Alberta’s Minister of Transportation announced the government is looking into building a high speed rail from Calgary to Edmonton. In order to be profitable, high speed rail must connect highly densely populated areas and transport huge numbers of people each day, and Alberta could not meet these criteria.
Year: 2012
Time to Rethink the Toronto Megacity
Two cultures warring in the bosom of a single city – that’s the best way to understand the current mess in Toronto. The two cultures that were unwillingly yoked together in a megacity by Ontario premier Mike Harris in 1998 have given us the Rob Ford saga.
Conflict on Alberta First Nation demonstrates limits of long term leasing
Trouble may be brewing on Siksika Nation, a Blackfoot First Nation located near Calgary, as community members rejected a new negotiated 50-year lease agreement with a non-aboriginal resort association. This means resort owners may have to abandon cabins they have...
No, Secretary General, developed nations did not cause global warming: UN chief errs again on climate change
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is misinformed when he states that developed countries have caused global warming and must bear the responsibility. Experts had written him a letter stating that there has been no overall warming or cooling of the planet for about 16 years and that the science is unclear on whether, when and how atmospheric warming will resume.
Featured News
Traditional Teaching is not Obsolete
Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Unlike the rudimentary software of the past, modern-day programs such as ChatGPT are truly impressive. Whether you need a 1,000-word essay summarizing the history of Manitoba, a 500-word article extolling the virtues of...
Ottawa’s Policies Defeat Its Critical Minerals Push
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a recent rush visit to the Saskatchewan Research Council’s experimental rare earth refining facility in Saskatoon. He touted his government’s efforts to promote rare earth discovery, development, and extraction, along with the...
Canada to Build Oil Pipeline to Serve Asia: ‘The U.S. market will not be large enough to accommodate all of Canada’s oil exports,’ said Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver.
Canada is scrambling to build an expansive new oil pipeline network to reach new markets including Asia as its sole customer, the United States, hikes production, aiming to become the world’s top exporter.
Universities need more accountability, not more money
Attending university is a significant financial investment for Canadian students—and their parents. Over the last 20 years, tuition fees have increased, on average, by a whopping 215 per cent while the Consumer Price Index has increased by 43...
Teachers Should Not be Allowed to Strike. Period
The current dispute between the Ontario government and the province’s teachers’ unions is harmful to students. A massive $15 million deficit made the government realize the need to reign in its spending, after generously meeting the unions’ demands for nine years. The government is not without fault, as it backtracked on previously negotiated pay increases instead of following the recommendations of a commissioned economist to cancel costly initiatives such as full day kindergarten and class size restrictions.
Why is the Government Cancelling Winter?
The federal government appears dead set on cancelling winter. Parks Canada’s decision to cut funding for the grooming of cross-country ski trails in Prince Albert, Riding Mountain and Elk Island national parks garnered little national attention. It is too easy to dismiss this as an inevitable consequence of government budget reductions. If each budget decision speaks clearly about national priorities the message is that winter does not matter much to the government and, perhaps, to Canadians.
Calling Out Honour-Based Violence
Today (Sunday, Nov. 25), is United Nations International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women. Creating awareness of the global epidemic of violence against women is crucial. But by taking an international perspective on the problem, as the UN has done, we risk...
U.S. Greens Shut Down Canadian Oil
Heads up, Canada! Our one and only big energy customer, the United States, isn’t going to need Canadian oil any more. That’s the implication of the International Energy Agency’s latest predictions. The U.S. will be the world’s largest oil producer by 2020 and the largest oil exporter by 2030. Some say this could happen a lot sooner.
Inter-City Busing: A New Regulatory Framework for Canada
Inter-city bus ridership has decreased in Canada over the last several decades. However, the thriving curbside bus industry in the US and in Southern Ontario demonstrates that there is significant growth potential for a liberalized inter-city bus industry. While urban service would increase under liberalization, rural service would likely continue to decrease. To maintain rural ridership, provinces should create a system of least-cost subsidies to ensure that companies are willing to serve otherwise unprofitable, but socially desirable routes.
Media Release – A New Model For Inter-City Busing Could Restore Services and Lower Prices: Liberalizing the market could ensure rural service while lowering the price of inter-urban travel.
Inter-city bus service is vital to rural Canada, yet has diminished throughout the country over the last few decades. The old model of cross-subsidizing unprofitable rural routes with profitable urban routes has broken down. The study recommends full liberalization of provincial inter-city bus markets, and the introduction of a least-cost subsidy system for unprofitable, socially desirable routes.
Evasion or Avoidance?
There's an interesting story developing in the UK where many left-wing groups, supported by over-the-top media stories, have been building up pressure against businesses that 'evade' taxes. I put evade in inverted commas there because none of the businesses being...