As Canada forms its next government, the Prime Minister’s Office will be preparing ministerial mandate letters. In this special Intelligence Memo series, policy experts highlight key challenges and priorities in each minister’s portfolio. From: Donald Drummond To: The incoming Ministers of Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Date: October 25, 2019 As you embark as Ministers […]
To: Canada’s City Councillors and Managers From: William B.P. Robson Date: September 20, 2019 Re: Does Accounting Drive Budget Decisions? The Strange Case of the Toronto Subway “Upload” Should Canadian cities budget using the same accounting they use in their financial statements? In particular, should they amortize capital – recording expenses related to capital investments […]
From: William B.P. Robson To: Toronto transit planners Date: July 25, 2019 Re: LRT Financing a Feature of Sidewalk Labs’ Plan Toronto Should Embrace The Draft Master Innovation and Development Plan released by Sidewalk Labs in late June could breathe life into Toronto’s comatose plans for a light rail line to the city’s eastern waterfront. Waterfront Toronto’s 2017 […]
To: Pierre Lavallée President and CEO, Canadian Infrastructure Bank From: Alexandre Laurin Date: May 31, 2019 Re: Rail Investment Makes Good Sense The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) announced yesterday that it will provide up to $2 billion in debt financing to the winning bidder – most likely a consortia of local and international companies – for the procurement process […]
From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Farah Omran To: The Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Date: May 8, 2019 Re: So Close Yet So Far: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan The Ontario government announced its housing policy last week. It includes a suite of policy changes aimed at reducing red tape, increasing […]
February 7 – Ottawa should spur growth through better tax competitiveness and get back into the black by curbing overspending, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s annual Shadow Federal Budget. In “Less Debt, More Growth: A Shadow Federal Budget for 2019”, authors William B.P. Robson and Alexandre Laurin show Ottawa could balance its budget in 2023/24 […]
Cost-overruns at several large-scale hydro projects in Canada raise questions about the economic viability of continuing construction to completion. In “Dammed If You Do: How Sunk Costs Are Dragging Canadian Electricity Ratepayers Underwater” author A.J. Goulding argues that government decisions to make such large investments in hydroelectric generating capacity must be scrutinized for economic soundness […]
To: Canada’s Finance Ministers From: William B.P. Robson Date: January 14, 2019 Re: Canada’s Cities are Richer than We Think As Canada’s finance ministers know as well as anyone, our federal and provincial governments are in bad fiscal shape. Most have liabilities that vastly exceed their assets – and, whether by necessity or choice, are adding to their net […]
Federal budgets are an annual rite of spring in Ottawa, as is the deluge of advice to the Department of Finance. But budget-making is a yearlong process, and the work is now in progress. Accordingly, the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting a series of Intelligence Memos in the next few weeks, outlining recommendations that we […]
Cities across Canada have the greatest effect of any level of government on the daily lives of Canadians, yet city councils seem hamstrung by the problems they face. There are solutions, according to a new book from former C.D. Howe Institute Associate Director, Research, Benjamin Dachis. In “A Roadmap to Municipal Reform: Improving Life in […]
From: Adam Found and Peter Tomlinson To: Business Investors Date: October 18, 2018 Re: Tax Barriers to Investment – Large Canadian Cities Edge Out US Competitors Governments across Canada have made it a policy priority to reduce the marginal effective tax rate (METR) on each new dollar of business investment. By incorporating various business taxes, […]
To: Municipalities that Impose Development Charges From: Benjamin Dachis Date: August 10, 2018 Re: Stop Hosing Homebuyers with Water-Related Development Charges Canadian municipalities are hurting housing affordability by imposing expensive water charges on development and they should revamp their development charges to improve housing affordability across the country. Many Canadian municipalities impose development charges on homebuilders – around $80,000 […]
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As Canada forms its next government, the Prime Minister’s Office will be preparing ministerial mandate letters. In this special Intelligence Memo series, policy experts highlight key challenges and priorities in each minister’s portfolio. From: Donald Drummond To: The incoming Ministers of Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Date: October 25, 2019 As you embark as Ministers […] 
To: Canada’s City Councillors and Managers From: William B.P. Robson Date: September 20, 2019 Re: Does Accounting Drive Budget Decisions? The Strange Case of the Toronto Subway “Upload” Should Canadian cities budget using the same accounting they use in their financial statements? In particular, should they amortize capital – recording expenses related to capital investments […] 
From: William B.P. Robson To: Toronto transit planners Date: July 25, 2019 Re: LRT Financing a Feature of Sidewalk Labs’ Plan Toronto Should Embrace The Draft Master Innovation and Development Plan released by Sidewalk Labs in late June could breathe life into Toronto’s comatose plans for a light rail line to the city’s eastern waterfront. Waterfront Toronto’s 2017 […] 
From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Farah Omran To: The Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Date: May 8, 2019 Re: So Close Yet So Far: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan The Ontario government announced its housing policy last week. It includes a suite of policy changes aimed at reducing red tape, increasing […] 
February 7 – Ottawa should spur growth through better tax competitiveness and get back into the black by curbing overspending, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s annual Shadow Federal Budget. In “Less Debt, More Growth: A Shadow Federal Budget for 2019”, authors William B.P. Robson and Alexandre Laurin show Ottawa could balance its budget in 2023/24 […] 
Cost-overruns at several large-scale hydro projects in Canada raise questions about the economic viability of continuing construction to completion. In “Dammed If You Do: How Sunk Costs Are Dragging Canadian Electricity Ratepayers Underwater” author A.J. Goulding argues that government decisions to make such large investments in hydroelectric generating capacity must be scrutinized for economic soundness […] 
To: Canada’s Finance Ministers From: William B.P. Robson Date: January 14, 2019 Re: Canada’s Cities are Richer than We Think As Canada’s finance ministers know as well as anyone, our federal and provincial governments are in bad fiscal shape. Most have liabilities that vastly exceed their assets – and, whether by necessity or choice, are adding to their net […] 
Federal budgets are an annual rite of spring in Ottawa, as is the deluge of advice to the Department of Finance. But budget-making is a yearlong process, and the work is now in progress. Accordingly, the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting a series of Intelligence Memos in the next few weeks, outlining recommendations that we […] 
Cities across Canada have the greatest effect of any level of government on the daily lives of Canadians, yet city councils seem hamstrung by the problems they face. There are solutions, according to a new book from former C.D. Howe Institute Associate Director, Research, Benjamin Dachis. In “A Roadmap to Municipal Reform: Improving Life in […] 
From: Adam Found and Peter Tomlinson To: Business Investors Date: October 18, 2018 Re: Tax Barriers to Investment – Large Canadian Cities Edge Out US Competitors Governments across Canada have made it a policy priority to reduce the marginal effective tax rate (METR) on each new dollar of business investment. By incorporating various business taxes, […]