It was a pleasure for me to be one of three members of the Millier Dickinson Blais team who were in Janvier, Alberta, on Saturday, October 15th to help clean up a burnt down elder/youth centre. Read the full blog post
We spend a lot of time in our line of work reading reports, publications and articles that detail the trends and opportunities for provincial, national and international economic growth and trying to connect these findings with what is possible and realistic in a community at any given time.
What concerns me the most about the discussion that emerges is the degree to which some economic development professionals across Canada and the United States have tried to formularize economic development, as if this line of work could ever be seen as a one size fits all or trendy. Read the full blog post
One of my favourite radio programs is This American Life, which I often listen to as a podcast and also airs in Canada on CBC Radio One. This award-winning show combines reported stories, humorous essays and other “acts” into an hour-long show every week.
A few weeks ago, the show turned its attention to a critical issue for economic developers: “How to Create a Job”. The hour-long program asked questions all economic development professionals grapple with. Read the full blog post
I recently came across two resources that quantify the importance of small business to the economy. Statistics Canada’s report titled The Contribution of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses to Gross Domestic Product and TD Economics Special Report titled Small Businesses will Reclaim the Driver’s Seat Behind the Economic Engine. Read the full blog post
After our tour of Downtown Kitchener, Dr. Sharpe and I had a chance to catch up at dinner. He supervised both my BA and MA theses, but it was during my MA that he offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to conduct my field work on Baffin Island (a hint as to how long ago that was – it wasn’t Nunavut then). Read the full blog post
A couple of Saturdays ago I attended a celebration commemorating 50 years of geography at Wilfrid Laurier University – I obtained my BA and MA there a “few” years ago. And hey, what’s a geography get together without a field trip? I picked the tour of Downtown Kitchener led by my thesis advisor, Dr. Bob Sharpe. Anyone whose last exposure to Downtown Kitchener was a decade or longer ago should visit again and see the remarkable transformation of the core. Read the full blog post
In 2010 I had the great privilege of publishing Rediscovering the Wealth of Places: A Municipal Cultural Planning Handbook for Canadian Communities through Municipal World. I am pleased to say the book has received very positive reviews both in Canada and abroad and has now been sold in 6 countries. Read the full blog post
I recently had the opportunity to chat with the Ontario East Economic Development Corporation about our Profit Hot 50 success, economic development, eastern Ontario, and the creative economy. You can read the whole interview on the Ontario East blog.
On July 1st, 2010 Google announced it would buy ITA software, the leading source of critical air fare software used by search engines and travel sites alike, such as Hotwire and Air Canada Vacations. The question is, how will this affect the consumer?
FairSearch.org is a group of businesses united in support of a healthy Internet future, where greater consumer choice and economic growth are driven by competition, transparency and innovation in online search. This organization has taken the position that if Google were to buy ITA Software it would threaten the competitive online travel search market and could limit the competition and innovation that benefits consumers. Experts fear that if this is approved, consumers can expect to face higher prices and less choice when searching for travel online.
Millier Dickinson Blais is partnering with the Economic Developer’s Council of Ontario (EDCO) in the creation of a Young Professionals Network, an exciting new venture targeted at economic development practitioners in Ontario under the age of 30 or with less than five years of professional experience. Recognizing that young professionals are often faced with difficulty entering the field and engaging with other practitioners, this network aims to provide a forum for interaction and collaboration, information sharing, and the pursuit of professional development opportunities. Read the full blog post
AuthentiCity, a division of Millier Dickinson Blais, recently completed Municipal Cultural Planning: A Toolkit for Ontario Municipalities for Municipal Cultural Planning Inc. and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
Municipal Cultural Planning: A Toolkit for Ontario Municipalities
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