So long as government issues flip-flopping travel policies, people will make plans despite the pandemic
Most travel chatter focuses on the ‘new norm.’ Whether it is proof of vaccination, masking requirements, travel restrictions or negative PCR tests, are we actually seeing a new norm in terms of travel? Based on the number of airline passengers passing through Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Edmonton International Airport (YEG), it appears air travel…
Focus on sustainable solutions rather than on short-term ones with strings-attached
The Alberta government stopped collecting its fuel tax at the beginning of April in an effort to provide “real relief” to Albertans impacted by rising fuel and inflationary costs. The tax cut saves motorists up to 13 cents per litre on gasoline and diesel but reduces the provincial revenues by approximately $1.3 billion (nearly three per…
Pandemic restrictions dealt the sector a heavy blow
Consumers usually realize fairly quickly just how important the manufacturing sector is when they stare at empty shelves while shopping. In some cases, being confronted with an empty shelf can lead to hysteria and panic, leading to irrational behaviour. Most consumers, pre-pandemic, never really had much cause to be concerned about how the Canadian manufacturing…
Our debt is rising and our population growth is slowing. The result will be a massive fiscal burden on taxpayers in decades to come
Caught between a rock and a hard place. This best sums up the position that Alberta’s United Conservative Party government found itself in as it announced new, stricter lockdown measures for Christmas. The government is attempting to bend the rising curve of COVID-19 infections. Premier Jason Kenney and his most trusted ministers lined up to…
Very few people have focused on the financial aftermath of the flatten-the-curve pandemic strategies. It’s time we did
It has become routine for Canadians to listen to the daily national COVID-19 briefing. We wait to learn about the current state of affairs and whose turn it is to receive financial aid. A million here, a billion there. The programs include: $300 billion to the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions to free…
Government actions to reduce financial pressure on firms create dangerous conditions over the longer term
We spend double the amount of time on our streaming platforms compared to last year, close to 45.4 billion minutes on Netflix alone in the first few weeks of March 2020. Movie titles such as 28 Weeks Later, Quarantine, Carriers and I Am Legend have provided an escape from our quarantined hideouts. Unfortunately, such movies about a…
Nova Scotia's continued ban on fracking isn't supported by evidence. And it has severely curtailed spending and job creation
With an estimated 1.6-plus-trillion cubic feet of natural gas under foot, Nova Scotian policy-makers are choking out economic growth potential with bad public policy. Their hasty decisions regarding the not-so-new technology of hydraulic fracturing (or fracking, which has been around since the 1950s) were justified by claiming to have been based on incomplete, unavailable or…
The ride-sharing industry must operate within a competitive environment rather than be regulated beyond the public’s choice
The ride-sharing industry faces regulatory roadblocks as it tries to gain traction across the country. Led by Uber, the industry is disrupting traditional transportation by providing people with alternatives to taxis and buses. The competing choices now include one’s own vehicle, public transit, taxi or Uber (or a similar service). As the ride-sharing industry spreads…
An evolutionary change in transportation is under way. Will Canada be ready?
It’s time to start crafting legislation to govern self-driving vehicles in Canada. Many of the world’s leading automotive-related companies – Tesla, Uber, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Volvo, BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Nissan, General Motors and Ford – and some other less common brands plan to release driverless cars or driverless systems in the near future. The autonomous…
Most travel chatter focuses on the ‘new norm.’ Whether it is proof of vaccination, masking requirements, travel restrictions or negative PCR tests, are we actually seeing a new norm in terms of travel? Based on the number of airline passengers passing through Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Edmonton International Airport (YEG), it appears air travel…
