The competitive position of Canadian copper supply

The author examines the proposition that the Canadian copper industry has reached a mature, less competitive, stage of growth. Employing a break-even-cost approach, he compares the Canadian industry to those of other copper-producing nations in terms of cost competitiveness and prospects for new entrants. He finds little evidence to support the proposition, and concludes that Canada's copper industry will continue to maintain its strong competitive position during the 1980s.     

Managing Alberta's water: the decision-making process

Land and water are Canada's most valuable renewable natural resources. Canada possesses one-quarter of the world's known volume of fresh water. Fresh water covers 75369000 hectares of 7.1% of the country's surface. This area represents a very substantial number oflakes, rivers, streams, deltas and bays and is perhaps Canada's most vital and strategic resource. Canada has to have ab overall plan of management which provides direction, coordination, and assistance for the management of its water resources at the provincial and regional levels.     

Environmental Conflicts and the SLAPP

A citizen has the right to challenge a firm's actions regarding development plans or violations of environmental laws. Firms have responded with the SLAPP—Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. Fearing the loss of the Constitutional Right to Petition, several U.S. states have or are considering explicitly restricting the SLAPP. For a class of environmental conflict models with one-sided asymmetric information, our results suggest that restricting the SLAPP does not increase the efficiency of the dispute.     

Complications of cordocentesis in high-risk pregnancies: Effects on fetal loss or preterm delivery

Between 1990 and 1993, 166 cases underwent cordocentesis and were followed for at least the following 4 weeks in the Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy Centre of Vienna University. The indications for the procedure were structural malformations in 46·4 per cent of the cases, other high-risk diagnoses in 48·8 per cent, and maternal age over 35 years in only 4·8 per cent. We investigated retrospectively all cases of complications resulting in fetal loss or preterm labour. Abortion, intrauterine fetal death, chorioamnionitis, and preterm delivery occurred in 0·6, 5·4, 0·6 and 9·0 per cent of these cases, respectively, adding up to a total of 26 cases (15·7 per cent). Although this rate looks relatively high, 20 of the 26 cases had already displayed signs implying a complicated prognosis. Neither maternal age, gestational age, number of attempts, nor placental location correlated with fetal loss or preterm delivery. Significantly higher rates of fetal loss or preterm delivery were observed when cordocentesis was performed in cases diagnosed as duodenal/intestinal stenosis or hydrops–ascites–hydrothroax/hygroma colli (P=0·0488 and P=0·0005). The frequency of complications did not decrease as the experience of the operators increased.