Radio Project audio
Radio: Seattle’s Minimum Wage Hike
Advocates of higher minimum wages in Atlantic Canada want to help low-income workers. But artificially forcing up wages can actually hurt those employed in low-wage jobs. A new study has found that workers earned less money after Seattle hiked its minimum wage in 2015. Though some workers made more per hour, fewer workers [...]
Radio: Education Methods
Education experts agree: critical thinking is an essential skill for today’s students. But to instill this ability in our children, we can’t abandon tools that are proven effective. Traditional education approaches focus on producing competent teachers, serious content, and rigour from children. But these ideas have fallen out of fashion. So-called “student-centred” methods [...]
Radio: Intervening for Interprovincial Trade
For nearly 150 years, the constitution has enshrined free trade in Canadian law. Yet to this day, the provinces maintain regulatory hurdles and import bans that restrict the free flow of goods within Canada. These policies may help local interests, but they jeopardize the national economy, drive up costs, and burden consumers. Markets [...]
Radio: HST Exemption for U.S. Purchases
The federal government is considering a tax exemption for online purchases from the United States under $200. No doubt, this idea emanates from popular frustration with high taxes. Burdened consumers justifiably want a break. Unfortunately, this proposal would be bad policy. As more people shop on American retail websites, government revenues will be [...]
Radio: Supreme Court Appointment Process
Since the creation of the Supreme Court in 1875, at least one of our country’s top justices has been from Atlantic Canada. But the federal government has announced that it will now open the field country-wide, without regional consideration. A greater pool, it says, will allow for more diverse candidates. This is not [...]
Radio: Halifax Transit Problem
Halifax’s traffic congestion is a drag on the local economy, with residents wasting countless hours commuting. Unfortunately, the idea of a commuter rail line to augment the city buses is not financially viable. Plus, none of the most important downtown destinations lies on an existing track. A better solution is a Bus [...]
Radio: Great Britain’s Economic Policies
Great Britain is a model for sound economic policy. Since 2010, the UK has created more jobs than the rest of the European Union combined. Today, the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent, an eleven-year low. To achieve this success, British governments respond quickly to stormy economic clouds. When the economy slows, they cut [...]
Radio: CPP Reform Effect on Workers
Annual benefits from the Canada Pension Plan will rise by as much as $4,500. To finance this expansion, Ottawa and provincial governments have decided to increase payroll taxes. Workers and employers already pay up to $5,088 in CPP taxes each year. Rates will begin to gradually increase in 2019. By 2023, workers will [...]
Radio: Democratic Reform
New Brunswick and P.E.I. are proposing changes to how we vote. Both provincial governments have discussed changing the current, first-past-the-post electoral system to an alternative means of electing our representatives. Another consideration is e-voting, which would allow residents to vote through an online portal. And both provinces may lower the minimum voting age [...]
Radio: First Nations and Pipeline Politics
Canada’s First Nations are divided on the issue of pipelines. While the Energy East project is supported by the Indian Resource Council, other groups oppose it. Stakeholders are right to insist on stringent environmental assessments. But they should also consider the opportunity that responsible resource production accrues to them. Many First Nations are [...]