Troy Media

Britain’s coming carbon levy will hurt poor the most

- Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Columnist, Troy Media Corporation Britain's green plan will be unveiled on Wednesday as a cornerstone of its economic strategy. In addition to renewing its commitment to ensuring that 10% of fuel for transportation is from renewable sources – almost all of which will be bought from other countries and shipped into Britain – the budget will set targets for emissions. Strong hints are coming from Whitehall that the target will be to reduce CO2 emissions to 35% of 1990 levels by 2020.

Saskatchewan’s economy strongest in Canada

CALGARY – Saskatchewan will be the only province in Canada to post real economic growth in 2009, according to a new report from the Canada West Foundation.

Shakedown: How Our Government is Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human Rights

Reviewed by Dan Shapiro, Policy Analyst, Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership

Kneecapping the competition

- Michael D. Donison, Research Associate, Frontier Centre for Public Policy Imagine if you went to the trouble of starting a small business, including finding the seed money, working long hours and successfully turning a profit each year. You then, of course, paid all taxes every year and on time. Imagine then that the government excused your competitor from paying those taxes. That would violate any notions of equity, neutrality and fairness which should be the highlights of any tax regime.

We don’t need newspapers, we need journalism

Catherine Ford for Troy Media Corporation Arguing that newspapers are dead makes about as much sense as arguing that rotary dial telephones are dead: It's pointless.

Reality Check: Diagnosing the future of healthcare in Canada

- Robert Roach, Director of Research, Canada West Foundation As we stumble through this recession, there are two things Canadians and their governments should understand about health care.

Newspapers in transition: Focus on the ‘news’, forget the ‘paper’

- Doug Firby, Columnist, Troy Media Corporation From time to time, curious friends – mostly anxious journalists – ask me when I think newspapers as we know them will cease to exist. My answer is simple: They already have.

Five ways to help save the earth - and money

Mark Milke, Research Director, Frontier Centre for Public Policy In 2009, if someone doesn't consider himself an environmentalist, I'd guess he is either contrarian to a fault or too worried about the damage done to the label by radicals.

Heavy subsidies sustain Spain’s wind power

-Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Columnist, Troy Media Corporation Spain has a great many wind farms. In fact, by 2010, Spain will have 20,000 megawatts of installed capacity. At the peak of the winds this past February, it was able to generate 11,800 megawatts, or 29% of its energy requirements on a particular day (meaning that the turbines were working at 69% of their capacity).

Time to shift the oil sands debate to Canada’s advantage

Dr. Roger Gibbins, President and CEO, Canada West Foundation Albertans are understandably nervous about the potential impact of the new American administration on our market for energy south of the border. The rhetorical emphasis on climate change, clean energy and energy security could all be problematic for an Alberta energy industry already hammered by depressed prices, high costs and tight credit.

Fusion energy ready to become reality

- Dr. Allan Offenberger, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta and Dr. Perry Kinkaide, President, Alberta Council of Technologies Fusion will become a reality in this century and have a profound impact on our energy future -- a sustainable, universally available, environmentally desirable energy source.

New Brunswick gets economic stimulus right

- Mark Milke, Research Director, Frontier Centre for Public Policy Over the past year, much of the political class around the world acted as if talk would help beaten-down economies speed through the recession. So the world's most high-profile orator, the American president, has been nothing if not loquacious in attempts to verbally prompt the economy back to health. Did it work? Except for the recent uptick in stock markets thanks to a few banks with less-than-horrible quarterly results, the markets have turned thumbs-down on the U. S. federal budget.

Euro facing serious challenges

Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd, Columnist, Troy Media Corporation A report released last week by the Bruges Group – a right leaning European think-tank – suggests that the current global financial crisis could see the end of the Euro – the single currency for sixteen of the European Union's member States, including Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Don’t ban homework

WINNIPEG, MB: Homework is an important part of the schooling process and it would be better to reform and improve its use than to abolish it entirely, according to a new report from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Earth Hour tokenism

David Seymour, Senior Policy Analyst, Frontier Centre for Public Policy This Saturday night will mark a curious cultural event called “Earth Hour.” At half past eight, millions of people will turn off their lights in a globally orchestrated demonstration meant to raise awareness of climate change.

Resilience of Western Canada’s economy grounds for optimism

-Roger Gibbins, Jacques Marcil and Robert Roach, Canada West Foundation There is no denying that the Alberta economy is slowing.

The investment cycle

-Justin Charbonneau, Client Advisor, McLean & Partners Wealth Management Ltd. Still thinking of investing in the stock market, even with the current turmoil? That's good, because there are opportunities.

Open-source collaboration key to auto sector survival

- Preston Manning, President and CEO, Manning Centre for Building Democracy Next to the financial sector, the auto industry has received the most attention from governments in Canada and the U.S. as they try to prevent the collapse of ailing enterprises. The fate of that industry is especially relevant to the Golden Horseshoe, the Canadian manufacturing heartland that stretches from Niagara Falls around the western end of Lake Ontario and extends all the way to Oshawa.

Prairie provinces need a fiscal constitution to control spending

WINNIPEG: The Frontier Centre for Public Policy today released a study pointing out that a “living wage” policy in Calgary would help very few poor Calgarians, cement uncompetitive practices at City Hall, and draw attention away from more effective anti-poverty initiatives.

Living with a little less stuff

- Gwyn Morgan, Director, Manning Centre for Building Democracy As Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urge banks to resume lending, a commentary from the Bank for International Settlements provides a clinically clear perspective.