I am in Ontario all week working on a project. I had a converation about the challenges in Detroit with some locals here and I find what has happened there fascinating. It’s a complex brew of bad government, grinding poverty, racism…
Continue ReadingI’m not a doctor….. but I play one on TV
For me probably the best show on CBC radio is The Age of Persuasion. No other show crystallizes the role of marketing in society today as does this one. I was thinking about that show when I heard Guy Kawasaki…
Continue ReadingNBIF dinner observations
I attending the NBIF R3 dinner last night where three of NB’s top researchers were honoured. It was a nice event – good conversation, interesting room dynamics. A couple of observations. First, in the slightly weird category, the audience gave…
Continue ReadingOn population projections
The funny thing about projections and forecasts – once you get out beyond a few months or a year or so, the efficacy of prediction starts to drop by an order of magnitude. Remember Faith Popcorn? We were all going…
Continue ReadingWinnie the Pooh and Economic Development
I remember when I first became a dad, one of the shocking things is that your mind gets filled with kiddie stuff – Barney, Teletubbies, etc. You find yourself listening to kids music and watching kids movies and TV. You…
Continue ReadingSpending cuts
One of the things that kind of gets lost in the conversation about spending cuts is the secondary impact of the cuts. Premier Graham is asking the Tories what hospitals they will close or what schools will they downsize and…
Continue ReadingMulticulturalism
I just fed Feijoada to a group of Moncton’s Brazilian community (25 in total) at my house over the weekend. It was a bit odd for a Canadian to cook a relatively complex Brazilian dish but they were kind in…
Continue ReadingThe gathering storm
I think this could turn out to be one of the most contentious national public policy issues in Canada over the next 20 years. Whenever I discuss it, Equalization and transfers, the comments range from agreement with the West and…
Continue ReadingCurrency impacts
The Conference Board says that the high Canadian dollar (specifically currency fluctuations) will have more impact on SMEs than global corporations. I think that is true in the short term but a high Canadian dollar will have detrimental effects on…
Continue ReadingMore people should read this blog
Despite the fact that many of you disagree with me, you have to admit I do make an effort to uncover relevant and interesting data. For example, much of what the Auditor General reported this week about NB reliance on…
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