In an age of bloated house prices in many urban centres, Atlantic Canada's situation is enviable
By Jackson Doughart Atlantic Institute for Market Studies and Wendell Cox Demographia HALIFAX, N.S. Feb. 1, 2017/ Troy Media/ - Every year, news magazines and websites publish "best city" lists, ranking global cities that are the most attractive places to live. Unfortunately, most middle-class people couldn't afford to live in the cities that top these…
Spending has risen steadily in the last generation, and anti-austerity activists clearly need to regain their equilibrium
HALIFAX, N.S. Dec. 14, 2016/ Troy Media/ - It's nearly impossible these days to have a conversation about public finance without someone crying "Austerity!" This term has become the meme of choice for political actors, activists and commentators who oppose any reductions to government spending. You'd think that Atlantic Canada, with its generous government programs…
Atlantic Canada premiers should focus on opportunities to make energy more affordable for their citizens, rather than making it more expensive
CALGARY, Alta. Aug. 22, 2016/ Troy Media/ - Last week, the premiers of Atlantic Canada met with federal Environment Minister Katherine McKenna to discuss energy planning for the region’s future. Things discussed included the building of a “clean electricity future,” and a “national price on carbon,” which was described as “impending” in a [popup url="http://globalnews.ca/news/2873634/atlantic-environment-ministers-commit-to-accelerating-clean-electricity/"…
New selection process would upend constitutional convention and an important principle of federalism: regional voices matter
HALIFAX, N.S. Aug. 15, 2016/ Troy Media/ – The federal government's new selection process for Supreme Court of Canada justices means that Atlantic Canada will lose its assured seat on the court. This decision violates a long-standing constitutional convention: to gain the consent of the members of Confederation, the provinces. It favours one form of diversity (bilingualism, for example) over others and…
By making benefits too easy to access, a cycle of unemployment is created that discourages the pursuit of education
HALIFAX, N.S. April 20, 2016/ Troy Media/ - Atlantic Canada’s struggling economy has been dealt another blow by the federal government's decision to make employment insurance (EI) easier to access. Unemployed workers in provinces hit hardest by the energy sector downturn have received the most attention in the EI reforms. Few will argue with extending regular benefits by…
No single project or government program will miraculously rescue Atlantic Canada from its depressed economy
HALIFAX, N.S. April 18, 2016/ Troy Media/ - Budget season prompts us to reflect on basic economic questions. A good life rule is: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. In public finances, balance is a sign of good management when the objective is a stronger economy and job creation. The same economic wisdom…
The level of support from other regions of the country has created a dangerous sense of entitlement
By David McKinnon and Marco Navarro-Genie Contributors A time of economic reckoning is at hand for Atlantic Canada. Deficits are growing and threaten to become solvency crises. Regional out-migration has slowed down but continues. Remittances from Western Canada are almost certain to fall rapidly. It is time to consider how to rescue Atlantic Canada from the disastrous…
By David McKinnon and Marco Navarro-Genie Contributors A time of economic reckoning is at hand for Atlantic Canada. Deficits are growing and threaten to become solvency crises. Regional out-migration has slowed down but continues. Remittances from Western Canada are almost certain to fall rapidly. It is time to consider how to rescue Atlantic Canada from the disastrous…