is also one of just two in Canada to be selected as a PRME Champion (2020-23), a leadership group committed to advancing corporate social responsibility in education and research.

Related stories:

• Saint Mary's Hosts: Black Business Initiatives - 25 Years & Beyond

• Saint Mary’s University Signs Charter on Black Inclusion and Fighting Anti-Black Racism

• School of Business Impact Speaker Series launches with ‘Elevating Indigenous Businesses’ event

Sobey School of Business takes its place among top business schools in the world with EQUIS accreditation

The Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University joins the top business schools in the world with EQUIS accreditation by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Global. Less than two percent of business schools worldwide hold this prestigious accreditation. The Sobey School of Business is also AACSB accredited, and only one percent of business schools worldwide are both AACSB and EQUIS accredited. 

The EQUIS accreditation benchmarks the Sobey School against international standards in terms of governance, programs, students, faculty, research, internationalization, ethics, responsibility, and sustainability, as well as its engagement with the world of practice. 

Dr. Harjeet Bhabra

“We are very excited and extremely proud to be a part of the EQUIS community. Achieving EQUIS accreditation endorses our school’s vision which is to lead in discovery and learning for global impact,” says Dr. Harjeet Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “EQUIS will provide us with the mechanism for international benchmarking with the best, grow our international partnerships, and keep us focused on achieving the highest quality in everything we do.” 

The EQUIS peer review team, consisting of representatives from universities in Spain, Belgium and Canada plus a corporate reviewer from IBM, highlighted the Sobey School’s action on ethics, responsibility, and sustainability initiatives as a reference that can serve others concerned with educating responsible leaders. The business school was commended for its innovation in program development and its responsiveness to the region’s business, societal and economic development needs. 

The Sobey School of Business is named after Frank H. Sobey, founder of Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc. The Sobey School of Business offers a well-respected Bachelor of Commerce program, with a wide range of specialties, including accounting, computing and information systems, entrepreneurship, finance and human resource management and industrial relations. The most comprehensive business school in Atlantic Canada it also provides a range of graduate-level programs including a Master of Business Administration, an Executive Master of Business Administration, a Master of Finance, a Master of Applied Economics, a Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a Master of Management in Cooperatives and Credit Unions and a well-respected Ph.D. program.  

In Fall of 2022, the Sobey School introduced two new graduate programs, the Master of Business Analytics (MBAN) and the Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (EDBA), both designed to give students the skills to succeed in the modern business world. The school is also home to the internationally renowned David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services and four other research centres of excellence.  

The EQUIS accreditation is valid for a three-year period. EQUIS is the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement, and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration. EQUIS is managed and run by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Global and its fundamental objective, linked to the mission of the EFMD Global, is to raise the standard of management education worldwide. 

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Nerve, Balance, Community and Boldness: A reflection on Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose

On October 13, 2022, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, attendees of the Sobey School of Business’s fourth annual Women in Business event, Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose, gathered in person to highlight women in retail, their journeys and the impact they have on their communities.

Women in Retail included three panels of women experts in retail, a Keynote address by Founder & CEO of The 7 Virtues Barb Stegemann, a discussion with journalist and author Janice Landry, and The Pop-Up-Shop & Networking Hour, a mini-event created for entrepreneurs to promote their products, business or services to attendees. A post-event social at The Cable Wharf Kitchen & Patio followed.

Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose

The emcees of the event, Amber Grosse, Entrepreneurship Engagement Manager with the Black Business Initiative, and Crystal Garrett, Broadcast Journalist and CEO of Crystal Joy Garrett Media, conducted the day with effortless skill. Both women leveraged their humour, lived experiences and charisma to facilitate discussions both amongst speakers and attendees. We would like to formally thank both Amber and Crystal for their phenomenal work!

Although the panelists, Stegemann and Landry all come from diverse personal backgrounds and business focusses within the retail world, four common themes emerged from their experiences: nerve, balance, community and boldness. These themes united the not only the women on stage, but throughout the room. The feeling of support and togetherness was palpable, with attendees and presenters sharing experiences, advice and stories with one another throughout the day. By the end of the event, a community of women in retail and their allies had formed in the Loyola Conference Hall.

Attendees of Women in Retail lining up to ask questions to presenters.

We would like to thank all of our speakers, attendees and our sponsors (with special thank you to our changemaker sponsor, Sunlife Financial) for making Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose a resounding success. Without your dedication, this event would not have been as impactful as it was! Additionally, we wish to thank Ambassatours CEO Dennis Campbell for use of The Cable Wharf Kitchen & Patio as a post-event space to debrief and network.

As for what comes next, the Women in Business Steering Committee is excited to announce that next year’s event plans to build upon the impact of Women in Retail. The Committee is highly engaged in working with community members, and will be moving towards to establish a fund to uplift and support women in business.

We cannot wait to see what’s next for Women in Business!

If you would like to see photos from Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose, they have been posted on the Sobey School of Business’s Facebook Page.

Two new Sobey School of Business programs welcome first cohorts this fall

Inaugural EDBA cohort

The Sobey School of Business welcomed the inaugural cohorts of two new programs this fall: the Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (EDBA) and the Master of Business Analytics (MBAN). EDBA has a cohort of 8, while MBAN has a cohort of 22.

“We are excited to launch the EDBA and MBAN programs this year,” says Dean of the Sobey School of Business, Harjeet Bhabra. “Curriculum innovation is a key element of our strategic plan Elevating Impact, and these two new programs add to our portfolio of program offerings that meet the growing and changing needs of the business world today. To our first cohorts, I am delighted to welcome you to the Sobey School of Business.”

The EDBA program is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada. It is designed for seasoned executives and brings the possibility of development and support to distinguish their value in the job market, while rewarding them with critical knowledge and skills to succeed in today’s complex business environment. The program will be offered every two years and is designed for a cohort of 8 to 12 students. Dr. Wendy Carroll, Academic Director of the EDBA Program, is thrilled to launch this program that meets the needs of highly active business leaders in a number of fields.

“Our EDBA students come to us from a variety of backgrounds, including entrepreneurship, medicine, law and the federal government," says Dr. Wendy Carroll, Academic Director of the EDBA program. "We look forward to working with them through rigorous scholarship and community practice.”

The MBAN program is another first of its kind for Atlantic Canada, designed to meet the growing need for business analytics professionals. MBAN gives students the ability to fuse data science and business competencies, while cultivating an analytical mindset to lead and sustain efforts in small, medium and large organizations.

“Our students come to us from 10 different countries, with diverse background in math, science, engineering and business,” says Dr. Michael Zhang, Director of the MBAN program. “Many have strong working experience in project management, financial management, data and technology management. Our multidisciplinary teaching faculty are thrilled to be part of the launch of this new program.”

MBAN’s inaugural cohort

Canadian citizens and permanent residents entering MBAN also have the opportunity to apply for the Dr. Robert P. Kelly Master of Business Analytics Scholarship, valued at $10,000. These scholarships are funded by the generous $1 million gift from Dr. Kelly to A World Without Limits: The Campaign for Saint Mary’s University.

Learn more about graduate programs at the Sobey School of Business.

Women in Retail Keynote Speaker: Meet Barb Stegemann, social entrepreneur and Dragon slayer

When Barb Stegemann made her pitch on Dragon's Den she reduced two of the Dragons to tears and came away with three investors, making her the first woman from Atlantic Canada to land a venture-capital deal on the CBC show. Ten years later, her company, The 7 Virtues Beauty, is an international leader in the cosmetics industry for its mandate to source organic, fair trade essential oils from countries experiencing turmoil (such as Afghanistan, Haiti the Middle East and Rwanda). Now, the best-selling author and social business innovator and entrepreneur will share her knowledge and experience at the Sobey School of Business’s fourth annual Women in Business event, Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose, on October 13.

Attendees will hear from diverse voices of women in retail leadership and participate in discussions on how to impact their communities with purpose. In addition to our keynote speaker, Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose will feature three panels of women retail leaders sharing insights and answering questions. Attendees will also have the chance to network at the Pop-Up-Shop & Networking Hour and attend a post-event evening social at a local venue.

Barb Stegemann

Despite the wealth of female retailers that Women in Retail will be featuring, there is still much work to be done regarding gender diversity in retail. In 2021, women held just 12% of chief executive roles in retail. Stegemann is one such woman, whose business started out of her garage in Bedford and has grown to an international powerhouse of social enterprise.

Raised in the Maritimes, Stegemann’s entrepreneurial vision began when her best friend was severely injured in Afghanistan while serving in the Canadian Forces. As her friend recovered in a Vancouver hospital, Stegemann began thinking about how she could contribute to stabilizing the region.

“I didn’t even set out to make perfume, I just wanted to help farmers in Afghanistan,” Stegemann shared when she sat down for an interview. Initially, she found that she didn’t fit the already-established paths to helping countries in turmoil.

“I’m not a soldier, I’m not a world leader. So, I created a new way.”

Stegemann began by writing a bestselling book, The 7 Virtues of a Philosopher Queen, which seeks to empower women to reach for their dreams. After her book Stegemann began making contacts with essential oil merchants in Afghanistan, Haiti and Rwanda, and realized this was her way to carry on her mission of peace. The company The 7 Virtues was realized, and through the ups and downs of launching and running a social enterprise, Stegemann has been trailblazing as a woman in retail ever since.

Barb Stegemann and Ella Webster BA’22 at Ella’s Convocation in Spring 2022.

“There was no word for social enterprise when I started,” Stegemann told us. The 7 Virtues is now an award-winning social enterprise and is the only Canadian brand to be sold through Sephora’s “Clean at Sephora” fragrance space across the US, Canada and in 13 countries across the EU.

As for her connection to Saint Mary’s University, Stegemann’s connection does not stop at simply being from the Maritimes. Her daughter, Ella Webster BA’22, is a recent SMU graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. Ella and her brother Victor work with Stegemann at The 7 Virtues, a fact that is very meaningful to her.

“The most rewarding part owning a business is that I get to work with my two children. I’m so grateful that I created something out of thin air that lets me be around my family and gives me the freedom the decide what I want to be, what I want to do. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.”

Stegemann brings a wealth of experience as a women entrepreneur in the retail space, and her story shares messages of overcoming adversity and empowering women to embrace their inner disruptor. In our interview, Stegemann shared not only the story of The 7 Virtues but wisdom on living life as an entrepreneur.

“It’s very important to design and live the life you want. We’re only here for a short time, so while we’re here we should live life with meaning and purpose. Entrepreneurship gives you that.”

Learn more about Barb, our other speakers, and buy your tickets now to Women in Retail: Impacting Our Communities With Purpose!

Watch Barb’s full interview where she discusses her entrepreneurial journey here:

Sobey School of Business launches Dean’s Annual Community Report

The Sobey School of Business has released its Dean’s Annual Community Report (PDF), a publication that highlights key projects, initiatives and events at the Sobey School of Business from January 2021 to April 2022.

During the 16-month period of the report, the students, faculty, staff and alumni of the Sobey School of Business showed their commitment to a world without limits. Through their efforts, the school played and continues to play a key leadership role in the Atlantic business community. The report highlights activities and initiatives that reflect Elevating Impact, the 2020-2025 strategic plan of the Sobey School. Elevating Impact states the three key commitments of the school: to advance teaching and learning, foster an environment of intellectual discovery that inspires research excellence, and to engage with the broader community to address issues of local and global significance.

This year’s report touches on a wide variety of highlights. New academic programs were launched while old programs were revamped to address emerging education needs in the business world, while research initiatives that targeted our local communities in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada were undertaken. Events to support and uplift diverse communities were created, and Sobey students went above and beyond in their pursuit for academic excellence.

“The Sobey School of Business has a proud history of excellence in business education, and the outstanding work of our faculty, staff and students,” says Dean Harjeet S. Bhabra. “Reading through this publication, I am sure you will see how the Sobey School of Business is making an impact with purpose.”

The Sobey School of Business releases its third annual Research Bulletin

The Sobey School of Business has released its third annual Research Bulletin, which highlights the fascinating and diverse business research done by Sobey faculty, graduate students and research centres throughout the 2021 academic year.

“Our researchers impress with their ability to be focussed, community-oriented and representative of our five-year strategic plan, Elevating Impact, which embodies the vision and aspirations of the Sobey School of Business,” said Dr. Harjeet S. Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “The research undertaken at the Sobey School of Business from January to December 2021 demonstrates the Sobey School’s leadership in making an impact with purpose.”

Even through the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sobey researchers made strides.

“The global health crisis has accelerated changes in how we work and do business…our researchers have continued to actively train highly qualified personnel, create and disseminate knowledge, and engage with our partners in the community. The work they do matters to so many!” said Dr. Catherine Loughlin, Associate Dean of Research and Knowledge Mobilization.

Download the full 2021 Sobey School of Business Research Bulletin publication now.

Students graduate from unique BNUZ-SMU partnership program

Graduation Cohort

Students graduate from unique BNUZ-SMU partnership program

Xu Jinfeng (left) will continue his postgraduate studies this fall at the University of Macau. Zheng Jingjing (right) will begin a master’s program at the Australian National University. 45 graduates plan to pursue postgraduate studies abroad this year.

Graduates from the Joint BComm Program complete 2 degrees: a Bachelor of Commerce (major in finance) from SMU and a Bachelor of Economics from BNUZ. Yang Junying (left), Zhou Keke (centre) and Wu Xinye (right) pose for a photo wearing the Sobey BComm hoods and gowns.

Jin Yue pictured here standing in front of the BNUZ Library, home to the Joint BComm Program.

From left: Zhou Keke, Wu Xinye, Yu Anqi and Shi Jingyi.

Shi Jingyi enjoys a final afternoon at BNUZ before heading to Scotland to begin a master’s program at the University of Glasgow this fall.

Liu Jiaqi says goodbye to the BNUZ Library where she completed many of her undergraduate courses.

Wu Xinye stands outside of our Joint BComm Program office in the BNUZ Library.  

Zheng Jingjing graduated summa cum laude with a BComm (major in Finance) from SMU and a Bachelor of Economics from BNUZ.

A group of friends celebrate their successful completion of the BNUZ-SMU Joint BComm Program at Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai. From left: Liu Xinran, Liu Jiaqi, Shi Jingyi and Yu Xizi.

This week, the fifth cohort of students graduated from the BNUZ-SMU Joint Bachelor of Commerce program based in Zhuhai, China. 81 graduates received both a Bachelor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University and a Bachelor of Economics from Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, with 59 earning a major in finance.

Prof. Zhong Xin, Dean of the International Business Faculty at BNUZ, offered words of congratulations to this year’s graduates: “In the midst of uncertainty, you have overcome difficulties, explored inner peace and found the confidence to face whatever challenges may come.” She summed up this sense of hope and optimism by wishing students a bright future and encouraging them to use their actions to “seek and preserve the original passion and mission of your youth.”

The unique partnership of the Joint BComm program allows students at BNUZ to benefit from a cross-cultural undergraduate education, with half of their courses taught by BNUZ professors and the other half taught by visiting SMU faculty. Graduates of the program have earned a reputation as high performers in business and finance. This fall, more than half of the graduating cohort will begin postgraduate programs around the world, including in China, Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore. Others will enter the workforce immediately or begin preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam in China.

Dr. Harjeet Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business, shared his congratulations with the class, noting “[This program] has provided you with the tools and skills to become successful business leaders with a truly global perspective. As you move to the next stage in your careers, we wish you the very best for your continued success, and we proudly welcome you to our extensive alumni community.”

The longstanding partnership between Saint Mary’s University and Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, dates back to 2002 and has included a range of 2+2 programs in Arts, Business and Science, as well as a number of other exchange programs and summer institutes for students, faculty and members of the community. More than 40 SMU faculty members from the Sobey School of Business and the Faculty of Arts have travelled to Zhuhai to teach in the Joint BComm Program since 2016, which has led to collaborative research opportunities with the International Business Faculty at BNUZ.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing global pandemic, it was not possible for members of the SMU community to reconnect in person with friends and colleagues at BNUZ in celebration of the outstanding success of this year’s graduates. We honour those achievements as we welcome the newest members of our 53,000+ alumni network.

Enactus Saint Mary’s secures spot in national finals

The Saint Mary’s Enactus Team

For the ninth time in 11 years, Enactus Saint Mary’s is off to the final round of competition at the Enactus Canada National Exposition in Toronto this September. At this in-person competition, Saint Mary’s University will compete against Toronto Metropolitan University, Wilfred Laurier University, University of Ottawa and Okanagan College for the title of national champion. 

These students have already gone through two rounds of competition, and those who succeed at the national final will compete at the Enactus World Cup, representing their country. Enactus, an international non-profit social enterprise, supports different student groups and small businesses aiming to tackle social, economic and environmental problems. With more than 2,000 schools from 33 countries taking part in Enactus each year, Saint Mary’s has an incredible opportunity to represent Canada this year. 

With three months until the highly anticipated competition, Enactus Saint Mary's is looking forward to the final round ahead. 

“[We’re] thrilled to be in the top five Enactus teams in Canada,” says Susan MacInnis, a co-president of the team. “Our amazing and supportive team are more motivated than ever to work together, expand our projects, and personal and professional development.” 

Highlighting their food insecurity program, Square Roots, and their digital education program, Options Online, Enactus Saint Mary’s members are ecstatic to have a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize, along with the national champion title to further impact their community. 

Enactus Saint Mary’s are moving forward proudly, with support from various local and global partners and sponsors. One of these partners, Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre (SMUEC), is especially supportive of Enactus Saint Mary’s. 

“I’m proud to support these amazing Saint Mary’s students and excited for them to share their innovative, problem-tackling ideas in the final round,” says SMUEC Director Michael Sanderson, one of the faculty advisors for the team. “This year Enactus Saint Mary’s has a great chance to become the national champions.” 

Reflecting on the past rounds and looking forward to the next, Co-President Maddie Bristol says, “We are putting our best foot forward on the National stage in September in Toronto. The coming months will show our commitment to positive community and environmental impact and our dedication to representing Saint Mary’s on stage.” 

Learn more about Enactus Saint Mary’s.

Identifying immigration trends is integral to the growth of Atlantic Canada

Dr. Ather Akbari

Understanding and identifying trends in immigration is something that Dr. Ather Akbari, Professor of Economics and Researcher at Saint Mary’s University (SMU), is passionate about. Particularly, his research identifies the importance of regionalization of immigration in Canada to help increase populations in rural regions and smaller provinces.

“Each province has its own demographic challenges which arise because of the declining population growth,” says Dr. Akbari.

He explains that uneven distribution of population growth by region, and the concentration of immigration in urban areas, have called for regionalization in Canada. Immigrants tend to settle in larger provinces and larger urban centres, where there is more economic opportunity, an established immigrant community, access to ethnic goods, and places of worship.

The Atlantic provinces have the lowest population growth, their natural population growth has become negative, meaning that the number of births has fallen below the number of deaths.

“A declining demographic trend can create longer-term economic challenges for the country,” says Dr. Akbari. “In order to reverse that trend, Canada opened up its immigration policy. People are not chosen on the basis of their country of origin, as was the case before 1970s, but on how they can contribute to the economic and social mosaic of Canada.”

Saint Mary’s University researcher Dr. Ather Akbari (middle) with students from the Sobey School of Business on the Halifax waterfront, near the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

Immigration is not just important for population growth but also for the economy. The economy is impacted by a declining population in at least two different ways: a shortage of skilled labour in the work force, and fewer consumers of goods and services. The aging population further adds to skill shortages, with people retiring as they get older.

“All population growth that has taken place between the recent census years has been due to immigration,” says Dr. Akbari.

Dr. Akbari chairs the Atlantic Research Group on Economics of Immigration, Aging and Diversity (ARGEIAD). The group is comprised of university faculty from across Atlantic Canada with the mandate of researching the economic importance of immigration, diversity, and aging. The research findings have been useful to help guide decisions in a regional, national, and international context.

Low retention of immigrants has been a problem in Atlantic Provinces and has concerned policy makers. This places great importance on Dr. Akbari’s and ARGEIAD’s recently finished research study, commissioned by the Province of Nova Scotia, titled: ‘Immigration In Nova Scotia: Who Comes, Who Stays, Who Leaves And Why?’ Through an online survey of close to 3,000 immigrants, the study helped understand the factors that determine why immigrants choose Nova Scotia as their destination in Canada, why some decide to stay, and why others leave.

ARGEIAD recently finished another research project, in collaboration with Group ATN Consulting Inc., for the government of New Brunswick which currently hosts the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration in Canada. Through that project, they analyzed the impacts of provincially and territorially-administered immigration programs.

The project’s main finding is that immigrants have a positive effect on the economic growth and government revenues of smaller provinces, more so than in larger provinces, and that the Provincial Nominee Program has been successful in attracting immigrants to smaller provinces of Canada.

Currently, ARGEIAD is doing a research project that assesses the satisfaction and well-being of international students in Atlantic Canada. This research will provide valuable information that will assist with encouraging future immigrants to stay in the Atlantic provinces.

For more information on ARGEIAD’s work and Dr. Akbari’s research at Saint Mary’s University, visit https://www.smu.ca/centres-and-institutes/atlantic-research-group.html and https://www.worldwithoutlimits.ca/index/establishing-nova-scotia-as-the-world-of-possibility-for-newcomers.

Saint Mary’s University researcher Dr. Ather Akbari (middle) with students from the Sobey School of Business on the Halifax waterfront, near the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.