I hate to change the subject…. But after having reviewed 25 years of data on the university sector in Canada, I think it is probably time for New Brunswickers to start thinking about what they want from the university sector.…
Continue ReadingGrowing Pains: Episode #1 (last week was Episode #0)
We have a packed episode this week. We talk about about a recent article by the economist Richard Saillant where he provides his thoughts on COVID-19’s potential impact on the New Brunswick economy. I discuss what appear to be labour…
Continue ReadingWork and productivity in the time of Covid-19
I was talking with a business owner earlier this week who told me half his staff wanted to be laid off. Why not? They are worried about Covid-19. They see their friends and family all off work – many furloughed…
Continue ReadingIntroducing Growing Pains: A podcast focused on economic development in Atlantic Canada
When Matt George approached me about the potential of doing a weekly podcast I wasn’t particularly convinced. There are now thousands of podcasts out there – many of them pretty good – why would anyone want to spend 45 minutes…
Continue ReadingOptimizing economic development in a small jurisdiction such as New Brunswick
The editorial in the Telegraph-Journal this morning called for a complete dismantling of Opportunities New Brunswick. It’s probably a good time to think about what is the best model for economic development in a smaller province such as New Brunswick.…
Continue ReadingCutting the double tax on rental properties was the right thing to do
I know some people are annoyed about this and think that the developers are just going to pocket the money. Here’s the bottom line. New Brunswick brought in 6,000 immigrants last year. I am convinced we will push through 10,000…
Continue ReadingWhen it comes to population growth, Dieppe and Shediac still duking it out
I was unaware until today that Statistics Canada publishes estimates of population by year between Census periods for municipalities – large and small. I thought the agency only published population estimates for CMAs, CAs and for Census Divisions. Yet, up…
Continue ReadingWatch out, Quebec. New Brunswick is coming (blueberries too)
There was an interesting story recently in the media about which province can claim to be the maple syrup capital of Canada. I would say the battle rages for the title of blueberry capital, too. I was re watching The…
Continue ReadingWhat does the UPS closing tell us about the Moncton economy and labour market?
I was on the team that attracted UPS to New Brunswick 25 years ago. I wrote the proposal/business case arguing there would be significant cost and technology benefits from consolidating 13 operations into one customer service/back office operations. The VP…
Continue ReadingAre we on the cusp of a new era of prosperity in New Brunswick?
When I started writing It’s the Economy, Stupid! back in 2004 (the name was suggested by David Jonah and was taken from Bill Clinton aide James Carville who concluded if the economy was going strong it would cover many political…
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