This week the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is hosting its fourth annual Red Tape Awareness Week™ 2013. In the spirit of the “Red Tape Revolution” here is a poem about red tape reduction initiatives.
Amanda Achtman
Tyranny of Student Authority
The Carleton University Students’ Union is currently holding its General Referenda 2012. The Writ of Referenda has seven questions, and questions four and seven are a direct attack on the fundamental freedoms of conscience, religion, thought, belief, opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, and association…
Justice Centre Launches 2011 Campus Freedom Index
Today the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms launched the 2011 Campus Freedom Index! According to the report: "The Campus Freedom Index seeks to measure the commitment of Canada’s public universities, as well as student unions, to upholding the rights of...
Citizenship and Loyalty: Time to Attach Some Strings
In western society, citizens have to realize that citizenship and loyalty are inseparable. Citizenship without loyalty is an empty concept. Ayaan Hirsi Ali spoke at the launch event for the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education in Calgary.
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Canadian Property Rights Index 2023
A Snapshot of Property Rights Protection in Canada After 10 years
Alberta Politics and Empty Promises of Health-care Solutions
The writ has been dropped and Albertans are off to the polls on May 29. That leaves just four weeks for political leaders and voters to sort out what is arguably the most divisive, yet significant, issue for this election - health care. On Day 2, NDP leader Rachel...
Calgary, Occupied Territory!
Calgarians jumped on the “Occupy” bandwagon on October 15th. Check out this video to hear what they had to say!
Dick Cheney Speaks in Calgary
Former Vice-President of the United States Dick Cheney spoke to an impressive, yet intimate crowd in Calgary. The Bon Mot Book Club, began by Leah Costello, kicked off its first Calgary speaker series on Tuesday evening. Vice-President Cheney spoke briefly reflecting...
Three Right-Wing Parties in Alberta?!?!
Even for Alberta, three right-of-centre parties may sound like an impossibility. But not this summer.
Rising Inflation by Degrees
Grade inflation follows the same principles as monetary inflation. If the supply of high grades is inordinately and unduly increased, then the value of these grades will go down. Where such honours have traditionally served as legitimate academic currency, this currency is now running the risk of being rendered meaningless.
Free the Post
Attempts to reconcile tensions between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post are taking place in Ottawa today. Negotiations are ongoing and a compromise seems long overdue. According to a recent Toronto Star article, back-to-work legislation is in the...
Why Aren’t Students Protesting Against Student Loans Yet?
Activist students are often protesting tuition hikes and demanding more government funding for their education. This is frightening because it reveals how ignorant most students are about how the student loan system operates. First, student loans drive up tuition....
Canada Needs a YouCut Program
Will a Canadian Member of Parliament have the courage to introduce an initiative such as YouCut to encourage Canadians to democratically put a dent in the federal deficit?
Bylaw Officers Making Noise about New Radar for Noisy Vehicles
Have you heard about the Noise Snare, a new traffic noise surveillance product?
If you haven’t, perhaps it is because a motorcycle was zooming past you with an engine roaring at such a high decibel level that you missed the news. In any case, City of Calgary bylaw officers have recently proposed implementing a new technology to regulate vehicle noise that exceeds a yet-to-be-determined new decibel maximum.
The Noise Snare technology was invented by Mark Nesdoly, an electrical engineer in Edmonton. In a Calgary Herald story Nesdoly explains the inspiration for the
device saying, “I still remember the day, laying down my daughter to go to sleep and [a motorcyclist] went roaring past -and her eyes just popped open.”
The City received 1,310 vehicle complaints last year. Among these vehicle complaints there are some noise complaints, but they also include many other issues such as oil leaking on the street.
The majority of noise complaints are not vehicle-related. According to the City of Calgary bylaw services, 2500 other (non-vehicle) noise complaints were received in 2010. The Noise Snare is an expensive device that would crack down on only a fraction of complaints.
Alberta Treasury Branches – Still Relevant?
Dr. Frank Atkins, an econometrician and professor of Economics at the University of Calgary, spoke at a Frontier Centre event this week on the topic: “Alberta Treasury Branches – Still Relevant?” Here is a summary of Dr. Atkins’ message and some of the dialogue that followed. I invite you to view Dr. Atkin’s complete analysis published in the FCPP Policy Series.
The Alberta Treasury Branch was established by the Government of Alberta under Premier William Aberhart in 1938. The initial purpose of ATB was first and foremost to serve rural areas where no chartered bank or credit union existed. ATB was created because of the frustration among Albertans towards the central banks and in an effort to provide homegrown financing to small businesses in rural Alberta.
Since its creation, ATB has always competed with an advantage. For a long time, ATB did not pay deposit insurance and they did not pay income tax. Because ATB is supported by the provincial government, the government intervenes and ensures that ATB will remain in operation, despite numerous instances of ATB falling into negative equity. When the government guarantees ATB, this means that there are no effective capital controls, the institution assumes more risk than it can absorb, and we the taxpayers, who are shareholders in ATB, absorb these risks without receiving any return.