Source: Edmonton Journal, 14 Dec 2013 Re: “Reframing Alberta’s post-secondary debate,” by Brent Epperson, Ideas, Dec. 12. Brent Epperson eloquently argues for a more “progressive” style of post-secondary education in Alberta and rejects those critics who instead...
Year: 2013
What if?
Is it still possible to hold future electricity rate increases to the rate of inflation? Following nine years of rate increases well above the rate of inflation, Manitoba Hydro's $30-billion plus plan includes increasing electricity rates by four per cent every year...
Look at options for STC, Frontier Centre says
Joe Couture, The StarPhoenix, December 12, 2013 The latest transfer of cash from provincial coffers to the Saskatchewan Transportation Company is for a needed capital project, not increasing operating costs, according to the minister responsible, Don McMorris....
Anti-Oil Sands Propaganda Cannot Win the Day
Environmental extremists like the public to believe that the debate over the oil sands is a choice between economic rewards or a healthy environment. But Canada and Alberta can have both. The oil sands are being developed in a responsible way. Only three percent of...
Featured News
The Swedish Response to Covid-19 versus Canada
In a recent New York Times article, David Wallace Wells asked, “How did No-Mandate Sweden End up with such an average pandemic”. Let’s be clear. This admission from the New York Times, who tried to destroy the response to Covid-19, starting in April 2020 and...
Draconian, Anti-Science Measures During the Pandemic Has Led to Loss of Trust in Our Institutions
Candida Auris is a fungus that, unlike most fungi, can survive in a human body. It is capable of spreading within the body, resulting in an agonizing death. For unknown reasons the fungus is spreading at a rather alarming rate. So far, cases have been confined to long...
Public Utilities Board needs an overhaul
Despite major missteps taken by the Public Utilities Board with respect to Manitoba Hydro, the PUB is worth saving. That said, it needs a major overhaul. The PUB is supposed to balance the interests of monopoly firms and their customers. The agency has been in...
New Zealand Needs Reform Not Tinkering
Sir Roger Douglas, New Zealand Herald, 24 November 2013 Conventional politicians ignore structural reform because they think they are in power to please people, and pleasing people does not involve making them face the hard questions. They use the latest polls to...
Next steps for the Harper Government
A speech by Robert Murray to the Manning Centre in Calgary about the next steps for the Harper Government, delivered on 1st November, during the Conservative Convention.
News report shows Manitoba bands in bad shape
A recent news report from the Winnipeg Free Press shows that 40 per cent of bands in Manitoba have outside managers to help with their finances. This is a record among Canadian provinces and territories. Saskatchewan also has a high number of First Nations...
The Condo Game: CBC’s Curiously Apocalyptic Documentary on Toronto’s Condo Market
CBC aired a documentary on Toronto's condo market on November 21st that can be viewed here. It is notable for two reasons. First, it provides a prognosis for Toronto that is much darker than the most negative mainstream sources would suggest. Second, while it hints at...
Prairies Will Benefit From Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement
The Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement is a major milestone for the country. The potential impact will be hugely positive, especially for prairie agriculture. Among the greatest beneficiaries would be cattle ranchers in several provinces. Increased duty-free access to...
Fine for packing “unbalanced” daycare lunch demonstrates shortcomings of Canada’s Food Guide
A Manitoba mother received a $10 fine from a daycare centre for sending her kids with a meal that was deemed nutritionally unbalanced. The story caught the attention of international audiences, since the meal was, by most accounts, nutritionally balanced. The Ritz...
Futulity of Giving Advice
Recently, the Minister Responsible for Manitoba Hydro, former Finance Minister Stan Struthers, issued an invitation to Manitobans to provide their views regarding Manitoba Hydro's Power Smart programs. Briefly, Publius considered responding to the invitation, before...
Making Floods Affordable
The 2013 southern Alberta floods were needlessly costly and destructive. The overwhelming costs arise not as a result of an ill-executed response and recovery, but because of a failure to prepare for the possibility of severe flooding by the provincial and municipal...