It absolutely amazes me when people study the Irish model of economic growth and the use it to support their own view of the world. The Left will say it was the billions in EU subsidies. The Right will say…
Continue ReadingWhere do high tech investments go?
Here’s a good example of my point. My point about creating environments that are conducive to attract multinational investment. These researchers found that companies are looking for strong technological environments in which to set up manufacturing and R&D activities. So,…
Continue ReadingInteresting economic proxy
One of the interesting indications of economic growth is housing costs. A hot housing market results from strong economic growth. Obviously this is not a direct correlation but it is pretty close. If you look at the Statistics Canada new…
Continue Reading21Inc, closing mills, gambling & NB Power
A few diverse subjects this a.m. but I’ll address them rapid fire: 21Inc. – I don’t know about this kind of thing. Picking 21 young people, getting them together and positioning it as leadership training for the future. Certainly it…
Continue ReadingCoda for my column today
Just a little add on to the TJ column today. We could have had an example of “powering economic development” with the natural gas in Sussex. The Enterprise agency out there developed the concept of an energy park. Essentially, government…
Continue ReadingBuilding Canada
British Columbia has become the first province to sign an agreement under Ottawa’s new infrastructure plan, called Building Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell used the massive new Kicking Horse Canyon bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway…
Continue ReadingThe elephant and the gnat
There is a story in the TJ today that quotes APEC as reporting New Brunswick will likely lead Atlantic Canada in economic growth next year if all the major projects go ahead as planned. That is true. GDP growth is…
Continue ReadingThey’re paid alright
I was just reading in Allnovascotia.com story about how much more the top guys/gals in Nova Scotia’s private sector make compared to the public sector. This got me thinking about New Brunswick. While it is obvious that the top private…
Continue ReadingNova Scotia editor goes nuts
Sometimes in our rush to make a point, we try to find examples without really doing any research. It’s clear that this guy (below) is trying to get Nova Scotia to be more aggressive on the economic development front, but…
Continue ReadingWhat to do with the wood?
I purposely avoid too much comment on the health (or lack thereof) of the forestry industry in New Brunswick. It’s a complex mix of global market considerations, environmental issues, government policy, energy policy, trade regulation and overall industry trends. But…
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