I am not a huge fan of this metric but it does hold some interest. Here is the lead in Macleans: If you were to imagine Canada’s smartest city — a place filled with fascinating people, cultural delights and endless…
Continue ReadingThe importance of comparison
You know I write reports for a living. Dozens of them per year ranging from 5 page briefing notes to 100 page reports that only a handful of folks ever read. One of the central themes I have learned over…
Continue ReadingEvolving the customer contact centre industry
I sat a meeting no less than 15 years ago where the topic was “evolving the call centre industry”. We were in a room talking about how New Brunswick could leverage its success at attracting call centres to attract higher…
Continue ReadingTories smelling blood or is it the long haul?
I don’t know if political ‘machines’ are as well oiled as some people like to think. For example, some folks have told me that ‘top’ potential candidates will stay out of a leadership race if they don’t think the party…
Continue ReadingThe pendulum keeps on swinging
15 years ago, there was very little ‘seek and find’ activity undertaken by local economic development agencies. Those were the heady days of Frank McKenna. Then slowly, in response to perceived underperformance from provincial economic development efforts, local ED agencies…
Continue ReadingQuick follow up: The role of an economic developer
Just a quick follow up to my last post because I can already hear the response of some: “Economic developers shouldn’t be in the business of real estate development competing with the private sector”. How many times have I heard…
Continue ReadingBuildings are needed infrastructure, too
Interesting article in the G&M today about an historic building in Summerside, PEI that was redeveloped into a softwar One of Summerside’s oldest structures, the former Holman’s department store, has been gutted and is being retrofitted to serve as a…
Continue ReadingAnother example of cheap power economic development
Norwegian solar company Renewable Energy Corp. plans to build a silicon plant in Quebec, to take advantage of that province’s cheap and abundant electricity. REC, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of silicon and wafers for solar power applications, will…
Continue ReadingEmployment by Industry
This is kind of interesting. The following table shows the change in employment by industry from 2001 to 2006 in New Brunswick (you may have to click to see it better). Overall, the economy added 11,165 employed persons from 2001-2006…
Continue ReadingChickens, eggs and economic development
This kind of thing in my opinion is emblematic of what is wrong with economic development in New Brunswick. This is a CBC story from a couple of days ago: Seven months after the creation of a federal fund directed…
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