On Wednesday, February 10, the Information Technology Facilitator with the Coast of Bays Corporation, Conrad Collier, attended a presentation by Mr. Terry Johnstone, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries (NATI).

Mr. Johnstone impressed upon the attendees the magnitude of the technology sector in the province which, in 1998, had revenues between $600 - $700 million. This is greater than revenues generated by the fishery and forestry sectors and slightly behind the mining sector. In the past year, NATI has gained worldwide attention since coordinating and hosting Softworld '98 in St. John's. Its membership has grown by 20% in the past twelve months to represent approximately 150 businesses involved in IT and other high tech industries in the province.

NATI has a number of initiatives available to their membership and the public. These include:

• Supplier Development
• Training Initiatives
• The Canadian Technology Network
• Y2K Information
• School subsidy for purchase of locally produced educational multimedia products

For further information, visit the NATI website at http://www.nati.net/ or contact:

Conrad Collier, IT Facilitator
Coast of Bays Corporation
P.O. Box 310
St. Alban's, Newfoundland
A0H 2E0
Phone: 709-538-3980
Fax: 709-538-3627
Toll Free: 1-800-205-0799
E-mail: zone13it@cancom.net