Healthcare Expenditure Alberta healthcare expenditures have outpaced the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) by more than three times the average rate of 5.4% between 2011 and 2018 2018 expenditures slightly declined from the overall high of 38% between 2018 and 2017,...
Imagination is Everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions – Albert Einstein A hallmark of Albert Einstein’s career was his use of thought experiments or “Gedankenexperiment” as a fundamental tool for understanding physical issues and for elucidating...
Since last September, experts have testified at a tribunal hearing for an Alberta chiropractor on how well masks do, or don’t, slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Unfortunately, the chiropractor’s college, YouTube, and LinkedIn did not want...
November 16 marked 88 years since the birth of Canada’s first “Status Indian” Member of Parliament and cabinet minister, Leonard Stephen (Len) Marchand. Elected, then re-elected twice, to the House of Commons, he served as a parliamentary secretary, minister and,...
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...
“Teachers – don’t worry if you don’t have the knowledge or skill set. You are the lead learner. Inquire not lecture.” This was an actual tweet from a prominent education guru. Sadly, this message is far from isolated. There is a common belief in education circles that...
I recently became engaged in a war of words with the editor of our local newspaper. I was accused of slurring Indigenous people by using the term “gravy train” to describe the rich benefits that a minority of people have been able to extract from the Indian System. I...
It often seems as though it is impossible to have a non-emotional discussion about health care because the issues are frequently distorted for political reasons. So what is the state of health-care delivery in Canada and Manitoba compared with other industrialized...
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 Nisga'a are a self-governing First Nation located in northwestern British Columbia. In 2008, the Nisga'a embarked on a revolutionary experiment in property ownership. They passed the Landholding Transiton Act, a piece of legislation that would allow individuals to...
Is it really sustainable for your paycheque to go up by 2 per cent a year, but your hydro bill to go up by 4 per cent, your school taxes by 6 per cent, your property taxes by 3.5 per cent and the provincial sales tax to go up to 8 per cent? Obviously it isn’t sustainable, but that’s what’s going on; government is simply becoming way too expensive for many people.
Farmers are starting to investigate the use of drones for a decidedly nonmilitary purpose: monitoring crops and spraying pesticides. As the spring growing season unfolds, universities already are working with agricultural groups to experiment with different types of unmanned aircraft outfitted with sensors and other technologies to measure and protect crop health.
Finally, what appears to be some good news out of Manitoba. Winnipeg in particular needs to accommodate population growth for the first time in a long time. Modernizing the approval process for subdivisions could help meet that demand. Additionally, it should hopefully help take some pressure off of the rental market in Winnipeg, which has a vacancy rate of less than one percent.
Bill 18 is winding its way through the Manitoba legislature against considerable opposition from parents and schools. Nevertheless, the government is convinced they must have this new anti-bullying legislation. However, by examining what has happened in American universities when they enacted similar policies, we see that this could likely create a gold mine for lawyers, while not improving the situation for students.