Well that didn’t take long! Ontario’s school boards, teachers’ unions and Ministry of Education recently began bargaining in an effort to reach agreements across the education sector. The previous agreements, imposed on the sector in 2012 by the McGuinty government’s...
Year: 2014
Manitoba’s Low Test Scores
Why are we last? It's a question many people are asking after test results showing Manitoba students are getting the lowest grades in the country in math, science and reading. Michael Zwaagstra is a high school teacher and policy researcher with the Frontier Centre...
Balancing the Federal Budget to Ensure Fiscal Sustainability and Economic Growth – House of Commons Finance Committee – Sept 29, 2014
Speaking points of presentation to the House of Commons Finance Committee by Frontier Centre President Peter Holle on September 29, 2014. Three broader, longer term opportunities to keep the federal budget balanced while promoting better public policy that would...
Baggage Fees No Longer Necessary to Keep Airlines Afloat
Canadian air travellers have recently been hit with a $25 charge for checked baggage. WestJet moved first, and Air Canada followed suit just days later. Airlines struggled when the recession hit in 2008, and some of them turned to baggage fees for relief. But airlines...
Featured News
Canada in 2073—Will There Be One?
“Ahead, Thar Be Dragons.” The world of 2023 is a scary place. One major war is raging, with others probably on the way. The Pax Americana that has given us freedom of the seas and allowed global trade to flourish might be breaking down. International piracy,...
World Cries out for Canadian LNG, “No Business Case” Feds have Totally Failed Us
Today, Canada’s natural gas sector is seeing its decade of darkness due to federal policy. And it’s not because the opportunity wasn’t there. It was because our government allowed its ideology, and that of its anti-oil and gas friends (also known as protestors) to...
Provinces With More Freedom Attract More Residents
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has released its first Canadian Freedom Index. It examines the state of personal, fiscal, and regulatory freedoms in all ten Canadian provinces, and it considers how provincial laws and regulations are affecting our daily lives....
Ottawa Should Introduce Native Property Law
The post-Shawn Atleo Aboriginal landscape is a perfect opportunity for Ottawa to embark on some bold new First Nations policy. Finally introducing a First Nations Property Ownership Act would certainly count as a bold move. In 2011, the federal government announced...
All Treaties Aren’t Created Equal
Originally appeared in the Winnipeg Sun. Does the type of First Nation treaty negotiated with the federal government make a difference? Is there any advantage in signing a modern treaty today as opposed to having a historic Numbered Treaty, as in the case of Manitoba?...
Legalize Soft Drugs to Reduce the Availability of Hard Drugs
Does caffeine lead to cocaine use? Obviously not. But what would happen if caffeine was outlawed? Naturally, a black market would emerge. Drug gangs, which are highly skilled at operating outside of the law, and have pre-existing distribution channels, would begin...
Frontier Centre Releases A Blueprint for Reorienting Canadian Drug Policy
Today the Frontier Centre for Public Policy published A Blueprint for Reorienting Canadian Drug Policy, a new report by policy analyst Steve Lafleur and research intern Andrew Chai. In the report, the authors assert that the War on Drugs, in its current manifestation,...
A Blueprint for Reorienting Canadian Drug Policy
"I think what everyone believes and agrees with, and to be frank myself, is that the current approach is not working, but it is not clear what we should do," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper after a 2012 meeting with leaders of governments from the Americas.1 The...
Portage Place Calling for Creative Fix
Portage Place was dealt a major blow when Landmark Cinemas announced the closure of the Globe Cinema. Having previously lost McNally Robinson as well as the Imax theatre and a few higher-end retailers, this will further the perception the mall is in a death spiral....
Provinces and Cities Will Play a Greater Role in Prostitution Law
Canada’s old laws on prostitution were struck down by the Supreme Court last year because they forced sex workers into vulnerable and dangerous situations. Some commentators say that Harper government's new law might do the same thing, and end up back in the courts....
What We Can Learn About Infrastructure from the Katz Years
Mayor Katz’s tenure has been notable for significant infrastructure successes and failures. On the one hand, we have the fire hall land swap deal and the new police headquarters. On the other hand, we have the immensely successful Chief Peguis Trail and Disraeli...