Part 1: Defining the attributes of your successful retirement community
Who says you have to go on living in the same location when you retire? The choice is yours. City or country retirement is ultimately a personal decision. But it draws significantly on your prior life, and the skills and personal attributes you can bring to the retirement community you choose. How you retire is…
Property tax rates are much higher for businesses than home owners, which can cause serious problems, particularly when the economy falters
By Josef Filipowicz and Steven Globerman The Fraser Institute When homeowners receive their annual property tax bill from city hall, they’re likely unaware that the shop down the street pays a higher property tax rate – probably much higher. For example, according to a new Fraser Institute study, in the Calgary area, the average commercial…
Tomasz Sztuk of Sztuk Architecture explains why focus on long-term sustainability, efficiency and good detailing pays off
Tomasz Sztuk is owner of Sztuk Architecture. Tell me about you and your company. Sztuk: I’ve been practising architecture in Canada since 1991. Before starting my own firm, Sztuk Architecture Inc., in 2013, I worked in Calgary in capacities ranging from junior architect, to director of design, to principal. In addition to running my own…
Ford and Agility Robotics have teamed up to reimagine the package delivery business
If the thought of getting your latest online purchase – particularly large, heavy ones – delivered by a drone makes you feel uneasy, how about having a robot deliver it after arriving in a self-driven car? Autonomous delivery testing isn’t new. In 2017, Ford Motor Co. partnered with Domino's in the U.S. to test self-driving…
For years, farmers have tried to tell their stories through social media and elsewhere – and too often failed
For years, farmers have tried to convey their message and explain the agriculture and rural lifestyle to the broader Canadian populace. They’ve taken to social media with touching stories and countless messages, telling Canadians what things are like on the farm. Some have called this “agvocacy.” But the new Canada’s Food Guide and recent policy…
We need a larger internal market that would create economies of scale and further economic productivity growth
Former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King once quipped, “If some countries have too much history, we have too much geography.” This has always been evidenced in Canada’s low national population density, estimated at about four people per square kilometre. Nevertheless, we’re still a highly urbanized country with more than 80 per cent of our…
New survey rates Calgary behind only Vienna, Melbourne and Osaka. Vancouver and Toronto also made it into the top 10
A new report suggests that Calgary is one of the most livable cities in the world. The Global Liveability Index 2018, a report by The Economist Intelligence Unit, rated Calgary fourth overall in the world – behind Vienna, which topped the ranking, followed by Melbourne and Osaka. The rest of the top 10 in descending…
We need to follow the example set by New Zealand, which gave the Māori the help they needed, while allowing them to preserve their culture
In 2013, the people of the small outport community of Little Bay Islands, N.L., had to make a very emotional decision. The local economy had completely dried up. The crab processing plant had closed and the community was far away from government public services. Looking at its bleak prospects, the people of the small community…Human history can be viewed as one long trek toward the inside. Why go outside and ignore all the comforts of progress?
As spring finally shows signs of settling in, I’ve been told on a few occasions that I should “go outside.” The other day, a co-worker asked me if I had “gone outside” on a recent beautiful Sunday. When I told him I had not, his face fell and he comforted me as though I had…
Living in the city may not be perfect, but neither is living in the country or the suburbs
Cities have formed naturally. As people found ways to make a living without being on a farm, they gravitated together for convenience, commerce, and social interaction. Those same forces continue to draw people together into city living. For the most part, city life is very convenient. We spend less time on the road going to…