Eyquem, van Dijk and Stewart – A Clear and Overdue Path to Accounting for Natural Assets in Canada
From: Joanna Eyquem, Peter van Dijk and James K. StewartTo: Canadians Concerned about Recognizing and Valuing Natural AssetsDate: September 24, 2024Re: A Clear and Overdue Path to Accounting for Natural Assets in Canada Devastating wildfires and floods this year have highlighted the risks arising from the lack of public accountability for natural assets in Canada. […] Dahir, Robson – Cities sit on too much cash. Here’s how they could help with Canada’s housing crisis
Published in The Globe and Mail.
The short supply and high cost of housing are top-of-mind concerns for many Canadians. So it is necessary to pay more attention to the quirks of municipal financial management, as cities budget for and finance infrastructure in ways that can slow construction and raise costs.
Many of Canada’s major cities are sitting on large amounts of cash that they collected before – often years ago – the capital projects they were collected to fund are under way. If cities matched the revenues they collect more closely with the expenses they incur, we could enjoy more and less expensive housing.
Panic over cities’ budgets is an annual ritual. And when Ontario municipalities gather in Ottawa this…
Glen Hodgson – The Lessons from the Jasper Wildfire
From: Glen Hodgson To: Canadian wildfire watchers Date: August 9, 2024 Re: The Lessons from the Jasper Wildfire Climate-related disasters including massive wildfires, severe flooding, and other extreme weather are hitting multiple regions of Canada. A few weeks ago, extreme rainfall and severe flooding disrupted life in Toronto and confirmed it isn’t ready for the extreme weather associated with […] Lewis, Dupuy – Nostalgia Should Not Drive Ontario’s Economic Development Policy
From: Brian Lewis and Damian Dupuy To: Ontario Economy Observers Date: July 25, 2024 Re: Nostalgia Should Not Drive Ontario’s Economic Development Policy Despite bold promises and billions of dollars of support, Ontario manufacturing jobs remain around the same level as when Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives came to power. The province needs to move past the nostalgic view of […] Miville Tremblay – Reflections on a Canadian Tilt to Public Pension Fund Investments
To: Canadian Pension Watchers From: Miville Tremblay Date: July 12, 2024 Re: Reflections on a Canadian Tilt to Public Pension Fund Investments Should Canada’s large pension funds follow the path of Quebec’s Caisse de dépôt et placement and demonstrate a greater home bias, or national preference, in their investments? This burning question is at the […] DeLand, Gilmour – More Work Needed on Major Project Legislation
To: Canadian Project Watchers From: Charles DeLand and Brad Gilmour Date: July 10, 2024 Re: More Work Needed on Major Project Legislation One reason Canada’s per capita GDP has stalled and may continue to stagnate, putting Canadians’ living standards at risk, is that we struggle to build large projects cheaply and quickly. The federal government has finally acknowledged there is too […] A.J. Goulding – Affordability, Practicality, and Reality: The Rocky Path to Net Zero
From: A.J. Goulding To: Provincial Ministers of Energy Date: July 4, 2024 Re: Affordability, Practicality, and Reality: The Rocky Path to Net Zero A recent Canadian Electricity Advisory Council report emphasizes that affordability is critical to the success of the energy transition; affordability is possible, “but the path is narrow” and “pragmatic, thoughtful measures will be needed.” […] Glen Hodgson – What To Do with Canada Post?
From: Glen HodgsonTo: Canada Post clientsDate: June 6, 2024Re: What To Do with Canada Post? Canada Post announced in May that it generated a very large financial loss of nearly $748 million in its 2023 fiscal year, following a 2022 loss of $548 million. The corporation began recording annual losses in 2018 and has since lost $3 billion before taxes. […] John Lester – The federal expenditure management system needs a makeover
From: John Lester To: Members of the Treasury Board Date: April 8, 2024 Re: The federal expenditure management system needs a makeover The federal expenditure management system looks good on paper. Transparency is served by publication of five-year spending plans for major spending categories in the annual budget and detailed information in the main estimates and departmental plans. Efficiency […]Faut-il déchirer sa chemise pour Northvolt ? – La Presse
Pas facile de se faire une tête dans ce dossier, où promoteurs et opposants présentent des arguments valables, mais aussi des positions critiquables. Prenons de la hauteur pour en juger.
L’argument central avancé dans ce journal par le ministre de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie, Pierre Fitzgibbon, est de « développer au Québec une économie basée sur des secteurs d’avenir » et de « réduire notre écart de richesse avec le reste du Canada » pour financer la santé et l’éducation.
Des objectifs louables, certes, mais le gouvernement de la CAQ ne semble appliquer qu’une moitié de la stratégie préconisée pour lutter contre le réchauffement climatique, qui est de s’attaquer tant aux risques…
The Ontario Infrastructure Bank may hurt more than it helps – Financial Post
Wouldn’t it be great if more government infrastructure were built faster and cheaper? The Ontario government certainly thinks so and is creating the Ontario Infrastructure Bank (OIB) to get that done.
Unfortunately, inadequate funding is not the problem plaguing infrastructure investment. The province never comes close to spending the money it allocates to infrastructure. In 2022-23 alone, it underspent its infrastructure budget by a whopping $3.4 billion (15 per cent). Under-spending has happened every year in recent memory.
What’s more, increasing funding over time has not increased actual infrastructure output. According to Statistics Canada, the combined capital expenditures of all levels of government in Ontario have…