Bill 202, which has passed second reading, is officially titled the Alberta Affordable Housing Review Committee Act. Under this bill, the government will establish a committee of no fewer than three members to report on five areas. Four of the …
Recent Mortgage Rule Changes Not Well Thought Out
Starting in 2008, the federal government has made changes to the manner in which mortgages can be financed through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). For instance, the maximum amortization period has been reduced from 40 years to 25 …
Canada’s Broken Compulsory Trades System
If a trade is compulsory, a person cannot legally work in the trade unless he or she carries a certificate of qualification or is registered in an apprenticeship program. If a trade is voluntary, a person can seek certification if …
Local Government Performance Index
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has completed the eighth edition of its Local Government Performance Index (LGPI). The Transparency Index (TI) ranks the top 100 Canadian cities on the quality of their financial reporting over the 2013 financial year. …
The needs of landlords
Rumors abound about "slumlords," as there are landlords that fail to meet the basic needs of their renters and are driven solely by profit. But landlords can also be your average pensioner or middle-income couple, and they have their own …
It’s in the Public Interest to Pay Attention to Landlords’ Needs
Rumors abound about “slumlords,” as there are landlords that fail to meet the basic needs of their renters and are driven solely by profit. But landlords can also be your average pensioner or middle-income couple, and they have their own …
Teacher Tenure Rules Can Harm Children
An important and historical court case recently concluded in California that has implications for Canadian public schools. In Vergara v. California [2014], the Superior Court for Los Angeles ruled that some of the state’s teacher tenure, dismissal, and layoff laws …
Labour Laws Are Hampering Young People
Labour laws are meant to protect workers from exploitation and to ensure their safety, but closer examination shows that when it comes to teenagers, the laws are not always doing people a favour. Age restrictions for workers vary from province …
Communities Should Say “No” to Youth Curfews
This Halloween, children younger than 16 will not be allowed outside without an adult after 7:00pm in Bonnyville, Alberta. The Halloween curfew has been around for decades, but some parents requested that the curfew time be extended an hour, or …