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.

David Campbell is the president of Jupia Consultants Inc., an economic development consulting firm based in New Brunswick. He has more than 30 years' experience working with industry, not-for-profit organizations, and governments across Canada on economic development strategic planning, economic impact analysis, workforce development, and sector development. He was previously Chief Economist with the government of New Brunswick. In that role, he led the development of economic policy and economic development strategy for the provincial government. David is a writer, a podcaster, and a columnist with Postmedia.

David Campbell's profile page

Don Mills is president of Crane Cove Holdings, his family investment firm, and a partner and director with CABCO Communications. He is the co-founder and former owner and CEO of Corporate Research Associates (now Narrative Research), which he sold in late 2018. He remained Chair and Senior Counsel until early 2023. He is a regular columnist with both the Saltwire Network and Brunswick News and a frequent media commentator on public affairs issues. He is also the co-host of the Insights podcast on the Acadia Broadcasting Network. He continues to be active as a consultant in marketing and strategy.

Don Mills' profile page

Former premier of Prince Edward Island.

Wade MacLauchlan Wade MacLauchlan's profile page

Toward Prosperity constitutes a valuable contribution to the debate about how best to understand and manage our region, its economy, and its communities. Not all of the authors' recommendations will be broadly accepted, but their sense of optimism, based on their research and experience, is welcome. Atlantic Canada has had enough economic doom and gloom when, actually, as Campbell and Mills point out, a lot of good things are happening.

—Dan Leger, author, Stephen McNeil: Principle and Politics