“Innovation” is a buzzword in policy and financial circles. Every business wants to be innovative and every government strives to stimulate innovation in order to support economic growth. In this episode, we look at innovation in the Canadian context with the President of the Council of Canadian Innovators, Benjamin Bergen. We discuss the state of innovation policy and some of the key tools the federal government should focus on. Benjamin also provides an industry perspective on timely issues such as tax, access to capital, talent and training.

StrategyCorp continues its coverage of the Alberta election by taking a look at the economy of the province. Ann-Marie Lurie, the Chief Economist of the Alberta Real Estate Association, joins us to talk about Alberta’s growth and what it means for the economy, the labour market and housing. We discuss the evolution of housing demand and supply in the province and its major urban centres before, during and after the pandemic.

The Alberta election is officially underway! The NDP and the UCP begin this election deadlocked in the polls. Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley have until May 29th to convince Albertans their respective parties should form government. To discuss what to expect in this election and why the rest of Canada should pay close attention, we are joined by Elan Harper and Garry Keller, two Vice Presidents at StrategyCorp.

This week’s episode looks at the role of electricity in enabling Canada’s transition to net zero by 2050. As policymakers and industry prepare for a greener economy, electrification is top of mind to reduce emissions. Demands for electricity are increasing and concerns around supply are beginning to emerge in some parts of the country.

Francis Bradley, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Electricity Canada joins us on the podcast to discuss important dimensions of electricity such as the role of government, supply and capacity, the power generation mix as well as resilience in light of climate and cyber risks.

The StrategyCorp Institute of Public Policy and Economy recently hosted a live solutions-focused webinar on the future of healthcare in Canada. Moderated by The Globe and Mail's Carly Weeks, this event brought together recognized experts with extensive experience in healthcare policy, including Christine Elliott, Jane Philpott, and Philippe Couillard. This impressive lineup of speakers shared their ideas and recommendation on how to improve several aspects of the Canadian healthcare system, including primary care, mental health and addictions and the role of the private sector.

This episode looks at ESG through the lens of finance, economics and policy. We are joined by the CEO of ESG Global Advisors, Sarah Keyes, to discuss the current state of ESG reporting in Canada and what the role of government should be in this sphere. We deep dive into what ESG means for municipalities across the country and explore how Reconciliation fit into the ESG conversation. Join us as we explore these topics and so many more to learn why ESG matters to businesses, investors, governments and municipalities!

Earlier this year, the StrategyCorp Institute of Public Policy and Economy released a policy paper on financial resilience. As many Canadians face challenges related to high interest rates, inflation and a potential recession, the concept of financial resilience is extremely timely from an economic and public policy standpoint. In this episode, we sit down with Tashia Batstone, the President and CEO of FP Canada to discuss the state of financial resilience and how financial planning can help improve the resilience of households.

This week’s episode looks at the important topic of cyber security. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital tools and services. Unfortunately, as our reliance on the Internet grows, so does the risk of cyber threats. Every organization can be a target: businesses, municipalities, government departments and agencies, and even hospitals.

Governments around the world are working to prevent attacks and improve the cyber resilience of citizens and organizations. This comes at a time when new technologies like cloud-based solutions and the Internet of Things bring new opportunities and threats. To tackle some of the most pressing questions on cyber security and what it means for governments and businesses in 2023, we are joined by Jennifer Quaid, the Executive Director of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, and Andrew Loschmann, Co-Founder and COO of Field Effect.

Intended Consequences begins its seventh season with a deep dive into the economic and population growth of Atlantic Canada with Patrick Brannon, Senior Researcher and Director, Major Projects, at the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council.

We discuss the strong population growth several Atlantic cities saw in 2021/2022 and the role of interprovincial migration and immigration. We also look at the impacts of accelerated growth on the labour market and local economic development as well as the housing affordability challenges facing Atlantic Canada.  

To close out this season of Intended Consequences, we look back on what was an eventful 2022 and look ahead to next year. Our StrategyCorp guests discuss the most important developments of 2022 and their significance for Canadian politics and economics. Our guests also tell us what they will be keeping an eye on in 2023 and why. Some even ventured to make a few predictions!