Browsing All Posts filed under »Uncategorized«

Supreme Court Rulings Squeeze Utility Workers

September 25, 2015

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Once every decade or so, the Supreme Court of Canada issues a decision in the field of utility regulation. These are invariably landmark cases that have a huge impact on the regulation of energy and other utilities across the country, and the tens of billions of dollars that these public and private companies collect from […]

Mini-rant on Daylight Saving Time

March 8, 2015

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Daylight saving time is supposed to reduce energy use. It does not. In the modern economy, the benefit of lighter evenings is lost through darker mornings. The extension of DST a few years ago had no material impact on North American electricity consumption. Switching back and forth twice a year is a pointless and misguided […]

A Map to the Oil Price Roller-Coaster

February 10, 2015

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What’s in store for oil prices? Here’s the basic tug-of-war of forces that will shape the trajectory of oil prices over the next two or three years. Oil prices have plummeted because production has risen sharply in recent years, particularly because of the American shale oil boom which has made the US a net exporter […]

“No discrimination on the basis of family status” by Carmela Allevato

December 17, 2014

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I had occasion to participate on a panel at the Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector 2014 Conference organized by Lancaster House. The panel, “What’s on the Bargaining Table: Emerging Issues, Creative Solutions”, canvassed a number of topics including pensions, health and welfare benefits and work-life balance. The obligation to accommodate employees on the basis […]

“Fair” Elections Act – Government Backing Down on Disenfranchising Canadians?

April 2, 2014

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I was legal counsel in a challenge to the introduction of mandatory Voter ID in Canadian federal elections.  We argued that the government needed to provide a fail-safe mechanism to protect people’s right to vote.  We said that people without the necessary ID should be able to swear a declaration confirming their identity and residence.  […]