Alex Carrick’s Blog

The United States has become the all-voting, all-the-time nation. Furthermore, this is now taking several forms, from the traditional ballot casting and frontrunner polls, through casting off participants in TV reality shows, and on to the notion that certain kinds of gambling can be interpreted as a variety of voting.

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The number of visits by Americans to Canada has dropped way off over the last couple of years. We, as Canadians, have to find ways to turn this situation around. The following are 13 action steps or things to highlight about Canada that will attract U.S. tourists, business associates, relatives and friends back over the […]

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The day I have been dreading has finally arrived. Yesterday, a flyer arrived in the mail from the City of Toronto requiring the Carrick family to decide about our future garbage handling requirements. Specifically, we have to choose the size of bins we will need and the resulting extra charge this will entail.

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There are quite a number of reasons it might be “neat” to be the Governor of the Bank of Canada. Here, arranged in no particular order, are the Top 10.   (1) Guv’nor just sounds so great and fits in with this nation’s British heritage.   (2) You always win at Monopoly cause you can just print […]

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  There has been a major casualty of the digital age that you may be noticing only peripherally. Has it entered your consciousness that there are fewer punning headlines anymore?

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Looking for a “big gulp” experience? Fill up your gas guzzler. With gasoline at $1.20 per litre in Canada, it can bring a lump to your throat and tears to your eyes.   Yesterday, the Bank of Canada concluded that the Canadian economy is facing a difficult time over the next two years. In an […]

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In Jeopardy game-show fashion, the recent woes of Eliot Spitzer give rise to the following answer, “Only one, the Governor of New York.” But what are the six questions?

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When I started out in this business, back in the 1970s, I would often leave Toronto and travel to the “hinterland” to make economic presentations before somewhat skeptical audiences. Many times, I was told the old joke, what’s the definition of an expert? An expert is some son-of-a-gun from Toronto with slides. I’ve cleaned up […]

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