After the Moncton Chamber of Commerce provided its highly qualified support for the potential of shale gas development, the leading group trying to get the industry banned came out with a letter asking for people to boycott chamber members. It…
Continue ReadingSelf-Employment Trends Across Canada
My Globe & Mail Economy Lab blog this week talks about self-employment trends in Canada – in honour of the rollout of Startup Canada. I make the case that entrepreneurship and new startups are important to the economy. I…
Continue ReadingWinners and losers for wage growth – NB 2003-2011
I find this stuff very interesting. I know there are a number of ways to slice this and various influences but it is interesting to see which occupations and industries have done well and no so well in terms of…
Continue ReadingCustomer interaction is changing – and it will have a profound implication on our economy
My blog to be published later this week in the G&M Economy Lab talks about the potential implications of the Internet and how it will negatively impact employment in Canada. If you look just at the sector of the economy…
Continue ReadingMusing on immigration
I just saw Monsieur Lazhar. I thought it was one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. It’s not a face paced thriller or a deep drama. There’s no great redemption at the end – no Hollywood ending…
Continue ReadingAssessing the economic development cost impacts of public policy
Someone asked me this week about the fuss over high energy costs for industrial users. They were referring to natural gas but we have had the same conversations about electricity in the recent past. The truth is that decisions made…
Continue ReadingMirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the biggest subsidy-laden province of all?
There is nothing more incendiary than discussions of government subsidies to industry so I feel compelled to point out (again) that NB is not a big doler out of subsidy monies compared to the rest of Canada. The following chart…
Continue ReadingMeasuring success in economic development
I write a lot. Three to four columns a week. At least that many blogs and in my day job I am always writing. As a result people have a lot of opportunity to read my stuff and read into…
Continue ReadingGetting beyond age bias
I received an interesting comment that I thought I would share with you regarding my recent column in the TJ on aging. I talk about leveraging the deep knowledge and skills built up over a lifetime by older New…
Continue ReadingHow to Frack Responsibly: Joe Nocera
You should read Joe Nocera’s column in the NYT today about fracking. He begins it with “Fracking isn’t going away” and then goes on to describe the economic benefits of the fuel. He says “Fracking’s enemies can stamp their feet…
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