The Infrastructure Penny Tax: Can we Talk About the Real Issues Now?
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation The world unfolds in some crazy ways. In January 2011, I addressed Canada’s first national infrastructure summit in Regina. My presentation to delegates was a bit off the cuff. As part of that presentation, I tossed out the idea of a penny tax for infrastructure. [...]
Tracking the Federal Infrastructure Interest
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation The Canada West Foundation has a long history of monitoring government tax and spending trends. Buried inside my computer are several databases of federal, provincial, and municipal finance data that stretch all the way back to 1960. Some fiscal metrics go all the way back [...]
Why September’s Second Summit is so Important
By: Gord Hume, President of Hume Communications Inc., former Councillor of the City of London, ON, and author of “Cultural Planning for Creative Communities” and “Taking Back Our Cities” The second National Infrastructure Summit in Regina in mid-September is another important step for Canada, its municipalities, and private industry to confront the growing deficit in [...]
Edmonton’s Innovative Approach Turns Waste into Revenue
By: Simon Farbrother, City Manager, City of Edmonton The City of Edmonton is becoming well known for its highly integrated and sustainable waste management system. This system is built on a vision that views waste differently—not as something useless but as a resource. Currently, the City of Edmonton is diverting up to 60% of all [...]
For Whom the Road Tolls
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation Last week, the National Post reported on a study—from the Netherlands of all places—saying that Vancouver’s traffic is the worst in Canada. Vancouver is also the second most congested city out of 26 major centres in North America. News items like this are becoming more [...]
Wanted: An Innovative LTIP
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation After burning up 3,000 kilometers on western Canada’s highways, it feels good to be back in the saddle at Canada West Foundation’s offices in Calgary. In Saskatoon, I took part in a special Municipal Infrastructure Forum hosted by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) following [...]
Different Dimensions of the Penny Tax
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation In late February/early March, Casey Vander Ploeg introduced the idea of a Penny Tax in the “1¢ Solution to a Billion Dollar Problem” series on www.letstoc.ca, igniting much interest around the community. Continuing the conversation, this blog is an expansion of that idea, delving to [...]
Out and About
By: Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation Our work-a-day lives tend to follow predictable patterns, and it all starts with municipal infrastructure. The alarm goes off and the lights go on. We hit the switch on the coffee maker, push the handle on the toilet, turn the tap in the shower. Whether [...]
Sustainable Infrastructure Investment Critical to the Economy
By: Michael Atkinson, President, Canadian Construction Association (CCA) There is little doubt about the need for safe, reliable, and efficient core infrastructure, both for the safety of Canadians and the competitiveness of the Canadian economy. The Canadian Construction Association, which represents the non-residential construction industry, has worked diligently to ensure that infrastructure remains a key [...]
No Longer Oblivious to the Impervious
By: His Worship Carl Zehr, Mayor, City of Kitchener Storm drainage or storm water management (SWM) is just one of many responsibilities shouldered by Canada’s municipalities. But it’s also a very unique responsibility in that it offers municipalities a great opportunity to motivate positive changes in behaviour and alter their perceptions about the environment. In [...]
