Governments must begin to address their own roles in keeping housing prices high
The recent rise in interest rates has dampened demand for home sales in Canada. The hike, inevitable given how historically low rates have been, has taken some of the froth off housing prices. However, given how high home prices still are in Canada, a useful question to ask is what governments can do to reverse…
It has dulled our ability to have face to face relationships
Something is happening to human communication because of our reliance on technology. Technology is a mediating force – getting in between actual humans and their interaction. Technology also affects us physically and mentally. If you work on a computer all day, you are susceptible to carpal tunnel syndrome and a stiff neck. Use a hand-held…
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston put a stop to a pay hike for MLAs and cut his own salary. Now for Part 2
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston got a big hit for taxpayers by putting a stop to a pay hike for MLAs and cutting his own salary. Now Houston has an opportunity to convert his single into a home run by ending the automatic tax hikes associated with bracket creep. Last month, an independent panel created…
Self-image is everything. What are you telling yourself about your role at work, at home, in sports or relationships?
I just about quit. I was almost two hours and 55 km into a 152-km GranFondo cycling event in Penticton, B.C., a few weeks ago when I felt like quitting. I had been riding hard and it was starting to get hot. As I struggled to climb a hill, it seemed like 50 riders passed…
The Canadian Dairy Commission is morally and ethically compromised. It needs to distance itself from the dairy sector immediately
Every year, the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC), a branch of the federal government, hires external consultants to assess the cost of producing milk on the farm. The CDC has never released any data about costing and has recommended farm milk price increases most years, eventually impacting retail prices and Canadian families. Since February, dairy product…
Life has a habit of throwing curveballs
Life is pretty good at throwing curveballs, but the curveballs that come your way vary in destructiveness and severity. Regardless, it is impossible to escape the impact. It could be the sudden death of a loved one. The crumbling of your marriage or relationship. The financial catastrophe that has ruined your sense of security. And…
We all need to continue to pressure Pope Francis and the Catholic hierarchy to rescind the Papal Bulls of Discovery
Self-development specialist Brian Tracy says, “People with clear, written goals accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could even imagine.” When I first read Call to Action 58 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, I thought it was an unrealistic pipe dream. It called on the Pope to…
Freedom is as Canadian as maple syrup and the Canadian Rockies. Don’t let collectivists tell you otherwise
Earlier this year, I stumbled across a framed copy of the Canadian Bill of Rights, the liberty-expanding law promulgated by then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and passed by Parliament in 1960. I read the document years ago but seeing it up close reminded me of Canada’s long tradition of freedom, ranging from anti-slavery efforts in the late 18th…
How did a man with one of the highest profiles in American politics flop so badly in 1962?
Including his two campaigns for vice-president, Richard Nixon ran for office nine times and lost twice. One of these losses was the razor-thin defeat to John F. Kennedy in 1960’s presidential contest. The other was his ill-advised California gubernatorial effort two years later. California was Nixon’s home state and he’d always done well there, even…
Taxpayers could get soaked with higher taxes and reckless government spending
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s promise to hand the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa more powers could be a dangerous gateway to higher taxes and runaway government spending. Hardworking taxpayers wouldn’t trust one person selected by someone else to unilaterally manage their household expenses and retirement savings. Yet, that’s essentially what Ford might have up his…