Plug pulled on conference, trade show

Organizers of Scotia Fundy International last week cancelled the conference and trade show that was to be held here this week from June 26-28.

A brief email from the Digby Area Board of Trade’s organizing committee announced the cancellation was “due to a number of last minute factors and unforeseen circumstances.”

The last minute factors included the unavailability of some speakers at the conference, including Liz Cameron, director of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, whose father died recently. There was also less local and provincial support than anticipated.

The event was the outgrowth of an investment-seeking trip last fall to Scotland by a delegation from the board of trade, along with several municipal and provincial politicians.

Clyde Baltzer, a member of the board of trade’s economic enhancement committee, had noted just weeks ago hat, “If we can make this come off, it’ll be important for our community.” He saw the conference as a chance to showcase southwestern Nova Scotia to investors—some of them from Scotland and some from other parts of the Maritimes.

Organizers had hoped the trade show portion would have 40 to 50 booths to showcase the kind of services in the area and the opportunities for investors.

The conferences itself was to focus on economic development, alternative energy, primary health care alternatives, and aquaculture.

Municipality of Digby warden Jim Thurber was also on the organizing committee was disappointed Friday that it wasn’t going ahead.

He said organizers faced challenges, particularly in the time available to set up the event, and ran into some added challenges at the end that proved too difficult. “We could have gone forward, but we didn’t feel we could put on the kind of quality show that participants deserved. And we didn’t want to do a poor job.”

He remains convinced the idea of attracting foreign investment to the area is a sound one and compared it to his earlier career as a lobster fisherman. “I had good spots but some times when I went there I got nothing. Other times I was well rewarded, and I always went back there. “I still think the possibilities are there, and we still have connections in Scotland.”