If one was to rely solely on Canadian media reports on the recent Alberta municipal elections, you would think Alberta went through a seismic political shift from radical conservatism to a sudden progressive awakening in one fowl swoop. Most of this discussion is...
Year: 2013
Overbooking is a Fact of Life in the World of Air Travel
Many air travelers are understandably annoyed when they get bumped from a flight because the airline has overbooked. But it has become a necessary way of life, and it actually reduces the cost of flying for everyone. Air Canada and other airlines offer refundable...
Picking doctors by colour
In a recent position statement, the Canadian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists argued that immigrant patients’ expressed wishes to be treated by a doctor of their own sex, race, culture or religion — reportedly a common phenomenon — should not be reflected in...
Do the numbers add up in Ontario public schools?
Mark Milke, in Tax Me I'm Canadian! Your Money and How Politicians Spend It, has a good point. Canadians are paying too much and getting way too little in return. But Ontario government's continuous expansion of its commitment to education and education spending...
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Policy Restrictions have Caused the Housing Crisis
The choice we face is clear: a modest expansion of greenfield development or greater housing poverty For 18 years, I have been monitoring international housing affordability, as author or co-author of the Demographia Housing Affordability series. The latest...
Leaders on the Frontier | So Much More We Can Be with the Hon. Grant Devine, Premier of Saskatchewan 1982-1991
The April 1982 Saskatchewan election proved to be a major turning point in the province's history. Over its nine years in office, the Devine government commenced and completed numerous policy initiatives in spite of considerable challenges including two recessions. ...
Evidence Suggests Windfall Government Revenue Worsens Corruption
A study published in this month’s American Economic Review demonstrates that increased federal transfers to municipalities in Brazil lead to increased corruption. While one can quibble over whether the effect is as strong in more developed countries, the results are precisely what should be expected, given the incentives facing politicians.
Wireless Ad Battles
The prospect of Verizon moving into the Canadian wireless market has resulted in an unprecedented ad campaign from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). Not since the days of the proposed “cable tax” that would have required cable, satellite...
Lessons from Uruguay’s Drug Reform
Uruguay is set to become the first country to legalize the manufacture, distribution, and sale of marijuana. This is a meaningful step toward reducing drug-related crimes, eliminating wasteful spending, and shifting the debate from criminalization to individual...
Why Municipal Politicians Shouldn’t “Climb the Ladder”
Two sitting Toronto city council members are facing off against each other in Thursday’s Ontario by-election, and a former councilor is running in another riding. Each is representing a different party. While this may seem banal, it is highly problematic.
First Anniversary of Changes to Canadian Wheat Board
One year after liberalising the Canadian Wheat Board's lock on cereal farmers, it is time to turn on supply management and its marketing boards. Today, August 1, marks the first anniversary of the liberation of the wheat and barley (among other cereals) markets in...
Realistic Environmentalism
“The government is the worst shareholder in the world,” says Mr. Dwyer, whose business is subsidy-free, a rare status for green industry in Canada.
Equalization Corrodes Belgium
An occasional topic at Frontier is equalization, a very time worn federal transfer program that flows vast sums of money, no-strings-attached, to the so-called "have-not" provinces. While certainly well-intended, several think tanks have documented the program's...
Fracking Brings Employment and Economic Revival: But anti-energy activists promote falsehoods about this vital, safe job-creating technology. They inhabit a callous parallel universe and wage war on cheap energy, jobs and the poor.
Signs of pride and prosperity were evident all over Williamsport and the gorgeous northern Pennsylvania countryside around it. Friendly, happy people greeted us. New cars, trucks, hotels and restaurants sparkled in a clean, bustling downtown. New roofs topped barns and houses, while late model tractors worked the fields. Formerly dirt roads are now paved.
Media Release – Rachel Carson and Organic Cherry-Picking: The Anti-science Wing of the Organic Movement
Rachel Carson, the author of the influential book Silent Spring receives all the credit for the rise of the organic movement, but Carson’s work is barely scientific. Carson’s book provides organic activists with exactly what they want to hear.