Charles Conteh, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management in Brock’s Department of Political Science, wrote a piece recently published in the St. Catharines Standard about the future of Niagara’s economy.

Conteh writes:

Niagara Community Foundation held its 16th annual Niagara Leaders Breakfast back in November, with the event featuring the release of Niagara Connects’ Living in Niagara 2017 report.

For a starter, Niagara is projected to have a population growth of 160,000 people, with an increase in the number of jobs by 150,000 by 2041. This projected growth is already evident in Niagara’s modest industrial growth and related employment and training opportunities. The much-touted new General Electric manufacturing facility slated to open in Welland sometime this year is a case in point. Greenhouses transitioning to cannabis production have also created a buzz in the region, even if their true impact on Niagara’s economy and employment is still unclear.

There are some wrinkles worth highlighting in this projected growth. For instance, there will be more jobs at both lower and higher income levels, which raises questions about two kinds of groups: those who are precariously employed, and mid-income earners who are being squeezed out by this trend. More jobs at the lower income bracket often means insecure, part-time and minimum-wage existence for more families.

Data from the 2006 and 2014 income quintile for Niagara shows there are still about 65,000 people living on $12,000 a year or less, and this costs all of us, collectively in Niagara, at least $1.38 billion a year in both direct and indirect economic costs.

Continue reading the full article here.