There is an article in the TJ this morning discussing the possibility of tax rises. We have been over this a dozen times but I will restate my position that New Brunswick should strive to have tax rates in line…
Continue ReadingBefore and after tax household income spreads in NB (Census)
Typical me, typical me Typical me I started something …And now I’m not too sure -Morrissey Just a quick follow up to a Tweet earlier today where I stated that I would like to see some folks in rural NB…
Continue ReadingMy Twitter dilemma
I probably need a tutorial on the use of Twitter. I would like to follow a lot more folks (500 follow @jupia – I follow 100) but I honestly don’t know how to manage time. Even with the 100 –…
Continue ReadingHaving the conversation a little more broadly
I see there are 80 comments on my column in the G&M Economy Lab this morning. All the more reason to get comments back and running on this blog – which will be in place soon. I tried to install…
Continue ReadingNorthern economic development funding program
Several people have asked me to comment on the new $250M funds for northern New Brunswick development. I have commented on these types of programs before and my thoughts are well know. The reality is that between ACOA, BNB, INB,…
Continue ReadingInteresting facts on EI in Canada
Based on the 2009 Employment Insurance data (those reporting EI income), there are some interesting trends worth noting. Certainly the wide swing in the ratio of EI usage in Canada is pretty remarkable. For every 100 people in NL that…
Continue ReadingGerry’s Kids – expanded edition
I received the following note about my column on Saturday entitled Gerry’s Kids. David – I read your article on Gerry’s Kids (Oct.29th) and was appreciative of your shining the light on one of the biggest job creation forces in…
Continue ReadingThe importance of tech sector exports
Check out this new report on the technology sector in New Zealand. Here’s the relevant piece: New Zealand’s technology sector has broken through the $7 billion mark for the first time. The annual TIN (Technology Investment Network) 100 list, sponsored by Industrial…
Continue ReadingWorking longer – adding to quality of life?
I spent close to an hour with a Statistics Canada economist on Friday trying to frame how we could assess the economic impact of a specific industry in the province. It’s fun interacting with the hard core practitioners of the…
Continue ReadingCities and innovation
Everyone these days is on an innovation kick. Innovation is the new hot idea – the next big thing. Even the provincial government is talking about an internal innovation agenda within the bureaucracy. I hope NB cities don’t miss the…
Continue Reading