A surplus by NS Power has some crying for a rebate to customers. Aims Director of Research Ian Munro says the idea of returning surpluses to ratepayers is an interesting option, particularly in a regulated monopoly that is void of the competition that usually keeps energy prices low.
A suggestion by the New Brunswick government to drastically overhaul its tax regime is welcome news, particularly says AIMS Executive Vice President Charles Cirtwill if that includes a major reduction in income tax. It's a suggestion made repeatedly by AIMS in various research papers through the years.
When NB Power announced it had an 85-million dollar surplus, reporters scrambled to find out how such a windfall should be returned to customers. AIMS Director of Research Ian Munro was one of those contacted.
Good public policy can be as much about following as leading. In this story, AIMS Executive Vice President explains that good government needs to be doing a little of both.
AIMS executive Vice President Charles Cirtwill takes a look at the cyclical nature of the tourism inductry in this story in the Nova Scotia Business Journal.
Much of the trade carried through the Atlantica region goes by truck. In addition to the threat posed by high fuel prices on this industry, there are restrictions forcing trucks carrying more than 80 000 pounds off interstate highways onto smaller roads. Two Maine Senators have proposed a pilot programme that would allow truckers to use federal highways to cut costs when fuel prices are abnormally high. If permitted, these changes could have a much wider impact on the Atlantica region since it would serve to reduce the high costs of land transportation linking the Atlantica region with hinterland markets making the transportation gateway more attractive.
New investment by a British manufacturing firm in Maine highlights the strategic position of the region for foreign companies looking at access to the lucrative US market.
Businesses on both sides of the border have experienced problems as security concerns have caused the US/Canada border to thicken. The Atlantic Provinces Chamber of Commerce meeting in Stanley Bridge over the weekend stressed, however, the importance to businesses in the Atlantica region of finding ways to balance security issues with trade flows.
A recent meeting between the Quebec and New Hampshire Chambers of Commerce stressed the common North-South ties that bind these regions together in spite of a political border.
One of the many trends that states and provinces in the Atlantica region share in common is the exodus of its young people who leave seeking opportunities elsewhere; taking their skills with them. New initiatives are currently underway in New Hampshire that target making the state more attractive to retain its young.