Monthly Archives: January 2013

Beware snap judgments on U.N. climate conferences’ successes or failures – it is more complicated than most people think

The most realistic assessment to appear in main stream media was that published about a week after the conference ended, written by Connie Hedegaard, European commissioner for climate action in the European Commission. She told climate campaigners:

“Yes progress was slow and frustrating, but the main goal was to prepare the ground for the big 2015 talks. Job done.” Continue reading

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The “bubble” is not in bitumen

Alberta Premier Alison Redford has blamed the current economic situation on the “bitumen bubble.” That’s conveniently short-sighted. Alberta’s troubles point directly to spending and mismanagement. Continue reading

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Heritage Property Designations Hindering Religious Liberties?

Religious organizations are noticing that heritage designation laws placed on older church problems are presenting problems for church renovations or necessary demolitions. Continue reading

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Australian Invasion

This week I have an intern, Gen, from Australia working in the Saskatchewan Office with me. Continue reading

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Mandated Light Bulbs, an Unwarranted Health and Environmental Risk

Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs, soon to be federally-mandated across the country, pose serious human health and environmental risks Continue reading

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Sun News Wants to be on Basic Cable

Good commentary from Terry Field on Sun News trying to get on basic cable in a new CRTC proceeding. http://www.troymedia.com/2013/01/25/canadian-tv-consumers-are-still-the-real-losers/ Three things going on here.  The first is political.  Sun News thinks it represents a mainstream part of Canadian opinion … Continue reading

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Is Saskatchewan’s First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit undermining housing affordability?

On its face, the First-Time Home Buyers Tax Credit seems like it would increase housing affordability. After all, aspiring home owners often have difficulty scraping together enough money for a deposit. But tax credits are the wrong tool. I pointed out during the last provincial election that evidence from the US suggests that the tax credit would, in fact, reduce housing affordability. Continue reading

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Oil Confusion

Here’s 10 news headlines about oil from today, presented without any further comment – I’ll leave it to you to try and figure out what’s going on. Continue reading

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Australian Shale Oil Discovery

An Australian company have announced a shale oil discovery that could mean Australia has larger oil reserves than even Canada. Continue reading

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Cutting Red Tape

This week the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is hosting its fourth annual Red Tape Awareness Week™ 2013. In the spirit of the “Red Tape Revolution” here is a poem about red tape reduction initiatives. Continue reading

Posted in Alberta, Calgary, Education, Healthcare, Housing, Immigration, Labour, Local Government, Manitoba, Regulation, Role of Government, Saskatchewan, Taxation, Technology, Trade, Unsorted | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

More data confirming failure of state-led indigenous economic development

A new study confirming the failure of state-led economic development on American Indian reservations can provide insights to the Idle No More movement, as well as the federal government, as it seeks to help improve First Nations economies. Continue reading

Posted in Aboriginal, Poverty | 2 Comments

Nebraskan Route For XL?

Today comes news that the Governor of Nebraska, Dave Heineman, has approved an alternate route for the Keystone XL pipeline. Continue reading

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