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COMMENTARY July 16, 2008 Our Destination is Clear: Canada's plan for managing used nuclear fuel Whenever the subject of Nuclear Power comes up the discussion almost always turns to the issue of what to do with the waste material. Few people seem to know that Canada – through the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) – is well on its way to implementing a plan for the long-term management of our used nuclear fuel. The NWMO was established in
2002 by Canada’s nuclear power generators to assume full responsibility
for all their used fuel as required under the Nuclear Fuel Waste Act.
This includes providing all the necessary funding for the longer-term
management of all current and future waste material.
The first mandate given NWMO was to study the options, consult with
Canadians and put forward a recommendation to the federal government, which
they did in 2005. Canada has operated nuclear
power plants since 1968. During
the entire forty years, the nuclear waste has been stored in temporary
facilities located at the reactor sites.
The used fuel bundles are first put in water-filled pools to cool for
seven to ten years, and then placed in dry storage containers where they
currently reside. |
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COMMENTARY July 8, 2008 Can Profit Be a Force for Good? Contrary
to popular belief, most companies are not greedy and pursuing profit is not
a sinful act. In fact,
there is a strong argument to be made that the profit motive may be just
what we need to drive social progress.
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COMMENTARY July 3, 2008 And Policy Making Goes Round and Round.... The
15th annual Farming For... Profit? conference was held earlier this week in
Moose Jaw. Topics on this year's agenda included the future of agricultural
policy, agriculture's role in the global food crisis, transportation issues,
and the challenges faced by the Canadian livestock sector in the face of
rising grain prices and a falling U.S. dollar. Conference participants
included producers, producer group and industry association representatives,
industry players and commentators, academics and personnel from both
provincial and federal governments. |
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COMMENTARY June 20, 2008 The Politics of Labour Policy Part 2: The Union
Mindset Today’s
labour movement is different. Having
achieved most of its goals with respect to work standards, organized labour
has moved on to become a partisan political machine largely driven by
socialist ideology. It seems
that labour leaders are now more concerned with “progressive social
policies, which benefit the community as a whole”, and in supporting a
political party which “would give priority to such policies”, than with
the sustainability of jobs and other such issues that should really matter
to their members. |
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COMMENTARY May 23, 2008 The Politics of Labour Policy Part 1: Shifting Political Influence It should be no surprise to
anyone that the first order of business for the new Saskatchewan Party
government was to introduce changes to existing labour legislation.
This is something that has happened with every change in Saskatchewan’s governing party for the past sixty-plus years.
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COMMENTARY May 2, 2008 If Saskatchewan is a Workers' Paradise, where are all the workers? With a major battle brewing on the union front, the Prairie Centre is producing a series of papers that provide some perspective on the issues surrounding labour policy. Because current legislation is grounded in the Tommy Douglas era, we begin by re-printing this installment from the Fred Smith series “Tommy Douglas: the Man and the Myth”, which explored the CCF Premier’s economic legacy. full commentary |
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COMMENTARY April 10, 2008 High hopes for the rail service review
Our major railways do a
wonderful job hauling grain. Just ask them. But don’t ask anyone else or
you’ll get an entirely different story.
to read more..... |
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COMMENTARY
On top of all this, governments are looking at cap-and-trade systems that would impose aggregate quotas on big emitters, which would be able trade permits in a market. Even B.C., with its own carbon tax, has agreed to participate in a cap-and-trade system with other Canadian provinces and to read more..... |
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COMMENTARY Was
it really a ready for growth budge To
hear Saskatchewan Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer tell it, his recent budget
was about keeping promises and making sure the province is ready for growth.
By today’s standards it was actually a reasonably good budget.
It paid down some debt, provided a little more corporate tax and
education property tax relief. It
afforded a little more revenue sharing for municipalities, a little more
money for health and education, and a bit more help for agriculture.
It also provided a lot more money ($1 billion) for capital investment
in schools, hospitals and health facilities, roads and highways, and other
community infrastructure needs. But
what does this budget do to stimulate sustainable long-term growth?
The simple answer is, not much. |
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COMMENTARY So, why don't we value the wealth creators like we do the rappers, athletes and talking heads? If you are one of those
people outraged by PotashCorp’s compensation for senior management, I
suggest you do not buy shares in the company.
You should also ask your pension administrator and financial advisor
to take you out of any funds that hold PCS shares because you probably own
some already. Then again, maybe
that’s not such a good idea considering PotashCorp is one of the world’s
best performing companies. |
ENERGIZING SASKATCHEWAN DISCUSSION SERIES
Commentary
for December 7, 2006
Natural Gas Supply Competition in SaskatchewanRoger Magneson, CEG Energy Options |
Commentary
for October 13, 2006
Can we really turn black coal green? A commentary by Dr. Malcolm Wilson |
Commentary
for August 9, 2006
WHERE
DO WE GO FROM HERE? Part
III: Wind Energy Alternative This
is the third of a three-part series written by Dr Darryl Jessie, which
examines wind energy and what could be possible if private investment was
encouraged. |
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WHERE
DO WE GO FROM HERE? 'Who
has seen the wind?' Part
II: The State of SaskPower
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Commentary for May 10, 2006 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?'Who has seen the wind?' Part
I: A
History of Wind Energy in Wind
power is burgeoning in every industrialized country of the world. |
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A
Prairie
Policy Centre Research Project
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For more information about the Prairie Centre, please |
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Celebrating
Saskatchewan Request for Proposal (RFP)
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Past events
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For
agriculture related commentaries and links to Ag specific websites. Information on carbon credit trading Carbon
Tax Credits Alberta Carbon Offset Solutions
Small
Dead Animals weblog
We
want to hear from you. |
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In June at our 2007 President's Dinner, the guest speaker was Calvin Helin. He has written 'the most important book ever written for moving Indigenous people forward.'
His presentation provides a glimpse into why he wrote this book and what we need to do to make lasting change a reality. To order his book... |
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ENERGIZING SASKATCHEWAN The Prairie Centre is committed to ensuring Saskatchewan's energy future is prosperous, diverse through the exploration and understanding of all energy sources.
The project includes a Energy Discussion Series and energy policy commentaries that will cover a range of energy options.
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Transforming Saskatchewan is a Prairie Centre initiative to develop a list of policies that will enable real change in the province.
We would like to hear from you. Let us know what policies are hindering your business! |
What is
Your Policy Orientation?
Where do you fit on the
political map?
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