Education in 2016: Antsy students, teacher misconduct and math scores
By PAUL W. BENNETT (AIMS Author) • Troy Media, 03 January 2017 Schools across Canada went to great lengths in 2016 to re-engage fidgety students in what may be known as the Year of Self-Regulation. Coping with today’s restless kids requires every conceivable pacifier, including spin bikes, exercise balls, wiggle stools and standup desks. That’s why in my annual survey [...]
Fixing NL’s fiscal problems require long-term vision
By MARCO NAVARRO-GÉNIE (AIMS President) and JACKSON DOUGHART (AIMS Policy Analyst) • The Telegram, 28 December 2016 Ferryland district MHA Keith Hutchings wrote in a letter to The Telegram recently, “It is time … to challenge the federal government on our province’s share of equalization.” (“Why isn’t the government demanding equalization?” Nov. 14). In his opinion, accepting that Newfoundland and [...]
Average-size public sector ‘would save N.S. $1-billion’
By JACKSON DOUGHART (AIMS Policy Analyst) and MARCO NAVARRO-GÉNIE (AIMS President) • Chronicle Herald, 22 December 2016 The authors of AIMS's study The Size and Cost of the Public Sector in Atlantic Canada, 2015 discuss the findings of their paper. They show how excessive and growing government employment in Nova Scotia constitutes a major expense for the province. Nova Scotia [...]
Government must change role in gambling
By ALEX WHALEN (AIMS Operations Manager) • Journal-Pioneer, 21 December 2016 Alex Whalen discusses the recent revelations of P.E.I.'s e-gaming scandal and the audit of Atlantic Lottery. He concludes that with such disregard for taxpayer dollars, it is time for governments to divest from the gambling business. P.E.I.'s e-gaming scandal and the recent audit of the Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) [...]
Proof the Atlantic provinces haven’t stopped spending, despite protests over ‘austerity.’
By PATRICK WEBBER (AIMS Research Associate) • Financial Post, 20 December 2016 AIMS Research Associate Patrick Webber discusses his AIMS paper Measuring Austerity in Atlantic Canada. He outlines how, contrary to the rhetoric of anti-austerity advocates, all four Atlantic provincial governments have increased real absolute and per-person spending since 1980. “Austerity” has become a popular expression in discussions of public [...]
Jackson Doughart on Atlantic Austerity
On Dec. 9, 2016, AIMS Policy Analyst Jackson Doughart joined Jean-Albert Maire of Radio Canada to discuss AIMS's policy paper "Measuring Austerity in Atlantic Canada." The interview is in French.