The federal government owes Canadians a fiscal update – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Parliament is being asked to authorize massive amounts of spending to mitigate the economic damage of COVID-19. To best represent the interests of Canadian taxpayers, who some day will foot the bill, parliamentarians need the best picture possible of the underlying context. That should include a fiscal update.
The Prime Minister rejected the idea of a fiscal update last week, arguing that “in this situation any prediction we make will be widely unreliable from one week to the next.”
Many past updates and budgets, vital to the parliamentary process, would have failed the reliability test.
The infamous 1995 budget, widely viewed as tackling a fiscal crisis and putting the country on a sustainable fiscal path,…
Schwanen, Robson – Ontario Needs More Clarity On Its Re-opening Process
From: Daniel Schwanen and William B.P. Robson To: Canadians concerned about re-opening the economy Date: May 27, 2020 Re: Ontario needs more clarity on its re-opening process Re-opening locked-down economies is not easy. Because governments did the locking down, governments are key to the re-opening. How Ontario’s government manages it, given the province’s demographic and economic weight, will have […] Supporting Growth, Restoring Confidence: A Shadow Federal Budget for 2020
Federal Budget Must Spur Growth, Restore Confidence Ottawa must support economic growth and restore Canadians’ confidence in the country’s fiscal management, according to the C.D. Howe Institute’s annual Federal Shadow Budget. Authors William B.P. Robson and Alexandre Laurin show Ottawa could balance federal finances by 2025 through a combination of measures to boost growth and […] What You See is Not What You Get: Budgets versus Results in Canada’s Major Cities, 2019
Canadians always hear that their cities are strapped for cash. Yet a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute reveals that Canada’s biggest municipalities ran aggregate budget surpluses of $11 billion in 2018. In “What You See is Not What You Get: Budgets versus Results in Canada’s Major Cities, 2019” authors Farah Omran and William […] Jumpstarting Municipal Investment Returns – The Prudent Thing to Do
From: Patrick Gill To: Canadian taxpayers Date: January 30, 2020 Re: Jumpstarting Municipal Investment Returns – The Prudent Thing to Do All levels of government in Canada invest funds they don’t immediately require. These investments are a significant source of revenue for public coffers. Without this revenue stream, taxes would be higher or service levels […] William B.P. Robson – Toronto’s Property Tax Hike – Because A $1.4 Billion Surplus Isn’t Big Enough?
From: William B.P. Robson To: Toronto taxpayers Date: January 10, 2020 Re: Toronto’s property tax hike – because a $1.4 billion surplus isn’t big enough? Late last year, Toronto City Council approved an extraordinary property tax hike – an additional 1.0 percent in 2020 and 2021 on top of a previously approved 0.5-percent increase, and a full 1.5 […] William B.P. Robson – A Professional Nag Pauses To Reflect
From: William B.P. Robson To: Fellow Canadians Date: January 7, 2020 Re: A Professional Nag Pauses to Reflect We at the C.D. Howe Institute devote much of our daily attention to criticizing poorly conceived and ineptly implemented policy in Canada. As we should. That’s our job. And our governments keep us all too well supplied. When William Watson asked […] A Professional Critic’s Festive Fulmination – Financial Post Op-ed
My colleagues and I at the C.D. Howe Institute devote much of our daily attention to criticizing poorly conceived and ineptly implemented policy in Canada. As we should. That’s our job. And our governments keep us all too well supplied.
On occasion, however, people outside Canada ask us about how Canada ranks as a place to live, work, invest, or locate a business. For me, those questions trigger a happy 180-degree turn. The professional nag steps back and the booster of Canada as one of the world’s most favoured nations takes over. As we welcome 2020 with some thoughts about things we in Canada do well, and should keep doing well, here are three ways we stand out.
First on my list — first on so many people’s lists — is…
Seriously Toronto, Another Tax Hike? A $1.4 Billion Surplus Isn’t Big Enough? – Financial Post Op-ed
Toronto city council has just approved an extra increase in property taxes — another 1.0 per cent in 2020 and 2021 on top of a previously approved 0.5 per cent hike, and a full 1.5 per cent for four years starting in 2022. Mayor John Tory, previously a staunch supporter of holding the line on property taxes, pushed it. The vote went 22-3 in favour — a convincing margin considering most politicians hate to vote for higher taxes. Even many conservative commentators praised the hike as necessary to support social services and better infrastructure. Which makes me wonder: how many on council, in the media, or the city at large know anything about Toronto’s fiscal numbers? Does anyone?
Here’s a test. What was the City of Toronto’s…
Bill Robson on BNN – What cities can do to improve their fiscal transparency
Bill Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss the latest federal fiscal update as well as the organization’s new report evaluating the fiscal transparency of Canada’s municipalities.
From A to F: Grading the Fiscal Transparency of Canada’s Cities, 2019
December 10, 2019 – Bad budgeting practices impede councillors, taxpayers and voters seeking accountability from city staff and elected representatives, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “From A to F: Grading the Fiscal Transparency of Canada’s Cities, 2019,” authors William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran grade the clarity, comprehensiveness, and […] Benjamin Dachis – Mandate Letters To The Incoming Canadian Government
To: The Incoming Federal Government Date: October 21, 2019 From: Benjamin Dachis Re: Mandate letters to the incoming Canadian government Today, Canadians go to the polls to elect the 43rd Parliament. The shape of the next government is uncertain. But no matter the outcome, improving the living standards of Canadians should be at the forefront of the government’s agenda. This […]