It's The Economy, Stupid

This is a recurring them either directly or indirectly on this blog and it is not just an issue for New Brunswick.  In fact, I had a long conversation in a colleague in another province and he sees the same…

A Richard Florida derivative index has been developed called “Next Cities“.   It’s put together by a US consultant and seems to use Canada’s CMAs (although Moncton is not included).    Here is the ranking of Next Cities in Canada.

I am wound up this morning and it is before my first cup of coffee.  There is just so much content to blather on about. Take this BDC annoucement.  Its venture capital division has been ranked among the world’s top…

This is exactly what is wrong with economic development in this province. You want a case in point, read this article interviewing the eminent Université de Moncton economics professor Pierre-Marcel Desjardins. Desjardins suggests politicians re-jig their strategies around a “less…

I always chuckle when the EI data comes out every month.  When you read the release, the worsening EI picture in Alberta is mentioned no less than a half dozen times in one release.  You would think that the employment…

Industrial R&D spending in New Brunswick is up strongly in recent years.  NB companies still spend a fraction of the big four provinces on R&D but we are moving up.  Don’t forget this is only industrial spending.  Overall R&D spending…

The TJ has an editorial today recommending we push New Brunswick’s IT advantage. I guess I am getting old and cynical but I think we need to define what we want from a statement like that. I’m thinking back to…

I just read that Jamie Irving and another senior person at the TJ are out over this Harper/Wafer story.  It seems quite severe but I guess I don’t know the full story (back story).  I just met Irving for the…

As kids we used to pick on our old Grammy.  She was getting old and deaf and we would whisper outrageous things in her ear.  Her response?  Always a skeptical “maybe”. That came to mind when I read another article…

I talked with a couple of university based researchers this week (I won’t mention their names because it’s a relatively small community but they are not in New Brunswick) and received confirmation once again the bias against any attempt to…