Cannabis Countdown: Estimating the Size of Illegal Markets and Lost Tax Revenue Post-Legalization
A large black market combined with supply shortages of legal marijuana will cut potential tax revenues by an estimated $800 million in the first year of legalization, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Cannabis Countdown: Estimating the Size of Illegal Markets and Lost Tax Revenue Post-Legalization,” authors Anindya Sen and […] Ten years on, few lessons learned from the global financial crisis – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
It’s been a decade since the collapse of Lehman Brothers sparked the 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession. The global economy is finally performing at a robust level, with solid output and employment growth in many regions and interest rates generally on the rise toward more normal levels. The acute pain felt during the financial crisis, and the protracted period of recovery, should have encouraged policy-makers and their voters to take meaningful steps to avoid a repeat performance. But have lessons been learned?
One positive outcome was the innovative application of monetary policy. Central banks were the reliable backbone of the policy response to the financial crisis; exceptional and prolonged monetary stimulus and…
Denis Meunier – Why Is Canada Still The World’s Money Laundering Pawn?
From: Denis Meunier To: Canada’s Financial Regulators and Policymakers Date: September 13, 2018 Re: Why is Canada Still the World’s Money Laundering Pawn? Official estimates of money laundering in Canada range from $5 billion to $100 billion. Offences such as drug trafficking, fraud, tax evasion, smuggling and corruption are fuelling the laundering of dirty money. […] Daniel Schwanen – NAFTA: The Case for More Competition in the Dairy Market
From: Daniel Schwanen To: Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Global Affairs Date: September 12, 2018 Re: NAFTA: The Case for More Competition in the Dairy Market (Updated from an April 2018 Intelligence Memo) Canadians are accustomed to paying more for milk and dairy products than consumers, bakers or restaurateurs in other countries. Canadian prices are kept high under a […] Hidden Beneficial Ownership and Control: Canada as a Pawn in the Global Game of Money Laundering
Canada is a laggard when it comes to anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing measures, according to a new report published by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Hidden Beneficial Ownership and Control: Canada as a Pawn in the Global Game of Money Laundering,” author Denis Meunier points out the need for a publicly accessible central registry […] Ian Irvine – More Action Needed on the Cannabis File
From: Ian Irvine To: Ontario Premier Doug Ford Date: August 31, 2018 Re: More Action Needed on the Cannabis File Ontario Premier Doug Ford should be congratulated for improving Ontario’s marijuana market structure this month. He decided to privatize the retailing of marijuana in the province. That decision represents a reversal of the previous government’s choice to place retailing […] Doug Ford almost got it right on cannabis – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Ontario Premier Doug Ford should be congratulated for improving Ontario’s marijuana market structure last week. He decided to privatize the retailing of marijuana in the province. That decision represents a reversal of the previous government’s choice to place retailing in the hands of a high-cost government monopoly. This is good news.
However, he also decided to leave a government agency front and centre in the wholesaling of cannabis. Having gone some way to free up entrepreneurial energies and create an expansive marketplace, he balked at the idea that this market could function well without a monopsony, or a single buyer, at its core.
For the benefit of Ontarians, the government should go further, and, in particular…
Wyonch, Omran – The Fallacy of Buck-a-Beer
To: Concerned Ontarians From: Rosalie Wyonch and Farah Omran Date: August 14, 2018 Re: The Fallacy of Buck-a-Beer Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently announced a “Buck-a-Beer Challenge” for brewers to lower prices in time for Labour Day, the policy change lowers the minimum price of beer in Ontario. In exchange for lowering their prices (and […] Benjamin Dachis – City of Vancouver Plans to Worsen Housing Affordability with Increased Fees on Developers
To: Vancouver City Council From: Benjamin Dachis Date: July 25, 2018 Re: City of Vancouver plans to worsen housing affordability with increased fees on developers House prices in Vancouver have increased dramatically in recent years. But city council is set to make affordability worse this week through increases in fees on new developments that are […] Rosalie Wyonch – Don’t Overtax Our Pot Producers
To: The Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, federal Minister of Health From: Rosalie Wyonch Re: Don’t Overtax Our Pot Producers Date: July 20, 2018 Your department recently released a proposal to charge legal cannabis producers regulatory fees to recover the costs of governing the cannabis market. Some of the proposed fees seem sensible, one does not. First, […] Chandra, Lederman – Canadian Airfares Show how Competition Yields Nuanced and Uneven Effects
From: Ambarish Chandra and Mara Lederman To: Canadian Air Travellers Date: July 19, 2018 Re: Canadian Airfares Show How Competition Yields Nuanced and Uneven Effects Price discrimination is the practice by which firms charge different consumers different prices for similar goods. It can take many forms ranging from simple discounts for students, to complex pricing menus for different cellphone packages to highly personalized, […] Alexandre Laurin – How Could A Tax Credit Work For Ontario’s Minimum Wage Workers?
From: Alexandre Laurin To: The new Ontario Government Date: June 22, 2018 Re: How Could a Tax Credit Work for Ontario’s Minimum Wage Workers? The widely held view in economics is that progressive tax schedules should reflect intrinsic abilities to earn income. The greater your productivity, the more you should be taxed. Such a system […]