I just got done listening to a podcast where a couple of Libertarians were expounding on their positions with a fairly hostile journalist interviewer. One of the segments showed for me just how illiterate most people are about economic…
Continue ReadingEntertainment hub not the right brand
I am happy that U2 is about to rock the hill here in Moncton – although after toying with the idea for weeks, I decided against going. From an economic development perspective, however; I want to reiterate my objection to…
Continue ReadingA mostly accurate depiction of my views on this stuff
This is a good article outlining Susan Holt – the Fredericton Chamber and soon to be Biz Council CEO – and my views on economic development. The piece reflecting my comments is mostly clear and accurate although I never used…
Continue ReadingNappies and economic development
An old friend of mine just had a baby in Virginia and only received three months of maternity leave. She described her employer as not particularly family friendly and worried about staying late at work, etc. The reality is that…
Continue ReadingHead in the cloud
I got an email from something this morning saying that Microsoft took a look at setting up a data centre in New Brunswick a few years ago. I’m not sure what happened but I suspect that power rates were a…
Continue ReadingWho’s subsidizing who?
Premier Alward is right to be worried about the future of transfer payments – particularly the equalization program. I’m interested in this broader narrative of, to slightly alter Aretha’s “Who’s zooming Who?”, of who is subsidizing whom? Ontario’s Premier…
Continue ReadingInsurance and economic development
I don’t know what is going on with the insurance industry in New Brunswick. There is certainly a Frank McKenna factor but there is much more going on here than just TD Insurance. The industry added another more than 600…
Continue ReadingOn Chinese Company Investment Here
As with most things, New Brunswick lags the rest of Canada both in terms of exports to and investment from China. We import a pile from China, however. Just take a look at where much of your electronics, toys,…
Continue ReadingMinimum Wage: Musings
According to Statistics Canada data, there were 17,100 people at the minimum wage in 2009. As a percentage of total workers, it is lower than the national average but it is up considerably since 2004 (around the time government started…
Continue ReadingLiberals and coherency in economic development policy
I have a lot of respect for guys like Roger Melanson and Chris Collins but I worry that a good Liberal economic development policy is being co-opted by raw realpolitik. While Melanson was out a few days ago with a…
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