After reading the annual population growth figures for CMAs/CAs out last week was only to the end of June 2020, I was asked if there is any way to estimate the population growth figures for the calendar year 2020. One…
Continue ReadingEverything (almost) you wanted to know about New Brunswick urban centre population growth in 2020
The new population estimates are out for large and small urban centres (CMAs and CAs). I have already seen articles and posts from city managers, etc. talking about how well their population growth did during the pandemic. Probably wise not…
Continue ReadingCan we learn anything from 1846 New Brunswick?
I mentioned before the break that I would be reading a book over the holidays written in 1846. The author claims it to be a comprehensive review of the New Brunswick’s history, population and economy at the time. There is…
Continue ReadingCould imports be a solution to our primary health care crisis?
The times they are a changin’. When I was in government just a few years ago with the Jobs Board we were looking at the potential of health care as an export industry. In other words, we would provide health…
Continue ReadingWelcoming a new dentist to Blackville
One of the things that I get the most push back on is my view of rural economic development. There are those – many close colleagues – who believe that what New Brunswick needs is for all (or most) services…
Continue ReadingAdvice for those considering a move to New Brunswick
I count more than a dozen stories in the media in recent weeks about the wave of people moving to New Brunswick and the Maritimes from Ontario. Apparently UHaul trucks are piling up in local lots. Real estate agents have…
Continue ReadingWhat if New Brunswick had developed a natural gas industry?
Someone asked me this week if I had changed my mind about my support for the development of the natural gas industry in New Brunswick back in the 2007-2013 timeframe. He cited the low price of natural gas now and…
Continue ReadingAddressing climate change: Still fretting over the skin in the game problem
I followed the coverage of the new federal government climate change plan this week with some interest. My general view is that it was mostly met with a shrug. There were a few dire warnings in the National Post and…
Continue ReadingNew EI data reveals we still have a way to go on economic recovery
Until recently there were around 30,000 people in New Brunswick with their jobs supported using the CEWS program and a similar amount collecting the CERB benefit. A modified CEWS was continued into next year and the CERB has become an…
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