On March 11, 2020 The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. At that time more than 118,000 people had been infected over 110 countries and the virus was spreading rapidly across the globe. The impact of COVID-19 and its variants have caused and continue to cause unprecedented systemic changes to…… Continue reading Are We There Yet? The Precarious Road to Recovery for Tourism
Commentaries
In Spite of Disaster and Disease Trade is Roaring Back
In November 2021, B.C. suffered the wrath of a Pineapple Express. Extreme rain from an atmospheric river dumped a month’s worth of rain within a few days causing rivers to overflow, farmlands to flood, and mudslides that wiped out nearly all major highways connecting B.C. to the rest of the country, forcing nearly 20,000 people…… Continue reading In Spite of Disaster and Disease Trade is Roaring Back
For your Safety and Economic Forecast, Pull a Permit
One happy-place for the professional contractor and weekend DIY’ers is standing in line waiting to pull a building permit for their upcoming (most likely started and almost finished) construction project. NOT! Ok perhaps obtaining a building permit for home renovations or construction projects may not be a favourite task, it is however, a necessary task…… Continue reading For your Safety and Economic Forecast, Pull a Permit
Brace Yourself for Inflation
Inflation, simply put, is the overall decline in the value of money. As prices increase the less each dollar is worth. The larger the increase in the price of goods and services, the more individuals are required to spend each year on living expenses — housing, fuel, health care, and most importantly food. Last year…… Continue reading Brace Yourself for Inflation
The Returning of Normal Flight Patterns in Alberta
Most travel chatter focuses on the “new norm.” Whether it is proof of vaccination, masking requirements, travel restrictions, or negative PCR tests are we actually seeing a new norm in terms of travel? Based on the number of airline passengers passing through Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Edmonton International Airport (YEG) it appears air travel…… Continue reading The Returning of Normal Flight Patterns in Alberta
Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Is Political Clamoring Helpful or Harmful?
Caught between a rock and a hard place. This best sums up the position that the UCP government recently found itself in as it announced new, stricter lockdown measures for Christmas across the province of Alberta. The government is attempting to “bend” the rising curve of COVID-19 infections. The premier and his most trusted ministers…… Continue reading Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Is Political Clamoring Helpful or Harmful?
Contextualizing the Cost of COVID: Will Canada Ever pay it Off?
It has become routine, every morning around 11:15 a.m. EDT thousands of Canadians gather around their television sets to hear the daily national briefing. Closely watching as our national leaders soberly descends down the stairs and step up to the microphone. Citizens and mainstream media all wait with bated breath to learn about the nation’s COVID state…… Continue reading Contextualizing the Cost of COVID: Will Canada Ever pay it Off?
The Rise of Zombies in the Wake of COVID-19
We are spending double the amount of time on our streaming platforms compared to last year, close to 45.4 billion minutes spent on Netflix alone in the first few weeks of March 2020. Movie titles such as: 28 Weeks Later (2007), Quarantine (2008), Carriers (2009), and I Am Legend (2007), have provided an escape from our quarantined hideouts. Unfortunately, such movies about a virus-infected planet and roaming…… Continue reading The Rise of Zombies in the Wake of COVID-19
2017 UBER-lessness: Canada’s Lack of Ride-Sharing Legislation
The ride-sharing industry, UBER specifically, is disrupting traditional transportation. UBER provides people with an alternative choice from taxis and buses for their transportation needs. This type of service increases the competition in the choices for people: one’s own vehicle, public transit, taxi, or UBER service. As this industry spreads throughout Canada, provincial and municipal governments…… Continue reading 2017 UBER-lessness: Canada’s Lack of Ride-Sharing Legislation
The lights are on, but is anybody home? Canada’s Self-Driving Vehicle Legislation
Many of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers such as: Tesla, Uber, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Volvo, BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Nissan, GM, and Ford along with some other less-common brands are working on and planning to release driverless cars or driverless systems in the near future. It is projected that the autonomous vehicle market in the US…… Continue reading The lights are on, but is anybody home? Canada’s Self-Driving Vehicle Legislation