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Many experts see Atlantic Canada at the leading edge of an unprecedented construction boom. Sustaining population growth of 1–2% annually will require the region to deliver thousands more homes each year than it has historically built, alongside significant expansion in industrial, commercial, and institutional construction. Major investments in energy infrastructure and emerging industrial opportunities are accelerating this demand. Yet these opportunities arrive amid real constraints: nearly one‑third of the construction workforce is 55 and older, productivity (particularly in residential construction) lags other sectors, and digital and emerging technologies have yet to deliver the gains seen in manufacturing, agriculture, mining, etc. David will explore how Atlantic Canada can harness innovation in construction to unlock productivity to support economic growth across the region over the next 15–20 years.
David is the President of Jupia Consultants Inc., an economic development consulting and research firm based in New Brunswick. David has more than 30 years’ experience as a consultant working with industry, not-for-profit organizations and governments across Canada with a specific focus on Atlantic Canada. In recent years he has been involved in some of the most important regional development opportunities including large scale energy projects, port and airport development, workforce planning, cluster growth, export market development and new economic opportunities identification. He has become one of the leading providers of economic impact assessments in Atlantic Canada.
From 2015 to 2017, he was Chief Economist with the Government of New Brunswick. In that role, he led the development of economic policy, economic development strategy and people attraction efforts for the provincial government.
In addition to co-authoring Towards Prosperity: The Transformation of Atlantic Canada’s Economy (2025), David writes the It’s the Economy, Stupid! Substack and co-hosts the Insights podcast with Don Mills and David Campbell. He was a long-time columnist with Brunswick News (2005-2024) and has been a contributing writer to multiple other publications including the Globe and Mail and Atlantic Business magazine. David is frequently asked to be the keynote speaker at industry events and conferences across the region. In 2026, he was appointed as a Fellow with the Ottawa-based Public Policy Forum.
David is the Chair of the Board of the Multicultural Agency of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA), past Chair of the Board of the United Way of Greater Moncton and a member of the Crandall University Board of Governors. He has been involved with over a dozen other community organizations over a three-decade career.
He formerly was a Research Fellow at the Donald J. Savoie Institute at the Université de Moncton and is an advisor with the Wallace McCain Institute. David also teaches an annual course on Energy Economics as part of the University of New Brunswick Saint John Energy Fundamentals for Leaders program.
He lives in Cocagne, New Brunswick with his wife Adriana.
Many experts see Atlantic Canada at the leading edge of an unprecedented construction boom. Sustaining population growth of 1–2% annually will require the region to deliver thousands more homes each year than it has historically built, alongside significant expansion in industrial, commercial, and institutional construction. Major investments in energy infrastructure and emerging industrial opportunities are accelerating this demand. Yet these opportunities arrive amid real constraints: nearly one‑third of the construction workforce is 55 and older, productivity (particularly in residential construction) lags other sectors, and digital and emerging technologies have yet to deliver the gains seen in manufacturing, agriculture, mining, etc. David will explore how Atlantic Canada can harness innovation in construction to unlock productivity to support economic growth across the region over the next 15–20 years.
