This MRI controversy in Saint John is a small but instructive example of what is coming. I guess people have short memories so I will point out again that McKenna kept program expenditure growth at an average of 1 percent…
Continue ReadingImmigration distribution in Canada is rapidly changing
It is pretty impressive the change in the destination of immigrants in the past few years. From 1991 to 2006, Ontario attracted 54.5 percent of all immigrants into Canada (using Census data). In the most recent year that is down…
Continue ReadingWhat happened in the 1950?
I have been thinking and reading about this for many months and I just think something happened in New Brunswick after WW2 and early into the 1950s that was very interesting. Peter Lindfield reminded me of this in his TJ…
Continue ReadingThe silence of the lambs
I’m probably breaking a dozen copyright laws but I thought this article in the Sackville Tribune was worth the risk. The author is Bonnie Swift, the director of economic development at the town of Sackville. In the footnote, you will see…
Continue ReadingBullish on Ontario
Ontario, it’s kind of fun to watch the drama unfolding in our largest province. I have been listening to The Agenda coverage of the Drummond report. It’s an existential crisis! I’ve said it here before, Ontario is an economic powerhouse.…
Continue ReadingThe new, closer urban/rural divide
A number of folks have written about this after seeing the new 2011 numbers. Unlike some, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking and studying the issue of the new, closer rural/urban divide. I was a strong supporter…
Continue ReadingNatural resources and economic development – towards a better framework
I recently collaborated on a paper for the Atlantica Centre for Energy. A highly critical commentary in the TJ today suggested that I authored the report. This might be another debate about semantics but I helped write this report but…
Continue ReadingThe semantic dance: rural vs. urban
It’s not often Kurt Peacock and I disagree on much of anything but my column in the TJ today talks about the growth of the rural population in New Brunswick and his talks about the inevitable growth of urban New…
Continue ReadingAre we younger or older than we thought?
Statistics Canada has been estimating population every year since 2006 based on births/deaths, migration and immigration data (I think the base year is 2001 but someone can correct me on this). The Stats agency had estimated that the NB population…
Continue ReadingCalibrating and recalibrating expectations
Let me be clear up front. I was pleasantly surprised by the 2.9 percent population growth rate for NB from 2006 to 2011. When we get the population by age data, it will likely show population stagnation or decline…
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