John Manley on BNN – Ottawa should think carefully on providing additional stimulus
John Manley, co-chair of the Fiscal and Tax Working Group at the C.D. Howe Institute and former finance minister, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss key recommendations for the federal government ahead of the expected budget. He notes Canada should focus on tracing and rapid testing in order to get the economy through the pandemic.
Benjamin Dachis – Time To Re-think How To Do Water And Wastewater Investment
From: Benjamin Dachis To: Canadian Municipal and Provincial Governments Date: January 22, 2021 Re: Time to Re-think How to Do Water and Wastewater Investment COVID-19 has brought forward many questions on infrastructure spending. One post-pandemic infrastructure trend comes from the likely move of many urban residents to outlying areas. House prices outside cities have risen, […] Marcel Boyer – The Pervasive Economic Error In Assessing The Cost Of Public Funds
From: Marcel Boyer To: Canada’s Debt Watchers Date: January 7, 2021 Re: The Pervasive Economic Error in Assessing the Cost of Public Funds In the assessment of the cost of public funds, a pervasive economic fallacy is dogma in both the private and public sectors as well as in academia: since the cost of borrowing is higher for a […] Miville Tremblay – L’infrastructure N’est Pas Simple, Mais Les Régimes De Retraite Peuvent Aider
De la part de: Miville Tremblay A l’attention de: Observateurs d’infrastructure Date: 4 décembre, 2020 Subject: L’infrastructure n’est pas simple, mais les régimes de retraite peuvent aider Je ne cherche pas à vous vendre le pont Samuel-De Champlain, croyez-moi! Seulement à vous convaincre qu’il est opportun de considérer le financement des infrastructures publiques par les caisses de retraite, […] Les caisses de retraite reluquent nos infrastructures – La Presse Opinion
Je ne cherche pas à vous vendre le pont Samuel-De Champlain, croyez-moi ! Seulement à vous convaincre qu’il est opportun de considérer le financement des infrastructures publiques par les caisses de retraite, qui ont besoin de ces actifs pour assurer le paiement de nos rentes.
Il y a quelques jours, Mark Machin, le patron d’Investissements RPC, qui gère les 457 milliards de dollars du Régime de pension du Canada, le grand frère du Régime des rentes du Québec, lui géré par la Caisse de dépôt, a suggéré que les gouvernements à court d’argent devraient vendre les aéroports, les routes à péage, les sociétés de services public et autres infrastructures publiques.
« Il y a tellement de capital qui court…
Glen Hodgson – How Much Investment Is Required To Reduce Ghg Emissions Without Sacrificing Growth?
From: Glen Hodgson To: Canadians concerned about green growth Date: November 27, 2020 Re: How Much Investment is Required to Reduce GHG Emissions Without Sacrificing Growth? In the extensive debate on the policies and innovation required to reduce Canada’s GHG emissions while achieving solid economic growth, discussion on the scale and distribution of investment needed has been absent, […] How high municipal housing charges and taxes decrease housing supply – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Home prices have skyrocketed in places such as Vancouver and Toronto in the past decade. These cities have some of the highest charges and most restrictive rules on construction. The evidence from around the world shows that government policies that limit supply and increase the cost of construction are among the key causes of higher prices. It is time governments take more steps to reduce these costs.
Homebuyers in Canadian cities face a multitude of taxes and charges that increase the cost of buying a home. Restrictions on housing supply and extra costs hinder the efficiency of the housing market. Recent research has found a persistent gap between the cost of building new homes and their market price in major Canadian…
Cost and Use of Development Charges: Ontario and British Columbia
New research from Benjamin Dachis explores how homebuyers in Canadian cities face a multitude of taxes and charges that increase the cost of buying a home. These charges include development charges – charges paid by the developer to compensate the municipality for the cost of building infrastructure, such as sewers, to service new homes and […] Gimme Shelter: How High Municipal Housing Charges and Taxes Decrease Housing Supply
Taxes, Charges Drive up House Prices, Limit Supply Taxes and charges on new and existing homes are a key driver of the cost and supply of affordable homes for Canadians. Author Benjamin Dachis points to development charges, land transfer taxes, and murky density bonus payments as partial drivers of reduced supply and soaring house prices […] Peter Hicks – The Pandemic Opportunity For Better Well-being Data
From: Peter Hicks To: The Office of the Prime Minister Date: October 9, 2020 Subject: The Pandemic Opportunity for Better Well-being Data The federal government agenda during this parliamentary session will be focused on managing the pandemic and putting ‘new normal’ programs in place. There should also be a place for lower profile action to […] Canada’s Recovery Plans Should Focus On Building The Infrastructure Of The Future – Globe And Mail Op-ed
In the past weeks, Canada’s economy has begun to reopen. This restart is tentative and faces great uncertainty. Nonetheless, Canada’s governments must now turn to planning for our economic recovery. The recovery plans should focus on laying foundations for Canadian prosperity in decades to come. Well-targeted infrastructure investments should be the centrepiece.
Notwithstanding the risk of a second wave for the pandemic, all indications are for a long, hard recovery rather than any “V-shaped” bounceback. Canada’s economy will likely face a period of weak demand from consumers and for our major exports, as well as depressed capital spending by private business.
Managing the crisis required unprecedented outlays by the…
Accelerate Infrastructure Projects and Adapt Restructuring Processes: Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade
June 17, 2020 – Accelerating productivity-enhancing infrastructure projects could provide much-needed stimulus and help Canada’s economy recover from the COVID-19 crisis, according to a C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group.
The Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade, in its most recent meetings on May 26 and June 2, 2020, also emphasized the need for adapting Canada’s bankruptcy and restructuring process to cope with the potential for widespread insolvencies.
The group of industry experts and economists, co-chaired by Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP and former Ontario Minister of Finance, and Jeanette Patell, Vice-President of Government Affairs and Policy for GE Canada,…