Approximately 15,000 people work in New Brunswick’s financial services industry. Building on that foundation, Opportunities NB (ONB) has made financial services a priority sector. Our strategic nearshore value proposition has attracted Canada’s top financial institutions, and we are building on this success by welcoming new entrants at a national and international scale. Our strategy involves establishing New Brunswick as the fastest-growing financial centre in Canada.

What does this mean?

It means launching initiatives like CyberNB, an ONB effort dedicated to working with the financial services industry to improve its cybersecurity efforts.

It also means attracting global financial institutions from around the world to New Brunswick. This is made possible by a combination of that nearshore value proposition and the strong partnerships ONB has developed within that sector.

As part of that focus on financial services, ONB and TD are announcing the establishment of a new TD office in Moncton. This location will create up to 575 new positions over its first six years of operation.

Frank McKenna, TD Deputy Chair and former Premier of New Brunswick; and Colleen Johnston, Group Head responsible for Direct Channels at TD; are both in Moncton this morning as part of this announcement. ONB spoke with both of them to learn more.

ONB: Why New Brunswick for this initiative?

McKenna: We are thrilled to be working with ONB and the province of New Brunswick to open this new centre. Naturally, I’m biased since it’s my hometown, but we feel the Moncton region is known for excellence in business services and has the talent to deliver the incredible experiences TD customers expect. We are pleased to be laying down roots in this community.

ONB: Could you comment a bit on TD Bank’s relationship with the team at ONB?

McKenna: It has been a true partnership effort between the teams at TD and Opportunities NB. Your team has really supported our business and its continued growth while bringing great jobs and further investment to the province of New Brunswick.

ONB: What positions/roles do you expect to hire for and what types of skills will these positions require? How confident are you that you will find the right talent in Moncton?

Johnston: These will be customer service-focused positions, supporting a variety of our lines of business. The number one skill set can’t be taught in any class. We are looking for new colleagues who are passionate about delivering for our customers, who want to make a difference and who like to be part of a winning team.

We know that the talent is here in Moncton, and feel very confident its skilled workforce will support our business and meet the needs of our customers. We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our customers, and the communities where we live in and serve.

ONB: Finally, how important is this announcement for New Brunswick? What impact do you think this will have over the coming years?

McKenna: A lot of great work has already been done and is currently underway to grow jobs within this province, and we see so many benefits to doing business here. Over the coming years, we will create up to 575 full-time equivalent jobs in the community, which translates to approximately 80 million in salaries and benefits flowing into the New Brunswick economy.

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Written by Jean-Paul Robicheau