If you want another reason why individual provinces need more flexibility around who they can bring in as temporary foreign workers (or immigrants) take a look at this Calgary Herald letter to the editor penned by Alexis Conrad, director general, Temporary…
Continue ReadingIs equalization a disincentive to growth?
AIMS and Fraser think so. “Equalization makes it easier for political actors to turn their backs on national resource development even though it is a potential source of jobs, revenue and economic growth,” said Ben Eisen, director of research at…
Continue ReadingThe myth of corporate welfare in New Brunswick?
From a recent column in the Telegraph-Journal. Kevin Lacey, protector of the sacred taxpayer, recently intoned in a Telegraph-Journal commentary that instead of setting up a new model for economic development, the New Brunswick government should “chart a new path”…
Continue ReadingInspired by the NB Youth Orchestra
From a recent column in the Telegraph-Journal. If you want an aspirational vision for our future as a province look no further than the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra. I had the opportunity to watch the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra perform…
Continue ReadingTaking full advantage of our R&D assets
From a recent column in the Telegraph-Journal. Why is research and development spending in New Brunswick on the decline? Between 2001 and 2007 New Brunswick led the country among the 10 provinces in the growth of R&D spending (public and…
Continue ReadingFederal transfer payments to NB: Declining influence
Shawn Graham was in the news last week waxing about a variety of subjects but silent on maybe the most prescient aspect of the self-sufficiency agenda – the need to wean the province off its relatively high dependency on federal…
Continue ReadingAlberta and income inequality: A second look
This is, of course, a no-win blog post. Anything even remotely related to attempting to justify income inequality is like a red flag to the bulls of Pamplona. But… just because I love taking a punch. This is in response…
Continue ReadingThe ‘real’ real unemployment rate in New Brunswick
There was a good article in the TJ over the weekend about the ‘real’ unemployment rate in New Brunswick. UNB economist Constantine Passaris postulates the real unemployment rate is much higher than 9.3 percent because people are responding to the…
Continue ReadingIt’s time to have a conversation about tourism development
The new Minister for tourism, Bill Fraser, has a good commentary in the TJ today talking about how the new government is “ready to invest in tourism”. It’s nice to see they are now using the right return on the…
Continue ReadingBoosting population: Echos of the self-sufficiency agenda
According to the latest Labour Force Survey there were 487,500 people in New Brunswick aged 15-64 – the population that feeds the labour market. Here is a question for you. What do you think the population in this age…
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