Nova Scotia has been actively engaged in public-private partnerships (P3s) for a number of years now. While some of the projects have functioned smoothly with little public opposition, others have generated controversy. Charles Cirtwill, AIMS acting president, notes that even P3s that elicited a public outcry managed to accomplish things that the govenrnment wouldn't have been able to do alone.
In asking for some big new ideas, the Premier of Nova Scotia laid down a challenge to a gathering of education stakeholders – incremental changes are not enough. In his fortnightly column AIMS acting president Charles Cirtwill took up that challenge in spades. He proposes not only doing away with school boards but combining that move with a shift to true site based management at the school level. Making schools responsible for student performance and making the department responsible for supporting, not running, schools.
Charles Cirtwill, AIMS acting president, says the call for a regional forum to address transportation issues is the right move, but there is no need to create an entirely new organization; there are existing bodies that can take on the role.
The head of NB Power says that experiments in deregulation have proven that it just doesn't work. AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill argues that so-called deregulation schemes in Ontario and California actually created more regulation than they cut. He suggests that true deregulation hasn't been given a fair shot in North America.
This edition of The Beacon features an opinion piece from The National Post on public education written by AIMS acting president Charles Cirtwill as well as articles on a variety of current policy hot topics, including health care and the Atlantic Gateway.
As the federal finance minister was announcing tax cuts, reporters were turning to AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill to explain the impact. He says the plan to cut taxes by $60 billion over the next five years will help small and medium sized businesses, and the low corporate tax rate can lead to a competitive advantage globally.
Reporters around the country were scrambling to cover the story of the soaring loonie. In this New Brunswick newspaper article, AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill provides some basic tips to consumers. He says if people neglect to factor in duties and other add-ons, they could end up paying a lot more than they anticipated.
In the lead up to the proposed cut to the GST, a Globe & Mail survey showed that Canada’s top economists disagreed with the cut. Among the 20 economists surveyed was Ian Munro, AIMS Director of Research. He argued that the federal government’s giant surplus would be better spent by reducing the source of the surplus – personal income taxes and taxes on business.
The results of writing assessments in New Brunswick are not good; it seems that few children are being taught how to write properly. Bobby O'Keefe, an AIMS senior policy analyst, suggests that one reason for the poor results may be that schools aren't focused enough on the basics of education.
A report by the Conference Board of Canada says that we will not be able to take advantage of increased trade from Europe and Asia if we can't keep traffic moving smoothly at the Canada-U.S. border.