Posts By: Brent White

And for this week’s comeback story

Posted by & filed under Financial Accounting.

Description:  Last week this blog featured a story on how Blackberry had turned a profit by transforming itself from a handset company to a software vendor with a valuable automobile industry component. This week, the Washington Post featured a story on how Toys R Us – a company that had shuttered its US retail operations… Read more »

Taxpayers subsidize UFC?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers.

Description:  It’s controversial. But in a 7-2 vote Moncton city council voted to provide $100,000 of taxpayers’ money to an upcoming UFC card in the city’s new entertainment complex. The use of public money on a sporting event is drawing lots of media attention. Those that voted for the move relied on staff reports talking… Read more »

Blackberry Shares Rising

Posted by & filed under Corporate Strategy.

Description:  After years of being on death watch, Blackberry is turning things around. Financial results for the latest quarters showed a profit of over $40 million U.S. These days the company is making its money in software and its fast-growing automotive division. Hiring is up and the company is looking for 1,000 or so engineers…. Read more »

Federal PBO critical of provincial debt

Posted by & filed under Advanced Accounting, Financial Accounting.

Description: He works for the Parliament of Canada. But that did not stop the newly-appointed Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), Yves Giroux, from criticizing provincial governments in his first report. While the federal government’s finances are sustainable, Mr. Giroux told a news conference that  “it’s a totally different story for provinces and territories.” Date: September 27 , 2018… Read more »

Death Spiral

Posted by & filed under Financial Reporting and Analysis, Student life.

Description:  The Globe and Mail is saying New Brunswick is in a ‘death spiral’ financially. The problem is that the tiny province is in the last stages of an election campaign and none of the political leaders really seems to be seriously engaging the issue. In the past ten years, New Brunswick has basically doubled… Read more »

Costing Calgary 2.0

Posted by & filed under Canadian Government.

Description:  It all comes down to the numbers. Supporters of Calgary’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics are quoting optimistic figures showing that $5 billion plus in costs for the Games will produce 5 times the benefits in economic impacts. On the other side are skeptics claiming the games will leave the three levels of… Read more »

Hey Ticketmaster!

Posted by & filed under Ethics.

Description:  Have you ever wondered if you were paying a bit too much for those tickets you’ve been buying from Ticketmaster? Well, joint undercover research by the CBC and the Toronto Star has revealed some disturbing news. It appears that Ticketmaster is permitting high volume scalpers to use its TradeDesk system. Scalpers can buy significant… Read more »

Sobeys sees higher prices

Posted by & filed under Student life.

Description:  While Loblaws hit the news last week on the taxation front, another big Canadian grocer, Sobeys, made the news by predicting an increase in food prices. The reason: transportation costs and tariffs. An increase in minimum wages in some jurisdictions is also offered as another reason for rising prices. Date: September 13 , 2018 Source:… Read more »

The Bug

Posted by & filed under Corporate Strategy.

Description:  The Volkswagen Beetle – often popularly known as the Bug – is on the endangered species list. Volkswagen announced last week that the final editions of the Beetle will probably roll off of the assembly line by next summer. CEO Hinrich Woebcken of Volkswagen USA did hold out a bit of hope for a revival… Read more »