Is Quebec on a fast track to economic suicide? In the face of a labour shortage of highly trained and educated young people Quebec is almost doubling the cost of tuition for out of province students. I would think they would want to increase the number of young smart people who are willing to come to Quebec - mostly Montreal - and learn to speak some French. Yes, some may get their education and leave, but many might fall in love with Montreal and decide to stay and make a life. But more broadly speaking both labour and capital are mobile. Countries and economic regions need to compete by putting out the welcome mat for both money and talent. McGill is a wonderful school. There might not be a William Shatner without his fine McGill business degree. Yes, he lives in California now, but he helped put Canadian actors and show business aspirants on the world scene. Does it matter that he came from a Jewish family of immigrants and spoke more English than French? NO! Bill Shatner is a credit to all those young people from all over Canada and the world who found their first inspiration and opportunities in Montreal. Montreal is closer to Europe, can develop great human capital, and has cheap electricity, but it will stagnate if force feeding French is prioritized over economic growth. There are too many painful sticks and not enough tasty carrots.
I am also observing the bankruptcy reorganization of The One retail, hotel, and condo tower in TO. This is the tip of the iceburg. Many of the buildings in Toronto were financed and filled with foreign financing and immigrants who bring needed talents and ambitions. Politicians have shut off the flow of well-heeled foreigners and their money. It is ironic that poor refugees are welcome in Toronto to live on the sidewalks but the people who would create new buildings and jobs for all and grow the economy are restricted from buying properties and by living here filling the struggling shops and restaurants downtown.
You also need a return of law and order with prison terms that mean something in concert with public works programs and targeted jobs training for those who want to work. Nobody should need to turn to crime to eat but there will always be some bad people who need to be locked up so the majority of us can be free. I just observed a report of a man with a gun in front of Longo's on Bloor at Yonge at 3:14 pm. Side streets like S Hayden and Balmutto are not safe to protect our women from perverts and assaults. There was a man with a knife last year walking up and down in front of Hemmingway's at dinner time. Get rid of the bike lanes on Bloor so that what happens on the sidewalks is not isolated from the cars. Bring in some police walking a beat. Get rid of bike lanes and mandatory right turns on King St and try to bring back what was a once thriving street in that area too.
Let the people sell canabis who know canabis. You have hundreds of pot stores with mostly crappy merchandise while the owners who actually know what they are doing are driven underground. Canada had a lead over everybody in the world and self-immolated from horrible regulation.
East-West trade locked in each country for purely political reasons increases shipping costs and lowers living standards. Shipping hundreds of miles just to stay within borders makes no sense.
We have similar problems in the US. It is hard to find politicians who believe in capitalism who are not moralistic zealots who want to tell everybody else how to live. We do a lot of things wrong in the US, but I must give the Choking the Golden Goose Award to Canadian politicians at local, provincial, and federal levels. It is sad because I mostly like them. But they have fallen below flying stall speed. The Golden Goose must breathe to be able to fly. Cut too high taxes and regulations, lock up more bad guys, and get back to real and fair bilingualism.
I am also observing the bankruptcy reorganization of The One retail, hotel, and condo tower in TO. This is the tip of the iceburg. Many of the buildings in Toronto were financed and filled with foreign financing and immigrants who bring needed talents and ambitions. Politicians have shut off the flow of well-heeled foreigners and their money. It is ironic that poor refugees are welcome in Toronto to live on the sidewalks but the people who would create new buildings and jobs for all and grow the economy are restricted from buying properties and by living here filling the struggling shops and restaurants downtown.
You also need a return of law and order with prison terms that mean something in concert with public works programs and targeted jobs training for those who want to work. Nobody should need to turn to crime to eat but there will always be some bad people who need to be locked up so the majority of us can be free. I just observed a report of a man with a gun in front of Longo's on Bloor at Yonge at 3:14 pm. Side streets like S Hayden and Balmutto are not safe to protect our women from perverts and assaults. There was a man with a knife last year walking up and down in front of Hemmingway's at dinner time. Get rid of the bike lanes on Bloor so that what happens on the sidewalks is not isolated from the cars. Bring in some police walking a beat. Get rid of bike lanes and mandatory right turns on King St and try to bring back what was a once thriving street in that area too.
Let the people sell canabis who know canabis. You have hundreds of pot stores with mostly crappy merchandise while the owners who actually know what they are doing are driven underground. Canada had a lead over everybody in the world and self-immolated from horrible regulation.
East-West trade locked in each country for purely political reasons increases shipping costs and lowers living standards. Shipping hundreds of miles just to stay within borders makes no sense.
We have similar problems in the US. It is hard to find politicians who believe in capitalism who are not moralistic zealots who want to tell everybody else how to live. We do a lot of things wrong in the US, but I must give the Choking the Golden Goose Award to Canadian politicians at local, provincial, and federal levels. It is sad because I mostly like them. But they have fallen below flying stall speed. The Golden Goose must breathe to be able to fly. Cut too high taxes and regulations, lock up more bad guys, and get back to real and fair bilingualism.
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