Newest Edition of Policy Options Released

The Institute for Research and Public Policy has issued its monthly publication Policy Options online. This month features an entire section on the upcoming American presidential elections, Alberta and its love-hate relationship with big oil, Kosovo’s independence, the Manley Report on Afghanistan, climate change, and more.   http://www.irpp.org/po/index.htm

 

 

Economy

Ten National Associations Call on Political Leaders to Fix Internal Trade in Canada

On the first anniversary of the historic trade agreement between Alberta and British Columbia, a national coalition of ten business, industry and professional associations is urging the federal and provincial governments to cooperate in finding ways to strengthen the economic union. The internal trade coalition, which includes the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, is recommending that Ottawa take the lead in improving trade across Canada by legislating a set of open trade principles and establishing a standing internal trade tribunal to ensure that all parties adhere to those principles.

http://www.ceocouncil.ca/publications/pdf

 

Saskatchewan Growth Comes with Challenges

Businesses and investors have responded positively to recent changes in the tax environment in Saskatchewan and have proposed further modifications to provincial labour legislation. The population is growing as more and more people move to Saskatchewan from other provinces  -- last year, the province led the country on housing starts, building permits, and retail sales, according to the Canada West Foundation. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate is among the lowest in Canada and, if it is not there already, the province is as close to full employment as it's ever been, says the report.   http://www.cwf.ca/V2/cnt/commentaries_200803281329.php

 

Challenges and Opportunities in Opening Electricity Markets

The move from regulation to competition in various sectors of the economy – from finance to air transport – has been one of the greatest success stories of the past three decades. The electricity sector offers another area where deregulation can potentially bring benefits; however, against these potential gains is a fear that a switch to a market-oriented system could lead to rising prices and systemic instability; fears exacerbated by recent experiences of market deregulation. The C.D. Howe Institute examines the problem and makes several recommendations in a recent article. http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/commentary_260.pdf

 

Employer Investment in Workplace Learning: Report on the Toronto Roundtable

Employers need to strengthen their investment in the skills and knowledge of workers, says a new report by the Canadian Policy Research Networks. The report focuses on the Ontario experience but is relevant for other Canadian jurisdictions. Perspectives of leaders from business, employer associations, labour, government, colleges, universities, sector councils, and community training boards in Ontario are all reported upon. http://www.cprn.org/documents/49617_EN.pdf

 

Homeland Security and Canada-U.S. Border Trade
Dalhousie University, Texas A&M University and the University of Windsor held a conference entitled “The Homeland Security and Canada-U.S. Border Trade: Implications for Public Policy and Business Strategy” in Windsor, which assessed American and Canadian security perspectives as it relates to Canada-U.S. border trade, review existing efforts to “keep the border closed to terrorists and open for trade,” and identify economically and politically feasible public policy and private sector strategies to achieve a viable and sustainable balance between homeland security and economic security for both nations.  Audio proceedings area available at: http://cibs.tamu.edu/border/pages/proceedings.html

 

Reclaiming Great Lakes Economic Leadership in the Bi-National US-Canadian Region

According to a new Brookings Institute report, the bi-national Great Lakes region can continue to model what economic regions will look like in the global economy and also how they can thrive. To realize this vision will require leadership and purposeful actions that acknowledge the unique opportunities provided by the Great Lakes economy.  As the region was the first along the border to have a free-trade agreement it is only fitting to explore more opportunities here.  http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/0324_greatlakes_canada_austin.aspx 

 

Next Wave Firm Evolution in Canada

Murray Rice of the University of North Texas discussed his new research on "next wave" firm evolution in Canada for the Connect2Canada Podcast Series. Dr. Rice, who received a Canadian Studies Research Grant for this research, looked at the business and economic impact of innovative and competitive companies in a number of different Canadian cities and offered a comparative analysis of Canada and the U.S. in this context.  http://www.connect2canada.com/murrayrice_podcast/

 

 

Public Policy

Asset-building Approaches and the Search for a New Social Policy Architecture in Canada

Canada's current social security system has been developed to address the post-war challenge of reconstructing a full-employment economy, says Cynthia Williams of the Canadian Policy Research Networks. She notes that increasingly, social policy experts and government decision-makers reflect on the current system and ask if fundamental changes are needed to meet the challenges and stresses emerging in the 21st century. And Williams explores this theme in her new article Asset-building Approaches and the Search for a New Social Policy Architecture in Canada. http://www.cprn.org/documents/49582_EN.pdf

 

Queen’s-led Study Tracks Trends in Youth Health Behaviour

Positive school experiences and good family relationships exert an important influence on almost all aspects of young people’s health, a new Queen’s University-led national study shows. On the other hand, family wealth and peer relationships can have both positive and negative influences on youth health. The report examines smoking, alcohol and drug use, physical activity and body image, eating patterns, emotional health and injuries in children aged 11 to 15.   http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dca-dea/yjc/index-eng.php

 

University of Saskatchewan Conducts Research on Aboriginal Health and Depression

University of Saskatchewan researchers have been awarded a total of $322,492 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for projects that will shed light on diabetes’ history in Saskatchewan First Nations, better treatments for seniors with depression, pollution’s effect on heart disease, and other issues. “These CFI investments will provide our leading researchers with the resources they need to address key issues such as Aboriginal health, air pollution, and depression,” said University of Saskatchewan Vice-President for Research, Steven Franklin. http://www.usask.ca/research/news/read.php?id=782&newsid=1

 

 

Demographics

New Study on Canada’s Cultural Mosaic

A snapshot of Canada's ever-broadening cultural mosaic was provided in a recently released Statistics Canada report. In an analysis of data from the 2006 census on ethnic origin and visible minorities, the agency reported that Canada now has more than 200 different ethnic origins. Just over 10 million people, over a third of the population, declared themselves Canadian, either alone (5.7 million) or with other origins (4.3 million), down slightly from the last census.   http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080402/d080402a.htm

 

Report Forecasts Significant Demographic Transformation and Immigration Growth Instrumental for Western Canada

Major demographic and economic trends are changing the face of western Canada, a benchmark study by the Canada West Foundation says.  Since its last edition of State of the West five years ago, Canada West Foundation says there has been considerable change in western Canada, demographically and economically. Several of the trends discussed in the previous edition have continued, while other significant new trends have emerged.   http://www.cwf.ca/V2/cnt/release_200803281504.php

 

 

Environment

Two Canadian Universities among Finalists in International Hydrogen Design Competition

Project teams from the University of Waterloo and McMaster University in Hamilton are among the five finalists in the international Hydrogen Student Design Contest being held in the U.S. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) provided $5,000 in support for the contest.  "With two of our universities among the five finalists, Canada is certainly well represented in this international competition," said the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources. "We're proud of our teams from Waterloo and McMaster. And our government is proud to support their work, which represents the type of innovation that Canada needs to meet our future energy challenges." The two universities are participating in an annual competition sponsored by the Natural Resources Canada (NHA). This year, competing teams are being judged on their ideas for the best hydrogen applications for airports that address issues of noise, air pollution and groundwater contamination.  

http://news.gc.ca/web/view/en/index.jsp?articleid=389759&categoryid=1&category=News+Releases  

For more information on the competition: http://www.hydrogenassociation.org/media/pressReleases/17mar08_contest.pdf

 

How Can the NIMBY Syndrome Be Avoided?

The syndrome known as NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) designates any conflict involving the location of dangerous or nuisance-creating projects in places where local people can be expected to oppose their establishment. In the last few decades there has been a growth and broadening in this phenomenon of structured opposition, the intensity of which has led many public authorities to suffer from a tendency to stagnate with respect to major projects. To address this often contentious issue, the Montreal Economic Institute ponders potential solutions. http://www.iedm.org/uploaded/pdf/note0308_en.pdf

 

 

Science and Technology

Forecasting Tsunami Threats: Dalhousie Forms Partnership with University of Madras

The catastrophic Tsunami in December 2004 that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries was hardly a one-time freak occurrence, says Alan Ruffman, and people could have been much better prepared for it. Mr. Ruffman, honorary research associate in Dalhousie’s Department of Earth Sciences will lead a research team that will study past tsunamis and how to prepare for them. The core team will include four scholars from Madras, India and six Dalhousie University faculty members in Earth Sciences and Oceanography, and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. http://dalnews.dal.ca/2008/03/28/Tsunami.html

 

UBC Researcher Shows Natural Selection Speeds Up Speciation

In the first experiment of its kind conducted in nature, a University of British Columbia evolutionary biologist has come up with strong evidence for one of Charles Darwin’s cornerstone ideas -- adaptation to the environment accelerates the creation of new species. UBC post-doctoral fellow Patrik Nosil studied walking-stick insects in the Santa Barbara Chaparral in southern California and found that the more ways a population can adapt to its unique surroundings, the more likely it will ultimately diverge into a separate species.   http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2008/mr-08-035.html

 

Collaborative Research Database to Benefit Complementary and Alternative Medicine

The McGill University Health Centre Research Institute and the University of Calgary in collaboration with Centennial College are launching the first-ever searchable database of outcome measures intended for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) researchers – the IN-CAM Outcomes Database. This innovative initiative promises to improve the quality and the range of CAM research that will lead to more effective treatments in the future. CAM research encompasses such fields of study as the effect of placebos and explanations behind individual’s choices for various therapies. http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/march2008/IN-CAM

 

Enriching the Computer Users Interactive Experience

The computer mouse has had a good run, but computer scientist Pourang Irani of the University of Manitoba thinks it’s time it scurried aside and let a dinner plate relieve it of some tasks. “The conventional mouse and touch pad are no longer sufficient, they are just not good enough,” Irani said. Irani’s lab is looking at how to design next generation computer interfaces that will no longer be chiefly utilitarian; they will also enrich the user’s experience. He is collaborating with Philips Research and Microsoft Research on the ground-breaking initiative.   http://umanitoba.ca/research/research_news_events.html

 

Canadian Studies 
Taking Stock of Diefenbaker at 50

John Courtney, Scholar in Residence at the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, University of Saskatchewan, and Canada-U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the Brookings Institution has written an historical analsys of John Diefenbaker’s time as Prime Minister between 1957 and 1963.  http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2008/0402_politics_courtney.aspx