Frontier Centre

The controversy continues over hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking' , to enhance recovery of oil and gas. Some places, such as France and the state of New York, have banned fracking because of fears that it might harm ground water, or possibly cause an earthquake. Meanwhile, much of the world continues to rely heavily on coal as a source of energy. Coal mining is more dangerous than fracking, and the burning of coal produces harmful emissions, including mercury and sulfur dioxide. Fracking has been around for decades, but it can now be done horizontally and not just vertically. This is positive news for the environment. A single horizontal well can replace the need to drill a dozen or more vertical wells to access the same amount of resources. This results in dramatically less impact on the surface than before. Horizontal wells are especially useful to reach gas deposits that are under developed areas with roads and buildings. Given its past record of success and these positive changes in the proces

In five of Canada's provinces, including all three prairie provinces, barbers and hairstylists must be certified by a provincial regulatory body in order to do business. It's what's known as a compulsory trade. When a trade is voluntary, on the other hand, a person can seek certification if they desire but can legally work without it. The designations are not at all consistent across the country. In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, bricklaying is a compulsory trade, but it is not in the western provinces. In most provinces, plumbing is a compulsory trade, but not in Manitoba. But you do have to be certified to be a nail technician in Manitoba. With peculiarities such as this, Canadians might well wonder if such bureaucratic regulation is really necessary. Voluntary certification is a useful option for workers who want to demonstrate to employers and clients that they have experience and adhere to professional standards, but the education and process that's needed to join a compulsory trade seems cos

Elizabeth Nickson discusses her book "Eco-Fascists" on CFRA Radio.

Australia has recently abolished what some have called the “world’s biggest carbon tax”. It was designed to combat climate change by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide that result from the burning of fossil fuels. Companies who produced emissions that exceeded a certain threshold were required to pay a hefty tax. The Australian legislation was highly unpopular because the companies who were subject to it, simply passed the cost on to their customers and hurt the local economy. Greenhouse gas emissions have been on the decline in Australia, but there is no consensus that the carbon tax is the reason. Coal remains one of the primary energy sources, but the shift to natural gas and hydro electricity is growing. The repeal of the carbon tax will enhance economic growth in Australia, and boost family income, thanks to lower utility bills. As an alternative to the punitive tax, the government of Australia is proposing financial incentives to encourage businesses to improve their overall energy efficiency.

It was three years ago that Stephen Harper's Conservative government said it planned to introduce the First Nations Property Ownership Act, which would expand property rights for Canada's Aboriginal people, but we still haven't seen the legislation. Such an Act would create a voluntary system of transferring title of reserve land from the Crown to an individual First Nation. The First Nation could then choose to divide up the land and give individual title to band members living on the reserve. Giving such property rights to Aboriginal people would allow them greater opportunity to improve their economies and give families better living conditions on First Nations. Right now First Nations are prevented from fully participating in the economy by review processes and legal restrictions because their land is held in trust by the Crown. The United States provides evidence of a more effective system. Native American land that has been privatized has a stronger economic base than the land that's still held in

In the ongoing discussion about climate change, we are frequently misled about carbon, carbon dioxide and “carbon pollution.” Politicians and environmentalists use the terms interchangeably, when talking about the need to reduce our carbon emissions, or 'carbon footprint'. “Carbon” is the main building block in all fossil fuels including coal, and oil and gas. Our vehicles and power plants do not emit carbon, but emissions do contain carbon dioxide. Many blame carbon dioxide for global warming, but quite a few scientists disagree on the extent to which CO2 is responsible for climate change. They argue that carbon dioxide only plays a minor role in the evolution of the world's climate. They point out that over the centuries, an increase in CO2 has come after an increase in temperature, not the other way around. Carbon dioxide is essential to sustain life on earth by enabling plant growth, and it should not be regarded as a pollutant. Plants absorb CO2 and water and produce oxygen that humans and other

The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has released its first Canadian Freedom Index. It examines the state of personal, fiscal, and regulatory freedoms in all ten Canadian provinces, and it considers how provincial laws and regulations are affecting our daily lives. Many different factors are measured in each province, including freedom to choose schools, the regulation of alcohol, and property rights. Alberta took first place overall in the Index, with Saskatchewan and BC coming in second and third, and Manitoba in the middle of the pack in sixth place. Comparing regions of the country, Western and Central Canada fared well, while the Maritimes and Quebec lagged behind. The report strongly suggests that provinces which score well when it comes to freedoms are attracting more new residents, while provinces that do poorly on the Index are losing people. Quebec, with its high income tax, sales tax and excessive red tape, is struggling to keep people – especially those with entrepreneurial skills. A

Steve Lafleur joins the Charles Adler show to discuss the benefits of establishing a road pricing system in Winnipeg.

Canada’s old laws on prostitution were struck down by the Supreme Court last year because they forced sex workers into vulnerable and dangerous situations. Some commentators say that Harper government's new law might do the same thing, and end up back in the courts. If the new law is also struck down as unconstitutional, there might be little else that Ottawa can do to deal with prostitution. Parliament cannot legislate under the criminal code unless the law defines criminal offences and provides penalties. Such action must relate to public peace, order, security, health, and morality. If Ottawa is unable to outlaw some aspects of the sex trade without endangering sex workers, there is little they can do to regulate it. However provinces and municipalities have the power to regulate, since they have jurisdiction over property, civil rights and public health. Recent efforts to pass laws about prostitution have been based on the belief that sex workers are victims, and only provinces and local communitie

Canadians have been deluged with reports about climate change for two decades, but polls still indicate that in most western countries, only about half of us believe in the science of the issue. Perhaps this is because most of what we hear comes from politicians and often exaggerated media reports, not from scientists. Al Gore’s movie, An Inconvenient Truth, is a good example. The Oscar-winning film was a mixture of entertainment and carefully crafted political propaganda, not a scientific work. As a politician, Gore is used to these kinds of tactics. In the short run, an emotional quote, a dramatic graph, or a snappy rebuttal in a debate, can help win an election. But climate change is a long term, issue-based campaign, and political spin will never hold up to serious scrutiny. The public DOES trust science - scientists are routinely near the top of ‘most trusted professions’ surveys. Politicians, on the other hand, are always near the bottom. If scientists really want to find the truth and win the pub

The debate over fracking continues to be lively, and there's a lot of misinformation out there. Fracking, or 'hydraulic fracturing', is the injection of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure into underground rock formations, to release trapped natural gas. Opponents are concerned about the potential consequences of fracking, particularly on ground water. The documentary 'Gasland', released in 2010, showed a landowner setting fire to the water coming out of a tap in his home, suggesting that it was linked to a nearby fracking site. In fact, the ability to ignite a flame from a tap exists naturally, even in places with no oil and gas development. Fracking has sparked a number of protests here in Canada. Residents of Lethbridge, Alberta were opposed to plans by Goldenkey Oil to drill fracking wells within city limits. They should know that after extensive study, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that fracking poses little to no threat to the quality of drinking water. Supporters

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is under the spotlight in Canada. Supporters argue that foreign workers are definitely needed in certain industries or in regions where not enough Canadians can be found to fill available jobs. Opponents of the program say it takes jobs away from Canadians and drives down wages. Not enough unemployed Canadians are willing to move to areas where the economy is strong and workers are needed. Industries like mining continue to suffer from chronic shortages of workers. If properly managed, most agree that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program can help to balance Canada's job market. Foreign workers can actually help to create job opportunities for Canadians. For example, a hotel manager won’t have a job if he can't find housekeeping staff. Recently in the U.S., Georgia lost an estimated 140 million dollars one year because they couldn't hire enough foreign workers to harvest cotton and other crops. There have been cases where it appears that foreign workers have been exp

Originally aired on Stuff for Parents. (http://stuffforparents.com/podcasts/whats-wrong-with-our-schools-and-how-we-can-fix-them-part-1/) Michael Zwaagstra is a public school teacher, speaker, research associate with Frontier Centre for Public Policy and co-author of the book What’s Wrong With Our Schools and How We Can Fix Them. Michael and I discuss schools in North America, the challenges they face, questionable teaching methods and philosophies, and what you should know as a parent. If you’re a parent who is concerned about our schools or a teacher who has observed the questionable approaches and practices advocated by so-called experts, you’ll definitely want to tune-in!

Manitoba may be the best place to live in Canada, if you enjoy being self-employed. The Frontier Centre for Public Policy has recently launched its first Entrepreneurial Index. It examines and ranks the best places in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to be self-employed. The research involved analysis and comparison of a variety of laws and regulations that affect self-employed workers in the different provinces, states, and territories. Some of the factors that were examined include income tax withholding rules, medical insurance regulations, contract laws, and processes for resolving disputes. New Zealand enjoyed the top ranking overall, but Canada was close behind. Provinces that scored well were Manitoba, New Brunswick, the Northwest Territories and the northern territory of Nunavut. British Columbia and Quebec are the lowest ranked Canadian provinces, registering a similar low ranking to states and territories in Australia. The research suggests that self-employment may represent up to 25% of t

New Brunswick has ranked high in the first ever Entrepreneurial Index released by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and Ken Phillips. He discusses the results on McLean in the Morning.

Teachers play a vital role in providing our children and grandchildren with the knowledge and skills they need to become productive members of society. However, that role is greatly diminished for many teachers these days. They are given little choice but to follow the directives of school administrators, who micromanage anything and everything from how to write comments in report cards to the teaching methods that can and should be used in the classroom. Constructivist teaching is often imposed on teachers, particularly in Alberta. It's a method that encourages students to discover facts and concepts on their own and avoid direct instruction from teachers. The value of such risky, new methods is rarely evident, but teachers are reluctant to complain because in their professional evaluations, administrators will consider whether teachers applied these “student-centered” methodologies in the classroom. We should all be wary of teaching methods that are fads which lack any strong evidence of success. Adm

Gender roles in Canadian society have changed dramatically over the decades. With women participating more fully in the workforce, men are taking on more of the responsibility of child care. Despite this change in family dynamics, the courts still treat mothers and fathers quite differently. In the event of a split, primary custody is almost always awarded to the mother. The courts seem to assume that the mother is the better parent and a father’s most important contribution is financial support. Child support is important, but enforcement can pose a great burden on low-income fathers. While the law does allow for monthly child support payments to be reduced in cases of financial hardship or shared parenting, some judges don't always agree to reducing the monthly payment. The notion of deadbeat dads seems deeply ingrained, but over 80% of fathers make support payments on-time and in the full amount. Courts need to recognize that fathers contribute much more than financial resources to their children. Studie

With debts of more than $18 Billion, the city of Detroit was declared bankrupt last year, but it's not the largest American city to ever face such a crisis. New York filed for bankruptcy in 1975 but the process was stopped at the last-minute. Detroit is also not alone in dealing with dramatic loss of population. St. Louis has lost a larger share of its population, yet remains fiscally solvent. Serious financial stress is becoming a major problem for other American cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose. Research shows a strong association between large population and both higher taxes and higher per capita spending. As governments become larger, the individual voter becomes less relevant, and less engaged in the community. When this happens, organized special interests make more demands and seem to exert greater influence. As municipal spending rises, residents resist tax increases. Then cities have to borrow more, and eventually they default on their debt. Such problems have mostly been a

The idea of “buying local” is becoming increasingly popular among Canadians. Purchasing food from a local farmer or a product from a small business is often more gratifying than lining up at a large franchise. Sometimes local products are preferred to imports, because the products are fresher or simply better. But the push to “buy local” can become a problem when people rail against large chains and foreign products. Pushback against products because they aren’t local can have negative unintended consequences. Relying too heavily on locally-grown food creates a dilemma when crops fail because of bad weather, resulting in shortages and higher prices. Global trade which allows food to move all over the world gives us greater variety for our diet, as well as food security. Large scale farming can generally produce more food per acre, while using less energy than small scale local farming. Large retailers are able to sell some goods at a lower price, saving consumers a lot of money in the long run.

David Vardy gives his speech at a Frontier Centre for Public Policy Luncheon entitled: A Tale of Two Debacles: Muskrat Falls and Manitoba Hydro's Preferred Development Plan.