On Wednesday, March 4, the Vancouver Province launched the results of The Fraser Institute study rating BC's secondary schools with the bold headline "Is your child's school making the grade?" For four days the paper ran page after page of school results and comments by teachers, principals, and parents. Patrick Basham, Director of the Social Affairs Centre which oversaw the study, was deluged with more than 200 phone calls following the study release. Parents lauded the Institute for this work which provided them with useful information for their children's education...

Fazil Mihlar, Director of Regulatory Studies at The Fraser Institute recently returned from a three week International Touring Program sponsored by the United States Information Agency. The program's objective was to give selected individuals the opportunity to observe aspects of American social, economic, political, cultural, and educational institutions and practices. The program focused on international trade policy and economic development issues...

Attendees at Fraser Institute events walk away with more than important information. Bill Cox, Rick Lam and Glen Rattray, three of some 350 people who attended the John Greenwood Round Table Luncheon in Vancouver, each won a prestigious Fraser Institute Adam Smith tie...

The Fraser Institute welcomes Francesco Vollono, a student from Northern Italy who is studying English in Vancouver and volunteering at the Institute's National Media Archive for six weeks...

Adam Harris, a Secondary 5 student at Cite Etudiante de la Haute Gatineau in Maniwaki, Quebec, who attended the December 1997 conference "How to Spend the Fiscal Dividend" in Ottawa thanks to a bursary from the Institute's Student Program, wrote:

As we live in a rural setting, I have not had many chances to hear such interesting speakers talking about world issues. The day I spent at the conference has helped me to attain better grades in economics and to broaden my knowledge. Thank you.

Michael Walker addressed numerous groups this past month including the UMA Group in Vancouver, the Bumper to Bumper Annual Convention in Edmonton, the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade, and Commerce in Vancouver, and the Society of Financial Analysts in Vancouver. He appeared on CBC National, CBC Radio's "Early Edition," BCTV, and "Money Matters" on CKST Radio AM1040. As well, Dr. Walker met with Abdulla Silim (a representative of a private group wishing to set up an Institute similar to The Fraser Institute in Saudi Arabia) at the Institute to provide him with an overview of how the Institute is run...

If you're on-line, why not check out the Institute's newly revamped Web site. It features media releases and publication information, as well as news of upcoming seminars and student programs. Our site, which celebrated its second birthday last month, has had 57,730 visitors who have downloaded 1,127,366 pages of information since its inception...

The Fraser Institute is dependent on the generous financial support of its members, foundations, and corporate members to fund its general work and specific projects. Official income tax receipts for the eligible portion of contributions are issued. Contributions may be general, or designated to individual programs which include, but are not limited to, Student Programs, The National Media Archive, Education, Environment, Health Care, Social Affairs, Canada's Fiscal Future, Law and Markets and Canadian Unity. If you would like more information on ways in which you can assist the Institute, please call Sherry Stein, Director of Development, at (604) 688-0221 ext. 306, or (416) 363-6575, ext. 306.