Cape Breton island welcomes American refugees

[Berkut]

I make a six figure income in New York. I suspect if I could make that same income in Cape Breton, I would live like a king!

Vancouver...not so much.

[Barrister]

I make a six figure income in New York. I suspect if I could make that same income in Cape Breton, I would live like a king!

Vancouver...not so much.

I think that's a pretty big *if* there.

Yes, by all accounts the Maritimes are gorgeous.  But there might be a reason I've met so many maritimers (and in particular Cape Bretoners) in Alberta who tell me how gorgeous it is...

[PRC]

My Dad and his side of the family come from Cape Breton.  It's a pretty special place, awesome to visit, but yeah, because of the economic climate probably not the best to place to live.

[Valmy]

Why is the economic climate so bad? What sort of activities do they normally do out there? Fishing?

[PRC]

Fisheries were a major industry that collapsed when it was closed out in 1992.  It's come back a bit some but the damage was done.  Coal mining was also a big part of Cape Breton's industry anyways but that dried up a long time ago too.

[Malthus]

I make a six figure income in New York. I suspect if I could make that same income in Cape Breton, I would live like a king!

Vancouver...not so much.

I think that's a pretty big *if* there.

Yes, by all accounts the Maritimes are gorgeous.  But there might be a reason I've met so many maritimers (and in particular Cape Bretoners) in Alberta who tell me how gorgeous it is...

The stupid part is that there is literally no reason why I, and in fact many office-type workers, could *not* do our jobs while living in Cape Breton (or wherever). I hardly ever see anyone face to face; all my communications with clients are electronic or via conferencing tech. Actual court or administrative board visits are vanishingly rare (and in my field, happen as often in Ottawa as Toronto, requiring travel anyway).

However, for reasons of prestige, law firms are somehow required to be located in the most expensive possible downtown major-city locations.

This has always struck me as economically dumb. Why not divide the firm up and only have those lawyers who actually need to be close to downtown/the courts there, and put the others elsewhere? Yet the big firms don't do that.

[garbon]

I make a six figure income in New York. I suspect if I could make that same income in Cape Breton, I would live like a king!

Vancouver...not so much.

I think that's a pretty big *if* there.

Yes, by all accounts the Maritimes are gorgeous.  But there might be a reason I've met so many maritimers (and in particular Cape Bretoners) in Alberta who tell me how gorgeous it is...

The stupid part is that there is literally no reason why I, and in fact many office-type workers, could *not* do our jobs while living in Cape Breton (or wherever). I hardly ever see anyone face to face; all my communications with clients are electronic or via conferencing tech. Actual court or administrative board visits are vanishingly rare (and in my field, happen as often in Ottawa as Toronto, requiring travel anyway).

However, for reasons of prestige, law firms are somehow required to be located in the most expensive possible downtown major-city locations.

This has always struck me as economically dumb. Why not divide the firm up and only have those lawyers who actually need to be close to downtown/the courts there, and put the others elsewhere? Yet the big firms don't do that.

I guess talent would need to want to work over there? I mean my industry is often in major cities, even though there is little reason that most research staff need to be. Hell even for those visiting clients, most pharma firms aren't in the cities.

[Malthus]

Why is the economic climate so bad? What sort of activities do they normally do out there? Fishing?

When I was a law student, one of my first actual jobs was as research assistant to a relatively well known law and economics prof. One of the war stories he told me was about the time the provincial government called on him to write a report about what to do with Cape Breton's coal industry. It was heavily subsidized by the government, and economic conditions did not look too good - I think this was in the '80s. He was supposed to find the cheapest way to deal with the industry while preserving Cape Breton jobs and the environment.

Anyway, he did his research, based on economic projections and estimated subsidies, and came back with a proposal: just hand over some large sum of cash (I think it was on the order of half a million dollars on average) to each miner, and close the mines right away; then let the former miners do something else, using all, that money.

The government hated this, because they could not fathom just handing over that kind of money to the miners. So they kept the status quo. They kept the mines open, and kept subsidizing them.

Problem is, in the end they were forced to close them anyway, throwing all of the miners out of work; and by that time, they had in fact paid far more in subsidies than the original proposal would have cost - all to keep the miners working in miserably unsafe and back-breaking conditions for another decade or so (to produce expensively subsidized coal). Also, keeping the mines open led to massive environmental degradation.   

[viper37]

Hey I know that Island! That is where Louisbourg was correct? An important place to set up shop in EU2.

yes
it's a nice place to visit, in summer, not too sure about living there though.

[Valmy]

Yeah you told me that story before. Regions dependent on Coal mining have had it rough these days. So I guess Cape Breton is the West Virginia of Canada.

[viper37]

I love how they have a shrinking population and economy and are on the path to disaster...yet their future is bright!

they are taking steps to adress global warming caused by humans

[Malthus]

I guess talent would need to want to work over there? I mean my industry is often in major cities, even though there is little reason that most research staff need to be. Hell even for those visiting clients, most pharma firms aren't in the cities.

I think the main problem is perceived prestige. Having a downtown address = you are a major player.

[viper37]

I make a six figure income in New York. I suspect if I could make that same income in Cape Breton, I would live like a king!

Vancouver...not so much.

I think that's a pretty big *if* there.

Yes, by all accounts the Maritimes are gorgeous.  But there might be a reason I've met so many maritimers (and in particular Cape Bretoners) in Alberta who tell me how gorgeous it is...

when people talk about how gorgeous a place is, they usually do not employ this adjective for overcrowded cities.  Landscapes totally devoid of people are gorgeous, not Hong-Kong wannabes...

[garbon]

I guess talent would need to want to work over there? I mean my industry is often in major cities, even though there is little reason that most research staff need to be. Hell even for those visiting clients, most pharma firms aren't in the cities.

I think the main problem is perceived prestige. Having a downtown address = you are a major player.

Well yes, that's true. Though again, as you've said, that could be solved by having an office but a smaller one and then have other people located elsewhere.

Actually that is how my team in the US works. I think there is one person still based in NYC, everyone else is in NJ, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Georgia and just works at home.

[Malthus]

I guess talent would need to want to work over there? I mean my industry is often in major cities, even though there is little reason that most research staff need to be. Hell even for those visiting clients, most pharma firms aren't in the cities.

I think the main problem is perceived prestige. Having a downtown address = you are a major player.

Well yes, that's true. Though again, as you've said, that could be solved by having an office but a smaller one and then have other people located elsewhere.

Actually that is how my team in the US works. I think there is one person still based in NYC, everyone else is in NJ, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Georgia and just works at home.

I strongly suspect this is the wave of the future, and what is stopping it happening now is pure inertia and conservatism in my profession.