Halifax, NS – Undergraduate and graduate students across Canada who are 18 years of age or older are being encouraged to help “Right the ship” in Atlantic Canada by entering the AIMS/on/Campus essay competition. The AIMS/on/Campus essay competition is part of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) campus outreach program. AIMS is a distinctive [...]
Radio Interview with Marco Navarro-Genie, President of AIMS (Atlantic Institute for Market Studies) suggests that the left turn of Albertans had already begun for some time.
Every day, Canadian patients benefit from remarkable cures of diseases that were previously fatal. We expect a lot from health care, and so we should, because health care takes about half of all government program spending. Can patients influence care in ways that improve quality, without increasing costs? After all, patients are the people most affected by the results of care, and their participation is free of financial cost. The good news is that everyone is able to participate to improve their own care and help avoid health care mistakes without any additional cost to government. Patients may protect themselves from missed diagnoses by simply asking the doctor “have you considered all of the possible causes for my problem.”
The flag waving and chants of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union protest were part of the latest fall out from the April 9 provincial budget. On Monday, students occupied Nova Scotia Finance Minister Diane Whalen’s constituency office to protest the removal, for one year, of the cap limiting increases universities can make to tuition. On Wednesday, film professionals and their supporters protested outside the legislature over cuts to a tax credit that sees the government refund between 50 and 65 per cent of wages paid in their industry “Bringing the province’s public sector to the Canadian average should be one of the important considerations among the several strategies the province of Nova Scotia could pursue to reduce spending,” said AIMS president Marco Navarro-Genie in a press release the day before Whalen’s April 9 budget that will eliminate 320 full time civil service positions.
Feeding the education machine has a way of calming the waters. By investing $24.5 million more into the Nova Scotia school system, the Liberal government honoured its election commitment, placated the Nova Scotia Teachers’ Union, and elicited barely a peep out of the core P-12 education interests. The stakes are high going into the upcoming round of Nova Scotia teacher salary negotiations. Based upon U.S. research findings, these eight key salary provisions add up to almost 20 per cent of all primary and secondary school spending. That’s about $200 million in Nova Scotia dollars. With that mu
Halifax – The Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) is calling for a market-based solution to a recent budgetary announcement to eliminate the Nova Scotia Film Tax Credit. AIMS believes the Nova Scotia government is correct in examining the Film Tax Credit as it relates to the film industry. In addition, AIMS’ President and CEO Marco Navarro-Genie argues that subsidies are not good enablers of thriving economies and are often exploited by out-of-province companies.
Representatives of the Nova Scotia film industry are meeting again with Finance Minister Diana Whalen on Friday over changes to the province’s film tax credit, and they say they know what their goal is. Whalen has said she’s optimistic the two sides can find common ground after the provincial budget she delivered on April 9 announced drastic changes to how much support the film industry gets from the provincial government. The changes come into effect on July 1, and expenses that were once 100 per cent refundable will become 25 per cent refundable. The head of a Halifax-based think, however, believes the changes are necessary. “It seems almost surreal that in a place like Nova Scotia, one of the poorest provinces in the country, we are subsidizing the salaries of people in private enterprise to the tune of 65 per cent,” said Marco Navarro-Genie of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.
People in the film and television industry are planning a rally outside the Nova Scotia legislature today to protest a tax credit cut. Organizers say they will be at province house for several hours to send a message to provincial politicians over the refundable credit. The change announced by the governing Liberals will see the credit cut to $6 million from $24 million in next year’s budget. Film producers would also have access to an additional $6 million established in a fund for the creative sector.
Global's Marieke Walsh talks to Marco Navarro-Genie of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies about the impact of cuts to the Nova Scotia film tax credit.
John Risley Calls Film Tax Credit 'Nuts,' Backs Government Changes Seafood baron John Risley, president of Clearwater Fine Foods Inc., says he's been watching the debate unfold "with dismay" as those opposed to the cut warned of "Armageddon" and a "tidal wave" of job losses. While many working in film have warned the changes will gut the industry, the head of think tank Atlantic Institute for Market Studies says there's been no independent analysis of whether the subsidy works. There are numbers being thrown left, right and centre. None of these are independent numbers," Marco Navarro Genie, the president of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies. He said the film tax credit is essentially "free money." He also says productions can film here, but take advantage of other lower cost jurisdictions for pre and post production and still receive the Nova Scotia tax credit.