Professional guide for visitors to Halifax and region. I provide informed historical and cultural commentary to a wide variety of visitors on walking tours, bus excursions and limosine trips around our storied city and its environs.

I manage a team of professionals in the planning and execution of a program of outreach to small and medium-sized businesses throughout Atlantic Canada. We encourage suppliers to consider bidding on tenders with the federal government, and educate them on the process of identifying opportunities, bidding effectively and dealing with issues of security. I promote and facilitate the coordination of the Build in Canada Innovation Program, which assists entrepreneurs in commercializing their innovations by buying and testing their new products within federal and provincial departments and agencies. I also advise national policy directors on the reduction of regional barriers to procurement and enable the attainment of regional procurement and contracting objectives in the areas of real property and project management. I liaise with Provincial Government officials to facilitate cooperation on procurement initiatives.

My role was to foster and develop a cooperative, responsive and effective relationship between PWGSC Atlantic and my client departments (including DND, RCMP and CBSA). I worked with operational project managers, acquisitions officials, regional directors and support staff representing all business lines to resolve issues of contention, improve communications and increase awareness, both to and from my clients. I looked strategically at the relationships, and played a challenge function within my department to ensure our provision of service was in the best interests of the client and PWGSC. Through regular meetings, frequent personal contact and written reporting, I fostered a culture of open communication and principled negotiation to further the relationship with my clients. I assessed business trends, and identified opportunities to increase and improve service offerings to clients.

My duties were largely similar to those required of me as Regional Director during the period the office formed part of the Privy Council Office Regional Communications Network (see below).

For 5 years, I led a small team of communications professionals engaged in the strategic planning and coordination of the federal government’s communications activities in Nova Scotia. My role as Regional Director was to advise the Privy Council Office, the Regional Minister’s Office and at times, the Prime Minister’s Office, on issues which affect the public’s understanding and impression of the Government of Canada. Analysis and reporting of regional issues using inputs from a wide variety of government and public sources were key functions of this position. The role also directly involved me in the management of government emergency planning and response, in issues management, in advertising coordination and strategic planning (i.e. tailoring of the government’s overall strategic plan and messaging to suit the Nova Scotia context). Critical in this position was the ability to work horizontally and cooperatively with colleagues from all federal government departments, provincial authorities, and key stakeholders from the general public. In addition, I was an active member of the Nova Scotia Federal Council and a leader in the Federal Communications Council.

During the time this office formed part of Communications Canada, I was responsible for oversight of employees who managed the government sponsorship program, which provided funding to community groups throughout the province, in exchange for opportunities to promote government programs and services at their events. I ensured that information about the whole range of government programs to assist citizens was delivered to the public in a coherent and unified way, through exhibits, publications, displays and participation in cultural and recreational events across Nova Scotia.

I established this position in March of 2001, developing a new regional communications capability for Justice Canada in the Atlantic Region. Responsibilities of the role include all aspects of communications strategy development, media liaison, creation of a public profile, and internal communications. In the area of issues management, I dealt with a wide range of legal disciplines, from criminal prosecutions and civil litigation, to aboriginal treaty cases and tax law. The areas of criminal and civil litigation in particular dealt extensively with federal regulatory matters, rather than the criminal code (a provincial responsibility). I was responsible for internal communications, recruiting support and a variety of secondary responsibilities. I interacted closely and collaboratively with communications authorities from many other government departments, particularly CCRA, the RCMP, Transport Canada, DFO and Environment Canada. I was an active and regular member of the Nova Scotia Federal Communications Council, and chair of the Professional Development Committee instrumental in developing training opportunities for the local professional public relations community.

Holding the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, I was directly responsible to the Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and the senior leadership of Canada's East Coast Navy for the provision of strategic communications planning and execution of all media activities for this formation of 17 warships and 9,000 military and civilian members. With a staff of staff of six, my role included prudent management of the public affairs budget, strategic communications planning, community relations, training of personnel in media relations, issues management, regular duties as spokesperson, outreach, extensive writing requirements and daily counsel to senior officers on a wide variety of communications issues. Additionally, I had direct responsibility for the editorial content of the award-winning Trident Military Newspaper (circulation 11,000). An added responsibility was the coordination of the release of information to the media for the Halifax Rescue Coordination Centre pertaining to maritime search and rescue activity in an area of over five million square miles.I was the principal Public Affairs spokesperson and strategic counsel for the Navy and the Halifax Rescue Coordination Centre during the search and rescue phase of the Swiss Air Flight 111 tragedy off the coast of Nova Scotia. During the first 56 hours of the incident, I conducted well over 150 interviews (many live and worldwide), numerous news conferences, briefings to Members of Parliament and performed other related Public Affairs activities. International media covering this event commented that the communications functions of this operation were the best they had seen, having covered many such disasters.