“If every locality traversed by an existing or proposed pipeline project were empowered to enact similar ordinances to prevent the operation of that pipeline through its boundaries, pipeline commerce could come to a halt.” – Lawyers for the Portland pipeline operator
BACKGROUNDER
In a previous post, I commented on the difficulties faced by the Calgary CBD (downtown), with its huge office vacancies resulting from the mid-decade oil bust, along with the rise of remote and hybrid working accelerated by the pandemic. Calgary (metropolitan area...
Executive Summary Since 2015 Manitoba has restrained the growth in provincial government administration to a relatively modest 7.9 percent, which is slightly below the growth in the population. Restraint at the provincial level has allowed Manitoba to do slightly...
In a recent New York Times article, David Wallace Wells asked, “How did No-Mandate Sweden End up with such an average pandemic”. Let’s be clear. This admission from the New York Times, who tried to destroy the response to Covid-19, starting in April 2020 and...
Candida Auris is a fungus that, unlike most fungi, can survive in a human body. It is capable of spreading within the body, resulting in an agonizing death. For unknown reasons the fungus is spreading at a rather alarming rate. So far, cases have been confined to long...
Executive Summary • The Idle No More movement was motivated to a certain degree by opposition to imposed change. • First Nations have historically opposed imposed solutions. First Nations require a new approach. • Some of the most successful initiatives that benefit...
Introduction On 25th of September, the citizens of Regina will vote in a referendum for the first time in 20 years. The question? Whether the city should use a traditional contract to construct a new wastewater treatment plant or to proceed with the council’s...
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.
This recent turbulence in the skies is not restricted to Canada. Around the world, the airline industry is in a state of flux. This Backgrounder analyzes the growth challenges of Canadian airlines.
Beyond the rule of law and security, the most important public policy objectives should be to achieve wide-spread affluence and eradicate poverty. Cities, urban policy, and urban transport are means to facilitate this objective, not ends themselves.
Based on a historical analysis of the original role for a national public broadcaster, Roland Renner assesses how improving technology has affected the CBC and takes a look at five potential alternatives for bringing the CBC in to the modern world. Renner looks at five potential proposals, ranging from abandoning the idea of a public broadcaster entirely, to making only minor changes to the current system, before making a final recommendation.
Canadian cities are very safe relative to American cities. Some cities could reduce crime with a targeted police presence in relatively dangerous neighbourhoods. However, simply increasing police levels does not appear to be an effective anti-crime strategy, and police services could free up resources by adopting more efficient staffing policies.
Annually, five million Canadians opt to cross the border and depart from U.S. airports when they fly, because they save on average $428 per person per round-trip. The Canadian government needs to facilitate and encourage competition in the air transportation sector or continue to lose to the U.S.
This backgrounder offers an analysis of recent conditions in interest rates and bond markets among industrial states. Notwithstanding the United States’ current economic woes, the paper concludes that while it is positively the best major market in comparison to almost all others, it risks of drifting into Spain-like conditions without an active set of policies to redress its debt burden.