The federal government has decided to withdraw funding for provincial job programs. While downloading funding responsibility to the provinces makes sense, since they are better able to administer such local initiatives, the federal government needs to free up tax revenue for the provinces to fund these programs.
Year: 2013
A View On A Room: The rooming house debate pits socialist golf-shirters against free-market hippies
Part of the problem with rooming houses in Regina comes from the way they’re defined. According to the city’s manager of neighbourhood planning, Yves Richard, the definition isn’t broad enough.
Natural Gas Versus Hydro
The energy debate in Manitoba is slowly getting around to looking at a proposition I advanced when I was with the Manitoba Sustainable Energy Association that involves deploying scalable natural gas systems as an alternative to large, long lead time hydro dams.
In my opinion, there is a need to move towards a more distributed model of producing energy in this province. As I described in 2009, it is possible that moving towards a combination of a distributed energy generation and smart grids could…
- improve the security of supply of energy across Manitoba;
- distribute benefits associated with electrical energy production more equitably throughout Manitoba;
- encourage the adoption of combined heat-and-power energy systems in agricultural, commercial, industrial and institutional settings;
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and negative environmental impacts associated with energy mega-project development;
- create a platform to implement demand-side energy management systems and time-of-use rates;
- more fully utilize existing electrical transmission and distribution assets throughout Manitoba.
What Lessons Will We Learn From the Lac Mégantic Tragedy?
The explosion, shocking loss of life and the incineration of idyllic downtown Lac Mégantic, Québec, is a catastrophe for the ages. The tragedy, however, allows us to learn new lessons. The Transportation Safety Board will investigate the causes of the accident, and wider policy questions are being asked about the security of towns built along rail lines and the safety of transporting oil by rail.
Featured News
Heroin: U.S. Withdrawal, Counternarcotics Policies in Afghanistan, and the Looming Epidemic
There are many natural and geo-political phenomena that will affect the next several decades; climate change, COVID-19 and its variants, social unrest, and rising tensions between China and the United States amongst them. As governments and societies learn to...
Why Cash Is Still King in Switzerland
When I audited an economics class in the Rice University School of Business, the lecturer compared inflation to slow-growing cancer and deflation to a heart attack. The implication was that deflation, which is the declining prices, is fatal and worse than inflation....
University of Regina Economist says Rent Control Policies Bad Idea
A Regina economist is cautioning that recent calls for rent control legislation is not the best way to deal with the availability of affordable rental units.
Earth Hour Is a Colossal Waste of Time—and Energy: Plus, it ignores how electricity has been a boon for humanity.
On the evening of March 23, 1.3 billion people will go without light at 8:30—and at 9:30, and at 10:30, and for the rest of the night—just like every other night of the year. With no access to electricity, darkness after sunset is a constant reality for these people.
Looking For a Better Way to Sell the Keystone Pipeline: Global warming is a place to start
Governments and industry must change their marketing of the Keystone XL pipeline to address the single reason the project may not be approved—climate change.
Canadian Nanny State Squeezes Out Caffeine
A few months ago I wrote a piece for the Huffington Post on the political overreaction to a few deaths in the United States that were connected to energy drink consumption. Despite the fact that only 5 people in the United States have died after consuming energy drinks — due to pre-existing conditions — many politicians have decided that cracking down on caffeine is an appropriate regulatory response.
Political instability problem for native communities both side of border
Political instability is a major impediment to business and investment on First Nations reserves in Canada. It is a problem right up there with land ownership restrictions and lack of access to capital. This is also a problem identified on Native American reservations...
Media Release – Frontier Centre releases inaugural Canadian Property Rights Index: Assessing the State of Property Rights Protections in Canada
In seeking to understand property rights threats across Canada, the Frontier Centre for Public Policy has released its inaugural Canadian Property Rights Index, which measures property rights protections across eight significant areas.
A Simple and Effective GST
In 1984, a reforming Labour Government came to power in New Zealand. One of their first acts was to announce their intention to introduce a goods and services tax. I was invited to chair the three person committee to seek submissions from the public on the proposed tax, and make recommendations to the government on its optimal design.
To save Keystone XL, Canada needs leaders with the courage to lead, not simply pander to political correctness
Our leaders need to change tack quickly or Keystone XL is at risk of being rejected by the Obama administration due to a colossal public relations mistake.
More Police Does Not Equal Less Crime: Canada’s Cities Have Sufficient Police Resources
Canadian cities are very safe relative to American cities. Some cities could reduce crime with a targeted police presence in relatively dangerous neighbourhoods. However, simply increasing police levels does not appear to be an effective anti-crime strategy, and police services could free up resources by adopting more efficient staffing policies.