Business
Retail Industry Slashed by Covid-19

How malls and stores across our city are taking measures to flatten the curve
Since The City of Calgary declared a state of emergency on Sunday March 15th, almost
every sector has been affected. This order brought immediate closures to all city owned
recreational facilities, the public library and any YMCA facilities including the Repsol
Centre sports complex.
Following this declaration, franchises and stores across our city have seen temporary
closures to combat any further spread of the virus. We can assume all of us are aware
of the major detriment this will have on our economy. Not often is there a communal
thought given to those who have welcomed our money for products or services.
The country wide chain of malls, Cadillac Fairview has reported to reduce their opening
hours and drastically improve cleaning. If we keep in mind that Cadillac Fairview owns
over 70 malls in 9 provinces, safe to say they will be hit hard. This is to say that tenants
are the ones to be hit the hardest.
How many times have you said the word “Social Distancing” in the last few weeks. This
comes to those as tenants or stand alone businesses in our city being directly affected.
Apple reports: “We will be closing all of our retail stores outside of Greater China until
March 27”
The Hudson’s Bay company stated on facebook that they are temporarily closing all
stores nationwide. Also stating “stores will remain closed for two weeks, and reopening
will be assessed at that time. We will continue to serve customers through thebay.com”.
A letter from the CEO of the Canadian Tire Corporation stated: “To encourage social
distancing, we are limiting the hours of operation at certain banners, such as at our
Mark’s and SportChek stores. Please visit their websites, or check with your local store,
for updated hours of operation. At this time, we plan to maintain standard hours at
Canadian Tire stores, allowing us to continue providing the essentials that Canadians
need”
Cineplex Inc. reports “it will be temporarily closing its network of theatres and
location-based entertainment venues across Canada starting March 16, 2020, through
to April 2, 2020”. You can read the full press release here – Press Release.
You may be concerned about what this means for grocery stores. We have all seen
photos and videos of empty shelves across multiple chains, but what are they doing to
drive down the chance of contracting the virus? Check out what Calgary Co-Op is doing
to proactively care for their customers – Calgary Co-Op Covid-19 Measures.
As some may not be aware of what is happening across the globe, one thing that struck
home for St. Patrick’s day. Every bar across the country of Ireland is closed for two
weeks, which has never happened in the history of the country. Those poor souls.
It is clear that there is a trend for other retailers following suit. There is no way to know
how the economy will be hit at this time. Sure to say that those panic buying and
stockpiling toilet paper may be ahead of the curve, but the severity of the issue will
continue to play out in the coming weeks.
A lot of us will be fearful of their own health and safety in a time like this. The best way
to keep yourself up to date on information is to follow updates from the World Health
Organisation. Another trusted source for those curious about where our province lies in
the spectrum of outbreak, Alberta Health Services will be reporting all new findings in
the province. They have created an online screening section of their website for those
who feel that may be under the weather. You can find the self screening application
here – Covid-19 Self Assessment.
Click here for more stories from Todayville Calgary.
Business
Dallas mayor invites NYers to first ‘sanctuary city from socialism’

From The Center Square
By
After the self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor in New York, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson invited New Yorkers and others to move to Dallas.
Mamdani has vowed to implement a wide range of tax increases on corporations and property and to “shift the tax burden” to “richer and whiter neighborhoods.”
New York businesses and individuals have already been relocating to states like Texas, which has no corporate or personal income taxes.
Johnson, a Black mayor and former Democrat, switched parties to become a Republican in 2023 after opposing a city council tax hike, The Center Square reported.
“Dear Concerned New York City Resident or Business Owner: Don’t panic,” Johnson said. “Just move to Dallas, where we strongly support our police, value our partners in the business community, embrace free markets, shun excessive regulation, and protect the American Dream!”
Fortune 500 companies and others in recent years continue to relocate their headquarters to Dallas; it’s also home to the new Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE). The TXSE will provide an alternative to the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq and there are already more finance professionals in Texas than in New York, TXSE Group Inc. founder and CEO James Lee argues.
From 2020-2023, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA reported the greatest percentage of growth in the country of 34%, The Center Square reported.
Johnson on Thursday continued his invitation to New Yorkers and others living in “socialist” sanctuary cities, saying on social media, “If your city is (or is about to be) a sanctuary for criminals, mayhem, job-killing regulations, and failed socialist experiments, I have a modest invitation for you: MOVE TO DALLAS. You can call us the nation’s first official ‘Sanctuary City from Socialism.’”
“We value free enterprise, law and order, and our first responders. Common sense and the American Dream still reside here. We have all your big-city comforts and conveniences without the suffocating vice grip of government bureaucrats.”
As many Democratic-led cities joined a movement to defund their police departments, Johnson prioritized police funding and supporting law and order.
“Back in the 1800s, people moving to Texas for greater opportunities would etch ‘GTT’ for ‘Gone to Texas’ on their doors moving to the Mexican colony of Tejas,” Johnson continued, referring to Americans who moved to the Mexican colony of Tejas to acquire land grants from the Mexican government.
“If you’re a New Yorker heading to Dallas, maybe try ‘GTD’ to let fellow lovers of law and order know where you’ve gone,” Johnson said.
Modern-day GTT movers, including a large number of New Yorkers, cite high personal income taxes, high property taxes, high costs of living, high crime, and other factors as their reasons for leaving their states and moving to Texas, according to multiple reports over the last few years.
In response to Johnson’s invitation, Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Dallas is the first self-declared “Sanctuary City from Socialism. The State of Texas will provide whatever support is needed to fulfill that mission.”
The governor has already been doing this by signing pro-business bills into law and awarding Texas Enterprise Grants to businesses that relocate or expand operations in Texas, many of which are doing so in the Dallas area.
“Texas truly is the Best State for Business and stands as a model for the nation,” Abbott said. “Freedom is a magnet, and Texas offers entrepreneurs and hardworking Texans the freedom to succeed. When choosing where to relocate or expand their businesses, more innovative industry leaders recognize the competitive advantages found only in Texas. The nation’s leading CEOs continually cite our pro-growth economic policies – with no corporate income tax and no personal income tax – along with our young, skilled, diverse, and growing workforce, easy access to global markets, robust infrastructure, and predictable business-friendly regulations.”
Business
National dental program likely more costly than advertised

From the Fraser Institute
By Matthew Lau
At the beginning of June, the Canadian Dental Care Plan expanded to include all eligible adults. To be eligible, you must: not have access to dental insurance, have filed your 2024 tax return in Canada, have an adjusted family net income under $90,000, and be a Canadian resident for tax purposes.
As a result, millions more Canadians will be able to access certain dental services at reduced—or no—out-of-pocket costs, as government shoves the costs onto the backs of taxpayers. The first half of the proposition, accessing services at reduced or no out-of-pocket costs, is always popular; the second half, paying higher taxes, is less so.
A Leger poll conducted in 2022 found 72 per cent of Canadians supported a national dental program for Canadians with family incomes up to $90,000—but when asked whether they would support the program if it’s paid for by an increase in the sales tax, support fell to 42 per cent. The taxpayer burden is considerable; when first announced two years ago, the estimated price tag was $13 billion over five years, and then $4.4 billion ongoing.
Already, there are signs the final cost to taxpayers will far exceed these estimates. Dr. Maneesh Jain, the immediate past-president of the Ontario Dental Association, has pointed out that according to Health Canada the average patient saved more than $850 in out-of-pocket costs in the program’s first year. However, the Trudeau government’s initial projections in the 2023 federal budget amounted to $280 per eligible Canadian per year.
Not all eligible Canadians will necessarily access dental services every year, but the massive gap between $850 and $280 suggests the initial price tag may well have understated taxpayer costs—a habit of the federal government, which over the past decade has routinely spent above its initial projections and consistently revises its spending estimates higher with each fiscal update.
To make matters worse there are also significant administrative costs. According to a story in Canadian Affairs, “Dental associations across Canada are flagging concerns with the plan’s structure and sustainability. They say the Canadian Dental Care Plan imposes significant administrative burdens on dentists, and that the majority of eligible patients are being denied care for complex dental treatments.”
Determining eligibility and coverage is a huge burden. Canadians must first apply through the government portal, then wait weeks for Sun Life (the insurer selected by the federal government) to confirm their eligibility and coverage. Unless dentists refuse to provide treatment until they have that confirmation, they or their staff must sometimes chase down patients after the fact for any co-pay or fees not covered.
Moreover, family income determines coverage eligibility, but even if patients are enrolled in the government program, dentists may not be able to access this information quickly. This leaves dentists in what Dr. Hans Herchen, president of the Alberta Dental Association, describes as the “very awkward spot” of having to verify their patients’ family income.
Dentists must also try to explain the program, which features high rejection rates, to patients. According to Dr. Anita Gartner, president of the British Columbia Dental Association, more than half of applications for complex treatment are rejected without explanation. This reduces trust in the government program.
Finally, the program creates “moral hazard” where people are encouraged to take riskier behaviour because they do not bear the full costs. For example, while we can significantly curtail tooth decay by diligent toothbrushing and flossing, people might be encouraged to neglect these activities if their dental services are paid by taxpayers instead of out-of-pocket. It’s a principle of basic economics that socializing costs will encourage people to incur higher costs than is really appropriate (see Canada’s health-care system).
At a projected ongoing cost of $4.4 billion to taxpayers, the newly expanded national dental program is already not cheap. Alas, not only may the true taxpayer cost be much higher than this initial projection, but like many other government initiatives, the dental program already seems to be more costly than initially advertised.
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