By JOHN RISLEY (AIMS Chairman of the Board) Atlantic Business Magazine, 13 January 2018 On November 24, Atlantic Canada submitted an application to the federal government for funding under the Super Cluster program. If we are successful (we might know the answer by the time this is published), the program will unleash over $400 million [...]
By Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) The idea of having to pay a sin tax for environmentally detrimental foods seems to be gaining more support. For some, eating meat is considered a sin, and therefore meat products should be taxed, like alcohol and tobacco. A new report published recently by a group called Farm Animal [...]
By SYLVAIN CHARLEBOIS (AIMS Senior Fellow) There has been a lot of noise on cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin of late. While some suggest cryptocurrencies are a fraud, others believe them to be the next economic revolution the world has seen since the internet. Bitcoin has brought to light the interesting concept of blockchain technology which offers [...]
By ROBERT ROACH (AIMS Senior Fellow) Troy Media, 17 December 2017 Canada is a big and diverse place. People, power, economic opportunities, public policy priorities, language and cultural nuances are not evenly spread from sea to sea to sea. It’s always been a struggle to make sure the various regions are working together, treated fairly [...]
By David Zitner (AIMS Senior Fellow) and Dominic Covvey (AIMS Author) Airplane crashes are broadcast widely and become infamous. Consequently, industry was compelled to make substantial improvements to airplanes, their instrumentation, the training of pilots and air traffic control. Without awareness, people would not recognize a crisis and there would be little impetus for change. No [...]
Originally published in the Telegram By Jeffrey Collins Newfoundland and Labrador’s finances exist in a fog. Our 40 members of the House of Assembly are constitutionally required to deliberate and vote on billions of dollars’ worth of spending contained in budgets, supplementary estimates and program proposals annually. And yet outside of those select few MHAs [...]
BY Sylvain Charlebois (AIMS Senior Fellow) Downsizing is never easy, no matter what. And just weeks away from the Holidays, reducing staff is not good for morale. Yet changes in the grocery industry is causing grocers to rethink store structures, which includes laying off staff. Metro has let 250 people go in recent weeks. Loblaw also [...]
By Patrick Webber (AIMS Research Associate) Sometimes governments increase tax rates but actually end up with less tax revenue. New Brunswick is a good example of this paradox. The province’s income tax rates have been erratic over the last decade, particularly for the top tier of earners. The top rate of provincial income tax [...]
By Marco Navarro-Génie (AIMS President) Allowing private cannabis retailers in Nova Scotia would be most consistent with the One Nova Scotia Report and good for entrepreneurs. Yet, the online survey the Nova Scotia government organised to “consult” the public about cannabis distribution betrayed a preference for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) to monopolise retail. New [...]
By Howard Anglin, J.D., Executive Director, CCF; Michel Kelly-Gagnon, President and CEO, MEI; and Marco Navarro-Génie, President and CEO, AIMS Big things sometimes have very modest origins. When Gerard Comeau, a retired lineman, contested a $300 fine, he had no idea that he was planting the seeds of a legal battle that could end up [...]