I got several emails about the last post on equalization so let me clarify again that I am not against the concept of equalization or transfers from a federal government to provincial governments to ensure that a similar level of…
Continue ReadingLook at the broader picture
David Murrell from UNB is weighing in on the Equalization question. He’s reasonably sensible on the issue – contrasting himself from AIMS. I have a slightly different view. On the revenue side, instead of focusing on Equalization my focus is…
Continue ReadingAttracting good wage jobs
I see that NSBI has attracted two IT companies in the past week. One is based in New Brunswick and the other in Ottawa. I think the key to these jobs is simple. One, they are at salaries well above…
Continue ReadingFollow up to previous post
You know I am not much of a spin doctor but I just came up with a great new slogan for the Liberals as part of their strategy to attract people back to New Brunswick. For every 500 people that…
Continue ReadingSpeech from the Throne
It’s hard to get much out of a speech to the throne. There wasn’t much that looked interesting from an economic development standpoint. I’ll make a couple of points: Now more than ever, New Brunswick must be competitive in demonstrating…
Continue ReadingAs you know, in recent years, I have become a big believer that we need to have far more discussion in the public square about economic development and the role of government and communities in fostering economic development. There are…
Continue ReadingReport card on economic development
NB receives mediocre report card on state of children and youthMONCTON, NB-A report card on the state of New Brunswick’s children and youth was released today, and the province didn’t receive a single A. New Brunswick’s Ombudsman, and Child and…
Continue ReadingThe Citi Never Sleeps
The first time I visited Brazil back in 1994 I remember being surprised by the fact there were billboards all over Sao Paulo stating in english “The Citi Never Sleeps” with the Citibank logo. I guess it was sleeping as…
Continue ReadingMedical tourism
Don’t forget to check out the video version of the podcast here. We need to get feedback to figure out if it is worth continuing. Thanks. We have been chatting off and on about the potential of medical tourism as…
Continue ReadingFor better and for worse
I got an email the other day from an old friend I hadn’t talked to in probably 10 years. He had been reading my columns/blogs and wanted to assure me that there would be no way in heck any government…
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