Rosalie Wyonch – With Legal Weed the Government Must Choose Revenue or Regulated Market, Not Both
From: Rosalie Wyonch To: The Honorable Bill Blair, Parliamentary Secretary to the Justice Minister Date: April 10, 2017 Re: With Legal Weed the Government Must Choose Revenue or Regulated Market, Not Both The federal government is rumored to be releasing its plans to legalize marijuana for recreational consumption this week. Budget 2017 also assured everyone […] How Ontario Can End the Cycle of Meddling in Electricity Markets: Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Every 10 years or so, the government of Ontario finds it necessary to freeze or cut electricity prices because the costs of an ambitious energy policy prove to be politically unacceptable. This leaves every generation of electricity customers paying for the cost of a failed experiment from a previous generation. We should learn from this experience and implement a governance model for the sector that reviews and mitigates costs before a policy is adopted, not after.
In 1993, the government froze prices because the costs of Ontario Hydro’s massive nuclear expansion were leading to double-digit rate increases. In 2002, the government froze prices because the electricity market opening resulted in higher and more volatile prices. In…
Steve Szentesi – A Proposal to Amend the Competition Act Reference Section
From: Steve Szentesi To: The Hon. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development CC: John Pecman, Commissioner of Competition Date: March 28, 2017 RE: A Proposal to Amend the Competition Act Reference Section Despite being in force in one form or another for over a hundred years, Canadian competition law remains relatively underdeveloped compared to other […] Ware and Von Wartburg – Competition Policy Should Promote Competition
From: Roger Ware and Markus von Wartburg To: John Pecman, Commissioner of Competition; Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Cc: Brian Facey; Joshua Krane Date: March 27, 2017 Re: Competition Policy Should Promote Competition In their recent e-Brief Promoting Innovation and Efficiency by Streamlining Competition Reviews, Brian Facey and Joshua Krane (Facey […] Robert Mysicka – Challenge To Liquor Import Restrictions May Set “free Trade” Precedent In Constitutional Law
From: Robert Mysicka To: Provincial Premiers Date: March 16, 2017 Re: Challenge to Liquor Import Restrictions May Set “Free Trade” Precedent in Constitutional Law Liquor control laws across Canada could be shaken up by a successful constitutional challenge in New Brunswick which the province is now seeking to appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada. […] Promoting Innovation and Efficiency by Streamlining Competition Reviews
It is time for Ottawa to reform its merger review process to ensure that Canada is actively promoting efficiencies and innovation, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Promoting Innovation and Efficiency by Streamlining Competition Reviews,” authors Brian Facey and Joshua Krane argue that merger review should support and encourage mergers that generate […] Smokes, Smugglers and Lost Tax Revenues: How Governments Should Respond
Provinces should fight contraband cigarettes with better policing, and reforming government allocation of cigarettes to Aboriginal reserves, rather than impose higher taxes, according to new report released by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Smokes, Smugglers and Lost Tax Revenues: How Governments Should Respond,” author Anindya Sen analyzes trends in cigarette smuggling and the implications for […] Anindya Sen on BNN: Smokes, smugglers and lost tax revenues
Anindya Sen, economics professor at the University of Waterloo joins BNN to discuss his new report “Smokes, Smugglers & Lost Tax Revenues: How Governments should Respond.”
Benjamin Dachis – Don’t Send Waste Competition To The Dump
From: Benjamin Dachis To: Toronto Mayor John Tory and Toronto City Council Date: January 17, 2017 RE: Don’t Send Waste Competition to the Dump There’s a lot of trash talk happening at Toronto City Hall. The city currently has private contractors collecting household waste in the western half of the city. Toronto City Council will […] Konrad von Finckenstein – Bypassing Existing Legislation to Create Support for Canadian Content in a Digital World
From: Konrad von Finckenstein To: The Minister of Canadian Heritage Date: January 5, 2017 Re: Bypassing Existing Legislation to Create Support for Canadian Content in a Digital World Our present regime for regulating communications is based on three statutes stemming from the 80s when the concept of broadband was unheard of. Under those statutes the […] James M. Mabbutt – Consumer Protection, Banks and Federal Authority
From: James M. Mabbutt To: Finance Minister Morneau Date: December 21, 2016 Re: Consumer Protection, Banks and Federal Authority Your proposed budget implementation legislation (Bill C-29) set up a comprehensive consumer protection regime for bank customers. That regime represents yet another skirmish in the ongoing federal-provincial war for control over banks. I would like to […] Federal Pot Report Still Leaves a Lot of Haze in The Air: Financial Post Op-Ed
The federal government has just released the report of its special advisory task force on marijuana legalization. While the report lays out broad strokes, key decisions remain on retail distribution, legal age limit, and taxation that Ottawa and the provinces should agree on soon.
The report recommends that provinces be given the jurisdiction to determine the precise mechanism of retail distribution. However, the report has also recommended against allowing the sale of marijuana in stores that also offer liquor and/or cigarettes. This is consistent with my own study that was released by the C.D. Howe Institute, in which I recommended retail sales through stand-alone stores as opposed to government-owned retail…