Tariffs and Economic Development: Threats, Opportunities and Strategies
Release Date: 04/23/2025
A Wave of Retiring Entrepreneurs Is Coming
Intended Consequences
Entrepreneurship is the foundation of economic development. But what happens when entrepreneurs want to retire? According to a from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), nearly 61% of Canadian SMEs are led by owners who are 50+ and many plan to exit within the next five years. Pierre Cléroux, Vice President, Research and Chief Economist at BDC, joins the podcast to discuss this dynamic and what might happen to these SMEs. He shares insight into whether entrepreneurs are prepared for their exits, who they might sell their companies to, and the benefits of business acquisitions for...
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When the Lights Come On: How Live Music and Film Fuel Economic Development
Intended Consequences
Live music and film are major drivers of economic development in communities across Canada. Erin Benjamin, President & CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association, and Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos, Film Commissioner and CEO of the Ottawa Film Office, join the podcast to discuss the positive economic and social impacts of their respective sectors. They highlight the importance of partnerships and people and explain how governments can help attract and support live music and movie productions.
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Assessing Canada's Housing-Enabling Infrastructure
Intended Consequences
Growing Canada’s housing supply requires adequate underlying infrastructure. Water and wastewater capacity, waste management, and public transit and active transportation are top-of-mind housing-enabling infrastructure for communities across Canada. Ren Thomas is a member of the Canadian Infrastructure Council (CIC) and joins the podcast to discuss the CIC’s first National Infrastructure Assessment. She provides key insights on the state of infrastructure in Canada, regional differences, the role of social infrastructure, and climate resilience.
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AI Isn't Waiting for Permission
Intended Consequences
AI is top of mind across all organizations. Julie Gonyou, Vice President at StrategyCorp, explains how AI is rapidly embedding itself in the public sector. As the pace of AI continues to accelerate in 2026, Julie explains how it will shape the next phase of public sector transformation, and why decision-makers must get it right.
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Elections, Economic Security, and Sectoral Turmoil: 2025 in Review
Intended Consequences
StrategyCorp’s year-in-review and 2026 look-ahead StrategyCorp’s annual year-in-review & look-ahead episode is back to close out the 2025 season of Intended Consequences. Our expert guests discuss the most important developments of 2025 in politics, communication, real estate, education, technology, and geopolitics, and share what they will be keeping an eye on in 2026 to help us get ready for a new year.
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Trade, Tech and Training: A Discussion on the State of Canadian Manufacturing
Intended Consequences
Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), joins the podcast to discuss tariffs and trade diversification. He also provides insight into the state of AI adoption in manufacturing, the value of intellectual property and the crucial role of postsecondary institutions in training the workforce the sector needs. Municipalities, economic developers and companies will want to listen to this episode as Jayson Myers explains how they can partner with NGen to showcase Canadian manufacturing capabilities at home and abroad.
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A Site Selector’s View on How Businesses Make Location Decisions
Intended Consequences
Making location decisions has never been as challenging for companies. Global and local factors are extensively influencing investment dynamics and shaping economic development. Gregg Wassmansdorf, Senior Managing Director of Global Strategy consulting at Newmark, joins the podcast to discuss the state of site selection in Canada and the United States. He provides expert insight into investment readiness, business retention and expansion (BR+E), tariffs, and how politics and policy influence site selection.
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Change, Politics, and Pressure: Inside the 2025 CAO Survey
Intended Consequences
Joanne Chianello and Stacy Hushion join the podcast to discuss . With a municipal election a year away, longstanding pressures facing local governments and Trump-induced uncertainty, it was an interesting time to engage with CAOs to hear their views. Our guests share the Survey’s insights into the local impacts of geopolitics, incivility, strong mayor powers, and provincial-municipal relations.
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Parliament Returns as Trade War Continues to Shape Priorities
Intended Consequences
After a busy summer for the government and opposition parties, Members of Parliament are back in Ottawa for the return of the House of Commons. Between the ongoing tension with the United States, the return of Pierre Poilievre in the House of Commons, and an upcoming federal budget amid a slowing economy, there will be no shortage of political and economic developments to keep an eye on this fall. Jeff Mahon joins the podcast to provide an overview of how geopolitical dynamics will influence Canadian politics and government priorities. Allyson Grant and Garry Keller also drop by to talk about...
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A Credit Rating Agency on Canadian Government Finances
Intended Consequences
Federal and provincial governments across Canada have been recording budget deficits for several years, which is raising concerns around their financial capacity in a time of heightened uncertainty. Deficits and debt can get very political with opposition parties often attacking governments on their management of public finances. However, the financial market tends to look at government finances through a different lens and focuses on the ability to repay debt obligations. Credit rating agencies play an important role in this ecosystem by rating issuers. To learn more about how credit rating...
info_outlineThe 100th episode of Intended Consequences explores the impacts of the U.S. tariffs on economic development in Canada. Many Canadian communities are vulnerable to tariffs with Saint John (NB), Calgary and Windsor topping the list according to the U.S. Tariff Exposure Index developed by the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
The Director of the Economic Development Program at the University of Waterloo, Brock Dickinson, joins the podcast to discuss how economic development is impacted by tariffs and what it could mean for sectors like manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. He shares helpful strategies local economic development officers can deploy to support companies and make their communities more resilient.