John Bragg will make you believe that rural and small-town economies can flourish despite the widespread perception that the future of job and wealth creation is in our larger urban centres. After all, he has built globally competitive companies from a small town - Oxford, Nova Scotia.

In this rebroadcast of one of the most popular Huddle “Insights” podcasts, Don Mills and David Campbell have a look at the challenges of rural economic development and speak to one of the region’s biggest proponents of rural development, the CEO of the Bragg Group of Companies that includes Oxford Frozen Foods and Eastlink.

With more than 600 employees in Oxford, Nova Scotia, and more than 6,000 across the entire group of companies, John discusses the impact of the growth of his businesses on the small town of Oxford and offers some concrete suggestions on how other rural communities can grow and what is needed to support rural development in Atlantic Canada.

“You have to start with the entrepreneurs,” says Bragg. “When I travel around Nova Scotia…I would say, ‘who is the entrepreneur in this town? Who is the entrepreneur in this village?’ There are entrepreneurs in every town and village in Atlantic Canada. We need government policies that encourage those people.”

John says he’s not talking about “giving money away.” He’s talking about supporting them by making it easy for them to cut through red tape and access capital to start and grow successful businesses. He also says small communities need schools and available housing to support an employee base.

This conversation was originally uploaded on May 13, 2021, but the insights are still fresh. You can listen to their conversation in the player above or download the show on your preferred podcast platform.

The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.

Search for “Huddle Insights” on podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify, and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen to past conversations there.