Those figures conveniently ignore some pretty substantial light rail costs. For one thing, they count only capital costs from the first nine years of C-Train development, when the city spent $18 million per kilometer to build the initial phases. Those were the cheapest phases, of course, because they focused on the highest density routes, heavily centred around downtown—“the low hanging fruit.”
Media Appearances
Kelowna Budget Carryover Requests Approved
More than $94.2 million in operating and capital carryover expenditures will be added to the City of Kelowna 2011 budget.
Researcher Says Alberta Lagging on Property Rights
The 2011 International Property Rights Index released this week is the fifth annual study that investigates how well countries protect property rights. Out of 129 countries, Canada ranks ninth in the world, just below Australia. Finland and Sweden are first and second, respectively, while the United States is nineteenth.
Tax Cuts Should Be Based on Efficiency: Boutique tax credits favoured by Harperites target small interest groups with special benefits at the expense of other taxpayers
Taxes inevitably take a toll on economic growth for the simple reason that each dollar in government hands is no longer available for private-sector investment. Much of the money collected through taxes may work its way back to the private sector through purchases,...
Featured News
Energy Inquiry Shows the Problem and the Way
If a public inquiry found that hundreds of millions of dollars was being funnelled by foreign entities to undermine Canadian industry, should we conclude there is nothing wrong? Remarkably, the public inquiry’s final report into anti-Alberta energy campaigns did the...
Why Millennials Prefer DIY Investing
One-third of Canadian millennials prefer going solo when it comes to managing and investing their money. Online financial education and tools are changing the rules of the game and threatening to affect financial advisors how emails affected mailmen. A recent poll...
Put Health Care Back on Ottawa’s Agenda
Just like Tyson’s haunting hymn, Canadian-style “medicare” has gone on to become part of our national heritage. But unlike music that is remastered, remixed and re-recorded, our health care system has not moved ahead with the times. Until now.
Its No Accident that What Happens at Yellow Quill . . . Happens
Most people have so damned little that anyone who appears to be doing even a little better is immediately suspect.
The Government of Canada Announces the Appointment of New Members to the National Council of Welfare
The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today announced the appointment of Rev. Larry Gregan and Mr. David S. Pankratz of Manitoba, Colonel Glen Shepherd of Quebec and Mr. Calvin D. Helin of British Columbia to the National...
Local First Nations Do Well on Survey
A recently released report on aboriginal governance has given high marks to two First Nations in this area.
The Aboriginal Governance Index, done by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, rated Muskoday and Wahpeton First Nations among the top 10, with Muskoday in seventh spot and Wahpeton in 10th.
Equalization Hurts Ontario, Expert Warns
Ontario taxpayers still funnel billions of dollars to supposedly needy provinces like Quebec, Manitoba and those in Atlantic Canada.
Yellow Quill was so Ripe for Tragedy
The day before I drove here along snow-drifted roads in the bright white emptiness that is northeastern Saskatchewan in February, the Frontier Centre for Public Policy released its second Aboriginal Governance Index. It is an innovative ranking of reserves in...
Is Ontario the Patsy Because of Equalization?
Why, he asks, can Manitoba spend $1.2-billion to subsidize electricity prices while it collects $1.8-billion this year in equalization payments? How can Atlantic Canada, with a population of just two million, afford 15 universities? The answer, he says, is the “tidal wave” of funding it gets from Alberta and from Ontario, whose taxpayers provide 44 per cent of federal revenues.
Sask. First Nations Do Well
Results from a survey on aboriginal governance were released on Monday with some surprising results. "First Nations, which do well in terms of transparency and administration, tend to do better at the economy and the overall governance score," said David Seymour,...
Ethanol Inefficient, Says Researcher
Canada's policy of promoting ethanol production is an inefficient use of energy and tax dollars, of dubious benefit to the environment and harmful to the livestock industry, according to the former CEO of the George Morris Centre. Larry Martin, a senior policy...