TRURO – A panel discussion on automation will be held in Truro on Feb. 27, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Marigold Cultural Centre, 605 Prince St., Truro.

The event is being hosted by the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce and is open to everyone.

The demand for higher productivity, improved quality, cost reduction and efficiency is driving the introduction of automation in all sectors, industries and markets.

“Businesses in our region are already managing the impacts and benefits of automation, and have been for a number of years,” said Alex Stevenson, President of the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce.  “Going forward the scope and pace of automation will increase, as will the resulting impacts on business, customers and workers.”

The seven-person panel representing business and industry organizations will discuss how the implementation of technology is already having an impact on business and organizations.  It has already changed the way businesses engage with customers while evolving the workforce with many advances to be realized in the future.

A study by McKinsey Global Institute, A future that works: Automation, employment and productivity, reports that with current demonstrated technologies, less than five per cent of jobs are candidates for full automation. However, the report says almost every occupation has partial automation potential, further estimating that about half of all the activities people are paid to do have the potential be automated.

“The panel the Chamber has assembled will offer varying perspectives on the anticipated impacts of automation and how it will transform how business is conducted going forward,”   said Stevenson.

The panel will be moderated by Michele Bursey, Senior Account Manager with BDC Truro, and will feature guest speakers Abid Ahmad P. Eng., Academic Chair for Mechanical and Industrial Technologies, the Aviation Institute and the Design and Innovation Center, NSCC; Maxine MacLean, P.Ag. Policy and Communications Coordinator, Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture; Michel Raymond, Executive Director, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters; Stephanie Jones, Owner, McDonalds Restaurants; Keith Gillis, Owner, G & G Computers; Eric MacKeen, General Manager, Tri County Ford; and Craig Paul, Director Business Solutions and Information Technology, Halifax International Airport Authority, Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport.

There is no cost to attend this event sponsored by Halifax International Airport Authority. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided following the discussion.  To register for this event contact the chamber office 902-895-6328 or email [email protected].

Media Contact:

Sherry Martell, Executive Director

Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce

902-895-6328, [email protected]