I just finished reading the Times & Transcript report N.B. government faces financial ‘perfect storm’ published this weekend which outlined the massive increases in the cost of government payrolls in the next few years (so much for the government’s ‘hard…
Continue ReadingImmigration drives growth or vice versa?
Another dispatch from Phoenix. A couple of lessons can be learned here, I think. In the past 15 years something like one million people have moved here – Mexicans, Chinese, other Latin Americans, other Americans. There was no formal immigration…
Continue ReadingSimilarities with Phoenix
Usually when I expound my theory to people that New Brunswick has to attract much more business investment from outside the province, the typical response is “Why would anyone want to invest in New Brunswick?” (I have also received this…
Continue ReadingAnother dispatch from Phoenix
After my recent blog about the fast growth of Phoenix, some of you are probably saying: “Growth, who needs it. We are perfectly happy with things the way they are.” Don’t get me wrong. Growth is not the issue. There…
Continue ReadingCall a spade – a spade
Some people have criticized me as being too critical of government efforts to stimulate the economy. Fair enough – although I prefer to think of it as constructive criticism. But I do have to call a spade – a spade.…
Continue ReadingGrowth minus the stucco, please
Here’s my first dispatch from Phoenix, Arizona. After spending a few hours driving around here yesterday, I couldn’t help but pen a blog. Phoenix is booming. From 1990 to 2000, the city grew its population by 34% and the Greater…
Continue ReadingCan’t resist this one
The CBC is reporting a story with an update on the government’s Prosperity Plan. I could see this coming a mile away. New Brunswick’s GDP growth has been below the national average for five of the last six years but…
Continue ReadingWhere’s France?
When it comes to attracting business investment into a region such as New Brunswick, it helps to have connections. Quebec, for example, has deep economic connections with France including over 100 representatives working in France on areas such as investment…
Continue ReadingMoncton? Where’s that?
One of my fondest media moments in New Brunswick was either last year or the year before when Halifax received over 100 centimetres of snow and smashed all records. A little remembered aspect of that particular storm system was that…
Continue ReadingAttracting Investment to NB
Attracting foreign direct investment to New Brunswick must be the linchpin of any economic development strategy. There was$5.2 trillion in foreign direct investment into OECD countries from 1994-2003. Just a small fraction of that into New Brunswick would have completely…
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