Nova Scotia’s Premier recently suggested the province’s budget process may have been “too rational.” But when you look at the evidence behind several recent policy decisions—from tax cuts amid rising debt to bridge toll removal and cuts to cultural programs—the real concern may be the opposite: that evidence-informed policymaking has too often been missing. Good public policy isn’t made by throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. It requires transparency, research, and a commitment to the long-term wellbeing of communities.

Nova Scotians are being told that the province’s latest budget is about “building a financially sustainable and resilient province.” Unfortunately, the numbers, and the policy choices, tell a very different story. After celebrating one…

In this part of my series, I want to consider a question that complexity theorist Doug Griffin often said was central for any group trying to get things done in a complex world: “Who are we becoming?” The key word here is ‘we’.…