WestJet’s new low-cost carrier takes flight out of Halifax
The only Atlantic Canadian city that will be able to take advantage of Swoop, WestJet’s new ultra-low-cost airline, is Halifax. The inaugural flight soars from Hamilton, O.N. to Abbotsford, B.C. on June 20 and starting this week, flights from Halifax to Hamilton start at $99 one way. The airline is currently flying out of five Canadian cities (Abbotsford, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton and Winnipeg), but there’s no sign of expansion to St. John’s or Saint John anytime soon.

New Brunswick celebrates their best exporters
The 2018 Export Awards hosted by Opportunities NB recognized the outstanding entrepreneurship of the province’s export businesses last Thursday, June 14 in Moncton. Thermal conductivity equipment company Thermtest Inc. took home Innovative Exporter of the Year, the Global Diversification Award was presented to software company Remsoft Inc., while Boutouche Bay Industries was named Emerging Exporter of the Year and Bulletproof the Foreign-Owned Exporter Award. The highest honours were given to InteliSys Aviation Systems who were recognized as Exporter of the Year (over $5 million in sales) and Masitek Instruments took home the same in the under $5 million in export sales category.

St. John’s Farmers’ Market sets the date
The St. John’s Farmers’ Market finally got the keys to their new place. The 10-year old market had outgrown its current weekly residence at the Lions Club Chalet, but a year after purchasing the former Metrobus depot, their permanent residence is ready for veggies. The newly-renovated space has room for seven times the vendors and visitors and will host a Wednesday night market in addition to their usual Saturdays. The date for the first new market is set for Saturday, July 21.

The big cheese: two P.E.I. companies win national awards
Two creameries based in Prince Edward Island took home an array of awards at the bi-annual Canadian Cheese Awards held in Toronto. Cow’s Creamery took home four awards, including three awards for their three-year aged cheddar: Best Aged Cheddar, Best Cow’s Milk Cheese and Best Atlantic Canadian Cheese. Their Appletree Smoked Cheddar brought home the Best Smoked Cheddar Award. ADL dominated in two categories for their Summerside cheeses: Dairy Isle Medium won in the Best Mild & Medium Cheddar, while Dairy Island Old won the Best Old Cheddar.

Gulf of St. Lawrence lobster fishery on hold
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced last week that the lobster fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence will be temporarily closed will be closed for at least two weeks to help save the North American right whales that pass through the area. Last year, 13 right whales were reported dead in Canadian waters. The closures, which include 4,600 square kilometres of the gulf, also affect the harvest of snow crab and other non-tended fixed gear fisheries in the area. With the new restrictions, the price of lobster is expected to rise, and fisherman are worried they might not get any fishing done this season — if the fishery reopens they will only have about seven days to harvest. The ripple effects on the processing plants are also in jeopardy.

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