I see all this money (or talk of money) being doled out as economic stimulus and I have to say the best spending annoucement to date is this one. The feds are putting another $8 million into PEI’s nascent nutraceutical…
Continue ReadingDanny Chavez back in business
Believe it or not my colleagues and I have great debates about old Danny Williams and his tactics on Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no doubt that he has tapped into a long standing but latent view among residents on…
Continue ReadingThe Diefenbunker to be data centre
I knew CoRDA was up to something – not sure what until now. IT start-up Bastionhost has purchased an former government continuity bunker in Novia Scotia as part of its plan to build a “Dataville” of data centers in the…
Continue ReadingJob creation announcements
I don’t know if I blame the media or the government spin guys for this but job creation announcements in New Brunswick are getting thinner and thinner with the information these days. I am not opposed to government using tax…
Continue ReadingMariner Partners expands in Saint John
This is a good story. Mariner is adding 30 new well paid IT positions in New Brunswick. The firm is headed up by former NBTel boss Gerry Pond and other ex-NBTelers. This is an important story on several levels. First,…
Continue ReadingIt’s the Economy, Stupid! December 2/08
Check this out – the second edition of this video podcast. Next time I think I will break things up into the “Good”, “Bad” and “Ugly” of economic development in the region to make it a little less boring. Comments…
Continue ReadingTurning the focus inward
I have received several emails lately that have turned my thinking inward towards our locally based businesses and their role in long term economic development. When I say our local businesses I am talking exclusively about those that are exporting (products…
Continue ReadingImmigration, growth scenarios and Richard Florida
I just spent a day and half with a client talking about immigration. These were a great bunch of folks (I can say that because I don’t believe they read this blog), highly motivated and talented. I don’t see this…
Continue ReadingWho benefits from tax cuts?
It’s nice to see that the Federal Department of Finance agrees with me. I said during the provincial government’s discussion on taxation that reducing consumption taxes would be a benefit to foreign manufacturers because it stimulates more consumption. Here’s a…
Continue ReadingHighways aren’t economic development
As with most people, my thoughts tend to coalesce around certain themes. I look for a common thread or the connective tissue. It seems to me that governments have agreed that during a time of recession, they need to spend…
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