[MonctonRad]

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has ranked Canada's top 100 municipalities in terms of their entrepreneurial ability

http://www.cfib-fcei.ca/cfib-documents/rr3206.pdf

This is the ranking of Atlantic Canadian cities on the CFIB list (out of 100)

City........................Rank.................Raw Score

1 Moncton NB..............22....................54.3%
2 Charlottetown PE.......26....................54.0%
3 Bathurst NB..............30.....................53.4%
4 Saint John NB............35.....................52.2%
5 St. John's NF.............36.....................52.1%
6 Fredericton NB...........42.....................50.9%
7 Corner Brook NF.........47.....................50.4%
8 Kentville NS...............60.....................48.1%
9 New Glasgow NS.........72.....................47.0%
10 Cape Breton NS.........85.....................43.7%
11 Halifax NS.................89.....................42.3%
12 Truro NS..................90......................42.2%

[someone123]

Another bizarre aggregate ranking that doesn't measure what it claims to measure. "Businesses per capita" biases the findings toward cities that have fewer major institutions and businesses for example. "Industry employment diversity" is just strange.

[MonctonRad]

CBC article regarding the above:

Maritime cities ranked for business-friendliness
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 | 6:38 PM AT
CBC News

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says Moncton, N.B., and Charlottetown are the most business friendly cities in the Maritimes.

The organization's annual ranking of the top 100 entrepreneurial cities put Moncton in the 22nd spot and Charlottetown in the 26th.

Halifax was listed in the 89th spot.

The list, released Tuesday, ranked Canadian cities on a number of categories that indicate levels of entrepreneurial activity, levels of optimism and business expectations, and the influence of local governments on business decision making.

Western Canadian cities dominated the list for 2010. Cities from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan make up nine of the top 10 cities listed.

Other Maritime cities that made the list include Saint John, N.B. (35th), Fredericton (42nd) and Kentville, N.S. (60th).



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/10/19/ns-maritimes-ranking-business.html#ixzz12nsUxIm1

[MonctonRad]

Another bizarre aggregate ranking that doesn't measure what it claims to measure. "Businesses per capita" biases the findings toward cities that have fewer major institutions and businesses for example. "Industry employment diversity" is just strange.

I imagine Halifax does poorly in the rankings because so many people in HRM work for the government, the military, the hospitals and the universities.

Halifax doesn't have to be entrepreneurial, Halifax just has to be Halifax!! Cities like Moncton and Saint John however have to go out and hustle for business just to stay above water.

The real surprise is that Charlottetown (another fat government city) ranks so well............

Please note that I make these comments with no malice intended. I grew up in Charlottetown and spent my first 21 years there. I also lived in Halifax for nine years. Both cities are amongst my favourite places to be.

[someone123]

I wasn't talking about Halifax specifically. Toronto also ranks poorly (93), as does Vancouver (88). Lloydminster and Prince Albert are ranked at the top despite being small backwaters. The reality is that there are far more entrepreneurs engaged in a much wider variety of economic activity in Vancouver or Toronto than in Lloydminster or Prince Albert.

It is very wrong to look at things like universities as harmful to entrepreneurship, but that is what this study does. There are many other methodological issues as well along with higher level issues of bias in terms of how private business is presented.

[PoscStudent]

Smaller cities probably do better because there isn't any, or very much, competetion when starting something different therefore businesses are more likely to survive.

[MonctonRad]

It is very wrong to look at things like universities as harmful to entrepreneurship, but that is what this study does. There are many other methodological issues as well along with higher level issues of bias in terms of how private business is presented.

I certainly have never implied that universities are harmful to entrepreneurship. Having gone to university for a total of 13 years, I'm personally rather fond of the university experience! :)

Universities are important in creating an educated workforce and fostering entrepreneurship through strong training programs such as business, engineering or applied science.

My point is that cities with a surfeit of well paid and pensioned public service positions in government, the military, health sciences and academia tend not to have the same "hunger" as other cities not quite as well endowed or blessed with such valuable institutions.

Non government cities have to work harder to achieve the same degree of success as their administrative neighbours. This fosters entrepreneurship and is an important feature of successful non governmental cities such as Moncton.

Ever since I moved to Moncton, I've noticed that this place has almost a "frontier" feeling to it. There is not the same degree of complacency here as I have noticed in my previous homes (Halifax and Charlottetown). I rather like the "jump" that this city seems to have. It makes one feel good to live in a city with a positive attitude.