It’s been a long time since I uttered the phrase Bob, The Builder made famous “Can we build it? Yes, we can!”. If you have children in the 18-25 range you will likely remember that determined construction worker. I was…
Continue ReadingRumours of glory: New Brunswick edition
Could it be that New Brunswick is turning a corner? Could we be on the cusp of economic renewal in one of North America’s worst performing economies for over a decade (among provinces and states)? See for yourself. The population…
Continue ReadingPursuing opportunities: Banging on my drum, again
My thinking on economic development has evolved over the years. As long time readers will know for a number of years now I have been advocating for what I call an opportunities-based approach to economic development. In its simplest terms,…
Continue ReadingThe worrying decline in employment among New Brunswick’s largest employers
One of the things I get accused of the most is being a shill for big business. A more nuanced understanding of my position would be that I believe a strong economy needs a good mix of large and smaller…
Continue ReadingHow will the 2020s compare? A quick historical perspective.
Someone asked me to set our current economic and demographic situation in historical context. As a belated Christmas present I will do so here. I’ll start with a few caveats. First, I don’t particularly love ‘percentage change’ as an indicator. …
Continue ReadingGivers versus takers: The uncomfortable conversation
Every time I come down to the U.S. I invariably get into the ‘givers versus takers’ conversation. Why should people that work hard, educate themselves, take risks, push hard and make something of their lives turn around and pay for…
Continue ReadingWe’ve just lost our largest employer. Now what do we do?
Given the closure of the smelter in Belledune and Northern Pulp in Pictou County, I thought I would provide a few thoughts on what should be done in these situations. What is the right response from community and from government?…
Continue ReadingNorthern Pulp: Harbinger of future natural resources development?
Between meetings yesterday I had about an hour to fill. I had just read about Northern Pulp and the provincial decision to ban how it handles effluent and the resulting closure of the mill. I decided to search Twitter for…
Continue ReadingTime to double down on population growth
There has been a lot of good media coverage about the recent population growth spurt in New Brunswick. This is good news, no doubt, but it also reveals the extent of our challenge. In the 1970s we actually didn’t need…
Continue ReadingI’m shocked, shocked to find Equalization per capita has gone up
There is a great scene (parody version) in Casablanca where the police captain closes Rick’s club and when Rick protests, Captain Renault says something like he is shocked, shocked to find gambling going on in here – even as someone…
Continue Reading