For those of you interested in New Brunswick political trivia, Vroom-Vroom was the nickname of old Tory cabinet minister Jean Gauvin as a result of his penchant for fast cars. But this blog is not about Jean – although many…
Continue ReadingHrabluk the statistician
You would think that Lisa Hrabluk is on the provincial payroll. Her columns continually put forward positive images of the provincial government and its programs in economic development, education and other key areas. This despite the fact that we are…
Continue ReadingImmigration, what immigration?
Occasionally, I criticize the subsidies for farmers and I am not backing away from that position. However, you know what I like about farmers? You can’t fake farming. Crops either grow or they don’t. That’s refreshing. Unfortunately, in the realm…
Continue ReadingWelfare rates in New Brunswick
Just a quick blog today. I believe that social programs such as welfare are a necessary part of society. They should be a safety net for folks that fall through the cracks. I truly believe that how we treat the…
Continue ReadingThe Twilight Zone – T&T Style
Now any of you that read my blog on a regular basis will know that I am not the biggest fan of the Times & Transcript. I believe they continue to use their medium to advance very narrow ideas that…
Continue ReadingBuilding Permits down sharply
It would seem that if you want endless, day in/day out stories about Cath Labs, you should read the Times & Transcript on a daily basis. If you want any economic data or important statistics, you better look elsewhere. The…
Continue ReadingSheep, cattle & economic development
No, this blog will not evaluate the role of agriculture in economic development. Rather, it will be a reflection on something that my father said to me this weekend. He was rambling about Paul Martin and his ‘dithering’ when he…
Continue ReadingSchizophrenia – government style
The dictionary defines schizophrenia as a mental disorder that causes a separation between the thought processes and the emotions. In the last couple of weeks we have witnessed government-style schizophrenia around the issue of Employment Insurance. On the one hand,…
Continue ReadingOne more thing on GM
I find it kind of interesting that when Ontario (and Montreal last week) want to do economic development, they don’t fool around with ‘innovation’ or ‘skills development’ or ‘capacity building’. The just give GM $400 million and let them worry…
Continue ReadingHo hum. $750 million for Bombardier
I hear this morning that Bombardier will most likely receive a government incentive package worth some $750 million to expand in the Montreal area (cash, tax breaks, etc.). What’s amazing about Bombardier is that it is starting to look a…
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