After a rocky year in office beset by scandals and accusations of incompetence, Liberal premier Dwight Ball finally is setting an agenda for tackling the systemic economic problems that face Newfoundland and Labrador. In early October, Ball – who is facing a leadership review this month – hosted a forum called The Way Forward that […]
Less than a year on the job, premier Dwight Ball is battling a massive loss of support. A slew of regressive new taxes and questionable service cuts are to blame
The change would see the levy paid by anyone with a taxable income of more than $50,000
Good news from Canada’s easternmost province has been tough to come by lately. The effects of low world oil prices, combined with significant cost overruns on the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project, are profound: personal and business tax increases, a minimum $300 levy on all but the poorest residents, a two percentage point hike to the […]
Alberta has the luxury to run deficits Newfoundfland and Labrador already has significant debt
There is a reason why Newfoundland is referred to as The Rock, as anyone who has walked any part of the island’s jagged, weather-beaten coastline can attest. One is reminded constantly how special the geology of this place is: large “erratics” – boulders marooned by retreating glaciers – dot the landscape; brilliant gashes of coloured […]
Oil prices are lagging, and so is prosperity. But massive new investments offshore may mean a North Sea-style boom in the future
A homegrown entrepreneur has created a world-class tourist destination on Fogo Island. What does it mean for the people who live there?
Over the past decade, oil revenue prompted a surge of economic prosperity in Newfoundland and Labrador; the construction sector could not find enough workers, real estate values shot skyward, the government invested heavily in infrastructure and social programs, and public sector wages rose at rates unseen in a generation. For several years, the province led […]
Sliding oil prices will hit the Rock hard, but there are some places to shelter. Mining exports should increase in 2015, and there's good news from an unexpected corner - the cod are back