Step right up. On tonight’s card, former PC Premier Hatfield goes up against current PC Premier Lord. The contest? Net inter-provincial migration. The winner? A first round knockout. There was a net in-migration of 15,000 people in Hatfield’s first five…
Continue Reading19th century thinking in the 21st century
Just a quick follow up to my previous blog. I am convinced that a lot of government folks, community leaders and economic developers in New Brunswick are still stuck in the 19th century when it comes to economic development. You…
Continue ReadingWe saw that coming
You know what bugs me about the Smurfit-Stone plant closure in Bathurst? It’s that everyone involved in economic development could see it coming. We could also see the Tembec closure and the UPM Kymmene closure in the Miramichi. And Noranda.…
Continue ReadingOne step closer for Nackawic
The takeover of the pulp mill in Nackawic is one step closer according to media reports yesterday. This is turning out to be another Lepreau. Keep the town in a highly emotional, intense environment for months and then announce the…
Continue ReadingInternational businesses in New Brunswick
A reader asked me recently how many foreign companies have actually set up in New Brunswick? Well, that’s a good question and pretty important given that our economic future depends on our ability to attract investment. So, I went to…
Continue ReadingCanada ranks 2nd among country brands
The Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index (NBI), the only analytical ranking of the world’s nation brands, found that Canada is the second most favorite country in the world. This second quarterly NBI surveyed 10,000 people in 10 countries on 25 nations…
Continue ReadingWe’ve come a long way, baby
At 37, I don’t consider myself particularly old but I do remember a time when you had to pay $1,200 or more for a regular ticket to fly to Toronto from Moncton. Now, 15 years later, after significant increases in…
Continue ReadingHealth care – a key Canadian advantage?
In the past couple of years, the Canadian health care system has come under fire from local and international sources for its inefficiency, increasing wait times, underfunding, etc. However, the fact that health care is paid for by the taxpayer…
Continue ReadingNB Day – A Time for Reflection
Happy NB Day, folks. Here’s my thinking on this thing: Consider the main editorial and byline in the Times and Transcript and the Telegraph-Journal below: Celebrating NB, a special homeWe Say: New Brunswickers are among the most fortunate people in…
Continue ReadingPremier Lord: Master Tactician?
I don’t consider myself much of a political analyst but it never seemed to me that Premier Lord was much of a political tactician. In fact, it seemed to me that the day to day politics of being Premier pretty…
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