Opening or Growing a Business in Saint John, New Brunswick
Opening or growing a business in Saint John.
Nearly 13,000 more people live in Greater Saint John today than lived here in 2011. What accounts for this influx of dynamic people? One undeniable factor is that the City of Saint John is, besides a wonderful place to live, a thriving place to do business. Here, you’ll find—for starters—the head offices of many large multinational corporations; three of the largest IT firms in Atlantic Canada; and an insurance and back office cluster serving North America. The infrastructure is here to support success, from reliable transportation and energy infrastructure, to a demonstrated ability to attract talent. So let’s get down to business, shall we?
Perfectly located for success
The only city on the Bay of Fundy, Saint John is perfectly positioned—by road, air, rail and sea—to reach markets around the globe. Saint John is located in the Atlantic time zone, in southern New Brunswick, and within easy reach of Halifax, Montreal, Boston, New York, and Europe.
SAINT JOHN AIRPORT
Gateway to Canada and the U.S. Eastern Seaboard
Fifty million people live within a day’s drive.
Saint John is connected to the markets you care about. So you can confidently launch or grow a business from our city—your customers are never far away.
To Halifax
45 minutes
4 hours
1 day
To Montreal
1 hour 20 minutes
8 hours 50 minutes
1-2 days
To Toronto
2 hours 40 minutes
13 hours 25 minutes
3-4 days
To Boston
6 hours 35 minutes
1-2 days
To New York
10 hours 20 minutes
2-3 days
To Ottawa
1 hour 30 minutes
10 hours 30 minutes
Saint John is competitive in future-focused sectors that are in demand locally and globally. The city is home to a health research sector, including the Saint John Regional Hospital, Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick, and Nursing and Health Sciences at UNB Saint John and New Brunswick Community College Saint John; a logistics and manufacturing sector that’s anchored by a world-class port and developed supply chain; an IT and cybersecurity sector built on our telecom roots; and an energy sector that includes nuclear, natural gas, oil & gas, hydro-electric, wind; and possibly tidal energy in the future.
Energy
Health Research
Insurance and Back Office
Ocean Technology
Engineering
Information and Technology
Skilled Trades
Logistics and Manufacturing
When you start or grow your business in Saint John, you’ll find the infrastructure, services, people, and entrepreneurial culture you need. But you’ll also find something you might not have expected: a high quality of life. Saint John is a smaller city that’s big on experience. Our arts and entertainment, restaurants, parks and gardens, shopping, and museums and galleries add up to a life that’s satisfying at work and away from it. And your employees will stay for the same reasons.
Population with a Post-Secondary Education
More than 131,000 people live in Greater Saint John, and our historic uptown core is the Maritimes’ most densely populated mixed-use neighbourhood. And this is a valuable, educated, professional population. About 15% of our workforce is bilingual, and a much greater percentage is well-educated. No wonder—the province boasts five universities, and a wide variety of public and private post-secondary options, graduating more than 7,000 students annually.
Saint John’s centre, eccentrically labeled “uptown” rather than “downtown” is the financial, innovation, and creative hub of the city. This beautifully-preserved neighbourhood, with narrow streets and gorgeous old buildings, house some of the city’s most dynamic businesses. Of course galleries, boutiques, theatres and restaurants are here to serve you. But the area is also home base to firms and companies in IT and cybersecurity, film and marketing, energy, telecom, law, finance, technology, and more.
Saint John is an historic yet modern city. So, though it celebrates beautifully-preserved streetscapes and buildings, the city offers its community every modern convenience and necessity. From fast internet speeds, to low power rates, to award-winning drinking water—Saint John has what you need to do business.
If you’re looking to build or expand your businesses physical footprint? Our development service provides professional, timely and customized services tailored to your needs, with significantly faster turn-around times for permits than in larger cities.
Average Internet Download Speed
61.46 Mbps
Commercial Electricity Rates as Low as
5.20 cents per kWh
Average Building Permit Turnaround
11 business days
Award Winning Drinking Water
Alkalinity 29 mg/L
Saint John is the only city on the Bay of Fundy. This body of water has always been, and continues to be, an essential economic asset to the city. In addition to a thriving fishery, the Bay of Fundy provides Saint John with a world-class port that connects us to a global transportation network, and a growing tourism industry that attracts heritage, eco, and culinary tourists from around the globe.
The city’s transition to a strong knowledge economy is underpinned and enabled by a number of bold research and innovation clusters. The Tucker Park collaborative, at the University of New Brunswick’s Saint John campus is a health cluster of primary care, education, and research. Brick Park, in the uptown heritage district, is a fast-evolving ICT and cybersecurity cluster. And Canada’s ocean supercluster leverages science and technology to enhance our ocean-based economy.
Many retail, office, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution businesses need the kind of square footage an urban location simply can’t offer. In that case, our two business parks have just what you need. McAllister in the east of the city, and Spruce Lake in the west, offer serviced and unserviced land, with shovel-ready sites available right now. Lots can be subdivided to suit your needs, and Spruce Lake offers access to a tidal barge facility. There is no other combination of industrially zoned lands proximate to a publicly owned barge terminal facility with deep tidal water access in Atlantic Canada.
How can we help?
You’re successful, in part, because you’re a tenacious and independent self-starter. But let’s be honest—having some help along the way makes a big difference. So we’re here to lend a hand. Lean on us for help with financing, locating, permits, and much more.
Jacqueline Hamilton
COMMISSIONER GROWTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES
City of Saint John
506
658-4455
Email Jacqueline
Phil Ouellette
DIRECTOR GROWTH AND PLANNING SERVICES
City of Saint John
506
658-4455
Email Phil
