The latest Statistics Canada report shows Nova Scotia has doubled the number of immigrants in just over a decade. However, AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill says that's not enough and more must be done in order to replace workers in an aging province.
Immigration continues to be an important public policy issue for the Atlantic region because of its declining population. AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill says one of the major barriers to increasing immigration is a system that seeks "ideal" candidates instead of trying to match people to open poisitions.
As soon as the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results were released in Paris, education reporters were calling AIMS to help interpret the results. In this article, senior policy analyst Bobby O'Keefe explains that New Brunswick needs to start using performance data to make improvements to its public education, or it will continue to languish at the bottom of the pack.
In his fortnightly column, AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill dispels some of the baseless fears that pop-up whenever the government even suggests partnering with private industry. He notes that so-called P3s allow the government to tackle projects it wouldn't otherwise be able to contemplate without raising taxes or cutting jobs.
Author Stephen Blank argues that integration between Canada, the United States and Mexico is already a reality whether or not people choose to accept it. He goes on to say that if we continue to ignore reality we are restricting our ability to meet future challenges.
Are taxpayers getting a good return on the money they pay to their municipal governments? Are municipalities putting tax dollars toward infrastructure and services, or frittering it away on non-necessities while roads fall apart? Should we be demanding more from our local government?
The New Brunswick government has said it may raise the provincial portion of the HST in order to offset the federal reduction planned for the new year. AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill points out that such a move contradicts the government's drive for self-sufficiency.
This edition of the Beacon takes a look at the Atlantic fishery, private health care delivery and the benefits of Atlantica.
The Chronicle-Herald asked AIMS acting President Charles Cirtwill to weigh in on the ongoing Halifax Regional School Board power struggle. His advice was simple. The deposed school board members should resign, forcing an election and letting the public decide their fate. He says appealing the court decision is a waste of money, both the councillors', but more importantly tax-payers'.
An estimated 180,000 Nova Scotians living without drug insurance will now see the government cover up to 80 percent of their costs under the Tory government's new Family Pharmacare Program. While the government has budgeted $50-million for the program some members of the opposition worry that number will rise with drug costs.