Michelin is reducing its workforce in Pictou county by 500. As a compensation, the firm is setting up a $2 million fund to support those – former employees or others – that want to start their own small business. They…
Continue ReadingICYMI: The problem of linear thinking
From a recent TJ column: Newton’s first law of motion states that an object at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it. Similarly, an object in motion will not change its velocity without some kind…
Continue ReadingCisco’s $100M Toronto innovation centre
This is another thought experiment for you. If Cisco had announced a $100 million innovation centre to study the internet of things in New Brunswick would the headline be “Cisco boosts Fredericton’s tech credibility with $100-million innovation hub” or would…
Continue ReadingWhat if New Brunswick was Ontario? A thought experiment
It remains an enduring mystery to me how resigned New Brunswickers can be when it comes to the economy. There is a collective shrug among us when we see reams of bad economic data. That’s just New Brunswick. This resignation…
Continue ReadingBy popular demand: The Jason Kenney Conundrum
From my TJ column earlier this week: Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Employment, Social Development & Multiculturalism, is one of my favourite federal politicians. He seems to be an intelligent and energetic guy. For more than a decade he has…
Continue ReadingWe need more high income earners, sorry about that
When I post that New Brunswick needs more higher income earners (or when I say more wealth) this tends to rankle some of my readers. I will get a number of comments, emails and even telephone calls – mostly polite…
Continue ReadingICYMI: Learning from our spending patterns
From a recent TJ article: Statistics Canada’s annual survey of household spending (SHS) provides a portrait of how the average household in New Brunswick spends its income each year. The 2012 spending data confirms New Brunswick’s status as a population…
Continue ReadingICYMI: Is it now or never for Nova Scotia?
From a recent TJ column: The Economist magazine featured a cover story this week on the 100 year economic decline of Argentina. At the turn of the 20th Century, Argentina was one of the strongest economies in…
Continue ReadingWe need to get our mojo back….
A few years ago (circa 2006), I chaired a panel of business leaders in New Brunswick. I asked them all to provide their outlook for the province over the next decade. There were five people on the panel and four…
Continue ReadingThe great auto industry salvage
Canadian Exports: NAICS 33611 – Automobile and Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Manufacturing ($Millions) Source: Industry Canada It’s kind of fun to watch the Ontario and federal governments continuing to salvage the auto manufacturing industry will hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate…
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