The Liberals’ Budget Promises Lots of Cheques But Avoids Tough Questions
This week’s federal budget filled 464 pages. By comparison, Bill Morneau’s first budget in 2016 only needed a skimpy 271. Some of the topics covered:
Posted March 22, 2019
Climate Change Strategies
The Liberals may have believed that their carbon tax was going to be an easy sell when it was introduced last fall. After all, taxpayers were told that most of them would more than get their money back from money gathered by the tax. The only losers would be rich people with twin SUVs and a hot tub in the backyard.
Taxpayers did not warm to this message for a variety of reasons.
Posted June 28, 2019
Another Bad Day for Electricity Customers in Nova Scotia
The energy from Muskrat Falls is not going to be available until at least 2020. But the transmission lines are all built at a cost exceeding $1.5 billion. You are going to pay the interest on that debt while we wait.
Posted September 15, 2017
The Ferry Saga Shows How Not To Manage A Transportation Project
The government’s management of the Yarmouth Ferry has been a fiasco. We should worry about what this says about other projects.
In August last year, Bay Ferries, operator of the ferry, reported that it was meeting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) representatives to discuss requirements and costs associated with potentially starting up ferry service to Bar Harbor, Maine, instead of Portland, Maine, which has been the service used for the most recent three years.
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Posted July 19, 2019
Trudeau’s Rare Availability To The Media This Week Is Unlikely To Be Repeated
As recently as June, the Andrew Scheer Conservatives had a tidy lead over the Liberals in opinion polls. That was not because Canadians had become charmed by Scheer, but rather because they were increasingly disenchanted with Trudeau.
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Posted August 16, 2019
Pharmacare: We Don’t Need a Leap of Faith
The federal report on national Pharmacare recommends a comprehensive program with national standards to be implemented over the next seven years. The report addresses a useful opportunity but its proposals will not receive provincial support.
Posted June 21, 2019
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The Americans Have a Real Problem on Their Southern Border. So Could We.
Donald Trump’s efforts to constrain the flow of asylum seekers at America’s southern border are cruel, racist, and ineffective. The polarizing nature of his tactics obscures the reality of the underlying issue.
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Posted August 2, 2019
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Cape Breton University Is On A Roll
University education can be a wonderful source of export earnings and immigration attraction for Nova Scotia.
Posted October 19, 2018
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The Teachers’ Plan Deficit Needs to be Addressed
The government and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union are doing a disservice to taxpayers and today’s teachers, who are paying for the inadequacy of past contributions by and for the teachers that retired long ago.
In contrast, the public-sector pension plans for civil service and health care workers are well-funded and can be expected to keep their promises to pensioners over the long term.
Posted May 18, 2018
The Football Stadium is Going To Cost Taxpayers a Lot
The football stadium proposed for Shannon Park is said to need a subsidy of $10-$11 million per year. It would be much higher.
Posted November 9, 2018
Transit Choices
A study of the possibilities for commuter rail is underway. It looks expensive. That is not the only option that should be considered. Read More »
Posted March 13, 2015