News
Around Red Deer June 6th…..
3:12 pm – Finished your spring cleaning now? Well you can find those unwanted items a new home with “Kick it to the Curb” in Red Deer this weekend. Read More.
3:07 pm – Red Deer’s Ross Street Patio is set to open for another season on Friday! Read More.
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2:55 pm – Effective Wednesday, June 7th, Red Deer County has removed all enacted road bans. Read More.
2:22 pm – Prairie Bus Lines has released a statement regarding Impaired Driving charges laid against one of it’s drivers, following a collision where one of it’s busses with kids on board, crashed into a tree and sign, then kept going for a short distance.
“As a result of the investigation and subsequent charges against the driver by the RCMP, we have taken the appropriate action to ensure our Safely Home commitment is upheld. Prairie Bus Lines has a zero tolerance drug and alcohol policy in place. This includes a process for testing when there is reasonable suspicion that an employee is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In this case, there were no visible signs of impairment prior to the driver’s afternoon departure. Student safety is paramount to our organization. We are grateful nobody was injured and that a rescue driver was able to take the children home safely in a timely manner.”
2:14 pm – Red Deer RCMP are asking for public assistance to locate 45 year old Sherry Lynn Wahobin. Read More.
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2:00 pm – The Red Deer Public School District is shocked and angry after RCMP confirmed impaired driving charges have been be laid against a bus driver following an accident while students were being transported home from school. Read More.
1:51 pm – A Red Deer woman faces charges of impaired and dangerous driving after the school bus she was operating struck a tree Monday afternoon in the Vanier Woods neighbourhood. Read More.
11:57 am – Red Deer RCMP are asking for public assistance to locate 14 year old Trisha Blackwell. Read More.
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11:49 am – Driver fleeing Police injured after rolling vehicle on O’Chiese First Nation. Read More.
11:41 am – A Red Deer teen reported missing last month has now been found. 13 year old Jayden Lafferty has been located and RCMP thank the public for their assistance.
10:38 am – Heads up Sylvan Lake drivers, there’s some road closures to be aware of over the next couple of days. Read More.
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10:00 am – To celebrate Canada 150, the Town of Sylvan Lake has planted 5,200 Canada 150 tulips. Read More.
9:54 am – Municipal property tax notices were recently mailed out to Lacombe County ratepayers and should be appearing in mailboxes in the coming week. Read More.
9:33 am – You can ride Bolt Transit for free tomorrow. It’s Clean Air Day. Read More.
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9:22 am – The public is invited to a skatepark meeting in the Penhold Multi-Plex starting at 6:30 pm tonight. Read More.
8:02 am – Red Deer RCMP responded to a single vehicle collision involving a school bus around 4:00 pm in the Vanier neighbourhood on Monday. The collision resulted in the school bus striking a tree and sign. There were eighteen students on board the bus at the time of the collision; no injures were reported. The school bus was transporting students from the Red Deer Public School system. Police continue to investigate the cause of this collision and an update will be provided when available.
7:51 am – Landscaping work will result in some road closures in south Red Deer today. Read More.
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7:43 am – Students at Red Deer’s Maryview School will take part in Smudging Ceremonies led by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Support Team members from the Red Deer Catholic Regional School District today. Elsewhere, all are welcome to attend an Open House event at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School in Blackfalds on June 6, 7, and 8 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. There will be staff on hand to answer questions and give tours.
7:35 am – Grade 7 students in Red Deer will participate in a Track & Field Day at École Secondaire Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School today!
7:22 am – It’s a fun day planned throughout the Red Deer Public School District today. Students at Annie L. Gaetz Elementary School will get a visit from Around The World Entertainment at 8:45 am to see some impressive Yo-Yo skills. Students at Ecole Barrie Wilson Elementary School will also get that presentation at 2:00 pm. Elsewhere, Central Middle School Band students will perform their year-end concert at the Red Deer College Arts Centre tonight at 7:00 pm. While Lindsay Thurber music students will perform Concert Bands, Jazz Bands, Ensembles and a Massed Band finale in the school gym starting at 7:00 pm. Tickets will not be sold to this event, but there will be a silver collection at the door.
From the Fraser Institute
By Alex Whalen and Tegan Hill
Back in the summer at a meeting in Halifax, several provincial premiers discussed a lawsuit meant to force the federal government to make changes to Canada’s equalization program. The suit—filed by Newfoundland and Labrador and backed by British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta—effectively argues that the current formula isn’t fair. But while the question of “fairness” can be subjective, its clear the equalization program is broken.
In theory, the program equalizes the ability of provinces to deliver reasonably comparable services at a reasonably comparable level of taxation. Any province’s ability to pay is based on its “fiscal capacity”—that is, its ability to raise revenue.
This year, equalization payments will total a projected $25.3 billion with all provinces except B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to receive some money. Whether due to higher incomes, higher employment or other factors, these three provinces have a greater ability to collect government revenue so they will not receive equalization.
However, contrary to the intent of the program, as recently as 2021, equalization program costs increased despite a decline in the fiscal capacity of oil-producing provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In other words, the fiscal capacity gap among provinces was shrinking, yet recipient provinces still received a larger equalization payment.
Why? Because a “fixed-growth rule,” introduced by the Harper government in 2009, ensures that payments grow roughly in line with the economy—even if the gap between richer and poorer provinces shrinks. The result? Total equalization payments (before adjusting for inflation) increased by 19 per cent between 2015/16 and 2020/21 despite the gap in fiscal capacities between provinces shrinking during this time.
Moreover, the structure of the equalization program is also causing problems, even for recipient provinces, because it generates strong disincentives to natural resource development and the resulting economic growth because the program “claws back” equalization dollars when provinces raise revenue from natural resource development. Despite some changes to reduce this problem, one study estimated that a recipient province wishing to increase its natural resource revenues by a modest 10 per cent could face up to a 97 per cent claw back in equalization payments.
Put simply, provinces that generally do not receive equalization such as Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan have been punished for developing their resources, whereas recipient provinces such as Quebec and in the Maritimes have been rewarded for not developing theirs.
Finally, the current program design also encourages recipient provinces to maintain high personal and business income tax rates. While higher tax rates can reduce the incentive to work, invest and be productive, they also raise the national standard average tax rate, which is used in the equalization allocation formula. Therefore, provinces are incentivized to maintain high and economically damaging tax rates to maximize equalization payments.
Unless premiers push for reforms that will improve economic incentives and contain program costs, all provinces—recipient and non-recipient—will suffer the consequences.
Authors:
National
Liberals, NDP admit closed-door meetings took place in attempt to delay Canada’s next election
From LifeSiteNews
Pushing back the date would preserve the pensions of some of the MPs who could be voted out of office in October 2025.
Aides to the cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that MPs from the Liberal and New Democratic Party (NDP) did indeed hold closed-door “briefings” to rewrite Canada’s elections laws so that they could push back the date of the next election.
The closed-door talks between the NDP and Liberals confirmed the aides included a revision that would guarantee some of its 28 MPs, including three of Trudeau’s cabinet members, would get a pension.
Allen Sutherland, who serves as the assistant cabinet secretary, testified before the House of Commons affairs committee that the changes to the Elections Act were discussed in the meetings.
“We attended a meeting where the substance of that proposal was discussed,” he said, adding that his “understanding is the briefing was primarily oral.”
According to Sutherland, as reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, it was only NDP and Liberal MPs who attended the secret meetings regarding changes to Canada’s Elections Act via Bill C-65, An Act to Amend the Canada Elections Act before the bill was introduced in March.
As reported by LifeSiteNews before, the Liberals were hoping to delay the 2025 federal election by a few days in what many see as a stunt to secure pensions for MPs who are projected to lose their seats. Approximately 80 MPs would qualify for pensions should they sit as MPs until at least October 27, 2025, which is the newly proposed election date. The election date is currently set for October 20, 2025.
Sutherland noted when asked by Conservative MP Luc Berthold that he recalled little from the meetings, but he did confirm he attended “two meetings of that kind.”
“Didn’t you find it unusual that a discussion about amending the Elections Act included only two political parties and excluded the others?” Berthold asked.
Sutherland responded, “It’s important to understand what my role was in those meetings which was simply to provide background information.”
Berthold then asked, “You nevertheless suggested amendments to the legislation including a change of dates?”
“My role was to provide information,” replied Sutherland, who added he could not provide the exact dates of the meetings.
MPs must serve at least six years to qualify for a pension that pays $77,900 a year. Should an election be called today, many MPs would fall short of reaching the six years, hence Bill C-65 was introduced by the Liberals and NDP.
The Liberals have claimed that pushing back the next election date is not over pensions but due to “trying to observe religious holidays,” as noted by Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen.
“Conservatives voted against this bill,” Berthold said, as they are “confident of winning re-election. We don’t need this change.”
Trudeau’s popularity is at a all-time low, but he has refused to step down as PM, call an early election, or even step aside as Liberal Party leader.
As for the amendments to elections laws, they come after months of polling in favour of the Conservative Party under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre.
A recent poll found that 70 percent of Canadians believe the country is “broken” as Trudeau focuses on less critical issues. Similarly, in January, most Canadians reported that they are worse off financially since Trudeau took office.
Additionally, a January poll showed that 46 percent of Canadians expressed a desire for the federal election to take place sooner rather than the latest mandated date in the fall of 2025.
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