Jock Finlayson
B.C. job creation stalls, but province’s job vacancy rate still high
After several years of torrid job growth and a steadily falling unemployment rate, B.C.’s labour market looks to have cooled off. In particular, job creation has come to a shuddering halt so far in...
Housing costs put brakes on migration to B.C. from other provinces
Over the second half of last year, a surprising development occurred – the net inflow of people moving to B.C. from other provinces fell sharply. The drop showed up in the third quarter and persisted...
Alarms ringing over B.C.’s lacklustre productivity performance
Productivity is the most critical determinant of any economy’s long-term growth potential. It represents the value of goods and services produced, divided by the number of hours needed to produce...
British Columbia’s labour code: it’s not broke, so don’t fix it
For those old enough to remember, there was a time when the evening news routinely covered major strikes in the province. Labour disputes were common in the 1970s and 1980s. A few decades later,...
New age of activist governments driving up cost of doing business
Welcome to a new era of activist government. In the last two years, both the federal and provincial governments have outlined more ambitious policy agendas. Each has ramped up spending on social...
Budget’s higher business costs dim B.C. investment prospects
The first full budget unveiled by the BC NDP government offers a mix of higher spending, tax hikes on business and significant commitments to expand child care and address concerns over housing...
Avoiding a deficit should be a BC NDP coalition budget priority
that B.C. Finance Minister Carole James will present on February 20 is the first real opportunity for the BC NDP government to outline its economic and fiscal priorities for the coming years. While...
U.S. tax reforms set to remake competitive landscape for Canada
As finance ministers across Canada start putting the finishing touches on their 2018 budgets, they are sure to be casting a nervous glance to the south. In late December, the U.S. Congress approved –...
Outlook 2018: cloud of NAFTA uncertainty looms over B.C.’s horizon
The coming year promises to be an eventful one for the B.C. business community. While our economy continues to grow at a decent pace, business leaders need to brace themselves for the bumpy road that...
As good as it gets for B.C. business: looking back at a buoyant 2017
The arrival of the holiday season and approach of a new calendar year provides an opportunity to look back and evaluate economic conditions and developments over the past 12 months. For B.C., 2017...