Dirty politicians, skyrocketing taxes, shrinking population – Nova Scotia needs a new business Strategy!
Chad Wiesner
The April 6 edition of the Globe and Mail featured an article that, frankly, embarrassed me as a Nova Scotian. It’s usually a rarity that our little province even gets mentioned in the nation’s newspaper as this region is so often overlooked and underappreciated. But there it was, as bold as a Spring day, an article talking about “dirty politics in Nova Scotia” in our political “culture of secrecy and entitlement”. Political commentator Ralph Surette was quoted as saying “There’s a tradition that politics are dirty in Nova Scotia, that’s the way it’s played, and it’s only wrong if you get caught. In many ways there was a culture of corruption here.” I suppose you could just shrug it off and say oh well, that’s just the way it is. But you know what? That really isn’t good enough anymore.
I have chosen to raise my family and build my career in this region, despite the enormous tax rates on my income, my home and everything I buy. I live here because I believe it’s a great place to live and our region’s potential is equally great if we could only build the right Strategy. The “culture of corruption” referred to is the legacy of our elected politicians where each successive government blames the previous for problems they inherit and in turn, perpetuate the same mistakes. Our present NDP government came on board with a platform calling for fairness, balanced budgets and a new approach. But, within six months, they raised our taxes, cut our services and continue to make it increasingly difficult to do business and attract investment to this region. How can we lure working professionals and families to a province that progressively penalizes (taxes) them for making a good income and being successful? We need to stimulate business development and investment in Nova Scotia by lowering business tax rates and taking the burden off the backs small and medium businesses. Unfortunately those measures will be ineffective if our pay checks and every expenditure we make is taxed at a rate that is beyond sensible.
So where’s the root of the problem? Well, I would venture to guess that comes down to the fact that we are simply not electing qualified people to develop and execute our province’s Business Strategy. Our last provincial premier was a gym teacher and fiddle player before becoming an MLA and later Premier once he hit his early 30’s. Now, there’s nothing wrong with either of those professions, but in the private sector, would Mr. MacDonald even get an interview to become the leader of a business the size of Nova Scotia, managing hundreds of millions of dollars? Of course not! Herein lies the issue: in politics or business, smart planning, fiscal responsibility and thoughtful deployment of both human and capital resources make a successful venture. To build a successful strategy for the future of our region, we need more experienced businesspeople, professionals and leaders in the provincial Assembly. Nova Scotia’s proximity to the most important logistics routes and markets in the world is such a huge opportunity. More and more cruise ships continue to call on our ports every year, but what are we doing to capitalize on that and drive more tourism into our towns and cities? What is the business of Nova Scotia’s marketing strategy? Do we even have one?
To build a sustainable future for working people in the Atlantic region, we need to stop the flow of our people West and develop opportunities right here. We need to ensure our children stay here and raise their families after attending University. We need to make this an attractive region for immigration and business investment. Without the right team of experienced people to develop, lead and execute the right sales, marketing and fiscal strategies for our Province, I fear we’ll have to hold a “going out of business” sale. It’s up to us to change the culture.
Chad Wiesner
chad@phigroup.ca
Chad has over 17 years of marketing and sales leadership experience with corporate management roles spanning the international export, credit information, manufacturing and telecommunications industries. A collaborative entrepreneur by nature, Chad has successfully developed and executed strategic marketing plans pertaining to branding, communications, product development and sales for both small and large companies. His “real world” business acumen has taken him from the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies to the docks of multi-national seafood companies. With an eye for detail, Chad has crafted meaningful marketing strategies and communications plans that encompass the essence of the company and the customers it serves.