In the late winter of 2004 AIMS released its third edition of Ideas Matter as part of the Education Reform Initiative and as a companion piece to AIMS' second Report card on Atlantic Canadian High Schools. Featured on the cover is Angus McBeath, Superintendent of Edmonton's public schools.
Vermont is driving retail business out of state with its sales tax. The Atlantica project is examining the International Northeast as one interconnected economic zone. As part of this multi-year research initiative, AIMS is releasing A RIVER DIVIDES IT: A Comparative Analysis of Retailing in the Connecticut River Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire authored by Art Woolf, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont.
New Brunswick’s “Plastics Valley” is an "Extrusion Delusion". AIMS paper injects reason into misguided industrial development strategy adding that fundamental deficiencies seriously undermine the prospects that New Brunswick will ever achieve importance as a plastics products powerhouse, as the provincial government hopes.
THE ATLANTICA POWER MARKET: A Plan for Joint Action by Gordon L. Weil argues that the region is primed for the development of a more competitive regional market for electricity. The problem he considers is how to get the provinces and states to operate their power grids to promote the development of this market.
In his second paper on NB Power Dr. Tom Tucker says the proposed restructuring of NB Power will do nothing to address the problems of high operating costs and high debts. He says shifting the debt from the corporation to the government does nothing to address the fundamental problems which prevent the corporation from generating sufficient cash to retire debt. Turning the business units of NB Power into separate Crowns is nothing more than symbolism over substance.
UPEI economist, Robin Neill argues that because there is no comprehensive body of law dealing with the industry, producers are forced to navigate a maze of sluggish and inept bureaucracy with no restraint on government and administrative discretion.
In 2003 AIMS released the broadest set of public information ever presented on Atlantic Canadian secondary schools. The much-anticipated Report Card paints a rich, complex picture of the unique nature and performance of each high school in the region. The first in an ongoing project to provide transparency in education.
Following the release of its award winning Definitely NOT the Romanow Report, AIMS collected highlights of the research completeted and assembled the second edition of Ideas matter. Featured on the cover is Swedish health care reformer Johan Hjertdvist.
Brian Ferguson, Guelph University health economist and author says, medicare’s much-heralded success at cost control is illusory. Simply put, the introduction of medicare did not introduce a period of health care cost control in Canadian health spending.
The Non-Sustainability of Health Care Financing Under the Medicare Model, argues that, without real substantial reform, we are not going to escape our place as the big spenders on health care any time soon.