The CEO of the Atlantic Economic Council says there hasn’t been a strong economic development focus in the region for some time, and that is something decision-makers should hone in on.

Speaking on the Tim Powers Show, David Chaundy says the current economic situation in the Atlantic provinces is not sustainable.

He says if the provinces want to have healthcare and education systems that work, they need to grow the economy to be able to fund them.

“We can’t keep saying no to this development and no to that development because we’re also saying no to more money for health care or more money for education or whatever the need is. So I do think the premiers that are pushing to grow our economy and to develop the resources that we do have and to help scale up our firms in our technology sectors are on the right track.

That said, Chaundy states it is also important for all of the provincial governments to be managing their money well.

He doesn’t believe it is an “either or” situation. He says government needs to grow the economy and manage its finances at the same time.