There is an excellent article in The Economist magazine this week about the rise of the freelance ‘bughunters’. These are folks who get paid to find bugs that hackers use to break into websites and secure networks. There are tens…
Continue ReadingOn higher wages and more taxes – a few thoughts
I have interesting conversations in my role here with GNB. Lots of folks offer a wide variety of commentary on what government needs to do to get the economy moving in the right direction. Most people talk about the need…
Continue ReadingAttracting high growth potential entrepreneurs (HGPEs) to New Brunswick
I just read that there is an incubator in Colorado focused on start-ups developing products and services for the emerging cannabis industry. This makes sense given Colorado’s laws related to the industry. It is a strategic advantage that most other…
Continue ReadingLooking for the rumours of glory
I’m reading Bruce Cockburn’s biography this week so I have his music running through my head – hence the title of this blog. Anyone of a certain age will know the song and its meaning. I’ve been grappling with the…
Continue ReadingDispatches from the road – NYC editition: Notes on the NB brand
I’m in the Big Apple for a few days’ vacation and I stumbled across a few things of interest. First, over the last 10 years there has been roughly $1.4 billion worth of international salmon exports from New Brunswick the vast…
Continue ReadingDon Draper gets his mojo back: Lessons for NB
I don’t know if you watched the Mad Men series but I thought the finale was quite interesting. From the very first episode we were led to believe that the life of a mad man was intense but ultimately terminal…
Continue ReadingSocial capital in New Brunswick: Some good and some not so good news
Statistics Canada recently published its “Trends in Social Capital” report for Canada and the 10 provinces. It is based on a wide ranging survey of concepts meant to test social capital including number of friends, contact with neighbours, participation in…
Continue ReadingThe paradox: Population growth could limit outward population migration
One of the reasons most cited for not ramping up our immigration efforts is the out-migration of our young people. Why do we need immigrants when many of our kids can’t find jobs? As always, the answer is more nuanced. …
Continue ReadingLosing out best and brightest, illiterate, over-taxed, bankrupt….. Folks, relax
A friend of mine used to call me “Dr. Doom” as on these pages I routinely expose some fairly challenging economic and demographic data. A role I will continue to play. But the reason I expose this data is not…
Continue ReadingHomebody redux: The ties that bind
I really enjoyed the HOMEbody symposium in Fredericton this week. The average age in the room was likely 25 and they were talking about pretty important things. I realize that this cohort may not like what Richard Saillant has to…
Continue Reading