I have read several articles recent about the increasing number of big e-commerce fulfillment centres popping up all across North America. In fact, this is becoming a serious real estate trend. Amazon.com alone has invested $14 billion in them since…
Continue ReadingPuttin’ on the Writz: Twisted Sister edition
Hugh John Flemming served as NB premier from 1952-1960. LJR served from 1960 to 1970. Richard Hatfield served from 1970 to 1987 and Frank McKenna served from 1987-1997 – but he won three times – he left because of a…
Continue ReadingA taxing affair
The Federation of New Brunswick Faculty Associations takes issue with the NB Business Council’s call for an increase in the HST as one tool to bring the provincial government budget to balance. The FNBFA’s problem is one of decimal points. …
Continue ReadingWelcome to New Brunswick, BCE Inc.
From a recent TJ column: How are we going to build and strengthen New Brunswick’s relationship with BCE Inc.? This was the question that I had after reading about BCE Inc.’s absorption of Bell Aliant this week. BCE Inc., Canada’s…
Continue ReadingWe need a stronger Mittelstand in New Brunswick
From a recent TJ column: Twenty-five years ago in the first year of my MBA program at university, I wrote a paper on Germany’s mid-sized manufacturing firms known as the Mittelstand. At the time Germany was known for its large…
Continue ReadingDoes Nova Scotia have a public spending problem or a growth problem?
In the wake of the announcement this week that the Nova Scotia government deficit had increased to nearly $700 million, pundits decried the out of control public spending and demanded the government tighten its belt. “We can’t afford it” was…
Continue ReadingThe small business pander: Please pass the zantac
The Telegraph-Journal has clips of the NB political party leaders talking about how they would foster job creation and it is awash in pandering to small business. They all want to get back to the good old days supporting the hard…
Continue ReadingNew Brunswick’s IT hot tub time machine
There is an excellent article in The Economist this week about the sometimes counterintuitive effects of infrastructure investment. The article cited areas in China where GDP declined when they were connected to excellent highway infrastructure. If you think beyond one…
Continue ReadingPlanes, trains and automobiles: Which one of these is not like the others?
No sooner had the feds announced they were investing $58 million over two years to support ferry services between Saint John, NB, and Digby, NS; between Wood Islands, PEI and Caribou, NS; and between Iles-de-la-Madeleine, QC and Souris, PEI; than I…
Continue ReadingEconomic development agencies: At least a few shades of grey
One of the meta-trends I think has been rising in force over the past decade has been the push to ram stuff into ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ or ‘good’ versus ‘evil’ categories – the rush to eliminate grey. I see this…
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