Halifax Skating Oval Could Be Kept for 50 Cents to $2 per Use (A Cost-Benefit Analysis)

Halifax Skating Oval

For about $1 of tax per person per year, or a $2 (toonie) charge per use, the Halifax Skating Oval can be sustained, at the highest cost estimates. It could be as low as 50 cents per use. I’m not encouraging this, but if paying for use of the Oval were a last resort, it could be very affordable and definitely worth its value!

There’s a big debate on whether or not to keep the Canada Winter Games Skating Oval on the Halifax Commons (CBC, Jan 4 2011). A lot of the public is enjoying the facility, but the worry is the cost of maintaining the Oval after the Canada Games are over. The hope is that business support can be found to pay the costs, rather than increasing taxes or having to charge skaters. However, that’s a political solution. This analysis looks at the business case of keeping the oval if the public had to pay for it.

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Take a Digital Photo, Thank Nobel Prize Winner Willard Boyle of Nova Scotia

Willard Boyle, Nova Scotian Physics Nobel Prize Winner 2009

Willard Boyle, Nova Scotian Physics Nobel Prize Winner 2009

Update:
A sad update that Willard Boyle passed away Saturday, May 7, 2011, at the age of 86. He had been named to the Order of Canada last July, after having received the Nobel Prize in 2009. As long as digital photos will be a part of our lives, whether in our cameras or even integrated into us in the science fiction future, his work will continue to have a great impact on all of the human race. Just think of what roles and value digital photos play in your life today, and you’ll truly appreciate the impact of his work.

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