Don Mills is one of Atlantic Canada’s best-known voices on public opinion and public policy. Don co-founded Corporate Research Associates Inc. (CRA) in 1978 and he remains passionate about his business and his Atlantic Canadian home. Over the years, he has built CRA into one of the region’s most prominent research firms and its reputation stretches …
Fall Back Up with Joost Janssen
I first was introduced to Joost Janssen through his childhood friend and former Halifax MLA Joachim Stroink. The two knew each other as youngsters, growing up as Dutch immigrants in Nova Scotia in the 1970’s. Joost Janssen was born in Holland but his parents moved to Halifax from Holland when he was very young. As …
Fall Back Up with Donald Savoie
Donald Savoie is one of Canada's most respect public policy minds, but above all, he is a Maritimer. Savoie founded the Canadian Institute for Research on Regional Development at l'Université de Moncton in 1983 where he also teaches public administration. The institute was renamed the Donald J. Savoie Institute in 2015. He has advised governments …
Fall Back Up with Starr Cunningham
Starr Cunningham had a 23-year career in broadcasting and became one of Atlantic Canada's most well-known television personalities. In 2013, a pivotal realization took her career in a completely different direction. Accepting the position as CEO of the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia she is now pursuing her passion to raise awareness of mental …
Cannabis; Retail and Regulations
This is a bit of a departure from my usual posts. I was invited to talk with Shawn King, host of Turning a New Leaf, a podcast dedicated to the discussion around the legalization of cannabis in Canada. As governments try to get a handle on this new reality, there are many questions remaining unanswered. …
Fall Back Up with Michael Melski
Michael Melski is a Nova Scotian award-winning writer-director of feature films, as well as one of Canada’s leading playwrights. His Merritt and Dora-nominated Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad was a smash hit at Toronto’s Factory Theatre and named one of the ‘Top Ten Plays of The Year’ by the Toronto Star. His many other plays have been …
Help Wanted
A group of senior federal Ministers were in Summerside recently along with the Atlantic premiers to talk about the Atlantic Growth Strategy. The AGS has a number of moving parts but immigration has been a central cog. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Project (AIPP) has great potential, but businesses across the region need encouragement to buy …
Fall Back Up with Joel Plaskett
Joel Plaskett is one of Atlantic Canada’s best-known performers. Joel saw early success during the rapid growth of Halifax's indie scene in the 1990’s. His band Thrush Hermit along with bands like Sloan, Eric’s Trip, Jale, Hardship Post and the Super Friendz set the tone for a fresh Atlantic Canadian sound. Joel’s career grew with …
Increased regional co-operation is an important part of the solutions to what ails Atlantic Canada
Jin Liqun, the president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank said it best: "Regional co-operation and global cooperation helps everybody, a rising tide lifts all boats." Surely this analogy is not lost on Atlantic Canadians. Why then, with decades of evidence pointing to its benefits, do we continue to put parochial and political interests ahead …
Fall Back Up with Jeff Alpaugh
If you were to conjure up an image of a custom dress shirt maker from Fredericton, New Brunswick, you could be excused if your imagination didn’t veer far off the rack of button-down Oxford cloth. Nothing could be further from the reality of Jeff Alpaugh. Jeff graduated from business school and promptly joined the …