Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. - Olufemi Taiwo discusses how the political and corporate elite have declared that consequences for bad decisions will apply only to the plebes…
potash
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Tinker Ready discusses how the decision to let COVID-19 spread unabated in the name of “business as usual” has lead to an…
Saskatchewan budget misses opportunity on rental housing assistance
I recently wrote a ‘top 10’ overview blog post about the 2018 Saskatchewan budget. Following on the heels of that, I’ve now written an opinion piece about the budget’s announcement…
Ten things to know about the 2018 Saskatchewan budget
I’ve written a ‘top 10’ blog post about the recently-tabled Saskatchewan budget. Points raised in the blog post include the following: -This year’s budget was quite status quo. -Last year’s…
Will Oil & Potash Put SK Back in Black?
The Sask. Party government pulled out all the stops yesterday to report a balanced budget, quite possibly the last one before next spring’s provincial election. Revenue Assumptions The drop in…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Ian Welsh discusses the nature of prosperity – and the illusion that it means nothing more than increased economic activity: All other things…
PotashCorp Projects Low Royalties
Today’s fourth-quarter report indicates that PotashCorp paid “provincial mining and other taxes” of $194 million on potash sales of $3 billion in 2013. In other words, Saskatchewan’s resource surcharge and…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Scott Doherty recognizes that Saskatchewan’s failure to collect a reasonable royalty rate for potash and other natural resources is directly responsible for the…
Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Jim Stanford counters the myth of labour shortages by pointing out Canada’s significant – and growing – number of potential workers who lack…
Weir vs. Wall on Potash Profits, Dividends and Royalties
Earlier this week, PotashCorp laid off 440 workers in Saskatchewan. Here are the closing paragraphs from today’s front-page story reporting a letter from Premier Brad Wall asking the company to…
New column day
Here, asking whether growth and stable employment are part of the deal when the Saskatchewan Party offers massive handouts to the resource sector – and if so, how to handle…
Saskatchewan Budget Saved by Falling Loonie
Following last week’s troubling news about potash, the Saskatchewan government released its first-quarter financial report today. The headline seems to be “Oil Keeps Budget in Black”, with a forecast increase…
New column day
Here, on the questions raised by a sudden drop in potash prices – and why we should reconsider our economic and social priorities so that a minor fluctuation in a…
PotashCorp Reports Inadequate Royalties
PotashCorp reported today that it paid $81 million of “provincial mining and other taxes” on $975 million of potash sales in the second quarter of 2013. In other words, Saskatchewan’s…
Sunday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Ian Lovett reports on the use of “capital appreciation bonds” in California to ensure that future generations pay an inflated price to private-sector…
#skndpldr Roundup
As expected, the last week has been a relatively quiet one in the Saskatchewan NDP’s leadership campaign – representing the break between membership recruitment and voter contact. But there have…
Leadership 2013 Roundup
While all has been relatively quiet from two of Saskatchewan’s NDP leadership camps, there’s still been some activity worth highlighting over the last few days. – First, Scott Stelmaschuk has…
New column day
Here, expanding on my previous post as to why we should be wary of Brad Wall’s plans for potash royalties. For further reading, I’ll again recommend Mitchell Anderson’s Tyee series…
Saturday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your weekend reading. – Gerald Caplan weighs in on Jack Layton’s legacy: It seems to me that Jack Layton’s enduring legacy is twofold. First, he set a…
The great giveaway
No, Brad Wall’s new musings about changing Saskatchewan’s resource royalty structure won’t pass without comment from this corner. But it’s worth noting that the reason for concern lies not a…