The holidays are a time when many of us count our blessings, and think of society’s least fortunate. While there are many things that can be done to help those in need, some policies designed to do so backfire. Rent control is one of them. Surveys of economists...
Audio
The decision to turf laws that ensure taxpayer protection and balanced budgets most often come back to haunt the politicians you make such decisions. Properly designed, such legislation can serve as a fiscal constitution that delivers superior long-term policy and...
Legalize and tax marijuana and the budget will balance itself. Marijuana advocates from stoners to recreational users to the Prime Minister have tried to convince us of this for years. It makes some sense that a product so commonly used should be regulated, not...
The cancellation of the Energy East pipeline project by TransCanada Corporation, citing delays caused by the regulatory process, newly lengthened and thickened by Ottawa, is emblematic of forces conspiring against rational energy and regulatory policy.
Featured News
Promote Equity by Providing a Quality Education
Earlier this year, a group called Equity Matters asked the province to establish an education equity secretariat. They want this office to oversee equity officers working in Manitoba schools. Equity Matters wants to ensure that all Manitoba students are reflected in...
Why Frances Widdowson Matters
Frances Widdowson probably isn't someone most Canadians recognize. I'm here to tell you why they should. In terms of Canada's intellectual culture, Frances Widdowson matters because she is a classic and prolific academic. In a time when demagoguery easily flourishes,...
Atlantic Canada Subsidized Using More than Equalization
Prince Edward Island is Canada’s smallest province, but people who live there receive three times as much as they contribute in premiums, when they collect Employment Insurance. EI benefits in all of Atlantic Canada greatly outweigh the premiums paid. The difference...
Steve Lafleur Interviewed on CBC’s The 180 about the advantages of taxi de-regulation
Frontier Centre Policy Analyst Steve Lafleur makes the case for taxi de-regulation on CBC's The 180.
7th Annual Local Government Performance Index
The Frontier Centre has released its 7th annual Local Government Performance Index. It measures 100 Canadian cities on their financial performance and overall transparency. Measuring almost 30,000 individual data points, the Index is designed to shed light on how...
Obsolete Regulations Prevent Aboriginals from Accessing Trades
All across Canada, but particularly on the prairies, builders complain about shortages of skilled trades people, but there’s a vast pool of unrealized potential among First Nations youth. Native reserves have a booming young population, and chronically high rates of...
7th Annual Local Government Performance Index
The Local Government Performance Index ranks the top 100 Canadian cities on their financial transparency and performance over the 2012 financial year. Since the first edition in 2007, the comprehensive annual report has pushed municipal governments across Canada to...
Voluntary Initiatives can Advance First Nation communities
The Idle No More protests were in reaction to Ottawa’s agenda when it comes to Aboriginal policy. But there are a number of initiatives that First Nations can voluntarily opt into and benefit from. The First Nations Land Management Act is federal legislation that...
Canada Should Test its Certified Organic Food
More and more Canadians are prepared to pay a premium to buy food that is certified-organic. They believe in good faith that an objective process ensures that the food is authentic. They might be surprised to learn that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency allows any...
Housing Affordability on the Decline
Personal income has increased more in Saskatchewan than in any other province over the past five years, and it has put tremendous upward pressure on the cost of housing. The number of households in Regina and Saskatoon that qualify for a mortgage has dropped by ...
Losing Canadian Travellers To American Airports
Five million Canadians cross the border each year to fly from U.S. airports and save hundreds of dollars on the cost of a single vacation. Travelling from a Canadian airport costs more in several ways, especially when you add up airport fees and taxes. The U.S. sees...