Category: COVID-19 pandemic

BC Had Fastest Spending Growth Among Provinces Prior to COVID-19: New Study

British Columbia had the fastest provincial spending growth in Canada even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, a new Fraser Institute study has found. The study, titled “The End of Spending Restraint in British Columbia,” analyzed the province’s fiscal development since the election of John Horgan’s NDP government in 2017 to gauge whether or…


Cory Morgan: AB’s Treatment Approach to Addiction Works and BC’s Harm Reduction Doesn’t, the Numbers Show

Commentary While we will finally be looking at the COVID-19 pandemic in the rear-view mirror in 2023, we still have the consequences of the pandemic and government responses to it to deal with. North America had already been struggling to deal with the growth in opioid addiction prior to 2021. The increase in addiction rates…


Cory Morgan: Trudeau’s Admission That the Health System Is ‘Broken’ Should Be a Catalyst for Reform

Commentary Year-end interviews with politicians are often fluffy affairs. Leaders tend to pick friendly journalists and sit down for fireside chats where they will pat themselves on the back for their accomplishments over the year and make broad promises for the new year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s CBC year-end interview with Rosemary Barton was an…


US Should Have Spied on Chinese Health Officials From Pandemic’s Onset: House Democrats

The United States “took too long” to commence espionage efforts against Chinese health officials to learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic from the outset, according to Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee. In a declassified report (pdf) released Dec. 14, committee members credit intelligence agencies with their early warnings of a potential pandemic but…


COVID-19 May Have Been Connected to China’s Bioweapons Program: GOP Report

A new unclassified report (pdf) released by Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee alleges that COVID-19 “may have been tied” to China’s biological weapons research program. Released Dec. 14 by Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) and other Republicans on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the minority report states that “there are indications…


Beverly Hills Father, Son Sentenced to Prison for COVID Relief Fraud

A Beverly Hills father and son were sentenced Dec. 12 to federal prison for defrauding COVID-19 relief programs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Ramiro Da Rosa Mendes, 61, of Beverly Hills, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $2.2 million in restitution. Mendes pleaded guilty in September to one count…


Canadian Taxpayers May Lose Billions Due to a Pandemic Loan Relief Program

Canadian taxpayers may stand to lose $2.4 billion because of a pandemic loan relief program, federal records show. The expected loss stems from the $42.9 billion Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program, which offered loans to business owners affected by lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The amount was disclosed after a request by Conservative…


Write-Off From Pandemic Loan Relief Program May Cost Canadian Taxpayers Billions

Canadian taxpayers may be on the hook for $2.4 billion due to a projected write-off of debts from a pandemic loan relief program, federal records show. The expected loss stems from the $42.9 billion Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program, which offered loans to business owners affected by lockdown orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The…


North Carolina Business Owners Request Compensation for Pandemic Closures

North Carolina business owners who were closed during the declared pandemic are taking another swing at getting financial compensation for their financial losses. The North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association filed a brief on Monday asking the Court of Appeals to reconsider a lawsuit against Gov. Roy Cooper seeking “compensation for the government’s taking of…


3 Ways the Pandemic Influenced Retirement for the Better

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans say they reevaluated their financial management practices, which included their retirement plans. In a Schwab study, 1,000 Americans between the ages of 25 and 70 were asked how they expected their spending, saving, and financial situations to change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately half of those…