Zoning in: New foreign trade areas, law firm incubators and breweries

Saint John Port goes international
Friday marked the announcement that Saint John Port is now a Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) point. This federal designation allows for companies to import goods, assemble and store them and then re-export them without any taxes or duties. Saint John is the tenth designated area in Canada and the port organization hopes this will open up doors to new business on international seas.

Newfoundland solidifies Bay du Nord deal
N.L. Premier Dwight Ball made the announcement last Thursday that the provincial government has reached an agreement with Equinor on the Bay du Nord project. The project, which is the deepest offshore oil site at Bay du Nord, is estimated to deliver its first oil by 2025 and will have a huge impact on the province with an estimated 300 million barrels of recoverable crude.

Rocket Bakery on the rise
St. John’s-based bakery and eatery Rocket has announced they will grow beyond their downtown location. Their second bakery (temporarily called Rocket-to-go) will be located in Churchill Square and will provide a more grab-and-go feeling with just a few seats and simpler offerings like coffees and pastries as well as some soups and sandwiches.

McInnes Cooper collabs with Volta Labs
Atlantic Canadian law firm McInnes Cooper has teamed up with innovation hub Volta Labs to open up a permanent satellite office at Volta’s new 60,0000 sq. ft. space in Halifax’s Maritime Centre. McInnes Cooper will use the space to conduct regular business hours and meetings with Volta members, as well as seminars on wading through the legal waters of tech startups. This is a significant evolution of the relationship between the two companies: McInnes Cooper was one of the founding sponsors to the startup incubator.

Brewery opens in Summerside
After a year of renovations, Evermore Brewery has opened up at 192 Water Street in Summerside P.E.I. The 90-year old building has housed everything from a train station to a library and underwent a complete overhaul by owner Alex Clark to become a brewery. Evermore currently has two beers on tap, Hoppy Lager and Summerside Light, and will expand the tap lines in the near future.

• Atlantic Canadian startups attract record investments — and 4 other things to know this week
• Win tickets to sold-out Obama event
• Coffee shop opens inside Volta Labs
• Startup Canada awards honour Atlantic entrepreneurs
• Volta bestows ecosystem awards to Atlantic Canadian startup supporters
• Feds invest $47-million into Port of Halifax
• Atlantic Business Magazine founders inducted into AJAs Hall of Fame
• P.E.I. welcomes five business leaders into hall of fame
• UNB to offer cannabis courses in tourism and business
• St. John’s flocks to The Rec Room entertainment and dining complex