As the charity braces for a holiday season clientele nearly 45 per cent larger than its normal traffic, demands for the Calgary Food Bank are rising in tandem with social assistance needs, states a University of Calgary study. The study, conducted by the U of C’s School of Public Policy, shows that the demand for […]

The University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy is delivering on its promise to intellectually challenge Calgarians. Its James S. Palmer lecture series honouring the former chancellor and his support for post-secondary education in Alberta exposes students, faculty and the community to eminent thinkers of international stature and discussion of important public issues. The series’ […]

Former prime minister Stephen Harper was recently reported as being highly critical of the Trudeau government’s NAFTA stand. Whether such friendly fire is appropriate is, of course, debatable, but, as in most debates, truth does not reside entirely on one side. The most salient point in Mr. Harper’s arguments is that Canada has made a […]

Now that both the House and Senate have versions of the Republican Tax Cut and Jobs Act that provide a $1.5 trillion tax reduction for Americans, the doomsayers will be out in full force to declare that tax reform is too difficult to achieve.  No reason for pessimism yet.  With one smart amendment, the Republicans […]

“The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children, including their health, safety, material security, education and socialization and their sense of being loved, valued and included in the families and societies into which they are born,” according to UNICEF. Yet how can we measure our nation’s standing when […]

A new report written by Alberta economists says the so-called head tax imposed by Lethbridge County on livestock in their jurisdiction is “not the fairest,” and could have a detrimental impact on feedlot owners. The research paper was published by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy and was created at the prompting of […]

It was not at all helpful that the less-than-affable Montreal mayor, Denis Coderre, declared it a “victory for Canada” when TransCanada withdrew its licence application for Energy East, a pipeline project that actually would have provided market-diversification benefits to the national economy. It would be no different than if the mayor of, say, Winnipeg — […]

New research from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy suggests the city’s ten-year plan to address homelessness might be working. The study tracked the number of stays in emergency shelters since Calgary embarked upon its plan in 2008. According to their data, emergency shelter stays — measured as a percentage of Calgary’s adult population — has […]

A financial panel appointed in May to advise the Yukon government on looming budget deficits says if taxes must be raised, the territory should consider a sales tax. The panel says shifting taxes from income to consumption will also create a more stable source of revenue for the territorial government. It suggests the government save […]