New economic research institute coming to Manitoba

This may be good news for those of us frustrated with so-called “research” produced by the likes of YWCA Canada, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Caledon Institute and so on: The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce (MCC) are establishing an independent, non-profit research institute to look into economic development-related issues. As the Winnipeg Free Press reported yesterday (subscription required):

For a number of years, the MCC has been calling on the provincial government to conduct in-depth studies into why Manitoba often compares so poorly to other provinces on things like employment, labour force growth and average weekly wages.

But the chambers’ pleas have fallen on deaf ears, so now they’re taking matters into their own hands and moving forward with plans to create a new independent, non- profit research institute that can look into economic development-related issues.

“We got to the point where we simply said, ‘ Let’s go ahead and do it,’” Dan Overall, the MCC’s director of policy and communications, said in an interview yesterday. “ We’re hopeful what this will do is help raise public discussion about some of these issues and provide data and analysis.”