NORTHERN ECONOMIST 2.0

Wednesday, 8 February 2017

2016 Census of Canada: Northern Ontario Results

Well, the population counts of the 2016 Census of Canada were released by Statistics Canada today and there is an odd assortment of results for northern Ontario that are both good and bad. Canada's population in 2016 was 35,151,728 - an increase of 5 percent from 2011 - while Ontario's population was 13,448,494 - an increase of 4.6% from 2011. Northern Ontario's population actually grew between 2011 and 2016 from 775,178 to reach 780,140 for an increase of 0.64 percent.

Some Federal Fiscal Highlights

I have a new report out by the Fraser Institute in celebration of Canada's 150th Anniversary. It is titled A Federal Fiscal History: Canada, 1867 to 2017 and tracks federal government spending, revenue, deficits, debt and spending and revenue composition from 1867 to 2017. You can get the executive summary and the full report here. However, is a quick round-up of some federal fiscal highlights over the years:

Economic News Around the North: February 3rd Edition

Here are some stories over the last week from across northern Ontario that I feel have some significance for the region's economy. Have a nice weekend.

What the Finns can offer Northern Ontario's biomass economy. Northern Ontario Business. Jan 27th, 2017.

Thunder Bay and Fort William First Nation partner on economic development. Northern Ontario Business. February 2nd, 2017.

City to push economic development at ROMA. North Bay Nugget. January 29th, 2017.

Ring of Fire mining development still years away from delivering on a decade of hype. CBC Thunder Bay, January 30th, 2017.

Province pulls plug on loan program. Sault Star. February 2nd, 2017.

Sudbury a magnet for newcomers. Sudbury Star. February 1st, 2017.

And for those of you who believe that politics and institutions are important to economic performance, two stories of interest this week.

First, while its not yet Easter, there is this resurrection (It must be a slow news week in Sudbury):

We're one Ontario, says Wynne. Dismisses separation effort. Sudbury.com. January 27, 2017.

And for those of you who believe that the context of leadership does matter and that government leadership should aspire to formal and decorous behavior in order to help foster a community environment attractive to business and economic activity, there are these:

Hobbs sues Zaitzeff over YouTube video. Tbnewswatch. February 2, 2017.

Hobbs serves notice against Zaitzeff. Chronicle Journal. February 1, 2017.

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Demographics in Northern Ontario: Getting Ready for Census 2016

On February 8^th, Statistics Canada is expected to release the Population and Dwelling Counts for the 2016 Census. This is of interest everywhere but no more so than in northern Ontario where the 2011 Census registered population declines from 2006. Indeed, the long-term trend has been for a shrinking population in northern Ontario both in absolute numbers and as share of Ontario’s population. In 1976, northern Ontario (Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury [District & Regional Municipality], Thunder Bay & Temiskaming) accounted for about 10 percent of Ontario’s population whereas by 2011 it was down to 6 percent.

Economic News Around the North: January 27th Edition

Here are some new items that I found to be of interest with respect to the economy of northern Ontario over the last week or so. Some are not quite what they seem - North Bay (and Thunder Bay) do well by not making this list. Have a nice weekend. Livio.

New Veterans Affairs office opens in Thunder Bay. CBC News, Jan. 26, 2017

5 Things to know about Thunder Bay's proposed city budget. CBC News, Jan 24, 2017.

Tax levy could rise by millions. Chronicle Journal, Jan 24, 2017.

Steel, hub important to Ontario, Wynne tells mayor. Sault Star, Jan 26, 2017.

Mineral exploration on the rebound. Northern Ontario Business. Jan 26, 2017

Putting a value on the North's assets. Northern Ontario business. Jan 24, 2017.

Proposed Sudbury arena would be a "showpiece of Northern Ontario" sudbury.com, January 26, 2017.

North Bay fails to crack list of top 25 cities. North Bay Nugget. Jan 27, 2017.

NORTHERN ECONOMIST 2.0