Funding public transit is one of the biggest problems facing cities today. Often the trouble is that a few high-cost, low-ridership routes drag down an entire system. That puts policymakers in a tough spot.
Media Appearances
Freedom Shouldn’t Come with Caveats, but it Does
In Saturday’s National Post, my esteemed colleague, George Jonas, made the compelling case for why university attendees should not be compelled to join student unions. He would, of course, dispute the use of the word case, because the idea that people should not be forced to join involuntary organizations would seem to be self-evident in a free society.
Why not Supply Management for Automobiles?: In fact Canada’s whole economy could be run by bureaucrats, writes Michael Hart. Wait, that sounds a lot like the Soviet Union
Recently, Canada’s Dairy Lobby has been singing the praises of “supply management” – a sys-tem that limits production and inflates prices in an at-tempt to bring stability to the milk market.
Citizens Can’t Wait for Transparency
According to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Claude Williams, “There is no fixed timeline for municipalities to be brought under the Right to Information and Access to Privacy Act.” Apparently the provincial government has been consulting with municipalities about an appropriate timeline.
Featured News
‘Side Issues’ Result in Much Higher Costs to Our Health and Social Systems
As we enter the year 2022, most Canadians will have lived their entire lives under the shibboleth that says we have the best health-care system in the world. Our beloved medicare is universal in scope, free of charge and offers equal access to all. What country could...
Touted Climate Emergency for Calgary is Deceitful and Undemocratic
Calgary has sworn in its first female mayor. A week earlier, less than 24 hours after winning the mayoral race, she gave her first post-election talk-radio interview to Ryan Jespersen, mostly involving a series of softball questions. He asked her the obligatory woke...
Big Government Not Better
The economy of scale principle does not apply to governments because governments are pyramid organizations built on layer upon expanding layer of management as the organization grows.
Group Decries Closure Ban for Schools
Education Minister Peter Bjornson's moratorium on closing schools has condemned too many kids to a lack of programs while saddling school boards with the cost of keeping tiny schools open, says a new report from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Frontier...
Strahl Accused of Hypocrisy, Secrecy in Drafting Native Reforms
Amid criticism, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl also wins kudos for anti-corruption measures.
Recession Cushion Should Have Been Bigger
The Heritage Fund created by former premier Peter Lougheed in 1976 was designed to be a rainy-day fund to help Alberta weather rough economic times like we’re having now, so what went wrong?
Taking a Second Look at the Health Index
The index compared the user-friendliness of Canada’s health care system with those of 29 European countries. The results were startling to many of my readers. Canada placed 23rd out of 30 countries. Given our high level of health care spending, when adjusted for “bang for the buck,” Canada ranked last. The column has generated such a passionate response that a second look at the index is warranted.
Deregulate City Taxi Industry, Report Suggests
Deregulation of Calgary's taxi system would create new jobs in a time of economic downturn and help stranded people hail a cab much faster, says a study by a Saskatchewan think-tank. Study author David Seymour of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy argues cabs are...
West Coast Cities Hit Worldwide ‘Most Unaffordable’ List
The cost of buying a home in Canada contrasts significantly from coast to coast, with some of the world’s least affordable cities on the West Coast, while some markets in Eastern Canada remain relatively inexpensive, according to a survey of cities worldwide released yesterday.
Still a ‘Severely Unaffordable’ City
House prices may have dropped but that didn't save Kelowna from earning the dubious distinction of one of the most severely unaffordable markets worldwide for the second year running. Kelowna was ranked the 19th most severely unaffordable city, and was nestled between...
Speaker Draws Ire of First Nations
Frances Widdowson says she's misunderstood. The co-author of the surprise bestseller Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry, the Deception behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation was in Winnipeg on Friday to defend the book that's outraged aboriginal groups across the...