Up Next from the Consulate General of Canada in Boston

A Message from the Consul General

A New Season Brings New Faces

My, oh my, what a glorious time of year this is!? A certain crispness in the air, brilliant fall foliage, the smell of pumpkin spice everywhere…

Summer was lovely too! And before its delights recede too far from our minds, I hope you enjoy reading about some of the amazing things we got up to since I last wrote.? I enjoyed being able to spend a couple of weeks this summer back home on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, surrounded by friends and family.? I hope you too managed to get a break!? But I was also happy to get back to beautiful New England, where a very busy autumn agenda is already underway.

A new season brings new beginnings for many, including here at the Consulate General where we’re excited to welcome the newest member of our team, Mary Beth (Totten) Meade , our new Trade Commissioner responsible for agri-food and consumer products.? Mary Beth has considerable experience working with these sectors, so please don’t hesitate to reach out.

And since Canadian representation in this region is but the sum of its parts, I’m also excited to welcome new provincial colleagues to Boston.? Bienvenue à René Sylvestre, MBA , Québec’s new Delegate to Boston!? René, I look forward to working with you over the coming years to help highlight the richness and diversity of Canada’s Francophone cultures and Québec`s strong linkages with New England.? I`m equally thrilled with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey`s decision to open his province’s first international office here in Boston, co-located with the Consulate General.? Newfoundland and Labrador has long enjoyed strong ties to New England and the Premier’s recent tech and innovation trade mission to Boston only highlighted many new areas for additional collaboration and growth.?

Finally, with school back in session, let me welcome the many Canadian students who have chosen to study in New England.? Whether college freshmen, graduate students, or post-docs, I welcome you to the community of Canadians in New England. I hope you are settling in well.? Know that the Consulate General is here, if you need us.?

Hon. Bernadette Jordan

Consul General of Canada in Boston

FDR’s Canadian Summer Home

Before we put summer too far in the rearview mirror, we wanted to highlight this gem from our summer travels.? Many of you know we often talk of shared history and culture when discussing the Canada-U.S. relationship, but did you know we also share a park?? That’s right, the Roosevelt Campobello International Park, located in southeastern New Brunswick, is the only bi-national park in the world, managed and funded by both the Canadian and U.S. Governments. The park, which houses the summer estate of former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was established in 1964 through a treaty signed by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and President Lyndon B. Johnson. For 60 years the park has stood as a testament to the enduring cooperation between our two nations.

Consul General Jordan was thrilled to participate in the park’s 60th anniversary celebrations this past summer, joined by U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Maine Governor Janet Mills, U.S. Senator Angus King, the park’s American and Canadian commissioners, and hundreds of park visitors. The park staff are incredibly welcoming, the scenery is gorgeous, the history is fascinating and if you’re lucky like us, a sunny day will greet you.? So, if you’ve yet to visit this delightful spot, we highly encourage you to put it on your itinerary for next summer.

Back to School List: books, pencils … Registration of Canadians Abroad!

Welcome (back) to New England, Canadian students!? We hope you are rested and prepared for another year of higher learning.? Here are a few tips from our Consular Team to keep you (and your documents) safe while living and studying outside Canada.?

Registration of Canadians Abroad

This is a free service of the Canadian government that will notify you in case of an emergency where you are living abroad.? The messaging system will also provide important information and guidance during a natural disaster or civil unrest.? All information collected for this purpose is confidential and will be used in accordance with the Privacy Act.? Rest assured that this is not a spam creator; messages are sent out sparingly and only when deemed absolutely essential. Read the FAQs here, and register here.

Know Your Local Authorities

Wherever you`re studying in New England, it`s always a good idea to learn the names and contact points for these organizations and consider following them on social media to receive the latest news and updates in a crisis:

• The campus police, security, and emergency officials for your university;
• The city police (aside from 911 for emergencies) where your university is located; and
• The city / county / state emergency management agency(ies) where your university is located

Know Who to Contact for Consular Assistance

The Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC houses a Canadian Citizen Contact Centre, where a team is available to answer your general questions via phone (toll-free 1-844-880-6519) or email ([email protected]) Monday – Friday (excluding holidays) from 8:30am eastern time to 5pm pacific time.? Yes, you will hear from a live person!? If your question or situation merits more local expertise or needs greater attention, the contact centre agent will escalate your details and contact points to the Consular Section at the Canadian consulate responsible for the state in which you live.? (That’s us!) If you have an emergency after hours, during the weekends, or on holidays, you can access consular assistance by calling 1-888-949-9993 or emailing [email protected]. ?

Keep Your Passport Safe and Current

Always remember to keep your passport in a safe location, inaccessible to others.? Be mindful of its location if you need to move dorm rooms or apartments.? Be careful when you are cleaning out your desk and files at the end of each semester; don’t accidentally toss it out with last session’s bio notes!?

We encourage you to obtain an alternate ID for use at bars, restaurants, sporting events, concerts, etc. (see the next portion).?

Don`t forget to keep an eye on the expiry of your Canadian passport.? And remember to maintain at least 6 months of validity on it in case the need for urgent travel arises.? If you need a new passport, you can find more info here.? Or reach out to the Citizen Contact Centre at the Embassy in Washington, DC or call Passport Canada at 1-800-567-6868.?

Obtain Additional ID

Maintain valid provincial identification (driver’s license, ID card, health card) and look into whether you can access any locally issued ID.? Canadians living temporarily in the US may be able to obtain US ID. Contact the Social Security Administration or the State RMV/DMV for information.? Use these IDs around town for when you are enjoying time out instead of your passport.? It is much easier to replace lost or stolen provincially / state issued ID than it is to replace a lost or stolen passport!

Partners in Defence (or is it, Defense?) – Part Two

In our last newsletter we highlighted our involvement in D-Day commemorations, celebrated NATO’s 75th anniversary, and featured HMCS Goose Bay’s visit to Boston. For those of you who still want to learn more about the Canada – U.S. defence relationship, just put in your earbuds and give a listen to this podcast from our friends at the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire featuring Canadian Defense Attaché to the United States, Major General?Michel-Henri St-Louis?: World Affairs Council of New Hampshire - Episode #68 - August 2024 (wacnh.org)

With 34 years service in the Canadian Armed Forces, Major General St-Louis provides fascinating insight into the work of a defence attaché; investments that Canada is making in its military; the unique nature of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD); the value of working together with allies at NATO; Canadian contributions in Ukraine; and what the Canadian military is doing to meet some of the newer challenges.

Canadian Company Takes Top Prize at Blue Tech Demo Day

On August 29th, four Canadian companies - Open Ocean Robotics (BC), Sensor Technology LTD (NS), DSA (BC) and Enginuity Inc. (NS) - participated in the 2024 Blue Tech Demo Day held at the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport and Sail Newport in Rhode Island.? The event, hosted by Division Newport’s Northeast Tech Bridge, in collaboration with nonprofit partner 401 Tech Bridge, connects innovative small businesses with U.S. Navy scientists and engineers and Department of Defense (DoD) stakeholders to facilitate rapid delivery of capabilities to the warfighter.

As part of the demonstration, the companies participated in a mission designed by the Navy that presented a series challenges. Open Ocean Robotics, based in Victoria, BC, took the top prize in the unmanned systems category!

2024 marks the first year that the Blue Tech Demo Day was opened to international participants. The strong Canadian participation throughout demonstrated strong interest from the U.S. Navy and their partners to connect with Canadian innovators. For the Canadian companies, this demonstration day offered an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities in a real-world environment and to connect directly with U.S. Navy engineers, researchers and customers to discuss their technology and receive feedback.

The Consulate General is currently in talks with the Demo Day organizers to discuss next year’s event and additional Canadian participation.? Connect with Erin Daily Donahue if interested!

Ocean Tech, Health Tech, Clean Tech, Oh My!

Our trade commissioners are always very busy helping Canadian companies gain a foothold in the United States, but even more so these days.? That’s because it’s Canadian Technology Accelerators (CTA) season! The Consulate General`s CTAs started in 2013 with one program, the Boston Health + Tech CTA, now in its 24th edition, but today we have four different CTAs running simultaneously. Besides the original program, we now have a US Digital Health CTA (run in collaboration with our colleagues at the Canadian consulates in San Francisco and New York); a US Climatech CTA (in collaboration with our colleagues in San Francisco, New York and Denver); and this year we`re pleased to introduce our first ever OceanTech CTA. Altogether these programs include 34 Canadian companies that will graduate in the coming months. We can`t wait to showcase their future successes!

Interested in learning more about these innovative companies? Check out the Boston CTA 2024 Dealbook, a digital presentation of our the 2024 cohort participating in our flagship CTA.

If you’re a Canadian company interested in tapping into the Boston ecosystem or expanding into the New England market, our team of Trade Commissioners at the Consulate General of Canada in Boston can help.?