<![CDATA[Connecting Albert County - Economic Development]]>Sat, 09 May 2026 16:40:27 -0300Weebly<![CDATA[Helping workers with intellectual disabilities]]>Mon, 20 Apr 2015 15:55:16 GMThttps://www.connectingalbertcounty.org/economic-development/helping-workers-with-intellectual-disabilitiesCOMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT AGENCY (CEA) offers employment services to Persons with "Intellectual Disabilities" (including those considered slow learners) as well as Persons with "Brain Injury", who would demonstrate the potential for success within a community employment setting given short term support.
Our services are available to all targeted clients residing in the southeast region of New Brunswick, including the counties of Kent, Westmorland and Albert. Persons residing in these areas will have the option of receiving services in their home areas. CEA offers services in both official languages.

CEA assists employers in locating and hiring capable, motivated workers for entry level positions. CEA places disabled workers in community jobs through a supported employment program. Employer satisfaction is a primary goal.

Telephone: (506) 858-3639, Fax: (506) 858-3620, cea1@nb.aibn.com www.cea-aec.ca


A Division of Moncton Employment & Training Services, Inc.

]]><![CDATA[Meet Gregory Heming – Cultivating Hope for Albert County]]>Wed, 08 Apr 2015 23:41:04 GMThttps://www.connectingalbertcounty.org/economic-development/meet-gregory-heming-cultivating-hope-for-albert-countyPicture
Gregory Heming believes that rural communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are perfectly positioned to cultivate a new economy... one that thrives by creating local business to meet local needs.

And he should know…he has been helping rural communities grow their local prosperity potential for 40 years. Although he has witnessed his share of rural losses, he actively cultivates hope by sharing the many successes of communities taking charge of their own futures.

Gregory is a municipal councilor for Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, and chair of the Economic Development Committee. He holds a PhD in ecology, and has been teaching, lecturing, counseling and writing about the principles of ecology and sustainable communities throughout his entire career. 

Born in the Colorado ranch country, he moved to Halifax to attend Dalhousie University in the 1970s and while there, fell in love with the Annapolis area. He returned there to live permanently in 2006. "This is my last stand," he jokes.

Through his career, Gregory has served alongside some of the most well-known names in social and environmental justice, including authors Paul Hawken, Terry Tempest Williams, and Wendell Berry.

Gregory himself is a committed ecologist.  “I have a passion for wild places and rural areas, and I have seen them die slowly over the last 30-40 years,” he says. His own native Colorado wilderness has been devastated by shale gas development in recent years with over 50,000 wells, so he knows all about the threats rural communities face from rampant exploitation of natural resources. But he believes sustainable forestry, farming and fishing economies are achievable.

“Our old economic model of unlimited growth is a myth,” he says. “You simply cannot grow infinitely on a finite Earth.” Rather than continuing the repeatedly unsuccessful practice of providing costly incentives to lure outside companies with no ties to the region - companies that promise jobs, but leave when the money runs out - governments must start investing in local entrepreneurs and economies.

But until that happens, he encourages rural communities to adopt a new vision by embracing ecological economics, which has at its heart, three pillars: sustainability, fair distribution of wealth, and efficient allocation of resources. All three of these contribute to human well-being and environmental sustainability, with growth that focuses on quality, rather than quantity; better instead of bigger.

It starts with citizens actively protecting local democracy and ensuring their community values are being represented politically. The second step is adopting co-operative models of business rather than pursuing large scale competitive models. “If you want to attract business, then it should be business that fills a need in the community, business that is motivated by purpose more than profit,” he says. “And we always keep in mind that the preservation of the ecosystem is paramount.”

Small communities look for ways to begin producing locally those items that were previously imported, such as food and energy. By working together, buying local, establishing co-operatives and social enterprises, encouraging local investments, community transportation, sharing resources, and partnering with non-profit organizations, they keep their buying power local. He points to the successes of Tatamagouche (strong spiritual culture), Summerside (renewable energy), and the Halifax Tool Library (tool sharing resource) as evidence of community collaboration that works.

Albert County is already moving in this direction with Foods of the Fundy Valley, farmers' markets, Tele-drive, Food Bank and community garden initiatives, our Connecting Albert County website, the Elgin Eco-Association, and the community hub proposal for Riverside Consolidated School. We are well-positioned to initiate more.

“There is no end to what communities can do. It just depends on what the local community wants, their skill levels and their ability to invest." 

He says having a strong spirit in the community is vitally important. “One of my mentors, Wendell Berry, who is in his eighties, says he has seen far too many communities die through external exploitation or internal disaffection… the town gives up on itself, “ says Gregory.

“But if you have a community of people working at the heart level, then the rest takes care of itself. People are there because they care…they are connected at the heart. That is a big beginning.”


Article written by Deborah Carr. Deborah is a freelance writer and an ardent supporter of ''all things Albert County."  www.deborahcarr.ca

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Gregory will be speaking at the Forest Dale Home Community Room on Sunday, April 26, from 7PM, as part of a tour of New Brunswick communities.  His talk is entitled Active Hope:  A Future for Rural Communities and it has been sponsored by Water and Environmental Protection for Albert County (www.wepac.ca).  

If you have a heart and a desire to actively grow a new economy and a new future for Albert County, you won’t want to miss this.

Facebook Event Page
Download event poster below:
gregheming_poster-new.pdf
File Size: 369 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
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Growing Local Prosperity

Gregory Heming is one of the organizers of Local Prosperity, a Nova Scotia conference focusing on how communities are creating prosperous futures and healthy economies that are cooperative, compassionate, and long-term - economies that provide meaningful and dignified work, respect nature’s capital, and reflect a culture of both growth and harmony.

He is also currently involved in Project Drawdown, an international initiative comprised of scientists, policy makers, analysts and activists, headed by Paul Hawken. They are plotting an actionable plan to actually reverse (not halt) the amount of greenhouse gases and lower global temperatures.


]]><![CDATA[From convenience to community store]]>Thu, 26 Mar 2015 13:17:57 GMThttps://www.connectingalbertcounty.org/economic-development/young-entrepreneur-revitalizes-convenience-storePicture
Lindsay Butland is the young entrepreneur behind the Crooked Creek Convenience store in Riverside-Albert.  Read more to learn about her work in the following article published in Rural Delivery in 2013.
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The new sign announcing “Crooked Creek Convenience Store” was the first clue that the little Kwik-Way convenience store had a new owner. The second was a smaller sign, “Gluten-free products available.” Now this was definitely new.

When I entered the store, I first saw what I had expected – milk, soft drinks, fireworks and candy. But then I saw organic milk and soy milk in the cooler, local beef in the freezer and even goosetongue greens. On the counter, there was a petition about a moratorium on seismic testing for fracking.

Let me back up... Crooked Creek Convenience is in the Village of Riverside-Albert, New Brunswick. The store is about halfway between Moncton and Alma. There aren’t many farmers in the area. The few organic growers around sell their products at the farmers’ markets, next to fudge, squares and pies. Gluten-free, organic, soy and even local are not what you expect around here, particularly in a convenience store with a retail space of only 25 by 65 feet.

“I want the place to have a country feeling,” says the owner, Lindsay Butland. I’m surprised to realize a young woman has bought the store. When many of her peers are leaving the area to move to Toronto or the oil patch, Butland works to strengthen her ties to the community. She will celebrate the second anniversary of owning Crooked Creek Convenience in November 2013.

The store is an economically depressed area of the province: in June 2013, the area’s unemployment rate was 16.5%. The idea that anyone would buy a store in the area is surprising; the fact that it was a 23-year-old woman is remarkable. The best part is that the store has become successful.

Lindsay Butland appreciates the connection between a business and a rural community. She doesn’t feel that the local people are just customers – they are her family, her friends, and her community. In the same way that they support the store, the store supports the village and surrounding area.

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On a sunny day in June, all the students of Riverside Consolidated School stand in line on the lawn next to the store. They sing along with the Grade 3-4 teacher as they wait for Lindsey Butland to serve them ice-cream.

A few minutes earlier, the students sat on the store’s deck and dooryard while a teacher read a book aloud. They were gathered there for the opening of the Little Free Library (see box).

Butland thought the library would fit in well with the store. “I noticed a lot of people come here when the bookmobile is here. I thought it would be good to have books here at other times.” The bookmobile stops outside the store for a half hour once every three weeks.

For the Little Free Library’s opening, all 50 students of Riverside Consolidated walked a kilometre from the school to the store.

“We want to support the store,” says the school principal, Barry Snider, “because Lindsay has been good to us. She raised money for the school after digital cameras and other high-tech equipment were stolen.”

 “I felt badly for the kids,” Butland says. “They had raised the money themselves through bottle drives and penny drives and their own hard work. So I started to raise money in the store through 50/50 draws. It wasn’t much for people to give, just a dollar here and there, but it was something to help the kids and the community.”

Besides fundraising for many community groups, the check-out at Crooked Creek serves as a venue to learn about protests against fracking. Butland provides leaflets about the environmental consequences of fracking and posts notices about upcoming events. Often there is a petition on the counter asking the New Brunswick government for a moratorium on shale gas development.

 “I love fishing, hunting and living off the land,” she adds. “And fracking is so much the opposite of all that. It can destroy our environment.

“I don’t push my views on anyone. I just print off the facts and let them decide for themselves.” She also has three copies of the Gasland DVD, which she lends out for free.

“My mother says I should keep my views on the down-low, but I think the more noise I can make, the more noise we can all make. We have to do something. The government and oil companies are forcing this down our throats.

“I really enjoy Albert County the way it is,” says Butland. “I feel we should be protecting the land and water for the next generation.”

Lindsay Butland has lived almost all her life in Albert County. Before buying the store, she worked on the lobster boats but suffered from seasickness. She wanted to find another way to make a living but still stay in the area. She had already worked in a couple of convenience stores and thought that maybe this was the business for her.

Butland approached the former owner of the corner store and asked if he was willing to sell – he was. Not only that, he had put the store on the market just the day before. Timing was on her side but financing was another story. For a young woman with no money to her name and little experience, financing was a challenge. The former owner was patient, she said, and waited until she could find the money. After several months, Butland, then 23 years old, owned the store.

Butland’s family supports the business in many ways. Her mother helps with the bookkeeping and her sister works at the till. Her grandmother plants flowers around the deck and picnic tables. Her father and uncles have helped with the renovations. Most importantly, Butland’s mother bought the parcel of the land adjoining the store and, in doing so, reduced the sale price of the store.

Joanne Butland has started a new business in a building next to her daughter’s store. She runs Crooked Creek Adventures, a kayak, canoe and bike rental. The business takes advantage of the location – Crooked Creek alongside the store and the TransCanada Trail is across the road. Joanne’s business brings more people to the store.

Lindsay Butland has made a number of changes, which should help the economic viability of the Crooked Creek Convenience but also help the community. For example, she added a deck with a ramp “to make it easier for the older clients especially in the winter.”

She has also added a coffee station. The store now has ‘regulars’ who stand inside or outside on the deck to talk about the community. She also started selling hunting and fishing licenses, and worms for bait. She has expanded the hours of the store, particularly during the beginning of deer and duck season, and has hired three staff.

Unlike many convenience stores, Crooked Creek has local food for sale. The freezer contains frozen lobster and scallops from Alma next to beef and pork from the local butcher, Arnold Glendenning of ANC Meats.

“People love the meat, especially the bacon,” Butland says. “And Arnold labels the packages so people know where it’s from.”

Butland also sells fiddleheads, goosetongue greens and other seasonal delicacies. She wants to sell more local vegetables but needs to find a farmer who can provide a consistent supply. With every product she buys from a local producer, she helps another local business.

In trying to meet the needs of the whole community, Butland brings in organic milk, soymilk, lactose-free milk and gluten-free products once she recognizes a need for these.

“There’s not much to choose from around here if you can’t have gluten,” she says. “So I carry some products. It means a lot to people when I bring in special orders.

“I get to help people,” she adds, “These little things make the job worthwhile. And I like the challenge of the business.”

While we talk, a customer comes in and says, “It’s really nice to see so many people here.” I agree.

Janet Wallace likes to support small businesses near her home in Albert County, New Brunswick. www.janetwallace.ca
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Little Free Library

“It is the smallest library that you will ever visit,” reads the press release for the opening of the library in Riverside-Albert. “It looks like a birdhouse, but when you look inside you will find a variety of books for readers of all ages.”

The Little Free Library is simply a collection of books people can borrow on their own terms. The name may say ‘little’ but the library is actually tiny; it’s just a shelf of twenty to thirty books in a glass-fronted box.

There are no library cards, due dates or late fees. Part of an international program, all Little Free Libraries are in public places, usually outside, and accessible 24 hours a day. The libraries are placed in areas that are not well served by regional library programs.

Readers can pick up books and simply return them whenever they are finished reading. Or people can take a book from the library and donate another book. Volunteers monitor the collection to ensure the collection always contains books for all ages.

As for concerns over theft, “how can you steal a free book?” says Carole Murphy, Community Engagement Coordinator, Anglophone East School District. Vandalism is another issue that has been raised, but supporters of the Little Free Library hope that the location’s highly visible location will help keep it safe.

The Riverside-Albert Little Free Library is supported by the Anglophone East School District of New Brunswick. It is the seventh Little Free Library to open in Atlantic Canada. For more information and to see a map of the libraries, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.
]]><![CDATA[Work in Albert County]]>Thu, 12 Mar 2015 11:51:51 GMThttps://www.connectingalbertcounty.org/economic-development/job-postingsJob seekers, please visit our Job Opportunities page regularly. We will continue to add job listings.

Employers, please send your job listings. We will post the listings and also mention some of the jobs in our monthly e-bulletin.
]]><![CDATA[Job Fair: April 16th]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2015 22:51:07 GMThttps://www.connectingalbertcounty.org/economic-development/job-fair-april-16thPreparations for the Job Fair for adults at the Recreation Center in Riverside-Albert are progressing nicely.  Employers such as Fundy National Park, Hopewell Cape Rocks, Cape Enrage and Forest Dale Nursing Home have already confirmed their attendance. 

If you are an employer and are looking for an employee to work, either full-time, part-time or by the activity, you are invited to attend.

If you are seeking employment, you will have the opportunity to talk with several potential employers and explain what you have to offer.  If you do not have a resume, you will be able to obtain assistance at the Job Fair in completing one.
Attendance at the Job Fair is free for everyone.  Because it is taking place between 4 pm and 8 pm, there will be a lunch available for a reasonable fee.

We are encouraging everyone to attend: people looking for work for any number of hours, seniors looking to supplement income or wanting to keep active, those who want seasonal work, etc.

For further information, please feel free to call Phyllis at 734-2044.

This Job Fair is being organized by the Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee. 
]]><![CDATA[Job Fair]]>Thu, 11 Dec 2014 23:27:14 GMThttps://www.connectingalbertcounty.org/economic-development/job-fair The Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee (CCRC) will organize a “Job Fair” for adults on Thursday, April 16, 2015, from 4pm To 8 pm at the Riverside-Albert Recreation Centre.  The idea for the fair arose from local business owners who have found it difficult to find employees who have a strong work ethic and view attendance as a responsibility.  Many adults in the area would like to work, but often prefer a part-time position.  We believe that there are many opportunities to match employee skill sets with needs of employers.  Perhaps there are seniors who have worked many years and acquired bookkeeping, landscaping, customer relations, maintenance, or a myriad of other skills, and would like to work 2 days a week.  There may be a small business owner who needs that skill for that short period of time.  We propose to create a “bank” of skilled people from which employers could draw valued employees.

Let us know if you are interested in such a concept, whether you are an employer or an adult with skills to share.  Call 882-2573 or 734-2044, and watch the CCRC Facebook page for details! 
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