Instead of meekly accepting emotional leaps in faith from simple observations about nature to expensive [climate change] policy recommendations, we need to start holding our politicians, media and activists accountable for using logic in their assessments.
Year: 2012
Feds Should Fix Equalization
Anyone with even a fleeing memory of Saskatchewan’s former battles with Ottawa over equalization might consider Premier Brad Wall utterly mad even for mentioning the topic today, let alone express concern about the federal program.
Bjorn Lomborg On Sun
Bjorn Lomborg was on Sun TV this evening talking about the latest ideas from his “Copenhagen Consensus” project.
Enbridge may become desperate and choose less safe alternatives
Richard Neufeld, a former B.C. energy minister and oil and gas industry booster, now says publicly he doubts Enbridge will be able to build the Northern Gateway pipeline even if the company obtains federal approval. First Nations protests across BC (Alberta bands are...
Featured News
Process, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Accountability and Transparency Inspectorate, ‘PEEATI’
A litany of disastrous decisions have sometimes cost lives and definitely many billions of dollars. Effectively cancelling the Global Public Health Intelligence Network; the failure to implement the pandemic preparedness protocols developed by Ottawa’s public health...
Foreign Influence in Canadian Economy?
Foreign influence or interference has become a mediatic topic. The fear and suspicion of interference in the elections and democratic process have been in news headlines. For the western countries, the suspicion bears on Russia and China. Revisionist powers have a...
Prohibition is Dead. Long Live Prohibition!
Many Ontarians will celebrate Repeal Day (the anniversary of the end of prohibition) on June 1st with a pint or a glass of wine. But while alcohol prohibition is technically a thing of the past in Ontario, we still have many quasi-prohibitionary laws in place—and there may be more on the horizon.
Tax Credits Unfair And Ineffective: Why politicians like them, and you shouldn’t
Tax credits are designed to reduce the financial burden on a particular industry to create jobs and improve living standards for all. They do so by encouraging outside investment into a local economy and provide incentives to existing business to expand. The theory is sound, but is a tax credit the best way to achieve these aims?
What is the 21st Century’s Worst Public Policy Idea?
I would like to start a contest and receive nominations for the worst public policy idea anyone has heard of this century (I say this century to make it somewhat palatable since the 20th century is so full of bad ideas). In any case, regardless of whether the contest...
How to keep up with World-leading Internet Technology: Rebuilding the Last Mile
In order to keep up with world-leading developments in internet technology, Canada will need to create a policy climate that unlocks the innovation and solutions that only competition can bring.
How to Improve Undergraduate Teaching: A Performance-Based Accountability System
This paper proposes a performance-based accountability system for university professors to improve the quality of undergraduate education in Canada.
Media Release – A Performance-Based Accountability System In Higher Education: How to Improve Undergraduate Teaching in Canada
This backgrounder describes how improved performance measurement for professors can promote transparency and accountability in Canadian universities while improving the quality of undergraduate education.
France: Political Party Forms to Oppose Photo Radar: Anti-photo enforcement political party
Anger at the French government’s extensive use of speed cameras has sparked a movement to eliminate the devices. In legislative elections scheduled to begin June 10 and last through June 17, the group Mouvement Anti-Radar (MAR) hopes to make a difference with eighty candidates on the ballot around the country, though mostly in the south.
Time to End Quebec’s ‘Welfaretrap,’ report says
Quebec may not be able to keep its gold-plated welfare state, but either way it is time to break the province’s 55-year “welfare trap” dependence on equalization payments, according to an economic note by the Montreal Economic Institute.
It’s About Freedom
On Friday evening I attended a music festival in Prague and during the break I mentioned to a group of people that I was going to Chicago, among other things to speak at a global warming conference. Their reaction was: “Global warming? Isn’t it already over? Does anybody care about it?” That is how they see it. Maybe it is a European perspective.