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

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...

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...

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 v...

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...

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 Mac...

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...

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 Can...

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,...

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 Airpo...

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...

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...

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...

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 wi...

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...

 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 ship...

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. Althoug...

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 corne...

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...

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 th...

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...

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 we...

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...

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 p...

Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick-based Groupe Savoie is a thriving forest products business with sawmills, pallet production facilities, a pellet manufacturing plant, and other operations across the Maritimes. The company is one of the largest private-sector employers in northeastern New Brunswick with more than 500 employees and it generates more than $150 million in annual sales. Today on the Insigh...

Last year, every urban centre in the Maritimes witnessed population growth. Moncton and Halifax, in particular, had the fastest-growing populations among Canada's 35 largest urban centres. The big challenge facing cities now properly managing growth as they see a rapid increase in house prices, homelessness, and increased wait times for just about every public service. Halifax's recently retired C...