At 2 AM on Sunday morning I got a craving for a guilty pleasure – a McDonald’s Big Mac. As I was waiting for the 24 hour Drive Thru to serve up my arteriosclerosis-accelerating burger, CBC was playing news from…
Continue ReadingParlez-vous economic development?
CBC Radio took a gentle poke this morning at the long standing tension that runs just under the surface here in Moncton regarding language. There are some in the anglophone community (across New Brunswick) that think you have to speak…
Continue ReadingI can’t resist, really I can’t
An editorial in the Telegraph Journal today suggests that Saint John must ‘think smaller’. It refers to a recent letter to Saint John common council from retired business professor Gary Davis that suggests the city reduce its size by 50…
Continue ReadingComponents of Growth
The Government of New Brunswick has a web page called Components of Growth. You can find it here: http://www.gnb.ca/0160/Economics/ComponentsofGrowth.htm. These components include: births, deaths, Immigrants, Emigrants, Returning emigrants, Net temporary emigrants, Net interprovincial migrants, Net non-permanent residents and a residual…
Continue ReadingAl Hogan’s love fest
Al Hogan over at the T&T was gushing again this morning about the New Brunswick government’s move to make student loans more accessible. On this one we agree (less the gushing). However, I will bring up the additional caution that…
Continue ReadingSouthern Ontario = Canada
A top story in today’s Globe & Mail entitled Canada’s auto labour advantage evaporates reports that DaimlerChrysler Canada assembly plants in southern Ontario are operating at a disadvantage of $8.81 (U.S.) an hour, compared with U.S. plants operated by the…
Continue ReadingWe’re #1!, no.. ..wait #4!, no wait..
I attended the Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet last night. Lovely affair. Lots of positive energy – oozing it. You would think it was Phoenix in that room. Don’t get me wrong. I think we need to project this type…
Continue ReadingPost-Budget Report to New Brunswickers
I just got home from work and there in the mail was a 12 page ‘Post-Budget Report to New Brunswickers’ from the government. I expected to open it up and read: Fellow citizens, I regret to inform you that we…
Continue ReadingWhy no Near Shoring?
I have stated before in this blog that ‘near shoring’ should be part of New Brunswick’s economic development strategy. For the past 5-6 years, outsourcing IT and back office functions to India and other ‘offshore’ locations has grown substantially. However,…
Continue ReadingGood ol’ days
I have been preoccupied in recent months trying to find out exactly when were the ‘good ol’ days’ in New Brunswick. When was the period in our history where our economy was booming, people were moving here in record numbers…
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