Enterprise Greater Moncton, the organization that is mandated to coordinated economic development in the region, is expected to announce they have hired a new CEO sometime this week. The position has been vacant for five months after the former CEO,…
Continue ReadingWhat can Anne of Green Gables teach us about economic development?
Once in a while a light bulb goes off. Most economic developers would agree that the single biggest deterrent to growth in New Brunswick (and Atlantic Canada for that matter) has been the lack of foreign business investment. This investment…
Continue ReadingPotholes and Perspective
The New Brunswick government’s recent decision to increasing spending to fix the potholes in the province’s roads was greeted with great enthusiasm by MLAs. It turns out that these potholes generate the most calls to MLA offices (at least in…
Continue ReadingThe critical role of the media
I have said elsewhere in this blog that the current government in New Brunswick is highly tuned to the opinions found in the province’s media outlets. We have seen them over the past five years adjust their strategies based on…
Continue ReadingIt’s not the economy – stupid blogger!
The central theme of this blog and one of my central preoccupations is the need for a comprehensive strategy for economic development in this province. One that reverses our population decline, lowers unemployment, brings back expatriate New Brunswickers, leads to…
Continue ReadingIt’s time for English language university in Moncton
One of the key challenges facing Greater Moncton over the next decade and beyond will be the supply of labour for the growing labour market. Urban unemployment in the community is already one of the lowest in Canada and without…
Continue ReadingLet’s cross our fingers for Saint John
I have always been puzzled by this perceived rivalry between Saint John and Moncton. Who is bigger? Who is better? Which economy is the largest in New Brunswick? Has Moncton finally eclipsed Saint John? If you have been reading the…
Continue ReadingWould you like fries with that?
No, you haven’t accidentally clicked on the Health and Wellness blog. This is the It’s the Economy, Stupid blog. However, given recently published statistics on our health in Greater Moncton, I thought it would be a good time to show…
Continue ReadingRural health care advocates missing the point
“There is hope, but not for us” -Kafka Coalitions to stop the closure of hospitals, demonstrations to protest bed closures, heated rhetoric from all sides. This has been the outcome of the provincial health plan launched earlier this year. Every…
Continue ReadingThree cheers for Saskatchewan
At a time when our Premier has spent a lot of time in Ottawa lobbying for more Equalization money, the Province of Saskatchewan has joined the elite group of “have” provinces that don’t rely on federal equalization payments (Ontario and…
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