A hundred or so business leaders from the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce are in Halifax for their annual general meeting. Des Whelan, a business leader from this province, is now chair of the board.

Whelan used to be president of the St. John’s Board of Trade. He says small and medium-size businesses are the engine of the economy so they strive to reduce red tape in government circles and to keep the cost of running a business down. But he says the main challenge now, and it’s a similar story across North America, is finding the right people to do the job.

He says the talent pool will be their focus not only at the AGM, but throughout the year.