Unfortunately, the UCP’s rhetoric has been on-point but its bite hasn’t matched its bark
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney will need to make tough decisions to keep the government’s leaking fiscal ship afloat. But before Kenney can sell necessary spending cuts, he will need to show the public that his United Conservative Party politicians and staff have done all they can to trim their own expenses. So far, the UCP…
At the heart of the COVID-19 crisis sits the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. and its low-income borrowers
The shutdowns ordered by Canadian governments to slow the spread of COVID-19 have caused unemployment to leap. And put mortgages in peril. Many of the millions of workers laid off have been low-income and lower-middle-income earners. They’re just the sort of people who qualify for home mortgages insured by the federal Canada Mortgage and Housing…
As government responds to COVID-19, it needs to think about the non-financial consequences of being out of work
Government needs to keep the non-monetary aspects of work in mind while supporting those rendered jobless by the COVID-19 pandemic. Concern about COVID-19 has ravaged Canada’s labour market. Staggering unemployment numbers and the number of applicants for federal aid for laid-off workers dominate headlines. The unprecedented effort to make up for lost wages has been admirable and…
Not every home should be isolated. Not every business should be shut. The harm is too great to society. We need better solutions
As Canada enters its fifth week of restrictive measures as a result of COVID-19, money is starting to flow from governments to individuals and businesses. Yet, despite these measures, businesses are struggling and many won’t reopen after the lockdown ends. A survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business published on April 5 found that…
Getting communities engaged in a potential project would allow the northern region to take control of its economic destiny
A pipeline to the Port of Churchill would revitalize the long-neglected economies of northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan. But the ultimate success of this proposed project to Churchill, Man., will depend on the involvement and support of Indigenous communities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. This alternate route to get oil to ocean tankers was proposed when…
The COVID-19 crisis can’t be used as an excuse to kill one of Canada’s largest, best-paying industries, which benefits us all
Mark Milke and Lennie Kaplan Canadian Energy Centre While the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic downturn, anti-energy activists have spotted an opportunity: to kill off Canada’s oil and gas industry – the one that provides hundreds of thousands of jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in tax revenues to governments.…
He was a man of great compassion, ingenuity and philanthropy, particularly during difficult times. Can you or your business do the same?
Milton Hershey had a couple of failed attempts at business before he founded and built the empire of Hershey Chocolate Co. If the story of Milton Hershey ended there, he would have been seen as a success and an inspiration to many. However, there’s much more to Hershey than just a successful business, because he…
Allowing employers to adjust quickly will improve the chances jobs are waiting for returning workers when the crisis subsides
By Alex Whalen and Niels Veldhuis The Fraser Institute Aside from the enormous health-related challenges due to the COVID-19 virus, employers and workers are feeling major economic pain with job loss, reduced income and revenue. The ability of businesses to adjust quickly will be key to stabilizing the economy and laying the foundation for recovery.…
The federal government has tried to extort political gain from Alberta in exchange for approval of projects, while pushing job-killing policies
Albertans didn’t need to hold their breath for Ottawa’s approval of the Frontier oil sands mine. Reports of massive opposition within the Liberal Party caucus and rumours of an appeasing economic aid package for the province were strong indicators that the federal cabinet had no intention of approving the Frontier mine in northern Alberta. In…
Following a step-by-step and community-by-community process to develop a socio-economic plan
By the spring of 1984, it was time to seriously start developing the socio-economic plans for the Polar Gas pipeline’s construction, and it was clear that the Polar Gas team needed to grow on the ground. As a result of strong and fair Sahtu Dene community criticism of the first draft of the proposed pipeline…