I was in the Miramichi this weekend and was somewhat surprised to see signs all over the city stating emphatically Join our Fight! Save the Miramichi. In addition to these Union-sponsored billboards, other businesses and organizations have posted variations on…
Continue ReadingTargets? What Targets?
Anybody remember the Prosperity Plan? You know, think hard. It’s that potentially-bothersome-document-that-the-media-has-forgot-about Prosperity Plan that was launched with great fanfare a few years ago and held up by the Premier on occasion (although they are mentioning it less and less…
Continue ReadingImportance of media impartiality
When I heard yesterday that the provincial government paid to send newspaper journalists to France with the Premier recently that provided clarity to something that had been bothering me about that trip. In the past – you have to go…
Continue ReadingThe truth about tax cuts
So it looks like we are in for another tiny personal income tax cut. The Premier has hinted this will be part of his next budget. Now might be a good time to debunk this issue once and for all.…
Continue ReadingPogie dependency rising in New Brunswick
The latest figures from Statistics Canada reveal that the number of New Brunswickers claiming employment insurance (EI) benefits in September was up 2.3% compared to last year while nationally the number is down 7.4%. But these numbers don’t begin to…
Continue ReadingAdvice for the new CEO of Enterprise Greater Moncton
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…
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