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By SHAWN BERRY
berry.shawn@dailygleaner.com

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Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside says it's great to see Moncton join the capital on a list of the world's 21 smartest communities.

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Stephen MacGillivray

ANOTHER feather in fredericton’s cap: Mayor Brad Woodside sits in Carleton Park with the downtown area of the city shown across the river. The city has been named one of the world’s 21 smartest communities. It’s the third time the city has been recognized by the organization.

"Fredericton is getting all this international attention and it's inspiring other New Brunswick communities to do their best," Woodside said.

"Fredericton is leading, and others are being inspired."

This is the third year that Fredericton has made the Smart21 list.

Moncton is one of three other Canadian communities that made the list put out by the Intelligent Community Forum, a New York-based think tank that's studying how the broadband economy can best serve prosperity, stability and culture.

Fredericton was shortlisted to the Top 7 Intelligent Communities for 2008 by the forum.

"I'm looking forward to getting another shot at being No. 1," Woodside said.

Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne said having two of the Top 21 in the world right here in New Brunswick is a feather in the province's cap.

"It's incredible recognition for New Brunswick as a whole," he said.

It's also the kind of branding you can't buy.

"When I travel and address business audiences, I talk about this independent recognition of Fredericton being one of the seven most intelligent cities in the world," he said.

It spurs interest, he said.

"It's one thing for me to get the message out that New Brunswick is a great place to live and do business, but when you have an independent group recognizing that this is a great place to do business and that this is a place that is innovative, it's certainly a powerful marketing tool."

Dan Babineau, director of information systems for Moncton, agrees.

"It does bode well for Fredericton, and New Brunswick for that matter, to have both communities on the list."

Moncton isn't trying to muscle in on Fredericton's turf.

"No, no," he said with a laugh. "What's good for Fredericton is good for us and vice versa."

Having two New Brunswick communities show they're well positioned with the infrastructure of the modern world speaks volumes about the region, Byrne said.

Fredericton's ability to distinguish itself year after year shows why it's a great place to do business, said Dale Dunphy, president of the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce.

"Hundreds of communities from around the world submit applications to the forum every year, so the fact we have been named to the Smart21 list again - for a third time - is a real testament to the innovative work being done by our city's knowledge industry, as well as its academic and government sectors," he said.

Don Fitzgerald, executive director of Team Fredericton, the city's economic development agency, said the real work begins now.

It's not as simple as just re-submitting the same material as last year, he said.

"Last year they were looking at sustainability. This year they're looking at the culture of use," he said.

Community engagement is key to the process, he said.

"The lesson we all walked away with was about more than what the municipality was doing, but what the community is doing."

The city has put together a committee made up of stakeholders from the academic, business, research and health sectors to lead this year's effort.

Woodside said they've learned a lot from being in the process before and have learned from other communities.

"I think it's going to be a good year," Woodside said. "We came awfully close last year."

He said initiatives such as online weekly podcasts of city information bulletins and a monthly podcast of the mayor answering questions from the public are the kinds of things that will work well for Fredericton.

Efforts to increase civic engagement through broadband are the types of things the forum awarding the designation looks for.

The award hopefuls include communities of all sizes, from Kenora, Ont., which has a population 17,000, to Manchester, England, which has a population 2.5 million.