Okay folks. I don’t particularly like to be positioned as someone who is ‘against’ the movie biz in New Brunswick. There were two reasons why I said the industry was not particularly strong from an economic development perspective. First, it is highly subsidized…
Continue ReadingWelcome to New Brunswick, Salesforce.com
One thing is certain. The film and TV production industry may be small but it has amazing heft for its size. The entire film and TV production industry in New Brunswick represents 0.048 percent of the GDP but I have…
Continue ReadingThere’s no business like show business?
I’m not going to make many friends with my column today agreeing with the province’s decision to scrap the film labour tax credit. To me this is another in a long line of industries where New Brunswick has made…
Continue ReadingExxonMobil – New Brunswick’s stealth employer
I was told not that long ago that ExxonMobil doesn’t put logos on its buildings because of the worry of security threats. But it seems to me that ExxonMobil in New Brunswick is too far under the radar. I…
Continue ReadingAtlantic Time Zone – An Advantage?
While I am not sure how much it is promoted, the Atlantic Time Zone provides a subtle advantage over other jurisdictions – particularly in an age of VoIP where the cost of telecommunications is not as distance sensitive. From New…
Continue ReadingMusing on economic development, politics, paradigms, professionalism
You could argue any focus on economic development in the Maritime Provinces is one of the casualties of a minority federal parliament. This argument would be based on the big moves to secure votes in Quebec and Ontario.…
Continue ReadingBudgets in the time of the fiscal cholera
In my column tomorrow I salute the government for getting the growth of health care costs down to 3% year over year in the 2011-2012 budget but I was thinking while doing the dishes tonight – isn’t there some kind…
Continue ReadingIf you don’t like the word cluster, scrap it but….
I have been arguing we need a more coordinated sector-based approach to economic development. Even as I argue this, new research is emerging that suggests a ‘cluster-based’ approach to economic development may not be as effective as fostering a…
Continue ReadingBudgets Galore
The provincial budget today and the federal budget tomorrow. Coincidence or tactic? Before the discussion begins on the provincial budget we will be debating the federal one (I am on a Maritime-Noon panel tomorrow). I have been chatting with folks…
Continue ReadingInnovate! New Brunswick!
I think I mentioned in the past that I listen to the audio edition of the Economist magazine each week on my Ipod. It’s about a six hour or so endeavor but between snow shovelling, driving, cleaning house, etc. there is usually…
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