Birthdays make us feel like having a party, so we invited 20 of our favourite people over for you to get to know them better. At Progress, we love people who think big. Serial mentors. Entrepreneurs. Researchers. Math teachers and literacy activists. Intergalactic explorers and highway builders.

People whose influence on their local, regional, and global scene is remarkable. So a toast on our 15th birthday! To the most amazing people in our neighbourhood.

Seeing the bigger picture

In Gerry Pond’s world, there are few distinctions. Whether it’s leading a corporation, launching a start-up, or mentoring others, behind it all is a passion for entrepreneurship.

Perhaps no one has been more influential in the development of the technology sector in the region than Gerry Pond. If you are an established player or a rising star, chances are you are connected to him by few degrees of separation. 

Pond, 62, is currently the chair of Saint John–based Mariner Partners Inc., which he co-founded in 2003 to provide consulting services specializing in Internet Protocol TV. The former CEO of telco NBTel and post-merger president of Aliant, he was also the CEO of software startup imagicTV Inc. In the last 10 years, he has co-founded nine technology companies. 

This dexterity with both the large and the small is unusual, as is the trajectory of his career in the technology sector. For one thing, Pond is not an engineer. For another, he spends much of his time mentoring others, both formally and informally—students, immigrants, entrepreneurs, senior executives. Much of this is behind the scenes, so his wide-ranging influence is not always recognized. Above all, his personal radar captures the bigger picture; he sees how Atlantic Canada fits into the world scene. 

Serendipity has marked Pond’s career from the start. He grew up in Quebec, though his parents hailed from the Miramichi region of New Brunswick. His father worked in the woodlands department of International Paper; when he was young, Pond spent a lot of time outdoors. At the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton he enrolled in forestry, but a weakness in math led him to arts, focusing on economics and psychology. 

After graduation, Pond agreed to be the best man at a friend’s wedding in Saint John, on the condition that his friend would help him find a job in that city. The ploy worked; Pond was hired by NBTel in 1966, and by 1994 he had worked his way up to becomethe CEO. 

“When I joined NBTel it was the start of the digital revolution, and the company was run by engineers,” he recalls “Communications were exploding, and the company was expanding. I was more marketing and business oriented and happened to join at the right time.” He moved around within the company and throughout the province (the fact that he could speak French was an asset). 

By his early 30s Pond was head of HR, reporting directly to CEO Ken Cox, an engineer with people skills, and then to the subsequent CEO, Lino Celeste. He was especially influenced by Cox, who became his mentor. “Ken had many interests, and he always saw the bigger picture,” says Pond. “I learned from both his experience and his persistence.”

In particular, he learned what he calls the essential issue for Atlantic Canada: “Do we have the confidence that we can do things from here?” Like Cox, Pond’s answer is an unequivocal “Yes.” 

“At NBTel, even though we were small and not in the centre of the country, we learned that we could take on global best-of-breed activities,” says Pond. “Ken Cox was adamant that we could do anything, and that is my hallmark as well.” 

Pond is undeterred by the attitude of the financial interests in Central Canada. “It’s easy to get pushed off by the financial community, which is centralized everywhere,” he says. “These people feed off each other and judge everything by scale—that bigger is always better. But small scale allows us to innovate in a holistic way. We don’t think in silos the way big companies do. People forget that every company starts small, even Microsoft and Google.” 

Mariner Partners is a case in point. With more than 100 professionals, it provides consulting and IT services. International customers include Alcatel-Lucent, and Aliant is a client in Atlantic Canada. But the first year wasn’t easy. “We started the company after the tech bubble burst,” Pond says. “But we knew it would bounce back. And we were able to get good people.” — David Holt

“In my view, mentoring is a two-way street. There’s a reciprocal flow. I give knowledge and experience, but I listen to the mentees as well and get feedback. They all have computers in their hands and relate to each other via social media. I get new ideas from young people, from their questions and their responses. It opens my mind. People ask me why I do this, and I say, to learn.”—D.H.

Later, during an internship with the IT incubator Propelsj, she interviewed Pond and mentioned his offer. “He said there is no expiry date on that, and I took him up on it,” she says. “There is a saying in India only a jeweler can recognize the value of a diamond.” 

That encounter would influence her career path. When Punamiya was looking for a job in Saint John, Pond introduced her to people and acted as a guide. “He got to know my headspace,” she says. She wanted to use her MBA and her expertise in international business, so he introduced her to Ian Cavanagh, who had just started Ambir Solutions.

“I didn’t know a soul when I arrived,” she says. “Why did I stay? Because Gerry and Ian became friends and gave me a sense of belonging. They valued me for who I am and what I can contribute.” 

When she became a landed resident, she and Pond went to dinner to celebrate and discuss her goals. “My passion for international business showed,” she says. “Gerry said I could turn it into a business.” And so she did, launching Comprecultures, which advises companies on cross-cultural issues; both Pond and Cavanagh sit on her company’s advisory board. 

“When someone like Gerry believes in me and accepts me for who I am, that’s a powerful statement,” she says. “He opened his network to me. In India, no one would back an absolute stranger.”—D.H.

To see who else Gerry has mentored, check out The Gerry Tree here

Above starting left to right: Gerry Pond, Dr. Aurel Schofield, Connie Woodside, Keith and Rosemary Hamilton, T.A. Loeffler, Sean Casey, Jenna Boon, Pernille Fischer Boutler, Cynthia and Cassandra Dorrington, Karen Oldfield, Gerry Rogers, Peter Vigue, Ava Czapalay, Marc St-Onge, John Spray, Dawn Arnald, Foster Lyne, Luciano Lisi, Linsday Marshall, Scott Travers.

The healer

A decorative door from Bali stands in one corner, a ceremonial mask from Nigeria looks down peacefully from another wall, and paintings from Australia and Vietnam add a touch of colour in Dr. Aurel Schofield’s Moncton office. He acquired these mementos while travelling the world as part of an advisory group for the World Health Organization a few years ago to promote a simple concept: health institutions, service providers, managers, community representatives, and policy-makers working together to improve the health of their communities. 

That philosophy has been the driving force behind Schofield’s career. He applied the concept of unity to the curriculum of the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick (New Brunswick’s Medical Training Centre), where future francophone doctors learn under his tutelage as director and associate dean of the medical school. After two years of study in Moncton, the doctors-in-training will do clinical training in local hospitals all over the province where, hopefully, they will decide to establish their practices. 

“Our vision is a societal project for the Atlantic francophone community,” says Schofield, “as we offer a medical foundation while maximizing recruiting and retention.” In the near future, he hopes to see young francophone medical students from other provinces in his classrooms who previously had to go to Quebec to receive their education. “Dr. Schofield is a pragmatic visionary,” says Aldéa Landry, a Moncton business leader and the chair of New Brunswick’s new Regional Health Authority. “He conceives what would be more advantageous for our communities, then he rolls up his sleeves and makes it happen.” — Mireille E. LeBlanc

The inspiration

Connie Woodside started Junior Achievement’s Fredericton charter 14 years ago, at a time when the group’s programs engaged just 500 students across the province each year. Since then, her passion and volunteer-recruitment savvy have taken that number to more than 15,000 today. Part of that success comes from the pivotal role Woodside played in the 2003 amalgamation of the province’s five JA charters, as well as the establishment of the annual New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame and induction ceremony in 1997. Now in its 12th year, the event has raised more than $1 million to develop and implement school curriculum in both French and English for Grades 3 to 12. 

There’s no doubt that Woodside’s unification efforts are having a domino effect, after two rival Fredericton high schools came together to form a single team to win the organization’s highest award of excellence, Junior Achievement Canada Company of the Year. In just one school year, the team solicited investors, incorporated a company, developed a novelty popcorn product, and completed an annual report boasting the highest sales of $7,000. 

“Connie’s passion and dedication to developing entrepreneurial skills in young people is phenomenal,” says Mark Mahoney, a JA volunteer with the Bank of Nova Scotia. “She’s able to bring everyone together to achieve one goal.” — Chet Wesley

The philanthropists

Growing up with a mother who suffered from schizophrenia, Rosemary Hamilton knew what it was like to deal with mental illness in the family. But when she and her husband, Keith, watched their son cope with the same illness, they discovered there was little support for young people and their families. “There was nothing specifically there for youth,” says Rosemary. “They would give you the medication and be done with it. Kids lose their friends when they’re diagnosed, and young people need their peer groups.” 

As an anaesthetist and the VP of medical affairs at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, Keith had the contacts and skill sets to help do something about it but faced a challenge getting the scientific community to look at what constitutes successful treatment. “There was a huge reluctance in the medical establishment to do anything different,” he says. “You may have the chemical imbalances treated, but you need social therapy to re-engage.” 

In 2001 the Hamiltons bought a historic house on downtown Halifax’s Barrington Street and, with the help of Rosemary’s social network, opened Laing House to serve as a drop-in centre for people aged 17 to 24 with mental illnesses. “It’s a model of how we should be supporting our youth in general,” says Keith. “The philosophy is that everyone has something to offer. It’s much like an old-fashioned youth centre. We’re trying to enable people to be healthy and contribute to society.” 

The centre helps its members with everything from finding a job and applying for university to navigating the paperwork and red tape needed to access government programs. But more than anything, it provides a place for them to gather and form a support network—something that goes a long way toward boosting their confidence and shattering the stigma of mental illness. 

“The kids gain a new insight into life,” says Linda Black, a friend of the Hamiltons’, a Laing House board member and mother of one of its alumni. “We consider Laing House a gift. I’m so proud of the Hamiltons. They’re two great parents who had a lot of love to give, and they make a great team. It was Rosemary’s vision, and it came straight from the heart.” — Graeme Gunn

The Adventurer

TA Loeffler challenges people to overcome “their own Everests, whatever they might be.” Loeffler backs up those words with actions. Last year she made it three-quarters of the way up the world’s tallest peak before an illness she had contracted from drinking contaminated water prematurely ended her attempt at Mount Everest’s summit.  

It was a disappointment, but one Loeffler doesn’t regret. “A mountain summit is never a for-sure thing,” she says. “There is so much to be learned from the journey and by risking disappointment. I am also learning to aim for that which is just beyond my reach. For if something seems truly impossible, why bother? But if I can imagine it, dream it, then perhaps I can make it a reality. 

When Loeffler, 43, isn’t climbing, she’s teaching students human kinetics and recreation at Memorial University in St. John’s. Her experimental style focuses on learning by doing, not sitting in a classroom. For example, she has taken students to the Grand Canyon, where lectures were conducted on-site. Loeffler’s teaching style has garnered frequent recognition; this year she was one of 10 Canadians to receive a 3M National Teaching Fellowship. That’s just the latest in a string of provincial, regional, and national honours she has accumulated over her 13-year teaching career.  

Loeffler wrote of her climbing experiences in More than a Mountain: One Woman’s Everest, which recently hit bookstore shelves. Next up: Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, this summer. 

The matchmaker

As Sean Casey describes it, he “chairs the board of a dating service.” But instead of helping Atlantic Canadians find love, he’s matching them with investments through the Halifax–based First Angel Network Association. “It’s a dating service between people who are interested in making private investments in Atlantic companies,” he says, “and people who are looking for private investment.” 

In 2005 Casey initially got involved with the non-profit organization that matches investors and entrepreneurs because he saw it as the perfect way to find a new board member for his family business. Casey, 45, is the former president of the Paderno Group, the holding company for the Charlottetown–based cookware manufacturer and retailer that his father took over in 1986. As chair of First Angel Network, he thrives on the energy he receives from the organization’s members—particularly from those wooing potential investors. “They’re people who have put every single last nickel they have into their dream,” he says. “They’ve tapped out their friends and family, but they’re not yet at the point where they can get conventional investment. They need help to get to the next level.” — Lori Mayne

The interpreter

Jenna Boon spent much of her childhood in the shadow of the immense cliffs of Joggins, N.S. A devout rock hound, she would scour the beach for remnants of a prehistoric era when fossil fuels had yet to begin their metamorphosis from the lush forests and swamps of the Carboniferous Period to coal and petroleum. 

Now the director of the Joggins Fossil Cliffs Institute, Boon oversees a monumental project that hopes to culminate with the Fossil Cliffs being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “I’ve learned so much,” she says. “Having to exceed world standards to get that designation is a huge challenge, but it is also a huge opportunity.”  

In her previous career as an educator in both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island’s community colleges system, Boon worked in El Salvador, Kenya, and all over Europe. She honed an ability to move comfortably in international circles, a skill set that fits perfectly with UNESCO’s mandate.  

Boon’s roots in the Joggins area were also invaluable. “That connection is paramount in any community-development project,” says Rhonda Kelly, the executive director of the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Association. “Joggins is a small rural community, and when you’re looking at something of this magnitude, the people need to be able to work with someone they see as one of their own, someone they can trust. Jenna is that person.” 

The Interpretive Centre sits on the site of the Old No. 7 Coal Mine overlooking the cliffs, but as a state-of-the-art example of green architecture it looks to the future. With the building as a focal point, Boon sees a return to the vibrancy reminiscent of Joggins’ boom in the days of coal. “Coal was certainly an important part of the town’s past,” she says, “but this is a new era.” — Joe Fitzgerald

The mentor

The first phone call for Pernille Fischer Boulter comes in at 5 a.m. She’s representing six Prince Edward Island–based companies at a trade mission in Reykjavik, Iceland, and she’ll call it a day at around 11 p.m. After that, she’s off to Europe, Barbados, and Jamaica. It’s business as usual for her Halifax–based company, Kisserup International Trade Roots Inc., which specializes in international trade training, export development, and consulting. “We typically have an 80% success rate at these missions, but it’s not just about getting an order,” she says. “It’s also about competitive intelligence to make smart decisions that we can move forward on.” 

Since moving to Halifax a decade ago, the Denmark native has helped more than 1,000 Atlantic Canadian companies and government agencies connect with more than 40 countries, enabling numerous multimillion-dollar foreign-distribution partnerships. “When I came here, my knowledge was of the European business market,” she says. “I needed to understand the business climate here. So I called all the top companies in Atlantic Canada and asked them where the region was heading, how they got to where they are now, and how someone with my skills could do well.” John Risley of Bedford, N.S.–based Clearwater Seafoods Ltd. saw Fischer Boulter’s potential; he hired her as a consultant to help him enter the Danish fishing industry. 

What makes Fischer Boulter, 43, stand out is her dedication to mentorship. “Pernille helped me through the entire negotiation process and continually pointed me in the right direction while keeping me focus and energized,” says Holly Bond, who sought her help in finding a U.S. franchisee for Halifax–based Bulldog Interactive Fitness. 

Most recently, Fischer Boulter opened an office in Denmark and launched Kisserup’s Export Immigrant Directory, an Internet tool that connects Atlantic Canadian export companies with regional immigrants who have experience in a particular sector and understand the cultural business etiquette required to succeed. “For me, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing companies grow,” she says.

The role models

Cassandra Dorrington and her sister, Cynthia, love seeing others succeed. It’s what motivated them in 2004 to create Vale & Associates, a Halifax–based human resources firm that specializes in performance management, training, professional development, and team building for companies of every size. “We feel that we’re helping change the business landscape of our community,” says Cassandra, “and that’s exciting.” 

The confidence and energy the pair exude was nurtured in their youth on Vale Road in New Glasgow, N.S. Their father, Francis, was one of the province’s first black politicians (he served as a town councillor and deputy mayor), while their mother worked in retail and raised six children. “From our mother, we learned to try everything. She told us you never know what you’ll like or dislike,” says Cynthia. “And Dad taught us to always give back to the community.” 

The sisters haven’t stopped giving; they have been active community volunteers for the past 20 years and have each sat on more than 13 volunteer boards in Atlantic Canada. “It’s heartwarming when you see and fulfill a need in people, and their thankfulness is overwhelming,” says Cynthia of her charitable work. “It’s also rewarding because each of the groups we’re involved with enables us to use different skills.” 

The Dorringtons currently volunteer, Cynthia with the Canadian Progress Club Halifax Cornwallis, which helps not-for-profit organizations raise money for women and children in need, and Cassandra on the board of the Black Business Initiative (BBI), which advises the staff on how to support a strong black presence in Nova Scotia’s business community. Rustum Southwell, the BBI’s CEO, describes the women as motivators. “They are role models for black youth and demonstrate the importance of succeeding through excellence,” he says. “They network, listen, and see opportunities where others see only the issues.” — Carol Moreira

The straight shooter

Ask Karen Oldfield what Atlantic Canada will look like 10 to 20 years from now, and she doesn’t hesitate. Will there be a growing population? “Definitely.” More diversity in our workplaces and more languages spoken? “Without question.” A magnet for young talent? “Absolutely.” 

As the president and CEO of the Port of Halifax, one of the region’s most prized assets, it stands to reason that Oldfield’s long-term vision is informed by trends in globalization. “Trade and transportation are key for us,” she says, referencing her work as an advocate of the Atlantic Gateway. “We’re small, and the world is not beating a path to our door. So capitalizing on our connectivity is a must. And in the not-too-distant future, this region will reflect the places in the world where we do business.” 

To that end, the former lawyer has logged many miles over the last six years in selling the merits of the regional Gateway concept in Europe, North America, India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, and Malaysia. But relationship building in Asia is slow and requires a personal touch. To expedite it, in 2006 the Port opened an office in Mumbai, India, signalling its commitment to developing the Asian market full-time. 

When Oldfield was chief of staff for Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm from 1999 to 2002, she saw the big picture from a provincial point of view on a daily basis, but she has since adopted more of a regional perspective. As an example, she has this to say about the Pacific Gateway: “It’s about more than B.C.; it’s also about Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. Those provinces work together and they have for a long time, on trade and transportation and on breaking down inter-provincial trade barriers. We are starting to do that, but it is still a work in progress.” 

Oldfield’s passion for community growth is evident in the boards she’s involved with, from her alma mater, Saint Mary’s University, to the Greater Halifax Partnership. But her view is always outward, and her mantra is constant forward motion. Her final prognostication: “In the future, this region will be more cohesive and collaborative,” she says. “We will think regionally not last, but first.” — Pamela Scott Crace

The provocateur

“I love growing older,” says Gerry Rogers. “You just hope that you get a little bit smarter with each year.” Rogers has another reason for being happy about her age. In 1999 the documentary filmmaker was diagnosed with breast cancer. Unable to find films that addressed how she felt, Rogers put herself in front of the camera and in 2000 released My Left Breast, an intimate film about her struggle with the disease. 

“I’ve been asking people to [bare their souls for the camera] for years, so I thought, OK, now it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is,” says Rogers. “I also didn’t know if it would be my last film.” 

The documentary won 20 national and international awards and landed Rogers a spot on The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Since then she has continued to give a voice to the voiceless through her documentaries. In 2004 she made Pleasant Street, a film about two of her neighbours who were also dealing with cancer. And in May she wrapped 12 weeks of shooting for a documentary about a creative-writing class for inmates of Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s. “Being out here on our godforsaken rock, we make films from a sense of place,” says Rogers. “So there’s a feeling here that if one of us succeeds, we all succeed.” 

A native of Corner Brook, N.L., Rogers began her career in Montreal as a producer at the National Film Board of Canada. After five years with the women’s film program, she left to pursue a career as a freelance documentary director. 

“That’s what I really wanted to do, and freelancing was the only way I could do it,” she says. In 1997 her father fell ill, and she returned to Newfoundland to be closer to her family. “I never thought I’d come back home to live,” she admits, “but my heart was captured on a number of levels.” 

Immersing herself in the St. John’s arts scene, Rogers discovered a sense of co-operation and collaboration. My Left Breast was made on a shoestring budget and saw the light of day due, in large part, to financial help from the local film community. “They said, ‘What do you want to do? We’ll help you make it happen,’ ” Rogers recalls. “That’s what it’s like making films in Newfoundland and Labrador.”— Ian Gormely

The builder

Peter Vigue may not be alone in thinking that this region could use a shorter east-west highway, but what makes him unique is that he’s prepared to build the billion-dollar route himself. “Our whole quest here is to improve the economy, create opportunities, and prepare the next generation to be able to compete,” says Vigue, the chair of Maine–based The Cianbro Companies. 

The proposed 260-kilometre cross-Maine truck route from Calais to the border near Sherbrooke, Quebec, would cut as much as four hours off the trip. Still, Vigue, who proposes recouping some of the construction costs through tolls, recently told a Maine business audience that his discussions about the highway with a New York–based bank had received “the thumbs up.” 

Of course, when Vigue talks to bankers, they listen. That’s because as head of Cianbro since 1991, the 60-year-old has transformed the company where he started as a labourer in 1970 from a civil contractor into a regional manufacturing force, with investments in shipbuilding, oil rig, and modular industrial-process plant construction. In doing so, he has made such an impression on his home state that, with the gubernatorial election over two years away, you can already picture the “Peter Vigue, please run for governor” bumper stickers. 

New Brunswick’s and Nova Scotia’s container ports to Quebec, Central Canadian, and U.S. markets. As he tells his compatriots: “The largest investors in this state in the last 10 years are the Canadians. Let’s accept it, embrace it, understand it. We’re not competitors.” — Kathryn Harley Haynes

The marketer

Ava Czapalay has her eye on the lucrative 16-to-25-year-old consumer niche. Her market? The world. Her product? Education. The organization she leads is Halifax–based EduNova, a non-profit co-operative that markets Nova Scotia’s post-secondary assets overseas. “A core strength is our education and training systems,” says Czapalay. 

EduNova recently opened an office in Abu Dhabi, the capital and second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates—a move that will help the co-operative extend its reach in the burgeoning Middle East countries, where demographics have resulted in a huge number of young people. Czapalay sees international students as a boon to the province whether they stay or leave. “If they go home, they become a champion of the province,” says Czapalay, a former assistant registrar with Dalhousie University. “The students who stay bring a truly global perspective to the workforce.” 

EduNova is the only organization in Canada that offers these services under one roof. One of Czapalay’s goals is getting Atlantic Canadian business and government leaders to recognize that there is a great deal of value in the region’s knowledge cluster. “When we sell any product,” she says, “we should think about the value-added services that can be sold with it, such as training.” 

EduNova launched in 1997 as a four-year pilot project, but Czapalay believed that a permanent office would help develop long-term relationships. Government funding currently comprises 35% of its operating budget, but Czapalay intends to become less dependent on public money. Since 2005 the organization has leapt from $5,000 in revenue to almost $1 million. 

“Ava is one of the most dynamic chief executives in Nova Scotia,” says Michael Whalen, the chair of EduNova’s board of directors and the associate vice-president responsible for the international office of Halifax’s Mount Saint Vincent University. “Shehas done a magnificent job of bringing together a diverse group and setting them on a track that will profit institutions and the economy as a whole.” — I.G.

The ecologist

The feat: making Ascenta Health Ltd. a global leader in the omega-3 fatty acid market. The clincher: doing it while becoming a leader in environmental sustainability. “Call it a new breed of company,” says Marc St-Onge, Ascenta’s founder and president. “We’re doing things differently, and it seems to be working for us.” 

St-Onge launched Ascenta in 2003 and soon built it into an omega-3 powerhouse through innovative product development and marketing, quickly branding it as a company committed to sustainability. From product packaging to office furniture, recycled materials are used wherever possible. 

Ascenta’s green stripes are more a reflection of St-Onge’s personal values than a savvy marketing tool. An avid gardener with experience in the landscaping business, St-Onge has always felt a strong connection to the earth, a feeling that grew while he studied ecology at Dalhousie University. “I’ve always been conscious of how we impact the environment, and Ascenta has a commitment to the environment,” he says. “It’s who we are as a corporation.” 

Last year Ascenta joined 1% For the Planet, a Massachusetts–based organization whose members donate 1% of their total sales to environmental organizations. By donating a percentage of sales rather than profits, says St-Onge, companies such as Ascenta are setting the standard for sustainable best practices. 

“We were thrilled to see Ascenta raise the bar in the province,” says Bonnie Sutherland, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust, which receives donations from Ascenta through the program (Ascenta will have donated about $250,000 in total to the Nature Trust by the end of 2009). “The generous multi-year support Marc has pledged to the Nature Trust’s land-conservation work sets an inspiring example that we hope other companies will follow.” — I.G.

The explorer

Some say the sky’s the limit, but for University of New Brunswick professor John Spray, the limit is Mars. Spray is the only Canadian working on the European Space Agency’s ExoMars mission in 2011, and one of only two Canadians signed up for NASA’s 2009 Mars Science Laboratory mission. 

UNB’s Fredericton campus is buzzing with excitement as a new six-wheel rover vehicle, similar in size to a VW beetle, prepares for its journey to the red planet. As soon as it lands, live data will be fed directly to Spray’s Planetary and Space Science Centre in Fredericton, where he and his team will analyze the composition of the soil and rocks. The goal: to determine whether there are any signs of past or present life on the planet. “Mars is the most Earth-like planet in the solar system, and because it shows evidence of past rivers, oceans, and lakes, we think there may have been life there,” says Spray. “With the help of this rover, we can start to understand the origin of life on planetary bodies and whether life on Earth is really unique.” 

Spray’s insight comes from his knowledge of impact craters, something most planets are covered by, especially Mars. These craters are depressions caused by asteroids and in a warm-wet oasis could be suitable sights for the origin of life. “It’s exciting to be using our understanding of geology on another planet,” says Spray. “It’s much like an exploration mission to me, similar to the Vikings’ voyage to North America.” 

“To be involved in such important work, with both the European and U.S. space programs targeted at Mars, is quite a pat on the back for both the university and Atlantic Canada,” says Barrie Black, the CEO of the Fredericton–based New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, an independent organization that develops innovation and entrepreneurship in the province. “The best professors attract the best students. And Spray’s legacy will build and sustain future generations here.” — C.W.

 The muse

The sentiment expressed in Dawn Arnold’s voice is nothing short of pure glee. “We increased the event attendance by almost 25%!” she exclaims, sounding as excited as a child on Christmas morning. “I think it was because we had a Pulitzer Prize winner this year.” She is so fired up that it’s hard not to get caught up in her satisfaction at a job well done.

Arnold is the chair of the Frye Festival, an annual literary festival held in Moncton that honours prolific writer Northrop Frye. She believes that the way to improve literacy rates is by reaching out to the next generation. “Giving kids the opportunity to interact with professional writers inspires them to read, write, and think critically,” says Arnold. “They see the value of the written word.” 

Since 2000, the Frye Festival has been promoting reading and writing; more than 45,000 children of all ages have participated in festival events. At this year’s April event, more than 10,000 children met with international authors in 180 school events around New Brunswick. “By putting the spotlight on these kids and letting them know that their community values their abilities, we will change attitudes in the province about what it means to be literate,” says Arnold. “My dream would be for every student who creates to be appreciated and honoured just as much as [talented] athletes are.”

David Hawkins, one of the festival’s founding board members and the president of Couleur N.B. (a division of Colour, a regional marketing communications agency), says he could write a book (pun intended) about Arnold’s tireless enthusiasm and dedication for the festival’s literacy mission. “Dawn has gathered high-quality dedicated people around her,” he says. “She inspires others to join her.” 

What’s more, Canada’s only bilingual literary festival has helped position Moncton on the map as a literary hot spot. “We are now a major player, and world-class authors know about us,” says Arnold. “It’s wonderful for our city to have such a global presence.” — M.L.

The numbers guy

Not everyone likes math, but Foster Lyne is trying to change that, the way someone once did for him. “When I was a boy, a teacher showed me the importance of making math friendly,” he says. “I tell my students not to let it intimidate them—you’ve got to be positive about things.” 

Lyne has been teaching math at C.P. Allen High School and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax for more than 20 years. In that time, he has gone above and beyond his duties in the classroom to make students, teachers, and the school boards care more about math.

In the early 1980s, Lyne started an after-school calculus program at C.P. Allen because he felt the students weren’t being adequately prepared for university-level math. “I was teaching calculus at Saint Mary’s,” he says, “and there was a huge dropout rate.” To address the problem, Lyne proposed a curriculum change: calculus had to be taught in high schools (today calculus is standardized in high schools across Nova Scotia). 

When Lyne isn’t teaching, he’s busy developing better math programs, either as an advisory committee member for the Department of Education creating provincial math exams for high schools or writing manuscripts for Saint Mary’s math courses, which he then integrates into his high school coursework. 

Lyne’s career dates back to 1963, when he began teaching in his native Antigua at age 17. Ten years later he immigrated to Canada to study math at Saint Mary’s. Today he’s still teaching math and is modest about his achievements, but his good friend, retired teacher Frank Miller, has no problem boasting about Lyne’s accomplishments: “Students would ask to be in his class,” he says, “and his former students are still inspired by him today.” — C.M

The eco-entrepreneur

At a renewable-energy conference last year in Halifax, practitioners of wind energy were bantering about the sundry pros and cons of their young industry when one voice with a lyrical Italian accent weighed in. “Every time I look at Atlantic Canada, all I see is opportunity for future growth,” Luciano Lisi told his peers. “It’s really up to us to say which opportunity we develop.” 

Lisi moved here from Tuscany in the late 1970s, and for 25 years he and his wife, Christine Kavanagh, produced television shows and feature films, first in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, then in Quebec. When they settled in Cape Breton in 2000, they discovered a new opportunity: renewable energy. 

“It’s a matter of timing,” says Lisi. “Ten or 15 years ago, building renewable energy in Nova Scotia would not have been well received. But now the commitment to renewable energy is there, and at the same time the interest is there from the financial world.” 

While the timing was right, Atlantic Canada’s natural resources were also particularly attractive for someone wanting to get into the industry— steady winds that are perfect for cranking turbines, and plenty of open spaces in which to put them. Cape Breton Power now has nine wind turbines in farms in New Aberdeen, Port Caledonia, and Lingan, with a combined capacity of 17.4 megawatts. 

Now Lisi and Kavanagh are planning their biggest project yet: a 250-megawatt hybrid wind-and-hydro project at Lake Uist in southern Cape Breton. It will feature 44 wind turbines producing electricity for consumers during peak hours, and during low-demand periods the wind power will pump water up to Lake Uist to be fed into two50-megawatt hydro turbines — Peter Moreira

The change agent

Marshall is a trusted facilitator and agent of change between Mi’kmaq communities and the institute within the university. “With the investment from the First Nations communities, the belief in the work we’re doing, and the programs we offer,” he says, “the institute is growing.” 

More than an educator and administrator, Marshall is also a cheerleader for Mi’kmaq youth. “I know in my heart that through the strength of our people,” he says, “we can solve our problems and shape a vision that will honour our ancestors.” He believes that education is the key that will lead to “our people’s escape from a culture of dependency.” 

One of Marshall’s future plans includes establishing the first Mi’kmaq post-secondary college. His others: living happily ever after with his partner, Mary Louise Bernard; spending time with his 25-year-old son, David; finishing building his dream home in Cape Breton; and completing his MBA in community economic development from CBU.

“Lindsay has a unique combination of leadership and academics with a distinct Mi'kmaw perspective,” says Dan Christmas, the senior advisor with Cape Breton’s Membertou band office. “This allows him to walk in many circles, not only within the Mi'kmaw world but also with the government, university, and private sectors.” — Carol Moreira

The challenger

Scott Travers spends much of his time dealing with environmental issues, yet he isn’t the head of an environmental watchdog group or think-tank; he’s an industrialist. Travers is the president of Minas Basin Pulp and Power, a paper-manufacturing plant and a network of power-generating facilities based in Hantsport, N.S. And for the last couple of decades, it has been one of Atlantic Canada’s sustainability trendsetters. 

For starters, Minas Basin doesn’t use trees to make its paperboard products—one of only a few papermakers in the world that can make that claim. The 70,000 metric tonnes of paperboard it produces annually are made with recycled post-consumer waste. The company has created innovative systems to recycle effluent sludge and waste heat back into the manufacturing process. And with a recent R&D deal with a tidal company in Maryland to develop an experimental tidal power plant in the Bay of Fundy, and a wind farm on the horizon, it is about to become an Atlantic Canadian pioneer in alternative-energy production. 

For Travers, solid environmental stewardship makes for good business, but in order for it to work, it must have a strong impact on the company’s bottom line. “It’s great to be a do-gooder, but at the end of the day, I’m responsible for the shareholders and stakeholders of this company,” he says. “Everyone talks about sustainability when it comes to the environment, but very few people talk about it in economic or socio-economic terms as well. If sustainability is to work, we have to address these things too.” 

Travers knows what he’s talking about. Since 1997 production at Minas Basin has tripled, its workforce has doubled, its product quality has improved, and most of its recent innovations, such as biomass co-generation and a waste plastic to diesel fuel project, will pay for themselves once completed.