When ‘rural’ means only 14% of your population like it does in Ontario, looking at rural development is a relatively small scale issue (not to downplay its importance) but when it is 47% of your population as in New Brunswick,…
Continue Readingd’Aquino’s hidden agenda
I completely understand former Premier Frank McKenna’s positive reaction to the tax cuts in the most recent Liberal budget. Frank has always relished his role as Salesman in Chief for New Brunswick and now he has another tool to go…
Continue ReadingEnergy Corridor
Someone asked me why I haven’t commented yet on the Irving feasibility study for an energy corridor connecting New Brunswick with Maine. So here goes. I think it seems like a great idea. It should create good paying jobs and…
Continue ReadingMusing on the media
The media’s approach to covering economic data can be confusing. It has been a fascinating thing to watch over the years. The release of provincial budgets over the past week or so is an excellent case in point. New Brunswick…
Continue ReadingJohn Thompson back at EGM
It’s back to the future at Enterprise Greater Moncton. Former CEO John Thompson is back and starting in the job on Tuesday.
Continue ReadingLots of opportunity
Look folks there are all kinds of opportunities for New Brunswick to go after to achieve its economic development goals. It just has to get serious about getting it done. Here is a quick hit list: Energy – I am…
Continue ReadingWooing Daewoo
Premier Rodney MacDonald is in Korea this week hoping to woo a large corporation into doing business in Nova Scotia. At the end of 2008, the province signed a memorandum of understanding with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering to look…
Continue ReadingThe definition of relativity
The Globe is reporting on the strong increase in EI beneficiaries in the past month. The report intones that the growth in the number of employment insurance beneficiaries was “especially strong in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, all of which recorded…
Continue ReadingWarning! Public service is dangerous work
Just got a look at the new workforce absenteeism tables from Statistics Canada. Did you know the average public sector worker takes double the days off for illness or disability than the average worker in the construction sector? Time to recalibrate…
Continue ReadingFilm industry
I am not as big a fan of the movie/TV biz as some economic development types but I do see its potential – particularly as it relates to building a creative culture in the province. I see here that there…
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