Quote:
Originally Posted by C-3P0
This is my first post (sorry for length) but I have been reading this thread for years now. Mainly out of general interest for what is going on in the city.
I am sick of all the negativity in NL recently. It's about time we focus on the positive side of things that are happening. Just a few examples: Yes, there are aspects of the economy that are low but the retail spending hasn't faultered plsu the city has a historically large number of construction important projects underway in the core areas. They've got to count for something. NL's population may decrease in future but hopefully, we can retain & attract skilled workers such that we have a strong core of people to build from with fewer mouths to feed. With first oil at Hebron and NL being placed as the fourth most attractive place in the WORLD for oil & gas investment, I think this important industry could serve us very well in the near to mid future. The government shouldn't be irresponsible, as they were in the past, they should support this big industry and continue initiating ways to support other budding industries as well.
|
As you're well aware, it's always easier to dwell on the negative and point the finger to someone else - we all do it, including me sometimes. We are a small province, isolated from the rest of the continent with an aging (and shrinking) population, and a large deficit. So yes, it's very obvious we have many challenges. But, also like you, I think we also have many opportunities. We have relied heavily on oil and gas revenues in the past because it's been easy to do so up to 2015. But just like any resource-based economies there are periods of high volatility and we are now experiencing its downside. I think if we keep a collective 'open mind' we can oversee these challenges and create opportunities from them. Oil and gas will always be a big part of our province, I just don't see it going away. However, I think we can become a big player in the ocean technology sector. There are opportunities in areas such as aquaculture, logistics and servicing, ocean-based R&D, to name a few. Tourism is also becoming a bigger player for our provincial economy. Investment in our private sector can add to small/medium business ventures... which are the the engine that drives local economies. Heck, even our aging population can present opportunities to become a leader in new healthcare delivery models and healthcare technology. We have to stop beating ourselves up, we're better than that! We've been living on this rock for over 500 hundred years now, this isn't the first time we've ran into trouble. Let's all roll up our sleeves and get to work....
... that's my 2 cents worth