I kind of liked this article in the Bangor Daily News about Saint John and some of its economic development efforts. Right up until, of course, they had to spoil it with this little snippet: The Brookings Institute’s 2007 study…
Continue ReadingPEI animators taking a dig
There was a story a couple of weeks ago about a PEI animation company moving to Halifax. This article seems like a defensive move. A recent funding announcement from the Canada New Media Fund shows PEI is dominating the industry,…
Continue ReadingNew Brunswick Museum circa 2075
I had the opportunity to visit the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John today. The main exhibition was a tribute to New Brunswick ‘industry’ starting with the earliest days of English/French settlement through to the heydays of New Brunswick industry…
Continue ReadingMeaningless but interesting
Here is one of those little stats that doesn’t mean much but is mildly interesting. This is the per capita spend on eating out among the 10 provinces in Canada (for May 2009). Alberta $ 162.93 British Columbia 150.33…
Continue ReadingEconomic developers or bankers?
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…
Continue ReadingNext Cities – Canadian version
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.
Continue ReadingWarning: Rant Ahead
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…
Continue ReadingEverything that is wrong with economic development in short form
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…
Continue ReadingEI recipients
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…
Continue ReadingIndustrial R&D up in NB
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…
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