I saw on Tuesday as Frank McKenna was announcing he wouldn’t run to lead the Libs, the other less known Premier, Bernard Lord, was announced as the new president of the Canadian wireless industry association. I was more confused about…
Continue ReadingEqualization unsustainable: Flaherty
I just heard Finance Minister Jim Flaherty say that the Equalization program as currently structured is unsustainable. The New Brunswick government has relied on tens of millions more each year in Equalization and it is now the single largest source…
Continue ReadingOn McKenna
There’s an X factor in politics. Something that cuts across policies, dogma and ideology. There was something about Frank McKenna that made a few of us (maybe a lot of us) think that New Brunswick could be a leader instead…
Continue ReadingSmart communities
Freddy Beach and Moncton made the list of 21 Smart Communities for 2009. Hoo hah. The Smart21 of 2009Albany, New York, USA; population 94,000Ashland, Oregon, USA; population 22,000Bristol, Virginia, USA; population 17,500Dublin, Ohio, USA; population 40,000Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; population 1,035,000Eindhoven,…
Continue ReadingOur old friend C.D. takes on EI
The C.D. Howe Institute is the latest think tank to take on the problems with the EI program and concludes, as have many others, that it is contributing to high unemployment mostly in the Atl. Provinces. There are a couple…
Continue ReadingOn Greg Byrne and romantic notions
A couple of emails yesterday on why I am picking on Greg Byrne. My TJ column was entitled “What Keeps Greg Byrne Up At Night” and I was also quoted on the CBC yesterday questionning the advertising campaign in New…
Continue ReadingEconomic development lesson at the bottom of Saint John Harbour
By now you have likely heard about those two massive turbines that fell off a barge into the Saint John Harbour. The are going to have a hard time getting them up from the bottom because they weigh 107 tonnes…
Continue ReadingWant to know why reducing our dependency on Equalization (i.e. self-sufficiency) is a good objective? From the G&M this morning: The Toronto-Dominion Bank projected four years of red ink, including a $10.4-billion hole in the 2008-2009 budget. TD chief economist…
Continue ReadingOur man in China
A business delegation of the Council of the Federation, in conjunction with the Canada China Business Council (CCBC), will travel to China on Nov. 2-7. Premier Shawn Graham will lead the delegation, which will include premiers Jean Charest (Quebec), Dalton…
Continue ReadingPreaching to the choir
From a press release today: The Government of New Brunswick has launched a campaign to encourage newcomers and current New Brunswickers to “Be In This Place and visit NBjobs.ca.” The bilingual campaign will feature the success stories of seven New…
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