Sep 19 2023 — Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moir — Fraser Institute — The Ford government has frequently promised to reduce wait times for surgeries and help encourage economic growth. But according to research published by the Fraser Institute, these goals are closely connected. If Premier Ford can make good on his promise to cut wait times, it will not only be good news for patients, but also […]
Sep 8 2023 — Jake Fuss — Fraser Institute — As the financial challenges mount for the City of Toronto, a new city staff report has proposed a municipal sales tax, tacked on to the existing harmonized sales tax (HST) system, to help address budget shortfalls ranging between $1.5 billion and $1.7 billion over the next two years. According to the report, the new sales […]
Aug 16 2023 — Alex Whalen and Julio Mejia — Fraser Institute — Nova Scotia’s mining industry remains an important part of the provincial economy. With its production of gold, gypsum, limestone, salt and other minerals, the industry employs more than 5,000 Nova Scotians and contributes almost $500 million annually to the provincial economy. Unfortunately, government policies are frustrating the industry’s growth. Every year, the Fraser Institute surveys […]
Jun 5 2023 — Nigel Rawson and Bacchus Barua — Fraser Institute — Canadians have access to fewer new drugs than Americans and Europeans, and consequently may endure undue suffering from ailments and disease. And we wait much longer for drugs that are approved here. For once, this unfortunate situation has little to do with bureaucratic lethargy but rather hostility governments and public agencies have shown towards the […]
May 18 2023 — Livio Di Matteo — Fraser Institute — As the COVID-19 pandemic recedes into history, it’s important for governments in Canada to understand the effects so they can better manage future pandemics. In terms of the public health response, Canada performed reasonably well by international standards. Among the IMF’s advanced economies, by June 2022 Canada had the 4th lowest incidence rate at 103,874 […]
May 3 2023 — Tegan Hill and Joel Emes — Fraser Institute — According to a recent study published by the Fraser Institute, federal, provincial and local governments in Canada spent $352.1 billion (inflation-adjusted) subsidizing firms from 2007 to 2019—more than was spent on national defence over the same period. This corporate welfare, which does little if anything to stimulate widespread economic growth, came with huge costs to […]
Apr 6 2023 — Fraser Institute — I was forced by Chrystia Freeland, the finance minister, upon her delivery of the federal budget, to repair to the Merriam-Webster dictionary to check my English comprehension. In her budget speech she said the government is exercising “fiscal restraint” and determined to uphold “fiscal responsibility,” but the tables in the budget document with all the […]
Mar 23 2023 — Alex Whalen and Jake Fuss — Fraser Institute — In Nova Scotia this week, the Houston government will table its second budget. Thus far, the government has experienced unusually strong growth in revenues while funnelling most of this new revenue into new government spending. But new polling data suggest the government should be cautious about continuing this approach. To understand why, we first must […]
Mar 21 2023 — Jake Fuss — Fraser Institute — According to a new poll, 73 per cent of Ontarians feel that the average family is over-taxed. This result should not come as a surprise. A 2022 study published by the Fraser Institute found that the average Ontario family (consisting of two or more people) paid 44 per cent of its income in taxes (including […]
Mar 17 2023 — Jason Clemens, Milagros Palacios and Jake Fuss — Fraser Institute — There’s been much debate about Ottawa’s budget deficits, borrowing, and the need to rein in spending, particularly given current inflationary pressures. But what’s missing is a discussion about the “growth deficit.” The Trudeau government’s policies have largely been about redistributing existing income rather than growing it, and the few policies actually aimed at promoting economic […]
Mar 4 2023 — Tegan Hill — Fraser Institute — In its first budget, the Smith government had a golden opportunity to use Alberta’s surpluses—fuelled by a temporary windfall in resource revenue—to improve the province for the long-term. Unfortunately, it wasted that opportunity and simply continued the spending habit of many of its predecessors, which has fuelled a boom-and-bust cycle in provincial finances for decades. When […]
Feb 24 2023 — Steve Lafleur — Fraser Institute — Statistics Canada recently released data on ownership of residential properties in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia in 2020. Some of the numbers made headlines. For instance, investor ownership of residential properties ranged from 20.2 per cent in Ontario to 31.5 per cent in Nova Scotia. Moreover, 41.9 per cent of condominium […]
Feb 9 2023 — Livio Di Matteo — Fraser Institute — The Toronto Police Services Board, which governs the Toronto Police Service, wants to increase the police budget by 4.3 per cent (or $48.3 million) to $1.17 billion and hire 200 more officers. City council plans to rule on the request, and set the city’s overall budget, on Feb. 14. By any measure, this represents a […]
Jan 24 2023 — Tegan Hill and Bacchus Barua — Fraser Institute — The Ford government recently announced plans to use more private clinics to help with Ontario’s surgical backlog. Ontario wouldn’t be the first province to do so, and based on the experience of other jurisdictions, it would be a positive step forward to help Ontario’s struggling health-care system. But for long-term improvements, such initiatives must be […]
Nov 23 2022 — Steven Globerman — Fraser Institute — Despite the growing momentum of the ESG movement worldwide including in the United States, Canada remains one of the only western countries that does not require public companies to disclose their ESG (environmental, social and governance) practises. But that’s likely going to change, very much and very soon. In its latest budget, the Trudeau government […]