One of my favourite movies is The Bridge on the River Kwai – a wartime epic that features ultimate bravery and betrayal and, of course, ultimate American bravado. At the end of this film, there is a climactic scene. You…
Continue ReadingThe Ghost Town of Gagnon
Canadian Press ran a story this week about Kitsault, British Columbia. Kitsault was built in the 1980s as a community for the people that were working in the rather isolated molybdenum mine. However, that mine was closed and the whole…
Continue ReadingSaskatchewan, We Love This Place!
Saskatchewan launched a new official song this week entitled “We Love This Place!”. It’s an upbeat tune that symbolizes the deep sense of commitment and attachment that Saskatchewaners have to their province. The province is also running ads on TV…
Continue Reading"Home-Sourcing" – Could it Catch On?
For those of you that have been around, you may remember a term ‘telework’ that became popular over a decade ago as new technologies began to allow people to do a good portion of their work from home. Telework was…
Continue ReadingFireside Blogs
A few years ago on a flight to Toronto, I happened to be sitting next to a senior policy advisor to a top New Brunswick politician. Over the course of our discussion, I outlined my thoughts around a serious economic…
Continue ReadingThe Importance of Trade Missions
In recent years, government trade missions to foreign countries have come under some criticism. Prime Minister Martin apparently has cancelled the ‘Trade Team Canada’ approach and will not be taking delegations of Premiers abroad to promote investment or trade (although,…
Continue ReadingDig a little deeper, Lisa
I can’t help myself. This weekend’s article in the Telegraph Journal by Lisa Hrabluk is a tailor made example of how reporters are just rewriting what they are being told by government spin doctors. A few examples: On the job…
Continue ReadingTrue Colours
This is a blog about economic matters but I can’t help but comment on the Times & Transcripts blatant defense of Premier Lord in Saturday’s paper. Now anyone who reads the T&T realizes that it is stronly supportive of Premier…
Continue ReadingThe Myth of Statistics
Politicians love to throw around statistical one liners such as ‘led the county in growth’, ‘lowest unemployment in a generation’, etc. When the stats go in their favour they shout from the highest heavens. When they don’t, there’s always an…
Continue ReadingThe ‘Spin’ Trap
Politics is an interesting game. When you are in the opposition, you hammer away at the government for its policies and lack of results. Then when you get in office you continue to blame the previous government for all that’s…
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