We need a multi-decade, sustained effort to move country in right direction
We often wring our hands at the Canadian economy’s relative lack of capacity to innovate and commercialize. This is not a recent phenomenon. J.J. Brown, a historian of Canadian technology, wrote in his 1967 book, Ideas in Exile, that this was Canada’s most pressing issue, “… which leaves us increasingly weak in competition with other […]
Who decided biotech was a technology winner?
The federal government, regardless of political stripe, has a poor record of picking technology winners. Canadians essentially lost tens of billions when the giant white radioactive elephant Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) had most of its assets sold at bargain basement prices to SNC Lavalin. AECL went for $15-million, with the government pledging another […]
Reaching critical mass for commercialization
We have, in Canada, the foundation for a vibrant health sciences industry. This enviable position has come as a direct result of Canada’s strong public sector support of basic health research through such leading organizations as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), Genome Canada, and others. There has […]
Potential benefits of biomedicine, genomics-targeted health care to Canadians difficult to overstate
In less than two decades, genomics—the science focused on understanding the genetic makeup (encoded in DNA) of individual life forms—has transformed how biological research is performed in a range of fields across the life sciences. Today, the power and potential applications of genomics in sectors of vital importance to Canada’s economy (agri-food, forestry, fisheries and […]
What if pick-and-pay TV costs you more?
OTTAWA—The move from wholesale bundles to total retail could be more costly to consumers. It’s a case of be careful what you wish for: Skinny basic. Pick-and-pay. Pick-and-pack. Build-your-own. Stand-alone. Bundle. Unbundle. Multi-platform. Alternative platforms. Multi-screen viewing. Digitize. OTT, or, over the top. These are some of the key buzzwords in the current CRTC […]
If things are so good, why do Canadians feel so lousy?
TORONTO—If you listen to members of the Harper government, Canada has made something of a miraculous recovery from the Great Recession in 2008-09, thanks to their bold and wise economic management. Yet if things are so good, why do Canadians feel so lousy? A weak jobs market, flat pay, and uncertainty about the future […]
We’re clearly in post-Jack Layton period
OTTAWA—Jack and Olivia have left the building now. We are clearly in the post-Layton period. He is around no more. Or is he? After Jack Layton’s tragic death in 2011, just a few months after his spectacular electoral success in that year’s federal election, New Democrats turned to Olivia Chow repeatedly to conjure up […]
Report arguing for mineral rights transfer to First Nations controversial
A Fraser Institute report calling for provincial governments to transfer control of non-energy mineral rights to aboriginal communities has experts talking about the proposal, with not everyone agreeing it’s a realistic policy move. Non-energy minerals include limestone, salt, potash, gravel, gold, copper, and nickel, among others. According to the April report, provinces reserve the rights […]
Economic development strategy for New Brunswick underway, surmounting obstacles
A new program to involve New Brunswick aboriginal businesses in the national shipbuilding procurement is in its early stages, with organizers working to raise awareness about opportunities in order to get business buy-in. The federal government announced in April that it would commit $200,000 to the New Brunswick Aboriginal Shipbuilding Strategy to help New Brunswick’s aboriginal […]
Youth programs good start, say aboriginal business groups, but still not enough
The growth of the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative’s program to foster entrepreneurial skills for aboriginal youth in Grade 11 and Grade 12 will help reduce the outcome-gap between young aboriginal adults and non-aboriginal young adults, say aboriginal business groups, but the program won’t eliminate it. The Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative is a national charity […]
