Many small communities struggle to provide adequate transportation to people with limited mobility and those who cannot afford to drive. Unlike major cities, public transit use in small communities outside the heart of metropolitan areas is rarely a lifestyle choice....
Steve Lafleur
Canada Should Make Temporary Foreign Workers Permanent
The Temporary Foreign Worker program (TFWP) has recently become a hot-button issue as stories of employers abusing the system roll in. The government is scrambling to identify reforms that will satisfy both employers and the broader public. Offering more prospective...
Road Tolls Could Fund Winnipeg’s Roadway Improvements
Winnipeg’s roads are in bad shape, to put it mildly, and the City’s coffers aren’t exactly overflowing. That makes it tough to scratch together funds for roadway maintenance, let alone improvements. Even projects as crucial as the Inner Ring Road could bump up against...
Craft Beer: A Tool for Urban Revitalization?
Most people don’t think of breweries as tools for economic development. In fact, the default assumption among politicians seems to be that alcohol is an unavoidable evil. However, the growth of the craft brewing industry has been a major boon to urban revitalization...
Featured News
Traditional Teaching is not Obsolete
Artificial intelligence has come a long way. Unlike the rudimentary software of the past, modern-day programs such as ChatGPT are truly impressive. Whether you need a 1,000-word essay summarizing the history of Manitoba, a 500-word article extolling the virtues of...
Ottawa’s Policies Defeat Its Critical Minerals Push
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a recent rush visit to the Saskatchewan Research Council’s experimental rare earth refining facility in Saskatoon. He touted his government’s efforts to promote rare earth discovery, development, and extraction, along with the...
Ferries to Relieve Traffic Congestion?
The new football stadium in the south end of Winnipeg has tremendous gridlock, requiring many fans to leave several hours early to arrive on time. Traffic in southern Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe is some of the worst in the world. In each case, ferries are being floated as a potential alternative to driving. It’s not clear how much they can practically do to relieve congestion, but it is certainly greater than zero. Given the cost of congestion mitigation, it may become economical in both instances.
Evidence Suggests Windfall Government Revenue Worsens Corruption
A study published in this month’s American Economic Review demonstrates that increased federal transfers to municipalities in Brazil lead to increased corruption. While one can quibble over whether the effect is as strong in more developed countries, the results are precisely what should be expected, given the incentives facing politicians.
Why Municipal Politicians Shouldn’t “Climb the Ladder”
Two sitting Toronto city council members are facing off against each other in Thursday’s Ontario by-election, and a former councilor is running in another riding. Each is representing a different party. While this may seem banal, it is highly problematic.
Job Training is Best Left to the Provinces
The federal government has decided to withdraw funding for provincial job programs. While downloading funding responsibility to the provinces makes sense, since they are better able to administer such local initiatives, the federal government needs to free up tax revenue for the provinces to fund these programs.
Nation-Wide Voters Shouldn’t (Unknowingly) Vote on Local Road Closures
Should the City of Winnipeg close Plessis Road during construction? If you’re not from Winnipeg, you likely don’t have an answer. It’s exceedingly unlikely that any more than 14 federal MPs have the slightest clue. Yet, the entire national electorate has essentially (and unknowingly) made this decision in the affirmative.
What’s Holding Back Toronto (and Ontario)?
Dwight Duncan, who up until a few months ago was Ontario’s Minster of Finance, recently suggested that his colleagues at Queen’s Park should force the Mayor of Toronto from officeover un-proven substance abuse allegations. Soon after, the federal Minister of Finance indicated he would prevent the Government of Ontario from setting variable sales tax ratesto raise revenue for its Greater Toronto Area transit plans. While not connected, these two incidents underscore the troubled state of Canadian federalism.
Mr. Suzuki’s Baseless, Irresponsible Immigration Claims
Imagine there was a policy that could reduce global poverty, conserve natural resources and help alleviate the coming retirement crisis, all while also fostering domestic economic growth. You would have to be either misinformed or malicious to oppose this policy, right? Well, this policy exists, and it’s called immigration.
Ironically, “progressive” hero David Suzuki has come out in favour of reducing immigration levels, only to be met with opposition from Conservative Minister of Immigration, Jason Kenney, who defended the value of immigration to Canada.
Winnipeg Renters Should Welcome New Condo Developments
The Corydon Avenue BIZ announced today that a new condo development containing 125 units scattered throughout 13 buildings in the Corydon/Osborne area is in the works. Predictably, knee jerk condo opponents are lamenting that new condo developments do nothing for the average renter. As it happens, they do.
Uber Takes Flack for Increasing Rates During Flood to Lure More Drivers
“Price gouging” during crises is a sensitive issue. Comments on a recent Huffington Post piece by my colleague Peter McCaffrey illustrate just how angry some people get over the issue. As mean spirited as raising prices to “take advantage” of soaring demand may seem, the case for price increases during natural disasters is incredibly straightfoward.