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NEW BRUNSWICK IS OPEN It's slow and steady growth for the economy and legal work in Canada's only bilingual province. hen Frank McKen- na was premier of New Brunswick he delivered one con- sistent message to FOR BUSINESS W partner of Cox & Palmer in Saint John. Other business opportunities are BY DONALEE MOULTON the world, and he delivered it often: New Brunswick is open for business. The word, it seems, has gotten out. "New Brunswick really is open for business, and it really is business-friend- ly," says Bernie Miller, managing partner of McInnes Cooper in Moncton. "The provincial approach is one that encour- ages investment. Lawyers in other juris- dictions might be surprised how easy it is to get things done." Facilitating business has become a tradition in this East Coast province, once known dismissively — and erroneously — as Canada's "drive- through" province. For example, in an effort to promote a friendly corporate climate, the province has no residential requirement for company directors, a factor that has prompted firms around the world to incorporate here. "This has been significant business for New Brunswick lawyers for some time. . . . It's very convenient and attractive," says Pe- ter Forestell, New Brunswick managing opening up, especially in the natural re- sources sector. Indeed, says Paul Smith, a partner with Stewart McKelvey in Saint John, "the strongest force shaping or af- fecting the practice here is the impact that the growth of New Brunswick as the energy hub for northeast North America is having and will have on the demand for legal services." Several major projects are in the works that will rely heavily on the expertise of the legal community every step of the way. These include the Point Lepreau generating station refurbishment project, the first complete overhaul of a CANDU 6 nuclear reactor in the world, which is forecast to extend the life of the station for at least another 25 years at a cost of more than $1 billion. Plans are also well underway for construction of a second Irving Oil refinery in the province, de- signed to pump out 300,000 barrels a day. The current engineering, design, and feasibility phase alone represents over $100 million of investment. All of which spells good news for law firms, especially the three that dominate www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com JULY 2008 47