Toward Prosperity

A comprehensive analysis of the economic challenges and opportunities in Atlantic Canada and a blueprint for future growth, from a leading social scientist and economist.

Atlantic Canada has long been seen as a "have-not" region in terms of economic performance. Many factors have played into this underperformance: stagnation in population growth, chronic unemployment, an aging population, a high number of people living in rural communities, and an overdependence on government.

But that story is changing. New opportunities are emerging in areas such as natural resources—especially in light of the federal government's goal of net zero by 2050. Post-secondary education has been playing a significant role in immigrant attraction, a key factor in the region's economic prosperity, especially in smaller urban communities. Incubators and accelerators have led to a vibrant start-up community and the re-emergence of a strong entrepreneurial environment in Atlantic Canada.

Opportunities now exist for Atlantic Canada to become a leader in the green economy through new energy alternatives including tidal power, wind power, green hydrogen, and small modular reactors. Successful economic clusters, including the PEI Bio-Alliance and Canada's Ocean Supercluster, are driving significant growth in various parts of Atlantic Canada.

In Toward Prosperity, social scientist Don Mills and economist David Campbell (co-hosts of the Insights podcast) examine, with the aid of numerous explanatory graphics and visuals, the economic transformation that is currently under way in Atlantic Canada and provide a blueprint for sustaining that momentum in the long term.

A comprehensive analysis of the economic challenges and opportunities in Atlantic Canada and a blueprint for future growth, from a leading social scientist and economist.

Atlantic Canada has long been seen as a "have-not" region in terms of economic performance. Many factors have played into this underperformance: stagnation in population growth, chronic unemployment, an aging population, a high number of people living in rural communities, and an overdependence on government.

But that story is changing. New opportunities are emerging in areas such as natural resources—especially in light of the federal government's goal of net zero by 2050. Post-secondary education has been playing a significant role in immigrant attraction, a key factor in the region's economic prosperity, especially in smaller urban communities. Incubators and accelerators have led to a vibrant start-up community and the re-emergence of a strong entrepreneurial environment in Atlantic Canada.

Opportunities now exist for Atlantic Canada to become a leader in the green economy through new energy alternatives including tidal power, wind power, green hydrogen, and small modular reactors. Successful economic clusters, including the PEI Bio-Alliance and Canada's Ocean Supercluster, are driving significant growth in various parts of Atlantic Canada.

In Toward Prosperity, social scientist Don Mills and economist David Campbell (co-hosts of the Insights podcast) examine, with the aid of numerous explanatory graphics and visuals, the economic transformation that is currently under way in Atlantic Canada and provide a blueprint for sustaining that momentum in the long term.