Canadian air travellers have recently been hit with a $25 charge for checked baggage. WestJet moved first, and Air Canada followed suit just days later. Airlines struggled when the recession hit in 2008, and some of them turned to baggage fees for relief. But airlines...
Transportation
Transit and Roads Aren’t Always at Odds
Public transit is often assumed to come at the expense of good roads, and vice versa. There are certainly cases where roadway spending and public transit are at odds. For instance, when light rail or streetcar projects remove lanes of traffic, or when road design...
Are Baggage Fees Here to Stay?
Last week, WestJet announced that it will begin charging a $25 to $29.50 fee for the first piece of checked luggage on some domestic flights. Days later, Air Canada announced matching fees. WestJet defended its move claiming that about a quarter of its passengers do...
The Need for Rail Re-Alignment in White Rock and Surrey
The view from the southwest flank of Canada’s coastline—between Surrey B.C.’s Crescent Beach and the city of White Rock—is breathtaking. “It’s Canada’s Amalfi coast,” enthuses Erik Seiz, President of the Crescent Beach Property Owners’ Association. With its...
Featured News
Let’s Celebrate Reaching Global Population of Eight Billion
Recently, the United Nations estimated that the population of Planet Earth had reached eight billion souls. Despite the chatter of the highly subsidized climate doomster complex this is quite an achievement - it certainly indicates that the carrying capacity of our...
China’s “Truckers’ Convoy”
Anti-lockdown protests are now taking place across China - the Chinese equivalent of our Truckers’ Convoy. The protests are a reaction to the brutal policies that literally lock people in their apartments, when even one infection is detected. As in Canada, when...
Road Safety
There are times where traffic cameras have merit. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sf-bikes-20120616,0,4422915.story The bicyclist was zipping south on Castro Street at the end of his twice-weekly ride to the Marin Headlands, blowing through red lights and stop...
Canadians Crowd U.S. Airports. Why? Taxes: Miffed by Rising Fees, Canadian Travelers Flock to Nearby U.S. Airports
Canadians have discovered a cheaper way to fly to the United States: Drive there first. Rising flight taxes and a strengthening Canadian dollar are pushing Canadians to begin their U.S.-bound trips on U.S. soil. Now airlines are rushing to meet the demand, adding service at small outposts along the border.
Time For a New Approach to Northern Busing
Ontario Northlands has provided inter-city bus service in Northern Ontario at a staggering loss. The Ontario government has now decided to divest of the struggling service. Bur rather than simply selling it off, the government should look to a new model that can introduce competition to Northern inter-city busing.
Grain Freight Regulation in Canada: Effects of 1897 Crow’s Nest Pass rates on grain still with us
A newly released study for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy looks at the history of railway and freight regulation in Canada to argue that while grain protection policy was seen as progressive at the time, the economic fall-out throughout the industry has often been detrimental.
Improving the Competitiveness of Metropolitan Areas
Centrally-determined national transportation policies are misguided and wasteful. They do not solve the choking traffic problems that plague large urban centers but often make matters worse, undermining the competitiveness of metropolitan areas.
There is No Need for a National Transit Strategy
While many urban politicians and interest groups have argued for a national transit strategy, the real solution to excessive commute times is to empower municipalities.
Media Release – Traffic Congestion Hurts Productivity: A National Transit Strategy Could Make Matters Worse
Gridlock costs Canadian cities billions of dollars in productivity. It also costs commuters both time and money. Many transit advocates believe that a national transit strategy will help increase mobility, and reduce gridlock. But Cox argues that rather than increasing mobility, a national transit strategy could make things worse.
Qantas and Air Canada: A tale of two airlines
Air Canada shareholders must wish they could swap to Qantas shares. Airline industry analysis suggests that Air Canada is more likely to collapse than survive. Qantas continues to post profits. Air Canada has run big losses for the last two years. On the surface...
STC Receives $9.2M to Run Routes in 2012
Government owned bus company Saskatchewan Transportation Co. is getting an operating grant of up to $9.2 million for 2012, about $300,000 more than the amount approved last year.