The G&M has a story about the new report on Ontario’s compeitiveness. Co-author Richard Florida rejects the bailing out of industries and says that Ontario must strive to be the world’s first jurisdiction to revolutionize routine work, to make it…
Continue ReadingIggy’s Pecs? I’ll Pass
Lawrence Martin has a piece in the G&M today saying that Canada is ready for “a more sophisticated, intellectual form of leadership. ” Then he invokes Obama, of course. I’m all for intellectual leadership. I think our PM needs to…
Continue ReadingThat’s entertainment, folks!
I heard something funny today. If you are standing up, sit down to read this. Someone told me it was the strategy of the province to position Saint John as the ‘energy hub’, Fredericton as the ‘technology’ centre and Moncton…
Continue ReadingSprinkling money
I’m fairly new to the writing for a wide public audience. Seasoned writers know how to use works to conjure up the right images in the mind to make the point. The TJ editorial today used the phrase: Sprinkling money…
Continue ReadingDo no harm
Peter Drucker seems to never go out of style. In 1974 he said that company managers should take the Hippocratic oath. Do no harm. Presto. None of this Wall Street crap. No embezzlement. No violation of the fiduciary duty. No…
Continue ReadingOn McGuinty and Buy American
I am quite concerned with the legislation that is working its way through the US Senate which would require all companies receiving U.S. bailout or stimulus monies to use U.S. suppliers. This could throw a number of Canadian industries from…
Continue ReadingThinking about self-sufficiency
We need a better term than “self-sufficiency” for this general idea of a New Brunswick that is growing, attracting people, economically vibrant and that is weened off Equalization. Essentially, we are talking about a New Brunswick that none of us…
Continue ReadingThe State of Things
I attended the Premier’s State of the Province address last night. I think I have attended 8 or 9 of these things over the years and they are mostly the same – a broad rah rah session to convince people…
Continue ReadingMapping ED effort to an overall strategy
I know there is criticism of the Acadian Peninsula fund and just about every other fund used for economic development. I personally don’t have a problem using public funds to support economic development efforts if they lead to tangible economic…
Continue ReadingMandate creep
The TJ has an article today discussing the Acadian Peninsula Economic Development Fund. It mostly makes the case that a lot of money has been spent for a very small amount of jobs. I’m not going to critique this article…
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