Recently the federal government moved to make it easier to re-invest in technology and business infrastructure. The proposed tax measures will enable businesses to immediately write off the full cost of some types of machinery and equipment, and allow companies of all sizes and in all sectors to expense a larger share of newly acquired …
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 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 …
Fall Back Up with Lisa Coates
Lisa Coates is a driver. She was born in Los Angeles in 1964. Her mother was a white Scottish Cape Bretoner and her father a black musician and teacher. Lisa moved back to Cape Breton with her mother and then on to Boston as a teenager to complete her education and begin work. Being a …
Small Businesses Face Construction Destruction
Small business is offering some constructive advice to municipalities. A new report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on municipalities to compensate businesses beaten up by infrastructure projects and major projects. The new national report had its genesis in complaints from businesses in downtown Halifax decimated by adjacent infrastructure upgrades and …
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Let’s Tone Down the Hyperbole and Have a Sensible Discussion of Minimum Wage
Last week, I participated in the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council panel discussion asking the question; what is the right minimum wage for Atlantic Canada? Certainly, one way to get to good public policy is asking the right question. Asking what the right minimum wage for the region is a fair academic question, but we should …
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Let’s Start Clearing the Smoke on Cannabis
In another 12 months, we'll be dealing with the real world impact of the federal government's legalization of marijuana. There are still lots of unanswered questions about how this will roll out. These are questions with huge economic and social implications. While the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) has conducted only one survey of …
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Why Small Business is Concerned About the 15 Dollar Minimum Wage
Atlantic Canadian small business owners should start bracing themselves for the 15 dollar minimum wage campaign. The governments in Alberta and Ontario have both bought into the idea, and now British Columbia’s new 'GreeNDP' coalition is putting it on the table. It’s being driven principally by Canada’s largest labour unions and a coalition of the …
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Fall Back Up with Brian Titus
In 1997 Brian Titus was in the Navy working as a diver in Halifax…but he had a passion for making beer. At the time, the craft brew market hadn’t washed up on the east coast and he saw an opportunity. Over the last 20 years, Garrison, along with Halifax’s other well-established brand Propeller, settled as …
What the parties are saying about small business in the Nova Scotia election
As an advocate for small business, job one is getting issues in front of politicians. Prior to this election, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) presented each of the parties in the Nova Scotia election a small business “platform’ outlining key areas our 5,200 members in Nova Scotia have identified as priorities. We sent …
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