From a recent TJ column: One of the strangest arguments being made by opponents of the shale gas industry is that there will be very little economic benefit from developing a natural gas exploration and production industry in New Brunswick.…
Continue ReadingImmigrants/1st Generation: 50% of high net-worth Canadians
You may have noticed that immigration has become a central theme of this blog. Twenty years ago I was a fan of immigration but I worried – as do many – about the migration of immigrants out of New Brunswick…
Continue ReadingPolish clinics: Another kind of health tourism
The Economist has an excellent story in this week’s magazine about the rise of Polish health clinics in Britain. Polish doctors are setting up private clinics dentists, general practitioners (GPs), paediatricians and gynaecologists that have “pulled off the remarkable feat…
Continue ReadingDetroit: An American Autopsy.
I just finished reading Detroit: An American Autopsy. It was written by a journalist and chronicles both his professional and personal story about the decline of Detroit. It’s a gritty read and not for the faint of heart but it…
Continue ReadingDo we need to change the message and the medium?
Donald Savoie makes another compelling argument in the T&T today that things need to change in New Brunswick but I think the message is increasingly falling on deaf ears. I really think we haven’t thought through how the demographic shift…
Continue ReadingCollaboration requires collaborators. Restating my ‘mutual benefit’ principle
Peter Moreira writes in his Progress magazine piece: “The star of the recent 4Front Atlantic conference was undoubtedly Dominic Barton, the managing director of global management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company, who endeared himself to the audience by challenging Atlantic Canada’s…
Continue ReadingSeeking private-sector led regional cooperation
I read the new 4Front report and I fully support their goals and the rising interest in working together. I just worry the whole thing will devolve -as have so man others – into a laundry list of things for…
Continue ReadingICYMI: Turning NIBMYs into YIMBYs
We have talked a lot in recent years about the rising trend of NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard) across New Brunswick. Combine our aging population with a rising cynicism of government and a social media environment where ideas (good…
Continue ReadingJason Kenney and the Startup Visa
Jason Kenney has been in Silicon Valley peddling the new Start-up Visa. He tweeted at least a couple of dozen times about it including this picture in front of a new ‘cheeky’ billboard. The issue for New Brunswick and the…
Continue ReadingUsing government business as a carrot for something bigger?
This is an age old issue and one that stirs up debate on all sides. The government spends a lot of money on suppliers. Even in a place like New Brunswick, the amount spent on all suppliers from all levels…
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