Keep your eye on the ball. Keep your stick on the ice. Keep your head up. We can’t led Covid-19 derail New Brunswick’s progress. The new population figures from Statistics Canada are out. These are provincial figures and are based…
Continue ReadingIs NB running a $75 million economic development spending deficit?
I have received a little bit of negative feedback on my post recently that suggested New Brunswick is spending $75 million less today on economic development than it was 20 years ago as a share of total provincial government spending. …
Continue ReadingCongratulations on your victory, Premier Higgs. Now a few thoughts on economic development.
The good news when a party wins a second mandate – particularly after the first one was truncated – is continuity in government. The last Premier to win and complete two full mandates was Frank McKenna – and he left…
Continue ReadingMy lament for the translation sector in New Brunswick (Part 71)
I recently got my hands on the latest business counts data from Statistics Canada (June 2020). The business counts provide a count of all the firms in each of several hundred industries (NAICS) and their employment level. The data includes…
Continue ReadingAdvice to the politicians: Double down on cybersecurity
I get real nervous when politicians ‘politicize’ economic development. This is not to say they shouldn’t critique each others’ economic development programs. They absolutely should – this is a democracy and we want political parties to be very clear about…
Continue ReadingA little advice for those starting out in their careers
In the past few months I have had a larger number than usual of people reaching out to seek my advice or to ask about job opportunities at Jupia Consultants. Many hope I can refer them to someone that has…
Continue ReadingA kind of Hippocratic Oath for economic development
There is a lot of debate about what the role of government should be to support economic development. Some prefer a highly interventionist state while others would like government with a light touch. Maybe we should have a kind of…
Continue Reading