
Immigration fuels Atlantic Canadian 'economic renaissance,' authors argue
If the region could maintain a 'modest level of population growth through immigration,' its future would be 'fairly bright,' Campbell said.
Article content
The authors point again to P.E.I. The province was able to leverage a greater share of the federal immigration allotment to develop its biosciences and aerospace sectors.
Article content
Mills points to the island's BioAlliance, a private sector-led not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the bioscience industry in P.E.I. that just celebrated its 20th anniversary. 'Over that period of time they've grown it to … 60 companies and the last time I looked their annual revenues were exceeding $600 million — mostly export dollars, which are really valuable.'
Article content
As many as 3,000 people are employed in the cluster, Mills said, equating it to auto manufacturing in Ontario.
Article content
The authors make a series of other recommendations to maintain East Coast economic momentum, including 'becoming a green energy superpower' by setting up offshore wind power platforms off places like Sable Island, and developing small modular nuclear reactors. Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government has introduced legislation allowing the province's power utility to own a nuclear plant.
Article content
Article content
Campbell and Mills also push for measures easing natural resource development, which could help Atlantic Canada move away from its dependence on equalization payments.
Article content
'If you really want to eliminate or significantly reduce transfer payments you've got to develop your natural resources, including natural gas, and if you have it, oil,' Campbell said. 'Because the reality is, if you look at the provinces in Canada that are the strongest, they are the provinces that have oil and gas.'
Article content
A Fraser Institute survey last year of senior mining executives found that, in terms of government policy, Nova Scotia was 'the least-attractive province, ranking 36th out of 86 jurisdictions, with only the Northwest Territories and Nunavut performing worse in Canada.'
Article content
'Miners are skittish because every time somebody wants to do a mine, the pitchforks come out,' Campbell said. 'People are really, really nervous about mining, oil and gas, and aquaculture — anything that might have any kind of an impact on the environment. And we've got to find a way to get people beyond that and accept the fact that you've got to develop your natural resources. You have to have high environmental standards, but if they can do it in Saskatchewan, if they can do it in B.C., if they can do it in Alberta, we have to be able to do it down here.'
Article content
Article content
The authors also argue the region needs to 'become more tax competitive' by lowering personal income tax rates and ensuring corporate taxes are competitive.
Article content
A recent Fraser Institute study indicates that 'Nova Scotia (at 21 per cent) and Newfoundland & Labrador (at 21.8 per cent) have the highest top marginal provincial personal income tax rates in Canada. New Brunswick (at 19.5 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (at 19 per cent) are also higher than most other provinces.'
Article content
'This should be an opportunity to bring our taxes in line with other provinces in the country,' Mills said. 'But the biggest problem that we still have is governments continue to spend way over what they bring in. That is a systemic problem. Until we get that under control, it's going to be very difficult to get our taxes under control.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Ford claims asylum seekers wait 2 years for work permits. Feds say it's actually 45 days
The federal government is pushing back against Ontario Premier Doug Ford's claim it takes two years for an asylum seeker to be given the right to work in Canada, saying the average processing time is actually less than two months. Ford made the claim on Wednesday afternoon at the end of a three-day leaders' summit in Huntsville, Ont., where the country's premiers agreed to look at ways to use their constitutional powers to hand out work permits. 'They're waiting over two years, and they're just sucking off the system — not their fault,' Ford said, describing asylum seekers living in hotels near his home. 'The fault falls under immigration that it takes over two years to get a work permit.' The federal government, however, said the claim it takes two years to get a work permit is simply not true. Story continues below advertisement A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told Global News that, since 2022, asylum seekers have been able to apply for a work permit as part of their request to stay in Canada. That request, they said, is made through an online portal and includes checks like a medical exam. Once a claim is determined as eligible to be referred to the Immigration Refugee Board, a work permit is issued within two weeks, the spokesperson said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The average processing time for work permits to be approved is 45 days,' they said. The experience for asylum seekers is likely somewhere between the 45-day and 730-day estimates. Syed Hussan, the executive director of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, said both figures seemed off. 'It's taking sometimes up to six months, up to five months for some people,' he told Global News. 'Some people are getting them in 45 days, it's just inconsistent beyond belief. But four to six months in some cases is a pretty long time, but it's certainly not two years.' Ford made the claim as he launched a plan to use provincial power to hand out more work visas, generally an area of federal responsibility. The premier said he planned to rely on Section 95 of the Constitution, which allows provinces to make decisions about immigration on the condition they don't clash with existing federal legislation. Story continues below advertisement According to officials in his office, work is now underway to study how to make the move, with no timeline yet or concrete plan on how to proceed. Ford said he wanted to do everything he can to help asylum seekers find jobs while they wait for their applications to be assessed. 'I have a tremendous amount of asylum seekers that are up in Etobicoke in the hotels. They're healthy, they're willing to work, they're hardworking people,' Ford said. 'They want to get out there and they want to be like every other Canadian. They want to find a job, they want to be able to first start off renting a condo or part of a house and then buying a house.' Hussna, however, said the message represented a change of tone from Ontario's premier. 'This to me seems like just a political talking point,' he said. 'A way to rage bait and rage farm and look like — the same premier who has been on an anti-immigrant rampage, who has been saying we'll take care of own first.' Back in 2018, Ford said the province had to 'take care of our own' before pushing for immigrants to move to northern Ontario. After briefly removing land from the Greenbelt for new housing in 2022, the premier said the move was necessary because of rising immigration. That year, Canada broke its record for new immigration with 430,000 newcomers. Story continues below advertisement 'He's been really in this divine and conquer, pitting migrants against everyone else to cause a distraction, and now suddenly he's the champion of refugees working,' Hussan added. 'It's completely bizarre.'


CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Halifax mayor accused of spreading misinformation on his role
Earlier this week, Andy Fillmore said he reports to the CAO for Halifax. Multiple councillors and the CAO herself say that's not true. Haley Ryan has the story.


CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
N.S. Power could profit too much on transmission line project, economist says
The amount of profit Nova Scotia Power could make through the construction of a major transmission line is "inappropriate," according to an economist who analyzed the arrangement for the province's energy regulator. Sean Cleary, a professor of finance at Queen's University, filed testimony with the Nova Scotia Energy Board last week as a consultant and expert witness. He said Nova Scotia Power's return on equity — that is, how much money it gets back from what it puts in — is three percentage points too high. Based on figures provided by the utility to the board, CBC News has calculated the three percentage point difference is $4.1 million. The infrastructure in question is a 160-kilometre, 345-kilovolt transmission line that will run from Onslow, N.S., to Salisbury, N.B., known as the intertie. The utility has estimated the total project cost at $684.7 million. There is already a transmission line on that route, which will continue to operate. The new line would double the connection between the two provincial grids. Nova Scotia Power says the intertie is needed for grid stability as more wind energy is added to the electricity system. The project is a partnership between the utility, the Canada Infrastructure Bank and a Mi'kmaw business collective. Nova Scotia Power's rate of return on any endeavour is capped in provincial legislation at nine per cent. That's based on a 40 per cent equity ratio, meaning 40 per cent of the money going into the project comes from the company's coffers and 60 per cent from debt. The utility proposes a nine per cent return, but with a 60 per cent equity ratio. Cleary said the higher equity ratio means the project poses a "much lower financial risk" to Nova Scotia Power. Cleary suggests a six per cent rate of return on the project would be more appropriate. In his submission to the board, Cleary doesn't say what the two different scenarios would yield. But CBC's calculation shows a six per cent return on Nova Scotia Power's share of the equity would be $8.1 million, while a nine per cent return would be $12.2 million. Good or bad for ratepayers? Nova Scotia Power declined to comment on Cleary's analysis, citing the ongoing review by the energy board. Company officials have said the financing arrangement, which includes low-cost financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, would be beneficial to ratepayers. "[The arrangement] will reduce Nova Scotia customer costs by a net present value of approximately $200 million," the company said in a submission to the board. But Cleary has another take on the impact to ratepayers. He said the extra profit Nova Scotia Power stands to earn would come "at the expense of customers whose benefits reaped from this project will be smaller as a result." Minister concerned Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau said he's "concerned" about the issue and said his department would be following the proceedings at the energy board closely. "This is an important piece of infrastructure for Nova Scotians," he told reporters following a cabinet meeting this week. "It's going to help us with our transition and moving to 80 per cent renewables [by 2030], but respectfully, it has to be done in a way that's appropriate for ratepayers." Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said he doesn't agree with the proposed financing arrangement. "Nova Scotians can't continue to be a piggy bank for Nova Scotia Power," he said in an interview. Mombourquette said his party is looking at what options may be available to legislators to get involved, and said he hopes the government is doing the same. "I think this is going to be a big conversation as we enter the House into the fall," he said, referring to the next sitting of the legislature. Construction of the new transmission line has been granted environmental approval, and the utility expects to begin some preparatory work this fall.