From the Calgary Herald
Municipal Government
Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce Pushes Municipal Amalgamations
An article in today's Leader-Post announced that the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce is planning to lead a push to amalgamate many of the smaller urban and rural municipalities in the province. The rational is that doing so could potentially lead to cost savings....
Alberta Provincial Election, Day 1:
Unlike most Alberta elections since the 1970s, the outcome of this one cannot be announced in advance. This fact alone makes the start of this campaign the most exciting in a generation.
Co-operation Win-Win for Unions, Taxpayers: Service delivery innovation should be applauded
Winnipeg City Council should be applauded for dipping its toes into the waters of real reform. Under managed competition, a system that allows management and unions an opportunity to cut costs and improve services before the city considers going to competitive bidding.
Featured News
Trust is the Foundation of Authority
The heartbreaking death of Nathanael Spitzer, the cancer-stricken boy from Ponoka, exposed a most callous streak in Alberta’s medical bureaucracy. There is no forgiving how Alberta Health Services appallingly used a child’s death to promote yet more COVID-19 fear. ...
Apple’s “Security” Pitch Conveniently Protects the iOS-Android Duopoly
In October, Apple Inc. warned that draft rules from the European Union that would require the technology company to open up its mobile operating system to third-party apps would pose a security risk to its users. Expanding on comments already made by CEO Tim Cook, a...
Problems May Arise
Regina's low indebtedness and debt-serving costs suggest its low taxing regime is sustainable, a new study said. However, the 2007 Local Government Performance Index report released today warned Regina could face difficulties because of its poor level of public...
Municipal Accounting Standards Hamper Financial Comparisons
The 2007 Local Government Performance Index: A Financial Analysis of 30 Canadian Cities, a Canada wide financial comparison of the nation’s thirty most populous cities.
The Best Laid Plans of Govt Planners Usually Screw Up Your Life
It is safe to say economist Randal O'Toole is an expert in many of the things that have caused Pittsburgh and other cities great pain -- government planning, government mass-transit systems and government attempts to shape or contain the redevelopment of cities. A...
Ontario’s Cure for Flawed Democracy Worse than Disease?
There are problems with both the present and proposed electoral systems in Ontario.
Competitive Tendering Saves Winnipeg 40%
What happens when a municipal service delivered by an in-house monopoly is exposed to competition?
The Toronto Megacity 10 Years Later
Toronto amalgamation was a costly error – producing higher costs, disempowering voters, and shifting economic growth to more efficient suburban centres.
Call for Change Follows Fiery Crash
Reeve wants province to build overpass at McGillivray, Perimeter
Irresistible Forces Meet an Immovable Object?
Government has floated a proposal that all buildings be assessed for their carbon footprint before issuing a building consent. This is yet another half-baked scheme which will make housing even less affordable without delivering any measurable benefit. No one knows...
Halle-Neustadt – the “Sustainable City”
A chilling look at the “sustainable city” Halle-Neustadt, is a bedroom community built between 1964 and 1990 for about 100,000 people on the outskirts of the manufacturing city of Halle, in East Germany.