Think quick. What is one of the only things that differentiates New Brunswick from just about every other region in Canada and the United States. No, I am not talk about all the bad differentiators such as low net worth,…
Continue ReadingFilm industry booming
You just gotta love New Brunswick government officials and their partners in spin, the media which recently ran a headline about the ‘boom’ in New Brunswick’s film industry. New Brunswick Film says the industry has grown from $13 million in…
Continue ReadingMinimum wage hike
I read this morning that the minimum wage is going up from $7.25 to $7.75/hour. I have a couple of thoughts on this. One, I think the reasons for how they come up with the minimum wage are silly. You…
Continue ReadingDefend our borders!
First it was Virginia. Coming up here with the assistance of New Brunswick economic development officials to attract our companies to move there (or at least set up new facilities there). Now, I see numerous states planning ‘missions’ to Canada.…
Continue ReadingKeep perspective
I visited the Casa Loma while in Toronto over the weekend. I took a snapshot of a quote in a display. It sums up the ongoing tension between the role of the public and private sectors in the area of…
Continue ReadingBack in the saddle
Just back from Toronto. Sorry for the tardiness of comment updates but I did not have access to a computer and my telephone browser won’t allow me to publish comments. Alright, a couple of things this morning. First, someone who…
Continue ReadingCall centre jobs in Plaster Rock
I have to admit some confliction about this. 50 more call centre jobs – in Plaster Rock – $9,500 per job government funding ($7.5k per job in a ‘forgiveable loan’ – which means you don’t have to pay if you…
Continue ReadingUsing the Irish model in vain
It absolutely amazes me when people study the Irish model of economic growth and the use it to support their own view of the world. The Left will say it was the billions in EU subsidies. The Right will say…
Continue ReadingWhere do high tech investments go?
Here’s a good example of my point. My point about creating environments that are conducive to attract multinational investment. These researchers found that companies are looking for strong technological environments in which to set up manufacturing and R&D activities. So,…
Continue ReadingInteresting economic proxy
One of the interesting indications of economic growth is housing costs. A hot housing market results from strong economic growth. Obviously this is not a direct correlation but it is pretty close. If you look at the Statistics Canada new…
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