Demographics point to looming labour shortage
In 20 years there will be 32,000 fewer workers in Newfoundland, 11,000 fewer in Nova Scotia, 35,000 fewer in New Brunswick and virtually no change in Prince Edward Island. So, will this translate into a significant labour shortage in the coming decades? Not necessarily, says AIMS President Brian Lee Crowley. In his regular newspaper column, Crowley suggests that much of the potential shortage can be made up simply by increasing the percentage of people actually involved in the labour force. Higher wages, flexible working conditions, innovative technologies, and worker aids will all have their place in increasing productivity and drawing more people into the workforce. Equally crucial is social program redesign to eliminate current disincentives for people to get involved in the workforce. By encouraging self-sufficiency and rewarding a desire to work rather than penalizing it, welfare reform can meet the demographic changes head on and deliver benefits for the individual workers as we
AIMS On-Line for early October 2001
Here is what's new at AIMS, Atlantic Canada's Public Policy Think Tank
HRM needs a CAO
In this op-ed piece from the Chronicle Herald, AIMS newest Senior Fellow, Dr. Michael J. MacDonald discusses the critical need for professional management in today’s urban communities. Dr. MacDonald explores the myriad of complex issues facing municipal councils today and the increasingly critical role municipalities play as the drivers of growth. His conclusion is that a professional public service led by a talented and courageous CAO is absolutely critical to the long-term health of municipalities like Halifax. Publication: CHH, October 2, 2001
The future of work in our coastal communities
In his address to the Annual Convenetion of the Fisheries Council of Canada, September 27, 2001, Brian Lee Crowley explores the ramifications of population change in Atlantic Canada, the need to reform social programmes like welfare and EI, and the need to escape a common property model for fishery resource management.
Prominent Halifax Innovator Joins AIMS Team
Dr. Michael MacDonald will be contributing to AIMS as a Senior Fellow.
The American idea and why it should be defended
In his regular column this week AIMS President, Brian Lee Crowley, responds to the terrorist attacks carried out in New York and Washington two weeks ago. In exploring what America and liberty mean to him personally, and to billions around the globe, Crowley seizes the challenge he places before us all to "stand up and say that what America represents shall never be defeated by hate and terror". Publication: CHH, September 26, 2001
Patient Power and Provider Competition: Is the Swedish Health Care Approach Right for Canada?
Author and research director on the reform of social services in Sweden Johan Hjertqvist describes the steps Sweden has taken, to modernize the ways in which health care is delivered.
AIMS On-Line for mid September 2001
Here is what's new at AIMS, Atlantic Canada's Public Policy Think Tank
Trying times reinforce common US-Canada bond
A brief statement by AIMS President Brian Lee Crowley on the tragic events of September 11, 2001
Debate on health care reform: no end in sight
In his regular Chronicle Herald column AIMS President Brian Lee Crowley explores the reasons why the debate on health care will take on greater and greater importance in the coming years. Most people are aware that health costs are going up, but few realize that the rate of growth is about to accelerate massively. New technologies, the increased incidence of chronic and new illnesses, and the significant cost of system renewal will force giant leaps in health costs in coming years. While starving funding for education and roads can provide some measure of short-term relief, the pressure is building. The tax system alone will not be able to handle these costs and a new balance of public and private expenditures will have to be found and the debate has barely even begun. Publication: CHH, September 12, 2001