Independent schools achieve a better balance of good academic, civic, religious and spiritual outcomes
Parents, what are the top three things to pack in your kid’s school bag? These days, back-to-school supplies like coloured pencils and geometry sets run a poor second place to YouTube. At the end of the summer vacation, when I checked out videos about the best hairstyles, the best first-day-back outfits and hacks for making…
In fact, taxes consume more of the average family’s income than all the basic necessities of life combined
By Charles Lammam and Milagros Palacios The Fraser Institute With home prices rising across the country, many may assume that housing costs (including rent and mortgage payments) are the most expensive budget item for the average Canadian family. In reality, the average Canadian household spends more on taxes than any other expense – including housing. In 2016,…The bottom line is, either we stand up and defend our rights or we'll simply have traded one colonial master for another
Everyone who's ever done business with Donald Trump knows his favourite tactic: don't negotiate; intimidate. Well, he's at it again, threatening to pull the plug on NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) because Canada and Mexico are being "very difficult". This broadside is the equivalent of rolling a live grenade into the room when trade…
The online giant is essentially about merchandizing convenience for all. Organic foods and meal kits are its latest targets
Amazon isn’t wasting time wading in to the food industry – and speed of execution and ease of delivery are at the heart of its business model. As soon as United States regulators approved its acquisition of Whole Foods last week, Amazon announced it would aggressively reduce the price of several organic staples in all 431 Whole Foods…
While a higher minimum wage benefits workers, it can be detrimental to small and large businesses
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne faces an uphill battle in her bid for re-election, so she’s tossed out a few political goodies in an attempt to increase her popular support before next year’s vote. Her biggest gift – or sop, depending on your perspective – is a significant increase to the minimum wage. Workers in Ontario…
Trump's regime won’t offer its president for examination by anyone's head shrink. If he’s removed, it won't be because of the 25th Amendment
BOSTON – Is being absolutely crazy an impediment to high public office? It’s a question much debated here in the Disunited States. As Donald Trump continues his ever-downward descent into the darkest, dankest depths – praising neo-Nazis and white supremacists, threatening to shut down the U.S. government if Congress doesn't give him his wall to…
How a deep trust and enduring friendship helped craft Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and ensure lasting provincial autonomy
By John von Heyking and Thomas Kazakoff University of Lethbridge The relationship between Peter Lougheed and Allen Blakeney demonstrated how consistent trust for one another over a decade’s political enterprise became the foundation for a political friendship, and helped forge Canada as we know it. In his essay Reflections on the Kitchen Accord (2012), former…
Content-rich instruction is key to reading comprehension and critical thinking, and it empowers disadvantaged students
Content-rich instruction may not be as flashy as some of the educational alternatives but it’s a whole lot more effective. Educators have long debated the importance of specific content knowledge in the curriculum. Progressive educators generally favour a non-content-specific learning process. Traditional educators say all students should master a defined body of knowledge. The 21st century…
In fact, removing prohibitions would better utilize our health care professionals and reduce the suffering of those on long waiting lists
In a recent multi-part series that included an opinion piece headlined “Double-dipping doctors defy the spirit of Canadian health-care,” the Globe and Mail alleged that physicians working in private medical clinics are billing both the public system and the patient for the same service. Shortly after, Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix announced an…
As much as rent control could benefit some existing renters, in the long run it reduces the incentive to build new rental housing
By Steve Lafleur and Josef Filipowicz The Fraser Institute The Ontario government introduced a raft of measures this summer aimed at reining in the price of buying or renting a home in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The goal is laudable and the approach may create some temporary reprieve – but the long-term consequences could be…