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

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. 

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 company in Nova Scotia, with three manufacturing plants and 3,600 employees. There are also 6,000 active retirees in the province, further contributing to the economy. The company is the largest single exporter in the province with $1.2 billion in tires being exported last year.It is also a highly innovative company. Andrew talks about Michelin's development of hydrogen energy cells as an example of this innovation. He also speaks more about the company's recent announcement to invest a further $300 million in the province. This podcast lifts the lid a bit off the somewhat reclusive company. 

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 community for six years and has spent her career advocating and supporting Indigenous economic development. She talks candidly about the challenges and how First Nations should be fully engaged in the development of the land and natural resources.Karen provides her thoughts on what Atlantic Canada can learn from First Nations and natural resources developed in western Canada.The Insights podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.

 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 been content shipping dried seaweed and earning a good living. Instead, he built an innovation-based company producing agricultural bio-stimulants and other value-added products that are shipped around the world.Acadian Seaplants is one of the most research-intensive companies in Atlantic Canada, with a research team of 50 staff and 15 PhDs. The company has operations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ireland, and Scotland. JP has worked with his father for more than years and has big plans for the company in the years ahead.The Insights podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.

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.Luminultra's reach is global and it has offices in six different countries, with its head office and manufacturing facilities in Fredericton. Pat weighs in on how the business environment in New Brunswick has been instrumental to the company’s success.As a company that spends 10 times more than the average on research and development, Pat provides his thoughts on how we can stimulate more business-led research and development in the region.The Insights podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and follow the show so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.