It's The Economy, Stupid

I have been thinking a lot lately about competitiveness – specifically how New Brunswick firms can compete in an increasingly globalized economy.  Traditionally this was mostly a concern related to exporters but now even firms 100% focused on local markets…

I had hoped the mania over Donald Trump would die down over time.  For more than a year after his election my Twitter and Facebook feeds (not so much LinkedIn) were so cluttered with fairly trivial Trump stories that I…

  I have historically be reluctant to weigh in on the issue of ‘bilingualism’ in New Brunswick.  It can be a polarizing subject with some believing we haven’t done enough and others suggesting it has gone too far.  But it’s…

New Brunswick is trying to create a cybersecurity cluster.  It has UNB researchers involved.  It has several corporations involved – anchored by IBM/Q1 Labs.  The government has set up CyberNB with a full team out there hustling to attract firm…

Statistics Canada recently released its latest GDP and related figures for 2016 and New Brunswick has performed surprisingly well.  Business capital spending is still very weak but household expenditures are up and overall GDP is up modestly over 2015.  If…

For some reason there has been an increase in media reporting on the plight of older Canadians/New Brunswickers in recent weeks.  There are stories where the journalist (probably in his/her 20s) decries the fact that a 72 year old has…

Someone recently posted the pollster Don Mills’ Seven Actions to Grow the Economy.   Mills is primarily known as Atlantic Canada’s pollster as head of the firm Corporate Research Associates Inc.  In recent years, he has redefined himself as the Jeremiah…