News Releases

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwire - April 23, 2012) - The second instalment of the 4Front Atlantic Conference (www.4frontatlantic.com) will take place on May 25^th, 2012 in Halifax, bringing together Canadian business and thought leaders to advance actions that will help Atlantic Canadian companies succeed in a challenging global economy.

The 4Front Atlantic Conference, hosted by BMO Financial Group and McInnes Cooper, builds upon the inaugural conference held on October 7, 2011. Last year's conference focused on the question of "why", and looked at the risks and opportunities for Atlantic Canada as a result of transformational global changes in the region's economy. This year, top business leaders will discuss and identify "what" needs to happen for businesses in Atlantic Canada to proactively reshape themselves and to reach their potential rather than risk being reactively reshaped by global trends.

"4Front Atlantic is about mobilizing for change and competing differently in order to be at the forefront of success in the new global economy," said Steve Murphy, Senior Vice President, Atlantic Provinces Division, BMO Bank of Montreal. "This year's conference instalment will focus on identifying specific areas and regions of opportunity that are aligned with Atlantic Canada's core strengths."

Stellar Speakers

Keynote speakers are Elyse Allan, President & CEO, GE Canada and Mike Lazaridis, Co‐Founder & Vice‐Chair, Research in Motion.

The program also includes a mix of expert panelists and opportunities for participants to identify and define growth strategies for Atlantic Canada in the changing world order, including:

The Chair of the Conference is one of the region's greatest business, community and educational leaders, John Bragg, President and Co-CEO of Oxford Frozen Foods.

"We received excellent comments on our inaugural conference and this feedback has gone into the planning for this year's conference," said Bernie Miller, Managing Partner, McInnes Cooper. "We really want to engage participants in an active discussion on what we can do together as a region to position our businesses for the future."

McInnes Cooper/BMO Emerging Leaders Series

The conference organizers have set aside 20 seats specifically for emerging leaders in Atlantic Canada who are aspiring to or engaged in doing business globally. Last year's panel discussions highlighted a need to engage a younger voice in the conference. As an outcome of the inaugural conference, emerging leaders are encouraged to visit info@4frontatlantic.com to learn more about the program and submit an application.

Defining Future Strategies

This is an invitation only conference with participants taking part in breakout sessions, digging in to discuss critical themes such as talent, innovation and productivity, access to capital and defining what strategies are needed to help seize the best opportunities for Atlantic Canadians.

The conference will be webcast live throughout the day and can be viewed at www.4frontatlantic.com. An archive of the conference will also be made available following the conference and can be found at www.4frontatlantic.com. Or follow the discussion on twitter at www.twitter.com/4frontatlantic.

More information about the conference can be found at: www.4frontatlantic.com.