THE DIAMOND JUBILEE CRUISE TERMINAL is uptown Saint John’s newest venue and includes a rooftop patio with a 360-degree “living postcard” view of the port city; 32-foot high f loor-toceiling windows; and colourful acoustic dampeners to improve sound quality. Fun fact: aside from being fully automatic, the men’s and women’s washrooms are equipped with different air fresheners to appeal to both genders.

The biggest challenge? To create a venue within a marine facility that has strict safety regulations. Andrew Dixon, senior vice president of planning and development for the Port Authority says, “We now have a fully functioning conference and social space, with traffic routed away from restricted access zones. The building is designed so the venue space is closed off and private when cruise ships call to port. We’re compliant with Marine Transport Security Relations and still offer a place free of disruptive yellow tape.”

NANCY MATHIS, the founding director of the Wallace McCain Training Institute (located at the University of New Brunswick) scouted 22 locations before settling on a permanent spot where participants in groups like the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program (ELP) could hunker down for meetings and training sessions.

The moment Mathis discovered the Upper Oxbow—a hunting and fishing lodge in Red Bank on the Miramichi—she was hooked. Only, the Upper Oxbow was too small. Would the owners, Debbie and Dale Norton, consider building a second lodge? You bet! Completed last fall, up to 20 participants can now have their own exclusive space. There are contracted times for the Institute to be there; inbetween, the Norton’s regular clientele visit to fish and hunt.

Not only is the partnership innovative, but there are a couple of points of interest including the air-towater system which provides both heat and air conditioning to the lodges. As well, the bottom floor in the new lodge has in-f loor heating with hot water that’s provided from an outdoor wood burner which, in turn, also heats the dining room, and provides hot water for both lodges. The heating bill for the new lodge during the coldest month last winter was $256.