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April 2009
Bruce Russell: Behind the Wheel
Incoming Chamber Chair helps steer the New Chamber into the future
By Lynne Wells
“Arm wrestling with the CRA [Canada Revenue Agency] in Court on behalf of clients is a real professional challenge,” says Bruce Russell, Q.C., the incoming chair of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.
Russell, a partner in one of Canada’s 20 largest law firms – McInnes Cooper – specializes in tax litigation and says the challenge of the courtroom is something he thrives on. Russell anticipates that leading the Chamber as Chair of the Board will be similarly challenging, particularly given the current economic climate. Jokes about “Freedom 85” aside, Russell is well aware of the many challenges facing today’s business community. As the voice of business in Halifax, the Chamber advocates on behalf of over 1700 member organizations and the over 90,000 individual employees. Russell says the Chamber’s efforts to make Halifax a great place to live, work and play has borne fruit, but there’s still much to be done to keep this region competitive for employers, employees and entrepreneurs.
“The Chamber has three set areas of focus that we’ll be reviewing at our upcoming Board Offsite Retreat,” Russell says. “Transportation, education skills and training, and supercharging the labour force are the Chamber’s identified priorities right now.
“When I first joined the Chamber several years ago, I was asked to join the transportation committee and I thoroughly enjoyed [the experience],” Russell says. “There are terrific people on that Committee working on various transportation issues.”
“Transportation issues in Halifax include the day to day commute and also encompass the way we move not just people, but also how we move goods and services,” says Russell. “Halifax is the portal to Canada’s East Coast Gateway and ensuring we are equipped to fully operate on both the national and
international stage is paramount to the Chamber.
“One such issue is the fact that Halifax public transit receives provincial funding well less than half the national average of provincial public transit investment. We want to encourage that funding be increased, to support creation and frequency of operation of additional express and local routes. This would aid growth of the Halifax workforce as well as helping the environment.
“As for education, the Nova Scotia Community College is doing a great job preparing people to meet the skills needed in the region, now and in the future. Our universities are also doing a fine job, not only with students from this area, but with students from elsewhere who stay here,” says Russell. “We want to assist local employers in developing strategies for retention in our region of these trained persons, as well as encourage local entrepreneurial development, with a “can do” attitude. Education, skills and training will play a vital role in Halifax’s future as we look to further develop our workforce and increase participation, of both the local population and persons immigrating to our region.”
“But we can’t focus on the workforce to the exclusion of the larger picture,” Russell says. “We need to provide an environment that attracts both large employers and entrepreneurs who can grow small businesses.”
To that end, and in line with work already being done by the Chamber’s Provincial Affairs Committee, Russell would like to see the Chamber also focus on reduction of provincial income taxes for individuals and corporations.
“The New Brunswick tax rate is lower than ours and that represents a competitive challenge to us,” Russell points out. “We need to take action to meet that challenge.”
UNDER THE SKIN
FAVORITE MOVIE
Scrooge (1951 version). “The ultimate tale of redemption. My wife Mary can lip synch portions of this movie, so it’s fun to watch just for that alone.”
FAVORITE READING BOOKS
“Favourite books are mostly historical and political non-fiction, when I’m not digesting never-ending tax material. Fairly recent reads include Obama: From Promise to Power (Mendell), Troublesome Young Men (Olsen), Memoirs of a Blue Puttee (Stacey), Team of Rivals (Goodwin) and, best of all, Scottish Border Country (A & J Lang). I like to go through the business sections of the Chronicle-Herald and The Globe and Mail.”
FAVORITE CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS GIFT
“I fondly remember going through the Eaton’s catalogue and the Sears Wish Book with my brothers and sister when I was a kid. The shiny bike came at a different time of the year, and I had to pay for half of it.”
UNIVERSITY STUDENT JOB
Worked in a gold mine in Yellowknife, bartending at night.
FAVORITE TIME PERIOD IN HISTORY
The commencement of World War I. “World War I prompted widespread change in Russia, Europe, the U.S. and Canada. Of course, we are experiencing unprecedented international change now too, on the economic front.”
SPORTS
Baseball, swimming (ex-instructor and lifeguard), tennis and golf. “I play O.K. golf, but can’t match my son.”
“Maybe we should posthumously honour the founder of the game with a Nobel Peace Prize.” …upon learning that Scotland’s King James II banned the game in 1457 when his soldiers spent more time playing golf than practicing their fighting skills.
IF YOU WOULD CHANGE CAREERS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
“Join my brother as a stockbroker. Hopefully at this point there’s nowhere to go but up.”
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