Frontier Centre

People laughed when Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman called in the army to help clear snow in 1999.

But snow and ice present many challenges for municipal government.

When snow is plowed to clear the way for vehicles, parking becomes difficult, and icy sidewalks are also treacherous for pedestrians.

After a recent snowstorm in Calgary, dozens of people were injured and taken to the hospital when they fell on icy streets and sidewalks.

Snow removal is expensive, and some cities are determined to find a better way.

Saskatoon and Edmonton are considering heated sidewalks, and they’re by no means the first winter communities to do so.

Holland, Michigan installed a water recirculation system under downtown sidewalks. It has substantially reduced the need for plowing, sanding, and salting.

Iceland is blessed with an abundance of geothermal energy, and Reykjavik uses it to keep sidewalks and streets clear of snow.

And in BC, the Vancouver suburb of Richmond has begun a heated sidewalk project.

Nearby businesses might be prepared to help pay the bill to attract customers.

As we finally near the end of this brutal winter, it’s time to consider innovations like these.

I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.

For more on urban issues, visit our website www.fcpp.org.

People laughed when Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman called in the army to help clear snow in 1999.

But snow and ice present many challenges for municipal government.

When snow is plowed to clear the way for vehicles, parking becomes difficult, and icy sidewalks are also treacherous for pedestrians.

After a recent snowstorm in Calgary, dozens of people were injured and taken to the hospital when they fell on icy streets and sidewalks.

Snow removal is expensive, and some cities are determined to find a better way.

Saskatoon and Edmonton are considering heated sidewalks, and they’re by no means the first winter communities to do so.

Holland, Michigan installed a water recirculation system under downtown sidewalks. It has substantially reduced the need for plowing, sanding, and salting.

Iceland is blessed with an abundance of geothermal energy, and Reykjavik uses it to keep sidewalks and streets clear of snow.

And in BC, the Vancouver suburb of Richmond has begun a heated sidewalk project.

Nearby businesses might be prepared to help pay the bill to attract customers.

As we finally near the end of this brutal winter, it’s time to consider innovations like these.

I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.

For more on urban issues, visit our website www.fcpp.org.

Breakfast on the Frontier with Lorne Weiss on February 19, 2014 in Winnipeg.

Title: Funding Education in Manitoba: ​Let's Pay Fair

Breakfast on the Frontier with Lorne Weiss on February 19, 2014 in Winnipeg.

Title: Funding Education in Manitoba: ​Let's Pay Fair

Lunch on the Frontier with Martha Hall Findlay.

Lunch on the Frontier with Martha Hall Findlay.

Many economists agree that free trade promotes economic growth, reduces poverty and benefits all countries that participate.

The World Trade Organization is supposed to facilitate global trade by helping to reduce and eventually eliminate barriers like tariffs and quotas.

The latest round of talks at the WTO have been going on for more than a decade, and at the same time, Canada and other countries have been working independently to broker their own agreements.

Last fall, Canada signed the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with the European Union.

Now Ottawa is close to finalizing a bilateral trade deal with South Korea.

The government is also working on the Trans Pacific Partnership, an agreement that will include a total of twelve other countries.

If these agreements pan out, it will be three significant deals that our country has negotiated outside the realm of the World Trade Organization.

Ottawa appears to be succeeding in opening our borders to world markets, while the WTO process has stagnated.

These smaller scale agreements are generally easier to achieve thanks to limiting the number of countries and competing interests involved in the negotiations.

Perhaps Canada and our other trading partners are ready to move away from complicated multi-lateral talks when it comes to trade, if the WTO can no longer fulfill its mandate.

I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.

For more on trade policy, visit www.fcpp.org.

Many economists agree that free trade promotes economic growth, reduces poverty and benefits all countries that participate.

The World Trade Organization is supposed to facilitate global trade by helping to reduce and eventually eliminate barriers like tariffs and quotas.

The latest round of talks at the WTO have been going on for more than a decade, and at the same time, Canada and other countries have been working independently to broker their own agreements.

Last fall, Canada signed the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with the European Union.

Now Ottawa is close to finalizing a bilateral trade deal with South Korea.

The government is also working on the Trans Pacific Partnership, an agreement that will include a total of twelve other countries.

If these agreements pan out, it will be three significant deals that our country has negotiated outside the realm of the World Trade Organization.

Ottawa appears to be succeeding in opening our borders to world markets, while the WTO process has stagnated.

These smaller scale agreements are generally easier to achieve thanks to limiting the number of countries and competing interests involved in the negotiations.

Perhaps Canada and our other trading partners are ready to move away from complicated multi-lateral talks when it comes to trade, if the WTO can no longer fulfill its mandate.

I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.

For more on trade policy, visit www.fcpp.org.

For more than 40 years, the government has prohibited offshore oil exploration in BC.

Other regions have benefitted enormously by allowing and encouraging such development.

Newfoundland and Labrador has gone from being a “have-not” to a prosperous province, thanks in large measure to offshore oil.

Thirty percent of provincial revenue now comes from oil royalties.

Norway is another great example. With a population of just over 5 million, they have been able to stock away half a trillion dollars in a heritage fund thanks to North Sea oil.

Here in Canada we are fortunate to have significant oil and gas deposits in all three of the oceans that we touch on, although severe cold and a short drilling season make development a formidable challenge in the Arctic.

Development off the coast of BC would be much easier by comparison.

The relatively shallow water allows for well-established technologies and simpler practices than those used in the Gulf of Mexico, where the massive BP spill occurred four years ago.

Given all the compelling evidence, the ongoing moratorium in BC on offshore exploration is robbing the province of economic opportunities.

I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.

To learn more about energy policy, go to our website www.fcpp.org.

For more than 40 years, the government has prohibited offshore oil exploration in BC.

Other regions have benefitted enormously by allowing and encouraging such development.

Newfoundland and Labrador has gone from being a “have-not” to a prosperous province, thanks in large measure to offshore oil.

Thirty percent of provincial revenue now comes from oil royalties.

Norway is another great example. With a population of just over 5 million, they have been able to stock away half a trillion dollars in a heritage fund thanks to North Sea oil.

Here in Canada we are fortunate to have significant oil and gas deposits in all three of the oceans that we touch on, although severe cold and a short drilling season make development a formidable challenge in the Arctic.

Development off the coast of BC would be much easier by comparison.

The relatively shallow water allows for well-established technologies and simpler practices than those used in the Gulf of Mexico, where the massive BP spill occurred four years ago.

Given all the compelling evidence, the ongoing moratorium in BC on offshore exploration is robbing the province of economic opportunities.

I’m Roger Currie. Join us again next week for more thoughts on the Frontier.

To learn more about energy policy, go to our website www.fcpp.org.