Determining the optimal speed limit is difficult. But it needs to be a limit that most people can actually follow. Our current set of speed limits does not conform to social norms, and, hence, results in minimal and arbitrary enforcement.
Municipal Government
Honduras Goes Private
Forget charter schools; 2013 will be the year of charter cities.
The City that Successfully Outsourced (Almost) Everything
Residents of Sandy Springs, Georgia have tested the limits of municipal outsourcing. Incorportated in 2005, the city has contracted out virtually everything. The only two services that are delivered by the city are police and fire services, because the insurance premiums that would be required of private companies would be prohibitive. Everything else, even licensing, has been contracted out. The sky hasn’t fallen.
Regina City Council Opens City Square Plaza to (Some) Traffic
Regina city council has voted to allow one lane (westbound) of traffic to flow through City Square Plaza at 20km/h. While this is an improvement over leaving it closed to vehicular traffic, it is insufficient. City Square Plaza was renovated with the understanding that it would be re-opened to two way traffic. That is why local businesses were willing to support the project.
Featured News
The Renewable Part of Hydrogen is the Hype
Once again, the world is staging ClimateFest 26, aka the United Nations Conference of the Parties, where peddlers of alternative energy schemes try to plunge their dippers into the river of climate change funding that flows around the world. This funding is generated...
Small Gestures Speak Louder than Great Deeds
The age-old expression that actions speak louder than words conveys an important insight: character is best judged through action. Anyone can say or promise anything but doing requires ability and skill, discipline and commitment. So, the simplest test of character is...
Building a Local Government Performance Index – Halifax PowerPoint
PowerPoint slides from the Meeting for Policy Experts presentation with Larry Mitchell, Local Government Performance Analyst from New Zealand on November 28, 2007 in Halifax at the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
Think Tank Says City Not yet World-Class
Calgary remains a leader in Canada thanks to its red-hot economy, but a policy think tank says the city still needs to improve on how it accounts for funding crumbling infrastructure. The Frontier Centre for Public Policy released data from a review of 30 of Canada's...
LGPI Discussion on Calgary – With David Seymour
Listen to David Seymour speak about the LGPI, specifically Calgary here. (13 minutes)
Sherbrooke’s High Debt?
The City of Sherbrooke has high debt levels and is struggling to provide core services, states a new national survey. The Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a Manitoba-based think tank, just released the results of its first Local Government Performance Index: A...
Montreal Deep in Debt
A recent Winnipeg study has named Montreal the most indebted major Canadian city, with debts over three times higher than the national average for Canadian cities. The study, entitled "Local Government Performance Index: A Financial Analysis of 30 Canadian Cities,"...
I was very pleased to download and review the above mentioned report. It was very good.
Hi, I was very pleased to download and review the above mentioned report. It was very good. Accurate financial reporting is the main concern for municipalities. My experience in reviewing financial statements and other local government reports across the country...
Canada’s Cities Need to Close Performance-Information Gap
Full accrual accounting, world-class asset management and robust public disclosure cannot come fast enough to Canada’s cities.
Three Stats You Just Can’t Be Without on a Saturday: The Week in Economics
Canada is awash in reports on the fiscal health of provincial and federal governments, but putting together a full picture of the balance sheets of the country's cities is next to impossible. Now, the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a Prairie-based think tank, has...
City Spends Too Much on ‘Niceties’
Toronto’s property taxes are 53% higher than the national average, in part because the city spends too much money on unnecessary “niceties,” according to a new report the Mayor dismissed as “very illinformed.” The study, conducted by the Winnipeg-based Frontier Centre...