I just finished reading a long biography of Andrew Mellon, one of the so-called Robber Barons from around the turn of the last century. Mellon was a Pittsburgh banker who became what today would be a billionnaire by founding companies…
Continue ReadingThe folly of transposing social development policy with economic development policy
This should be a central theme in the discussion around economic development. I discuss it at a high level but I don’t know if we have ever really had a genuine debate about it. What I am talking about is…
Continue ReadingYou are what you eat
I just finished what I thought was an insightful column in the T&T on the economic challenges facing New Brunswick. They were written by Roger Haineault who works with a company called Tax Help Inc. – it would seem located…
Continue ReadingEducation and economic development
Someone pointed out to me that I should provide a link to my weekly column in the TJ. That’s a good idea – particularly when the column is meaty – as it is today. I talk about the lack of…
Continue ReadingIn defence of infrastructure
I can’t seem to figure out why governments will pour hundreds of millions into highway infrastructure each year but hardly a penny into ports, railroads, telecommunications and even energy infrastructure. I guess a few municipalities are investing in small wireless…
Continue ReadingFrancophones and bilingualism
I have started to write this blog a half dozen times and then scrapped it because whenever you talk about language at all in this province you are bound to stir up raw feelings on all sides. I have talked…
Continue ReadingThe old ways of economic development
Someone told me the other day that their boss said he was very uncomfortable giving financial incentives to a company that had no corporate debt. He was very uncomfortable, in other words, giving taxpayer dollars to a company that “doesn’t…
Continue ReadingSelf delusion
I talked with a young economic developer this week for a couple of hours. He hasn’t been doing economic development that long but he told me that he felt there was a sense of self delusion among many economic developers…
Continue ReadingVW incentives
The total incentive package for the VW deal hasn’t even been calculated according to the Tennessee governor. However, they estimate it to be around $400 million in this article. But I think that number needs to be set in context.…
Continue ReadingVolkswagen redux
Someone reminded me this morning about the rumour last year that New Brunswick was at least pitching VW on the possibility of putting that plant in this province. I could never confirm this by any serious source but it was…
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