I heard an interesting podcast as i was shovelling snow this morning on the relationship between post-secondary education and income potential. The authors, a couple of economists, are convinced that the way to reignite the American economy is by driving…
Continue ReadingOld and redundant blogger shares views on labour force survey
Well, folks the day has arrived. After almost eight years of blogging about the monthly labour force survey and being one of the few to analyze the data in a slightly more than superficial way, I have been unseated by…
Continue ReadingGetting industry associations/professional groups more involved
As with most ideas that seem a little far fetched, there are 10 naysayers to one keener – I met a keener yesterday talking about my column on legal outsourcing. He is a non-practicing lawyer but said he has been…
Continue ReadingGo forth, multiply and fill the provinces: Reynolds
Neil Renyolds has an interesting commentary in the G&M today where he rebuts the idea that women who decide not to have children are doing their part to save the planet. He cites a biological anthropologist who calls having more…
Continue ReadingDunce cap or thinking cap?
I’m back from a few days in the nation’s capital. On the way back I got trapped in a 4×4 foot elevator with six other people for over 30 minutes. No air conditioning and no indication from the outside when…
Continue ReadingA hard cap for health care spending?
In a TJ article today: Stéphane Robichaud requires few words when asked about the future of health care in New Brunswick. Stéphane Robichaud, CEO of the New Brunswick Health Council, says most people are unaware of troubling statistics that show…
Continue ReadingOil sands services outsourcing: An opportunity?
From this article in the G&M today: Finance, engineering, maintenance planning, human resources and supply chain work could be moved from Fort McMurray …. “We estimate that 40 to 60 per cent of all job titles and all work could…
Continue ReadingMusing on growth sectors
I’m out of the province for a few days but I will have a longer than usual column in the TJ five times this week. I am looking at five potential growth sectors – some known, some experimental and at…
Continue ReadingMeasuring success in economic development
I read an interesting article the other day in the New York Times about minor hockey in Minnesota and its new approach to reducing fighting and bad behaviour in the sport. At one point the state was known for its…
Continue ReadingCuriosity killed the cat…. …but grew the economy
I see that Lymbix’s relatively simple idea made the NY Time’s list of big ideas. ToneCheck, an e-mail-outbox filter that works as a sort of emotional spell-check, offers typists a chance to reconsider their words before hitting “send.” How many…
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