Jim Irving, co-CEO of JD Irving, Limited, joins Don and David on the Insights podcast this week to talk about the forest products sector, the new forestry plan for New Brunswick and the realities of competing in a highly contested global market for wood products and pulp, paper and paper products. In New Brunswick, JDI is the largest company in the sector but globally the company is small and competes with giant multinational firms. While agreeing with setting aside a significant share of the fo...
Oct 03, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 132
New Brunswick is in the middle of an unprecedented population growth trend. This is leading to record employment but also to growing job vacancies. Statistics Canada’s Job Vacancy Survey shows nearly 50% more job vacancies in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the pre-pandemic second quarter of 2019. Minister of Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour Arlene Dunn and Deputy Minister Dan Mills join us today for a conversation on what government is doing to ensure New Brunswick has enoug...
Sep 28, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 131
In recent months a number of food and consumer products companies have announced they are pulling well known products out of Canada including Kleenex, Skippy peanut butter, Delissio, Stouffer's and Lean Cuisine. In addition, there have been shortages of baby formula and cough medicine among other important products. This is leading to less competition for your grocery and consumer product spending. How will the reduction in competition across Canada impact us in Atlantic Canada? Households in th...
Sep 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 130
John Risley of Mahone Bay is one of Nova Scotia's most successful businessmen. This week we revisit a conversation John had with Don and David about building and selling Clearwater Seafoods and some interesting thoughts on public policy changes needed in Atlantic Canada.
Sep 13, 2023•52 min•Ep. 129
Killam Properties is A Real Estate Powerhouse Since its founding in 2000, Killam Properties, headquartered in Halifax, has become one of Canada's largest landlords and Atlantic Canada's largest landlord. The company has $5 billion in assets, 25,000 housing units and annual revenues of over $300 million. This episode of the Insights Podcast features a conversation with Phil Fraser, the founding CEO of Killam, who has both a Master in Urban Planning and an MBA in his background. Phil takes us thro...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 128
Mass Timber Can Shorten Construction Times Significantly In this episode of the Insights Podcast , we examine a new initiative under development to build the first mass timber manufacturing plant in Atlantic Canada, led by Patrick Crabbe, the President & CEO of the Mass Timber Company and also the Director of Mass Timber for Bird Construction. Mass timber can be used to replace concrete and steel in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. There are already mass timber build...
Aug 30, 2023•58 min•Ep. 127
On this week’s Insights podcast, Don and David are starting a series on the forest products sector in Atlantic Canada. The region’s forests support thousands of good paying jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue for the region’s governments each year. New Brunswick generates more gross domestic product (GDP) and export revenue from the forest products sector than any other province in Canada, adjusted for population size. Kim Allen, Executive Director of Forest NB and M...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 126
Between 1983 and 2004, the value of exports (in inflation adjusted dollars) from Atlantic Canada increased by an average of nearly five per cent per year. Over the same 20+ year timeframe, the economy expanded by an average of 2.6 per cent per year (real GDP). Since then, between 2005 and 2021, the value of exports in real terms has declined and real GDP growth has dropped to an average of only 1.0% per year across the region. On this week’s Insight’s podcast Don and David talk to Dr. Herb Emery...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 125
This week on the Insights podcast, Don interviews David about a recent report he wrote about housing demand in New Brunswick. Commissioned by the New Brunswick Business Council, the report looks at housing demand by region across New Brunswick between 2023-2030. For the past 30 years, New Brunswick has averaged around 3,000 housing starts per year. David’s report proposes the province will need to build an average of around 8,500 per year through 2030 to have enough housing to support a fast-gro...
Aug 11, 2023•55 min•Ep. 124
One of Canada’s most thoughtful analysts of politics and economic development, Donald Savoie, has written a new book entitled “Canada: Beyond Grudges, Grievances and Disunity”. In the book, Savoie chronicles Canada’s history of ‘victimhood’ including geographically-based groups – Quebecers, Maritimers, Western Canadians, rural Canadians and, of course, Ontario. He also covers the grievances of various demographic and ethnic groups as well as the country’s Indigenous population. There is a reason...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 123
Today on the Insights podcast, Don and David talk with economist Richard Saillant about the federal Equalization program. There has been a lot of talk about Equalization including efforts in western Canada to eliminate or significantly downsize the program. Richard provides an excellent tutorial including when and why it was put in place, it’s purpose and whether or not the region should look to reduce reliance on the program. After listening to this podcast you will know a lot more about fiscal...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 122
Bear Head Energy has just received environmental approval for 2 gigawatts of electrolyzer capacity that will be developed in phases and require 400 onshore and offshore wind turbines to produce green ammonia and hydrogen for export. The Bear Head project is one of two hydrogen projects under development in the Strait of Canso. This week, Don and David have a wide-ranging conversation with Paul MacLean, Bear Head's managing director. They cover the expected timetable for the project, how it will ...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 121
Saint Mary's University was just ranked third in the mainly undergraduate university community in Canada by Maclean's magazine. It joins the perennially number-one-ranked Mount Allison at the top of the list. Once thought of more as a "jock school," SMU has been steadily rising in the all-important Maclean's rankings, largely thanks to a well-executed strategy that has focussed on the university's key strengths. In this episode of the Insights Podcast, Don and David unpack the school's strategy ...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 120
This week, Don and David talk with Laurel Broten, the CEO of Invest in Canada, about the importance of foreign direct investment to the Canadian economy. According to Statistics Canada, Last year Canadian companies had just under $2 trillion invested in other countries, and the total value of all foreign investment in Canada amounted to $1.3 trillion. Broten says foreign companies operating in Canada support 2.5 million jobs, or 13 per cent of total employment across the country. Her, Don, and D...
Jul 05, 2023•56 min•Ep. 119
Over the past several years, the Port of Saint John has undergone a sort of rebirth that coincides with a nearly complete modernization project that saw a significant expansion of its capacity and the addition of two new cranes. The investment of more than $200 million has led to record high volumes of business. The Port is managed by DP World, one of the world's biggest Port management companies, and is served by not one but three Class A railways, including one that has direct access to the US...
Jun 28, 2023•55 min•Ep. 118
The decision by the Chretien Government in the 1990s to transfer the operation of Canada's national airport system to local airport authorities was likely one of the most important legacy decisions of that government. All the NAS airports have since been modernized through an investment of more than $30 billion by the combined airport authorities across the country. The Halifax International Airport has been transformed and doubled in size since transfer through an investment of $750 million by ...
Jun 21, 2023•58 min•Ep. 117
Seamus O'Regan is a senior cabinet minister in the Trudeau Government, where he sits as the Minister of Labour. Previously, as the Minister of Natural Resources, O'Regan led the development of Canada's hydrogen strategy, which provides real opportunities for green hydrogen production in Atlantic Canada. O'Regan chats with Don and David about the recent amendments to the Atlantic Accords for both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador that broaden those mandates to include green energy. In his...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 116
Housing is a problem not only in Atlantic Canada but across the country. Unprecedented population growth has put significant pressures on the supply of housing, leading to higher housing prices and rental rates. This week's episode features a fascinating conversation with Duncan Williams, the long-serving CEO and president of the Construction Association of Nova Scotia. Don, David, and Duncan take a close look at the current housing challenges and what needs to be done to ensure the supply of ho...
Jun 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 115
UNB professor Dr. Dhirendra Shukla is on a mission. He wants to help transform the Atlantic Canadian economy through an entrepreneurship revolution. The Scale Up Atlantic Canada initiative is his latest effort. Dr. Shukla convinced one of the world’s leading thinkers about entrepreneurship and rapid growth, Dr. Daniel Isenberg, to partner and they have put together an impressive program to help ambitious entrepreneurs achieve their high-growth potential. Dr. Isenberg is the CEO of Entrepreneursh...
May 31, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 114
While everyone has likely heard of Michelin, very few understand how important the company is to the economy in Nova Scotia. Recently, the tire maker celebrated its 50th anniversary in the province. Michelin is the second largest tire manufacturer in the world, behind Japan-based Bridgestone, with 132,000 employees worldwide. This week, Don and David have a rare and somewhat exclusive interview with Andrew Mutch, Michelin's president for North America (Canada). Michelin is the largest private co...
May 17, 2023•58 min•Ep. 113
Across Canada, First Nations have been developing partnerships related to natural resources development, ensuring good stewardship and substantial economic benefits to the communities. This week on the Insights podcast, Don and David talk with Karen Ogen, the CEO of the First Nations LNG Alliance. It's a group set up to raise awareness among First Nations of the importance of natural gas and other energy sector development to the prosperity of their communities. Karen was formerly Chief of her c...
May 10, 2023•45 min•Ep. 112
In what David Campbell calls one of his favourite conversations this year, he and Don Mills speak with Jean-Paul Deveau, the president and CEO of Acadian Seaplants Limited. Acadian Seaplants is a Halifax-based seaweed company with a reach and scope that's far greater than most poeple realize. The company doesn't just produce seaweed, it turns it into highly valuable research products that it ships to 80 different companies. JP tells Don and David about his father, Louis Deveau, who might have be...
May 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 111
On this week’s Insights podcast, Don and David talk with Pat Whalen, the chairman and CEO of Luminultra Technologies Ltd., a New Brunswick company specializing in biological diagnostic testing. Even if most people don't immediately recognize the name, Luminultra is a great example of a Fredericton success story. The company was founded and has been headquartered in Fredericton for decades. Although it does nearly all its business outside the region, it has no plans to move its head office. Lumin...
Apr 26, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 110
Ed Greenspon, the president and CEO of the Public Policy Forum (PPF), and former P.E.I. premier Wade MacLauchlan join Don and David to talk about the PPF’s Atlantic Canada Momentum Index. The PPF is a national think tank grappling with some of the biggest challenges facing the country. There is a lot of good news in this report and a number of challenges as well. Has Atlantic Canada turned a corner? Is the future bright? Don, David, Wade, and Ed weigh in on some of the biggest issues and opportu...
Apr 19, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 109
This week on Insights, Don and David have a conversation with Andrea Feunekes, the president, CEO and co-founder of Remsoft Inc., a global software company based in Fredericton. Andrea is also the chair of the New Brunswick Business Council. Remsoft has been in business for 30 years and is one of the oldest software development companies in New Brunswick. Andrea co-founded the firm at a time when there were very few female-led tech companies. She tells us about her journey, the challenges and th...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 108
After the federal government privatized national airports in the 1990s, most underwent massive modernization. There is no better example than the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. The Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) has invested $750 million in transforming the airport since taking control about 25 years ago. Don and David's conversation with HIAA CEO Joyce Carter looks at the role the airport has as an economic enabler for the region, the challenges presented by the pandem...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 107
Is modular housing really the answer to New Brunswick's housing crisis? The stereotypical images of flimsy buildings and low-quality mini-homes don't reflect today's reality. New technologies and practices mean modular construction can be used to create high-quality buildings, sometimes as high as 30 storeys. In Sweeden, about 85 per cent of homes have some modular element to them. Brandon Searle is at the forefront of modular technology in the Maritimes. He's the Director of Innovation and Oper...
Mar 29, 2023•56 min•Ep. 106
Moosehead Breweries is a New Brunswick icon. The company has been in business for more than 150 years and is described as “the last major brewery in Canada still owned by Canadians." With annual sales of $200 million and a staff of nearly 300 people, Moosehead is one of the larger manufacturing companies in the province. Andrew Oland, the company's president and CEO, joins Don and David on this week’s Insights podcast. Andrew tells Don and David about the company’s long history since Susannah Ol...
Mar 22, 2023•50 min•Ep. 105
Only 2.8 percent of the world's venture capital is given to women entrepreneurs, yet women-led startups outperform their male counterparts. Sandpiper Ventures is a women-led venture fund (which in itself is a rarity) that invests in seed-stage tech startups with women founders who hold C-suite positions. Sandpiper is based in Atlantic Canada, although invests beyond the region. Sandpiper recently raised an initial $20 million fund. Our conversation with one of the fund's three founders and manag...
Mar 15, 2023•51 min•Ep. 104
On the latest Insights Podcast, we continue to spotlight mining and its importance to Canada's climate goals. This week, Don and David sit down for a fascinating conversation with Ed Moriarity, the executive director of Mining Industry NL. Newfoundland and Labrador's mining sector generates nearly $6 billion of economic activity, employs around 7,000 people, and represents about 8 percent of the province's GDP. The province is Canada's second-largest producer of iron ore and nickel and the third...
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 103
