With the release of a predictable report by the Clean Environment Commission, one that criticizes elements of Manitoba Hydro's Bipole III plans and actions while setting out 'reachable' conditions for Hydro moving ahead on the $4 or $5 or ? billion project, the 'green...
Year: 2013
David Suzuki and the rise of New Xenophobia
David Suzuki made a statement that Canada’s immigration policy is disgusting and that the country is already full. He implies that the environment will be harmed by more people in Canada and that immigration inevitably translates into an irreplaceable loss of skill to the countries of origin. People reject newcomers for a variety of reasons, but Suzuki’s fears are not the old-fashioned xenophobia with which we are all familiar.
Are Eco Terrorists Back?
News of traps on nature trails in the British Columbia woods bring back memories of previous eco-terrorist violence in North America. But they also bring something new. Radical environmentalists Earth First! (EF!) once sabotaged ski resorts and attempted to sabotage a...
The Economic Blunders Behind the Arab Revolutions: In Egypt and Syria, misguided food and water policies set the stage for revolt and civil war.
Sometimes economies can’t be fixed after decades of statist misdirection, and the people simply get up and go. Since the debt crisis of the 1980s, 10 million poor Mexicans—victims of a post-revolutionary policy that kept rural Mexicans trapped on government-owned collective farms—have migrated to the United States. Today, Egyptians and Syrians face economic problems much worse than Mexico’s, but there is nowhere for them to go.
Featured News
The Tourism Economic Sector Impacted by COVID-19: Time to Reopen
The COVID-19 crisis led to significant travel restrictions in the world and in Canada. The country has totally or partially closed its national borders to tourists and non-essential travellers. Within Canada, travel between provinces has been restricted. Indeed, some...
New-ish LNG Project has Nisga’a First Nation Backing, Aiding its Launch, but Will Not Guarantee It
Recently, a previously-mooted huge, estimated $55 billion Liquefied Natural Gas, ‘LNG’, project taking natural gas from Northeastern British Columbia to its northwest coast at Pearse Island received the blessing and explicit financial and political backing from the...
Media Release – Will Increasing the Number of Police Officers Yield Less Crime?: Canada’s Cities Have Sufficient Police Resources
This backgrounder calls into question the common assumption that an increased police presence would reduce crime levels in Canadian cities
Who’s Afraid of Ron Paul?
The Manning Centre for Building Democracy is currently holding its annual networking conference. Among their guest speakers is Ron Paul, a Texas congressman who made a high profile, though unsuccessful bid for the Republican Party presidential nomination in the last election cycle. Paul, a self-described “constitutional conservative” is a polarizing figure.
The Supply Management Cartel: Collective Inaction and the Failure of Reform
Executive Summary • Supply management in Canada is a marketing board system that sets production and prices for dairy, poultry and eggs. Farmers must purchase quota in order to produce and sell product, which is collectively valued at $25-billion. The benefits of the...
Manitoba Government Liquor Monopoly Decides That Absurdly High Beer Prices Aren’t High Enough
The Manitoba government has decided to increase the price of a 24 pack of beer by $3.90. For those who consume a case per month, that is the equivalent of a $46.80 tax increase per year. While some level of “sin tax” on alcoholic beverages may be warranted (particularly with liquors 70 proof and above), Manitobans already pay an immense premium for beer.
Rome Burns as Nero Fiddles – Hydro before the Court of Appeal
Settling a matter of such significance to ratepayers should not be done behind closed doors, in the end it is the ratepayers that ’carry the can’ for Hydro’s ‘investments and commitments’.
Our Real Manmade Climate Crisis: The crisis is due not to climate change, but to actions taken in the name of preventing change
In his first address as Secretary of State, John Kerry said we must safeguard “the most sacred trust” we owe to our children and grandchildren: “an environment not ravaged by rising seas, deadly superstorms, devastating droughts, and the other hallmarks of a dramatically changing climate.”
The Answer Is a Longer Yellow: Red-light cameras have become a lucrative but corrupt form of taxation.
In Chicago, voters are familiar with human nature. This may explain why no one believes Mayor Rahm Emanuel when he says concern for children is the motive for his promotion of anti-speeding cameras to milk money from the city’s motorists.
Taxation in the Guise of Utility Rate Increases
Hydro has lost its intended focus on meeting Manitoba demand and bringing in electricity at the lowest cost possible for Manitoba ratepayers. The Utility’s development designs, based on overly optimistic forecasts of export demand and maintaining cost pressures on the new build, represent ‘gambling’ with ratepayers’ money.
With Budget Crunch Coming, Should Province Spin Off ATB?
A recent study published by the Winnipeg-based Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a right-leaning think-tank, asserts that potential proceeds from a sale of ATB could be as high as $3 billion. The 16-page study, prepared by Surrey, British Columbia-based financial analyst Ian Madsen, assesses ATB’s value by using two different methodologies.