Executive Summary The various federal political parties are all promoting the policy agendas they believe will foster a sustainably high quality of life for all Canadians. It remains to be seen whether they will attain the success that they aim to achieve. In some...
Many people are bemoaning the loss of yet another large, independent Canadian company to a merger with an opportunistic acquirer. With the consequent loss of many executive and other head office jobs, the real tragedy is that too many Canadian companies have aimless,...
How low can oil go? For Canadians, the plunging price of oil means direct economic pain in the west, along with rising prices for food and other imports as our dollar drops with it. Those looking for clues about whether 2016 will bring a price recovery have largely...
The first formal definition of “sustainability” was given by the 1987 Brundtland Report or, properly, the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising...
The indictment of former U.S. president Donald Trump for crimes invented by his political opponents is the most egregious example yet seen of the weaponizing of the law. The United States is now full of examples. However, in Canada, we also see the law being...
OTTAWA, REGINA - Last week, two things happened that could have profound impacts on natural resources development in Saskatchewan. One is a hint the federal government might want to take control of natural resources away from the provinces, and the other is the...
Food trade policy is essential to providing variety and affordability to consumers, no matter where they live. The food industry is largely recession-proof, but still vulnerable to external influences. With a president in the White House who seems ready to think more internationally, the virtues of free trade may be fortified. That would be welcome news to the Canadian economy during these worrying conditions.
The best news is that high-yield farming will serve humanity and protect our forests whether the climate warms or cools. We ardently agree with Katherine Sierra that science—especially biotechnology—offers the best hope of being able to feed 8-10 billion people (up from the current 6.5 billion) in 2050.
As the prices of food, fuel and other basic commodities continue to skyrocket, the tiny voice warning that the sky is falling becomes louder and more insistent. The lesson is that markets work. Shortages cannot persist in a free marketplace because higher prices prompt consumers to economize on their purchases and producers both to expand existing supplies and to search for cheaper substitutes.
This same mythology is the often expressed opinion that producers have no place else to go and therefore Alberta can charge them whatever it pleases in royalties.
Certainly no one should be getting their water for free. It’s a resource like any other and deserves to be priced accordingly.
Owen McShane shows how markets will deal with the panic of “peak oil”
B.C.’s forest fires are the result of misguided forest management practices.
American softwood lumber tariffs are causing economic damage, but in the long run they may strengthen Canada’s forest industry.
Rural communities and industries need to think very carefully before they make agreements with activist groups.