Jock Finlayson
B.C. tourism and travel bear brunt of pandemic economic fallout
In looking at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the economy, one broad sector stands out for the extent of the damage inflicted on businesses and their employees: tourism and travel...
Innovation acceleration could be pandemic’s economic silver lining
The middle of a hurricane is not an ideal time to attempt to measure the full extent of the damage done by the storm. But as Canada’s experience with COVID-19 approaches the half-year mark, we find...
Morneau’s grim economic update highlights Canada’s deluge of debt
It arrived like an unwanted and disorienting thunderbolt. Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s Economic and Fiscal Snapshot 2020, delivered on July 8, can fairly be described as breathtaking –...
Canada has some reason for optimism on the jobs front
Statistics Canada’s June employment report confirms that the unprecedented pandemic-induced job losses recorded in March and April are now firmly in the rear-view mirror. B.C. saw a massive 118,000...
Export of services plays a strong and growing role in B.C. economy
As longtime students of the B.C. economy, we have been struck by the increasingly important role of service industries in driving business activity and employment growth. This trend is being...
Non-partisan commission needed to plan for B.C.’s recovery
A few weeks back, Business in Vancouver’s Kirk LaPointe penned a timely column calling on the provincial government to ramp up its focus on the economy. He argues that B.C. needs an economic...
Young workers top casualties in pandemic-related job market carnage
Statistics Canada recently reported that B.C. lost a stunning 132,000 jobs in a single month (March). In April losses doubled as a staggering additional 264,000 jobs disappeared. While the global...
COVID-19 recession scenarios for B.C.: one is bad; one is worse
By now it is clear the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic will be widespread and unusually painful. The shuttering of much of the provincial economy is unprecedented. The halting of...
Looming storm demands decisive action from Canadian leaders
For economic prognosticators, it’s been an eventful few weeks. The new year began with a modicum of optimism that the world economy would gain some traction after a sluggish 2019. A similar view was...
Film, construction help power growth as B.C. economy diversifies
In this column, we review industry growth patterns in B.C. during the period since the 2008-09 recession, focusing on industries that have grown most quickly, and on those that have made the biggest...