Many Canadian are more likely to believe that our resource economy is dragging us down than that Canadian innovation talent is building us up
Harold Innis is no longer a household name in Canada but perhaps he ought to be. As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, it's worth reflecting on what Innis might think about the state of Canada's economy – particularly where it stands in a global context – and how it could evolve in the next 150 years. Innis, a…
As the government sets about designing a new innovation agenda, the case for evidence-based decision-making in innovation policy is urgent
Canada can't expect to improve its economic growth without a better understanding of who is responsible for growth. At a conference in Ottawa last fall, where speakers included Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains and growth council chair Dominic Barton, a challenge was laid on the table. We live in a low-growth world…
Alberta claims to have a functioning innovation ecosystem. It doesn't
Alberta claims to have a functioning innovation ecosystem. In fact, we don't. Ecosystems are actually systems, not just notions. Their parts "connect" to each other in an interdependent fashion. It's what makes them ecosystems in terms of input, function and output. It's almost (too) easy to describe something as an ecosystem notionally when the reality is…
But we need a policy regime that encourages these innovators to find new ideas, then gets out of their way while they pursue them
How can the sluggish Canadian economy generate more wealth for all of us? We need to find ways to encourage the innovative thinkers among us. We all wouldn’t mind at least a little more income. And most of us would like to see that increase spread around a little more evenly. But Canadian income growth, especially…
A nimble economy requires innovation in such areas as tax policy, an educated workforce and immigration policy
The economic and business environment in which British Columbia operates is shifting and changes are necessary if the province is to remain vibrant. A number of trends are transforming the global economy. The principal forces identified by the McKinsey Global Institute are: urbanization, particularly the rapid growth of cities in emerging markets; accelerating technological change and…
The fact that the gluten-free movement overlapped with the increase in food prices is no coincidence
Gluten has divided consumers into two camps: those who can't get enough gluten-free products, believing that eliminating the little protein composite leads to a healthier life, and those who dismiss its sudden popularity as a cultural phase. Even if you are puzzled by the gluten-free trend, it has clearly benefited the industry and, most importantly,…
Harold Innis is no longer a household name in Canada but perhaps he ought to be. As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, it's worth reflecting on what Innis might think about the state of Canada's economy – particularly where it stands in a global context – and how it could evolve in the next 150 years. Innis, a…
