Archive for December, 2011

Parliament’s new parlor game: Goad-a-Grit

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 Posted in Economy | No Comments »

Alas, but the sons of famous men seldom rise to meet, let alone exceed, our expectations. Take Justin Trudeau, the Liberal MP from Papineau, who told the House of Commons last ... Read more..

Business gloom spells Canada’s doom?

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 Posted in Economy | No Comments »

There are economists who draw deeply from the well of despair, invoking images of almost biblical calamity – plagues of lice, flies, frogs, locusts, unkempt lawns – to suggest that ... Read more..

Another pipe dream for Atlantic Canada

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 Posted in Economy | No Comments »

Black gold belongs to the popular mythology of big sky country; oil is a fixture of the west just as surely as cod is a creature of the east, the ... Read more..

Down the federal garden path

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 Posted in Economy, Politics | No Comments »

Ottawa’s decision, after months of negotiations, to reject Moncton’s application for money to build a downtown events centre may be duplicitous, dismissive and even despicable. But it isn’t especially surprising. If ... Read more..

Send out the clowns in Dieppe

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 Posted in Politics, Society | No Comments »

It’s not often that municipal officials in the Greater Moncton area make pugilistic buffoons of themselves. Still, you have to hand it to them: When they do, they do it ... Read more..

The crazy capers of N.B. shale gas

Sunday, December 18th, 2011 Posted in Economy, Environment, Politics | No Comments »

The New Brunswick government’s handling of the touchy shale gas file has, at times, resembled a stand-up routine worthy of the late, great Abbot and Costello. “Who’s on first?” “Yes” “Who?” “Yes” “That’s what I’m ... Read more..

A hot wind blows down climate talks

Saturday, December 10th, 2011 Posted in Environment | No Comments »

It took The Almighty seven days to make the world. It has taken international leaders, gathered in the South African city of Durban, only slightly more time to unmake it. Apart ... Read more..

Moncton’s new rules for good living

Thursday, December 8th, 2011 Posted in Humour | No Comments »

“One of Quebec’s biggest cities is rolling out the welcome mat to immigrants with a 16-point guide to local values, which include refraining from bribing officials, killing people for family ... Read more..

Going that extra mile

Thursday, December 8th, 2011 Posted in Humour | No Comments »

We must not vilify Defense Minister Peter MacKay for hitching a ride, at taxpayers’ expense, on a Canadian military helicopter whilst vacationing in Newfoundland and Labrador last summer. Nay, we should ... Read more..

A solution in search of a problem

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 Posted in Economy | No Comments »

Think tanks spend their days searching for solutions, which makes them, for the most part, just like the rest of us. The difference is, the rest of us usually first ... Read more..