AIMS President Marco Navarro-Génie responds to an editorial that appeared in two P.E.I. newspapers, which questioned the bias of research institutes, such as AIMS. Far from being hidden in our biases, he argues, AIMS puts its pro-market point of view right in the name: the Atlantic Institute for "Market" Studies. A recent editorial in the [...]
In the Telegraph-Journal, AIMS Vice President of Research John Williamson considers the proposal to increase the tax exemption on purchases from online U.S. retailers from $20 to $200. If enacted, such a policy proposal would unfairly disadvantage Canada's own retailers, Williamson argues, and so any reform should include Canadian businesses. Read this article on the [...]
AIMS Policy Analyst Jackson Doughart argues against the federal government's decision to consider only bilingual candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court. Bilingualism, Doughart argues, is largely a geographic privilege in Canada. There is no good reason for otherwise-qualified judicial candidates to be passed over for such a secondary consideration. This article appeared in the [...]
AIMS Intern Ryan Scarth describes the case for low business taxes. He notes that Canadian provinces have the substantial advantage of being able to set their own tax rates, an uncommon ability among sub-national jurisdictions. By lowering rates at will, provinces can compete more effectively through attracting business from elsewhere. In many countries, tax rates [...]
AIMS Operations Manager Alex Whalen, a graduate of the Dalhousie law school, discusses changes to the Supreme Court appointment process. He bemoans that Atlantic Canada is losing its convention of one guaranteed seat on the top bench, in favour of other diversity concerns, such as bilingualism, for the federal government. Read this article in the [...]
In his Financial Post column, AIMS Research Fellow Patrick Luciani debunks the notion that experience in business portends well for executive political power. For instance, Donald Trump's business success in gambling and real estate industries came at the "fringes" of free markets, giving him a skewed understanding of economic policy. Read this article on the [...]
AIMS Vice President of Research John Williamson responds to New Brunswick's Treasury Board Minister Roger Melanson about spending and deficits: "So long as New Brunswick continues to tax and spend the government will not balance its budget," he writes. "That is not partisanship or dogma – it’s a simple calculation." Read this article on the [...]
Cunard, along with the Canadian Maritime Heritage Foundation and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, will award the second annual Samuel Cunard Prize for Vision, Courage and Creativity to John Risley, President of Clearwater Fine Foods Incorporated. The Nova Scotian resident will be given the award at a luncheon on September 10, 2016, on board [...]
In The Coast, AIMS's Mannkal Intern Ryan Scarth discusses transit reform in Halifax, proposing that the city implement a Bus Rapid Transit system in lieu of a commuter rail line from Beaverbank to Downtown. This option, he argues, would be more practical and affordable for a city of Halifax's size. Read this article on The [...]
AIMS President Marco Navarro-Génie discusses the recently-announced immigration pilot project. "More immigration to the region is good," he writes. "But its success is tethered to retaining workers. We need to straighten out the policies that foster undisciplined spending, push taxation and the cost of living upward, and harmfully reduce competition". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q_9ZGmDNs0 The continued success [...]