Frontier Centre

Manitoba and the three Maritime provinces who rely on equalization payments as a source of revenue are getting a lot less than they used to. Equalization payments as a share of GDP have been declining significantly in all four provinces since 2009. In Manitoba, this means losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars. A decade ago, Quebec was the big winner in equalization, taking 37% of all such transfers, but Ontario was still a have-province in those days and they took nothing. Quebec’s share is continuing to increase significantly, and Ontario has been on the receiving end since 2009. This year, Quebec and Ontario together are receiving 67% of all equalization payments. The decrease in equalization payments to Manitoba and the Maritime provinces does not result from lower federal spending on transfers, which are at historically high levels. Canada’s two largest provinces have left less behind for the smaller provinces that rely on the program. It's a challenging time for these 'have not' provi

Residents of Canada's First Nations should begin to see noticeable improvements in the quality of their drinking water sooner rather than later. While the condition of water and sewage treatment systems on many reserves is a serious concern, significant resources have recently been invested in First Nations water systems. Since 2006, nearly $3 billion has been invested to support First Nations communities in managing their water and waste infrastructure, and some progress has already been made. . Between 2011 and 2013, the number of First Nations with water systems that are considered high-risk with major deficiencies has been reduced from 27% to 19%. The amount of water systems ranked as medium-risk level is now 43%, while the amount of systems that are low-risk is 38%. It's a significant improvement, but more action must still be taken. Research suggests that water quality problems affect a large number of rural communities in Canada, and the problems are by no means limited to First Nations. The

Winnipeg has a new mayor for the first time in a decade, and Brian Bowman wants to cut the salaries of councillors. There have also been moves to cut support staff for councillors, but more thought is needed on this one. Councillors in any municipality need to respond effectively to a wide range of queries from taxpayers, communicate the actions of council to the public, and be able to make proper informed decisions on key issues. To do all this, they need capable research staff to help study the issues. A proposal to give a $10,000 incentive to encourage Winnipeggers to buy downtown condominiums had to be reconsidered, and it appears there was not enough research behind the idea. Some councillors admitted to not fully understanding the proposal before they voted on it, and Council had to quietly reverse the decision. Increasing the research capability would help to build expertise on urban issues. Across Canada, there are relatively few people whose full-time job is to research policies affecting munici

If First Nations started to tax band members and include that revenue in their annual budget, there could be measurable improvements in their overall quality of life. In recent years, First Nations have been given more opportunities to create their own independent tax base. Personal income can now be taxed on First Nations with self-government agreements, and other First Nations have the opportunity to implement sales taxes, user-fees, and taxes on real property. The Institute on Governance has found that there are definite benefits to using tax revenue for First Nations projects and enhancing economic development. These benefits include greater participation, and greater transparency and accountability, on First Nations where some form of tax is collected, because band members have a financial or personal stake in their government’s performance. Nobody likes paying taxes, but comprehensive systems have been embraced and adopted by many First Nations governments. More than a third of the First Natio

In local government, the assumption is often made that a good road system means that public transit must suffer, and vice versa. Sometime roadways and transit are at odds, when light rail or streetcar projects remove lanes of traffic, or when road design does not accommodate the needs of buses. But both needs can be accommodated at the same time. Since buses share the road with private vehicles, minimizing the conflict between the two is in everyone's interest. Adding dedicated bus lanes can greatly reduce the number of cars that might otherwise have to fight with the bus to get through. The recent election in Winnipeg saw a bit of a fight between those favouring improved transit, and some candidates who argued that better lanes for cars must be job one, but it doesn't have to be that way. When done right, expanded public transit can improve roadways for drivers and take some number of them off the street altogether, helping to relieve congestion. It will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but whe

Over the decades, many communities in Canada have experimented with different versions of a curfew for children and adolescents. Most often, anyone under the age of 16 or 18 must be off the street by a specific time, such as 10pm. The aim is to reduce vandalism and other crimes that are often committed by teenagers, but most evidence suggests that they have not been effective in preventing crime. Sometimes crime does drop during curfew hours, but at the same time, crime will perhaps increase outside the boundaries of the curfew, or during non-curfew hours. Another problem is that youth who already have a criminal history are unlikely to obey the curfew. Meanwhile, teenagers who are not causing trouble are penalized even though they've done nothing wrong. A curfew also does nothing about the concern that young people spend too much time inside watching television or surfing the internet. Why prohibit law-abiding youth from going outside at night, maybe to watch the stars? Youth curfews can also pe

It is estimated that as many as 300,000 young Canadians work as unpaid interns, and there are moves being made to regulate the practice as it affects university students. An NDP Member of Parliament has introduced a private member's bill aimed at curbing abuses, and the University of Toronto’s Student Union wants to see all unpaid internships banned. Many small businesses and non-profits simply can't afford to pay the interns, and they do provide students with valuable work experience. Rather than forbidding unpaid internships, governments should push universities to develop reasonable policies to protect the students. Students should be allowed to choose their hours and the employer should be required to pay transportation costs. Some universities might help the employer fund a student’s wages or reduce student fees while the student is working as an unpaid intern. Universities also need to develop protocols for students who may be taken advantage of in the workplace. Students should know that they

Why are we last? It's a question many people are asking after test results showing Manitoba students are getting the lowest grades in the country in math, science and reading. Michael Zwaagstra is a high school teacher and policy researcher with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Canadian air travellers have recently been hit with a $25 charge for checked baggage. WestJet moved first, and Air Canada followed suit just days later. Airlines struggled when the recession hit in 2008, and some of them turned to baggage fees for relief. But airlines in both Canada and the U.S. are once again profitable, and the baggage fees will only add to that profit. It could boost WestJet's revenues by more than $70 million over the next year, and by more than $40 million at Air Canada. So far in Canada, travellers are complaining about the new fees, but paying up. Surveys suggest that passengers are more concerned about things like a lack of legroom in the economy class. But there's still hope that Southwest Airlines may lead the way in the opposite direction. The large American carrier is roughly twice the size of the Air Canada, and it has a Bags Fly Free policy. They're thinking of expanding into Canada, and airports in this country would love to have them. This might encourage Air Canada and

Will Tishinski speech and Q&A at a Frontier Centre for Public Policy Breakfast entitled: Manitoba Hydro's Financial Quagmire.

Education researcher Michael Zwaagstra has a new handbook out from the Frontier Centre. Parents’ Guide to Common Sense Education in Saskatchewan covers issues ranging from standardized testing to report cards and teaching strategies. What issues are the most critical in education today?

The resignation earlier this year of Shawn Atleo as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations strongly confirmed the need for reform of this important organization. Internal divisions are preventing the AFN from being as effective as it should be. First Nations chiefs elect the National Chief, who is always supposed to take direction from them. But to be truly effective, the National Chief needs the authority to set the agenda for the Assembly and to make deals with Ottawa on behalf of First Nations. The National Chief should be a voice of conciliation as he or she approaches government to talk about practical solutions. All too often right now, the key issues of band governance and corruption are passed over at the Assembly of First Nations, perhaps because they draw criticism to the chiefs, who control the national leader. Encouraging greater democracy and grassroots input to the organization could see these local concerns addressed more effectively. This could be accomplished by having all in

Beginning next year, Manitoba will begin enforcing a province-wide ban on most uses of synthetic weed killers and other commercial pesticides. All private yards and most public green spaces, such as sports fields, will be affected by the ban. More expensive, and generally less effective alternative pesticides will still be allowed. The legislation will be very costly for municipalities. Steinbach currently spends about 16,000 dollars to eliminate weeds in public spaces. Next year they expect that cost to jump to 200,000 dollars. Many are questioning whether the health benefits will really be worth the extra cost. They point out that the pesticides that will now be banned were approved by Health Canada after rigorous testing. The fear is that many will choose to not spray with the more expensive alternatives, and the result will be a flourishing of noxious weeds. Several eastern provinces have already introduced similar pesticide bans, and on more and more sports fields, grass is being replaced by ar

The First Nations Financial Transparency Act, which was passed by parliament in 2013, helps band members take steps to improve the governance of their communities. It requires the Chief and Council to post audited financial statements including their salaries and benefits on a public website and on the website of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. In the past, band members often found that they did not have easy access to such information. The posting of financial statements online ensures that band members can now access these documents quickly, and anonymously. Transparency and accountability have been enshrined in the nine principles of good governance of the United Nations Development Program. It should help to foster economic growth and stabilize governance on First Nations. A recent report in BC found that improved transparency and accountability on the Westbank First Nation resulted in greater respect for the government from band members as well as from businesses and other governments

When it comes to climate change, politicians and activists often point to climate models in support of their preferred approach to the issue, such as those who favour carbon taxes. Climate models are a virtual version of our planet, using powerful computers to project future climate trends. The models use data and physical principles to represent various components, such as the oceans, land surfaces, atmosphere, and cloud movements. However, there is growing scepticism about the overall reliability of some of the data, such as temperature records, on which these climate models rely. There are also differing views on the understanding of some the processes, such as how much heat the oceans can absorb. Even the smallest variations can have a significant impact on the outcome of a climate model and our understanding of the science. While there’s nothing wrong with scientists learning from their mistakes and correcting them as time passes, activists tend to hold up these climate models as infallible. The

Education researcher Michael Zwaagstra has a new handbook coming out next month from the Frontier Centre. Parents’ guide to Common Sense Education in Saskatchewan covers issues ranging from standardized testing to report cards and teaching strategies. (CJME)

As classes resume at Canada's universities, students are paying mandatory fees of as much as 200 dollars each to student unions. These organizations do several things for students. They administer health and dental plans, fund a variety of activities including sports teams, and they advocate on behalf of the students to the university administration and government on matters like tuition fees. But quite often student unions are dominated by political activists rather than acting as representatives of the whole student body on a university campus. They fund political causes not every student agrees with and often focus their efforts on issues that have almost nothing to do with post-secondary education. Our provincial governments should seriously consider following the example of Australia and New Zealand. In these countries, students now have a choice of whether to join a student union or not. In some cases, the students still have to pay for services formerly run by the unions, such as sports facili

Michael Zwaagstra discusses the B.C. teachers union strike on CBC's The Current. Should the make up of classes be part of teachers' contract talks?

Urban sprawl is still regarded as undesirable by city planners, but the arguments against it are changing. The planners have long maintained that limited development should be allowed beyond existing urban boundaries, as long as there are areas in the core that could be reclaimed and redeveloped. One of the arguments against developing outward is that it will take valuable farmland out of production. But that's a case that no longer holds the strength that it used to. These days, less land is needed to produce food because farming has become more productive and the same output is harvested from fewer acres than 30 years ago. More agricultural land in Canada has been taken out of production because it's simply no longer needed. While urban sprawl poses little or no threat to agriculture, increasing urban density can mean more air pollution and traffic congestion. In addition to health and environmental concerns, urban containment policies tend to drive up the cost housing. This means families have

In less than a month, it will be back to class on Canada's university campuses. Some schools like the University of Alberta, are more focused on research, while others, like Brandon University, concentrate more on teaching undergraduates. Students enrolled in research-oriented universities will soon discover that teaching undergraduates is not a high priority. In the research-oriented universities, students often find themselves in large classes, taught by less experienced recent graduates rather than veteran professors. Such professors tend to be valued more for the research they produce, rather than on their teaching skills. This means they have less time to focus on their students, even if they might want to. As a result, students in research-oriented universities are receiving little support to succeed, and one in five students drop out after their first year. Fewer than 60 percent of students in such universities will graduate within six years. The quality of undergraduate education should not