Why it’s an ignorant and anti human ritual.
David Seymour
David Seymour directed the Frontier Centre’s Saskatchewan office from 2007 to 2011. He holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and Philosophy from the University of Auckland, where he also tutored Economics. After working as an engineer in New Zealand, he applied his passion for sound policy analysis to policy issues on the Prairies. In four years working for the Frontier Centre, David carried out extensive media work, presenting policy analysis through local and national television, newspapers, and radio. His policy columns were published in newspapers in every province as well as the Globe and Mail and the National Post. David produced policy research papers on telecommunications privatization, education, environmental policy, fiscal policy, poverty, and taxi deregulation. However, his major project with the Frontier Centre was the annual Local Government Performance Index (LGPI) which compiled financial performance statistics across all major Canadian cities. David also produced an 18 part video series based on Henry Hazlitt’s classic book Economics in One Lesson and wrote the book “Birth of a Boom – Saskatchewan’s Dawning Golden Age” in 2011.
Research by David Seymour
Nestle Chairman Attacks Biofuels
“It is absolutely immoral to push hundreds of millions of people into hunger…”
National Post Ed. Board on Equalization
The Post endorses Frontier’s take on Equalization.
Japan Radiation in Perspective
Comparing the Japan radiation exposure to other common exposures.
Featured News
The Man who Saved the Plains Indians
At the time of Confederation, Canada’s Plains Indians were in a desperate situation. The same European-introduced guns and horses that resulted in a briefly glorious golden age for them had also resulted in constant inter-tribal warfare and the rapid disappearance of...
Renewed Talk of Abolishing the Indian Act
Political attacks on the Indian Act are back in the news, and that is a good thing. However, Canadian politicians, including First Nation politicians, need a credible plan about what to do before we pull out the champagne. Attacking the Indian Act is not a big deal...
Municipal Infrastructure Chickens Return to Roost: Years of accounting neglect are over, and the price is there to pay.
The rush to cover infrastructure maintenance costs which have recently become apparent should be borne by local taxpayers. Federal or provincial funding of municipalities means sending money into capital city fiscal washing machines from whence city residents will struggle to get value for money.
Sentimentalism for a Debased Currency
Sentimentality over the penny seems irrational, but perhaps it reflects underlying discomfort with inflation reducing the CAD’s purchasing power?
Sask Party Eyes Tax Cuts…
The Sask. Party can talk about tax cuts, only if it’s prepared to talk spending first.
Smoking Bans in Public and Private Places
The Japanese show us we’ve gotten smoking regulations back to front. Canadian governments fail to protect the public in genuinely public places, but ride roughshod over the rights of property owners in private ones.
Canada’s Topsy-Turvy Housing Affordability
Frontier releases the “Gold Standard” measure of housing affordability in Canada.
The Cost of Infrastructure
Getting to grips with what improved accounting standards are telling us about the real costs of municipal infrastructure. It’s not going to be pretty.
Media Release: 7th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey
Media Release for the 7th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey.
Economics and Compassion from Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President
Is there no economic value in having people do their work in the province of Saskatchewan? I think there is and I think that it’s wrong-headed for business and industry to ship these jobs offshore or outsource them to low wage ghettos.
Or so said Saskatchewan Federation of Labour President Larry Hubich in a recent radio interview with Roger Currie on CKRM. Hubich was referring to decision by Post Media News to have circulation calls answered in the Dominican Republic.
Rarely does anybody raise so many questions or offend so many senses in two sentences. Is there “no economic value” in outsourcing and trade, and if there is then when? Who does he refer to as “low wage ghettos” and, assuming the people living wherever that is are human too, perhaps they need the business even more considering their low wages? Should our greatest compassion be for workers in developing countries or the high wage, low unemployment environment of Saskatchewan? Or is that a false question, because workers in Saskatchewan are more likely Post Media services’ consumers than its employees so the costs and benefits for the people of Saskatchewan cancel each other out?
Limited Government in Saskatchewan?: WWHD (What would Hayek do?)
Adopting smaller government policies in Saskatchewan is an interesting affair as the NDP government laid the groundwork, but the record of the current Saskatchewan Party government is mixed. The optimistic view is the party is adopting a long-term, incremental approach.