The Biden administration has done Canada a solid with its buy-North-American awakening. We would help ourselves by reciprocating
Canada’s auto sector got a boost this week – from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Will we be good neighbours and return the favour? After a marathon voting session, the U.S. Senate finally passed a slimmed-down version of Biden’s landmark climate and economic renewal legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives is set to okay the…
Taxpayers could get soaked with higher taxes and reckless government spending
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s promise to hand the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa more powers could be a dangerous gateway to higher taxes and runaway government spending. Hardworking taxpayers wouldn’t trust one person selected by someone else to unilaterally manage their household expenses and retirement savings. Yet, that’s essentially what Ford might have up his…
It’s time to stop talking about money and start talking about changing health care
It has been a revealing week for Canadian health care and what we have witnessed is not good. In Fredericton, NB, a senior passed away while waiting for care at a hospital emergency department. A witness noted that the man was “clearly in discomfort,” yet it wasn’t enough to gain the attention of health-care workers.…
The Trudeau government is out of touch with the issues and deficiencies of intercity transportation in Canada
The familiar sound of a passenger train can once again be heard in areas of Northern Ontario that are served by VIA Rail Canada. The Crown corporation officially restored passenger rail services to pre-pandemic levels after more than two years of on-again, off-again, limited or indefinitely suspended train schedules. Life appears to have returned to…
The largest roster of overpaid politicians in the province’s history
Has your life become 63 per cent more complicated than it was four years ago? According to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, his life sure has. Late last month, Ford announced his picks for his new cabinet and parliamentary secretaries as he embarks on his second term as premier. Ford announced the largest roster of overpaid…
Knowing birds' behaviour and nesting habits allows nesting and mowing to coexist
Every year about his time I feel sadness for the many birds and small mammals killed by haying. I know there are many and varied reasons why fields are cut, and I respect that, so please don’t think I am criticizing farmers. Mowing hay fields is a necessary and important part of agriculture. We forget…
Politicians shouldn’t be wasting tax dollars on their political vanity project
Consider this: for every minute that Toronto and Vancouver host World Cup games, taxpayers will be on the hook for $644,000. Last week, Canadians learned that Toronto and Vancouver had been tapped to host five World Cup games each as part of North America’s bid for the 2026 World Cup. Politicians in both cities have…
We need to get serious about freeing up interprovincial trade once and for all
July 1st marked five years since the coming into force of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), whose goal (its website tells us) is to “establish an open, efficient, and stable domestic market” in Canada. Has there been any progress in the half-decade since then in reducing and eliminating barriers to interprovincial free trade? According…
$10-a-day child care plan least efficient, most expensive and complex way to tackle affordability
The rising cost of living is doing a number on family budgets. In response, the federal government recently released its “affordability plan” that includes the previously announced child-care fee reductions under its Canada-wide $10-a-day plan. In May, some Ontario families had expected to see reduced child-care fees and a partial refund backdated to Apr. 1.…
Schools must avoid the equally misguided extremes of zero-tolerance policies and permissive idealism
Saunders Secondary School in London, Ont., is home to approximately 2,000 students. It’s been in the news a lot lately, but not in a good way. A recent CBC story quoted an anonymous teacher who described Saunders as a “tinderbox of violence” where students regularly challenge teachers to fist fights after school. Over the last six…
Canada’s auto sector got a boost this week – from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration. Will we be good neighbours and return the favour? After a marathon voting session, the U.S. Senate finally passed a slimmed-down version of Biden’s landmark climate and economic renewal legislation. The U.S. House of Representatives is set to okay the…
