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We start the top ten with several charts from NBF’s Economic Team that shows the deterioration of our economic status versus the US and how private investment is falling. It is also the subject of an extremely well-read piece by Andrew Coyne in the G&M.
Pierre Poilievre was in Vancouver last week speaking to the Vancouver Board of Trade and this is the first time as leader speaking to such a group.
Barry Penner is a former cabinet minister in BC, and he wrote about the many limitations with the Green initiatives the province is taking on. Barry provides an important balanced perspective.
Next is one of many articles highlighting the energy needed for artificial intelligence, data centers and the boom in clean tech manufacturing. The US has some major challenges as they are the global leaders in these areas.
There has been a lot of pushbacks on these new Airbnb restrictions starting in the spring and it appears some people at Victoria City Hall have had a lot citizens asking for some relief.
A critically important piece from The Atlantic showcases the many issues with phones with kids. When smart phones took over the market, the 24-hour access to social media started to have a real impact to lives out there.
The homeless and drug issues in BC are massive and a well-known filmmaker thinks the issues in Vancouver Eastside is worst anywhere. Tristin Hooper reported on it in the National Post.
There were a couple of funny parts of the Academy Awards, and it seems that Ryan Gosling is becoming the go to actor to help with the ratings. There is also a lot of chatter that John Mulaney will be the next host.
Finally, a feel-good story out of Milwaukee as Cody Hodgson is trying to make a comeback in the AHL.
The sun and warmth have finally arrived on the coast and enjoy the weekend.
David
Number 1-Somme charts from NBF Chief Economist highlighting Canada’s own Eras Tour.
Private investment is the lifeblood of any economy. Without it, growth, development and innovation stall and the potential for progress diminishes. But it’s hard to revive business investment and productivity in Canada when foreign and domestic investors prefer to place their assets outside our borders. A friendlier business environment is urgently needed in this country if we are to close our productivity gap. In particular, large institutional investors must be offered attractive opportunities for long-term domestic investment across various asset classes. That’s the only way to avoid further erosion of our standard of living.
Number 4-BC’s Green Ambitions Face Technological and Economic Limitations Regardless of Politics-Barry Penner
We endorse efforts to reduce emissions, but believe that ensuring a stable, domestic, and affordable energy supply is required to maintain public support for further climate action. Increasing dependency on imported power, and regulatory restrictions on made-in-B.C. energy that drive up costs for individuals could backfire and threaten the long-term goals of CleanBC. As we look to the future, let’s not lose sight of the present.
Number 5-Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power.
Artificial intelligence, data centers and the boom in clean-tech manufacturing are pushing America’s aging power grid to the brink. Utilities can’t keep up.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/07/ai-data-centers-power/
Number 7-The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood - The Atlantic
AtlanticThe intrusion of smartphones and social media are not the only changes that have deformed childhood. There’s an important backstory, beginning as long ago as the 1980s, when we started systematically depriving children and adolescents of freedom, unsupervised play, responsibility, and opportunities for risk taking, all of which promote competence, maturity, and mental health. But the change in childhood accelerated in the early 2010s, when an already independence-deprived generation was lured into a new virtual universe that seemed safe to parents but in fact is more dangerous, in many respects, than the physical world. My claim is that the new phone-based childhood that took shape roughly 12 years ago is making young people sick and blocking their progress to flourishing in adulthood. We need a dramatic cultural correction, and we need it
Number 8-Vancouver Eastside
U.S. activist’s videos give harsh glimpse at Vancouver harm reduction | National Post
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside was ‘the most chaotic street I have ever been on,’ Kevin Dahlgren reported. ‘It felt like I was walking in hell’
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/vancouver-harm-reduction-site
We hope you found the Top Ten interesting this week, and are looking forward to another selection of articles, stories, and commentary next week. If you know of anyone else who would be interested in receiving our weekly note, please let me know.
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