Report Cards: Teachers Should Be Free To Say What They Really Think
AIMS Fellow Michael Zwaagstra discusses how teachers should be able to say what they think when writing report cards, and suggests that Minister Casey needs to reject her departments ideology and empower teachers to use their own judgement.
How the Maritimes Became Canada’s Incredible Shrinking Region
John Ibbitson writes about how the Maritimes became Canada’s incredible shrinking region. After decades of declining fortunes, the Maritime provinces now find themselves trapped in what one observer describes as “a perfect storm” of economic and demographic decline. But the real problem is the makeup of the population that remains. Every year – due to a weakening economy, a dearth of immigrants, and a population reluctant to face these problems – there are fewer workers to pay taxes and more old people in need of government services.
N.B. Education Minister Angry After Learning French and English Students Have Been Sharing a School Bus
NB Education minister has vowed to take action after learning French- and English-speaking students have been travelling on the same school bus. Under a long-standing policy the provincial government claims it is constitutionally mandated to provide separate buses for anglophones and francophones. Dominic Cardy, leader of the provincial New Democratic Party, disagrees. “A local-level compromise — that was apparently entirely agreeable to the parents and the community — is now being ditched because someone is playing politics,” he said. A January report by the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies raised alarms these costs were rising disproportionately, citing separate buses as a cause. “Few politicians or school officials have dared to even ask if the sharing of bus services, on a larger scale, might result in significant savings to provincial taxpayers,” it said. In the 2014-15 school year, New Brunswick will spend $64.8-million to bus 90,000 students, or about $72
Do City Rankings Carry any Real Value?
AIMS Senior Fellow Patrick Luciani discusses whether city rankings carry any real value when considering the wide variety of city ranking lists and their sources.
Wage Standards: A One-dollar Fix for a $12 Billion Problem
The Times and Transcript Editorial Board writes a letter urging the provincial government in New Brunswick to take measures that would rationalize public sector spending and cites a study published by the Institute in 2014.
It’s Not About Big or Small, It’s About Good or Bad
In an article published by the Times and Transcript, one author cites a study released by the Institute in 2014 that measures the size and cost of Atlantic Canada's public sector and argues that the issue is ultimately about whether we have the right composition of public sector employment and compensation, not about whether it is costlier or bigger.