Insights with Don Mills and David Campbell- An Acadia Broadcasting Podcast

Hosted by Don Mills & David Campbell

Business Society CultureInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn

Episodes

289

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

This podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision making among policymakers and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region. Expect to hear interviews with the top influencers, business leaders and decision-makers across Atlantic Canada to inform, educate and expand the conversations on the key issues facing the region.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 15, 2026Episode 29059 min

Help Wanted: Workforce Crisis in Atlantic Canada

This is rebroadcast of a previous episode. This week's Insights Podcast focuses on a recent report prepared by David Campbell for the Public Policy Forum called "Help Wanted: Solving Atlantic Canada’s Growing Labour Challenge". David is a Fellow with the Public Policy Forum as well as the co-host of the Insights Podcast. In our conversation, he notes that Atlantic Canada will need more than 440,000 new workers by 2035 to replace those retiring and fill new jobs created by economic growth. He points out that 20% of today's workforce in the region are 55 years old or more and will most likely be out of the workforce by 2035. More critically, due to low birth rates and an older population, Atlantic Canada does not have the capacity to produce the workers needed for the future. In fact, the shortfall is nearly 270,000 workers that will have to be attracted to the region from elsewhere. It is a crisis that is already evident. We talk about what needs to happen to address this growing problem.

October 9, 2026Episode 2891 hr 4 min

Struggling in Class: Is New Brunswick’s Education System Failing a Generation of Students?

On this week’s Insights podcast, Don and David speak with Paul Bennett, author of a provocative new book Struggling in Class: A Report Card on Education in New Brunswick. Bennett believes the K-12 school system is in a protracted crisis and failing the current generation of students. He points to the latest PISA scores which place New Brunswick last among the 10 provinces. The book covers a wide range of issues from inclusive education and French Immersion to the growing disparity in rural education outcomes. The Insights podcast is focused on economic development and fostering greater prosperity in our region. The ability of our K-12 education system to turn out graduates that are ready for the modern, complex world is key to that future prosperity. You may not agree with all of Bennett’s conclusions and recommendations but you should listen to what he has to say.

October 2, 2026Episode 28859 min

Bolder Ambitions: Building a More Prosperous Atlantic Canada

On this week’s Insights podcast, Don talks with David about the Atlantic Economic Panel’s new report Bolder Ambitions: Greater Prosperity for All. After nearly a year of work, the panel sets out a bold agenda focused on population growth, investment attraction, improved regional trade, diversifying international exports growth and other drivers of regional prosperity. Don walks us through the findings and what comes next.

September 24, 2026Episode 28759 min

Nova Scotia's Lost Century and What Needs to Happen Now

In this episode of the Insights Podcast, our guest is Ian Thompson, the author of a new book called "Nova Scotia's Lost Century: Can We Change Course". Ian has an interesting background as a journalist, entrepreneur and senior civil servant that he used to help write the book and brings a fresh perspective to the topic as a result. The book is an interesting read that chronicles the decline of Nova Scotia economic fortunes following confederation which the people of the province at the time generally resisted, led by Joe Howe. In our conversation, Thompson's talks about the basis for that resistance and what Nova Scotia was like before and after confederation. He describes the province as "have nots that wouldn't say yes", providing specific examples of that behaviour and how it has held the province back. He points out examples of success in the province that provide hope for the future and the opportunities to change the direction of the province. For those interested in a better understanding of how Nova Scotia got to its present position, we would highly recommend reading Thompson's book. In the meantime, the podcast provides a good overview of its content.

September 17, 2026Episode 28658 min

Saint John Energy Delivering Value and Reliability

Our Insights Podcast this week features a conversation with Ryan Mitchell, the CEO of Saint John Energy, one of nine independent municipal electric utilities in Atlantic Canada. Saint John Energy was created in 1922 and is owned by the City of Saint John. The company serves 38,000 customers and has a staff of 125. About 85% of its power is purchased from NB Power on a wholesale basis, while the remainder is from a ten turbine wind farm owned by a third party. The utility prides itself on its reliability which is ranked amongst the highest in Canada according to Mitchell, partially due to the benefits of having a lot of underground infrastructure. The company offers the lowest rates in Atlantic Canada. The company is in the process of updating its smart meters and Mitchell talks about the future possibility of time of day rates for use to manage peak demand. He also talks about the need for more capacity to support economic development in the Saint John area. The company capital budget in the coming year is about $20 million. This is an interesting look at a mostly unknown segment of the electricity market in the region.

September 11, 2026Episode 28559 min

The Atlantic Ballet Story: Entrepreneurship, Culture, and Impact

On this week’s Insights podcast, Don and David welcome Susan Chalmers-Gauvin, the founder and CEO of Atlantic Ballet of Canada. This is an impressive entrepreneurial story. Founded in 2001, Susan and creative director Igor Dobrovolskiy built the only professional ballet company east of Montreal through grit and determination. Now, the company is internationally recognized and performing around the world including an upcoming tour in Australia. The ballet company has a $3 million annual budget and supports dozens of artists and creative workers every through its direct payroll and contract workers. Not content with being just another dance company, Susan and Igor have used Atlantic Ballet as a platform for many social issues ranging from raising awareness of domestic violence to the challenges facing new immigrants to Canada. Atlantic Ballet has a strong commitment to Indigenous culture through its Mawiamalga’tijig/Mawokahtine Intercultural Indigenous Dance Program and other initiatives. Just finishing its sixth year, the innovative Ballet by the Ocean brings professional dance to a wider audience and enhances the company’s role as a tourism asset. Don, David and Susan also discuss the broader importance of investing in arts and culture and its role in strengthening communities across Atlantic Canada.

September 3, 2026Episode 2841 hr 0 min

Kent Building Supplies is the Largest Building Supply Company in Atlantic Canada.

Our Insights Podcast this week features a conversation with Rannie MacDonald, the VP of JD Irving's Retail Division and Patrick O'Neil, the General Manager of Kent Building Supplies that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Since its founding in Bouctouche (Kent County), Kent has become the market leader in the region in building supplies. Most Atlantic Canadians have shopped at a Kent's at one time or the other. The company has 48 retail outlets ranging in size from its large big box stores of up to 125,000 square feet to its smaller 24,000 square foot sized traditional stores located in smaller communities. Kent has become one of the region's largest private sector employers, with 3,700 full-time employees generating more than $200 million in wages that are mostly spent in the region. It supports nearly 1,400 vendors in the region, spending $300 million a year on local goods and services. It has a major 560,000 square foot distribution centre in Moncton with over 25,000 product skus and sources the vast majority of its products from Canadian manufacturers. Indeed, only 10 percent of their products come from US suppliers. It has spun off Atlas Structural Systems that now has 11 locations and an incremental 600 employees, as well as Industrial Commercial Supplies with another 100 employees. It is proudly an Atlantic Canadian success story and one that you will enjoy learning more about.

August 28, 2026Episode 2831 hr 0 min

Gerry Pond's Legacy: Building Companies, Backing Entrepreneurs, Shaping a Region

A few weeks ago, Gerry Pond, one of New Brunswick's great business leaders, passed away. On this week's Insights podcast, Don and David welcome Curtis Howe, Gerry's long-time friend and business partner, to discuss his life and legacy. Few in New Brunswick have had such a meaningful business career. For more than three decades, he helped shape NBTel into one of North America's most innovative telecommunications companies. He then went on to co-found a top information technology (IT) company in Atlantic Canada and invest in over 80 companies through East Valley Ventures. After a 40-year relationship, few are better positioned than Curtis to share the story of Gerry Pond. After leaving NBTel, he mused about starting an asphalt company. While there is no doubt he would have succeeded in this business, Atlantic Canada's IT sector and the dozens of successful entrepreneurs he supported are glad he went in a different direction. This one is well worth an hour of your time.

August 21, 2026Episode 2821 hr 1 min

Three Brothers Transform their Sport Passion into a Business

On this week's Insights Podcast, our guests are Todd and Jeff Bishop, who, along with a third brother, Alex, founded the Dormie Workshop in 2014. The company is the market leader in producing high-end leather head covers for golf clubs, with production facilities in both Halifax and LA. Golf Digest has recognized the company multiple times as the category leader in its niche. The company has both a wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales channel. Their products are found in many of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world, and the company has deals with Augusta National and the upcoming British Open at St. Andrews next year. The brothers admit the business suits their lifestyles and have ambitions to diversify into clothing for golfers, recently adding a line of high-end belts to their product offerings. This was a fun conversation for us, and we know you will enjoy the brothers' journey to their current success.

August 13, 2026Episode 28158 min

Help Wanted: Workforce Crisis in Atlantic Canada

This week's Insights Podcast focuses on a recent report prepared by David Campbell for the Public Policy Forum called "Help Wanted: Solving Atlantic Canada’s Growing Labour Challenge". David is a Fellow with the Public Policy Forum as well as the co-host of the Insights Podcast. In our conversation, he notes that Atlantic Canada will need more than 440,000 new workers by 2035 to replace those retiring and fill new jobs created by economic growth. He points out that 20% of today's workforce in the region are 55 years old or more and will most likely be out of the workforce by 2035. More critically, due to low birth rates and an older population, Atlantic Canada does not have the capacity to produce the workers needed for the future. In fact, the shortfall is nearly 270,000 workers that will have to be attracted to the region from elsewhere. It is a crisis that is already evident. We talk about what needs to happen to address this growing problem.