On Monday, we published a study in which we estimated how much Quebec could save by putting an end to our unsavoury experience using public-private partnerships (PPP) to manage Montreal’s two university health centres, MUHC and CHUM. Our verdict: savings could reach $4 billion over the next thirty years, i.e….
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Job creation is high on the oil industry’s list of go-to arguments for increased investment in the oil sands. Energy extraction is a key driver of employment growth, they tell us, and the benefits extend well beyond Alberta. “Almost every community in Canada has been touched by oil sands development…
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Some time ago, a white-collar professional acquaintance of mine was temporarily laid off. She was concerned—maybe a bit embarrassed—but not too worried; she had good connections and an impressive CV. She even had some savings. But they certainly wouldn’t last long: she still needed an income. I asked her if…
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Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall once again stirred the privatization pot yesterday when he took to social media to ask: “Is it time to allow people to pay for their own private MRI’s in Saskatchewan like they can do in Alberta?” The Premier’s twitter trial balloon suggests the government will argue…
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Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. There is lots of work ahead of us before we achieve that goal. Poverty rates in Canada are growing and the income gap is widening as more and more of the working force are working for minimum wage, or less…
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As Canada’s Twitter elite (economists, pundits, partisans) broke out into a virtual policy brawl over yesterday’s NDP national affordable child care pledge, I couldn’t help but think the party might have hit a political sweet spot. Of course there were the typical Twitter arguments between Liberals and New Democrats that…
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Ontario’s unemployment rate dropped in September 2014 to its lowest level since October 2008 – good news or bad? On the surface, this month’s Statistics Canada numbers could seem like a good news kind of story. Temporary employment fell. Part-time employment grew at the same rate as full-time employment. And,…
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Recently, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business received some media attention for their report on the relationship between residential and business property taxes in Ontario. While a step up from the norm (this report is based on some actual data as opposed to a survey of the views of its…
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For the fifth consecutive year, the Conseil du patronat (CPQ, Quebec Employers Council) published its report card on prosperity. Once more, Quebec’s grade (C) leads to the impression that it’s not doing enough to foster economic growth. Taxation is obviously at the heart of critiques, as are the Costs for…
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Here in Ontario, we have glimpsed the future, and it looks a lot like Austerity 2.0. That’s what Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s mandate letters set out for her cabinet last week. On the one hand, the premier is instructing her ministers to invest – in poverty reduction, transit and transportation…
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