Private Sector Investment in Atlantic Canada
By DAVID MURRELL and JACKSON DOUGHART • 07 Nov 2016 Private Sector Investment in Atlantic Canada examines several forms of capital investment, including machinery and equipment outlay, business non-residential structures and government capital spending. Capital investment is a leading indicator of export demand and economic health. Employing Statistics Canada's investment intentions surveys, the paper establishes two quite different investment histories [...]
The tyranny of the anti-CETA minority
By PATRICK LUCIANI (Research Fellow) • Financial Post, 01 Nov 2016 It looks as if the Belgians are waking to the reality of the mess they’ve made in opposing the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, or CETA. But don’t think the problems created by little Wallonia are going away. The Walloons are pointing to how things will be done in the [...]
Radio: Atlantic Canada’s Public Sector
The size and cost of public sector employment has a major effect on a government’s bottom line. Atlantic Canada's provincial governments currently employ 96 people per 1,000 residents. Across Canada, the average size of provincial public sectors is 83 per thousand, or 16 per cent less than in our region. Employing far more people than the Canadian norm [...]
Radio: Declining Private Sector Investments
Business must stay competitive to grow our economy. For greater productivity, companies can upgrade equipment and worker training, construct buildings, and fund research and development. Unfortunately, Maritime companies have been investing less. In 2006, they spent over 1300 dollars for every Maritimer on commercial and industrial buildings. Today, they spend just 600. Less investment indicates decreased export [...]
In plebiscite, P.E.I. should choose MMP option
By JACKSON DOUGHART (Policy Analyst) • Charlottetown Guardian, 19 Oct 2016 P.E.I. is well known for its high level of political engagement. One hopes that this trait will produce a good turnout for the plebiscite on electoral reform, being held from Oct. 27 to Nov. 7. Islanders will rank their preference of the current, first-past-the-post system and four alternatives, including [...]
Beware the fallout of increased poverty
By JOHN RISLEY (Chairman of AIMS) • Atlantic Business Magazine, 17 Aug 2016 Connect the dots if you can. A narrow majority of Brits have opted for an exit from the European Union, a move which will cost their economy dearly. No matter what the outcome of the negotiations leading to that exit, the process will produce a contraction in [...]