Every age has its obsessions. Religious differences among Christians led to brutal and bloody religious wars a few centuries ago. National conflicts among European powers led to worldwide wars in the 19thand 20th centuries. In the West, our 21st century obsession...
Deanna
A Valuation of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries
Using an intrinsic value method, and discounting to the present, ML&L’s projected future free cash flows, as the company is today, but taxed at statutory rates, the range of estimates is $12.13B to $84.91B, with a tighter range of a median (midpoint of the array...
Alberta First Nation Chiefs’ Wage Disparity
In the age of transparency, fairness, and equity this infographic demonstrates how spectacularly different the Alberta Chiefs’ total compensation per registered member across 15 reserves inAlberta. The highest paid per capita Chief of Duncan’s First Nation makes $419...
The decision to turf laws that ensure taxpayer protection and balanced budgets most often come back to haunt the politicians you make such decisions. Properly designed, such legislation can serve as a fiscal constitution that delivers superior long-term policy and...
Featured News
Falling Immigration, a Troubling Signal
Manitoba shows no sign that its policies will be able to maintain the working population, while, over time, returning to annual balanced budgets and cutting taxes to keep the private sector that is here now. This dismal prediction is partially drawn by observing the...
International Traffic Congestion Extinguished by Pandemic and Remote Work
The 2020 TomTom Traffic Index reflects a huge drop in worldwide urban traffic congestion levels. Congestion levels (rated by the percentage of additional time required for auto travel during “rush hour”) dropped in 387 urban areas while increasing in only 13. Overall,...
Ontario’s Labor & Housing Policies: US Midwest Opportunities?
The Globe and Mail, a Canadian national newspaper, reports concerns raised by Magna International, Inc. that proposed provincial labor legislation (the “Fair Workplaces Better Jobs Act”) could result in seriously reduced economic competitiveness for Ontario, Canada’s...
Cornwallis and Ryerson: Heroes or Villains?
How much of a hero do you have to be to warrant a statue? How much of a villain do you have to be to have your name stripped from streets, bridges, or schools? The brouhaha surrounding the memory of Edward Cornwallis and Egerton Ryerson means that Canadians and their...
Diversity Replaces Merit at Canadian Universities
Academic merit results from the successful performance of intellectual tasks by individuals. But individuals are no longer considered valid units of evaluation in Canadian universities; only collective characteristics are now considered important: gender, sexual...
Insanity and Hypocrisy Down Under
The Wall Street Journal called it the energy shortage “no one saw coming.” Actually, a lot of people did see it coming. But intent on pursuing their “dangerous manmade climate change” and “renewable energy will save the planet” agendas, the political classes ignored...
Let’s Denounce Muslim-Bashing
Parliament made a serious error when it denounced “Islamophobia” earlier this year. It should have denounced anti-Muslim bigotry, anti-Semitism, and a few other forms of hatred. Instead, the government made it impossible for anyone–including Muslims–to have a healthy...
Missing Women
There is turmoil within the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson, from northern Manitoba, has called for the resignation of the Inquiry’s chief commissioner, British Columbia Judge Marion Buller. At...
3 Million Manitobans and an Ever-Stronger Economy
It’s 2036 and Manitoba’s population just passed three million. The economy is booming. Imagine for a moment the events needed to bring Manitoba to such a result. In 2018, let’s suppose, Manitoba finally confronted its slow-growth, deficit-ridden crisis by abandoning...
Tax Breaks Don’t Help First Nations
First Nations populations and on-reserve commerce are growing faster than the Canadian average. This growth should be welcomed by the rest of the Canadian family, save for one problem: unjustified tax exemptions for on-reserve commerce and individuals. Loopholes in...
Moving Away From Toronto and Montréal
The latest Statistics Canada data indicates that people are leaving Toronto and Montréal in large numbers since the 2011 census. Even so, both metropolitan areas continued to grow through the 2016 census as a result of net international migration and the natural...