There has been a lot written over the years about the Bricklin. When I started working at the econ. dev. department in the early 1990s there were still a number of employees that had worked on or were there during…
Continue ReadingHow bad do you want it?
I had one of those conversations over the weekend with a thoughtful guy who is just convinced that places like New Brunswick can’t really build any competitive new industry clusters. We are just too far out of the way, too…
Continue ReadingAccessing the right envelopes
We talk about this a lot but it is a fascinating reality. Yesterday I posted that the feds spend less on culture in New Brunswick than just about anywhere else. We know the feds flow less R&D spending here than…
Continue ReadingFeds underspending on culture in NB
Statistics Canada is out with its latest data on cultural spending by governments. New Brunswick is second last in Canada in total spending (adjusted for population size). The feds spend more here than in the past but still well below…
Continue ReadingPolitical neophyte strikes again
Once again, I have revealed my lack of understanding of Canadian politics. I don’t think I have accurately predicted an election outcome in a decade. In my last post I was rambling on about permanent coalitions and regional parties and…
Continue ReadingNo changes predicted in NB?
The widely respected www.threehundredeight.com is predicting the NDP will make a massive breakthrough today and become the official opposition. The Tories will end up where they started with 143 seats. The author of 308 admits his riding by riding polls…
Continue ReadingDesperately seeking relevance
Folks, I can tell you I have never seen such disgruntlement about economic development among key stakeholders. In Nova Scotia, RDAs are being shut down, some are being de-funded by their municipal funders. In New Brunswick more and more cities…
Continue ReadingSeeking intestinal fortitude
Premier Alward seems to understand the challenges facing NB on both the economic and demographic fronts. I could have written his speech and it wouldn’t have been much different (including the reference to Frank McKenna). However, using substantially different language,…
Continue ReadingPredicting the future is hard
My column yesterday reviewed highlights from a report published 15 years ago warning of grave consequences if the province’s demographic challenges were not addressed. Most of the reports demographic predictions were right on the money – but the fiscal…
Continue ReadingBiz Incentives: Zero sum game or value proposition enhancing?
I am on the record saying that the subsidy and tax incentive battles that rage between states and provinces to attract business investment is biased against small provinces such as New Brunswick. Further, I have said I would approve of…
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