John Lester – Consultations on a Cost-Neutral Modernization of SR&ED (Part 1)

From: John Lester To: Finance Canada Officials Date: February 6, 2024 Re: Consultations on a Cost-Neutral Modernization of SR&ED (Part 1) Finance Canada announced last week the start of consultations on a cost-neutral modernization and improvement of its scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax incentive program, and on the suitability of creating a patent box […]

Peter Hall –  Near-shoring and SMEs: Benefits and costs

From: Peter Hall To: International trade watchers Date:  January 12, 2024 Re: Near-shoring and SMEs: Benefits and costs Business investment is being rocked by a new movement. Proof is pouring in that near-shoring is taking the world by storm. That is, as far as we can tell at this point. This wave is so new that it’s going to […]

Daniel Schwanen — Preparing Ontario SMEs for the supply chains of the future: Part 1

To: Canadians concerned about small business growth amidst reconfiguration of supply chains From: Daniel Schwanen Re: Preparing Ontario SMEs for supply chains of the future – getting the big picture right Date: December 22, 2023 While supply chain challenges of the pandemic era and its immediate aftermath seem to have abated at the global level, […]

Daniel Schwanen — Preparing Ontario SMEs for supply chains of the future: Part 2

To: Canadians concerned about small business growth amidst reconfiguration of supply chains From: Daniel Schwanen Re: Preparing Ontario SMEs for supply chains of the future – getting the big picture right – II Date: December 22, 2023 My previous Intelligence Memo focused on the overarching importance for Ontario’s economy of being home to firms that […]

The Need for Speed: The Benefits of Faster Payments and How to Achieve Them

In this study, we estimate the efficiency gains associated with the introduction of the Real-Time Rail (RTR), Fast Payment System (FPS) in Canada. In a benchmark scenario, we estimate that these gains will amount to $3.24 billion over the first five years after introduction of the system. These gains will arise mainly from: 1) the […]

Mahboubi, Zhang – Navigating Labour Shortages: A Strategic Path for Canada’s SMEs

From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang To: Canadian Labour Force Observers Date: December 1, 2023 Re: Navigating Labour Shortages: A Strategic Path for Canada’s SMEs Your local entrepreneur, whether a coffee shop owner or a medium-sized manufacturer, has a problem. They are likely to face labour shortages that stymie their growth plans and reduce their significant contribution to […]

Working Harder for Less: More People but Less Capital Is No Recipe for Prosperity

  Business investment in Canada has been so weak since 2015 that capital per worker has been falling – part of an ominous pattern of stagnating productivity and living standards. A longstanding gap between investment per available worker in Canada compared to the United States and other OECD countries narrowed from the late 1990s through […]

Addy, Goldman – Four flaws in Ottawa’s New Competition Framework

To: Canadian businesses From: George N. Addy and Calvin Goldman Date: October 20, 2023 Re: Four flaws in Ottawa’s New Competition Framework If you own or run a business and if you are concerned about your commercially sensitive information you need to speak up now. The federal government’s new Competition Act amendments could result in […]

Charles Plant – Marketing and Sales are Canada’s Missing Productivity Link

From: Charles Plant To: Productivity observers Date: September 5, 2023 Re: Marketing and Sales are Canada’s Missing Productivity Link Our national productivity gap has spurred analyses, reports and media articles for decades. While public debate in Canada has focused on productivity improvement for more than 50 years, we have made limited progress. Fresh thinking is required. While innovation through […]

Nitani and Nusrat – Solving Canada’s SME Financing Conundrum

To: Small business watchers From: Miwako Nitani and Aurin Shaila Nusrat Date: August 3, 2023 Re: Solving Canada’s SME Financing Conundrum Canada’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play an out-sized role in generating jobs and promoting economic prosperity. Even so, Canadian growth-oriented SMEs lag behind those of other advanced countries and face financing hurdles, in raising debt and attracting […]

Canada Lags US in Angel Investing

According to the National Angel Capital Network (NACO 2022), angels affiliated with regional angel networks collectively invested $262.1 million in 635 firms in Canada in 2021 up from $102.9 million in 416 firms in 2020. These investments averaged $346,024 per company in 2021 up from $289,792 in 2020. In the US, using data from Angel […]

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