These are stories Report on Business followed this week.
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Separation anxiety
Ever wonder what might be at stake if provinces other than Quebec threatened to separate?
Probably not. And understandably.
But I got to thinking about it after the Edinburgh-based Scotch Whisky Association raised its concerns Friday in the run-up to Scotland's independence referendum.
The skittish Scottish producers aren't taking a stand. They simply warned on Friday that, no matter the outcome, they need "an effective diplomatic network with the necessary global reach" for the €4.3-billion in U.K. exports that they represent.
And that got my mind wandering, and me wondering whether, for example, the maple syrup industry might have weighed in had the PQ won the Quebec election and actually called a referendum. Let alone the poutine and Montreal smoked meat interests.
So what if:
Newfoundland and Labrador bolted: Newfoundland Screech is now an industry on its own, from the rum to flavoured coffee to blueberry spread.
PEI held a referendum: There goes all things Anne of Green Gables.
Quebec carried through: I shouldn't make light of maple syrup. You can bet the Fédération des producteurs acéricoles wouldn't. Quebec is home to the strategic maple syrup reserve, whose value became known word-wide when it was robbed of $30-million of the stuff.
Ontario decided it's sick of Dutch Disease: I have no idea where the banks and insurance companies would move their offices if Ontario quit. Maybe Alberta?
Manitoba left the country: Google "snake-watching capital of the world."
Saskatchewan separated: The world's farmers would worry about all that potash. But you wouldn't.
Alberta went its own way: Actually, I seem to recall something about letting the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark, anyway.
British Columbia separated: People would have to cross a border for B.C. bud. Of course, prices are dropping because pot's now legal across the other border.
The week's top news
- Janet McFarland: Livent creditors win key ruling, awarded $85-million
- Rachelle Younglai: New Potash CEO takes reins amid tough landscape
- Greg Keenan: Canadian auto investment stalls
- Greg Keenan: Toyota joins parade of recalls with 6.4 million vehicles
- Eric Reguly: Greece sees stunning return to bond market after four years
- David Berman: Slowing China casts chill over global markets
The week's must-reads
- Omar El Akkad and Kelly Cryderman: Canadian technology and the flight of the drones
- Kevin Carmichael: As smaller firms look abroad, a U.S. trade shift takes hold
- Sophie Cousineau: For Couillard, a big win and a bigger challenge in Quebec
- Tavia Grant: The new, younger face of startups
- Omar El Akkad: Fed up with passwords? These tech experts are seeking alternatives
- Kevin Carmichael: Stubborn, but right: How I'll remember Jim Flaherty
The week in Business Briefing
- 'Outrageous valuations': Why tech stocks are writing
- Why loonie is perking up: A lot to do with U.S. dollar, a little with PQ defeat
- Oy vey. A takeover of Manischewitz
- How speculators made a killing on the Canadian dollar
- Irate over taxes? See how Canada ranks (and be glad you're not Belgian)
The week in Streetwise (for subscribers)
- Jacqueline Nelson: Onex CEO awarded $129.3-million in 2013
- Rachelle Younglai and Jacqueline Nelson: Waterton bulks up to feed appetite for mining acquisitions
- Boyd Erman: Bay Street eyes high-speed trading link to New York
- Jeffrey Jones: Gasfrac sets new date for meeting after investment by hedge fund
- Jacqueline Nelson: Fairfax CEO Watsa bearish on tech - except for BlackBerry
The week in ROB Insight (for subscribers)
- Christopher Swann: U.S. crude export ban no longer makes sense
- Christopher Ragan: Joe Oliver's big challenge: Living with budget surpluses
- Glen Hodgson: Quebec's post-election challenge: Rejuvenating an economy in decline
- Brian Milner: Heartbleed exposes cheapskate cybersecurity budgets
- David Parkinson: BlackBerry's Chen hasn't given up on handsets - yet