By Rosemary Godin
Nova Scotia Business Journal, March 2002    

The president of the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) is a master of turning negatives into positives for the potential betterment of the province. As a panelist at an event sponsored by NovaKnowledge, Jacqueline Thayer Scott demonstrated that issues some consider negatives about Cape Breton, are actually opportunities. 

The debate, entitled “seizing opportunities in turbulent times,” was the first in a series being presented by NovaKnowledge, a member-based, not for-profit organization dedicated to the development of a flourishing, sustainable knowledge economy in Nova Scotia. 

“There are real opportunities ahead of us,” said Thayer Scott. 

She said people think of Cape Breton as being remote, but on the other hand, the region could capitalize on that by marketing itself to the tourist industry as being a safe and secure place to visit. 

Thayer Scott said the media attention around the Sydney Tar Ponds clean-up is all negative. But she can see a positive side to the issue that Cape Breton should be capitalizing on. 

“We are looking at tremendous opportunities in terms of environmental remediation to turn it into a long-term business,” she said, “There are all kinds of interesting collaborations there. People are looking at what will work in terms of remediation processes in our cold climate and if they will work in other areas of the world.” 

She said UCCB is probably Canada’s most under funded university, yet it “has made us very entrepreneurial.” 

Thayer Scott said the region’s general under-funding just serves to make its people and businesses have a “go-ahead” attitude that has worked well.

A major ‘negative’ about Cape Breton that Thayer Scott said she and business leaders are working on is the lack of air-service to the region.

“We’re looking at it as an opportunity, because we’re all going to get together and fix it,” she said.

Fellow panelist, Steve Parker, chairman of the CCL Group, said the private and public sector “minds” have to get together and work on Nova Scotia’s economic issues.

He called the air service to Nova Scotia “an incredible disgrace.”         

“It’s a big time problem and can only be solved by community action,” said Parker. 

The third panelist was John McLeod, business editor at The Daily News.

McLeod said that over-all he thinks Nova Scotia is “in pretty darn good shape.” 
Debates on the economy of Nova Scotia continue over the next two months. On March 26, panelists Bernd Christmas, CEO of the Membertou band, Daurene Lewis, principal of the Halifax campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College, and Bill McMullin, CEO of InfoInteractive will discuss ‘Setting goals and priorities: it’s easy to point fingers and complain.’

The final panel will be April 30 and is called: ‘Talk is cheap: executing a plan of action.’