Minister for seniors considering axing home projects to avoid cost overruns
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
17 minutes ago
- National Post
Jesse Kline: Air Canada strike brought to you by the Liberal government
For years, the Liberals have worked to increase the power of Canada's labour unions, and the monster they created is now coming back to bite them as Air Canada's flight attendants walk off the job, grounding hundreds of flights. But Ottawa can start to fix the mess it created by opening the airline market to more competition, thus lessening the impact that strikes have on consumers. Article content Article content It's no coincidence that the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada employees, chose this moment to go on strike and throw the country's air transportation network into chaos. Article content Article content Article content The contract between the airline and its flight attendants ended in March, but the union waited until the height of the summer travel season to walk off the job, in a move that has so far affected around 500,000 travellers. Article content Thanks to legislation passed last year that banned the use of replacement workers in federally regulated industries, including air travel, the union knew the airline would have little recourse if its members hit the picket line. And given the Liberals' penchant for intervening in labour disputes, CUPE could also be fairly certain the government would try to order the striking flight attendants back to work, after doing so in disputes involving Canada's major railways and postal service last year. Article content And so it was that after Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to force the flight attendants back to work and send the parties to binding arbitration on Saturday, Mark Hancock, CUPE's national president, tore up the back-to-work order and vowed to challenge it. Article content Article content On Monday morning, the CIRB declared the strike 'unlawful' and ordered workers back on the job 'immediately.' As of this writing, it's unclear whether the union intends to continue to defy the mandate. Article content Article content The situation highlights the catch-22 the Liberals now find themselves in: their interventionist, pro-labour policies have reduced the incentive for unions to settle disputes at the bargaining table, forcing Ottawa to step in to alleviate the resulting political headache caused by major disruptions in markets that are dominated by a few large players. Article content It's a classic case of the state stepping in with Big Government policies to fix problems caused by other interventionist measures. But it's also an opportunity for the Liberals to read the room and enact reforms that will attract foreign investment, make the country more competitive and reduce prices for consumers. Article content To do that, the government should follow the advice of its own Competition Bureau, which released a report in the spring advocating for more competition in Canada's airline market. Article content To be sure, there have been some noticeable improvements in recent years. According to the competition watchdog, thanks to upstart airlines like Porter and Flair, market concentration dropped by 10 per cent between 2019 and 2023. Article content But Air Canada and WestJet still account for between 56 and 78 per cent of all domestic passenger traffic departing from Canada's major airports. This is a direct result of government policies that favour incumbent carriers, increase costs and limit foreign ownership and competition. Article content One of the major barriers faced by new airlines, according to the Competition Bureau, is the high cost of government taxes and fees that are tacked onto ticket prices. Article content Some of them are designed to ensure the cost of running Canada's air transportation network is paid by travellers, which makes perfect sense. But ticket prices are also affected by fuel taxes and high airport fees, which Ottawa simply treats as a cash cow. Article content This assertion is backed up by research released Monday by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), which found that the exorbitant rents the federal government charges airport authorities is significantly driving up the cost of air travel. Article content Article content According to MEI, airports sent Ottawa close to $500 million in rental fees last year, which is up 68 per cent since 2014. Article content All told, the think tank found that the average airport improvement fee paid in Canada is four times higher than in the United States. Airport security charges and fuel taxes are also far higher in Canada than in peer countries, such as the U.S. and Australia. Article content These costs make it harder for discount carriers to compete based on price. The Competition Bureau says that taxes and fees constitute 30 per cent of the ticket price on major carriers, but that those 'costs take up an even higher share of what passengers pay for flights on ultra-low-cost carriers,' which makes them less profitable. Article content New carriers are also constrained by airport procedures, which often favour incumbents. Smaller, secondary airports in major cities can provide consumers and airlines with more options, but are hamstrung by the size of their runways and legal restrictions that only allow one international airport in certain regions. Article content Article content A good example is Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport, which is often cheaper and more convenient than Pearson Airport, but was prevented from hosting long-haul flights when the Liberals kiboshed plans to extend its runway to accommodate passenger jets in 2015. Article content Yet the biggest impediments to airline competition are the government's restrictions on foreign ownership and its prohibition on foreign carriers flying domestic routes. Article content In 2018, Ottawa increased the share of Canadian airlines that foreigners are allowed to own, but the Competition Bureau doesn't think it went far enough. Article content It recommends the rules be changed so that a single foreign investor can own up to 49 per cent of a Canadian carrier, and that the government create a new class of airline that can only serve domestic routes but can be fully owned by non-Canadians. Article content The competition watchdog also suggests Ottawa start allowing 'airlines from partner countries to fly domestic service within Canada.'
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
The remarkable ex-Leaf Mark Kirton succumbs to ALS
Everyone should have a Mark Kirton in their lives Article content Someone who makes today better than yesterday. Someone who makes tomorrow better than today. Article content Article content There aren't many of them in our world — those built-in genuine optimists who you visit and walk away feeling better about the world, about your life, about the sun that is shining because you spent some time with him. Sometimes it may have been just a visit, or a phone call or a text message or just an email. Article content Article content But always with a smile, maybe a joke, maybe a little laughter, something to feel right about when really there wasn't all that much to smile or laugh about. The former hockey player, Mark Kirton lost his battle with the dreadful disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, on the weekend and I don't know if I've ever known anyone quite like him before, or anyone I admired more. Article content We first met in 2021 when he went public with his personal fight and from there a relationship was born. ALS is a monster that takes away your life, bite by bite, piece by piece. It's different for everyone suffering. Some lose their hands first. Some lose their feet. Some are confined to wheelchairs. Some can speak, some can't. Some can see, some can't, It's one part, then another, no timetable for how it goes or how it tears your life apart. Article content Kirton was still selling real estate in Oakville when we first met, working from home, working from a wheelchair, still talking fast, smiling, pushing the product, forever ready to make the next deal. Article content But as he was still working, he began to turn his work to his own disease. What he could go for ALS? How he could find a way to raise more money? Why is it there were drugs in America that weren't available in Canada? Why is it there wasn't enough known about the disease and not enough research being done. Article content He had more questions than answers, and no where to turn for money. Article content So he started ALS Action Canada and began fundraisers for the disease. He wasn't a big name — he wasn't his former teammate, Borje Salming — but he was so engaging. Article content He got the Canadian NHL teams involved in fundraising. He started the ALS Super Fund, which all NHL clubs began events to contribute to. From ALS Action Canada to the ALS Super Fund, he started PALS — an organization for people suffering from ALS. Article content He wanted to connect people going through the same difficulties. He wanted more communication. Just last week, he had planned to meet with television's Ron Maclean and former Maple Leaf captain, Darryl Sittler, to get to work on his latest project.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Prince County Hospital in P.E.I. reinstates Intensive Care Unit
The Prince County Hospital (PCH) in Summerside, P.E.I., reinstated its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Aug. 12. This will ensure full critical care capacity is available in western P.E.I., a news release reads. The province now has two operational ICUs at PCH and Queen Elizabeth Hospital. PCH's ICU was temporarily downgraded in May 2023 due to staff shortages, especially in specialized critical care roles. The hospital was able to provide critical care but patients requiring higher acuity care were transferred to Charlottetown. 'This is a moment of deep appreciation for our critical care teams,' said Melanie Fraser, CEO of Health PEI. 'We are incredibly grateful to the health care professionals at both PCH and QEH for their dedication over the past few years. Their collaboration, resilience, and commitment to patients made it possible to create a fully integrated provincial critical care program.' Health PEI says the decision reflects their confidence that coverage is now safely sustainable for staff and patients. The department has also put measures in place to support long-term stability. These measures include strengthened recruitment, improved coordination between hospitals, and ongoing investment in equipment and training. 'Because of the hard work of a lot of people, August 12th looked like any other day,' said Dr. Tyler McDonell, medical director at PCH. 'And that was always the goal—safe, seamless care delivered here at PCH, supported by a system that works together. We know there's more work ahead, but there was a real sense of accomplishment. We did this together.' Health PEI also announced oncology services had returned to PCH last week. 'The last month has required flexibility and patience on the part of patients, loved ones, and staff,' said Dr. Johan Viljoen, Health PEI's chief medical officer. 'I'm happy to report no one's treatment schedule was interrupted during this period, when we moved treatment temporarily due to a staffing shortage. We look forward to this fall when a third oncologist joins the Health PEI team, improving our ability to serve Islanders.' For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
