Insights with Don Mills and David Campbell- An Acadia Broadcasting Podcast

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 Canadians are known for saying sorry.  Savoie believes this apologetic culture has helped shape the country we have become but worries that in the current climate it could do more harm than good. While he believes some of the claims of victimhood are exaggerated, he spends a lot of time discussing the relationship between Canada’s indigenous and non-indigenous population.  He believes this is one of the defining issues of our era.   As always, Savoie’s insights are rooted in a strong understanding of Canada’s history, institutions and politics. This will be well worth an hour of your time.

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 federalism than you knew before.  Well worth an hour of your time.

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 be financed, and the important role Bear Head Energy's owner, BAES Infrastructure, will play developing the markets for the company's green hydrogen and ammonia.They also discuss the challenges with two green hydrogen projects in development at the same time, in the same geographical location, and how that affects the manpower and other resources needed to complete both projects.There's a lot of hype in Nova Scotia around the relatively new and untested "green hydrogen" market. Anyone interested in that market, and what it might or might not mean for the province's economic future, will find a ton of insight in Don, David, and Paul's conversation.

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 with its dynamic president and vice-chancellor, Rob Summerby-Murray. Their wide-ranging discussion touches on the economic impact of the university in Nova Scotia and its role in the community.They also discuss the growing impact of SMU's Sobeys School of Business, especially its work developing young entrepreneurs. This episode is part of Insights' post-secondary series that has included the University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, and the Nova Scotia Community College.

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 David's conversation covers a wide variety of topics, including why should we want foreign companies to invest here and which industries are attracting investment from outside Canada.Broten also tackles the thorny issue of government-provided corporate incentives to lure investment here instead of other countries. She provides a fascinating overview of Invest in Canada and its plan to attract high-quality companies to invest in strategic industries all across the country.

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 USA.Don and David's conversation with the Port's CEO, Craig Estabrooks, outlines the details of the Port's modernization project, the future plans, and growing confidence in the Port which is leading the growth for the City of Saint John.They also discuss the important role that the Port plays in the renewal of the waterfront with the City of Saint John.

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 HIAA.Don Mills' conversation with Nova Scotia-born Monette Pasher, the CEO of the Canada Airports Council, which represent over 100 airports in Canada, including all 26 NAS airports, takes a look at the economic importance of the sector, the impact of the pandemic on the industry, where airports are in term of their recovery from the pandemic and some of the opportunities to improve the travel experience for passengers including the use of technologies like facial recognition.The two also talk about what it will take to re-introduce the inter-provincial air service within Atlantic Canada that was a causality of the pandemic.

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 current role, O'Regan is responsible for a portion of the Canadian labour market. He talks about the challenges ensuring labour force availability in sectors like rail, air, trucking, and marine transportation. O'Regan is also strongly focused on his home province and clearly excited about its future. This broad and illuminating conversation provides an insider view of some of the priorities of the current government and the potential impacts on our region.

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 housing keeps up with rising demand.Their conversation underscores the reality that closing the current gap will take some time and one of the issues that need to be addressed is the shortage of workers in the construction industry. Williams estimates Nova Scotia's construction industry must hire 11,000 new workers by 2030 just to replace the ones retiring. He adds that, for the province to grow to 2 million people, we must build 13,000-to-15,000 new homes a year. Right now, we're building less than 6,000 a year. Labour shortages are only adding to that problem.The trio also discusses what needs to be done to ensure the availability of affordable housing and the roles that the private sector and governments play in resolving this particular challenge.

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 Entrepreneurship Policy Advisors, a celebrated author, global investor, former professor at Harvard Business School, and current professor (adjunct) at Columbia Business School. In this wide-ranging conversation, Isenberg and Shukla push back against some of David’s conventional views of entrepreneurship and bring some interesting new ideas to the table. Shukla and Isenberg discuss the Scale Up Atlantic Canada program, its recent successes, and the new cohort starting in July this year.The bottom line? They believe there are anywhere between 2,000 and 4,000 companies in Atlantic Canada with the potential to scale up and build world-class companies. If only a fraction of these companies make it big, the impacts on our regional economy would be profound.