Recently, many climate change activists and their sympathizers have been cheered by the dramatic drop in oil prices that coincided with, and were partly caused by, the COVID-19 pandemic. Prominent among them is the outgoing leader of the federal Green Party of Canada....
Something happened this week that likely nobody predicted – or could even have conceived of predicting. The near-term futures contract for April West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the benchmark for North American prices, which expired on that very day, went negative,...
Taxpayers Will Benefit If YHZ Is Privatized - Selling off all, or part of, Halifax’s International Airport YHZ is the airport serving the metropolitan Halifax-Dartmouth, Nova Scotia that is ultimately managed and owned by the federal government. The airport has...
YWG is the airport serving the metropolitan Winnipeg area that is ultimately managed and owned by the federal government. The airport has positive operating cash flow and positive returns on assets, equity, and capital employed. But as it stands, the airport’s debt...
A few weeks ago, Albertans voted to reduce the inequities in the federal equalization program. The deficit between the dollars that leave to and come back from Ottawa has recently been as high as $27 billion in one year. During times of crisis, it feels like salt in...
One of the most widespread economic myths is that inflation—the reduced purchasing power of a currency—is a win for a nation, a sign of a booming economy. For the privileged classes in government and with initial access to monetary expansion, it is a win. For everyone...
In recent weeks, the Brad Wall government in Saskatchewan has advanced Bill 40, which would allow for the sale of up to 49% of any Crown corporation presently owned by Regina. While there has been predictable criticism and opposition from those who believe that...
Ian Madsen, November 22, 2016 Last week brought a huge change as Donald Trump--the consummate outsider--was elected President of the United States. More importantly, both houses will be controlled by Republicans even though some of them have said they don’t like...
Today the Frontier Centre for Public Policy released an independent valuation of SaskEnergy, Saskatchewan’s provincial Crown natural gas distributor. The report authored by financial analyst Ian Madsen estimated the potential market value at an average of $1.164...
This analysis arrives at approximations of the value of SaskEnergy, a provincial Crown corporation owned by the government and thus the citizens and taxpayers, of the province of Saskatchewan. These valuation ranges could be useful in determining the future ownership...
Executive Summary This analysis arrives at approximations of the value of SaskPower, a provincial Crown corporation owned by the government, and thus the citizens and taxpayers, of the province of Saskatchewan. The valuation ranges could be useful in determining...
Provincial, or ‘Crown’ ownership of public utilities is a very common feature of life in Canada, and, until recently, rarely questioned. These very large companies are the monopoly providers of electricity, water, and sometimes gas, in all but a few Canadian...
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy, an independent research institute based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, released today an independent valuation of the potential market value of SaskPower, the provincial Crown electric power utility owned by the citizens and taxpayers of...
While neither the literal ‘fear of water’, nor the gruesome rabies virus, the aversion to massive and unnecessary, expensive new hydropower development is growing. Aside from the extensive environment disruption, human displacement, and ecological damage big new...
In this policy study, Madsen examines a variety of indicators to ascertain the value of the Saskatchewan government owned SaskTel. Madsen follows well-established practices and methodologies that include two different approaches in order to gain an insight into the monetary worth of the Saskatchewan Crown Corporation. SaskTel is an historic Saskatchewan institution that has played a role in the development of the province. Established in 1908, communication in those days was not universal and did not always extend to every farm or hamlet. It could be very expensive and often impossible to get a telephone line, as well as quite expensive to keep one. The Internet, cellular telephony, cable television – even just television – had yet to be invented.