The TJ has a story today about New Brunswick’s baby boom. New Brunswick came out on the plus side of the life-cycle equation with a total gain of 1,376 new citizens, compared to 421 in P.E.I.; 134 in Nova Scotia…
Continue ReadingYou got to love academics
There is no doubt that university profs/Phds tend to be smarter than the average joes like the rest of us but when it comes to economic development even the profs show some sophomoric tendencies. Consider Université de Moncton economist Pierre-Marcel…
Continue ReadingTiming is everything in economic development
It’s kind of obvious but for a small province like New Brunswick, timing is everything when it comes to economic development. Take the idea of electric car manufacturing. Just 3-4 years ago if New Brunswick had said it wanted to…
Continue ReadingAn Ode to Steve Dempsey
I tip my hat to the outgoing CEO of the GHP in my column today. Whenever someone leaves the top position at an economic development organization like this, I hope to see some sort of public debriefing exercise where the…
Continue ReadingIncentives are only part of the picture
Probably the most controversial part of economic development is the use of grants, loans and tax incentives by government to entice companies to invest their money in a specific jurisdiction. I had another conversation this week with a guy who…
Continue ReadingImmigration slowly ticking up
Someone sent me the latest data on immigration. The numbers are trending upwards. Canada – Permanent residents by province or territory and urban area, 2004-2008 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Moncton 204 187 262 343 363 Saint John…
Continue ReadingGetting beyond natural resources
Natural resource industries will continue to play an important role in New Brunswick but will likely never be as important to the economy as in the past. This idea of loosening up the rules around mining exploration and crossing our…
Continue ReadingEconomic development Übermensch
Given the resignation of Steve Dempsey from the Greater Halifax Partnership and the fact we have an acting DM at Business New Brunswick, I thought I would dust off and tweak my qualifications for running a large economic development organization.…
Continue ReadingGroan
How come I am forced to read this headline in the T&T: “Retail drives Metro’s success“. I can’t believe that this article quotes a UdeM economist suggesting that Moncton’s economic success is due to retail – although I find the…
Continue ReadingLove in the time of Recession
The Globe has a couple of stories today about how rich provinces in Canada handle economic tough times. It’s a bit like when Spock does the Vulcan mind meld on the Horta. “Pain, Pain!”. Story #1: B.C. Premier demands single…
Continue Reading