Well, there must be an election coming. The Prime Minister and his Ministers were in New Brunswick doling out cash. Just kidding. Gotcha. No, Stephen Harper, that great fighter of corporate incentives was doling out $80 million to get an…
Continue ReadingEstimating the size of the ED industry
Somebody recently asked me what the size of the ED market would be across North America. It’s impossible to say for sure but I can make a conservative estimate. I did a little analysis a couple of years ago and…
Continue ReadingThose tricky polls
I see we are heading for an election in October (nationally). The Tories must have internally poll numbers that they like. With the rise of the Greens and first past the post, they may get to a majority. The NDP,…
Continue Reading"An important catalyst for economic growth in the Acadian Peninsula"
Here is an excerpt from a Miramichi Leader. A government official is talking about an ‘investment’ in the region: “As a result of ….., we are now able to move forward with the pre-construction activities……,” Landry said. “This significant project…
Continue ReadingCommunication
I just got back from an overnight canoeing trip on the Miramichi with a couple of ED buddies. By my count, we spent about 13 hours straight talking about economic development. I felt like Russian dissidents circa the 1970s plotting…
Continue ReadingWhat they lack in nuance they make up in persistency
I am talking about the Fraser Institute quoted in the T&T today led by the big bold black headline “Lower taxes create jobs”. Glad that Al Hogan is joining the discussion. Wish the piece was a little more nuanced. Our…
Continue ReadingWe all know where Fraser is coming from but they do put together some interesting comparative data. This is their latest review of North American labour markets. I was actually impressed with New Brunswick’s ranking of 43rd out of 60…
Continue ReadingOne definition of a smart city
I am not a huge fan of this metric but it does hold some interest. Here is the lead in Macleans: If you were to imagine Canada’s smartest city — a place filled with fascinating people, cultural delights and endless…
Continue ReadingThe importance of comparison
You know I write reports for a living. Dozens of them per year ranging from 5 page briefing notes to 100 page reports that only a handful of folks ever read. One of the central themes I have learned over…
Continue ReadingEvolving the customer contact centre industry
I sat a meeting no less than 15 years ago where the topic was “evolving the call centre industry”. We were in a room talking about how New Brunswick could leverage its success at attracting call centres to attract higher…
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