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…
Continue ReadingAvoiding red herrings in economic development
Let me say right up front that Michael Tutton’s Canadian Press article on BNB’s bad loans was an important contribution. I have said that governments should be ultra-transparent about economic development spending. Instead of waiting for intrepid journalists to find…
Continue ReadingHaan’s new data on the Census
Dr. Michael Haan has been cranking out new data on the Census. He sent me the following charts. The first two are from the 2006 Census (the 2011 data on this will not be out for months).…
Continue ReadingBlink: The power of snap judgements
Someone tweeted today that New Brunswick was named world’s best place for mining and – in a split second – I groaned. That’s the world we live in. If the province was named the best place for IT or finance…
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