The New Brunswick government has said it may raise the provincial portion of the HST in order to offset the federal reduction planned for the new year. AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill points out that such a move contradicts the government's drive for self-sufficiency.
This edition of the Beacon takes a look at the Atlantic fishery, private health care delivery and the benefits of Atlantica.
The Chronicle-Herald asked AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill to weigh in on the ongoing Halifax Regional School Board power struggle. His advice was simple. The deposed school board members should resign, forcing an election and letting the public decide their fate. He says appealing the court decision is a waste of money, both the councillors', but more importantly tax-payers'.
An estimated 180,000 Nova Scotians living without drug insurance will now see the government cover up to 80 percent of their costs under the Tory government's new Family Pharmacare Program. While the government has budgeted $50-million for the program some members of the opposition worry that number will rise with drug costs.
The Nova Scotia government unveiled a new Pharmacare program that will lessen the financial burden of prescription drugs for low-income earners. While many are lauding the move, others say that all Nova Scotians should have full prescrition drug coverage.
A proposed port in Maine could see major economic benefits in Saint John. AIMS acting president Charles Cirtwill notes that although ports in Halifax, Sydney and the Strait of Canso may see a new port as competition, projected container traffic from Asia will likely keep all the area's ports busy.
In his fortnightly column in the Chronicle-Herald, AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill takes aim at a lethargic Nova Scotia. He notes that too often habit drives the political process. As a result we get stuck in a rut instead of pioneering new solutions. He says that we all have to stop looking for other people to give us the answers and start coming up with them ourselves.
A new political party in Atlantic Canada is again raising the idea of the political union of the four Atlantic provinces. It prompted a reporter at the Charlottetown Guardian to review the possibility, and he turned to AIMS Director of Research Ian Munro for comment. Munro suggests the concept is politically unrealistic and wouldn't necessarily provide any economic benefits.
When dissecting the details of the $634-million federal infrastructure announcement the Cape Breton Post turned to AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill. The result is this editorial, in which Cirtwill points out that the federal government is re-using some of its past promises.
Business leaders in New Brunswick met in Woodstock to discuss the potential benefits of a proposed East-West toll road in Maine. The road represents a significant improvement in infrastructure and may ease transport between New Bruswick and western markets. It also showcases the benefits focusing on Atlantica as a region. An investment in infrastructure in the U.S. can have serious economic benefits on the Canadian side of the border.