Can the Government Make Housing and Groceries More Affordable? Don’t Hold Your Breath

 Pierre Poilievre, who is always good for a catchy line, recently commented on the Liberal cabinet ministers’ meeting with grocery titans to try and persuade them to reduce prices: “It’s an act, and what we need is action.” Much of the political crowing about attacking the inflated cost of living, like

Hope for Canada’s highly-skilled energy workers

 Photo credit: Shutterstock Alberta, traditionally one of the richest provinces in Canada, now has among the highest unemployment rates and one of the weakest economies in the country. In his victory speech, newly elected Alberta UPC Leader Jason Kenney vowed to get the province back to work and get stalled

Watson and Task Force Want Amazon Shipped to Ottawa

 Could Amazon be shipping its second headquarters to Ottawa? If Mayor Jim Watson has his way, you’re future online orders may be arriving at your front door from much closer then you think. Last Thursday, the online retail giant announced that it was their turn to shop around. They weren’t looking

Want an innovative economy?

 By Paul Armstrong and Carol Herbert With Canada’s 150th birthday squarely in the rear-view mirror, we should now look to our future.  Our current government has been staking much on an “innovation economy” – if the regular speeches by various ministries are anything to go by.  So how do we

Sustained and Steady Growth of the Chinese  

 Economy will Continue to Make a Significant Contribution to the Development of the World Economy In the first half of this year, despite continued slowdown in global growth, China’s GDP expanded by 6.7 percent, ranking among top of the world’s major economies. This growth rate was within the appropriate range

The Planet is Dying of Consumption and Only Citizens can Halt the Process

 At the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, COP21, the focus has been on promises countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These macro level commitments are always made with varying degrees of sincerity because few political leaders will be willing to cause real or even perceived damage to their

Turkey Welcomes Refugees with Open Arms

 The last 40 years have seen a rapprochement in the relationship between Canada and Turkey. The economic, cultural and trade relations between the two countries have blossomed, and a deeper mutual understanding has resulted. His Excellency Selçuk Ünal, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Canada, has travelled to all corners of Canada since taking

Future Energy: It’s Time for Canada to Lead

 Over the past decades, oil became everything for Canada. It was sign of economic stability, new jobs and progress. Today, oil’s low cost is dragging down the country's economy. Environmental concerns are only rising. The new reality seems here to stay. On the bright side, Canada is now on the threshold of

Change

 Photo courtesy of Jean-Marc Carisse. Voters Decided It Was Sunny Ways Rather Than Rainbows and Unicorns Ten years is a long time for any government to be in power. Stephen Harper led Canada through some tumultuous times. He deserves a great deal of credit for guiding Canada through the 2008

Seniors Housing Can be Affordable

 Older adults living on low and fixed incomes need options It was recently reported that Calgary has some of the most expensive seniors’ housing in Canada, at $3,100 a month, some $1,000 over the national average. Headlines like these catch people’s attention, especially during an election. There’s no doubt that

Pharmacare is for Kids Too

 Written by Avram Denburg and Steve Morgan You are the parent of a sick child. You have a limited budget and you must decide to buy the medicine the doctor prescribed for your child or provide food and shelter for your family instead. What do you do? Sadly this dilemma is one too

Do Canadians Spend Too Much on Taxes?

 Here’s why that’s the wrong question “There are lies, damned lies and statistics” is the well-worn phrase, but nothing better sums up the recent Fraser Institute scare mongering about taxes being the single largest budget item of Canadian households.  “Your family’s largest expense may surprise you,” the ideological-driven think tank

Why Affordable Housing Should be a Federal Election Issue

 It’s time to make affordable housing an issue in the federal election campaign. Four million people are struggling to find affordable housing in Canada today.  By affordable, I’m using the Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC) standard rule of thumb of about 30 percent of income going to housing that is

100 Steps for Kazakhstan

 President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo at the ceremony of the signing of the Protocol on the Accession of Kazakhstan to the WTO in Geneva on July 27, 2015. In May 2015, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev announced one hundred concrete steps to further reform the country’s

Is it Finally Time for a Guaranteed Annual Income?

 Could the Guaranteed Annual Income–once considered radical notion–now be an idea whose time has come? The Dutch city of Utrecht recently announced it is starting an experiment to determine whether introducing a basic income produces a more effective society. Closer to home, Joseph Ceci, Alberta’s new Finance Minister proposed a

What You Need to Know About the Election

 On your marks, get set, go! The race is on. The federal election to determine Canada’s 42nd parliament and leader has begun. Set to end with the October 19 election, this campaign will be the longest in over a century (since 1872), running for a full 78 days. In Canada,

Stephen Harper’s Canada-China Relations: First Stalled… Then Evolved

 Canada-China relations have come a long way since Stephen Harper was first elected Prime Minister in 2006.After a decade of close cooperation with former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and the Chinese government, Stephen Harper initially signaled his intention to take a less cordial stance toward China. He said his

Canada World Cup a Success? Looks That Way

 On June 6, the world’s top rated soccer players arrived in Canada to compete in the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.  After three weeks of competitive matchups, the stakes are set for the quarter-final round of the tournament, where the last eight will compete to become the top four. Among

Latin Expo 2015: Visit Latin America Without Leaving Ottawa

 Culture, community and commerce are coming together for one high-powered event that’s sure to spice up your Sunday. The third annual Latin Expo will take place at Ottawa City Hall on Sunday, May 17, 2015. “It’s like going to Latin America without getting out of Ottawa,” says Red MELOG public

Crimea Uncensored: A Look from Inside the Peninsula

 Photo courtesy: Igor Mazurov, Flickr In 2014, on a sunny August day, my spouse and I were on our way to Crimea. We were driving along the shorelines of the Black Sea, curving green hills of the Caucasian Mountains. I have been following the Crimean crisis from home in Ottawa, watching

Pharmacare is Good for Business

 Repeatedly over the past 50 years, national commissions and inquiries have recommended that Canadian medicare include universal, public coverage of prescription drugs. So far, no government has acted on this, creating profound inequities and inefficiencies in our health care system. But more than that: the lack of universal pharmacare is

Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev Wins His Fifth Election

 Photo courtesy: Official site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan It came as no surprise, Nursultan Nazarbayev has won yet another election in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan. The incumbent president knows his country and his people well. President Nazarbayev is an experienced politician. In his campaign, he

Five Things Everyone Should Know about the Relationship Between Poverty and Health in Canada

 With a federal election on the horizon, certain high level policy topics are bound to make the headlines beyond the personalities of the political leaders: the economy, energy prices, jobs prospects even climate change. But what seems surprisingly absent from the political hustings so far has been a fulsome discussion

What Really Stands Behind Eurasian Economic Union?

 Above: From left: President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Russia Vladimir Putin signed the Treaty of Eurasian Economic Union in Astana. The treaty came into force January 1, 2015. | Photo courtesy: Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti Media has paid little attention to the Eurasian Economic Union

Must Read: The Thin Black Line by Simon Gervais

 Prepare for a whirlwind of a read. Simon Gervais’ newly released debut novel The Thin Black Line, is a must-read thriller based right here in Canada’s capital city. A first time novelist, Gervais delivers a heart-pumping, nerve-racking story with a climactic ending you won’t see coming. In The Thin Black