NSTU and Standardized Testing
AIMS Fellow in Common Sense Education Michael Zwaagstra discusses his latest column published in the Chronicle Herald, which outlines an argument for standardized testing in Nova Scotia, on News 95.7!
War Against Islamic State Extremists
AIMS Senior Fellow in Security and Defence Robert Murray discusses Canada's involvement in the war with ISIS.
Does Canada Need a Program of Subsidized Universal Daycare?
AIMS Director of Research and Programmes Ben Eisen discusses whether Canada should adopt a program of subsidized universal daycare.
AIMS President and CEO in Response to Stephen Kimber
I am writing in response to an article authored by Stephen Kimber: How the Harper Government is Spending $13.4 Million to Attack Charitable Groups. Mr. Kimber is troubled with my refusing to comment on whether the Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) auditing process is political, and whether the agency is auditing the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS). His tone illustrates an absence of journalistic objectivity that solidified in retrospect my decision not to comment.
Stephenson: NDP Made Deals We Can’t Afford
Last week, a report by the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies called for a 14,000-job reduction in civil service jobs in Atlantic Canada. It noted that the four provinces in this region are well above the national average in the number of public-sector jobs they have, compared with private-sector jobs. In Nova Scotia, for instance, there are 99 provincial or municipal public-sector jobs for every 1,000 residents. The national average is 83. In New Brunswick, the figure is 84 jobs for every 1,000 residents. The study also found that in Nova Scotia, public-sector jobs account for 30 per cent of all wages paid. The national average is 22 per cent. The growing gap between private-sector workers and public-sector employees is a huge economic problem for this province, and one of the factors that is driving more young Nova Scotians to leave in search of a more level playing field.
The Size and Cost of Atlantic Canada’s Public Sector
AIMS Director of Research Ben Eisen and policy analyst Shaun Fantauzzo discuss their latest study, "The Size and Cost of Atlantic Canada's Public Sector," on various radio stations throughout Atlantic Canada.
AIMS Report: Cut Public Sector
A new report by a regional think-tank says Atlantic Canada “could achieve meaningful savings” by bringing its public-sector numbers down to the national average.
MEDIA RELEASE: THE SIZE AND COST OF ATLANTIC CANADA’S PUBLIC SECTOR
The Size and Cost of Atlantic Canada’s Public SectorHalifax, NS (18 September 2014): A new paper published this morning by the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) shows that high rates of public sector employment in Atlantic Canada come at a significant cost to taxpayers. The study shows that public sector employment in excess of [...]
Fracking Ban Definition of “High-volume” Practice Unclear
What is high-volume fracking? Apparently, legislation is coming to ban it in Nova Scotia. Three days after the Wheeler report recommended Nova Scotia prepare community approval mechanisms, more area-specific science and an extensive regulatory regime before allowing hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas, Energy Minister Andrew Younger announced he will bring in legislation to ban high-volume fracking. The only reference Marco Navarro-Genie from the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies could find to such a practice in the report was with regard to the amount of wells drilled.
Fracking Ban Only Applies to High-volume Fracking, says AIMS CEO
The banning of high-level onshore hydraulic fracturing by the Liberal government of Nova Scotia shouldn’t pose problems for companies wishing to explore, develop and frack natural gas wells in the province. “The one they are proposing to ban is high-volume, which is 20,000 wells or more,” said Marco Navarro-Genie, president and CEO of the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS). Navarro-Genie was discussing the hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells during a breakfast speech Friday morning at the Eaton Lobster Factory Hall in Pugwash. He said low-volume fracking is 4,000 wells and mid-volume is 12,000 wells.