Ontario school tax a burden to business: Financial Post Op-Ed
Published in the Financial Post on December 7, 2012
By Adam Found and Peter Tomlinson
Provincial business property taxes are a major tax cost for businesses — especially in Ontario. If Ontario’s government included its business property tax in its measures of tax competitiveness, it would be powerfully motivated to extend business property tax relief more deeply than it has to date.
Ontario’s business property tax is called the business education tax (BET). It became a provincial tax 15 years ago when the province took over taxing power from school boards. Since then, the provincial government has implemented modest BET relief, partially equalizing a wide range of legacy tax rates left by school boards.
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Réformer le financement des services de garde des enfants au Québec: oui, mais comment?
Avec les élections au Québec qui approchent à grands pas, le financement des services de garde (et des services publics en général) risque d’être encore une fois au cœur des débats. Dans l’étude « Réformer le financement des services de garde au Québec : oui, mais comment? », publiée aujourd’hui par l’Institut C.D. Howe, les […] Ontario’s Best Public Schools: 2009-2011
A new in-depth report reveals Ontario’s best public schools: where student results on math, reading and writing tests beat the odds that their backgrounds suggest. In “Ontario’s Best Public Schools: 2009-2011,” David Johnson and Robbie Brydon compare student outcomes at Ontario elementary schools where students come from similar socio-economic backgrounds, revealing “good” schools where principals, […] Comparing Nest Eggs: How CPP Reform Affects Retirement Choices
Reforms underway to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), which impose higher penalties for opting to receive CPP before age 65 and greater rewards for delaying take-up until after 65, were meant to ensure people do not have a strong financial incentive to retire early and take-up CPP at age 60, according to a report from […] Later Retirement: The Win-Win Solution
Over the coming two decades, people are likely to stay in the workforce much longer – by about five years – according to a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Later Retirement: The Win-Win Solution,” author Peter Hicks finds there will be a strong trend towards later retirement by babyboomers as a result of […] The Hole in Ontario’s Budget: WSIB’s Unfunded Liability
Ontario faces a $19.7 billion unfunded liability at its Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) based on a fair-value accounting approach, according to a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “The Hole in Ontario’s Budget: WSIB’s Unfunded Liability,” authors Colin Busby and Finn Poschmann say the WSIB, which levies employer premiums intended to fund benefits […] Set National Standards for EI: Toronto Star Op-Ed
Published in the Toronto Star on November 8, 2011
By Colin Busby and David Gray
Ontario lost 75,000 full-time jobs last month — by far the biggest loss among the provinces. As many of these laid-off workers now turn to the employment insurance (EI) program for help, can they count on a program adequate for Ontario’s tough times? The evidence says no.
Under the current system, EI benefits are more easily available, and for longer, in regions with high unemployment rates, such as rural New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, than in regions with low ones, such as Ontario’s urban centres. For example, a manufacturing worker who loses his or her job in Oshawa would need to have worked for 630 hours to qualify for between 18 and…
Mending Canada’s Employment Insurance Quilt: The Case for Restoring Equity
The federal Employment Insurance (EI) program plays favorites among Canada’s regions and sustains costly, long-lasting pockets of high unemployment, say the authors of a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Mending Canada’s Employment Insurance Quilt: The Case for Restoring Equity,” Senior Policy Analyst Colin Busby and Professor David Gray say the EI program […] Aboriginal Education in Quebec: A Benchmarking Exercise
Quebec’s Aboriginal poverty is severe, and the large gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal education levels is the most important factor in explaining it, concludes a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In Aboriginal Education in Quebec: A Benchmarking Exercise, John Richards, a professor at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, examines the relationship between education levels and […]L’éducation des Autochtones au Québec : Un exercice d’analyse comparative
La pauvreté de la population autochtone québécoise est extrême, et le profond fossé qui sépare le niveau d’éducation des Autochtones de celui des non Autochtones en est la cause principale, selon les conclusions d’un rapport de l’Institut C.D. Howe. Dans son ouvrage intitulé L’éducation des Autochtones au Québec : Un exercice d’analyse comparative, John Richards, […]Our High School Dropout Rate is Falling, But We Can Still Do Better: National Post Op-Ed
Published in the National Post on National Post on Jan 17, 2011
By John Richards
Dropping out of high school foretells a life marred by lengthy bouts of unemployment and poverty. For Canadians without a high-school certificate, the average employment rate is under 40%; for those with high school, the rate jumps by roughly 25% points.
So, how is Canada doing in terms of lowering dropout rates? Three major reports on Canada’s K-12 school performance released in late 2010 give us an idea of the strength of our education system.
First, according to the OECD’s latest education-indicators report, only 8% of Canadian adults aged 25-34 lack a high-school certificate — compared with the OECD average of 20%.
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