Natural gas has great promise as a fuel source. It is cleaner, more efficient, and cheaper than petroleum. But despite more businesses making the switch, costs in Atlantic Canada have risen. Local prices are higher than in Western Canada, sometimes substantially so. Part of the reason is our region’s dependence on imported natural [...]
In Atlantic Canada, school enrollment has dropped 19 percent since the year 2000. These are worrying numbers. The next generation’s base of labour and taxes is shrinking. Families are moving west to seek better opportunities. Natural birthrates decline. Greater healthcare costs dominate public funds. Meanwhile, our education system is under-performing. The upcoming generation [...]
New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland & Labrador are raising their HST rates. They join Nova Scotia at 15 percent, the highest level in the country. These hikes mean that Atlantic Canadians will pay more for almost everything they buy. Prices will rise at hotels and restaurants. Motorists will be hit especially hard, as [...]
The Beacon - June 4, 2016 | Vol XXII, No. 13 Atlantic Provinces Should Join the New West Partnership By Marco Navarro-Génie President & CEO Governments in Atlantic Canada have a vital political task: to break down all barriers, overcome all obstacles, and invalidate all irritants to interprovincial exchange. To this end, a regional free trade agreement is [...]
The Beacon - June 4, 2016 | Vol XXII, No. 12 The Healthcare Financial Crunch For a service as important as healthcare, it is vital that our public policies distinguish between sound, evidence-based solutions and mere fads. And where problems exist, we must find and respond to their true cause. Health policy has been on our [...]
Atlantic Canada is in a financial squeeze. With our ageing population, healthcare costs are rising. But these circumstances aren't created by neglect from the federal government, as Ottawa’s health transfers to our region are at record highs. Rather, our poor economic policies – like high taxes and banning onshore shale gas development – [...]
Sinclair Davidson Halifax Speaking Event Sponsored by AIMS, Professor Sinclair Davidson will visit Halifax at noon on Monday, May 30, to speak on the impact of plain packaging in Australia and lessons that could be learned for other jurisdictions, including Canada. This will be followed by a question and answer session. Lunch will be served. Please RSVP [...]
Elected officials mean well when they lobby to reduce class sizes. But the evidence doesn't support their efforts. Education research shows that having fewer students in a class has little influence on learning. A far more important metric is the quality of the instruction. Classrooms of 30 children with a great teacher are [...]
The Beacon - May 21, 2016 | Vol XXII, No. 11 The Bennett Education Paper Last week, we were delighted to publish Paul Bennett's policy paper, "E-Learning in K-12 Schools," which reviews many of the deficiencies in e-learning innovation and experimentation in Atlantic Canada. His paper has been well-discussed and circulated. Please take a look [...]
In OL Daily, Stephen Downes writes that "E-Learning in K-12 Schools" "captures some of the major problems with the approach in Atlantic Canada, especially the top-down provincially-based organization and management." Read the post here.