Category Archives: Uncategorized

I was chatting with a colleague recently about seasonal industries and the seasonal workforce in New Brunswick.  There are various data sources for this.  We can use the unadjusted Labour Force Survey data to compare the highest employment month to … Continue reading →

When most people think of exports, lobsters, French Fries and 2X4s come to mind.   But we can’t forget about services-based exports as they are becoming a much more important part of the export picture.  Services exports range from hotel accommodations … Continue reading →

I was a bit taken aback by all the outrage over the New Brunswick government’s investment in JOI Scientific. The company was developing a green energy technology. Now I have no insight into the technology and no particular comment on … Continue reading →

The debate about capitalism has been continuous since the days of Adam Smith but every few decades it comes to a head.  In the late 19th Century, capitalists like Carnegie argued they needed protection from British companies to create home … Continue reading →

There is an excellent article in the Economist this week about the forestry industry in Finland.  It includes interesting stories about the use of technology in the sector (driverless harvesting machines managed by mobile-phone apps), sustainability (they plant 20% more … Continue reading →

One of my main preoccupations these days is the need for communities and governments to ‘think small’ when it comes to economic development planning.  From proactively attracting tourism operators to developing language industries, I think we could have several hundred … Continue reading →

After we presented the new immigration strategy to Moncton Council earlier this week I received several messages and emails from folks around the region and beyond.  Their questions revolved basically around three issues: 1) Why do we need more immigrants … Continue reading →

In 2012 I took a course at Harvard University called Innovation and Economic Development.  A professor from Babson College named Daniel Isenberg came in and did a talk on what he was calling “scale-ups”.  He ended up found a bit of … Continue reading →

If you were to ask other Canadians what were the defining characteristics of New Brunswick they would probably say things like maple syrup, salmon, lots of trees, maybe lobsters.  One of the most unique attributes of New Brunswick, however – … Continue reading →

The negative health effects arising from asbestos started to become known in the 1920s.  By the 1970s the dangers were widely known and its use was phased out – it was banned just about everywhere by the 1990s. And yet, … Continue reading →