Norway’s national wealth fund
Norway sets aside proceeds from oil and gas production and now has an investment fund worth 8,140 billion NOK, which is about $1.3 trillion Canadian. Given the present population, that’s…
Alberta
Five things to know about the 2018 Alberta budget
On March 22, the NDP government of Rachel Notley tabled the 2018 Alberta budget. I’ve written a blog post discussing some of the major ‘take aways’ from the standpoint of…
Ten proposals from the 2018 Alberta Alternative Budget
The 2018 Alberta Alternative Budget (AAB) was released yesterday—it can be downloaded here. An opinion piece I wrote about the AAB appeared yesterday in both the Calgary Herald and the…
Homelessness and employment: The case of Calgary
I’ve just written a blog post about homelessness and employment, with a focus on Calgary (where I live and work). Points raised in the blog post include the following: -Persons…
And the Arsehole of the Day Award Goes to – Deron Bilous
He’s Rachel Notley’s minister of economic development and trade, “Bilious Daren” Bilous. Minister Bilous wins the Arsehole of the Day Award for referring to his fellow NDP legislators in British…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Rick Smith writes about the Filthy Five loopholes taking the most money out of Canada’s public coffers for the least benefit to anybody…
Layin’ Pipe
Wanda's having relationship troubles…because she's just not that into #pipelines:https://t.co/V8ppUMFnTd RT if you can identify with Wanda. #StopKM #NotPipelines#cdnpoli #bcpoli #WaterIsLife #NoMeansNo pic.twitter.com/1zCvBAA1Sf — Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) February 15, 2018…
What Do We Do Now?
The Political Paradox that is Alberta The political paradox for Alberta is that, while we have had majority governments since 1971 we have had unstable governance since about 2004. In…
What Do We Do Now?
The Political Paradox that is Alberta The political paradox for Alberta is that, while we have had majority governments since 1971 we have had unstable governance since about 2004. In…
What Do We Do Now?
The Political Paradox that is Alberta The political paradox for Alberta is that, while we have had majority governments since 1971 we have had unstable governance since about 2004. In…
Alberta commits to pollute.
It is hard to think of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley as an oil baron but she must be at least an honorary member of the Petroleum Club. Her government has…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Elizabeth Kolbert comments on the psychology of inequality, and particularly how the current trend in which a disproportionate share of gains goes to…
The Lion proposes to his Princess.
We read that it was the Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, who determined that Sikh men could identify as Singh (lion) and Sikh women as Kaur (princess). This happened more…
New column day
Here, on the positive natural effects of minimum wage increases – and why we shouldn’t lose them to the threat of artificial problems being created by employers looking for excuses…
On Fildebrandt: I nominate Fildebrandt for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation 2018 Teddy Awards
For over two decades, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has described what their vision of good public policy should be. One of the best symbols, descriptors, of their view has been…
Who will pay the cost for Digital Security? On the regulation of Uber and large digital companies
In 2006, when I came to Calgary, Identity Thief was something that we all heard about. While, I did not have RFID sleeves for my credit cards yet, I was…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Matt Bruenig writes about the U.S.’ alarming growth in student debt – which combined with diminished career prospects is leading to dim…
Ten considerations for the next Alberta budget
On November 17, the working group of the Alberta Alternative Budget (AAB) sponsored a one-day workshop at the University of Alberta. The event’s main purpose was to discuss recent developments…
Is Tesla a Death Sentence for Conventional Power Utilities?
Elon Musk wagered he could build s 129 megawatt battery in Queensland within 100 days or it was free. Tesla built and installed the battery with plenty of time to…