How the Saskatchewan government’s predatory lending practices doomed the Meadow Lake pulp mill
Saskatchewan’s Meadow Lake pulp mill was doomed from the beginning. The repercussions are still being felt, according to a new research paper. It’s been decades since the government of Grant Devine (he was premier from 1982 to 1991) was in power in Saskatchewan. But traces of the Conservative premier’s economic decisions remain. The Meadow Lake…
Considering the emphasis placed on critical thinking in schools, it’s ironic that teacher development minimizes debate and emphasizes conformity
Teaching is a challenging job. Anyone who has spent a few days in a school knows that teachers have a lot of demands placed upon them. Their responsibilities often go far beyond basic classroom instruction. From dealing with disruptive student behaviours to organizing extracurricular activities to supervising hallways and playgrounds, the workload of teachers is…
We placed a dismal 18th for ease of doing business, even behind such countries as Georgia and Macedonia
The World Bank recently issued its annual report on the ease of doing business in 190 countries and territories. And, again, Canada isn’t near the top – in fact, we sit 18th. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there’s room for improvement. Small New Zealand was first, Singapore second and Denmark third. Our main…
An IMF report uses Italy to highlight the dangers of a bloated, unproductive public sector, but it is just pertinent to Canada
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a study released with its latest Global Financial Stability Report, chided Italy, a perennial underperformer famous for its large, unaffordable and growth-stifling public sector. Why does this matter to anyone outside that beautiful, historic Mediterranean country? Because the follies of the modern Romans aren’t unique. They suffuse Canada and…
Limiting provincial borrowing and establishing reserve funds for major capital projects will save billions in the long run
I’ve learned a great deal from my children, including the lesson of restraint. I’ve also found, surprisingly, that children still come back after they’ve left the house for guidance and advice. Ultimately, learning is learning. It’s time Canada’s provinces learned from their children – municipalities – on how to handle debt. Municipalities are created through…
Righteous indignation and claims to victimhood are instant and valuable weapons in a world driven by social media
Once they were big. Really big. Kings of Hollywood, producers of movies that were nominated for more than 300 Oscars. But when their founder was outed as the captain of the American freestyle groping team, The Weinstein Company’s name became toxic: board members resigned, industry players rushed to disassociate themselves from the firm, and the…
Saskatchewan's new education minister wants a back-to-basics approach to math instruction that would give students much-needed skills
After enduring years of fuzzy math, Saskatchewan parents may finally have cause for hope. Not only did the provincial government’s latest throne speech acknowledge that Saskatchewan students have the worst math skills in the country, it pledged to address the problem with a “common-sense” plan that focuses on the basics. That’s good news for parents…
Governments only role should be to ensure that intellectual property (IP) rights are protected
Human ingenuity – often motivated by profit – is generally miles ahead of government regulations in resolving problems in society. Take, for example, the issue of orphan wells in Alberta. In September 2016, the Alberta Energy Regulator said there were 84,100 inactive oil and gas wells in the province. The collapse of oil prices and…
Cheap shots from both sides won't get us closer to solutions about managing our planet's future – and the potential impact on billions of lives
“Blatherskite.” “Trained seal.” “Dim-witted saboteur.” “A piece of sh--.” All these terms have been deemed “unparliamentary language” in Canada; use of them, and 102 other specified pieces of verbal abuse, may result in penalties levied by the Speaker of the House of Commons upon members of Parliament. To this list we must now add “climate…
The Liberal's Great Supercluster Screw-up just another drain on Canadian taxpayers
Governments always want to look like they’re implementing good ideas and accomplishing important things. Take the Innovation Superclusters Initiative (ISI) for example. The federal government plans to throw almost a billion tax dollars at non-profit groups to create jobs and help Canadian companies dominate the world. As crazy as it sounds, that’s the ostensible reason…